Shabbat Midrash (Teaching) Outlines
August 26, 2005
The "Land for Peace" Lie
Genesis 16 - Hagar and Ismael
- Hagar - Egyptian slave girl
- Egypt - Symbolic of world system apart from God
- Avram (Abraham) - Symbolic of God's faith kingdom
- Avram listened to what Sarai said - reference to Adam and Eve in Garden
- Disobedience brought about a curse
- Two offspring - Cain and Abel - one's offering accepted, the other's rejected
- Rivalry eventually led to murder
Genesis 21:8-21
- Children of different destinies
- Could not live together - natures clashed
- Still true today
Genesis 17:18-21
Genesis 25:12-18
Galatians 4:21-31
- Hagar represents the slavery of those who believe that they can earn their salvation by keeping the law - this was the old covenant at Mt. Sinai
- Sarah represents the freedom of believers who come to Yeshua by faith and are not dependent on keeping the Law for their salvation
- The attitude of a believer that is saved by faith should be gratitude. That gratitude should manifest itself in a desire to study Torah and use its precepts as a pattern and example by which to live their new lives in Yeshua.
August 19, 2005
The Tallit
(Prayershaw)
(Prayershaw)
Psalm 102:13
- God is building up Zion-literally Jerusalem-and soon we will see Him appear in His glory.
- First the natural and then the spiritual
- God is building up Zion in the hearts of God's people
(The Sh'ma)
Deut 6:4-9
Num 15:37 - Make fringes "Tzit Tzit" (blue thread)
Jewish boy coming of age:
- Bar Mitzvah (son of the Commandments)
- Take part in religious community
- Wear Kippah
- Wear Phylacteries
- Wear Tallit and tzit tzit (fringes)
Tallit was created to hold the fringes (tzit tzit)
The cloak or outer garment - Matt 5:40
- Worn by Jews in prayer
- Placed over head to create a prayer closet
- Prevents distraction
Can a woman wear a tallit? No scriptural reason why not. Gavriella (Carolyn) wears one when she blows the shofar to open our service.
When the tallit is placed on the shoulders, there is a blessing that is recited.
"Blessed art Thou O Lord our God who has sanctified us and commanded us to wrap ourselves in the tzit tzit (fringes)."
The fringes are a physical reminder of the 613 mitzvot (laws or ordinances) - 365 shall nots and 248 thou shalls - found in the Torah.
- 8 strands - eight signifies new beginnings and reminds us that God's mercies are new each day
- 5 sets of knots - reminds us of the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible)
- 4 sets of windings - 4 letters of God's name (Yud Hey Vav Hey) Also the 4th letter of the Hebrew alphabet is dalet which means door (I am the door)
- 8 + 5 = 13 This is the numerical value of the word ECHAD (meaning one) - THE LORD IS ONE
We are reminded of:
- God's Word
- God's Name
- Oneness of God
Most tallits are decorated with blue to remind us of the blue thread. The dye was made from a snail (tehellet) that disappeared at about the time of Yeshua's death. Just recently, the snail has reappeared. The blue color also reminds us of the sea where life first began. In the Genesis account man was created on the second day after the life forms in the sea. The blue color also represents the sky, the heavens where God dwells. In Exodus, 70 elders saw a vision of God and underneath his feet was a sapphire (blue) pavement.
Blue is to remind us of royalty. The tallit is a garment of the priesthood, the royal priesthood mentioned in I Peter 2:9.
Wearing the tallit is a reminder of who we are. The Atara or Braka is the "diadem" - a declaration of royalty.
Blue Thread
Numbers 15 - does not say "you shall look upon it" - it says you shall look upon HIM. When I hold the tzit tzit in my hands, I am not looking just at thread. I see a representation of YESHUA.
When I wrap myself in the tallit, it's as if I am clothed in the shekina glory of the Lord. That same glory that filled the temple. In the book of Numbers, the word for "him" is oto. If you rearrange the three letters in the Hebrew alphabet, you get tav, which means "cross" and vet, which means "messiah".
The totality of God's word is wrapped up in the Messiah who gave his life on the cross for our sins.
Old Covenant Examples
I Sam 15:24
- War against Amalekites
- Saul had orders to kill them all
- Saul pleaded for forgiveness
When Samuel was about to leave, Saul grabbed the corner of his garment and tore off the tzit tzit. The tzit tzit represented authority. Samuel said to Saul,
"Just as you have torn the corner from my garment, so your authority shall be torn from you."
I Sam 24
- Saul seeks David to do him harm
- Goes into a cave looking for him
- David cuts off the fringe of Saul's garment
- Representative of David removing Saul's authority
New Covenant Perspective
Matt 14:35
Those who were ill came to Yeshua just to touch the corner of His garment - all who did were healed.
Mark 5:38
Young girl had died - Yeshua removed His tallit as He entered the place of death - laid the tallit upon the girl's body and said,
"Talitha Kamim" (meaning: to the one who is beneath the tallit, ARISE)
Mark 5:25
Woman with the "issue of blood" touched His tzit tzit and was healed. She reached for the blue thread which represented Yeshua's authority.
The Romans gambled for Yeshua's tallit at the foot of the cross because of the healing miracles that were associated with it.
Wings
Numbers 15:38
The word for corner can also mean "wings".
Ruth 2:12
Boaz said to Ruth (wings)
Mal 4:2
Son of Righteousness will arise with healing in His wings (tzit tzit)
Windings
- 7 in first set - add then up and they total 39 - stripes Yeshua took for our healing
- 8 in second set
- 11 in third set
- 13 in fourth set
7 + 8=15 (Yud Hey)
11= (Vav Hey) - God's Name
When we put on the Tallit, we are reminded of God's word, God's name, the oneness of God, the very essence of who God is and who we are according to His word.
Finally, the word tallit comes from a root word meaning "lamb".
August 12, 2005
Parable of the Good Samaritan
"A Messianic Perspective"
Luke 10:25-37
Symbolism found in this passage:
- A certain man – represents mankind
- Jerusalem – represents the Garden of Eden
- Jericho – represents the fallen world
- Robbers – Satan’s emissaries come to steal, kill, and destroy
- Stripped – left naked (Hebrew before sin – arom – naked and were not ashamed) (Hebrew after sin – erom – naked and were ashamed)
- Left half dead – our bodies are no longer clothed in God’s glory
- Priest – represents the blood of bulls and goats which is only a temporary covering
- Levite – represents the blood of bulls and goats which is only a temporary covering
- Samaritan – represents Yeshua – picture of compassion – despised by the Jews – outcast
- Oil and wine – represents the Holy Spirit and joy – His blessings and a new life
- Donkey – the animal customarily ridden by a prophet
- Brought him to an inn and took care of him – represents Yeshua’s servant hood
- Two denarii (two days wages) – represents 2000 years
- Innkeeper – represents the Church – given everything needed to minister to the lost and injured until Yeshua’s return
All of us need a daily cleansing relationship with Yeshua because we touch a dead body every day!
2005 plus the 4000 years from the time of Adam and the first coming of Yeshua equals 6000 years or six days. This is a parallel to the creation week of all God’s work being finished after the sixth day and then the Sabbath of Rest!
This parable takes place during the final week of controversy before Yeshua’s crucifixion. A representative of the Pharisees asks, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life”? Yeshua answers His question with a question, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” Since the passage from Deuteronomy was one of those inscribed in the phylacteries, which the lawyer wore on his forehead and wrist, it is quite likely that Yeshua pointed to one of these as he was asking. When asked on another occasion about the way to eternal life (Mt 19:16, Mk 10:17, Lk 18:18) Yeshua also asked the opinion of the questioner. The rich man was then urged to distribute his wealth to the poor and become a disciple of Yeshua. The Pharisee responded by quoting the scriptures from the book of Deuteronomy and Yeshua commended him. BUT. . .
You have to understand. As long as the Pharisee could engage in a philosophical debate with Yeshua, he gained a reprieve from putting TRUTH into action. So the lawyer asks Yeshua, “Who is my neighbor”? Yeshua replied with a simple, compelling illustration of neighborliness from REAL LIFE. In place of a rule of conduct to obey, the lawyer is given a type of character to imitate. This illustration should tell us that theological knowledge is not enough. What is more important here are the actions of our lives as they are governed by both the love for God and our neighbor. The Aramaic term for neighbor – REA – implies a reciprocal relation. When a man calls anyone his neighbor, he assumes the responsibility to treat him as one. From this perspective, both Yeshua and the lawyer are seeking the same thing. . .the extent of the conception of REA; the only difference is that the lawyer is looking at the matter from a theoretical point of view, while Yeshua illuminates the question with a practical example.
Yeshua’s description of the man “going down” was most appropriate. In the 18 miles between Jerusalem and Jericho, the elevation drops nearly 3500 feet. The lonely descent between the two cities is rocky and treacherous. On either side there are occasional sheer rock cliffs with ledges and caves – ideal hiding places for desert marauders. Known as “the bloody way,” the road is still today notorious for robber’s attacks on unsuspecting travelers.
Of the thousands of priests serving during this time, many, attracted by the mild climate, made their homes in Jericho. The priests performed the traditional religious ceremonies of Judaism. The Levites held various administrative positions in the temple and also assisted in giving instructions in the Law and tradition.
The priest and Levite who happened by the scene justified themselves for not assisting the wounded man on Levitical grounds. Contact with the unconscious man, who was apparently dead, would have rendered them ceremonially unclean. They would have been unable to perform their duties within the Temple. Were they actually motivated by concern to maintain their holiness, by callous unconcern, or by cowardly concern for their own safety? They could not be sure that the robbers were not still lurking nearby, hoping to take advantage on another would-be victim.
But a Samaritan traveler took pity on the victim. Samaritans were despised by their Jewish cousins as half-breed, heretic Jews. The term was also applied to those of questionable birth and was at least once used to refer to Yeshua.
Using wine to disinfect and oil to sooth the wounds, the Samaritan made bandages, probably from his head cloth, or undergarment and placed the injured man on his donkey. This would have slowed him down and made him more vulnerable to an attack by robbers.
The two strangers safely arrived at the inn, where shelter was free, but supplies and special aid were only available for a price. In this case two days wages. The Samaritan left the injured man in the care of the innkeeper with a promise to return and compensate him for any additional expenses.
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