Vayakhel-Pekudei 2023

TORAH : EXODUS 35:1-38:20

PROPHETS : 2 KINGS 11:17-12:17

GOSPEL : MATTHEW 12:1-13

NEW TESTAMENT : 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; Hebrews 9:1-14; Revelation 11:1-13

(Vayak’hel - And He Churched/Assembled)

What was the reason why God wanted Israel to build a Tent/Tabernacle?

Because after the Sin of Adam, the World, which was meant to be his Habitation had Sin within in; as a result, in order for God to not destroy that darkness with His light, He kicked out Adam and Eve, and He also stepped out of the World. His desire is to still Dwell with Man, as it is said in Exodus 25:8 “And make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell in the midst of them,” - it can also imply “Within them”. So why this fancy Tent? Why was there such a Level of Purity and Holiness? And why such stringency's on how God wants it to be built?

Betzalel made the Ark of the Covenant - In the Shadow/Image of God - he made a Copy of God’s Image… the Word made Flesh, in Moses’s time. It also served as God’s Throne because God would appear over the Mercy Seat and speak to Moses “Face to Face” from there. But remember where the Ark was located? In the Holy of Holies.. a location permitted for only One Man in the World… the High Priest.. so if you were from the Tribe of Benjamin, you were automatically disqualified from being able to see God in the Tabernacle, since you weren’t a Levite, or a Son of Aaron...

The way I see it, God wanted to be able to Dwell not only among the Camp of Israel, but also within the people too… When Yeshua appeared in the First Century, He dwelt among His people, but also in a way that wasn’t destructive to Man, as it was before… Mt. Sinai was burning because of God’s Glory resting on it… The bush was burning because a smaller manifestation of God was present on it. Eventually, when the Tabernacle was built, that Glory filled the Tabernacle… So as God’s Name implies, He can form and manifest in whatever way suits His Goals… When He appeared on Earth in the form of Yeshua, He had a New Goal… to Make US His Dwelling Place… What was a common phrase used over and over in this weeks Torah Portion? “K’Asher Tzivah YHVH et Moshe” - “As YHVH had commanded Moshe” - This means that the Rule of Thumb for causing the Spirit of God to Dwell within us is to make sure that everything is Done exactly as God commanded Moshe/Torah. So in the First Century, there were a few criteria that had to be met before God could pour out His Holy Spirit on Man… Half required God Acting, and the other half requires Us… Firstly, what God did was help bring His People, the House of Israel back into Covenant with Him… Romans 7 (Nullifying the Torah of Marriage in order for Israel to Legally be able to Remarry God), He helped bring a Proper understanding of how His Torah should be applied (People over-spiritualizing, over-observing it to the point of practical impossibility (39 Prohibitions), and others using it as a weapon rather than something to build and correct in a proper manner)… The Torah has to be like Still Water… Psalm 23 says, “He(God) as our Good Shepherd, leads me besides Still Waters”… First of all, the Water isn’t Muddy (Ezekiel 34:15-19 “I myself will feed my flock and I myself will allow them to lie down,” declares the Lord Yahweh. “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the scattered, and I will bind up the one hurt, and I will strengthen the sick; and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed her with justice.” “ ‘And you, my flock, thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am judging between one sheep and another, between the rams and between the he-goats. Is it not enough for you that you feed on the good pasture? And still you must trample the remainder of your pasture with your feet, and clear water you drink, and the leftover water you must make muddy with your feet. And my flock must graze the pasture treaded upon by your feet, and must drink the mud puddle stirred up by your feet.”” - This is referring to the “Pastors” who Muddy God’s Pure water with their Feet (Opinions and Traditions) that cause God’s Word to be disgusting to Taste… We need to get back to the Simple, Still Water of God… Still water is clear water, and with clarity, you can see what your face looks like in that reflection… so if you have egg on your face, you can wash it off… As Yeshua constantly said to His Followers, “Go and Sin no More”… That’s some of the Actions from God’s side… How about us? What’s our Responsibility? to do everything in a “Kosher” way… “Kosher” comes from the phrase “K’Asher Tzivah YHVH et Moshe” Exactly as God commanded Moshe… Why do you think the Holy Spirit was poured out on Shavuot/Pentecost, and it Filled those who were gathered in One Accord? Where were those people located?? In some random house?? NO! They were in an upper Room in the Temple!! Luke24:50-53 “And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. And it happened that while he was blessing them, he parted from them and was taken up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they were continually in the temple courts praising God.” Acts 1:12-15 “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain that is called Olive Grove which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upstairs room where they were staying—Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James. All these were busily engaged with one mind in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (and it was a crowd of persons of about one hundred twenty at the same place) and said.... - This was right before Acts 2… Where were they gathered? They must’ve had been gathered in a room in the Temple somewhere.. because where can you fit over 120 people into some prayer closet?? And how could Jews from different Nations hear them worshipping and Speaking in Tongues?? My guess, is that they were worshipping God in the days leading up to Shavuot/Pentecost, probably in the Temple as it says in the Gospels, and when Shavuot came, they were filled with the Holy Spirit… Notice that they weren’t filled before that… why is that? Because they obeyed what God commanded Moshe… 3 times a year, your men are to assemble for my Feasts… And if they hadn’t done this, but remained in Galilee or somewhere else, they would not have received the Gift of God… by that point, they were prepared stones… prepared by God to carry out their Mission that God laid on them… The Good News is that we all have that same opportunity… to be used by God as Miniature Tabernacles… temporary Dwellings for about 80+ years, to Minister to God, and to Minister to those stumbling in Darkness… The Question is: When will you answer God’s Call?? some of you might say, “But I’m so Young!!” - I understand, because I’ve felt that too… Being despised because of how young I am, “How dare this 19 year old tell me what to do? I’ve been saved longer than he was alive on Earth!” -Well, What have you been doing all those years? Walking comfortably in your Salvation without lifting a finger? What friendships have you sacrificed? What Tears have you shed over people who you don’t even know that well? What Pressure have you felt Physically and Spiritually because of the damage you’ve been causing to the Kingdom of Darkness?? Story of the Mt. Everest Climber

1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one look down on your youth, but be an example for the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” God used two young boys, Betzalel and Oholiav, to oversee the building of the Tabernacle, to supervise those who did have Skills in Weaving, Carpentry, and Smithing… But they weren’t chosen because they were skilled. Rather, they were skilled because they were chosen… And the sooner you realize that God already gave you the Victory over Darkness, then the sooner you will be that Tabernacle for God, being that City on a Hill, Shining God’s light against the Darkness of this World

Exodus 35:1-3 talks about Kindling a Fire on Shabbat, and the next verses have to do with the contributions and the Building of the Tabernacle - Right away, this gives a different perspective compared to what we know today; as many claim that even starting a car engine is “Kindling a fire” so therefore, the Shabbat is broken. However, this context is speaking of Lighting a Fire for the purpose of doing work with it. Does this mean that we can now run around lighting fires just for fun? No! But we should have a basic understanding of what’s considered Work. Yeshua helped give us an Example in Matthew 12:1-13, as well as John 5:1-15

John 5:1–15 LEB

After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool called in Aramaic Bethzatha, which has five porticoes. In these were lying a large number of those who were sick, blind, lame, paralyzed. And a certain man was there who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness. Jesus, when he saw this one lying there and knew that he had been sick a long time already, said to him, “Do you want to become well?” The one who was sick answered him, “Sir, I do not have anyone that, whenever the water is stirred up, could put me into the pool. But while I am coming, another goes down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!” And immediately the man became well and picked up his mat and began to walk. (Now it was the Sabbath on that day.) So the Jews were saying to the one who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permitted for you to pick up the mat!” But he answered them, “The one who made me well—that one said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk!’ ” So they asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk?’ ” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn while a crowd was in the place. After these things Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well! Sin no longer, lest something worse happen to you.” The man went and reported to the Jews that Jesus was the one who made him well.

The man that was healed was accused of breaking the Sabbath because he picked up a Mat. part of it has to do with this concept in Judaism called the 39 Melachot - 39 Prohibitions. The source for this Idea comes from the first few verses of this Parsha. there are 39 words right before the word Shabbat at the end of verse 3, so that’s the basis where According to Rabbinic Judaism, there are 39 Categories of prohibitions on Shabbat... and each category has a multitude of prohibitions within in - Sorting - Borer - Plucking a tomato from your Salad would constitute Borer, so be absolutely sure what you’re going to be eating on Shabbat or you might end up breaking it!

39. Hotza'ah - Transferring (transporting) from domain to domain (carrying)

Hotza'ah is the general term for the last of the thirty-nine Avot Melachot of Shabbat. The Torah prohibits one to transfer (i.e., carry, throw, push, etc.) an object from a "reshut hayachid", a private domain*, and "reshut harabim" - a public domain** and vice versa. - Hotza'ah is carrying or moving something (transferring an object) between a reshut hayachid, and reshut harabim. - Hachnasah - refers to transferring objects from a reshut harabim to a reshut hayachid. Transferring an object either from a private domain to a public domain (Hotza'ah) or the reverse (Hachnasah) is forbidden by the Torah. - Ma'avir Arba Amot b'Reshut harabim - carrying an object from one place in a public domain to another over a distance of at least four Amot, (appoximately 7 feet ) or more is similarly forbidden. - Moshit, which involves "passing" an object from one reshut hayachid to another reshut hayachid through reshut harabim (as described in the Mishnah Shabbos 96a is also a Biblical prohibition.

*Reshut Hayachid - Private domain - is defined as an area enclosed by walls, fences or a series of doorframe-like structures (as used in an Eruv***) not less than ten tefachim high (approximately 38-40 inches). It may be ground level, or a pit ten tefachim deep. Private ownership is not a precondition for a Reshut Hayachid.

**Reshut Harabim - Public domain - is an area not enclosed by partitions even if title would legally deem it private property. Some areas are deemed "public" by the decree of our Sages of Blessed Memory; others are designated "public" by Torah law. Areas considered "public domain" by rabbinic guidelines can be converted to "private domain" by the establishment of an Eruv. Biblically ordained "public domains" cannot be included in an Eruv.

***An Eruv is an instrument by which an area which is not a private domain is halachically (by Jewish law) converted to one. To achieve this, the right of passage is rented from the owners, or the municipal authority - usually a contract for permission to use the property (poles and cables ) of the public utilities corporations is secured; and the construction of a perimeter around the area using natural barriers, walls, and/or a series of gate-like structures is completed. The word Eruv is derived from the verb to mix or blend since an Eruv blends many properties into a single private domain.

In order to transgress the Torah prohibition of Hotza'ah, certain conditions must be met. An Akirah (initiation of movement) and a Hanachah (putting the object to rest) must be performed on the object by the same person. If one person does the Akirah and another does the Hanachah, only a Rabbinical prohibition is involved (Shabbat 3a). It is possible to move an object without ever performing an Akira, such as when the object is dragged.

“Even for something as Serious as Building the Dwelling Place of God, He wants us to rest”. -

People tend to have an Artistic License, so their vision may be different than what the Original owner wanted - “They did everything exactly as God commanded Moses”