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Adar 6, 5764 /
February 28, 2004
Adar 6, 5767 /
February 24, 2007
Adar 6, 5770 /
February 20, 2010
Adar 6, 5773 /
February 16, 2013
II Adar 2, 5776 / March 12, 2016
II Adar 2, 5779 / March 9, 2019
Note: In today’s news, many Jewish
leaders are condemning the movie The Passion of the Christ, even
asking the Pope to proclaim that the Jews did not kill Jesus.
Now, we believe that Yeshua gave up
His life willingly, because of our sins.
However, Stephen said that the Jews
killed Yeshua (Acts 7:52), and Paul said so (1 Thessalonians 7:52). And, another
ancient Jewish writing, the Talmud which these Jews of today claim to accept,
says so!
“Yeshua the Nazarean . . . was hanged on the eve of Passover”
(Sanhedrin 43a).
Hen Karvu
/ They are Drawing Near
SCRIPTURES should be read first
We are nearing the end of the Torah
cycle, Moses is about to die (though he is not weak or sick) and this is the
last of the 613 commandments: (v.19) “Write this song for yourselves, and
teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips”. This song is to be “a
witness” for Yahweh. [Next week’s portion will be the song.]
Though the Pharaoh of Egypt had
ordered all of the sons of Israel to be killed at birth (Exodus 3:10), Moses was
secreted away and grew up in Egypt: he lived to fulfill God’s plan of delivering
Israel.
Though King Herod had ordered all of
the male children around Bethlehem to be killed (Matthew 2:16-18), Yeshua was
secreted away to Egypt: He lived to fulfill God’s plan of redemption.
As God called Moses out of Egypt, so
He also called Yeshua out of Egypt: “Out of Egypt have I called My Son”
(Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15).
Through Moses, God sent plagues upon
the Egyptians (hail, water turning to blood, darkness), warning of the imminent
judgment, unless they were under the blood of a Passover lamb.
Through Yeshua, God will send
plagues upon the world (hail, water turning to blood, darkness), warning of
imminent judgment, unless they are covered by the blood of Yeshua – the Passover
Lamb of God.
Moses
In today’s portion, we see that
Moses is about to leave the earth. He is foretelling that, after his death,
Israel will be disobedient, and will face the curses of the past few chapters.
Israel actually was obedient until the death of Joshua, who had been directly
instructed by Moses to lead the people.
(V.16-17) “Yahweh said to Moses,
‘Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise
and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which
they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with
them. Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake
them and hide My face from them, and they shall be consumed, and many evils and
troubles shall come upon them’. ”
In Judges we find that, when
Joshua died at one-hundred-ten, the following generation forsook Yahweh and
followed the ways of the surrounding people. So Yahweh’s anger burned against
them.
In a thousand-year period, the
Temple of God was destroyed twice. Since then, there have been almost
two-thousand years of destruction upon Israel. There have been crusades,
holocaust, and pogroms up to the present day.
In Daniel we read of King
Nebuchadnezzar: he exalted himself as powerful and glorious, until Yahweh
suddenly made him mad. He became as an animal in the wild. Then Yahweh gave him
a sane mind, and before all the people he exalted the God of Heaven.
Yeshua
When Yeshua was about to leave the
earth, He foretold that, after His ascension, the people would be disobedient,
and face the curses previously pronounced. The disciples were actually
relatively obedient until the death of the Apostles, who had been directly
instructed by Yeshua.
John
records Yeshua’s words: while He was with men, they were admonished to follow
Him – the Light. Upon His leaving the earth, the Apostles led until their
deaths. The disciples then were misled into idolatry.
Paul said, “I know that after my
departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from
among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the
disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30).
So today, we are descended from those
who went astray. Churches look to “ancient fathers” for truth – fathers of
generations after the Apostles, fathers who were already idolatrous.
But, God has graciously given some of
us a desire to return to Him – to repent (“The goodness of God leads us to
repentance” – Romans 2:4). God left us a song for a witness.
When we are confessing to God and
asking forgiveness, do we realize that we need deliverance from doing those
things that caused Yeshua’s suffering? We are not just “pardoned” without
consequence to anyone. Even though His suffering may be seen as past, it was for
the sins we commit now! Therefore, to love Yahweh with all of our heart means to
learn to forsake sin.
Yeshua washed His disciples’ feet,
because though they were redeemed, they committed daily sins, for which they
required daily cleansing. We have been cleansed by Yeshua, but our daily walk in
God’s instruction – our halacha – needs daily cleansing and correction.
Yeshua said, “Destroy this Temple,
and in three days I will raise it up!” (John 2:19-21). While He was speaking of
the temple of His own body, we see another fulfillment – the resurrection of the
stone Temple that represented the heavenly one. Yeshua was raised three days
after His burial (Wednesday afternoon to Sabbath afternoon, not Friday afternoon
to Sunday morning); The Temple of the Holy One at Jerusalem will be raised
three-thousand years after it was destroyed (We are not trying to predict an
exact year, but count roughly full millenniums). There will be a return of
Israel to their land, as promised. And there will be a return to God of His
people, when He grants our final redemption.
While people tend to believe in
happenstance, HaAzinu foretells the history of Israel, thereby testifying to
God’s providence – the people’s fate is always a consequence of their behavior,
the consequence being God’s reward and punishment.
“Your days are drawing near (you
will not be around to lead); write this prophetic song for a witness, and call
upon heaven and earth to comply (with reward and punishment - whether heaven
will give rains in due time, or earth will produce bountiful harvest).”
(Deuteronomy 31:26) The Torah scroll
either lay beside the Stone Tablets within the Ark, or on a board projecting
from the side of the Ark.
Yeshua engraved the Ten Words in
stone, and He is the Living Torah. He said, “He who has My commandments and
keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My
Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him. . . .If anyone
loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to
him, and make Our abode with him” (John 14:21-23).
“I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to
Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3).
He Who has begun a good work in us
(repentance), will continue it until the Day of Messiah Yeshua – the day of our
final redemption (Philippians 1:6).
Readings:
Reader 1* Amen
14
Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Behold, your
days (they) are drawing near to die;
call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may
commission him." So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent
of meeting. 15 And Yahweh appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud,
and the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent. 16 And
Yahweh said to Moses, "Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and
this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land,
into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My
covenant which I have made with them. 17 "Then My anger will be
kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from
them, and they shall be consumed, and many evils and troubles shall come upon
them; so that they will say in that day, 'Is it not because our God is not among
us that these evils have come upon us?' 18 "But I will surely hide My
face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn
to other gods.
Reader 2* Amen
19
"Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of
Israel; put it on their lips, in order that this song may be a witness for Me
against the sons of Israel. 20 "For when I bring them into the land
flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten
and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and
serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant. 21 "Then it shall
come about, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song
will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the
lips of their descendants); for I know their intent which they are developing
today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore." 22 So
Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.
Reader 3* Amen
23
Then He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, "Be strong and courageous,
for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and
I will be with you." 24 And it came about, when Moses finished
writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete, 25
that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh,
saying, 26 "Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of
the covenant of Yahweh your God, that it may remain there as a witness against
you. 27 "For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold,
while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against Yahweh;
how much more, then, after my death? 28 "Assemble to me all the
elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their
hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 29
"For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way
which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you
will do that which is evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking Him to anger with
the work of your hands." 30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all
the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were complete:
Judges 2:1-15
1
Now the angel of Yahweh came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, "I brought
you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your
fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you, 2 and
as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you
shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have
done? 3 "Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before
you; but they shall become as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a
snare to you.'" 4 And it came about when the angel of Yahweh spoke
these words to all the sons of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices
and wept. 5 So they named that place Bochim; and there they
sacrificed to Yahweh. 6 When Joshua had dismissed the people, the
sons of Israel went each to his inheritance to possess the land. 7
And the people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the
elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Yahweh which He
had done for Israel. 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of
Yahweh, died at the age of one hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him
in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of
Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were
gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did
not know Yahweh, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. 11
Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of Yahweh, and served the Baals,
12 and they forsook Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who had brought
them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of
the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they
provoked Yahweh to anger. 13 So they forsook Yahweh and served Baal
and the Ashtaroth.
14
And the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands
of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their
enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
15 Wherever they went, the hand of Yahweh was against them for evil,
as Yahweh had spoken and as Yahweh had sworn to them, so that they were severely
distressed.
Daniel 4:28-37
28
“All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29 Twelve months later
he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The
king reflected and said, 'Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have
built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my
majesty?' 31 While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came
from heaven, saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty
has been removed from you, 32 and you will be driven away from
mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will
be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you,
until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and
bestows it on whomever He wishes.' 33 Immediately the word concerning
Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began
eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven,
until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
34 But at the end of that period I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes
toward heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and
praised and honored Him who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35
And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does
according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth;
and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?' 36
At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored
to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking
me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was
added to me. 37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, exalt, and honor the
King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to
humble those who walk in pride.”
Psalm 145
A Psalm of Praise, of David.
1
I Will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and
ever. 3 Great is Yahweh, and highly to be praised; and His greatness
is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
and shall declare Your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of
Your majesty, and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. 6 And men
shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts; and I will tell of Your
greatness. 7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant
goodness, and shall shout joyfully of Your righteousness. 8 Yahweh is
gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. 9
Yahweh is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. 10 All
Your works shall give thanks to You, O Yahweh, and Your godly ones shall bless
You. 11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of
Your power; 12 to make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts, and
the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
14 Yahweh sustains all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due
time. 16 You open Your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living
thing. 17 Yahweh is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His
deeds. 18 Yahweh is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call
upon Him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear
Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. 20 Yahweh keeps
all who love Him; but all the wicked, He will destroy. 21 My mouth
will speak the praise of Yahweh; and all flesh will bless His holy name forever
and ever.
John 12:35 – 14:26
35
Yeshua therefore said to them, “For a little while longer the light is among
you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who
walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 While you have
the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light.”
These things Yeshua spoke, and He departed and hid Himself from them. 37
But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not
believing in Him; 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be
fulfilled, which he spoke (Isaiah 53:1), “Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?” 39 For this cause
they could not believe, for Isaiah said again (Isaiah 6:10), 40
“He has blinded their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they see with
their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them.”
41 These things Isaiah said, because he saw His glory, and he spoke
of Him. 42 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but
because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put
out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of men rather
than the approval of God. 44 And Yeshua cried out and said, “He who
believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me. 45 And
he who beholds Me beholds the One who sent Me. 46 I have come as
light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in
darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My sayings, and does not keep them,
I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the
world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one
who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. 49
For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has
given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak. 50 And I know
that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just
as the Father has told Me.”
13:1
Now before the Feast of the Passover, Yeshua knowing that His hour had come that
He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were
in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And during supper, the
devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to
betray Him, 3 Yeshua, knowing that the Father had given all things
into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God,
4 rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel,
He girded Himself about. 5 Then He poured water into the basin, and
began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He
was girded. 6 And so He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord,
do You wash my feet?” 7 Yeshua answered and said to him, “What I do
you do not realize now, but you shall understand hereafter.” 8 Peter
said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Yeshua answered him, “If I do not
wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him,
“Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Yeshua
said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely
clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one
who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 And so when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and
reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to
you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also
ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I gave you an example that
you also should do as I did to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a
slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than
the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if
you do them. 18 I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have
chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats My bread has
lifted up his heel against Me.' 19 From now on I am telling you
before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am
He. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send
receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” 21
When Yeshua had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified, and
said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” 22
The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He
was speaking. 23 There was reclining on Yeshua' breast one of His
disciples, whom Yeshua loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore gestured to
him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” 25
He, leaning back thus on Yeshua' breast, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26
Yeshua therefore answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and
give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas,
the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 And after the morsel, Satan then
entered into him. Yeshua therefore said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
28 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had
said this to him. 29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the
money box, that Yeshua was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for
the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. 30
And so after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
31 When therefore he had gone out, Yeshua said, “Now is the Son of
Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; 32 if God is glorified in
Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.
33 Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You shall
seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, I now say to you also, 'Where I am going,
you cannot come.' 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another.” 36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”
Yeshua answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you shall follow
later.” 37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right
now? I will lay down my life for You.” 38 Yeshua answered, “Will you
lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a cock shall not crow,
until you deny Me three times.
14:1
Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2
In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have
told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that
where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am
going.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are
going, how do we know the way?” 6 Yeshua said to him, “I am the way,
and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. 7
If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know
Him, and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the
Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Yeshua said to him, “Have I been
so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen
Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father '? 10 Do
you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that
I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me
does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father
in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves. 12
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he
do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father
may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I
will do it. 15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be
with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him
because He abides with you, and will be in you. 18 I will not leave
you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 After a little while the world
will behold Me no more; but you will behold Me; because I live, you shall live
also. 20 In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you
in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, he
it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will
love him, and will disclose Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot)
said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose
Yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Yeshua answered and said to
him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and
We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. 24 He who does not
love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the
Father's who sent Me. 25 These things I have spoken to you, while
abiding with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance all that I said to you.”
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