Rabbi's Drash

Chol HaMoed  Pesach

5769

Sh'mot 33:12-34: 26,   B'Midbar 28: 16-25
 

Shabbat Chol HaMoed; Sh'mot 33:12-34: 26,   B'Midbar 28: 16-25 The Shabbat Between The Festivals Shabbat Chol HaMoed, the Shabbat between the festivals occurs only twice in the Jewish calendar-during Passover and Sukkoth. These two festivals last seven and eight days, respectively. In addition, the days that this year's Passover (5769) fell are on the exact same days as when Yeshua was hung on the stake, He was hung on Wednesday around 3 pm, before the beginning of the Yom Tov (the day of rest) of the Passover. He died before the beginning of Pesach. On the third day, he resurrected on the Shabbat making three complete days and three complete nights, as he declared he would (Matt 12:40). Because of the confusion with regard to the Yom Tov of a festival and the actual day of the resurrection of Messiah on the regular Shabbat, it is well worthwhile to review the time line. Following the tradition of many rabbis, Yeshua celebrated the Passover with his talmidim on the Tuesday before the actual Passover, what is known as a Seudat Birkat. He was graduating them that night knowing that he would not be there with him for the actual Pesach Seder. Yeshua was then taken prisoner, submitted to the trials and died on Wednesday afternoon before the start of Pesach. The books of Matthew and Luke clearly tell about certain talmidim recovering the body of Yeshua before the day of rest begins. This day of rest refers to Pesach. It also says that Caiaphas and his entourage went early in the morning to ask Pilate to have the tomb guarded since Yeshua had prophesied that he would rise from the dead. This had to be the day after Pesach for many reasons; I'll present two. Caiaphas couldn't have gone to see Pilate on the Shabbat since he would lose his ceremonial cleanliness and desecrate himself if he visited a foreigner on the Shabbat. Also because of the limit of the distance permitted to walk on Shabbat, the Temple guard couldn't go to the cemetery. Therefore Caiaphas must have visited Pilate and sent the guard on Friday, not on the 7th day of rest, the Shabbat. And Yeshua resurrected the third day after his death, on Saturday, the Shabbat, as He said He would. This goes to show that when the Scriptures are misrepresented or taken out of context the result is doctrine made by man rather than based on the Word of G-d. Yeshua said this to the P'rushim (Pharisees), when he said that their own traditions destitute the Word of G-d. Rabbinical Judaism has changed the Word of G-d, substituting it with their tradition, as has Christianity. The idea that Yeshua resurrected on Sunday rises from ignorance of the Word of G-d and the traditions about the Yom Tov (Pesach or a festival) and the regular Shabbat. People know the Scriptures but often apply it in a way that fits their own traditions. Another misrepresentation we have to deal with is the Lord's Supper. When Yeshua celebrated the Seudat Birkat, he said to do it in remembrance of him. Ignoring that Yeshua was celebrating Pesach, Christianity celebrates the Lord's Supper or Eucharist many times in the year. Yeshua was saying that whenever you celebrate Pesach to do it in remembrance of him. There are things that Rabbi Shaul (Paul) spoke about in 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34 which are easily explained when you know Jewish tradition. When he gave one of the instructions on how to celebrate the "Lord's Supper", he said to eat something before hand because he knew that during the reading of the Hagaddah prior to the actual meal, people would get very hungry. The non- Jewish new believers would not have known what to expect about the length of a Seder. During this Chol HaMoed we are reading the passage from Sh'mot, Exodus, where Moses asks G-d to show him His face. G-d responded that He couldn't show him because "no one can see Me and live". Because of His love for Moses G-d agreed to show him His back. What this means is that G-d couldn't show Himself but He could show Moses attributes of G-d that he would never see. Remember that this was the time after the people of Israel had committed the sin of the Golden Calf; they had repented and G-d had forgiven them. Now G-d was going to give the second set of tablets with the 10 Words. He told Moses that no one was to come onto the mountain not even the animals to graze. This is an image of the holiness of G-d. One of the areas of conflict that the Jews have with Christianity is that Christianity has images of G-d and Yeshua in the churches. But G-d said not to make any image of Himself. The Jews are not allowed to make any representation of G-d. Even they broke with that command when they kept the bronze serpent in the ark. After awhile it too became an idol. Eventually King Hezekiah had to destroy the serpent. It became an object of faith rather than having faith in G-d. It is easy for men to make representations of G-d, and that is why G-d said not to make any image of Him (Numbers 21:4-9; II Kings 18:1-4; Wisdom of Solomon 16:5-7; John 3:14-15) . When G-d said he would allow Moses to see his Kvod (Glory), His "back" He was saying that Moses would see the Glory of G-d in the Messiah. G-d said that He would place an angel to guide the people; again He was referring to the Messiah. Yeshua himself confirmed this when he said that if the Jews believed in Moses they would believe in Him because Moses spoke about Him. Rabbi Shaul states that the entire Tenach speaks about Yeshua (In the Talmud Berakhot 34b: "from Moses to the last prophets prophesied for the times of Messiah"). In the Rabbinical tradition the rabbis talk about the Sar HaPanin, the face of the prince (in Mikraot Gedolot Radak commentary about Mal 3:1). This phrase refers to a manifestation of G-d such that when men see him they would not die. We have examples of this in scripture, Manoach the father of Samson who in Judges saw the angel and also the "man" who fought with Jacob in Genesis. Manoach and Jacob both said that they had seen G-d and didn't die (Judges 13). Who did they see? In His own words Yeshua says, "The Father and I are one; if you have seen me you have seen the Father" (John 14:9ff). In the Hebrew context, Yeshua is saying that he is that physical manifestation of G-d Himself. "G-d is in me so that you can see Him and not die. He was made manifest because Yeshua would do things that only G-d can do. Theology tries to explain this one, two, three. The theologians begin to juggle theological concepts to try to explain G-d. But G-d doesn't ask us to explain; He asks us to accept. We disobey G-d by making doctrines to explain Him. Deuteronomy 29:28 says, "The hidden things belong to G-d, the revealed things belong to us…" Anther example is the effort made to predict the coming of the Messiah. Many sects and leaders have risen and fallen on their predictions of the date of the coming of the Lord. Yeshua himself said that it was not for us to know the times, only the Father knows. Ramban said that it is evil for a person to try to calculate the dates of the coming of the Messiah. We should be people who live by faith based on revelation not on knowledge. Pesach is one of these mysteries when G-d worked in such a way beyond the human being's capacity to understand. It needs to be understood that G-d will do things for us in a way that only He can do. He will save us by His own hand simply because He desires to do so. G-d states in Exodus 33:18-19 that He will have mercy on those on whom He has mercy, and no mercy on those on whom He has no mercy. This is such a problem for us. We say "That's not fair!" We don't like it. It goes against our nerves when G-d tells us that we need to walk with Him and submit to Him. G-d's mercy is G-d's business not ours! What G-d wants from us is obedience. In fact He says that He prefers obedience to sacrifice. This is all He asks from us in order to be to be part of His chosen nation. But we prefer to do the sacrifices. What we don't realize is that we can't possibly do enough; we are simply not good enough. We are not "tahor" - clean; we are tamei -completely polluted. We simply cannot be a good sacrifice; but G-d provided the best sacrifice on Pesach, the day of deliverance when He presented "the Lamb of G-d who takes away the sin of the world". G-d doesn't ask us to change, to become a Jew or to become Christian. He asks us to be obedient, to follow what He says to do, not what someone else says. Today's religions, Christian, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, all are men telling you what to do. And if you don't do what they tell you then they harm, excommunicate or execute you. Meanwhile all you have been trying to do is to be faithful to G-d. G-d says that we should not mix with other peoples - even one of His names is "Jealous". It is astounding how the world's mentality is changing as its ways and thoughts seep into our own belief systems as believers. People say that the world is becoming more open minded. This is frightening. It is one thing to condemn the sin but not the sinner. It is totally another thing to accept sin because everyone else accepts it. The situation has become critical because we have "improved G-d's way. We have made our words more important than the Word of G-d. We have accepted the world's marketing strategies to create mega churches and mega synagogues. The leaders have become performers trying to gain more constituents and more money, and they have forgotten Who we worship. The most important aspect of Pesach is the cleansing, the getting rid of the leaven. Leaven is the contamination of something very small and insignificant yet it grows exponentially. We have been contaminated by sin in us and it has grown so much that it has become part of us. It has even contaminated our conscience. At Pesach we are reminded that we need to cleanse ourselves spiritually. We have forgotten the holiness and awesomeness of G-d. We have lost the relationship with Him. But we hope for G-d's purity, His cleansing and His renewal because He is alive.    May G-d add blessings to His Word!      Rabbi Percy Johnson      Netanel ben Yochanan      [nxy [b lantn      © 2008 Use by Permission      Kehilat She’ar Yashuv

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