DOUBLE PORTION: Pekudei and Vayikra (23 & 24)!

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Todays Parsha #23: Pekudei (These are the expenses)
PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS
ANSWERS TO LAST WEEKS STUDY QUESTIONS (Vayakhel):
1) Why is the specific commandment about the Shabbat given again in Exodus 35 when
it has already been given three times previously to this same group of people? (This is
in contrast with Deuteronomys passages on the same matter, which are given to the
next generation after the Exodus.)
The reason was this was in the wake of the Golden Calf debacle, and for those
who survived the initial wrath of Abba YHWH, their loyalties were still in
question. Abba YHWH said He wanted to kill them all, but Moshe interceded
which minimized those deaths. That fact, in turn, means that just because a
person survived, didnt mean they were totally innocent. But if those survivors
were going to make it through the next 40 years, they had to prove their worth,
and so Abba YHWH reminds them of the Shabbat again, as He will remind
them of other regulations for them to obey, to see if they will actually try to keep
His covenant.
2) How are details in the construction of the Ark of the Covenant directly related to the
name of its craftsman, Betzalel?
One important detail is that the Ark of the Covenant and its poles are made of
acacia wood on the inside (Exodus 25, 37 and Deuteronomy 10). This material is
also used throughout the Tabernacle. In its natural state, acacia wood grows
shaped like a kind of gnarled umbrella. Betzalels name literally means in the
shadow of El and the wood used to build the Ark also creates a shadow from El
in its natural state!
3) How is another design aspect of the Ark of the Covenant repeated during an
important Gospel event?
6

He made a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a
half cubits wide. 7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered
work at the two ends of the mercy seat; 8 one cherub at the one end and one
cherub at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat
at the two ends. 9 The cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the
mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the
cherubim were toward the mercy seat. (Exodus 37:6-9 NAU)

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(Joh 20:11) But Maryam was standing at the tomb and weeping, and while she
wept she peeked in the grave. (Joh 20:12) And she saw two Messengers clothed
in white who were sitting, one at his pillow and one at the foot of the bed, where
the body of Y'shua had lain. (Joh 20:13) And they said to her, "Woman, why do
you weep?" She said to them, "Because they have taken my Master and I do not
know where they have laid him." (Joh 20:14) She said this and she turned her
head around and saw Y'shua standing behind her. And she did not know that it
was Y'shua.
So these men/angels are laying at the head and foot of Yshuas burial bench.
The bench and the angels are mimicking the mercy seat as through the EMPTY
bench, the resurrection shows the ultimate mercy being dispended from Abba
YHWH to the human race, if they will embrace both Torah and Messiah Yshua.
4) Why would Solomon contract work for building the Temple out to a pagan king?
Because Hiram actually has Israelitish blood, descended partly from Napthali.
There is no evidence of him bowing down to idols. In fact, the text suggests the
opposite
21

When Hiram heard what Solomon had said, he was delighted. 'Now blessed be
Yahweh,' he said, 'who has given David a wise son to rule over this great people!
(1 Kings 5:21 NJB)
13

King Solomon sent for Hiram of Tyre; 14 he was the son of a widow of the tribe
of Naphtali, but his father had been a Tyrian, a bronze worker. He was a highly
intelligent craftsman, skilled in all types of bronze work. He came to King
Solomon and did all this work for him. (1 Kings 7:13-14 NJB)
So this is a brother in the faith and almost a brother by blood. There could
hardly have been a better nearby partner for Solomon to work with for building
YHWHs Temple!
5) What does Hirams choice of worker that he sends to Solomon tell us about his
contacts that is surprising?
One would expect that Solomon, not Hiram, would have access to the best of
Danite craftsmen. Instead, Hiram apparently has closer ties with the Danites
and the crafsman comes to Solomon via Hirams orders.
12

I am now sending you a skilled and intelligent man, Huram-Abi 13 the son of a
Danite woman by a Tyrian father. He knows the arts of working in gold, silver,
bronze, iron, stone, wood, scarlet, violet, fine linen and crimson materials, and is
competent to carry out any kind of engraving and to execute any design which
may be entrusted to him, in collaboration with your skilled men and those of my
lord David, your father. (2 Chronicles 2:12-13 NJB)
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AND NOW FOR THIS WEEKS PORTION

1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:
Pekudei means these are the records/expenses and the portion opens with giving
the pricing values for the materials that will be used in the Tabernacle. Many exacting
physical (and spiritual) details are given for all the wondrous objects and the
Tabernacle. But after all these long lists (from this portion and the previous ones) we
finally get to the payoff in lovely chapter 40. It is in chapter 40the last of
Exodusthat time literally begins again as the priests begin their official service for
Israel.

Eleh fekudey haMishkan Mishkan ha'edut asher pukad al-pi Moshe

avodat haLevi'im beyad Itamar ben-Aharon hakohen.
2) Read Parsha (English-Exodus 38:21-40:38). Play by Play commentary where
appropriate.
3) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:
ELEH FEKUDEY HA-MISHKAN MISHKAN HA-EDUT ASHER PUKAD AL-PI
MOSHE AVODAT HA-LEVIIM BE-YAD ITAMAR BEN-AHARON HA-KOHEN
(38:21) = These are the accounting numbers of the Tabernaclethe Tabernacle of the
Testimonywhich were calculated by the order of Moshe by the Levites under
Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. Two things: First, the term PEKUDEY would
be equivalent today to the modern idea of expense accounts, the record of materials
and their cash value that are involved. Second, it is very significant in a mystical
sense that we have HA MISHKAN MISHKAN, the doubling of the word for
tabernacle. That doubling side by side is an amplifier in Hebrew, and hints at two
Mishkanot, an earthly one and a heavenly one that gave the pattern to it!
KOL HA-ZAHAV HE-ASUY LA-MELECHAH BE-CHOL MELECHET HAKODESH VAYEHI ZEHAV HA-TNUFAH TESHA VEESRIM KIKAR USHEVA
MEOT USHLOSHIM SHEKEL BE-SHEKEL HA-KODESH (38:24) = All the gold
was used in the work to complete the sacred task. The amount of gold donated as a
wave offering was 29 talents and 730 shekels by the sanctuary standard. A talent
equals 3000 shekels, so this is a total of 87,730 shekels, or 4386.5 pounds of gold.
BEKA LA-GULGOLET MACAHTSIT HA-SHEKEL BE-SHEKEL HA-KODESH
LE-CHOL HA-OVER AL-HA-PKUDIM MIBEN ESRIM SHANAH (38:26) =
which was a half shekel by sanctuary standards, for each of the 603,550 men over 20
years old included in the census. So many modern scholars assume the text uses
arbitrary or inflated figures, but they ignore stuff like this. Here we see exactly how
many half shekels were collected which corresponds to exactly the right number of
men 20 years and older!

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Another reason why this detail matters has to with certain assumptions by modern
scholars. One of my very favorite Egyptologists is a man named Sir William Flinders
Petrie. In my mind, hes a rock star who discovered more things relating to the
historical Exodus than a bunch of others put together.
Flinders Petrie, and later his assistant Ms. Lena Eckenstein, did foundational work
digging in the Sinai Peninsulawork that recently helped me pinpoint the location of
Mount Sinai itself.
In any case heres my point: In his 1906 book Researches in the Sinai, Flinders Petrie
suggests that the 2 million population figure is neither literal nor mythological, but
that the numbers needed to be understood in a different way. He suggested that if a
number were given that was say 35,223 from the tribe of Asher, that the way to break
the number down was to say there were 35 families that were spread about in 223
tents. When the revised accounting was completed, Flinders Petrie concluded that the
real number of Israelites freed was between 5,000-6,000 people. He claimed this
solved a whole bunch of logistical problems and made the Torah text more
historically credible.
Of course, this only created new problems, such as the double accounting given in
the above Scripture that X shekels equaled Y people which matched the previous
total! It also doesnt explain why Pharaoh would be so scared of only 5,000 Israelites
being more numerous than a half a million Egyptians that were around at that time or
why he needed to send out 600 chariots against such a small force and so on.
So by trying to address one problem, even the best of the good guys only end up
creating more problems than they had in the first place!
VAYAAS ET-HA-EFOD ZAHAV TECHELET VE-ARGAMAN VE-TOLAAT
SHANI VE-SHESH MOSHEZAR (39:2) = He made the ephod out of gold [thread],
sky-blue, dark red and crimson wool, and twined linen. As we saw last week, it is HE
MADE and not IT WAS MADE. This means either Moshe or Betzalel once again did
this work personally.
KFELOT ASU LO CHOVEROT AL-SHNEY KETSOTAV CHUBAR (39:4) = they
made shoulder pieces for it sewn to its two corners. Philo has fascinating commentary
about how these items relate to the Universe:
133

The high priest, then, being equipped in this way, is properly prepared for the
performance of all sacred ceremonies, that, whenever he enters the temple to offer
up the prayers and sacrifices in use among his nation, all the world may likewise
enter in with him, by means of the imitations of it which he bears about him, the
garment reaching to his feet, being the imitation of the air, the pomegranate of the
water, the flowery hem of the earth, and the scarlet dye of his robe being the
emblem of fire; also, the mantle over his shoulders being a representation of
heaven itself; the two hemispheres being further indicated by the round emeralds
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on the shoulder-blades, on each of which were engraved six characters equivalent

to six signs of the zodiac; the twelve stones arranged on the breast in four rows of
three stones each, namely the logeum, being also an emblem of that reason which
holds together and regulates the universe. (On Moses, 2:133)
And in a very interesting twist Philo, who was actively writing during Yshuas ministry,
seems to have anticipated themes in the yet to be written Renewed Covenant writings
about Messiah:
134

For it was indispensable that the man who was consecrated to the Father of the
world, should have as a paraclete [Greek word for advocate, sometimes used to
point to the Ruach haKodeshAGR1], his son, the being most perfect in all virtue,
to procure forgiveness of sins, and a supply of unlimited blessings; 135 perhaps,
also, he is thus giving a previous warning to the servant of God, even if he is
unable to make himself worthy of the Creator, of the world, at least to labor
incessantly to make himself worthy of the world itself; the image of which he is
clothed in, in a manner that binds him from the time that he puts it on, to bear about
the pattern of it in his mind, so that he shall be in a manner changed from the nature
of a man into the nature of the world, and, if one may say so (and one may by all
means and at all times speak the plain truth in sincerity), become a little world
himself. (On Moses, 2:134-135)
RAVUA HAYAH KAFUL ASU ET-HA-CHOSHEN ZERET ORKO VE-ZERET
ROCHBO KAFUL (39:9) = The breastplate was made to be a square when folded over. It
was a span long, and when folded over, a span wide. This is yet another detail that was
not included in the earlier reference to the same item, Exodus 28:16. The breastplate was
folded over WIDTH-wise not length-wise!
VAYAAS ET-MEIL HA-EFOD MAASEH OREG KELIL TECHELET (39:22) = He
made the robe for the ephod, weaving it completely out of sky-blue, which is a detail not
mentioned in Exodus 28:31. Thats another extra detail!
VAYAASU AL-SHULEY HAMEIL RIMONEY TECHELET VEARGAMAN VETOLAAT SHANI MOSHEZAR (39:24) = On the skirt of the robe, they made
pomegranates out of twined sky-blue, dark red and crimson wool. Anyone care for
another extra detail not given before? See Exodus 28:33!
VA-TECHEL KOL-AVODAT MISHKAN OHEL MOED VAYAASU BENEY
YISRAEL KECHOL ASHER TSIVAH YAHWEH ET-MOSHE KEN ASU (39:32) =
All the work on the Communion Tent Tabernacle was thus completed. The Israelites did
exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses. I love the rabbinic tradition on this point!
1

However, in Aramaic this same word appears to be derived from two separate words that collectively
mean he who ends the curse. As a result, if this somehow got loaned out to the Greek, Philo may be
expressing the original usage where paraclete refers to the Son of Yah/Messiah and not to the Ruach ha
Kodesh who comes after the Son goes away. Philo here is clearly linking the one who ends the curse with
the son of the Creator.

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They say, through careful studying of the clues in the text that the Tabernacle pieces were
all finished on 25 Kislevthe future Hanukkah. Of course, we also know from Exodus
40:2 that the Tabernacle itself is not built with all these pieces in the proper places until 1
Abib the next year, or Friday, March 28th, 1446 BCE.
KECHOL ASHER TSIVAH YAHWEH ET-MOSHE KEN ASU BENEY YISRAEL ET
KOL HA-AVODAH (39:42) = The Israelites had done all the work exactly in the manner
that Yahweh had commanded Moses. From which point it naturally follows that what the
Israelites had produced was IDENTICAL to the pattern that Moshe saw on the mountain
and therefore, a mirror image of what was in the mind of Father YHWH and present in
the heavenly Tabernacle.
Special Note on Exodus 40:1-2:
Moshe is erecting the Tabernacle on Friday morning, March 28th, 1 Abib, 1446 BCE.
Because Abba YHWH is commanding a total of 8 days continuous service (Leviticus 89), including this Friday morning and afternoon (Exodus 40:13-15), the 8 day ordination
of Aarons sons as priests will begins this day and will fill out that whole week until the
next Shabbat as follows:
Day 1morning of Abib 1 (Friday)
Day 2morning of Abib 2 (Shabbat)
Day 3morning of Abib 3 (Sunday)
Day 4morning of Abib 4 (Monday)
Day 5morning of Abib 5 (Tuesday)
Day 6morning of Abib 6 (Wednesday)
Day 7morning of Abib 7 (Thursday)
Day 8morning of Abib 8 (Friday)
Friday night the priests are ready to serve as they will throughout the ages to come.
However, Shabbat morning, Nadab and Abihu offer the unauthorized fire and die on 9
Abib. Sunset that day is the start of 10 Abib, the day the Israelites originally set aside the
Pesach lamb for slaughter. Also it may be Nadab and Avihu were not supposed to offer a
particular kind of fire on the Shabbat, and therefore it counted as work and were killed
for that reason.
This is also the best documented time in the Torah. The events of Abib 1 through 12 are
recorded, in part or in total, in Exodus 40, Leviticus 1-10 and Numbers 1-9!
VE-LAKACHTA ET-SHEMEN HA-MISHCHAH U-MASHACHTA ET-HAMISHKAN VEET-KOL ASHER BO VE-KIDASHITA OTO VEET KOL KELAV
VE-HAYAH KODESH (40:9) = Take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and
everything in it. You will thus sanctify it and all its equipment making it Set-Apart. This
is a key detail because without this anointing process for all the items here as well as for
the sons of Aaron themselves, no priestly service would be permitted by Abba YHWH.
This timing is not just almost a year since the Exodusits the precise timing from the
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Exodus itself in SOLAR terms that Abba YHWH acts as High Priest that first year, from
the first day of spring in 1447 BCE to the first day of spring in 1446 BCE, at which point,
the very next Shabbat, is 1 Abib. Similarly, many of Yshuas miracles coincide with
these same alignments of the solar year.
VA-YITEN ET-HA-SHULCHAN BE-OHEL MOED AL-YERECH HA-MISHKAN
TSAFONAH MICHUTS LA-PAROCHET (40:22) = He placed the table in the
Communion Tent, outside the cloth partition, on the north side of the Tabernacle. So we
see here that the Communion Tent, a.k.a. Tent of Meeting (OHEL MOED), is just outside
the Kadosh Kadoshim, the last outer area before we get to the inner sanctum of the Ark of
the Covenant.
Note on 40:30-31: Notice here that no distinction is being made between what Moshe is
doing and what Aaron and his sons are doing. As a result, Rashi and other leading
authorities have concluded that Moshe was functioning as a priest along with the others
and not as a Levite with lower status. I concur, but only wish to add that Moshe in other
respects has powers/access to Father Yah that no one else, including high priest Aaron,
especially when it comes to knowing Father Yah face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10)!
VE-LO YACHOL MOSHE LAVO ET-OHEL MOED KI-SHACHAN ALAV HEANAN UCHEVOD YAHWEH MALE ET-HA-MISHKAN (40:35) = Moshe could not
come into the Tent of Meeting since the cloud had rested on it and the glory of Yahweh
filled the Tabernacle. This seems to be a good metaphor for our own faith walk today
since Father YHWH is said to tabernacle in our hearts and be with us. As a result,
when He dwells inside us fully, its just like Moshe in this situation, there is no room for
the human-carnal self to dwell beside Him! The more we get our sinful selves out of the
way, the more we can make room for Father Yah.
Near is He who declares Me right. Who would contend with Me? Let us stand
together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me. See, the Master
helps Me. Who would declare Me wrong? See, all of them wear out like a
garment, a moth eats them. Who among you is fearing , obeying the voice
of His Servant, that has walked in darkness and has no light? Let him trust
in the Name of and lean upon his Elohim! See, all you who light a fire,
girding on burning arrows: walk in the light of your fire and in the burning arrows
you have lit. From My hand you shall have this: you shall lie down in grief!
(Isaiah 50:8-11, The Scriptures 1998)
(Joh 17:21) That all of them may be One; as You my Father are in me and I
in You, that they also may be One in Us, that the world may believe that You
have sent me. (Joh 17:22) And the glory that You have given to me I have given
to them that they may be One as we are One. (Joh 17:23) I in them and You in
me, that they may be perfected into One and that the world may know that You
have sent me, and that You have loved them as also You have loved me. (Joh
17:24) Father, those whom You have given to me, I desire that where I am
they might also be with me that they might see my glory that You have given to
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me because You have loved me from before the foundations of the world.
(AENT)
Torah Question of the Week:
How do we understand the notion of the sons of Aaron as perpetual priests in
light of the language of Hebrews 7-9, that the old ways were disappearing?
END PART 1

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PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
How do we understand the notion of the sons of Aaron as perpetual priests in
light of the language of Hebrews 7-9, that the old ways were disappearing?
Because the need for a mediator is eternal. In the beginning, individuals were their
own priests doing sacrifices to mediate with YHWH. Then we had Melchizedek as
the first priestly line in Genesis followed by the sons of Aaron in Exodus.
Prophetically speaking, these two priestly lineages are meant to toggle for power. In
the end, through Yshua, the Malki-Tzedek line is reinstated but the sons of Aaron
get to do sacrifices in the New Temple as a remembrance. Hence, the role of the
Levites never goes away.
1) Haftorah portion (English- 1 Kings 7:51-8:21) and discuss common themes with
the Torah portion.

Vatishlom kol-hamelachah asher asah hamelech Shlomoh beyt

Yahweh vayave Shlomoh et-kodshey David aviv et-hakesef ve'ethazahav ve'et-hakelim natan be'otserot beyt Yahweh.
2) Our linguistic commentary starts in 1 Kings 8:1.
Recently we spoke of the meaning of Sinai (thorny) and how it related to so many
things in the Israelite journey as well as in our Mashiyachs life. But there is another
name for this mountain mentioned here that we should look at.
Horeb actually means waste, another description of the harshness of its area but
perhaps also a foreshadowing of the waste that happens there when, after Moshe
comes down from the mount, the Israelites are worshipping the golden calf!
Last week we saw one interesting phrase for innermost (penimi, from panim, face),
now we have another very sweet play on words. 1 Kings 8:6 uses the phrase al devri
ha baytliterally place of words or place of speaking! How appropriate!
The question of course is, is it a place of words, in the sense of the tablets of the Ten
Words being housed in the Ark and the Ark is brought there? Or is it a place of
speaking because in that place the high priest can hear Abba YHWH speak to him on
the one day a year he is allowed in? Or is it both?
3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English) Acts 1:1-14, read straight through with all
relevant footnotes.
4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic:

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Knyshim = assembled= Knesset = synagogue. They were assembling

according to Jewish practice.
Sholtana, rendered here as authority can also refer to power. This word
would become sultan in Arabic.
Notice the order of places they will witness to. First in Jerusalem, then all of
Yehuda, then Samaria and then the ends of the earth. The Word is literally
going forth from Zion!
Since Galilee is from the word galil, meaning revelation it is interesting
how in 1:9 these Galilean men get a revelation from their Galilean Master and
then have their eyes HIDDEN after Yshua goes into a cloud. In Hebrew
cloud is Shekinah, the Presence of Abba YHWH. Furthermore the cloud
receives him, with the word for receive QABELTEH, from where we get
KABALLAHfor the Shekinah to take him to.

Acts 1:2
Shlichim "sent ones" or "emissaries" sent to proclaim the Kingdom of Elohim
and represent the Name of YHWH and His Mashiyach.
Acts 1:3
Yshua began appearing the 3rd day after his death and then forty days thereafter.
Therefore, a total of only seven days remains from Mashiyach's ascension, until
the Feast of Shavuot.
Acts 1:7
Here the Aramaic naphshah is rendered as "Person." Naphshah is usually
rendered as "soul/self" when relating to humans. The Hebrew cognate, nefesh,
also specifically refers to the life-force in humans and animals (Gen_2:7). When
referring to YHWH, however, the majority use in Aramaic is the word parsopa,
which is more accurately linked to the divine presence or Shekhinah. The
possibility here of referring to "YHWH's soul" as this verse implies, is
nonetheless very intriguing.
Acts 1:12
Greek reads "Sabbaton echo hodos," or "a Sabbath day's journey" rather than
"seven furlongs." Yoseph ben Matthias, a.k.a., Josephus (The Jewish War, 5.2.3)
also notes the distance between Mt. Olives and Yerushalayim, indicating the
disciples lived very close to the Temple in this manner: "These (Roman) legions
had orders to encamp at the distance of six furlongs from Jerusalem, at the mount
called the Mount of Olives which lies over against the city on the east side, and is
parted from it by a deep valley, interposed between them, which is named
Cedron." Greek readers would not likely equate seven furlongs to the maximum
distance of travel permitted on Shabbat, see Exo_16:29. The Shabbat day's
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journey, t'chum, points to how time is to be invested on Shabbat, in local

participation rather than travel. Six days we go, but on Shabbat we stay and rest
in YHWH, along with those He has gathered. We welcome the Ruach haKodesh
as a Chavurah (close knit people), a Mishpocah (family), a Kedoshim (set-apart
people) who take joy together with the Spirit of YHWH and His Mashiyach. The
Shabbat is a forever remembrance. The "Shabbat day's journey" was beautifully
recorded here in Greek for non-Jewish followers of Mashiyach. Throughout the
Book of Acts, we read of multitudes of non-Jewish followers of Y'shua
worshipping on Shabbat with Jewish followers, and this continued for nearly 400
years, although on a much smaller scale. In the latter part of the First Century, the
Hellenized Christian church began to take root and replace with Sunday worship
the Shabbat that Y'shua and the Shlichim clearly observed. Early in the Second
Century, all-Gentile churches with Gentile motif were being established, thus
making the "Sabbath day's journey" irrelevant among a majority of Christians.

5) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (Every time I see
mention of the half shekel tax I am reminded at how rich and poor must pay the
same amount not because Abba YHWH necessarily loves a flat tax but because
no one should think their soul being ransomed is either less or more important
than anyone elses . This is a good lesson to keep in mind in our modern world
which increasingly wants to separate us from our common worth and into other
categories that put one person over another. It was wrong for Pharaoh to enslave
us; it is even worse for us to re-enslave ourselves through excessive timidity about
our ultimate worthiness to Abba YHWH and to each other.)
(Pekudei) Torah Thought for the Week:
What Happened to the Ark of the Covenant? Part 1
And the temple of Elohim in heaven was opened; and the Ark of His Covenant
was seen in His temple: and there were flashes of lightning and thunders, and
voices and an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19-AENT)
The First Step
It is the most sacred object ever mentioned in Scripture. In nearly 200 references, it is
said to be able to level mountains, destroy vast armies and kill anyone who gets in its
way. And then, almost without a whisper of a clue in Scripture, it suddenly disappears.
For many of us, this is not merely the fodder for a summer blockbuster born in the mind
of Hollywood. This is a real life quest to track down and unravel perhaps the greatest
mystery in the entire Tanakh. But it is Tanakh that will also tell us when it must have left
and, most importantly, WHY.
This mystery has been the obsession of Jews, Christians and Hebrew Roots believers for
centuries now. One of the more recent claims came from the late Ron Wyatt, who wrote a

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very compelling account of seeing the Arks ante-chamber under Jerusalem, but being
told, You cannot continue. He never found it. Josephus says
Moreover, did not Israel groan under the ravage the Assyrians made, when they
carried away our sacred ark, as did their idol Dagon, and as also did that entire nation
of those that carried it away, how they were smitten with a loathsome distemper in the
secret parts of their bodies, when their very bowels came down together, with what
they had eaten, till those hands that stole it away were obliged to bring it back again,
and that with the sound of cymbals and timbrels, and other oblations, in order to
appease the anger of God for their violation of his holy ark. (The Jewish War, 5:384385)
Now this gets interesting of course because the Assyrians were famous for two major
campaigns. First, the Assyrians took the entire Northern Kingdom into Captivity in 722
BCE, but they did NOT attack or invade the Southern Kingdom of Judah or Jerusalem.
But in 700 BCE, the Assyrians turned their attention to King Hezekiah, and this would be
the only chance to get the Ark if in fact they did.
But the problem is Scripture tells us this Assyrian campaign ended rather badly for them:
By the road by which he came, by that he will return; he will not enter this city,
declares Yahweh. I shall protect this city and save it for my sake and my servant
David's sake. That same night the angel of Yahweh went out and struck down
185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. In the early morning when it was time to get up,
there they lay, so many corpses. Sennacherib struck camp and left; he returned home
and stayed in Nineveh. One day when he was worshipping in the temple of his god
Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and
escaped into the territory of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon succeeded him. (2 Kings
19:35-37 NJB)
So, unless Josephus is somehow combining the Philistines and the Assyrians into the
same people, this idea makes little sense. But of course, when Hollywood gets involved,
it makes even less sense!
Raiders of the Lost Truth
The scene is iconic. Dr. Indiana Jones and Dr. Marcus Brody are in conference with men
from Army intelligence. They talk of how the Nazis were obsessed with finding the
Arkand this has a ring of truth as Hitler was looking for these kind of objectslike his
search for the Spear of Destiny. And now Indys colleague Dr. Abner Ravenwood has
disappeared. Then the adventure begins!
But directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, along with screen writer Lawrence
Kasdan, needed a credible story to explain where the Ark was. At the time, one theory
that was floating around was about this guy: Shishak, Pharaoh of Egypt (926 BCE)

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And so it happened that in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of
Egypt advanced on Jerusalem and carried off all the treasures of the Temple of
Yahweh and the treasures of the royal palace; he took everything away, including
all the golden shields which Solomon had made. (1 Kings 14:25-26 NJB)
1 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 12 both suggest that Shishak advanced on Jerusalem and
carried off the treasures, which may mean to some he actually invaded. Shishaks
account of his campaign mentions many places in the right area, including the Northern
Kingdom of Israel. However, Jerusalem is not listed as a conquest. Therefore, for the
Scripture to be correct, Shishak may have advanced on Jerusalem and carried off
treasure, but he didnt sack or destroy the city. The only logical choice: The treasure was
given to him by Rehoboam and in return Shishak left them alone.
So if Rehoboam and/or his priests are choosing the treasure to give, there is no way they
are choosing the Ark. And so there is no taking of the Ark to Tanis, Shishaks capital and
no sandstorm wiping it out, wiped clean by the wrath of God, as Marcus Brody says in
the film. But Tanakh does tell us when the Ark was still in Israel.
Babylon and on
Another popular theory is that the Babylonians took the Ark and melted it down.
However this is impossible on multiple levels. Doesnt the Ark kill anyone other than
priests who approach it? Didnt the Ark inflict plagues on the Philistines forcing them to
return it? How then could Babylon do it?
The Ark was carried by priests into the Jordan, where the waters instantly parted (Joshua
3). The Ark was carried around Jericho each day, and after a great shout was raised on
the 7th day, the walls fell flat. (Joshua 6). Even Israels enemies were terrified of it (1
Samuel 4). The Philistines may have taken the Ark, but they certainly never attempted to
destroy it. Therefore, neither could Babylon destroy it. And beyond this, there are
detailed lists of the treasures the Babylonians took and later returnedthe Ark is not on
either one! How could it possibly be forgotten?
When Did it Go?
The problem with all the other theories I have looked at is that they all seem to pay little
attention to what Scripture says about WHEN the Ark was there and WHEN it had to be
gone. To begin with, we should look for clear references to rituals and prayers that were
given when the Ark was clearly present
So the troops sent to Shiloh and brought away the ark of Yahweh Sabaoth
enthroned on the winged creatures the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
came with the ark.
(1 Samuel 4:4 NJB)

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The ark of God, who bears the title 'Yahweh Sabaoth, enthroned on the winged
creatures'. (2 Samuel 6:2 NJB)
David and all Israel then went up to Baalah, to Kiriath-Jearim in Judah, from there
to bring up the ark of God, which bears the title 'Yahweh enthroned on the
winged creatures'.
(1 Chronicles 13:6 NJB)
Yahweh is king, the peoples tremble; he is enthroned on the winged creatures,
the earth shivers. (Psalm 99:1 NJB)
This reference to Yahweh enthroned between the winged creatures or cherubim, is a
direct reference to the mercy seat of the Ark which has two cherubim facing each other
with outstretched wings that nearly touch. There is one reference to this phrase in a
general prayer in Daniel 3:25 that is talking about the heavens but every other time it
seems to be in close proximity to the Ark. In any case, Daniels time is well past any
possible period that the Ark could have still been in Jerusalem. And there is one other
time when a certain king says this key phrase in the right place and time for the Ark to be
there
Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers' hands and read it; he then went up to
the Temple of Yahweh and spread it out before Yahweh. Hezekiah said this prayer
in the presence of Yahweh, 'Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, enthroned on the
winged creatures, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the world, you made
heaven and earth. Give ear, Yahweh, and listen; open your eyes, Yahweh, and see!
Hear the words of Sennacherib, who has sent to insult the living God. (Isaiah 37:1417 NJB)
Yahweh though specifically said His presence was in the Most Holy Place, with the
Ark
Yahweh said to [Solomon], 'I have heard your prayer and the entreaty which you
have before me. I consecrate this temple which you have built: I place my name
there forever; my eyes and my heart will be there always. (1 Kings 9:3 NJB)
And the heart of the Temple, its most Set-Apart place, is where the Ark was placed. So
when Hezekiah prays about Yahweh being enthroned between the winged creatures, in
His presence, that means the Ark was still in Israel in the year 700 BCE. But just 82
years later, it is beyond clear that the Ark is gone by the time of King Josiah. The last
time the Ark is mentioned it is clear it is gone
Josiah then celebrated a Passover to Yahweh in JerusalemThen he said to the
Levites, who had understanding for all Israel and were consecrated to Yahweh, 'Put
the sacred ark in the Temple built by Solomon son of David, king of Israel. (2
Chronicles 35:1,3 NJB)

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Thats where the misdirection begins! Obviously Josiah believes the Ark is still there,
but it is NOT in its rightful place. Josiah assumes the Levites know where it is, and he
orders it brought up from some hiding place now that Israel is doing Torah again.
This suggests that the Levites hid the Ark when it wasnt so safe before. Why would
Josiah though assume these facts? Unless of course the Levites were hiding
something. Then the rest of the chapter goes through emotional extremes. First, the
joy of the Feast, and then it ends with Josiahs death. And in all that activity, one
thing is ignored: The Levites never comply and return the Ark!
Then, right after Josiah dies, the Ark simply disappears from Tanakh. It will only be
mentioned figuratively or in a future sense in Hebrews and Revelation. We need to be
diligent and see why the Scripture abandons the Ark when it does. It was there in 700
BCE and now it is gone in 618 BCE!
Now that we have the window of time, lets ask the next obvious question: What
happened in those 82 years that might explain the disappearance during that time? After
Hezekiah, when the Ark was clearly still there, only two kings ruled after him during this
window: Mannasseh and Amon. But, Amon only reigned for 2 years (2 Kings 21:19). But
Amons father Manasseh reigned for 55 years and was perhaps the worst king of them
all
Manasseh shed innocent blood, too, in such great quantity that he flooded
Jerusalem from one end to the other. (2 Kings 21:16 NJB)
But there was one sin, above all others, that explains why the Ark had to leave Judah
[Manasseh] rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had demolished, he
set up altars to Baal and made sacred poles, he worshipped the whole array of
heaven and served it. He built altars in the Temple of Yahweh, of which
Yahweh had said, 'My name will be in Jerusalem for ever.' He built altars to
the whole array of heaven in the two courts of the Temple of Yahweh. He
caused his sons to pass through the fire of sacrifice in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom.
He practiced soothsaying, divination and sorcery, and had dealings with mediums
and He did very many more things displeasing to Yahweh, thus provoking his
anger. He put a sculpted image, an idol which he had had made, inside the
Temple of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, 'In this Temple
and in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I shall
put my name for ever. (2 Chronicles 33:3-7 NJB)
So now imagine you are this wicked king, and you want to show the total victory of your
idols over Abba Yahweh. Where is the ONE place in the Temple you would put that idol
to really send that message loud and clear? Well, how about this as a
suggestionRIGHT HERE!
What better way to show Yahweh is dead or non-existent than to stick it in His eye
right there in the Holy of Holies? Now imagine youre one of the few priests still loyal to
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Yahweh, what are YOU going to think will happen? The Ark inflicted plagues on the
Philistines. The Ark changed the flow of the Jordan River. The Ark clearly had some
role in causing the walls of Jericho to fall and, since it was there when Assyria invaded, it
could have easily wiped out 185,000 of them too! The Ark is the most fearsome weapon
on the earth, and it can kill priests. Whats it going to do then if an idol is placed next to it
in its FINAL resting place that Abba Yahweh intended for it all along? I know one thing,
if Im a priest in that situation, I dont want to hang around to find out. And yet the whole
country is corrupt. Who can be trusted to hide it?
If Im those priests, I cant trust anyone and yet I dont want the earth splitting in two
when this thing happens to the Ark. In desperate times, there is only one answer, one way
to stand between Israel and possible annihilation: Get the Ark out and get it out
NOW before Manasseh does this!
But as for where it may be NOWthats answered in the Vayikra parsha, coming
up next!
CHAZAK, CHAZAK VE-NIT-CHAZAK! (Strong, strong and may we be strengthened!)

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Scroll to Scroll:
Todays Parsha #24: Vayikra (And he called)
PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS
BECAUSE THIS IS A DOUBLE PORTION, THERE ARE NO STUDY
QUESTIONS FROM PEKUDEI!
4) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:
Vayikra means and he called and seems focused on the details about the various
offerings and sacrifices that are needed for and by the priests of Aaron. I say seems
focused because there are a lot of deep spiritual realities laying beneath the surface
when we delve into the meanings of these rituals.
5) Read Parsha (English-Leviticus 1:1-5:26). Play by Play commentary where
appropriate.

Vayikra el-Moshe vayedaber Yahweh elav me'Ohel Mo'ed lemor

Daber el-beney Yisra'el ve'amarta alehem adam ki-yakriv mikem
korban l'Yahweh min-habehemah min-habakar umin-hatson takrivu
et-korbanchem.
Im-olah korbano min-habakar zachar tamim yakrivenu el-petach Ohel
Mo'ed yakriv oto lirtsono lifney Yahweh.
6) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:
VAYIKRA EL-MOSHE VAYEDABER ELAV MEOHEL MOED LEMO (1:1) =
Yahweh called to Moshe and said, speaking to him from the Tent of Meeting. This is
because Moshe cannot physically enter the Tent due to YHWHs Glory Cloud
preventing him.
TZON (1:2) = sheep or goats. This term can refer to either species.
OLAH (burnt offering in 1:3) is spelled ayin-lamed-heh rather than ALAHs alephlamed-heh. In some esoteric Jewish teachings, words that switch between aleph and
ayin at the head are related to one another. So for example, AUR (aleph-waw-resh)
means LIGHT but OWR (ayin-waw-resh) means BLIND, so there is a sense of
sacrificing or releasing going on. Same here. You make your OATH as ALAH and
you fulfill that oath through the OFFERING (olah) and the promise is released.
(Explain Golem legend, another variant on this idea.)

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VESHACHAT HA ET-BEN BAKAR LIFNEY YAHWEH (1:5) = and he shall slay

the young bull before the face of Yahweh. This would entail a clean slitting of the
throat in a humane manner so the animal wont suffer.
NICHOACH (1:9) = pleasing or soothing. It is the same root from which we get
Noah, whose name means comfort, peace. Others think that the soothing
fragrance can perhaps induce or suggest a quiet meditative state.
VEIM MIN HAOF OLAH KORBANO LYAHWEH VEHIKRIV MIN HATORIM
O MIN BENEY HA YONAH ET-KORBANO (1:14) = If one's burnt offering is a
bird, he must bring a turtle dove or a young common dove. According to the Talmud
(Rashi on Chiulin 22b), this was a kind of dove that had bright stripes on the back of
its neck. But when it matures that stripes turn to red, as a sign that it is now perfect
for sacrifice. Prior to that time, it cannot be sacrificed.
VE-HI-KRIVO HA-KOHEN EL-HA-MIZBEACH U-MALAK ET-ROSHO (1:15) =
and the priest shall bring [the bird] to the altar and nip off its head. I found a very
interesting foreshadowing in this verse. Notice how the birds head is nipped off. In
Hebrew, the word for nip is MALAK and note how this function is given to the
high priest, as this is also important when checking out a certain NT parallel:
(Joh 18:10) But Shimon Keefa had a sword on him and he drew it and struck the
servant of the High Priest and took off his right ear. Now the name of the servant
was Malek.
So Peter nipped off (malek) the servant of the high priest whose name was also the
same word, Malek! He also nipped or maleked Malek in the area of the head (etrosho) just as the priest did to the bird here.
VEHEVIAH L-BENEY AHARON HA-KOHANIM VE-KAMATS MISHAM
MELO KUMTSO MISOLTAH U-MISHAMNAH AL KOL LEVONATAH
VEHIKTIR HA-KOHEN ET-AZKARATAH HA-MIZBECHAH ISHEH REACH
NICHOACH LYAHWEH (2:2) = He shall bring it to the priests who are Aaron's
descendants, and [a priest] shall scoop out three fingers full of its meal and oil, [and
then take] all the frankincense. The priest shall then burn [this] memorial portion on
the altar as a fire offering, an appeasing fragrance to Elohim. Most rabbinical
authorities believe the priest used the middle three fingers to do the scooping and the
thumb and pinky were used to perhaps wipe of excess stuff. Also the use of the word
AZKARATAH is literally a MEMORIAL OFFERING that is burned. I find this
interesting because it may be the original inspiration for YAHRZEIT candles that are
lit on the Hebrew anniversary of the death of a parent and this offering is burned
away.
VECHI TAKRIV KORBAN MINCHAH MAAFEH TANUR SOLET CHALOT
MATSOT BLULOT BA-SHEMEN U-RKIKEY MATSOT MESHUCHIM BASHEMEN (2:4) = If he brings a meal offering that was baked in an oven, it shall
consist [either] of unleavened loaves made of wheat meal mixed with olive oil, or flat
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matzahs saturated with olive oil. This is an amazing image because Yshua broke
matzah on the last night of his life and said This is my body to be broken for you
and matzah is white and brittle like bones.
But this matzah is ANNOINTED with oil (SHEMEN). Mashiyach means of course
anointed one. And he was betrayed at GET-SHEMEN-E. There is a full LOG of
oilabout 10 ouncesin this loaf of bread!
KI CHOL SEOR VECHOL DVASH TAKTIRU MIMENU ISHEL LYAHWEH
(2:11) = for all that is fermented or all that is sweet cannot be burned as a fire offering
before Yahweh. Some rabbis think the word for sweet (dvash) denotes only honey.
Others would argue for any sweet product, like fruit juice.
VECHOL KORBAN MINCHATCHA BA-MELACH TIMLACH VE-LO TASHBIT
MELACH BRIT ELOHEYCHA MEAL MINCHATECHA AL KOL
KORBANCHA TAKRIV MELACH (2:13) = Moreover, you must salt every meal
offering. Do not leave out the salt of your Elohims covenant from your meal
offerings. [Furthermore,] you must [also] offer salt with your animal sacrifices. It is
also to be noted that the word for SALT and DESTROY are the same in Aramaic and
Hebrew (MELKH), so the salting of the offering leads to its destruction on the altar.
VEIM TAKRIV MINCHAT BIKUREY LYAHWEH (2:15) = When you bring an
offering of firstfruits before Yahweh. This is actually the beginning of the regulations
for the omer count and Shavuot as it defines and explains exactly how to harvest the
firstfruits. You could not eat the first grain before the 16th of Abib.
VEIM ZEVACH SHLAMIM KORBANO IM MIN HA-BAKAR HU MAKRIV IM
ZACHAR IM-NEKEVAH TAMIM YAKRIVENU LIFNEY YAHWEH (3:1) = If
one's sacrifice is a peace offering and it is from the cattle, he may offer either an
unblemished male or an unblemished female before Yahweh. The word SHELEM is
derived from SHALOM or peace, but it can also mean perfection or
completeness offering. In that it is not about it being brought for sin but about the
whole person. See more info on the notes for Leviticus 5.
VESAMACH ET-YADO AL ROSH KORBANO OTO LIFNEY OHEL MOED (3:8)
= and he shall lay his hands on the head of the sacrifice and slaughter it before the
Tent of Meeting. The laying on of hands has a two-fold image. First, it shows
respect and appreciation for the animal, as if the priest were thanking it before saying
goodbye. But second, the animal is in a sense being ORDAINED as a sacrifice, since
the laying on of hands was used to pass leadership on from one generation to the next.
A rabbinic ordination even today is called a SHMECHA, from this same word and
root, to lay on hands.
VEHIKTIRO HA-KOHEN HA-MIZBECHAH LECEM ISHEH LYAHWEH (3:11)
= The priest shall burn them on the altar, to be consumed as a fire offering to
Yahweh. This is very odd wordingLECHEM appears here and it normally means
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bread. Many rabbinic authorities actually call this a bread offering even though
the context is obscure as to what bread, why, where, etc. Perhaps this is another
foreshadowing of Yshua then, because he is the Bread of Life offered for us!
IM HA-KOHEN HA-MASHIACH (4:3) = if the anointed priest. This is another title
for the high priest. Though all priests are anointed, the special anointing on the high
priest is a foreshadowing of Messiah, the Anointed One.
ET-PENEY PAROCHET HAKODESH (4:6) = towards the face of the sanctuary
curtain. While the sacrifice is happening near the curtain, the blood should not be
sprinkled or stained upon it.
VEIM KOL ADAT YISRAEL YISGU VENEELAM DAVAR MEEYNEY HAKAHAL VEASU ACHAT MICHOL MITSVOT YAHWEH ASHER LOTEASEYNAH VEASHEMU (4:13) = If the entire community of Israel commits an
inadvertent [violation] as a result of [the truth] being hidden from the congregation's
eyes, and they violate one of the [specified] prohibitory commandments of Yahweh,
they shall incur guilt. The Rabbis look to this and other similar verses with the word
KAHAL (congregation, assembly) and link this to an early incarnation of the
Sanhedrin.
Adding strength to this idea is 4:15 ZIKNEY HAEDAH or elders of the assembly.
Moshe raised up 70 judges or elders (Exodus 18) and this is the same number as the
Sanhedrin, although sometimes the number is given as 72. Yshua of course also sent
out 70 second-tier disciples.
ASHER NASI YECHETA VEASAH ACHAT MIKOL MITSVOT YAHWEH
ELOHAV ASHER LO-TEASEYNAH BISHGAGAH VEASHEM (4:22) = If the
leader commits a sin by inadvertently violating certain of Yahweh Elohims
prohibitory commandments, he incurs guilt. This is very interestingthe rabbis in
Horayoth 10a, 11a, apply this leader standard to the king of Israel alone. However
the word is NOT MELEK but NASI, which ironically now means the President of the
Sanhedrin! Its very odd, because while I agree that what was described earlier in
Leviticus 4 can be thought of as ancient Sanhedrin recorded in the Torah, they dont
apply the term for a leader (NASI) that was adopted for designating the Sanhedrins
leader, as if to suggest that they maybe dont sin too much? Also, they cant mean
that the King of Israel presides over the Sanhedrin either, because remember King
Saul was rebuked for usurping spiritual power that belonged to the priests.
ALAH (oath) in 5:1 is also the same word for CURSE, so be careful what you
commit yourself to and watch out for the dark side of the oath. A curse is brought
from an oath when that oath is broken, like the woman who broke her oath to her
husband in Numbers 5 and the waters turn her into a curse. Nehemiah 10:29-30 uses
both oath and curse in the same thought, but through two different words.

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As referenced earlier, SHALEM (restitution) is actually derived from SHALOM

(peace), and the root meaning is, to make complete, to restore what was taken, to
make sound/perfect. This tells us Abba YHWHs idea of what peace is as
opposed to mans. Man may view peace as the absence of conflict or as the total
destruction of one combatant in favor of another. But Abba YHWH says clearly that
we reconcile with our brother. Both parties are restored to where they need to be, and
both survive in unity (5:16). Yshua also says as he dies, MESHALAM, It is
accomplished in Aramaic, which may be a reference to this type of offering, though
other aspects of his blood-atonement remain unique and exclusive to him.
Note for 5:22-26: This passage concerns disputes over business deals and other
similar situations. Please notice that there is no arbitration or a 2-3 person Beit Din
required. It is only the case that when the thief is caught he must pay the amount
fixed in the Torah. Fines are assessed, property is restored to its rightful owner and
the guilty party makes a sacrifice to expiate his remaining sin. If such is not
followed, then depending on the time in history we are talking about, either the elders
or a full Sanhedrin would single out the thief for greater punishment.
Torah Question of the Week:
What does this portion tell us about Joseph and Maryam?
END PART 1

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PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
What does this portion tell us about Joseph and Maryam?
It tells us that they are definitely poor, because of this line:
7

'But if 1he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the LORD his guilt offering
for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin
offering and the other for a burnt offering. (Leviticus 5:7 NAU)
This is the offering Joseph brought, due to the uncleanness of his wife (ritually
speaking of course) and/or the offering for giving birth to a son:
(Lev 12:1) And spoke to Mosheh, saying, (Lev 12:2) Speak to the children of
Yisral, saying, When a woman has conceived, and has given birth to a male child,
then she shall be unclean seven days, as in the days of her monthly separation she is
unclean.(Lev 12:3) And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin is circumcised.
(Lev 12:4) And she remains in the blood of her cleansing thirty-three days. She
does not touch whatever is set-apart, and she does not come into the set-apart place
until the days of her cleansing are completed.
(Lev 12:5) But if she gives birth to a female child, then she shall be unclean for two
weeks, as in her monthly separation, and she remains in the blood of her cleansing
for sixty-six days.
(Lev 12:6) And when the days of her cleansing are completed, for a son or for a
daughter, she brings to the priest a lamb a year old, as a burnt offering, and a young
pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the Tent of Meeting.(Lev 12:7)
And he shall bring it before , and make atonement for her, and she shall be
cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the Torah for her who has given birth to
a male or a female.(Lev 12:8) And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she shall
bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one as a burnt offering and the other as
a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.
(The Scriptures 1998)
And when the days of their purification were fulfilled according to the instruction
of Moshe, they took him up to Urishlim to present him before Master YHWH,
according to what is written in the Torah of Master YHWH that every male who
opens the womb will be called a Set Apart one of Master YHWH. And as a sacrifice
it is said in the Torah of Master YHWH to give a pair of turtledoves or two chicks of
pigeons. (Luke 2:22-24-AENT)
7) Haftorah portion (English- Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43:21 44:23) and discuss
common themes with the Torah portion.

Am-zu yatsarti li tehilati yesaperu.

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Velo oti karata Ya'akov ki-yagata bi Yisra'el.

Lo-heveyta li seh oloteycha uzvacheycha lo chibadetani lo he'evadeticha
beminchah velo hogaticha bilevonah.
8) Our linguistic commentary
I will consign Jacob to the banthe word here is HEREM, and designates the
penalty Father YHWH usually reserves for the most evil nations, when all inhabitants
are put to the sword (see 1 Kings 20:42).
Another word for ban or something devoted to destruction/sacrifice/given up to
Father YHWH is QORBAN, offering, which as we saw is derived from the root QR-B ( to come near).
The rest of 44:6 is also key: Ani rish-own vani akh-he-rown (I am the First and the
Last) oo-mee-bel-ah-di ayn Elohim (and besides me there is no other Elohim)! We
also know this as I am the Alap and the Taw! It is through this imagery that Abba
YHWHs redemptive plan THROUGH His Son unfolds.
The word though for last (akh-he-rown) is very interesting. It is from where we get
the term ACHARIT HA YAMIN (latter days). But the same word can also mean
behind. While behind fits well with being last, when we envision a line of people
a certain way (edge on, horizontal), one could say literally the last are first and those
behind are actually BEFORE. To me this means, change your perspective O Man
and then you will see that those who are behind are actually first, as Yshua taught!
TEHO (44:9) = futile, derived from TEHOM, void. It means an abyss, totally empty,
unreal. Thats what idolatry is. And yet the Ruach of YHWH moved over the face of
TEHOM as only HE can! So to go away from Him is literally to enter the void.
NATZAL (44:17) = deliver, but also can mean strip away, plunder. This double
meaning contains the sense of expectation the person has from his false god
(deliverance) and what he will actually get (stripped away)! Verse 20 then says, he
CANNOT deliver himself!
9) Renewed Covenant portion: (English) Romans 8: 1-13 (all the way through with
applicable footnotes.)
10) Highlight common themes in Aramaic:
Romans 8:2
47) When we receive the finished work of Messiahs sufferings and surrender to him as
King of Kings then the Torah of the Spirit of Life is written upon our hearts. The Spirit of
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Life living within us emancipates (sets us free) from the old carnal nature that wants to
break YHWHs Torah and continue sinning. Yshua is the door to the new spiritual man.
Regrettably, false religion uses the cross to emancipate Torah from being written upon
the heart. Many theologians teach that Torah itself was nailed to the cross, when in fact
the cross (or torture stake) is the Grace that was given to spiritually empower every
Believer to open our hearts to Torah.
Na-moo-sa gyr dRukha dkhaya (The Torah that is the Ruach of Life) in 8:2. The use of
the DALET grammatically speaking means properly OF as a proclitic, or prepositional
prefix. However DALET is the one proclitic that is NOT in Hebrew and exclusive to
Aramaic. In Aramaic also the DALET can mean WHO, but the grammar structure has
to be different than how it reads here.
Nevertheless, I find it an intriguing little remez (hint) that for just a moment the meaning
is sort of beneath the surface poetically as for the Torah WHO is the Ruach of Life,
which IS Yshua the Mashiyach has emancipated you from the instruction of sin and
death!
Also note the contrast through the same word in Aramaic NAMUSA (nomos is the loan
word in Greek) between THE TORAH AT SINAI and torah as in a single instruction.
Here the small instruction of sin and death is OVERRIDEN by Yshua because of THE
TORAH AT SINAI that promised he would do so.
The emancipation is NOT from TORAH, but from the sins listed in Torah that will bring
you death. The torah of sin and death is taken away WHEN we are righteous through
Yshua our Mashiyach.
In general, understanding the difference between TORAH and torah though it is the same
word is one of the most important ways to clarify nearly a hundred lines of Renewed
Covenant Scripture!
Romans 8:4
48) The righteousness of Torah is fulfilled when the spiritual man delights in YHWHs
Torah, and the Perfection of the Word of YHWH lives inside of us according to
Mashiyach in us. When we see that our spiritual man desires obedience to Torah, far
more than our old carnal nature wants us to sin, then the righteousness of Torah is being
fulfilled and living inside of us.
8:4, the WALK with flesh (halakh) is compared directly with the walk of the Ruach, also
halakh, as in HALAKHA, proper application of Torah, the way to walk. You can only
WALK one way at a time and you cant walk in both. The sense of TESHUVAH
(repentance) is literally TO TURN AROUND.
Romans 8:7

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49) The flesh is enmity towards Elohim: for it does not subject itself to the Torah of
Elohim. What the flesh does is choose a religion or a religious denomination that it is
comfortable with. The flesh rises up in anger and wrath and threats and accusation when
the Torah of Elohim is presented. It is not possible for the flesh to subject itself to the
Righteous Instructions of Elohim. Both Judaism and Christianity have all manner of
religious traditions that negate Torah because religion cannot spiritually empower
anyone. The letter of the law or a Statement of Faith or a doctrinal creed cannot
bring spiritual empowerment to either receive the Ruach haKodesh or write Torah upon
the heart. Mashiyach says, Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Spiritual
empowerment comes from Mashiyach when we repent of breaking Torah.
Romans 8:11
50) The Spirit of Mashiyach is the Ruach haKodesh which brings life; there are no
substitutes which provide rite of passage into the Olam Haba (world to come). The
importance of living according to Mashiyach is paramount for Salvation, which is why
his very name means "YHWH's Salvation." Knowing that his Spirit must dwell inside of
us we can then boldly welcome His Word; Torah written upon the heart, and all substitute
false religious ideas and traditions of men are rejected.
Now compare 8:4 to 8:11that same TORAH SPIRIT raises Yshua from the dead and
promises us eternal life! There is only ONE SPIRIT of YHWH!!!
8:12- Now we are DEBTORS, the word here, KHOB also means SINNERS. In
Matthew 5:12 Yshua uses this word that the Greek mss apply sin or debt to in about
equal numbers, but its the same word. Thats why Yshua teaches in John that to be in
sin is to be a servant to sin, to be in debt to the sin as master. This is subtle yet very
cutting remark by Rav Shaul, that we need to mind who are debts are with and remember
we can be in sin-slavery at any moment, no matter who we are.
11) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (My last
statement above about sin and debt is a timeless call for our day and to remember
we are all brothers and sisters.)
12) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion.
(NT Misconception #11-Commandments Nailed to the Torture Stake, p. 805807.)
STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK
1) What is one possible message we can derive from the meaning of the names
towards the end of Exodus 38?
2) If you know the answer to #1, is there anything that has happened recently in
the Torah or perhaps elsewhere in Tanakh that this coded message might
apply to?
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3) How is another detail about Betzalel directly related to both a Gospel event
and our future?
4) How are three separate names in the Haftorah portion used to apply to the
same man and yet talk about different aspects of that man?
5) If you know the answer to #4, how is the bad side of the third name also
referenced in the Torah and applied to the dark aspects of the man we were
just talking about? And how do those dark aspects also show hope for a better
future?
Torah Thought for the Week:
Where is the Ark of the Covenant? Part 2
The First Stop?
When we were on Pekudei we began our real quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant. We
saw how unique prayers and expressions dated its presence in Jerusalem by the year 700
BCE, during Hezekiahs reign. But 82 years later, 2 Chronicles 35 says the Ark was NOT
in its place, but Josiah thought it was still nearby. The text of 2 Chronicles 35 is very
artfully writtenit glosses over the fact that Josiahs command to restore the Ark to its
proper place was ignored. Then, after Josiahs tragic death, the Ark disappears out of
Tanakh. We also saw how during the time between Hezekiah and Josiah, a credible
reason to remove the Ark emerged.
It was during Manassehs 55 year long reign of terror that he put an idol and other pagan
items in the Holy of Holies. If the Ark would have been there, no doubt this would have
been cataclysmic disaster for Jerusalem. So the priests then had ample reason to get it out
of therebut where to go? As I have been saying all along, Tanakh will tell us a lot of
this story, if we stop to listen:
That day in Egypt there will be five towns speaking the language of Canaan and
pledging themselves to Yahweh Sabaoth; one of them will be called City of the Sun.
That day there will be an altar dedicated to Yahweh in the center of Egypt and,
close to the frontier, a pillar dedicated to Yahweh, and this will be a sign and a
witness to Yahweh Sabaoth in Egypt. When they cry to Yahweh for help because of
oppressors, he will send them a Savior and leader to deliver them. Yahweh will
reveal himself to Egypt, and the Egyptians will acknowledge Yahweh that day
and will offer sacrifices and cereal offerings, and will make vows to Yahweh and
perform them. And if Yahweh strikes Egypt, having struck he will heal, and they will
turn to Yahweh who will hear their prayers and heal them. (Isaiah 19:18-22 NJB)
A prophecy about a Temple to Yahweh in Egypt? And it was done

and persuaded them to make him the high priest of that temple which he built
to God in the nome of Heliopolis, and this in imitation of that at Jerusalem;
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but as for that temple which was built in Egypt, we have spoken of it frequently
already. (Antiquities, 20:236-237)
But this temple was built too late to house the Ark, even if it was prophesied by Isaiah.
Fortunately though there was another Temple to YHWH on the Egyptian island of
Elephantine that was around much earlier. How much earlier we dont precisely know,
but a letter written by its Jews tells this much
Now our forefathers built this temple in the fortress of Elephantine back in the days
of the kingdom of Egypt, and when Cambyses came to Egypt he found it built. They
(the Persians) knocked down all the temples of the gods of Egypt, but no one did any
damage to this temple. -Petition to Bagoas, 407 BCE
The king mentioned, Cambyses the Second, reigned 530-522 BCE. The approximate time
the priests would have taken the Ark away from Manasseh would have been about 680
BCE. It is possible the Elephantine Temple was up that early, but even if it wasnt, it
made sense to take the Ark there. If the entire Judean priesthood became corrupt, the few
priests still loyal to Yahweh would have looked for the nearest possible allies OUTSIDE
of the country. The Kingdom of Israel was long gone, having been destroyed nearly 40
years earlier. That left Egypt as the place to go.
It is hard to explain why there was a temple there, when other statements say the
Jerusalem one is the only real place to have a Temple. It is also the case that at some
point, the temple served Egyptian gods as well as Yahweh, another clear problem. But if
it had a suitable altar, it would be the only place to take it. We know there was a fully
functioning Jewish community on Elephantine with its own priesthood. They asked for
the Temple to be rebuilt; it was but a century later it was destroyed. After this, the other
Temple at Heliopolis was built. The question is, did they keep the Ark in Egypt until they
could install it in Heliopolis?
The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Judaeans living in Egypt, those, that is,
living in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph and the territory of Pathros. 'Yahweh Sabaoth,
God of Israel, says this, "You have seen all the disaster I have brought on
Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah; today they lie in ruins and uninhabited.
(Jeremiah 44:1-2 NJB)
The prophecy Jeremiah gives is in 585 BCE to a well-established Jewish community that
had to be in Egypt well before the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Since the
migration to Egypt was prophesied by Isaiah, the community had to have been set up in
betweenthe precise time of Manasseh! Again though, if the Ark was there, why not
return it to Israel later? Or was it left in Egypt and forgotten? Or maybe after the
Elephantine Temple was destroyed the loyal priests simply put it on a barge and went
somewhere else. Where else could they go? And what proof of that journey still exists?
At this point, the only thing I can be sure of is that the Ark, once taken out of Jerusalem
and the Temple, was never put back there again. It does remain possible though that some
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secret area beneath Heliopolis could still hold it. Once done, the priests, having secured
their prize, may have made a fateful move. Yahweh had said that not even King Josiahs
righteous deeds were enough to save Judah from disaster. They knew judgment was
coming. And by the time the Babylonian Captivity ended and the Second Temple was
dedicated in 515 BCE, Judaism had changed. So maybe it was best to keep the Ark in
hiding
I shall shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will flow in, and I
shall fill this Temple with glory, says Yahweh Sabaoth. Mine is the silver, mine the
gold!-Yahweh Sabaoth declares. The glory of this new Temple will surpass that of
the old, says Yahweh Sabaoth, and in this place I shall give peace -- Yahweh Sabaoth
declares. (Haggai 2:7-9 NJB)
According to Haggaia man who is at a minimum very well connected to the priests if
not a priest himselfJudaism had moved on. The new Temple didnt need (and maybe,
didnt want) the Ark. So lets turn our focus toAn Ethiopian Fable-The Kebra Nagast
When I say fable I mean no disrespect to either the Ethiopian Orthodox Church or the
millions of Rastafarians wholike the late reggae singer Bob Marleybelieve this book
called Glory of the Kings is factual history. It is an amazing tale tooabout how the
Ark came to their country
The story goes like this: In the beginning, King Solomon got a visit from an Ethiopian
lady the Bible calls the Queen of Sheba. (Saba is an ancient city in old Ethiopia.)
Solomon and Sheba had an affair and she returned to her country pregnant with
Solomons child. She gave birth to a son and named him Menelik. In the course of time
Menelik became the first king of Ethiopia, and his line stretched from Solomons day all
the way until 1974 when the last emperor, Halie Selassie I, stepped down.Later Menelik
built his royal city, a place called Axum. Then he went to visit his father Solomon in
Jerusalem and Solomon gave him a present
Menelik then took the Ark home to Axum and enshrined it there. Many centuries later
the Church of Mount Mary of Zion was said to be built to house the Ark, where it
supposedly resides to this very day.
But, there are massive problems with this story as it is traditionally told. Basically, it
doesnt match history. 99% of scholars agreethe Queen of Sheba was from Saba in
Arabia. If she were from Ethiopia, the Bible would have called her either Candace (Acts
8:27) or a Cushite (Numbers 12:1-2). If Menelik brought the Ark home to Axum, the
problem is that city didnt exist until centuries after he died! And whoever has it, theyre
not showing it!
But on the other hand
Ethiopias linkage with the Ark is far more ancient than this story. The Christians there
are the only ones in the world who use little Arks rather than crosses as their symbol of
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faith. Every January, the country parades a bunch of replica arks out into the streets with
great rejoicingno other country does that. Ethiopian Jewry is the oldest continuous
form of the faith in existence.
They remember how to slaughter animals and sprinkle the blood in seven directions.
They remember many other things that only make sense coming from priests who
escaped Jerusalem. And thats not all!
The only person who is allowed to see the Ark is supposedly this Guardian. Elected by
the previous Guardian and chosen for his special piety and discipline, the Guardian can
never leave the grounds of the Church as long as he lives. Like the High Priest, he alone
has access to an object of sheer terror. Anyone else will die.
Historical researcher Graham Hancock, a former writer for the Economist, looked into the
Ethiopian claims of the Ark. He noted a lot of indirect evidence, as I have, for Ark lore in
the country. But he concluded the Kebra Nagast account of how the Ark came there is
totally wrong. But did that also mean the Ark could not have come there at all? Hancock
argued in his book Sign and Seal that the Kebra Negast was a kind of a later cover story
invented to explain how the Ark got there. The real story, he insists, is quite different
than the legend. Theres no Sheba or Menelik involved in it.
Instead, Hancock says that the Ark was in fact brought to Ethiopia in stages by these
priests we have been talking about, for the reasons we also discussed, to stop Manasseh
from defiling it.
Hancock agrees with me that Elephantine was the first place it went, installed in the
temple there later. When the temple in Elephantine was destroyed, the priests then floated
it down the Nile to its source, and put in on the island of Tania Kirkos, near the Blue
Nile. There the Ethiopians were first converted to Judaism and were trained by the priests
how to sacrifice animals and care for the Ark.
These Christians used to be Jews, and are said to have ancient altars given to them by
priests from Jerusalem. Then, in about 330 CE, the Ethiopian king Ezbana converted to
Christianity. When he found out the Ark was on Tania Kirkos, he took it from there and
enshrined it in the Church of Mount Mary of Zion in Axum, where it may rest to this very
day. Not the same story, but one much more historically plausible.
Since Hancock published his findings in 1994, there have been many historical specials
on cable, where the cameras unveil ancient temple equipmentbut these never get tested
or authenticated by experts. They can talk to the Guardian and get within about 50 feet of
where the Ark MAY be, but thats all.
A Final Possible Location: Qumran?
Therefore, until such time as we can prove anything further, we can never know if the
Ark is in Ethiopia or not. Regardless as to whats true, there is a part of my belief I am
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sure of that puts me in the minority of teachers. I firmly believe the Ark cannot still be
under Jerusalems streets. Babylon and Rome obliterated those areas. It remains possible,
as I said that the Ark is in EthiopiaI actually give this theory a lot of weight due to the
circumstantial evidence.
But I cannot discount Heliopolis either, and would love to see more excavation there. In a
way though, if it is in Heliopolis, it makes sense that the Ark would come home
And the historian Josephus tells a story about Moses that, while he refutes it, might
explain a lot
And for that priest who settled their polity and their lawshe was by birth of
Heliopolis, and his name was Osarsiph, from Osiris the god of Heliopolis; but that
he changed his name, and called himself Moses.' (Against Apion 1:265)
The idea of Moses as a pagan priest is certainly shocking to Josephus, to me and most of
the rest of us. But it cannot be denied that Moses had absorbed many elements of his
adopted Egyptian culture over his first 40 years, before Abba YHWH spoke to him. If
Moses saw tomb art like this, could it have influenced him with the Ark? Abba YHWH
did say He designed the Ark of course, but He also said He wanted to judge the gods of
Egypt. Perhaps then YHWH took this design, removed the false god, and put His
cherubim in its place.
However, since writing this originally in 2012, there has been another possibility beyond
Ethiopia or Heliopolis. In light of the discoveries of the late Ron Wyatt, I have frequently
been asked if I agreed or disagreed with his work.
The answer must be firmly placed in the negative on almost all of his assertions. In this
case, I totally reject the idea of the Ark of the Covenant in some antechamber under
Jerusalemthe destruction layer for the city was so vast as to make this impossible.
A rival theory was that Jeremiah, according to apocryphal tradition, hid the Ark in a cave
in the area. While I cant disprove that totally, I was also hard pressed to see how the
Ark could return to Israel after it had been removed in 680 BCE.
Then in November of 2013 I went to New Mexico and met a man named Jim Barfield.
Jim had a remarkable story that I only had an hour or so to assess. I wanted more time
but it was not possible.
According to Jim, he presented an outline of a city to the Israeli Antiquities Authority and
they all agreed it was Jerusalem and they were correct. He showed another outline from
a different angle and again asked what it was and they said the same thing.again it was
Jerusalem.

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But when he showed another outline they again said it was Jerusalem but were wrongit
was actually Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. And Jim believed the
Ark was actually buried somewhere in that city.
I told him that for me at least this seemed plausible, because I knew the Zadokite priests
fled into the Qumran desert and they built an altar there to replace the one in Jerusalem.
That being the case, if they thought this altar was the new most sacred place, it would
make sense that they would bury the Ark of the Covenant near or underneath it. Jim was
convinced he knew exactly where it was, but he didnt have a chance to explain it further
to me. And for myself, I still wanted to know how the Ark got back into Israel after it had
to have left six centuries earlier. So until I .can get my hands on more data, I have to
leave Qumran also as a distinct possibility. I am still convinced the Ark cannot be under
Jerusalem but it may still have come back to its home country.
After all, it really is HIS Ark, not Moses or anyone elses. At the end, one thing is clear
though. Whatever the Ark is and wherever it is, it will only come back to us when our
Abba YHWH wills it to.
Whether under the sands of Heliopolis or hidden in the dark recesses of Axum, at
Qumran or hopefully NOT in some government warehouse, man alone cannot will the
Arks return. But maybe its better that way
Then, when you have increased and grown numerous in the country, Yahweh declares, no
one will ever again say: The ark of the covenant of Yahweh! It will not enter their minds,
they will not remember it or miss it, nor will another one be made. When that time
comes, Jerusalem will be called: The Throne of Yahweh, and all the nations will
converge on her, on Yahweh's name, on Jerusalem, and will no longer follow their own
stubborn and wicked inclinations. (Jeremiah 3:16-17 NJB)
Perhaps then Revelation 11:19 is literal after allthe Ark is in the Heavenly Temple,
waiting to be put back on earth during the End Days. So we may find it soon enough!
Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week! Next week, we
will be exploring Tzav, or Leviticus 6:2 8:36 Our Haftorah portion will be Yiremeyahu
(Jeremiah) 7:21-8:3 and our Renewed Covenant portion will be Romans 12:1-8! Stay
tuned!

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