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II Adar 8, 5765 /
Mar 19, 2005
I Adar 8, 5774 / Feb 8, 2014
I Adar 4, 5776 / Feb 13,
2016
I Adar 4, 5779 / Feb 9, 2019
I Adar 4, 5782 / Feb 5, 2022
Shekalim
/ Shekels (Coins)
SCRIPTURES should be read first
Worship
Service for Yeshua
(V.12) When a census was
taken, each man twenty years and older was to contribute a half-shekel silver
coin: counting these dime-size coins was the only allowed method of determining
the number of people. King David violated this command, making a direct
head-count, for which cause a plague came upon Israel (II Samuel 24), as
foretold in todays portion (v.12).
These contributions were
to be used for the worship service in the Tabernacle. A collection was made
annually, in this month of Adar, for the communal offerings (sacrifices) of the
coming Passover season. When you take a census would more literally
translate When you elevate the heads . . .: the contributions are seen
as worshipfully lifting the heads of the contributors.
Note: The words holy
and sanctified are from the same Hebrew root (Chodesh), meaning
to be distinct and set apart, or dedicated for a particular use as for Gods
purpose.
For the service of the
tent of meeting Exodus 30:16.
We have an altar from
which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of
those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as
an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Yeshua also, that He
might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So,
let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not
have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. Through Him
then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the
fruit of lips that give thanks to His Name Hebrews 13:10-15.
By virtue of our very
existence, we owe our lives to our creator. As those who are redeemed by the
blood of the Lamb, we owe our lives to serve Him. We have no basis for being
proud that God has separated us from those who live for themselves. Rather, we
need to be diligent about learning how to please Him in love, as those who are
chosen by grace.
Moreover, they (the
priests) shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane,
and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean . . . They shall
also keep My Torah, and My statutes in all My appointed feasts, and sanctify My
Sabbaths Ezekiel 44:23-24..
God has declared the
Sabbath to be holy (Genesis 2:3), and we are to make it holy. By lighting
candles just before and after the Holy Sabbath, we distinguish it from the work
week. Between the candle-lightings, when we are not to kindle fires (Exodus
35:3), we remember through that device to keep the time holy dedicated to
worship.
Be ye holy, for I am
holy Leviticus 11:44, 45, 20:26, 1 Peter 1:16.
God has declared us to be
holy, and we are to be holy. When we light the Sabbath candles, before we read
Gods Word, and before we sing Psalms, we say, Blessed are You, Yahweh our
God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us by His Word, and instructed us
. . . God has made us distinct from the world by His Word. Before we spend
a day in worship, read or sing His inspired words, and before we fulfill other
specific instructions from His Word, we recognize that by giving us these things
God has distinguished us from others. We are to be set apart as holy to our God
dedicated to His service.
II Kings 2
Elijah and Elisha are
examples of men that were holy: their lives were dedicated to the service of
God. We do not all have the same role to fulfill in this life, but we are all
created to be dedicated to the service of our savior.
Incidentally, it appears
that the mantle (adderet) of Elijah that Elisha took, and used it to
separate the waters of the Jordan, was his tallit the cloak with
tzitzit that symbolize the commandments of God.
John 2
(V.13) The time of the
Passover sacrifice is approaching, and we would do well to cleanse our temples.
(V.17) Yeshua, as prophesied, was filled with zeal for the House of the Holy
One: we are also His Temple.
Do you not know that
you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man
destroys the Temple of God, God will destroy him, for the Temple of God is holy,
and that is what you are I Corinthians 3:16-17.
If we are to be holy, set
apart, sanctified by His Word, then we must know what His Word
is! We cannot be His servants unless we know how He wants us to serve Him.
How blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of
sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Torah of
Yahweh, and in His Torah he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree
firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its
leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers Psalm 1:1-3.
Those who love Your
Torah have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble Psalm 119:165.
Many people erroneously
try to serve Him by doing whatever they think would be good, without knowing His
instructions. They may be believers who are unlearned, or they may be religious
but unbelievers. In any case, we are not allowed to worship based on what is
naturally in us.
(V.24-25) But Yeshua,
on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and
because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew
what was in man.
From Your precepts I
get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my
feet and a light to my path Psalm 119:104-105.
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The first way for us to be
set apart, is to know Yahweh as our God, as opposed to having a god of our own
creation a god that is whatever we think he should be. This is the first of
the Ten Commandments: Yahweh is our God, and we shall have no other gods. We
must learn what God says are His attributes. We must recognize that He is the
creator of all things like the beginning of The Book says. We must learn that
He is in control of all of His creation, and then we will have a proper basis
for prayer and worship. When we partake in His Sabbaths and Festivals, great
truths about Him are regularly set before us.
The Bible begins by
telling us that God is our creator, and by setting the perspective of our
standing before Him.
Only when we understand
that He holds all power, do we have a basis to make requests of Him. Only when
we are doing His will are we told that He will hear us (I John 5:14); only when
we are acting as His representatives asking in His Name are we promised
fulfillment of prayers (John 14:13).
His Sabbaths and Festivals
are shadow pictures of Yeshua Himself (Colossians 2:16-17).
The second greatest
commandment (Matthew 22:36-40), which is expanded in the last five of the Ten
Commandments (Exodus 20:13-17), is to love our neighbor as one who is created in
the image of God.
Here we need to learn such
things as how to judge righteously, and how to avoid gossip and slander. We need
to understand the meaning of covetousness.
Gossip is symbolized by
leaven. The words spread uncontrolled, and cannot be taken back.
Consider this saying: If
you say of a teacher that he cannot sing, or of a cantor that he is ignorant,
you have slandered his name. But, if you say of a teacher that he is ignorant,
or of a cantor that he has no voice for singing, you have committed murder.
(This is not meant to deny a proper place for righteous judgment.) Slander
does not mean saying something false: it means saying something that is
destructive about anothers standing.
In worship of our
sacrificed savior, let us study His Word to learn where we stand before Him, and
to learn how He would have us serve Him. We need to learn to keep our thoughts
on things that are honorable and right and pure (Philippians 4:8). We need to
learn correct motives. We need to learn what is proper to say, and when, and
how: this is not what we naturally presume.
We should learn to help
one another to overcome sin, and we should learn to accept correction. These are
naturally difficult, contrary to our prideful natures.
If your brother sins,
go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your
brother Matthew 18:15.
In conclusion, as we
approach the Passover offering, let us Clean out the old leaven so that you
may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Messiah our Passover
also has been sacrificed I Corinthians 5:7-8.
A great Promised Land
awaits us. As we go through the Festival Year, we rehearse how Yeshua redeemed
us, how that He will return for us, and how that He will fulfill His promise of
a new world for us where He will dwell with us eternally in righteousness.
Readings:
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who chose us from among all peoples by
giving us Your Torah.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
(Ki Tissa et-Rosh / When you take a census)
Reader 1* Amen. 11 Yahweh also
spoke to Moses, saying, 12 "When you take a census of the sons of
Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to
Yahweh, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when
you number them. 13 "This is what everyone who is numbered shall
give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is
twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to Yahweh.
Reader 2* Amen. 14 "Everyone who is
numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to Yahweh.
15 "The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than
the half shekel, when you give the contribution to Yahweh to make atonement for
yourselves. 16 "You shall take the atonement money from the sons of
Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be
a memorial for the sons of Israel before Yahweh, to make atonement for
yourselves."
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who in giving us Yeshua, the Living
Torah, has planted everlasting life in our midst.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
______________________
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who selected good prophets, delighting
in their words which were spoken truthfully.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, Who chose the
Torah, Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,
and the prophets of truth and
righteousness."
II Kings 2:1-17
Reader 3* Amen. 1 And it came about
when Yahweh was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah
went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here
please, for Yahweh has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As Yahweh
lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to
Bethel. 3 Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out
to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master
from over you today?" And he said, "Yes, I know; be still." 4 Elijah
said to him, "Elisha, please stay here, for Yahweh has sent me to Jericho." But
he said, "As Yahweh lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So
they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho
approached Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh will take away your
master from over you today?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be still." 6
Then Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for Yahweh has sent me to the
Jordan." And he said, "As Yahweh lives, and as you yourself live, I will not
leave you." So the two of them went on. Reader 4* Amen. 7
Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a
distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah took
his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided
here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9
When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you
before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please, let a double portion of
your spirit be upon me." 10 He said, "You have asked a hard thing.
Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you;
but if not, it shall not be so." 11 As they were going along and
talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which
separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.
Reader 5* Amen. 12 Elisha saw it
and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!"
And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in
two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from
him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the
mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, "Where is
Yahweh, the God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the waters, they were
divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over. 15 Now when the sons
of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, "The spirit
of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to
the ground before him. 16 They said to him, "Behold now, there are
with your servants fifty strong men, please let them go and search for your
master; perhaps the Spirit of Yahweh has taken him up and cast him on some
mountain or into some valley." And he said, "You shall not send." 17
But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, "Send." They sent
therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him.
Psalm 62
John 2:13-25
Reader 6* Amen. 13 The Passover of
the Jews was near, and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found
in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money
changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords,
and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured
out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16
and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop
making My Father's house a place of business." 17 His disciples
remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your House will consume me."
Reader 7* Amen. 18 The Jews then
said to Him, "What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these
things?" 19 Yeshua answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It took forty-six
years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21
But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 So when He was
raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they
believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. 23 Now
when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His
name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Yeshua, on His
part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and
because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew
what was in man.
"Blessed are You, Yahweh
our God, King of the Universe,
Rock of Ages, righteous
throughout all generations.
You are the faithful God,
promising and then performing, speaking and then fulfilling,
for all Your words are true
and righteous.
Faithful are You, Yahweh
our God, and faithful are Your words,
for no word of Yours shall
remain unfulfilled;
You are a faithful and
merciful God and King.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our
God, Who are faithful in fulfilling all Your words."
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