Parashah 19: T'rumah (Contribution)
Exodus 25:1 through 27:19
Parashah 19: T'rumah (Contribution) - Exodus 25:1 through 27:19.
Haftarah (Writings and Prophets): 1 Kings 5:26 - 6:13 (in some versions it begins with 1 Kings 5:12).
B'rit Hadasha (New Testament): Hebrews 8:1-6; 9:23-24; 10:1.
Tanach Scriptures are from Stern's Complete Jewish Bible; B'rit Chadash Scriptures from the Aramaic English New Testament.
Welcome "newbies" and "oldies!" As you all know, Torah was written by Moshe (Moses) and consists of the first five Books of the Bible which contain God's original Divine Instructions in Righteousness. Since this is a Netzarim (Nazarene/Messianic) website, we refer to God by His proper Name: Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey, transliterated into English as YHWH, and most likely pronounced "Yah-way" (see Exodus 3:13-15). His Son's Name is Y'shua (most likely pronounced "Ye-shoo-ah"). Enjoy this week's Torah portion!
Many - if not most - of us usually skip over passages such as the ones in this week's parashah reading (Exodus 25:1 through 27:19). The design of the tabernacle and dimensions of the ark, and the shape of the menorah hold absolutely no meaning for those who don't realize their significance. Not to mention, most view these things as "Old Testament" which - according to our pastors - was full of interesting history, but they supposedly in no way pertain to New Testament teachings, because Jesus had "fulfilled" it all. The only thing that was really of any consequence for us today, the pastors insist, is our "belief in the shed blood at the cross."
It is a true that most pastors have no understanding about the significance of Torah (YHWH's Divine Instructions in Righteousness)! They simply don't seem to "get" that, unless one has pondered the awesome teachings in the Torah and the rest of the Tanach ("OT"), one cannot understand His Messiah or the Gospels in their full context! The Torah, after all, outlines who God is, how we are to worship Him, and how to live a holy life according to HIS rules, and what to expect once His Son arrives (Isaiah 53) - the Son who is foreshadowed in, and has so far fulfilled the first FOUR of the SEVEN Feasts.
Once you have become Torah observant, you will begin to read the Torah portions through very different eyes! As you grow, you will be better able to understand the significance of YHWH's precise instructions concerning the building of His Tabernacle, for instance, because you'll recognize that all the contents of the Tabernacle with their precise God-directed colors, weights and measurements, all foreshadowed Yeshua! Please check out the following links to get an idea of what YHWH's Tabernacle might have looked like:
Structure and dimensions of the Tabernacle
The only prophet greater than Moshe is Mashiyach/Messiah YHWH chose Moshe to reveal the government of Mashiyach when He gave Torah to Moshe. The Mishkan (tabernacle) was constructed according to the Tabernacle in heaven, so that each component would reveal the attributes and character of Mashiyach. The aron habrit (ark of the covenant) in the kadosh kadoshim (holy of holies) reveals the Mind of Mashiyach; the table of incense, showbread and menorah reveal the heart, will and character of Mashiyach. This was done so that all who would follow Mashiyach could learn how to enter into the Image of Elohim; Mashiyach is the perfect Image. (Source: AENT)
Exodus 25:1-9 Is YHWH's description of The Mishkan (Tabernacle) down to the most minute detail - remember the Mishkan was the dwelling place for YHWH - Mishkan in Hebrew means dwelling place. There were 13 types of raw materials used in the Mishkan, the vessels and the priestly garments.
The plans for the Tabernacle were revealed to Moshe from the inside out, starting with the interior furniture and then working out. We approach the sanctuary from the outside in, but YHWH builds the sanctuary from the inside out, the same way he works on our hearts - from the inside out!
Of note in this week's parashah is that k'ruvim (cherubim) must have held some huge significance for YHWH that we can't begin to comprehend. They were clearly not something the people worshiped; YHWH had commanded that man not make images of Him, yet He clearly commanded images of the k'ruvim throughout the tabernacle. Not only did two of these beings grace the ark (Exodus 25:18-21), but YHWH ordered them "worked into" the woven linen walls and curtains of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:1, 31). The people must have known what they were and what they looked like, because Moshe doesn't explain them anywhere.
According to the Glossary in Stern's Complete Jewish Bible, p. 1578, k'ruvim are: Heavenly creatures (angels) who guarded the way to the Tree of Life in Gan 'Eden (Genesis 3:24), were described by Ezekiel as having four faces and four wings (Ezekiel 10:20-21), and were ridden by God (Psalm 18:11(10); compare the "living beings" of Rev 4:6. The term also refers to the gold-overlaid wooden images of same, constructed in obedience to God's command, which overshadowed the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle and in the temple. (Please take a few moments to read the above-mentioned references!)
Note also the command to build the ark out of acacia wood which was to be overlaid in gold (Exodus 25:10-11). Between that and the fact that YHWH wanted so many things overlayed in gold, you can imagine that the Temple items must have been very heavy!
Acacia is a hard, gnarled, often thorny tree/plant,derived from the Australian-native Acacia trees and shrubs, which are now also found in Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and parts of the Americas. The hardwood that is derived from the tree is suitable for building long-lasting items of furniture and homewares. Diverse in its beauty - it is much like our human natures which vaccillate between beautiful and hard and thorny. YHWH ordered that the wood of the ark be overlaid in gold - just as He covers our carnal natures with holiness, once we accept His Messiah's shed blood and begin to obey His Torah via the leading of the Holy Spirit....
Another major issue that "the church" as a whole tends to overlook is the importance of the menorah - the ONLY SYMBOL YHWH ever designed Himself. Their logic? "Jesus is the light of the world and nothing else matters"...." HUGE MISTAKE!
The menorah (called "lampstands" or "candlesticks" in various other Bible versions) is of major significance to YHWH so much so that it is mentioned throughout the entire Bible, from its first mention in Exodus through the Book of Revelation! Proverbs 6:23 says: For the mitzvah (word/command) is a lamp and the Torah is light....
We'll close this discussion with wisdom gleaned from the various appendixes and footnotes in the Aramaic English New Testament:
It should be noted that the word for "light" in Aramaic is different from the Hebrew; however that is fine because nohra, which means "flame" or "light" and is the phrase from which the Hanukkah menorah is derived, also dovetails with evidence in John's Gospel that Y'shua was conceived during this time, the Festival of Lights!
For example, the Menorah is a seven branched lamp that represents the eternal Light of Mashiyach. The number seven represents completion and each of the branches denotes an attribute of the Spirit of Mashiyach that indwells YHWH's people (see Isaiah 11:1-4). The Ark of the Covenant is laid with pure gold inside and outside and represents purity on the inside and outside of each soul who is in Mashiyach. The Ten Commandments that are placed inside the Ark represent the Mind of Mashiyach, written by the finger of YHWH Himself, whose immutable Commandments will be used to Judge the whole earth (see Rev. 11:19).
These symbols in the Temple represent the Government of Mashiyach that indwells the physical temple of each individual who turns to him, and are representative of the spiritual man. These eternal symbols are YHWH ordained, whereas the cross is merely a man-made icon. If Christians were to take the time to research the origin of the cross symbol they would be shocked and surprised to discover that it is far from what the post-apostolic church founders want them to believe; but these important elements of truth differentiate the One True Faith from the Mystery religion of fallen Babylon....
The Truth of the "spiritual man" is also revealed within the attributes of YHWH. "The Spirit of YHWH shall rest upon him, the Spirit of Chochmah (Wisdom) and Binah (Understanding), the Spirit of Atzah (Counsel) and Gevurah (Might), the Spirit of Da'at (Knowledge) and of the Yirah (Fear) of YHWH." (Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 11:2). These seven spirits depict Mashiyach and we are reminded by the seven branched menorah of the completion or perfection of Mashiyach that is to be an eternal light within the souls of all men and women....
As the branches of the Menorah attach to a central pillar, so is each of the unique attributes of YHWH connected and revealed in Mashiyach who is "heir of all things." Truth provides the correct understanding of YHWH and His Word. It is the foundation of Faith but it also reveals the nature of mankind. "Elohim created man in his own tselem (image), in b'tselem Elohim (the image of Elohim) created he him; male and female created he them." (Genesis 1:27). Truth tells us that every human has an inherent neshama (spirit) that was designed and breathed into him by YHWH....
The term Judaism is derived from the tribe of Yehudah (Judah) which became prominent within the 12 tribes of Yisrael when YHWH anointed David as King and his son Solomon to build the Temple in Jerusalem. "And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise YHWH: therefore she called his name Y'hudah; and left bearing." (Gen. 29:35) Y'hudah (Judah) is derived from the Hebrew word yadah praise (or give thanks) the yad (hand) is extended in thanks to YHWH and is likened to the branches of the menorah that reach upwards towards heaven. In full context Yehudah means, "one who praises (or gives thanks to) YHWH."
It is interesting to note how YHWH constantly reached out to His people - and that His stipulations were always the same:
1 Kings 6: 11 Then this word of ADONAI came to Shlomo: 12 "Concerning this house which you are building: if you will live according to my regulations, follow my rulings and observe all my mitzvot and live by them, then I will establish with you my promise that I made to David your father- 13 I will live in it among the people of Isra'el, and I will not abandon my people Isra'el."
Now watch how Yeshua fit into the grand scheme of things!
Hebrews 8: 1. Now the sum of the whole is this; we have a High Priest who is seated on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven: 2. And he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which Elohim has pitched, and not man. 3. For every high priest is established to offer oblations and sacrifices; and therefore, it was proper that this one should also have something to offer.[1] 4. And if he were on earth, he would not be a priest because there are priests (there) who offer gifts[2] in accordance with Torah: 5. (namely) they who minister in the emblem and shadow of the things in heaven: as it was said to Moshe when he was about to build the tabernacle; see and make every thing according to the pattern which was showed you in the mount.
6. But now, Y'shua the Mashiyach has received a ministry which is better than that: as also the covenant of which he is made the Mediator is better, and is given with better promises than the former. 7. For, if the first (covenant) had been faultless, there would have been no place for this second (one).[3] 8. For he rebukes them and says: Behold the days come, says Master YHWH, when I will complete with the family of the house of Israel and with the family of the house of Yehuda, a renewed covenant;[4] 9. not like the covenant which I gave to their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; (and) because they continued not in my covenant, I also rejected them, says Master YHWH.
10. But this is the covenant which I will give to the family of the house of Israel after those days, says Master YHWH: I will put my Torah in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts; and I will be to them a Elohim, and they will be to me a people. 11. And one will not teach his son of the city nor his brother, nor say: You shall know your Master YHWH: because they will all know me, from the youngest of them to the oldest. 12. And I will forgive them their iniquity; and their sins will I remember no more. 13. In that he said a Renewed (Covenant), he made the first old; and that which is old and decaying, is near to disappearing.[5]
Footnotes:
[1] The references relate to Torah (instruction) about the priestly services, not the Torah (Revelation at Sinai), even though both are referenced by the same word in both Hebrew and in Aramaic.
[2] Present tense, clearly indicating the Temple in Jerusalem was standing when this Epistle was written.
[3] Most Christians seem to forget that without the first covenant, the second one is impossible! In very short order Rav Shaul will quote Jeremiah 31:31-34, indicating that the Renewed Covenant is a contingency triggered by, and deriving authority from, the first covenant. YHWH declared that the Ancient Covenant He made with Israel was good; it was to bring life, but the people of Israel chose to willfully break this Covenant and treat it as a vain thing. See Deuteronomy 32:46, 47.
[4] Paul makes reference to the Renewed Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) nine times in this letter.
[5] The context is Jeremiah 31:31-34, what is "near to disappearing" is the sinful nature of man that breaks Torah, not the standard of Torah. Remember that we broke Torah, not YHWH. YHWH did not drop the standard of Torah because Israel chose disobedience; rather, He installed a Renewed Covenant to write Torah upon the heart through the work of the Ruach haKodesh, according to Mashiyach. The fact of the matter is that in Mashiyach, YHWH raised the bar; He magnified Torah; see Isaiah 42:21. Because mankind broke Covenant, YHWH requires complete renovation on our part, not YHWH's part of the Covenant. This verse in its twisted form, became one of the "crown jewels" of Torahless Christianity which teaches that Torah is decaying and is near to disappearing, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
Brit Chadashah reading:
This week's "New Testament" reading perfectly sums up what we learned above!
Hebrews 8: 1. Now the sum of the whole is this; we have a High Priest who is seated on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven: 2. And he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which Elohim has pitched, and not man. 3. For every high priest is established to offer oblations and sacrifices; and therefore, it was proper that this one should also have something to offer. 4. And if he were on earth, he would not be a priest because there are priests (there) who offer gifts in accordance with Torah: 5. (namely) they who minister in the emblem and shadow of the things in heaven: as it was said to Moshe when he was about to build the tabernacle, See and make every thing according to the pattern which was showed you in the mount. 6. But now, Y'shua the Mashiyach has received a ministry which is better than that: as also the covenant of which he is made the Mediator is better, and is given with better promises than the former. 7. For, if the first (covenant) had been faultless, there would have been no place for this second (one).
Hebrews 9: 23 For it was necessary that these, the representations of heavenly things, should be purified with those things; but the heavenly things themselves, with a sacrifice superior to them. 24. For the Mashiyach entered not into the sanctuary made with hands which is the emblem of the true (sanctuary): but he entered into heaven itself to appear in the presence of Elohim for us.
Hebrews 10: 1. For in Torah there was a shadow of the good things to come; not the substance of the things themselves. Therefore, although the same sacrifices were every year offered, they could never perfect those who offered them.
There is so much more that could be said about this week's study, and we wholeheartedly urge you to read the cited scriptures through, if you haven't already done so. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to write! Thank you for reading our Torah study notes for this week, and we pray for you a blessed week ahead, that may you ever grow in your knowledge of YHWH. And, as always, please let us know if you ever see anything in our studies that sounds "off the mark"! Nobody has the market cornered on absolute Truth; we are all learning and obeying to the best of our abilities....
The next parashah reading will be:
Parashah 20: Tetzaveh (You are to order) - Exodus 27:20 through 30:10.
Haftarah (Writings and Prophets): Ezekiel 43:10-27.
B'rit Hadasha (New Testament): Philippians 4:10-20.
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