Haftarah Balak - בָּלָק Audio Podcast July 20, 2024
Notes
Transcript
Torah Portion: Numbers 22:2-25:9
Haftarah: Micah 5:7-6:8
Road Map
Micah five six if following the original text - in NKJV would be Micah five 7
Review as to where we are so far in the Torah and the haftarahs
Introduction of our Haftarah from Micah five
Summary of the Torah Portion:
Big Picture of the Haftarah,
Biblical Presentation
Closing - significance for us
Review
Review
In the Wilderness- Bamidbar
Map of the Journey in the Wilderness
Takes places during the second year after God took them out of the land of Egypt.
Numbers/ Bamidmar is the account of the 40 years of Israel spent to make it to the promised land:
a trip that was supposed to take only 11 days.
They replaced the first born- Levites are called
As the priesthood that came after Eleazar was the only one who brought life, and will bring life in the Millenial reign through Zadok:
Picture of the Priesthood of Zadok
We explained Zadok comes from the word Zaddik - righteous
this is the High Priest in the Order of Melchizedek
Sons of Levi/ Priesthood Genealogy Picture
Sons of Levi:
Kohath -
Gershon
Merari
From Kohath - Eleazar - Phinehas - Zadok = Zaddik - righteous
Also given is the law of the nazir (Numbers 6:1-21), who forswears wine,
lets his or her hair grow long,
and is forbidden to become contaminated through contact with a dead body.
Nazareth (Heb. נָצְרַת)
Nazir
a name derived in this source from the root nṣr (to guard) also watcher.
Picture of the Branch of Righteousness
The BRANCH:
6780. צֶמַח ṣemaḥ: A masculine noun meaning a branch, a growth, a crop. It refers to what grows on the ground, domesticated or wild
Picture of the two fig trees and the menorah
Rehab is translated in Targum Jonathan as] sellers of baked goods [pundekan].
zonah is like a seller of baked goods in that she sells herself to all.
Difference Between:
Send / Inspect Picture/ Shelach/
שָׁלַח
Send out
And
Picture of Search Out / Hepor
To search out/ scout. חָפַר (ḥā·p̄ǎr) = To search, and similarly it is said: ‘There he searched for food.’
Picture of Gods Purpose Number 3
three
God’s Purpose
Rehab -These are considered the three classic commandments for women
1- With Nidah
(the laws of a menstruating woman- Leviticus 15:19,24)
2- With Hallah (offering a cake/ own body Numbers 15:20)
3- Candle Lightening (not to candle a fire on Shabbat Exodus 35:3)
Connection of Toldot/ Isa sixty 6
Judah called the boy Peretz, which means “breaking” or “bursting” forth.
Moshiach as poreitz, “a breaker,” and as the head ROSH
Judah foresaw that of these two children, it would be Peretz who would be the ancestor of David, and eventually Moshiach.
Through Him who open the womb/ the little door that brings us back to the Father.
Chuchat Picture
4 Chukkim
A- YIBBUM - to marry the widow of one's deceased brother
B- SHAATNEZ - Not to wear garments of mixed wool and linen
C- Sa'ir LaAzazel - the he-goat sent to death as part of the Yom Kippur service. It purified the nation, yet defiled the agent who led it away
D- Para Aduma - the ashes of the red heifer purity the person with
Tamei (uncleanness), yet it renders tamei anyone involved in preparing the ashes
- or like in 'Gone with the Wind' - " I'll never go hungry again!"
Introduction
Introduction
Torah Portion: Numbers 22:2-25:9
Haftarah: Micah 5:7-6:8
The haftarah for the portion of Balak is the only one taken from the book of Micah.
Micah was a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah,
and lived about a hundred and thirty years before the destruction of the first Temple.
His prophecies are similar to Isaiah’s, in that he foresees the destruction and the terrible exile,
but also carries prophecies of redemption and rebuilding.
In his rebuke, Micah particularly calls out the people
for their failings in the realm of social justice.
The reading begins with prophecies regarding the time of Moshiach.
The remnant of Jacob at the time will be compared to dew and rain:
just as these cannot be hoped for from the hand of man,
so too will Jacob not cast their lot with any human power, only with God.
According to many commentaries, this is a reference to the time following the “war of Gog and Magog”:
Israel at the time will be subdued and weakened,
and will have no one to turn to other than to G0d Himself.
Following this,Israel will rule at will over their enemies,
The enemies of Israel will be destroyed,
and what will follow will be a time of peace and tranquility.
Weapons, chariots or fortified cities will not be necessary anymore.
People will be open to Godliness which will be revealed,
Therefore, there will be no temptation for seeking witchcraft and foreign powers in the form of idolatry.
After this explanation, there is a change of tone.
Micah, on behalf of God, begins to contend with the people. “Listen now to what God says,” Micah calls. God is angered.
Israel seemed to totally forget the kindness God had showed them throughout their history.
He had taken them out of slavery in Egypt,
provided for them, and given them magnificent leaders.
Moses gave us the Torah
Aaron atoned for Israel in the Sanctuary,
and Miriam was given the gift and ability of leading the women.
In particular, the prophet invokes the story of this week’s Parshah,
when God brought down the curses of Balaam and turned them into blessings.
Although the Jews had sinned right afterwards with the daughters of Midian,
God still kept His word and brought them to the promised land.
Now, a great number of Jews had just walked away from God and His Torah.
And God asks
3 “O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.
the prophet prophecies in the name of His creator.
As if speaking on behalf of the people, the prophet proceeds to pose their probable answer.
He wants to bring out a point,
and does so in an ingenious way.
The response of the people is present, as they are walking away from the face of their great God.
But in doing so, they demonstrate their unfortunate spiritual state,
one on par with the contemporary pagans whose culture they had so mindlessly assimilated.
If God was grieved, then they obviously had to do more for Him.
But what might that be? Thousands of rams?
Rivers of oil?
Their very own children as sacrifices?
Just what does He want?
This reminds us of the incident in the Garden when the LORD asked Adam “where are you?”, as well as the LORD asking Cain, “where is Abel your brother?”
It appears that the LORD desires man to look at the situation and understand or recognize what is going on.
Shaul wrote to the believers in Rome that they should “discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
The true God is not bought off and “appeased” with gifts and donations, however lavish they may be.
He tells us what He requires
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
It would seem that the prophet Micah is adding his amen to the Torah requirements which Yeshua emphasized:
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
and
18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
Anyone could make the assumption that these are commandments given to Israel only
What is most startling is that the prophet’s words are not to Israel alone, but to אדם (adam), to all mankind.
We were all created in the image of God
and we are all recipient of the breath of life from Hashem.
Though Micah’s utterance deals with judgment and discipline upon Israel
he does not release the rest of creation from their responsibility to walk in righteousness and justice as well.
Though the Torah was given to Israel,
the principles of life and the knowledge of Adonai are present in all of creation.
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Torah Portion Summary
Torah Portion: Numbers 22:2-25:9
The name of the Parshah, “Balak,” refers to Balak, king of Moab, and it is found in
2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
Balak Name
Balak (ba’-lak) = Same as Balac = Wasting; licking up; to make empty. Waster; emptying; destroying.
Stelman Smith and Judson Cornwall, The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos, 1998), 32.
Zippor Name:
Zippor (zip’-por) = A sparrow; little bird; a bird; (roots = [1] a little bird; [2] to chirp).
Stelman Smith and Judson Cornwall, The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos, 1998), 253.
Amorites
Amorite(s) (am’-o-rite) = Mountaineer. A talker. A slayer.
Stelman Smith and Judson Cornwall, The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos, 1998), 15.
Balak, the king of Moab, summons the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel.
Balaam
Balaam (ba’-la-am) = Destruction of the people; swallowing up the people; the disturber of the people; (roots = [1] a swallowing; a devouring; destruction; [2] a people). A pilgrim; devouring of the lord of the people.
Stelman Smith and Judson Cornwall, The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos, 1998), 31.
Torah Portion Summary
On the way, Balaam is berated by his donkey,
who sees, before Balaam does, the angel that God sends to block their way.
Three times,
from three different vantage points,
Balaam attempts to pronounce his curses;
each time, blessings issue forth instead.
Balaam also prophesies on the end of the days and the coming of Moshiach.
17 “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.
Torah Portion Summary
In the parsha, the people fall prey to the charms of the daughters of Moab,
and are enticed to worship the idol Peor.
When a high-ranking Israelite official publicly takes a Midianite princess into a tent,
Pinchas kills them both,
stopping the plague raging among the people.
This depicts sexual immorality as betraying the Lord, as the tents were called to be lovely, as expectancy of the seed of Israel:
5 “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel!
6 Like valleys that stretch out, Like gardens by the riverside, Like aloes planted by the Lord, Like cedars beside the waters.
7 He shall pour water from his buckets, And his seed shall be in many waters. “His king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.
Haftarah Big Picture
Haftarah: Micah 5:7-6:8
This week's haftorah makes connects with the incident of Balak the king of Moab
hiring the sorcerer Balaam to curse the Jewish people
which is the main topic of this week's Torah reading.
5 O My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled, And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, From Acacia Grove to Gilgal, That you may know the righteousness of the Lord.”
The prophet Micah prophesies about what will occur after the war of Gog and Magog,
the war which precedes the coming of the Messiah and the Final Redemption
And the final knowing of the righteousness of the Lord
Haftarah Big Picture
"And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples — like dew sent by God,
like torrents of rain upon vegetation that does not hope for any man
and does not wait for the sons of men."
The prophet describes how God will remove the idols and sorcerers
and how He will destroy the enemies of Israel.
The prophet Micah then goes on to rebuke Israel
for not observing God's commandments,
calling as witness the "mountains and hills" — a reference to the Patriarchs and Matriarchs —
and reminding them of the great things God had done for them.
He took them out of Egypt and replaced the curses that Balaam son of Beor wanted to utter against them with blessings.
Israel responds by saying that they do not know how to serve God and ask for guidance.
The prophet reminds them of the Torah,
and that all they need to do is contained within it:
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Biblical PRESENTATION
Haftarah: Micah 5:7-6:8
7 Then the remnant of Jacob Shall be in the midst of many peoples, Like dew from the Lord, Like showers on the grass, That tarry for no man Nor wait for the sons of men.
Tze'enah Ure'enah, Haftarot, Balak 2
“The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of the many peoples, etc.” [5:6]. It will be when Gog and Magog will come and Israel will have great troubles.
They will be captives of the people of Gog and Magog.
They will believe in God and in the Messiah.
They will be a remnant and they will have endured enough troubles that they will be purified of sins, like pure silver.
The remnant that will remain will be like dew that comes from God.
So too, Israel hopes for the Holy One and not for a person who should help them
and Israel will be redeemed through this merit- God promoting the deliverance.
Steinsaltz
Grass receives all it requires naturally and has no need of artificial irrigation.
Likewise, Israel will not depend on man.
The Complete Word Study
Tarry
6960. קָוָה qāweh: A verb meaning to wait for, to look for, to hope for
Wait
3176. יָחַל yāḥal: A verb meaning to wait, to hope, to tarry.
Jacob
He Who Sets [His Own] Heel Down, Who Closely Follows [Others]: He Who Hides [His Own] Intentions, Who Manipulates Feelings [Of Others]
From the verb עקב ('aqab), to set the heel down, to control one's feelings and goings, to hide one's will and intent.
3 Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel.
2 Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass.
19 Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.
8 And the remnant of Jacob Shall be among the Gentiles, In the midst of many peoples, Like a lion among the beasts of the forest, Like a young lion among flocks of sheep, Who, if he passes through, Both treads down and tears in pieces, And none can deliver.
Remnant (she-re-eet)
8642 שְׁאֵרִית (šeʾē·rîṯ): n.fem.; ≡ Str 7611; TWOT 2307b—1. LN 63.21–63.22 remainder, remnant, the rest, i.e., the part of a whole (mass, collection, or series) that remains or continues (2Ki 19:4); 2. LN 10.14–10.48 descendant, formally, remnant, i.e., those of a successive generation as a figurative extension of a what is left over from a whole (Ge 45:7; 2Sa 14:7+)
James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).
Remainder of what?
Rashi
like a lion among the beasts of the forest—So will their king rule over all.
which treads down and tears in pieces Heb. רָמַס (ramas). This is the lion’s treading down [an animal] when he [the lion] is hungry and eating it in its place.
Tearing. HEB טָרַף (teruaf) is when he carries the prey to his den for his cubs and his lionesses.
Tze'enah Ure'enah,
“The remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, etc.” [5:7].
The nation that will subdue the city of Jerusalem will be numerous.
Many Israelites will be under the domination of this nation and many Israelites will be killed.
The remnant of Israel that will remain will be like a cow that finds itself in the hands of lions or other wild animals that are so strong that one cannot get out of their hands.
They are the strongest of the wild animals.
No person can help guard the sheep from their hands.
So too were Israel in the hands of the nation of Gog and Magog.
It was not possible to protect them with the people of Israel, since the people of Gog and Magog were very numerous.
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
24 Look, a people rises like a lioness, And lifts itself up like a lion; It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain.”
9 ‘He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?’ “Blessed is he who blesses you, And cursed is he who curses you.”
9 Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries, And all your enemies shall be cut off.
Tze'enah Ure'enah, Haftarot, Balak 4
“Your hands shall prevail over your foes, and all your enemies shall be cut down” [5:8]. The Holy One will but raise His hand against the great nation of Gog and Magog and they will all be cut down and destroyed.
CUT OFF
4162 כָּרַת (kā·rǎṯ): v.; ≡ Str 3772; TWOT 1048—1. LN 19.14–19.26 (qal) cut off, cut down, i.e., sever an object from its source, or cut into parts, implying a violent action (Ex 34:13); (qal pass.) be cut off, be cut down (Lev 22:24; Dt 23:2[EB 1]; 1Sa 5:4+); (nif) be cut down (Job 14:7); (hif) cut down (Lev 26:30); (pual) be cut off, be cut down (Jdg 6:28; Eze 16:4+); 2. LN 34.42–34.49 (qal) make a covenant, formally, cut, i.e., make a solemn agreement between parties, with stipulations, benefits, and responsibilities, as an extension of cutting or destroying an animal in the making of some covenants (1Sa 20:16), note: these covenants can be made between persons, gods or God, or political/national alliances; 3. LN 34.31–34.39 (nif) be cut off, i.e., be excluded from an association or membership (Ex 12:15); (hif) banish, cut off (Lev 17:10); 4. LN 68.34–68.57 (nif) stop, cease, fail, formally, cut off, i.e., not have an event happen (or cease) as an extension of severing an object from its source (Ru 4:10); (hif) cut off, cease (1Sa 20:15); (hof) not happen (Joel 1:9+); 5. LN 20.61–20.88 (qal) kill, i.e., put to death by any means as an extension of cutting or severing a body (Eze 14:21); (nif) be cut off, be destroyed, ruined (Ge 9:11); (hif) cut off, destroy, kill (Lev 26:22); 6. LN 19.27–19.33 (qal) uproot, i.e., a tearing motion of removing roots of a plant or tree from the ground, in a tearing motion which severs (Jer 11:19); 7. LN 23.1–23.39 (nif) be consumed, be eaten, formally, cut up, i.e., eat food as a process eating meat off bones, breaking the joints and bones as one eats the meat (Nu 11:33)
כְּרֹת (kerōṯ): qal inf.cs. of 4162 or see below—see 4129 or 4163 (Zep 2:6)
4163 כְּרֹת (kerōṯ): n.fem.pl.—see 4165 (Zep 2:6+), note: various sources change text to 4120, “pastures;” 4129, “wells;” 4130, “feast,” bhs ftn deletes
4164 כְּרֻתוֹת (kerǔ·ṯôṯ): n.[fem.] [BDB: qal ptcp.pass.pl.]; ≡ Str 3773; TWOT 1048b—LN 7.77–7.79 beam, plank, i.e., trimmed and cut wood as a building material (1Ki 6:36; 7:2, 12+), see also 4162
4165 כְּרֵתִי (kerē·ṯî): n.pr.; ≡ Str 3774;—LN 93-pers. (gent.) Kerethite: pertaining to a tribe or clan of people who lived in the S of Judah (1Sa 30:14; 2Sa 8:18; 15:18; 20:7, 23; 1Ki 1:38, 44; 1Ch 18:17; Eze 25:16; Zep 2:5+), note: some say same as 4133, note: for MT text in Zep 2:6, see 4129
James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).
Love Israel
cut off - A covenant of blessing or a covenant of curse
10 “And it shall be in that day,” says the Lord, “That I will cut off your horses from your midst And destroy your chariots.
Tze'enah Ure'enah, Haftarot, Balak 5
“On that day declares the Lord, etc.” [5:9]. There will be great peace after that war of Gog and Magog. Israel will no longer need horses to fight wars with the nations.
IN THAT DAY
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
11 I will cut off the cities of your land And throw down all your strongholds.
CUT OFF
4162 כָּרַת (kā·rǎṯ): v.; ≡ Str 3772; TWOT 1048—1. LN 19.14–19.26 (qal) cut off, cut down, i.e., sever an object from its source, or cut into parts, implying a violent action (Ex 34:13); (qal pass.) be cut off, be cut down (Lev 22:24; Dt 23:2[EB 1]; 1Sa 5:4+); (nif) be cut down (Job 14:7); (hif) cut down (Lev 26:30); (pual) be cut off, be cut down (Jdg 6:28; Eze 16:4+); 2. LN 34.42–34.49 (qal) make a covenant, formally, cut, i.e., make a solemn agreement between parties, with stipulations, benefits, and responsibilities, as an extension of cutting or destroying an animal in the making of some covenants (1Sa 20:16), note: these covenants can be made between persons, gods or God, or political/national alliances;
Back to verse 11
11 I will cut off the cities of your land And throw down all your strongholds.
Tze'enah Ure'enah, Haftarot, Balak 6
“I will destroy the cities of your land and demolish all your fortresses” [5:10]. There will be such great peace after the war of Gog and Magog and Israel will not need to build strong cities with walls. Their open cities will be secure without walls.
4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
12 I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you shall have no soothsayers.
Tze'enah Ure'enah, Haftarot, Balak 7
“I will destroy the sorcery you practice” [5:11].
The Holy One said: I will remove the evil from your heart so that you will no longer practice sorcery.
The Holy One will remove the evil inclination in the days of the Messiah.
With this, there will be peace for Israel from all the nations.
First, there will be peace from wars with the nations.
Afterwards, there will be peace over the body.
When the person contains the evil inclination, there is a war over the body.
The evil inclination and the good inclination fight with each other.
I will cut down your idols and your linden trees and I will destroy your enemies.
10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,
11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.
12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.
2 “It shall be in that day,” says the Lord of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land.
13 Your carved images I will also cut off, And your sacred pillars from your midst; You shall no more worship the work of your hands;
Steinsaltz
I will uproot your sacred trees, trees of idol worship, from your midst,
and I will destroy your enemies.
and I will destroy your enemies Heb. עָרֶיךָ (arecha)
In other words:
And I will destroy your enemies.
21 Prepare slaughter for his children Because of the iniquity of their fathers, Lest they rise up and possess the land, And fill the face of the world with cities.”
Similar to
“And fill the face (surface) of the earth with enemies עָרִים (erim),”
and, in
16 Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy?
“And has become your adversary עָרֶךָ (arecha)
14 I will pluck your wooden images from your midst; Thus I will destroy your cities.
The Complete Word Study
5428. נָתַשׁ nāṯaš:
A verb meaning to pluck up by the roots, to root out. It means to tear something out, to pull out by its roots: God pulled out pagan gods or worship symbols, Asherim (Mic. 5:14[13]);
Wooden Images/ Asherah
Pegan goddess - fertility
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury On the nations that have not heard.”
Tze'enah Ure'enah, Haftarot, Balak 8
“In anger and wrath I will wreak, etc.” [5:14]. I will attack the nations that did not hear My commands with wrath and vengeance
Hear/ Shema
The Complete Word Study
8085. שָׁמַע šāmaʿ:
A verb meaning to hear, to obey, to listen, to be heard of, to be regarded, to cause to hear, to proclaim, to sound aloud.
8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Hear now what the Lord says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills hear your voice.
The Complete Word Study
8085. שָׁמַע šāmaʿ:
A verb meaning to hear, to obey, to listen, to be heard of, to be regarded, to cause to hear, to proclaim, to sound aloud.
Rashi
with the mountains—with the Patriarchs
the hills—the Matriarchs.
Tze'enah Ure'enah, Haftarot, Balak 9
“Hear what the Lord is saying, etc.” [6:1].
God said: come and hear O Israel.
I will have a judgment with you.
Let heaven and earth hear which of us is just.
Let Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the mountains), Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah (the hills), come.
Let them hear who is just.
How I did great favors for you and you did evil against Me.
2 Hear, O you mountains, the Lord’s complaint, And you strong foundations of the earth; For the Lord has a complaint against His people, And He will contend with Israel.
Steinsaltz
Hear, mountains, the Lord’s complaint (quarrel),
and the strong foundations of the earth,
as the Lord has a complaint (quarrel) with His people,
and with Israel He will contend.
God has a dispute with Israel.
8190 II. רִיב (rîḇ): n.masc.; ≡ Str 7379; TWOT 2159a—1. LN 39.22–39.32 contention, strife, disputes, i.e., conflict between two or more parties, often with a focus on the feelings between the parties (Ge 13:7); 2. LN 39.1–39.12 hostility, i.e., open opposition to another, with a focus on the actions of the parties (Isa 41:11); 3. LN 33.446–33.454 quarreling, disputing, i.e., an express difference of opinion or perception, with a focus on hostility and strife in the exchange (Pr 15:18; Pr 17:14); 4. LN 56.2–56.3 legal dispute, lawsuit, grievance, i.e., a legal action taken in court as a contest between two parties for justice (Ex 23:2; 1Sa 24:16[EB 15]), see also 8191; 5. LN 33.406–33.411 taunting, insulting, i.e., verbal mocking and ridicule (Ps 89:51[EB 50]), note: for MT text in Ps 89:51[EB 50], see 8041; 6. LN 55.2–55.6 fighting, i.e., physical combat between two persons or armies, with a focus on the hostility and strife between the two parties (Jdg 12:2); 7. LN 56.4–56.11 accuser, prosecutor, i.e., one who makes a legal accusation against a party (Job 31:35); 8. LN 56.1 court, i.e., the area where legal disputes are held, in a public meeting place, such as a city gate (Pr 25:10); 9. LN 24.77–24.94 pain, distress, i.e., be in physical discomfort (Job 33:19)
James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).
13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
3 “O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.
Tze'enah Ure'enah
What have I done to you? - “What hardship have I caused you?”
[6:3]. Rabbi Berachiah said: It is a parable.
A king sent a letter to the nobles of his land.
They immediately stood up on their feet, took off the hats from their heads and read the letter with fear.
The Holy One says that reading the Shema is My letter
and I did not tell you to stand up on your feet,
but you should sit to read the Shema
and do not need to take off your hat from your head.
Concerning this, the verse says here,
“What hardship have I caused you? Answer Me”
I gave you a love letter
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I redeemed you from the house of bondage; And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
Rashi
For I brought you up—Although I bestowed all this benefit upon you,
I did not weary you with much worship or with large sacrifices.
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam—or some paraphrase as:
Moses to teach the transmission of the laws,
Aaron to atone for the people, and
Miriam to instruct the women.
Moses
Child, Rescued From Drowning In Water, Extracted, Loan, Hidden, Covered
From the Egyptian noun mes, child, or from (1) mo, water, and (2) uses, saved from drowning.
From the Hebrew verb משה (masha), to extract from water, or the noun משה (mashe), a loan.
From the Greek verb μυσω (muso), to hide or cover.
Aaron:
Bright, Accumulation, Center Of Cheer
From the verb אור ('or), to be or become light.
From the noun הר (har), mountain, hill.
From the verb ארן ('aran), to be agile, aroused or at the center of cheer.
Miriam: Unclear but perhaps Beloved, Rebellion or Myrrhs
Unclear but possibly from Egyptian, or from the verb מרה (mara), to be rebellious, or from the word מר (mor), myrrh, or perhaps the noun ים (yam), sea, west or future
20 But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.
5 O My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled, And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, From Acacia Grove to Gilgal, That you may know the righteousness of the Lord.”
Beor
A Burning, A Consuming
From the verb בער (ba'ar), to consume or clean out.
Acacia Grove
Pain, Grief
From the noun αχος (achos), pain or grief.
Shittim
The word in Hebrew is Shittim: שִׁטִּים
Same as Abelshittim = Plains; meadows of acacias. Promoters of error.
Stelman Smith and Judson Cornwall, The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos, 1998), 224.
Gilgal
A Circle Of Stones, A Wheel, A Rolling Away
From the verb גלל (galal), to roll.
Back to verse 5
5 O My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled, And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, From Acacia Grove to Gilgal, That you may know the righteousness of the Lord.”
Tze'enah Ure'enah
“My people, remember, etc.” [6:5]. The Holy One said: come here My people and remember how Balak, king of Moab, asked Balaam to curse you in the wilderness.
Balaam said to Balak, the Holy One has forbidden me.
I have no power curse them.
He had to praise and bless you.
Afterwards, you committed sexual sins in Shittim.
You were very guilty and worthy of destruction, but I punished you lightly with a plague in which twenty-four thousand died.
I caused you to cross the Jordan with dry feet.
I have only done charity and kindness with you.
Truths Desired by God
Balaam explained throughout that it is not possible to curse a nation blessed by God;
indeed, such a curse will be reversed into a blessing,
all the more significant since the Jews were unaware of it at the time it happened.
This is one of the mercies that God granted to Israel.
Acacia Grove to Gilgal
CrossConnect
Shittim (Israel defiled themselves with the Moabite women) was the final place where Israel stayed on the long journey through the wilderness after they left Egypt (Num 33:49).
Gilgal (Passover, circumcising a new generation) is the first place Israel stayed after they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land (Josh 4:19).
What happened in Shittim and Gilgal and the journey from one to the other is a demonstration of the disobedience and unfaithfulness of Israel contrasted with the faithfulness of God, who blesses Israel and fulfils his covenant promises.
6 With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?
Rashi
bow I will be humbled
Steinsaltz
The prophet responds to the other claim, that the service of God wearies Israel.
With what shall I approach the Lord, and bow to God on high? How is it fitting to honor Him?
Shall I approach Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? Does He want me to bring to Him expensive calves as burnt offerings?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Steinsaltz
Does the Lord desire thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of streams of oil? Shall I give my firstborn as the price for my transgression,
the fruit of my belly in exchange for the sin of my soul? Does God want me to sacrifice my son to Him in order to atone for my sins?
Rashi
streams of oil—for meal offerings.
How will God be pleased?
The Complete Word Study
7521. רָצָה rātṣāh:
A verb meaning to delight, to take pleasure, to treat favorably, to favor, to accept, to pay off, to pay for, to make up for.
Torah.org
The ceremonious aspects of devotion, such as sacrifice and prayer, will not accomplish forgiveness.
Justice, loving kindness, modesty, humility, and active change are the services that God desires.
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Tze'enah Ure'enah
“He has told you O man (Adam), what is good (tov) and what the Lord requires, etc.” [6:8].
The verse answers what the person should do for his sins.
God tells you, you man (adam), what is good and what does God desire from you?
The Holy One does not desire your sheep or cows or much oil, but be holy and keep God’s commandments.
To do justly (mishpat) - referring to mishpatim / judgement towards others - you shall love your neighbour as yourself
To love mercy - (ahavat- hased)- Who is the One who gives mercy - The Lord;
to walk humbly with God: Not just the creed but the deed
To love your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength
Yeshua said: If you love Me; you will keep my commandments
What does He require?
Two things:
One
Dorash
The Complete Word Study
1875. דָּרַשׁ doraš:
A verb meaning to seek, to inquire of, to examine, to require.
Two
To walk with God
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
The virgin is not Mary, but Miriam
God with us
12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
CLOSING
Torah Portion: Numbers 22:2-25:9
Haftarah: Micah 5:7-6:8
Walk Humbly
Jewish Journal
What does it mean to “walk humbly with your God”?
The word translated as “humbly” or “modestly” is hatzneyah, and that is the sense of the word.
In Orthodox communities, the laws of Tzniut (MODESTY) refer to the ways in which women must cover themselves.
The principle of tzniut rejects all nudity, not only in public, but also before family members at home.
(Thus one must not pray or recite the Shema prayer while one is naked or standing in the presence of a naked person.)
The rejection of nudity recalls Adam and Eve who, after committing the first sin, realized they were naked and instinctively felt ashamed and hid (Genesis 2:25).
The same attitude reappears when Noah curses Ham, who saw his father exposed (Genesis 9:21-27).
But in the Tanach, Micah’s injunction represents the only time in which one is expected to do something hatzneyah: indeed, it is the only time that the word is used.
There is another option, anav or ani, which gives a sense of humility, meekness, poverty, and affliction, and that word is used dozens of times.
The Tanach is telling us something here.
Walk Humbly
Hatzneyah carries with it the connotation not so much of meekness but rather that of privacy or secrecy (Song of Songs Rabbah 3:4).
To walk humbly with your God, then, means having a private or secret relationship with the Divine.
That is not something we would normally think of as Jewish (however, it is): Jewish prayer is said in the first person plural, as a communal activity.
Not here. Micah’s God here sees religious experience as in the same way as the philosopher William James did:
“the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they consider to be divine.”
Most scholars consider James’ definition to be quintessentially Protestant.
Not so.
Micah’s emphasis on a private and secret relationship with God makes enormous psychological demands on us.
It resembles the (Chassidic) emphasis on devekut, or clinging to God, in an intimate and almost erotically charged way (tzniut, after all, is about marital bonds). It calls for us to have something akin to an emotional affair with the divine
4 But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.
DEVEKUT (Heb. דְּבֵקוּת; lit. "cleaving"). The verb dvk occurs frequently in Deuteronomy 4:4, 10:20, 11:22, 13:5, 30:20) in the context of cleaving to God.
Essentially, love your God, by clinging on to Him
20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
(The Talmud asks) how it is possible for man to "cleave to God" Who is a "devouring fire" (Deut. 4:24)
One of the fist answers is that it is fulfilled by marriage.
Another answer to the same question is: that this is fulfilled by imitation of God, and emulating His attributes
(the passage in Sotah 14a) this should obviously be based on the phrase "and cleave unto Him" in the verse quoted,
and not on the words "Ye shall walk after the Lord your God").
In other words, if we imitate Him, we will be like Him
If we follow his leading example, we will become righteous like Him
Paul said this way
1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
Many stories are told of great teachers, like Paul—as well as ordinary people—who took great measures in concealing their true virtues,
and who, if these were discovered, were greatly distressed: “There is nothing more beautiful than modesty,”
But one of the most difficult problems with just being private with God, and not having accountability is lying.
Walk Humbly
In other words:
Consider, however, the possible issue with this virtue of modesty.
Often the yetzer hara (evil inclination) will push a person in the direction of doing something that on the face of things seems to be righteous, but in the long run may be counterproductive.
In this case, opting to conceal one’s own fulfillment of a commandment / mitzvah can have a negative effect in the following ways:
Keeping Torah
1. Lead by example
People often lead their lives by the example of others.
When it comes to an issue of a commandment/ mitzvah, people often look towards others and see whether, or to what degree, they should fulfill that commandment/ mitzvah too.
Choosing to remain hidden from the public eye may very well weaken others’ view of the importance of any specific commandment/ mitzvah.
This applies especially to a person who is respected in his or her community.
The more influence a person has, the more they have to be careful that their actions should not have a negative effect on their peers.
DEVEKUT (Heb. דְּבֵקוּת; lit. "cleaving"
Seeing the fruit of a person keeping a commandment/ mitzvah, by cleaving to the Lord, may encourage others to want to fulfill the Torah- or not
Evil Inclination
2. The yetzer hara (evil inclination) is a “master at his work.”
Going off the right path begins one step at a time.
Human nature is that we don’t feel accountable to others;
but if we choose to keep private what we do, then we may have no one whom we feel we have to answer to.
Any good resolve which is kept away from the knowledge of others will be highly susceptible to losing momentum, and eventually to total disappearance - almost to the point of fading away
In other words, being open helps not only our inner growth, but that of the others, and it helps to keep the momentum going.
If a person is accustomed to keeping a commandment/ mitzvah publicly, he can be held to account by his friends and peers.
With this, there is little room for us to cleave to our yetzer hara (evil inclination).
In this day and age, we suffer from spiritual weakness.
Character
Humility is at the center of selflessness
Humility is a virtue; but as with all virtues, it must find its rightful place
Modest but open and authentic
Humble but transparent, honest
Seen but not for our vain self-righteousness, but for the character of God
For the glory/shechinah of God
Kalonymous Shapira, the Rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto, prayed,
“I wish so much to be close to His blessed Essence. My deepest desire is to feel that I am forever growing nearer to the mighty Creator.”
the Hebrew word for God’s presence, Shechinah, is feminine,
and developed an elaborate mystical system for communing with this divine lover.
It can be said: the more we cleave on to Him, the more we will see the splendour of His righteousness
5 O My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled, And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, From Acacia Grove to Gilgal, That you may know the righteousness of the Lord.”
Acacia Grove to Gilgal
CrossConnect
Shittim (Israel defiled themselves with the Moabite women) was the final place where Israel stayed on the long journey through the wilderness after they left Egypt (Num 33:49).
Gilgal (Passover, circumcising a new generation) is the first place Israel stayed after they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land (Josh 4:19).
What happened in Shittim and Gilgal and the journey from one to the other is a demonstration of the disobedience and unfaithfulness of Israel
contrasted with the faithfulness of God, who blesses Israel and fulfils his covenant promises
God cutting a covenant of cursing and blessing
This open and transparent communication with Adonai is what shows His Glory
And as we obey in humility, He shows His goodness and mercy
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
DEVEKUT (Heb. דְּבֵקוּת; lit. "cleaving"
One might dismiss this idea of cleaving (devekut), as repressed sexuality,
but a more generous reading interprets their erotic language as the closest metaphor to express their fierce yearning for intimacy with God.
The two greatest commandments of Torah show that level of intimacy with Adonai:
29 Yeshua answered, “The most important is, ‘Sh’ma Yisra’el, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad [Hear, O Isra’el, the Lord our God, the Lord is one],
30 and you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your understanding and with all your strength.’
31 The second is this: ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other mitzvah greater than these.”
This is the reason why:
Remember His Torah/ Live the Torah/ Teach the Torah
Shabbat Shalom