A Light Shining in the Darkness is the Miketz- Torah Portion.

Welcome to Parasha Miketz (At the End), 

Because Shabbat (Sabbath) falls during the eight-day holiday of Chanukah, it is called Shabbat Chanukah. As you study the portion of the Torah that will be a blessing.

Hanukkiahs lit for the sixth night of Chanukah (Photo by Congregation
Beth Israel)

Miketz (At the End)

Genesis 41:1–44:17; Zechariah 2:10(14)–4:7; John 1:1–18 “And it came to pass at the end of [miketz] two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed a dream: and, behold, he stood by the river.”  (Genesis 41:1) In last week’s study, Joseph’s brothers became jealous of him.  They plotted against him because his father favored him above his other sons and because his prophetic dreams revealed his own grand destiny.  So they threw Joseph into a pit and then sold him into slavery.  While serving honorably as a slave, Joseph was falsely accused and sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. In this week’s reading, Joseph is finally about to come to the end of his many trials and enter into his grand destiny.  In fact, the name of the Parasha, Miketz, found in the opening verse of this week’s Torah reading, hints at this since this Hebrew word means at the end of. Joseph is brought out of the darkness of an Egyptian dungeon to illumine the strange dreams of the Pharaoh.  In just one day, Joseph is promoted from prison to palace; his life was transformed suddenly from darkness to light.

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dream, by James Tissot

A Light in the Darkness

Because Miketz coincides with Chanukah or the Festival of Lights this year, this week’s portion includes a special Haftarah (prophetic reading) about the prophet Zechariah’s vision of a grand Menorah.  He says, “He asked me, 'What do you see?'  I answered, 'I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps.  Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.'”  (Zechariah 4:2–3) Two olive trees feed this grand Menorah with oil.  The trees are often considered to refer to Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel, religious and political figures. But since prophecy usually reveals the present and future, and since trees in Scripture often represent people, these two trees are seen by some to represent Jewish Believers and Gentile Believers, anointed sons who have been shining light into the darkness for over 2,000 years. Others think the two trees represent the Messiah (the Lord's Righteous Branch) and Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) who are “anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.”  (Zechariah 4:14) Zechariah promises that the darkness that comes from our sin, which separates us from God, will be supernaturally lifted in a single day by His Righteous Branch. “I am going to bring My servant, the Branch. … and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.”  (Zechariah 3:8–9) God also speaks of the supernatural working of the Ruach to accomplish His plans, such as the building of the Second Temple by Zerubbabel:“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."  (Zechariah 4:6)

The fried food of Chanukah, which includes donuts (sufganiyot),
represents the miracle of a one-day supply of holy oil for the Temple
Menorah lasting the eight days required to purify more oil.
In the Holy Sanctuary, the light of the Menorah became a symbol of God’s Divine Presence; its light shone not only inside the Temple, but tradition says it also shined out the windows and into Jerusalem where people could bask in its rays during the dark nights. During this time of year, when the winter nights are the longest, we sense our need for light more intensely. Some people even experience what has been termed S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) — a particular depression brought about by a deficiency of sunlight.  Likewise, when we are going through our “long, dark night of the soul,” we feel more intensely our desire to see even a glimmer of light. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote of a “Great Light” that would one day come to lift people out of the gloomy darkness:  “Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed … The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”  (Isaiah 9:1–2)

Jewish children bask in the glow of the hanukkiah(Chanukah menorah).  (Go Israel photo by DanaFriedlander)

Who is this “great light” of which Isaiah prophesied?  The Light would come in the form of a child, who would eventually rule the nations in righteousness and justice, seated on the throne of His father, David, for all eternity. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice, from that time forward, even forever.”  (Isaiah 9:6–7) Yeshua HaMashiach (the Messiah—the Anointed One) said, “I am the Light of the World.  Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  (John 8:12)

Enjoying the light of the hanukkiah (Go Israel photo by Dana Friedlander)

Light of the World Chanukah is a celebration of light.
This joyous festival commemorated the salvation of the Jewish people from the oppression of the Greeks who ruled the Jewish people from 332–164 BC. It was both a physical salvation and a spiritual one, since the Jews were not only rescued from persecution, but also liberated from an enforced Hellenized (Greek) religious system and culture.
They fought for freedom to worship the One True God, to keep His commandments and observe the festivals as written in the Torah. Though not commanded in the Torah, the Jewish People have honored the liberation of the Holy Temple and its re-dedication to God by celebrating the Festival of Dedication / Chanukah. Did Yeshua celebrate Chanukah?  The only reference in Scripture to Chanukah is found in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament), and it indicates that He more than likely kept the festival. The Gospel of John reveals that Yeshua walked in the courts of the Temple during Chanukah: “Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Yeshua walked in the Temple, in Solomon’s porch.”  (John 10:22–23) While He was there, some asked Him directly if He were the Messiah. Yeshua pointed to the works He had done as proof, but explained that they did not believe in Him because they were not His sheep.

In this week’s Brit Chadashah portion, Yeshua the Messiah proclaimed His mission as one of healing the brokenhearted and setting captives free.
The verses He cited came directly out of the book of the Hebrew prophet Isaiah. “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted; To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD”  (Luke 4:16–19; see also Isaiah 61:1

Yeshua Teaches in the Synagogues,
by James Tissot

Yeshua and Yosef (Jesus and Joseph)
Many parallels can be drawn between Yeshua and Joseph. At the time of Joseph’s release from prison into the service of Pharaoh he was 30 years old, just as Yeshua was 30 when he began His public ministry in the service of the King. Also, Joseph's appearance and personality had been so changed during his time in Egypt that his brothers no longer recognized him. They stood right in front of Joseph, seeking the salvation from their famine that only he could provide, and yet they had no idea he was their brother. Likewise, Yeshua’s Jewish brothers and sisters hold in front of them the Scriptures that reveal who He is, and yet they are unable to recognize Him as their Jewish Messiah. One reason for this modern-day blindness is the way Yeshua has been portrayed by Christians over the centuries: He seems to have ceased being the observant Jew who faithfully kept the commandments of God in the Torah and has, instead, been labeled as the Gentiles’ “god.”

A 13-year-old Jewish boy reads from the Torah
for the first time publicly. Yeshua's identity has been so changed that the great majority of Jewish people cannot fathom that this “Jesus” could possibly be the Jewish Mashiach (Messiah) for whom they have been waiting, longing and praying for over 3,000 years. Nevertheless, the prophet Zechariah told us that one day, all the Jewish people will recognize Him: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”  (Zechariah 12:10) Today, thousands of Yeshua’s brothers and sisters are coming to understand who He truly is: they are known as Messianic Jews and their search for the Messiah of the Scriptures has ended.  These “completed Jews,” as some call them, are steadily gaining recognition as a legitimate sect of Judaism in Israel and in the world.

Reading the Torah
Another important parallel is that Joseph’s father Israel (Jacob) had exalted Joseph, and God has exalted Yeshua: “When He appeared as a human being, He humbled himself still more by becoming obedient even to death — death on a stake as a criminal!  Therefore God raised Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above every name.”  (Philippians 2:8–9) Although Joseph’s brothers had hated him and vowed that they would never bow down to him, as his dreams suggested they would (Genesis 37:19–20), we see in this Parasha that in the end (miketz), they do come and bow down to their brother Joseph. This is a prophetic picture of the day when all of Israel will recognize Yeshua’s authority, and every knee will bow to Him and know that He is the Lord. “... that in honor of the name given Yeshua, every knee will bow —in heaven, on earth and under the earth — and every tongue will acknowledge that Yeshua the Messiah is ADONAI — to the glory of God the Father.”  (Philippians 2:10; see also Isaiah 45:23)

Please pray that the Jewish People will recognize Yeshua (Jesus) in Zechariah's Messianic prophecy as they hear about the Righteous Branch and the promise that sin will be removed in a single day.
On this Festival of Dedication, please also consider sending a special gift to help set the captives free from sin.  Your gift shines a light in the darkness by helping us explain the Messianic prophecies to the Jewish People. 

 "In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind."  (John 1:4)

"You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance—the place, LORD, You made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, Your hands established."  (Exodus 15:17)

The Blood of the Lamb and the Aftermath of Disobedience.

Welcome to Vayikra (And He Called), study of the portion of Torah. You will be blessed as you study this Torah portion.......Enjoy!

VAYIKRA (And He Called)

Leviticus 1:1–5:26; Isaiah 43:21–44:23; Hebrews 9:1–28

 

“The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting.” (Leviticus 1:1)

 

Last week, Parasha Pekudei was the final Torah portion in the book of Exodus.

 

This Shabbat, we begin studying the Book of Leviticus.  In Hebrew, Leviticus is called Vayikra after its opening word וַיִּקְרָא, which means and He called.

 

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man reads from the scroll of Esther.

 

 

The Relevance of Offerings

 

“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock.  

 

"If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD.”  (Leviticus 1:2–3)

 

The Torah portion, Vayikra, presents the laws of korbanot (קָרְבָּנוֹת offerings), including the korban olah (קָרְבַּן עוֹלָה) or burnt offerings.

 

The Hebrew noun olah means goes up because the priest would burn the offerings on the wood of the altar, the aroma would go up to be accepted by the Lord.

 

The Hebrew word korbanot comes from the root word k-r-v (קרב), which means to be close (karov).  The sacrifices, once accepted by God restore closeness and intimacy between Him and His people.

 

It is our iniquities and sins that separate us from God and prevent us from establishing or maintaining a close relationship with Him.

 

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

 

A korban olah could be a ram, male goat, bull, pigeon, or turtle dove.

 

Although some New Covenant Believers consider the laws in Leviticus irrelevant and obsolete, they remain relevant and are indeed extremely important.

 

For instance, without them we cannot grasp the concept of blood sacrifice to atone for sin.  That core concept in God’s plan for redemption helps us rightly understand the sacrificial death of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.

 

Attempting to understand Yeshua’s death on the Roman execution stake without comprehending the blood sacrifices is like trying to build a house without a foundation.  The home may last for a time but will not withstand the fierce storms without that solid base.

 

Likewise, we must have a solid foundation in the Word of God to rightly understand the Word of God, as well as successfully navigate through the storms of life.

 

A Jewish girl holds the Torah scroll, which is
covered by a Torah mantle and silver breastplate.

For some people, a guilty conscience over past sins causes them to be alienated from God, despite having received forgiveness. 

 

The blood sacrifice of Yeshua, however, was shed to restore us to right relationship with God and to completely cleanse us of any trace of a guilty conscience:

 

“How much more will the blood of Messiah who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”  (Hebrews 9:14)

 

Despite this, some followers of Yeshua still struggle with guilt and condemnation, even though the Word of God promises that those who are in the Messiah are free:

 

“There is therefore no condemnation to those in Yeshua the Messiah who do not walk in the flesh.”  (Romans 8:1)

 

Just as the blood of the lamb had to be applied to the doorposts of our homes in Egypt, so must the blood of Yeshua be applied to our hearts, by faith, to wash us clean from every trace of guilty conscience and shame over our past sins.

 

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”  (Hebrews 10:22) 

 

The pure waters refer to the mikvah, the ritual water immersion, which is symbolic of our new spiritual birth.

 

Blood on the doorpost

 

Only when our hearts have been cleaned (sprinkled with the blood of Yeshua) and our bodies immersed in the mikvah can we have this assurance of our faith that allows us to draw near to God.

 

A guilty conscience over our past will separate us from intimacy with God, as well as with other Believers in the Body of Messiah.

 

The above Scripture (Hebrews 10:22) is followed by an exhortation to make sure we continue to meet together with other Believers as the Body of Messiah(Hebrews 10:24–25). 

 

We cannot expect to walk free of sin if we isolate ourselves from those who follow Yeshua.  We need to stay accountable to one another and to exhort one another to live a life of holiness.

 

Since each of us has been given the ministry of reconciliation, we should be agents of healing and restoration.

 

Reading the Torah

 

 

The Blood of Sprinkling

 

“He shall slay the young bull before the LORD; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.”  (Leviticus 1:5)

 

The Cohen (High Priest) not only sprinkled the blood around the altar, he dipped his finger in it and sprinkled it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil.  (Leviticus 4:17)

 

Some suggest that, likewise, the blood of Yeshua, who was the High Priest (Cohen HaGadol) of the New Covenant, was also sprinkled before the Lord seven times:

Yeshua perspired drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed to the Father:  “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”  (Luke 22:44)He was struck in the face until it was “marred beyond recognition.”  (Isaiah 52:14)His back was scourged with a whip.  (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 27:26)The soldiers put a crown of thorns on His head.  (John 19:2)They plucked out His beard.  (Isaiah 50:6)They pierced His hands and feet.  (Psalm 22:16; Luke 24:39; John 20:27)They pierced His side with a spear and blood and water came out. (Psalm 22:14; John 19:34)

Yeshua Tempted in the Wilderness, by James Tissot

 

 

Satanic Counterfeit

 

Animal rights activists are likely appalled to read of all the sacrifices that the Torah requires.  

 

Some people, even Believers, are uncomfortable with the whole idea of blood sacrifices.  One of the reasons is our natural human aversion to blood.  Another reason is because of the association with evil satanic rituals.

 

Satanism observes its own system of blood sacrifices to the powers of darkness.

 

As well, Satan often attempts to twist and pervert the Word of God, using it for his own evil purposes.  Luke 4 gives us an example of how he did this with Yeshua when He was tested in the wilderness.

 

Satan misleads by substituting wicked counterfeits for the holy things of God, such as blood sacrifices.

 

People of various pagan religions have practiced the ritual killing of animals to appease their false gods.  Many cultures used animal sacrifice in purification ceremonies.  Some of these include (in addition to the Hebrews): Greeks, Romans, Ancient Egyptians, Aztecs and Yoruba.

 

Is animal sacrifice still practiced today?  Not currently in Judaism, as the korbanot cannot be offered without the Temple.  And there has not been a Temple for nearly 2,000 years.

 

However, outside of Judaism, it is practiced.  Followers of Santeria (a religion of Caribbean origin) to this day offer up some sacrificial animals to cure the sick or give thanks to their god (Orisa) as part of their ritual activities.

 

There are also some Christians in certain Greek villages who, in a practice called kourbània, sacrifice animals to Orthodox saints.

 

Carrying the Torah at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.

Human Sacrifice
Another Satanic counterfeit to God’s sacrificial system is found in some cultures and religions in which human beings were sacrificed as a way of giving their very best to their god.

 

In times of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, or volcanic eruptions, which have historically been understood as evidence of their deity’s anger or displeasure, other cultures have offered up human sacrifice in the hopes of appeasing the wrath of their gods.

 

Even in the West, rumors abound on the Internet and the Hollywood scene that a human blood sacrifice will move one into the extremely wealthy club ($20 million+).

 

Whether or not it is actually practiced as it once was, Satan worshipers and those who worship evil have been performing human blood sacrifice since ancient times, so it is likely that this continues to this very day among his followers within secret communities just outside of mainstream culture.

 

Judaism, on the other hand, abhors the concept of human sacrifice, because it is abhorrent to Elohim, as it is written:  “Never give your children as sacrifices to the god Molech.  If you do, you are dishonoring the name of your God.  I am YHVH.”  (Leviticus 18:21)

 

It is for this reason that most Jewish people find it so difficult to believe in Yeshua—human sacrifice has always been associated with paganism and is strictly forbidden.

 

Men gather to worship God at the Western (Wailing) Wall.  On close
inspection, at least 20 Torah scrolls are either being carried or are placed
on tables in the above photo.

 

The One True God completely forbade His people from pagan worship customs and especially the practice of human sacrifice:

 

“You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates.  They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.” (Deuteronomy 12:31)

 

Knowing that God detests human sacrifice, especially of a son or daughter at the hand of a parent, the Jewish people naturally assume that our God would never allow someone to die a substitutionary death the way animals do.

 

This is a significant stumbling block to receiving salvation through Yeshua the Messiah for the Jewish People.  However, the ancient prophet Isaiah revealed that long ago God planned to lay all of our sins and iniquities upon the Messiah:

 

“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.  

 

"All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”  (Isaiah 53:5–6)

 

Women pray in the Women's Section of the Western Wall.

 

God did not intend for His korbanot to be performed by a people who were determined to live lawless lives. They were never a substitution for living in fellowship with Him and being right-hearted.

 

Likewise, Yeshua’s sacrifice was meant to restore fellowship with our Father upon a person seeking to draw near to Him, sincerely repenting of their sins, and accepting the sacrifice as a free gift on their behalf.

 

The blood of the Lamb of God (Yeshua) takes away the sins of those who believe in who He is, what He did, turn from their sin, and follow Him.

 

 

God does not delight in the sacrifice but in the right heart of the person who offers it.

 

All of the Hebrew prophets warned the people that offering sacrifices without accompanying inner morality and goodness would be in vain.

 

Ultimately, what God requires of each one of us is to practice justice, mercy and humility toward God and man.

 

“It has been told to you, O man, what is good, and what the LORD does require of you: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”  (Micah 6:8)

 

And Yeshua, who has set us free from the evil master of sin through His death and resurrection, has given us the power to be just, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

Persecution of Christians and Jews Growing Worldwide - Sign of the End Times

Jerusalem skyline

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me.”  (Matthew 24:9) When Yeshua (Jesus) was asked by His disciples about the end times and the sign of His coming, He prophesied that there would not only be wars, famine and earthquakes, but that persecution would increase, especially as His return approached.  (Matthew 24) It seems that today, this prophecy is in the midst of being fulfilled! In fiscal year 2016, over 90,000 Christians were murdered for their faith and 500–600 million were otherwise persecuted in such ways as imprisonment, abductions, economic restrictions, destruction of property and loss of personal rights. 

Pakistani Christians kneel in prayer during a march to Downing Street, London. They were protesting the use of blasphemy laws in Pakistan to persecute Christians and other minorities.  Pakistani law mandates punishment for those who "blaspheme" the Qur'an.

 The statistics may surprise those who live relatively peaceful lives in North America, since the media seldom reports on this issue. Yet, some groups are paying attention. The director of the Turin-based Center for Studies on New Religions (CENSUR), Dr. Massimo Introvigne, told Breitbart News that Christians are the most targeted religious group in the world, and for two primary reasons: “First because their proclamation of peace disturbs more belligerent groups; and second, because their social teachings on life, family and poverty are opposed by powerful forces.” "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."  (Matthew 5:11)

Church courtyard in Bethlehem

 The Compromise of Religious Freedom in the West

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."  (Hebrews 10:23) In the United States, the value placed on religious freedom seemed to be in decline in recent years, which may have diminished the will to respond to persecution in communities around the globe. In 2012, for instance, the US State Department removed sections covering religious freedom from the annual Country Report on Human Rights Practices—the Human Rights Report. According to former US diplomat Thomas Farr, this reflected efforts by the Obama administration to downgrade issues of religious freedom, and to “edge traditional religious ideas out of the public sphere, both domestically and in foreign policy."  (Weekly Standard)

 He noted that this was extremely short-sighted since religious freedom and democracy are correlated.

 “Both history and social science make it clear that highly religious nations like Egypt and Pakistan will not achieve stable democracy unless they embrace religious freedom in full. Nor will they be able to defeat the toxic religious ideas that feed violent Islamist terrorism, including the kind that has reached American shores,” he said. Let us not forget the thousands of innocent people massacred on 9/11 in the name of Allah. “This was not a natural disaster.  It was caused by radical Islamists,” said Carlo Notaro during a memorial service in honor of his daughter Daniela Rosalia Notaro who died at the World Trade Center. Widespread Islamophobia seems to be one backlash of 9/11. Consequently, in America and in Europe, nearly 1.5 million Muslim refugees since 2015 have become the new cause for human rights groups. In their efforts to secure rights for Muslim immigrants and refugees, accusations of hate crimes against them abound.

9/11: the remains of the World Trade Center

The FBI defines a hate crime as a "criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity.” In the West, even bacon can be a medium for hate. At a Ramadan event (Ramadan is holy month in Islam), at the New Dorp high school football field in New York a few years ago, Muslims reported to the police and media that—bacon—(yes, bacon), had been discovered lying on the ground. According to the Quran, Muslims are not allowed to eat pork. Unbelievably, the police were called in to investigate this act of littering as a hate crime against Muslims. “The Ramadan event had been organized by a local chapter of the Muslim American Society.  However, the Muslim American Society is a front for the Muslim Brotherhood, and some of its chapters have called for the murder of Jews. “Calling for the murder of Jews however falls under freedom of speech.  Unlike bacon which is a hate crime,” Daniel Greenfield said (Gatestone Institute).

Jewish man overlooks the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount.

The New Sheriff Has Arrived

Routing for the underdog could be the underlying reason President Trump's temporary travel ban on seven nations was overturned by the most liberal court in the US—the 9th District Court of Appeals.  And the second has also been blocked. The goal of the ban, Trump says, is not hate but rather the implementation of wise vetting procedures to prevent hate, especially from the entry points of the nations that produce the most dangerous terror agents:  Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya. Thirty percent of refugees admitted to the US in 2016 came from three of these nations: Iran, Somalia, and Syria—without strong vetting procedures, the White House says.The Obama administration approved 110,000 new refugees for entry in 2017; Trump has lowered the target to 50,000. While his policies are being reported as hateful and biased against Muslims in the US media, hate crimes against Christians and Jews are growing around in these Muslim nations and around the world. We must reach out to lesser known media outlets that advocate for religious freedom, such as Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International to find out what is really happening. ADF states that hate crimes against Christians throughout the world include, “physical assaults, arrests and detentions, the desecration of holy sites and discrimination against religious groups in employment, education or housing,” not to mention beheading, flogging, and sex slavery.  (CNS News) Let's take a look at some of these incidents.

Nigerian Christians

 Boko Haram and Fulani: Purging Nigeria of Christians. Since 2000, the Islamist terror group Boko Haram murdered over 14,000 Nigerian Christians and has pledged their support to Islamic State (ISIS). In the last three months of 2016 another group, the Fulani herdsman, murdered 808 people and wounded 57 (both Christians and moderate Muslims), burned down 53 villages, including 1,422 houses and destroyed 16 churches.  (Open Doors) While these two groups are private, social and economic pressure against Christians from the government makes it difficult for Christians to survive.  Open Doors, an advocacy group for persecuted Christians worldwide, knows of ten Christians who converted to Islam in order to receive government grants to start businesses and be able to meet living needs. One such convert said, “Before my conversion I could hardly see food to eat or money to solve the basic needs of my family, but now we have enough.”  (Open Doors)

                 A church in Cairo

Coptic Christians in Egypt

It is believed that the Egyptian Church has existed since the Apostle Mark first evangelized Egypt in AD 42. The first Christians spoke Coptic, a late form of Egyptian with Greek adaptations.  Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church is the largest Christian church in Egypt, as well as in the Middle East and Northeast Africa. Coptic Christians were the majority in Egypt until 1453, but now make up 10% of Egypt's population (about 9 million people). Even though Egypt did not make the Trump travel ban list, that does not mean that Christians are safe in Cairo or anywhere else in the nation. A bomb in December during mass at the women's hall in St. Peter's Cathedral in Cairo killed 24 people, mostly women and children. This was not the first attack against Christians and won't be the last. Christians feel the violence is escalating and are protesting for protection from Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Though persecution persists in Egypt, perhaps the nation must be applauded for the fact that so many Christians still remain in this nation, in contrast to other nations of the region.

 The Failure of Nations:  The Exile of Jews

"Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word."  (Psalm 119:161) Manuel Valls, the French Prime Minister stated after the massacre at a kosher supermarket in Paris in 2015, “If 100,000 Jews leave, France will no longer be France. The French Republic will be judged a failure.” He is correct, and yet throughout the Middle East, once thriving communities of Jews have dwindled to near extinction, as in Egypt and Iran.

Egypt 

Egypt had a once large, thriving Jewish community numbering 75–80,000 in 1948 when Israel became a nation. At that time, the government sequestered land and issued one way tickets to Egypt's Jews. Years of Muslim nationalism effectively pushed out all Jews except a handful of women over 80 who remain in Cairo, and their spiritual leader Magda Haroun, who is in her sixties.

According to legend, the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, also called the El-Geniza Synagogue is located on the site where Moses was found as a baby. synagogue was purchased in AD 882.  In the 19th century, the synagogue's treasure trove of 210,000 Jewish manuscripts were brought to Cambridge University and the University of Manchester.

Iran

Biblical Persia (today's Iran) once hosted Queen Esther and Mordecai, and many thousands of Jews who did not return to Israel once their exile officially ended in the 6th Century BC. At the time of Israel's rebirth in 1948, 140,000–150,000 Jews remained in Iran with only about 10,000 today.  That's down 50,000–10,000 from five years ago. Persian Jews continue to emigrate to Israel, the haven of hope for Jews since the Holocaust ended. At the same time, the Iranian government regularly sponsors a Holocaust denial conference and has created a 9-point plan for Israel's destruction.

 

 Israel

One might think that Israel would be the beacon of safety and security for persecuted Jews around the world.

With its extreme intelligence capabilities and military ingenuity, it often is.  Yet, every neighbor Israel has would like to see it disappear from the face of the earth. The stated goal of Palestinian leaders in Judea-Samaria ("West Bank") and in Gaza, for example, is to reclaim the land of Israel from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea as Muslim territory. As well, lone terrorists from these territories take the lives of innocent Israelis and wound hundreds every year toward that goal. There will be no true safety in Israel until Messiah comes.

Terror stats from September 2015 to end of 2016 in Israel. 

We have only scratched the surface of the recent persecution that Jews and Christians are facing. Comparatively speaking, Jews and Christians have been blessed in the American continents, but Matthew 24 reveals that there will be a time when tribulation will be widespread. Yeshua warns us through several parables to be ready, not just physically but most importantly, spiritually. "Blessed is that servant whose master returns and finds him doing his job."  (Matthew 24:46) We each have a job to do on this earth.

 "We have come to share in Messiah, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end." 

How to receive the blessing - the Torah portion is Vayakhel-Pekudei

Torah scroll

Welcome to Vayakhel (And He Assembled)—Pekudei (Accounts)

This portion of Torah will be read in synagogues Jerusalem. 

Tourists overlooking the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives.

 VAYAKHEL (And He Assembled)-PEKUDEI (Accounts)

Exodus 35:1–40:38; I Kings 7:40–8:21; John 6:1–71
Shabbat HaChodesh: Exodus 12:1-20; Ezekiel 45:16-46:18

God instructed Moses regarding the making of the Mishkan (Tabernacle, dwelling place), its vessels, and the priestly garments.The glory of the Lord filled the Temple after the work of building it was completed.

 Torah scrolls are stored in this elaborate Aron Kodesh (Holy Ark) in a synagogue in Safed, Israel.

 Completing the Temple

“How lovely is your dwelling place [Mishkan], Lord Almighty [Lord of Hosts]!  My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”  (Psalm 84:1–2)

 Vayakhel records the actual implementation of God's instructions on how to build the Mishkan, which was recounted earlier in Parasha Terumah. Indeed, Vayakhel is almost repeated word for word in Terumah, with one notable change: the instructions in Terumah that were prefaced with the words "and they shall make" are now written with "and they made."

 The Tabernacle in the Wilderness, 1890 Holman Bible illustration

The Tabernacle and the Sabbath

 “For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of Sabbath rest to the Lord.  Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death.  Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” (Exodus 35:2–3)

The people stood prepared to begin the construction of the Tabernacle.  But even as important as this work was, Moses brought to their attention, yet again, that they must not work on the Shabbat (Sabbath). The holiness of the Sabbath was not to be violated even for the sacred purpose of building the Tabernacle.

The Shabbat, which is kept diligently by ultra-Orthodox Jews, is a festivel day that offers opportunity for prayer, reading of the Hebrew Scriptures, and spending time with the family.

 Building the Tabernacle: A Community Affair Regarding the building of the tabernacle, God stirred up the hearts of the people to bring their offerings for the work of the Lord.

It was not just Moses’ private project; it was a community affair, so each one contributed what they could from their material resources. Some prepared the holy garments, while others prepared the anointing oil, and the sacred vessels, etc.  Everyone worked together toward this common goal.

Similarly, none of us can do the work of the Lord alone.

Building up the body of Messiah must be a communal work—each one whose hearts are stirred by the Lord, giving what they are able.  Some use their talents and others give their material resources. Many give both.

          A Jewish boy is ready to give his best gift to charity by depositing his coins in the pushka (offering box).

 A Joyful Outpouring of Resources

“The people have given more than enough materials to complete the job the Lord has commanded us to do!”  (Exodus 36:5) The Israelites were so overjoyed to give to the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) that they gave enthusiastically. So generously did they give that they actually had to be restrained from giving more!  (Exodus 36:3–7) God responds to the cheerful giver with love and generosity, and He multiplies the seed sown so that there is no lack. “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  (2 Corinthians 9:7–8)

If everyone whose heart was stirred by the Lord gave what was in their heart to give, there would be more than enough to meet every need.

The Hebrew word on the pushka (offering box)
depicted above is tzedakah, which literally
means righteousness, but is commonly used to signify charity.

The Widow’s Mite

It’s not so much the amount of the offering but the amount of sacrificial love with which it is given that counts to the Lord. In chapter 21 of the Gospel of Luke, Yeshua (Jesus) observed the rich putting their gifts into the Temple treasury.  He also witnessed a poor widow putting in two leptons, which are called mites in the King James translation of the Bible. In Yeshua’s day, a lepton (Greek for small or thin) was the smallest denomination of coins.  Like pennies today, they would hardly be considered worth the effort of stooping to pick one up off the street.

  A bronze lepton is estimated to have been worth about six minutes of a day’s wage.  The term lepton has survived in Greece to this very day, it is 1/100 denomination of the official currency.

Her two mites were not going to make an appreciable difference in the upkeep of the Temple, but Yeshua took special notice of this tiny offering and gave this widow a great honor. What might be considered an insignificant offering by some has been recorded and is still read about two thousand years later!  Yeshua actually valued this poor widow’s offering more than the generous offerings of the rich. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.  For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”  (Luke 21:3–4)

 Women praying at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem

 Offerings of Time and Talent

"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  (1 Corinthians 10:31) It wasn’t only financial offerings that the people gave to complete the work of building the Tabernacle.  They also gave of their gifts and talents. In some individuals, such as Betzalel (see last week's Parasha Ki Tisa), God placed His Spirit of wisdom and understanding for a specific artistic gifting to complete the building of the Mishkan. Likewise, God gives each one of us gifts to be used for His glory. Just as God gave explicitly detailed instructions for the building of the Tabernacle, and not just a general outline, we may also seek the Lord for specific instructions on what He wants us to do for Him.

 Young Jewish men read from the Torah scrolls at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.

 According to God’s Plan

 “And so Moses finished the work....  Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle [Mishkan].”  (Exodus 40:33–34) In the Pekudei section of this week’s Torah reading, the construction of the Sanctuary is completed.

That work was finished exactly as God had commanded Moses: “And so at last the Tabernacle was finished.  The Israelites had done everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.”  (Exodus 39:32) The Israelites did not veer away from the plans given to them by God to do their own thing.  They faithfully carried out His directions. Moses did only according to the heavenly pattern that was shown to him on the mountain.

 Model of the Tabernacle in Timna Park, Israel

 Likewise, we need to make sure that our works are what our Father is asking us to do, the way He is asking us to do it, and that we are not just doing our own thing. Hearing from God and receiving His Divine guidance comes out of a close, intimate relationship with Him—there is no other way.  And a relationship with God, like any other relationship, requires time and meaningful communication. Yeshua invested time in His relationship with the Father, and like Moses, did everything according to His Father’s will. “So Yeshua explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing.  Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.’”  (John 5:19) And He said, “I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me.”  (John 6:38) In the end, our works will be judged and the fire will test each work.  Only those done in accord with the will of the Father will endure and be rewarded.  (1 Corinthians 3:13–14)

 Preparing to read from the Torah scroll in a synagogue in Israel

 Receiving the Blessing

When the people completed the work, Moses blessed them. It’s as if Moses looked at all that had been accomplished and said to the people, “Well done, good and faithful servants.” “Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it.  And Moses blessed them.”  (Exodus 39:43)

Notice that the blessing didn’t come when they began the work, but when they completed it.

Beginnings are easy.  When we are fired up by enthusiasm and zeal, we can undertake almost anything, but it takes endurance to make it to the end. Completions are both difficult and rare.  Nevertheless, it’s when we complete the work that we receive the blessing.

 Orthodox Jewish men walking on a road next to the surrounding wall of the Old City of Jerusalem.

 Priorities and Procrastination

 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”  (Haggai 1:4) Incorrect priorities and procrastination in doing God’s work can result in spiritual stagnation. The Book of Ezra provides a powerful picture of this. In 538 BC, King Cyrus decreed that the Jews could return to their beloved city of Jerusalem and begin the work of rebuilding the Holy Temple, which the Babylonian armies had destroyed. All too soon, however, they forgot their purpose and lost sight of their priorities.  Opposition and apathy brought this important work to a standstill (Ezra 4:4–5). The people languished because they were more concerned with their own personal needs than with doing God’s will.

 A Jewish man wearing a tallit (prayer shawl) and tefillin (phylacteries) reads from a Torah scroll at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.

 Bringing Our Work to Completion

 “Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.  Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.”  (2 Corinthians 8:10–11) In the same way Moses completed building the Tabernacle, Solomon completed building the Temple, and the Jewish exiles of Babylon completed building the restored Temple, we must bring our work to completion. Completing our work doesn’t mean that all the loose ends have been tied up or that there is nothing left to do; it means that we have done what God specifically commissioned us to do.

 Israeli youth

 We know from this week’s Parasha that once the work is finished, not only does the blessing come, but also the glory—the glory of God that filled the Tabernacle when Moses finished building it!  In that same pattern, Yeshua declared how He had completed His work and brought glory to the Father: "I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.  And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began."  (John 17:4–5) In the end, after we bring our works to completion, may we receive the blessing and hear those words:  “Well done, good and faithful servant.” May we also be able to declare, like the apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  (2 Timothy 4:7)

 there is still so much work to be done.  We ask that you partner with us today to help us produce the Messianic Prophecy Bible. "If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit."  (Leviticus 26:3–4)

Let's proclaim Yeshua to Israel and the nations.