Nasso - Day #5

Nasso נָשֹׂא - Elevate!  

Torah Portion: Numbers 4:21-7:89

Numbers 7:1–41

7:1 On the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it with all its furniture, and the altar with all its vessels, and had anointed and sanctified them; 2 the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, offered. These were the princes of the tribes. These are they who were over those who were counted; 3 and they brought their offering before Hashem, six covered wagons and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox. They presented them before the tabernacle. 4 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 5 “Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing the service of the Tent of Meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.”

6 Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service. 8 He gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9 But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them; they carried it on their shoulders.

10 The princes gave offerings for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed. The princes gave their offerings before the altar.

11 Hashem said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.”

12 He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah, 13 and his offering was:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

14 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

15 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 16 one male goat for a sin offering;

17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

18 On the second day, Nethanel, the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, gave his offering. 19 He offered for his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

20 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

21 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 22 one male goat for a sin offering;

23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel, the son of Zuar.

24 On the third day, Eliab, the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, 25 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

26 One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

27 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 28 one male goat for a sin offering;

29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Eliab, the son of Helon.

30 On the fourth day, Elizur, the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, 31 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

32 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

33 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 34 one male goat for a sin offering;

35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Elizur, the son of Shedeur.

36 On the fifth day, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, 37 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

38 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

39 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 40 one male goat for a sin offering;

41 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

Today’s Meditation:

The Tabernacle is finished and anointed. The princes from each tribe come to bring their offerings, most of which go to the priests. It’s really about sharing what you have for the glory of Hashem. They took what they had and found a gift for Hashem, His tabernacle, and His priests. It may seem to us like it was an obligation, but really, they must have seen it as an honor. Remember, they were coming out of Egypt, idolatry, and slavery. They were meeting the one true Elohim for the first time. Some did not even know who He was. Now they were witnessing His power, glory, and majesty. They were probably eager to give gifts to support this.

Today’s Challenge:

How eager are you about giving gifts to Hashem and His people? Do you support Israel, the people, and the land? Maybe take some time to pray about how you can support Hashem’s people and the land. In doing so, you are honoring Hashem. Just make sure you do it with eagerness and joy. Check your motive. Maybe think about how the princes gave their gifts from their tribes. And how they were meeting Hashem, some for the very first time. They were learning how to worship, pray, and give. It must have changed their lives. Maybe if we do some joyful giving, it will change ours.

Shavuot Week - Day #5

Shavout Week - Day #5

Main Reading: Ruth 4:1-22

 

4:1 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. Behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by. Boaz said to him, “Come over here, friend, and sit down!” He came over and sat down. 2 Boaz took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here,” and they sat down. 3 He said to the near kinsman, “Naomi, who has come back out of the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s. 4 I thought I should tell you, saying, ‘Buy it before those who sit here, and before the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know. For there is no one to redeem it besides you, and I am after you.”

He said, “I will redeem it.”

5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy it also from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance.”

6 The near kinsman said, “I can’t redeem it for myself, lest I endanger my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption for yourself; for I can’t redeem it.”

7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man took off his sandal, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the way of formalizing transactions in Israel. 8 So the near kinsman said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” then he took off his sandal.

9 Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, “You are witnesses today, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses today.”

11 All the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May Hashem make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, who both built the house of Israel; and treat you worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Let your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the offspring which Hashem will give you by this young woman.”

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he went in to her, and Hashem enabled her to conceive, and she bore a son. 14 The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be Hashem, who has not left you today without a near kinsman. Let his name be famous in Israel. 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and sustain you in your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Naomi took the child, laid him in her bosom, and became nurse to him. 17 The women, her neighbors, gave him a name, saying, “A son is born to Naomi”. They named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 Now this is the history of the generations of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron, 19 and Hezron became the father of Ram, and Ram became the father of Amminadab, 20 and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon became the father of Salmon, 21 and Salmon became the father of Boaz, and Boaz became the father of Obed, 22 and Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David.

Today’s Meditation:

Such a beautiful story of Hashem’s love and redemption. Ruth is widowed, follows her mother-in-law, joins Israel, and gives birth to the grandfather of King David. It seems like Hashem truly rewarded her for her faithfulness to her mother-in-law and for her devotion to following the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

In Ruth’s journey, her dedication is rewarded with a new husband and a very special child. I believe in our times, Hashem wants to do the same. He is the same Elohim, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He desires us to follow and love Him, just as Ruth did. He wants us to be willing to give up everything to be His obedient people. Her story can become our story. It is full of blessings and rewards.

Bamidbar - Day #5

Bamidbar בְּמִדְבַּר - In the Wilderness  

Torah Portion: Numbers 1:1-4:20

Numbers 3:14–39

3:14 Hashem spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “Count the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families. You shall count every male from a month old and upward.”

16 Moses counted them according to Hashem’s word, as he was commanded.

17 These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.

19 The sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20 The sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi.

These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.

21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites. These are the families of the Gershonites.

22 Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, even those who were counted of them were seven thousand five hundred.

23 The families of the Gershonites shall encamp behind the tabernacle westward.

24 Eliasaph the son of Lael shall be the prince of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites. 25 The duty of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting, 26 the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court which is by the tabernacle and around the altar, and its cords for all of its service.

27 Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites. 28 According to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand six hundred keeping the requirements of the sanctuary.

29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel. 31 Their duty shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, the screen, and all its service. 32 Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, with the oversight of those who keep the requirements of the sanctuary.

33 Of Merari were the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites. These are the families of Merari. 34 Those who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, were six thousand two hundred.

35 The prince of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel, the son of Abihail. They shall encamp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 The appointed duty of the sons of Merari shall be the tabernacle’s boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its instruments, all its service, 37 the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords.

38 Those who encamp before the tabernacle eastward, in front of the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Moses, with Aaron and his sons, keeping the requirements of the sanctuary for the duty of the children of Israel. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death. 39 All who were counted of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron counted at the commandment of Hashem, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

Today’s Meditation:

We read today how the Levites and their families camped all around the Tabernacle. They surrounded the Tabernacle. It is so interesting how Hashem would determine this. Don’t you like to be surrounded by friends? Or have you ever physically gotten into the space of someone you love to protect them? It’s not like Hashem needed protection; what He did want was serious, committed, holy people to encompass His dwelling place. The rest of His people were neatly situated around the Levites. Hashem has order and meaning to everything He does. And so should we. 

Today’s Challenge:

How neatly ordered are the tribes situated in relation to the Tabernacle? Hashem has order and distinction to keep things going right. And in our lives, it should be the same. Is your life well-ordered and organized? Or is it chaotic? Do you live vicariously, or do you make deliberate plans? I know in my life, I like things to be in order. It feels safer and more peaceful. When my life is disorderly, it feels very stressful. It’s like when you bring a new baby home, and you don’t know what to expect. Your whole life may be turned upside down for a while until you set a schedule. It may feel pretty tiring and stressful until this happens, as it is in our everyday lives. We need order, purpose, and a schedule. Of course, we can be flexible, but always having a plan is essential. If you feel stressed, look at your life and see if you can organize it better. It will bring peace. And ask the Father for His help.

Behar/Bechukotai - Day #5

Behar/Bechukotai

Torah Portion: Leviticus 25:1-27:34

Leviticus 26:10-46

26:10 You shall eat old supplies long kept, and you shall move out the old because of the new. 11 I will set My tent among you, and My soul won’t abhor you. 12 I will walk among you, and will be your Elohim, and you will be My people. 13 I am Adonai your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you walk upright.

14 “‘But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these commandments, 15 and if you shall reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances, so that you will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away. You will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you will be struck before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.

18 “‘If you in spite of these things will not listen to Me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your sky like iron, and your soil like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent in vain; for your land won’t yield its increase, neither will the trees of the land yield their fruit.

21 “‘If you walk contrary to Me, and won’t listen to Me, then I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins. 22 I will send the wild animals among you, which will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number. Your roads will become desolate.

23 “‘If by these things you won’t be turned back to Me, but will walk contrary to Me, 24 then I will also walk contrary to you; and I will strike you, even I, seven times for your sins. 25 I will bring a sword upon you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be gathered together within your cities, and I will send the pestilence among you. You will be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight. You shall eat, and not be satisfied.

27 “‘If you in spite of this won’t listen to Me, but walk contrary to Me, 28 then I will walk contrary to you in wrath. I will also chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons, and you will eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and cast your dead bodies upon the bodies of your idols; and My soul will abhor you. 31 I will lay your cities waste, and will bring your sanctuaries to desolation. I will not take delight in the sweet fragrance of your offerings. 32 I will bring the land into desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it will be astonished at it. 33 I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you. Your land will be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste. 34 Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land. Even then, the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate, it shall have rest, even the rest which it didn’t have in your Sabbaths when you lived on it.

36 “‘As for those of you who are left, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf will put them to flight, and they shall flee, as one flees from the sword. They will fall when no one pursues. 37 They will stumble over one another, as it were, before the sword, when no one pursues. You will have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations. The land of your enemies will eat you up. 39 Those of you who are left will pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers they shall pine away with them.

40 “‘If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against Me; and also that because they walked contrary to Me, 41 I also walked contrary to them, and brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity, 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham; and I will remember the land. 43 The land also will be left by them, and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they will accept the punishment of their iniquity because they rejected My ordinances, and their soul abhorred My statutes. 44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break My covenant with them; for I am Hashem their Elohim. 45 But I will for their sake remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their Elohim. I am Hashem.’”

46 These are the statutes, ordinances, and laws, which Hashem made between Him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by Moses.

Today’s Meditation:

We read today all about the cost of not following Hashem and His commandments. And it is so sad and horrible. The worst is the scattering out of the Land. If we can’t be in the Land, we can’t go to the Temple or even have a Temple. The punishment for sinning against Hashem has always been severe. But He continues to be full of mercy and grace. Verses 40 and 41 give us the solution, the resolve. First, we must repent. Earnestly, confess to Hashem our sins and make restitution. Secondly, we must walk humbly before Him. In other words, put Hashem first in our lives. Revolve our lives around Him and His Scriptures, not expect Him to revolve Himself around what we choose. And lastly, we must accept our punishment. We learn when we are punished, and most likely we will be more careful not to sin again in fear of Hashem and His punishment. We know sin has consequences, and it is super hard to accept these. But, we must do so that we can return to Him, and return to the Land. We want to stay attached to the Covenant with Hashem. Let’s try to be careful from now on.

Today’s Challenge:

It’s about priorities. This week, I was miserable. We are in the middle of getting our house ready to sell, and, as most of you know, that is an incredible amount of work. I have been working hard and have been overwhelmed. What really happened was that I started worrying about a lot of things, which put a lot of stress on me. All my priorities were getting out of order. I put stuff before Elohim, instead of keeping Him in first place. Then, through talking with some prayer partners, I realized that I was not trusting Hashem. I have been trying to do everything in my own strength rather than relying on Him. It has been suffocating to live this way. Last night I made a decision. My life is Elohim’s, and whatever and however He wants to move in my life, it is time to surrender it all to Him. I want Him to be in my everyday life, showing me the way. I want to go back to trusting Him and following Him. I want to depend on Him to lead my way, and not try to do this all on my own. That is my challenge to you today: to turn everything over to Hashem. If you are struggling, ask Him for help and then wait on Him. Try to stop doing things on your own and trust in Him. Put Elohim back in the first spot in your life. Make Him number one. Then everything else will fall into line.

Emor - Day #5

Emor Say — אֱמוֹר  

Torah Portion: Leviticus 21:1–24:23

Leviticus 23:23–32

23:23 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, there shall be a solemn rest for you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no regular work. You shall offer an offering made by fire to Hashem.’”

26 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “However, on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement. It shall be a holy convocation to you. You shall afflict yourselves, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Hashem. 28 You shall do no kind of work on that same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Hashem your Adonai. 29 For whoever it is who shall not deny himself on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 30 Whoever does any kind of work on that same day, I will destroy that person from among his people. 31 You shall do no kind of work: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves. In the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall keep your Sabbath.”

Today’s Meditation: 

Today, we learn about celebration and honoring the “Feast of Trumpets” (Yom Teruah). On this day, we blow the shofar and have a holy convocation.  Some believe this is the day that the Mashiach will return. That we will look up and see Him coming in the clouds. Coming to earth to gather His people to Jerusalem, where He will rule and reign forever. Whatever happens that day, we know it will be divine and unlike anything else. If you don’t already pray for the Mashiach to come, maybe you could start praying. Our world is upside down. Right is wrong and wrong is correct. Only Hashem can straighten this out.

Today’s Challenge:

Once a year, we remember the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). In verse 27, we read, “You shall afflict yourselves.” We are to do this to remember the sins we have committed. Sin is far-reaching. It affects those around us and the world we live in. Here is a day when Hashem has set it aside so that we can pray, fast (afflict ourselves), and be forgiven. Isn’t it amazing that we serve an Elohim that is so full of grace and mercy, and that He forgives us for our disobedience? When there is a Temple, there is a procedure for forgiving the Nation. For right now, we go to Him, and for ten days preceding this Feast, we ask Him and others to forgive us. It purifies us and helps to repair the world. This Yom Kippur, I challenge you to plan for. Study it through Scripture and find out what you are to do. Think about it in advance. And start reaching out to the people you need to restore relationships with. Maybe if we all did this and prayed for His return, He would come sooner than later.