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Parasha Re'eh (Behold)
by Rabbi Jack "Yaacov" Farber
The Scripture readings for the Shabbat of August 23/25 Av are: Devarim/Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17; Yeshayahu/Isaiah 54:11-55:5, 66:1,24; I Yochannan/John 4:1-6. Visible Reminders The Word of G-d never ceases to amaze me! The passage I am going to concern myself with for this Parasha, is a passage that I have already discussed in a previous year. However in reading this same passage again this year, HaShem has given me additional insight into His Word. Devarim {11:29} It shall happen, when HaSHEM your G-D shall bring you into the land where you go to possess it, that you shall set the blessings on Har (Mount) Gerizim, and the curses on Har Ebal. {11:30} Aren't they beyond the Yarden (Jordan), behind the way of the going down of the sun, in the land of the Cana'anites who dwell in the Arabah, over against Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? {11:31} For you are to pass over the Yarden to go in to possess the land which HaSHEM your G-D gives you, and you shall possess it, and dwell therein. {11:32} You shall observe to do all the chukim (statutes) and the mishpatim (judgements) which I set before you this day. In this passage we read that HaShem is instructing Yisrael to set up two visible reminders of His mitzvot (commandments) inside the land of Yisrael. One a reminder is of His blessings, if they keep His Mitzvot - Har Gerizim. The other is a reminder of His curses, if they not to keep His mitzvot - Har Ebal. What is interesting about this request by HaShem is not only the fact of the geographical location of these mountains, they just happen to be smack dab in the centre of Yisrael both east and west and north and south, but that throughout the Torah HaShem has used visible reminders as a momentos, sort-of-speak of our necessity to maintain a right relationship with Him. Other than the Mishkan (Tabernacle), who curtains, silver, gold, brass and acacia wood were a visible reminder of HaShem's relationship to His people, the Temple, whose glory and majesty reminded Yisrael of HaShem's holiness and His ever presence in their midst, the priestly garments which HaShem said were for beauty and glory, all of which are no longer with us, G-d gave us additional reminder which we do have with us today. Perhaps the first and most important reminder we have with us today is the korbanot (sacrifices better translated as draw near). Yes the sacrifices! Many teach that the korbanot system has been done away with, fulfilled in Mashiach Yeshua. However this is not totally true. What is true is that Yeshua has become our once and for all korban. During biblical times when a person sinned it was necessary for them to bring the appropriate sin offering as a korban to HaShem. An animal died in the sinners stead and their sin was forgiven. However this is only part of the story. The person offering the korban did not just drop it off with the priest and then go home justified, like a drive through. No, he had to personally lay his hands upon the animal, confess his sin before the L-rd and in most cases slit the throat of the animal himself. The process was very proactive. Well noting that I have been teaching that the Hebrew Scriptures are the physical expression of the spiritual as revealed to us in the Brit Chadasha (Renewed Covenant), nothing therefore has changed. Forgiveness of sin is just as proactive today as it was in biblical times. We as believers must still lay hand on our korban, Mashiach Yeshua and we must still confess our sin to HaShem. Remember it is your sin that nailed Yeshua to the cross; it is your sin that shed His blood. Now depending on what our sin is, instead of bringing the appropriate korban, Yeshua by His substitutional death has now become that acceptable korban. If we trespass, He is our trespass offering, if we sin unintentionally, He is our unintentional sin offering and so on. Each time we sin therefore, we need to take hold of Yeshua and confess our sin to HaShem. He then takes the place of the necessary korban and our sin is forgiven and we remember what He has done for us. The process is the same and the necessity of an appropriate korban is the same the only thing that has changed is that we have switched from the physical act to the spiritual application of that act in seeking atonement for the same commandment of "you sin you die." The next visible reminders we still have with us today are the Feasts. HaShem has given us the Feast days as visible reminders, signposts along the road of life. The first and most important of these signposts is the Shabbat (Sabbath). HaShem has told us in Scripture that Shabbat is to be a weekly reminder for us. First it reminds us of creation. Six days HaShem worked in creating the earth and on the seventh day He rested. Therefore Shabbat is our weekly reminder that G-d is the creator and we are the creatures. Shabbat also reminds us of the redemption. That is because it was given just after the departure from Mitzrayim long before they came to Har Sinai. Just as HaShem redeemed the nation of Yisrael from slavery in Mitzrayim (Egypt), He redeemed each one of us from the slavery of sin. Shabbat is also to remind us to rest in the L-rd, to delight in Him on the day He has chosen to delight in His creation, of which we are the most significant part. Shabbat is also a reminder of the eternal rest that awaits us with Mashiach in the olam haba (age to come), the Messianic Age. Pesach (Passover) is the next Feast day. It is celebrated every spring and is a yearly reminder to us of the newness of life we have in Mashiach Yeshua. Pesach pictures Yeshua's death. The appropriation of the wine and the matzah are symbols of His atoning blood and the breaking of His body in delivering us from the slavery of sin. The quotation by Yeshua of "...do this in remembrance of Me," was not the institution of communion. Communion is an invention of the Romanized church as a substitute for the Pesach. The "this" Yeshua was referring to in Luke 22.19 was the Pesach, which previous to this day was celebrated in remembrance of Yisrael's deliverance from Mitzrayim. Yeshua was saying now each year when you celebrate Pesach do it in remembrance of Me. Just as Shabbat and Pesach remind of specific events, so two the other Feast days. Yom HaBikkurim (First fruits), Shavuot (Pentecost), Rosh HaShanah (Day Of Judgment), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Succoth (Tabernacles), each have their own special significance as yearly signpost, remembrances on our road through life of our relationship to G-d and His relationship to us. HaShem has given us other reminders as well. There are the tiztzit (fringes) on our clothing which He has command us to wear as minute-by-minute reminder of the mitzvot of Torah. The Mezuzah or small scroll He has commanded us to place on the doorpost of our houses is also to remind us of His mitzvot, as we enter and leave our homes. There are the tefilin (phylacteries), which HaShem has commanded us to bind on our hand and our forehead as daily reminders that our works and our minds are to be G-d centered. Why has HaShem given us all these visible reminders? He knows our nature that we are prone to forget and wander off, away from Him and His mitzvot. Why did HaShem give us these reminders? He wanted us to remember that there is a Har Gerizim and there is Har Ebal, there are blessings and there are curses. Why did HaShem give us these reminders? There is spiritual life and there is spiritual death and He wants us to choose life!Rabbi Jack "Yaacov" Farber is the spiritual leader of Congregation Melech Yisrael in Toronto, Canada. Copyright 2003
- Romans 1:16, NIV |