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Todays Parsha #38: Korah (referring to Korah the Levite)


PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEKS STUDY QUESTIONS (Shlach Lecha):

1) The bad report the spies gave talked about two separate groups, Nephilim and
people of great size or giants. Does that mean the giants were Nephilim?

Not necessarily. The term NEPHILIM does not mean giants. It is from
NIPHAL, meaning to fall so these are fallen ones but also men of
renown, and perhaps they were famous for creating a series of great
civilizations around Adams time.

Also notice that since this is a BAD report, the identification with these
Cannanite inhabitants as Nephilim, overly large or not, is suspect. And
besides all this, one does NOT have to be a Nephilim in order to be a giant.
Goliath was just your average nine foot tall Philistine.

2) How might the words of Yshua impact on the question on #1?

Yshua said

(Mar 12:18) And the Sadducees came to him, those who say that there is no
resurrection, and they were asking him and saying, (Mar 12:19) "Teacher,
Moshe wrote to us that if a brother dies and leaves a wife, but no sons does he
leave behind, he should take his brother's wife and raise up seed for his
brother.
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(Mar 12:20) There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife
and died, though he did not leave behind any seed. (Mar 12:21) And the
second took her and died though he also did not leave behind any seed. And
the third likewise. (Mar 12:22) And all seven of them took her and did not
leave behind any seed. The last of all of them also died as did the woman.
(Mar 12:23) Therefore, in the resurrection, which one of them will she be a
wife of? For all seven of them took her. (Mar 12:24) Y'shua said to them,
"Isn't it because of this that you err, that you do not understand the
Scriptures nor the power of Elohim? (Mar 12:25) For when they rise from
the dead, they do not marry women, nor are women given in marriage to
men. Rather they are like the Messengers who are in heaven.

The way I understand these verses at the present moment, angels cannot
marry like men and women in the resurrection cannot marry. Since the only
way to have kosher sex is through marriage, this means to me that angels
cannot have sex and give birth to a race of giants, as is often alleged
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happened in Genesis 6. I say this even while knowing both Josephus and
Philo had this opinion, but if I am understanding Yshuas words correctly,
that has to trump the word of Joe and Phil.

Admittedly though, I cannot honestly totally remove as possible the idea that
angels were not ALLOWED to have sex and when they did so, ceased to be
angels.
3) The Punishment Pattern in Numbers 14 is repeated by two more prophets. Who
were those prophets?

Ezekiel and Daniel also employed the day equals a year formula (Ezekiel 4,
Daniel 9).

4) What is probably the most surprising suggestion in the Rabbinic tradition
regarding Rahab?

In my opinion, its the idea that she married Joshua later, which goes
alongside some of their efforts at trying to make her more of an innkeeper by
the word ZANAH, or at least, not a woman who has sex for money but who
may have cheated on her husband. Like the Moabitess Ruth however, a
great emphasis on these traditions is that each woman took a mikveh and
converted to Judaism.

5) In a very ironic twist given Rahabs profession, she utters a phrase that will be
repeated by someone who is the exact opposite of her. What is the phrase and
who said it after her?

The statements are identical between the Hebrew in Joshua and the Aramaic
in the NT. What Rahab says here


VET (and towards) KI-DEVARIKEM (according to your words) KEN-HU
(yes, let it be)!

Yshuas mother Maryam says in Aramaic here


NEHWEH (and let it be) LI (done) AYKH (according to) MILTHAKHA
(your words)





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AND NOW FOR THIS WEEKS PORTION

1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:

Korah refers to the man of the same name who was responsible for mounting a
rebellion against Moshe. There are many unique aspects to this act of rebellion, such
as it being led by a Levite and a confederation of other leaders and that Moshe and
Aaron are on the same side against them. We also have touches of foreshadowing of
Eliyahus later contest against the prophets of Baal. The results of this rebellion are
among the most graphic of disasters depicted in Tanakh.

Because the very fabric of the priesthood was threatened, the stakes for the right side
surviving were incredibly high, and when order is eventually restored this time
YHWH confines His instructions to the priests so that they can regain some
credibility.

Vayikach Korach ben-Yitshar ben-Kehat ben-Levi veDatan va'Aviram
beney Eli'av ve'On ben-Pelet beney Re'uven.

Vayakumu lifney Moshe va'anashim mibeney-Yisra'el chamishim
umatayim nesi'ey edah kri'ey mo'ed anshey-shem.



Read Parsha (English-Numbers 16:1-18:32). This week we will read the entire portion.

1) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.

2) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:

KORAH (16:1) has an interesting double meaning. On the one hand it reminds us of
QARA, to be called, as a priest is called to service. On the other, it means bald,
which is perhaps an allusion to Korah being brought low and shamed for his
rebellion. To be bald or naked was a sign of humiliation after rebellion.

Josephus in several places indicates that Korah was a man of great wealth. Some
rabbinic commentary (BeMidbar Rabba 18:1) suggests that Korah also was a Hebrew
in high official standing with Pharaoh, thus explaining one reason why he might want
to take over and even go back to Egypt. However the real reason behind the rebellion
we will discuss at the beginning of Part 2, by answering the Torah Question of the
Week.

This tradition may have subsequently taken a detour through Hollywood and been a
reason behind the decision to cast Edward G. Robinson as the CHIEF Hebrew
overseer who was then promoted to be the governor of Goshen by Pharaoh in the
1956 Ten Commandments movie. The only difference between the movie and this
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tradition is that Robinson played the role of Dathan as an official to Pharaoh, not
Korah.

ITZHAR (yitzhar-16:1) = shining one. Korah is literally descended from a shining
one, but again he falls.

ABIRAM (16:1) = exalted father, aka Abram. This was Abrahams name before
YHWH called him to service. The theme here is trying to get back to an expected
order rather than the one YHWH chose. For example, Reuben is the first born of
Jacob, but is demoted because of his sin against his brother Joseph. This rebellion
seeks to put Reuben on top instead of Judah and also take the priesthood away from
Aaron, when both decisions were overturned by YHWH in the first place away from
the first born and to the righteous.

DATHAN (16:1) = meaning uncertain. Some think the word is well or attached to
a fountain. More likely this has something to do with an ancient Assyrian-Aramaic
wordobelisk. The obelisk was the symbol associated with Egyptian paganism
and this was an attempt to set up a rival leadership that YHWH did not enjoin.

ELIAB (16:1) = El is my Father. Dathan is the civil leader (Korah the religious
leader) behind this rebellion. Dathan and Abiram (exalted father) are sons of EliAb,
perhaps hinting that they want restoration to prominence as El their Father originally
had it before their ancestors sinned.

PELETH (16:1) = swiftness, as they rebel suddenly, out of nowhere. But also perhaps
related to PALLU (which see) and PELESET (Philistines)! It is ironic in the sense
that the Israelites wanted to avoid the Way of the Philistines though it was the
shortest route to Sinai and end up taking the Way of the Philistines in another sense,
by setting up idols and being led by Dathan and Korah into a rival and corrupted
priesthood.

RAV LEHEM (16:2) = literally, much to you, probably you take too much on for
yourself, in a bad sense, as a power grab from the rest of the congregation of Israel
as the rest of the rebuke shows.

ANSHEY-SHEM (16:2) = Literally, men of name, or famous men. This is similar
to the description attached to the Nephilim in Genesis 6:4, men of great renown.
Also see the note in 16:4.

VAYISHMA MOSHE VAYIPOL AL PANAV (16:4) = When Moshe heard this he
fell on his face. From niphal meaning to fall, this is a curious reading as it
suggests that Moshe feels humiliated as if he is to blame. However, the better reading
in probably his face fell meaning abject sadness came over him for the sake of his
people. NIPHAL (fall) is also related to Nephilim, the fallen ones.

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ME-ERETZ ZAVAT CHALAV UDEVASH (16:11) = a land flowing with milk and
honey. For the vast majority of Israelites, they should see the reality that YHWH
would bring them to a much better land than the one they left, and from slavery into
freedom. However, Jewish tradition tells us Dathan and Abiram, like Korah himself
whom we mentioned at the outset, prospered in Egypt and had both rank and wealth.
But again the real reason for the rebellion is a topic for later.

LE MISHKAN KORACH, DATAN VAAVIRAM (16:24) = the Tabernacle of
Korach, Dathan and Aviram. It looks like the rebels were so brazen that they already
set up a rival shrine, and apparently they would have moved the sacred objects into
their tents if they had succeeded.

MATTEH (17:1) = rod. But it can also mean tribe, just like another word for
tribe in Hebrew (sharba) has the meaning of rod. This may have something to do
with rod and cord that a tribal leader would carry, like Judah in Genesis 37-8.

Your descendants = Israel and all who join to her in Renewed Covenant

LIFNEY HA-EDUT (17:25) = before the face of the Testimony. This is referring to
the Ark of the Covenant though the word ark is missing. To be before the face or
physical manifestation of the testimony probably means to be near the physical ark
although other authorities believe it means the objects were placed INSIDE the Ark. I
am inclined to the former opinion.

VAYOMER YAHWEH EL-AHARON ATAH UVANEYCHA UVEYT-AVICHA
ITACH TISUET AVON HA-MIKDASH (18:1) = And said Yahweh to Aaron: You
along with your sons and your paternal tribe shall expiate any sin associated with the
Sanctuary. While expiate is the majority reading in English translations, the
Hebrew word actually means something closer to bear, so Aaron and sons actually
bear the sins done at the Sanctuary and those done by them as priests.

AVADOT MATTANA (18:3) = literally a gifted service. To serve Abba YHWH is
a gift from Him and not a blind obligation to Him.

VAYEDABER YAHWEH EL-AHARON VAANI HINEH NATATI LECHA ET-
MISHMERET TRUMOTAY, LECHOL KODESHEV VENEY-YISRAEL LECHA
NETATIM LECMOSHCHA ULEVANEYCHA LECHOK-OLAM (18:8) = And
Yahweh proclaimed to Aaron: I have given you responsibility for My elevated gifts. I
am giving you also all My Set-Apart gifts of the Israelites as part of your anointment.
These shall be an eternal portion for your descendants. I include this because of
certain key words that spell out a bit of a message

My elevated gifts I am giving the Israelites as part of your anointment, an eternal
portion for your descendants.

Elevated gifts = Yshuas power and resurrection
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Anointment = Messiah
Eternal portion = Eternal life


KOL CHELEV YITSHAR (18:12) = the entire dedicated portion. However,
CHELEV means fat technically so this tells us that fat belongs to Abba YHWH but
in this case it goes to the priests.

BEHEMAH (18:15) = beast of burden. While the text appears to be vague and
therefore is suggesting any first born animal, the commandment actually links to the
firstborn of a donkey, as was delineated previously in Exodus 13:13.

BRIT MALACH OLAM (18:19) = everlasting salt covenant. The covenant lasts as
long as the earth endures with salt in her oceans and deserts. Salt is also used as a
food preservative in the Middle East, which reinforces this meaning. Ironically
though in Aramaic the same root of MELKH also means to evaporate, which is the
opposite of an eternal covenant. Perhaps then the full message was intended to be
something like: If you obey Me you have an eternal salt (malach) covenant but if not
you evaporate (melkh) when Abba YHWH destroys you for disobedience. This can
also be a reference partly inspired by the turning of Lots wife to a pillar of salt as the
city of Sodom was being destroyed.

MAASER MIN HA-MAASER (18:26) = A tithe within a tithe. The Israelites had
to give 10% to the Levites and the Levites, in turn, had to give 10% of that tithe to
YHWH, or 1% of the total produce given by the entire nation.

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BONUS TEACHING!
Did the High Priest Bless Yshua the Messiah?
The Untold Story of Shimon ben Boethus
By Andrew Gabriel Roth

The Universe exists for three things: The Torah, the Set-Apart service and acts of
kindness.Shimon Ha Tzadik II, ca. 200 BCE

Introduction

Put simply, this study is all about proving that the two men listed below were actually
one and the same person. Yshua had his presentation sacrifice done by the High Priest
himself! Lets look at the chart though before discussing the matter further:

High Priest Shimon Ben Boethus
(Josephus)
Shimon the Righteous Priest (Luke)
320
There was one Simon, a citizen of
Jerusalem, the son of one Boethus, a citizen
of Alexandria, and a priest of great note
there: this man had a daughter, who was
esteemed the most beautiful woman of that
time;
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and when the people of Jerusalem
began to speak much in her commendation,
it happened that Herod was much affected
with what was said of her: and when he
saw the damsel, he was smitten with her
beauty, yet did he entirely reject the
thoughts of using his authority to abuse her;
as believing, what was the truth, that by so
doing he should be stigmatized for violence
and tyranny: so he thought it best to take
the damsel to wife.

322
And while Simon was of a dignity too
inferior to be allied to him, but still too
considerable to be despised, he governed
his inclinations after the most prudent
manner, by augmenting the dignity of the
family, and making them more honorable;
so he immediately deprived Jesus, the son
of Phabes, of the high priesthood, and
conferred that dignity on Simon, and so
joined in affinity with him [by marrying his
daughter].
(Antiquities 15:320-322)

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The high priest's daughter also, who was
(Luk 2:25) And now there was a certain
man in Urishlim; His name was Shimon.
And this man was just and righteous and
was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
And the Ruach haKodesh was upon him.

(Luk 2:26) And it had been said to him by
the Ruach haKodesh that he would not see
death until he saw the Mashiyach of Master
YHWH.

(Luk 2:27) He came by the Spirit to the
temple, and when his parents brought the
boy Y'shua to do on his behalf as is
commanded in the Torah,

(Luk 2:28) He received him upon his arms
and blessed Elohim and said, (Luk 2:29)
"Now dismiss your servant in peace my
Master according to your Word.(Luk 2:30)
For behold my eyes have (seen) your
mercy, (Luk 2:31) That which you have
prepared before the face of all nations,
(Luk 2:32) a light for the revelation to the
Gentiles and a glory to your people Israel."

(Luk 2:33) And Yosip and his mother
were marveling at these things that were
spoken concerning him.

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the king's wife, was accused to have been
conscious of all this, and had resolved to
conceal it; for which reason Herod divorced
her, and removed her son from his will,
wherein he had been mentioned as one that
was to reign after him; and he took the high
priesthood away from his father-in-law,
Simeon, the son of Boethus, and appointed
Matthias, the son of Theophilus, who was
born at Jerusalem, to be high priest in his
place. (Antiquities 17:78)
(Luk 2:34) And Shimon blessed them and
said to his mother Maryam, "Behold this
one is appointed for the fall and for the rise
of many in Israel, and for a sign of dispute
(Luk 2:35) and in your soul will pass
through a spear so that the thoughts of
many hearts may be revealed.



In order to carefully piece together and recover a story that has been lost for more than
2,000 years, we need to carefully sift through history, linguistics and, above all, Scripture
itself. When completed, we will see a pattern that has a lot of moving parts but at its
collective heart opens a window into a past that many had thought was now irretrievable.

Lukes High Priest Shimon

To begin with, let me look at a rather small question first: How do we know the Shimon
mentioned in Luke 2 was actually a priest and not just a regular citizen of Jerusalem?
Luke 2:27-28 says Shimon received Yshua upon his arms from his parents, and the
reason this was done was so that he, Shimon could carry out a sacrifice that was
exclusive to the priests:

Yahweh spoke to Moses and said



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"When the period of her purification
is over, for either boy or girl, she will
bring the priest at the entrance to the
Tent of Meeting a lamb one year old for
a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or
turtledove as a sacrifice for sin.


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The priest must offer this before
Yahweh, perform the rite of expiation
for her, and she will be purified from her
discharge of blood. "

Such is the law concerning a woman who
gives birth to either a boy or a girl.


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If she cannot afford a lamb, she must
take two turtledoves or two young
pigeons, one for the burnt offering and the
(Luk 2:21) Then when 8 days had passed
so that the boy could be circumcised,
they called his name Y'shua, as the
Messenger had called him before he was
conceived in the womb. (Luk 2:22)

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,

(Luk 2:23) 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. [Exodus
13:2](Luk 2:24) And as a sacrifice it is
said in the Torah of Master YHWH to
give a pair of turtledoves or two chicks
of pigeons.

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other for the sacrifice for sin. The priest
will perform the rite of expiation for her
and she will be purified." ' (Leviticus 12:1,
6-8 NJB)
(Luk 2:25) And now there was a certain
man in Urishlim; His name was Shimon.
And this man was just and righteous and
was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
And the Ruach haKodesh was upon him.
(AENT)

Therefore, initially, Joseph and Mary must have recognized that this man Shimon was at
a minimum a priest, and this would have been evident from the way Shimon was dressed.
They proactively gave Yshua to Shimon so that Shimon could do their sacrifice of a
pigeon and a turtledove, but before that sacrifice happened Shimon spontaneously blessed
the child! Put simply though, there is no reason for Joseph and Mary to hand their baby
off to anyone other than a priest to do that sacrifice!

Furthermore, when we search the records, there is most certainly a man named Shimon
Ben Boethus who is serving as High Priest from 25 to 4 BCE and this timing includes all
the possible ranges for the birth of Messiah. However, how can we know that Luke is
referring to this Shimonfor that was a common namewhen Luke doesnt specifically
call him a high priest?

One small hint may lurk in the words of Luke:

(Luk 2:25) And now there was a certain man in Urishlim; His name was Shimon.
And this man was just and righteous and was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
And the Ruach haKodesh was upon him. (Luk 2:26) And it had been said to
him by the Ruach haKodesh that he would not see death until he saw the
Mashiyach of Master YHWH.

(Luk 2:27) He came by the Spirit to the temple, and when his parents
brought the boy Y'shua to do on his behalf as is commanded in the Torah,
(Luk 2:28) he received him upon his arms and blessed Elohim and said, (Luk
2:29) "Now dismiss your servant in peace my Master according to your
Word.(Luk 2:30) For behold my eyes have (seen) your mercy, (Luk 2:31) That
which you have prepared before the face of all nations, (Luk 2:32) a light for the
revelation to the Gentiles and a glory to your people Israel."

It was in the outer area just before the Temple entrance that the sacrifices for a newborn
male would have been done. However, the High Priest of course has access to the inner
parts of the Temple that a normal priest is forbidden to go through.
Therefore the phrase he came by the Spirit to the Temple may in fact mean, he came
by the Spirit to the part of the Temple where Joseph and Mary were, since the outer altar
was counted as part of the Temple complex proper.

As a result, Shimon Ben Boethus could have also been in his special High Priest house
near the Templeit may in fact be the same one Caiaphas used and which was recently
excavated. Furthermore, since I know the day of Yshuas birth (Friday, September 13
th
,
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5 BCE) I also know when he would be presented at the Temple 40 days later. Therefore,
the day that Yshua was presented at the Temple was a Sunday morning, not a Shabbat
when the presence of the High Priest was required, so apparently the Ruach ha Kodesh
called him to work anyway!

Then, when Shimon appears in full priestly regalia with the breastplate and Urim and
Thummim on full display, there would be no doubt in Joseph and Marys mind that
Shimon was qualifiedif not overqualifiedto perform their sacrifice!

Also, since the Urim and Thummim were used for the purposes of doing prophecy for the
salvation of Israel the blessing on Messiah that Shimon gives also makes perfect sense!
Lets see this aspect up close:

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To the breastplate of judgement you
will add the Urim and the Thummim,
and these will be on Aaron's heart when
he goes into Yahweh's presence, and
Aaron will bear the Israelites' judgement
on his heart, in Yahweh's presence,
always. (Exodus 28:30 NJB)

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Of Levi he said, "Let Your Thummim
and Your Urim belong to Your godly
man, Whom You proved at Massah, With
whom You contended at the waters of
Meribah;
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Who said of his father and his
mother, 'I did not consider them'; And he
did not acknowledge his brothers, Nor did
he regard his own sons, For they observed
Your word, And kept Your covenant.


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"They shall teach Your ordinances to
Jacob, And Your law to Israel. They shall
put incense before You, And whole burnt
offerings on Your altar. (Deuteronomy
33:8-10 NAU)
(Luk 2:28) He received him upon his arms
and blessed Elohim and said, (Luk 2:29)
"Now dismiss your servant in peace my
Master according to your Word.(Luk 2:30)
For behold my eyes have (seen) your
mercy,

(Luk 2:31) That which you have
prepared before the face of all nations,
(Luk 2:32) a light for the revelation to
the Gentiles and a glory to your people
Israel."

(Luk 2:33) And Yosip and his mother
were marveling at these things that were
spoken concerning him.

(Luk 2:34) And Shimon blessed them and
said to his mother Maryam, "Behold this
one is appointed for the fall and for the
rise of many in Israel, and for a sign of
dispute

(Luk 2:35) and in your soul will pass
through a spear so that the thoughts of
many hearts may be revealed. (AENT)


So this Shimon was filled with the Ruach Ha Kodesh and gifted with the Urim and
Thummimno wonder he could prophesy so well! However, we will be looking at more
evidence regarding this assertion later on. For now, we need to put Josephus Shimon
Ben Boethus and Lukes Shimon the Righteous Priest back into their historical
constructs.
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Shimon Ha Tzadik I & II

In around 300 BCE, the first high priest named Shimon Ha Tzadik (Simon the Righteous)
was ruling in Israel. Also known as Simon I, Shimon HaTzadik would have been a
regular priest during Alexander the Greats 332 BCE campaign working under the High
Priest Honiyah I. The story says Alexander had a vision that this priest would predict his
victory in war, which happened. Alexander bowed before the priest but then asked that a
statue of himself be put in the Temple. Shimon is said to have politely refused but offered
to name all sons born to priests that year Alexander instead and this was agreed to.

What seems to have happened in trying to piece together the backstory that leads us to
Shimon Ben Boethus is that this Shimon Ha Tzadik was confused and/or transposed with
that of his great-great-grandson, who not only shared his name and title but also bore the
name Ben Honiyahso their fathers also have identical names!

This is not the first time that the best and most accurate records we have for this period
(Josephus and the Book of Maccabees), transpose and confuse identical names for
different people. Between these two sources and the Talmud we see that a reference to
Honiyah I was clearly mistaken for Honiyah II. (Please see the PDF: Restoring the Lost
History of the High Priests for more information.) The same thing I believe is also
happening with our Shimon Ha Tzadiksthe chronology in all sources simply doesnt
work with Shimon I.

Therefore, for the history that follows, we will be connecting from the time of Shimon Ha
Tzadik II, who reigned as high priest from about 218 to 185 BCE. While his great-great
grandfather had an amazing meeting with Alexander the Great, I would argue Shimon
IIs legacy is even greater, both for the good and for the bad. It was under Shimon II that
the seeds of the Sadduceean movement were first planted and it was also just after his
death that, according to the Talmud (Yoma 30b; Tosefta Sotah, 13; also see Josephus,
Antiquities, 2:275 and Philo, Life of Moses, 2:114-115) the ruling to ban the Name of
Yahweh was first issued.

Finally, it is also important to note that Lukes priest could also be called Shimon Ha
Tzadik (Simon the Just) due to how his character is described, but to minimize
confusion I will just call him Luke s Shimon or Lukes priest or Shimon the
Zadokian, and the same can be said for Josephus Shimon the High Priestwhom I
contend is the same as Lukesbut will call Shimon Ben Boethus. So here are our four
Shimons:

1) Shimon Ben Honiyah the First, a.k.a. Shimon Ha Tzadik I (300 BCE)
2) Shimon Ben Honiyah the Second, a.k.a. Shimon Ha Tzadik II (200 BCE)
3) Shimon Ben Boethus of Alexandria (ca. 80-4 BCE, father in law to Herod the
Great)
4) Shimon the Zadokian, now of Jerusalem, same man as #3.
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Zadokites, Zadokians and Sadducees

As we begin to unravel a very complicated series of historical strands, we need to look at
a few groups with similar sounding names and competing claims. Our first group is the
Zadokites, the sons of Zadok, a high priest who served under King David. His family
served with distinction for more than 800 years. During this period they are praised by
the Prophet Ezekiel:

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"As regards the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who maintained the service
of my sanctuary when the Israelites strayed far from me, they will approach me to
serve me; they will stand in my presence to offer me the fat and blood -- declares
the Lord Yahweh.
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They will enter my sanctuary and approach my table to
serve me; they will maintain my service. (Ezekiel 44:15-16 NJB)

But according to Josephus, the Zadokites were deposed after the Maccabean Revolt,
because the Hasmonean Kings were also descendants of Aaronthough not of the family
of the high prieststhought they could serve as kings and high priests at the same time.
Now out of a job, the Zadokites protested the works of the high priest and king Shimon
the Hasmonean and around 140 BCE they fled into the Qumran desert where they joined
with another dissident group known as the Essenes, who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is
in the Dead Sea Scrolls that some fragments of the Biblical calendar, what I call the
Wheel of Stars, were found. However, from this point on forward, no one knows what
became of the original Zadokite priests.

However, there was another sectarian group named after ANOTHER man named Zadok,
and his followers I have opted to call Zadokian to distinguish his group from the
Zadokite priests of David and Ezekiel.

So who was this second Zadok? It turns out he was a founder of a school of thought that
we now call Sadduceean, as Wikipedia explains:

The post-Talmudic work Avot de-Rabbi Natan gives the following origin of the
schism between the Pharisees and Sadducees/Boethusians: Antigonus of Sokho
having taught the maxim, "Be not like the servants who serve their masters for the
sake of the wages, but be rather like those who serve without thought of receiving
wages", his two pupils, Zadok and Boethus, repeated this maxim to their pupils.

In a related article from the Jewish Encyclopedia, they say this about Antigonus himself:

The first scholar of whom Pharisaic tradition has preserved not only the name but
also an important theological doctrine. He flourished about the first half of the
third century B.C. According to the Mishnah, he was the disciple and successor of
Simon the Just.

In order then to synchronize with the Shimon the Just of Luke 2:25-35, who was elderly
at the time of Yshuas birth in 5 BCE, we need to carefully work backwards for
13


approximate dates. Antigonus was most likely discipled by Shimon II around 190 BCE
and probably rose up his two famous disciples some years later. How many years later is
not entirely clear, but because of the many years between 190 BCE and Yoazar, the last
son of Boethus who ruled as high priest in 6 CE, it seems very likely there are missing
generations, sons, grandsons and great-grandsons of the original Boethusand Lukes
Shimon was 4
th
or 5
th
generation from that first Boethus.

This lineage also would have been linked to Alexandria until Lukes Shimon, born
probably around 80 BCE, was also raised in Alexandria but emigrated to become a
citizen of Jerusalem, sometime around 45 BCE, where he would have begun his priestly
training by the Zadokian-Sadducees of Israel.

During that time Shimon Ben Boethus married and had a beautiful daughter that
eventually married Herod the Great in 25 BCE, and in return for her Herod made him
High Priest at that time. Then, when we meet him in Luke 2:25-35, Shimon Ben Boethus
is about 75 years old, and he will die soon after beholding the infant Messiah. Josephus
tells us he was removed by Herod the Great shortly before that king died in March of 4
BCE, and so Shimon probably died a short time after that.

However, it is also possible that our hero Shimon also had a role in the Gospel of
Matthew as well:

(Mat 2:1) And when Y'shua was born in Beth-Lekhem of Yehuda, in the days of
Herodus, the king, Magoshi came from the east to Urishlim. (Mat 2:2) And they
said, "Where is he who has been born the king of the Yehudeans? For we saw his
star in the East and have come to worship him." (Mat 2:3) And Herodus, the king
heard, and was troubled and all of Urishlim with him.

(Mat 2:4) And he gathered all the chief priests and scribes in Urishlim, and
was asking the people, "where would Mashiyach be born?" (Mat 2:5) And they
answered like this, "in Beth-Lekhem of Yehuda for it is written by the prophet,"
(Mat 2:6) And you Beth-Lekhem of Yehuda will not be the least of Yehuda.
From you, therefore, will go out a king who will shepherd among the kings, my
people, Israel.



Notice it says ALL the chief priests were gathered, which must have included Shimon!
So it seems ironic that the High Priest who was waiting on the salvation of Israel and who
saw the 6 week old infant Yshua as Messiah and as that salvation had also, just a few
weeks earlier, inadvertently given King Herod advice that he would use to try to kill that
same baby!

Final Linguistic Clues

In Greek, Shimon is described as dikaios (righteous) and eullabes (pious, devout).
However in Aramaic the two equivalent terms are much closer to being synonyms. This
is because those words are tzadiqa (righteous, just) and kaiyn (just). Such a correlation in
14


turn may point to the use of tzadiqa as possibly referring to Shimon as the disciple of
Zadok the Sadducee who was also a justified (kaiyn) man.

Furthermore, by this time in history, the two schools of Boethus and Zadok seem to have
effectively become interchangeable with the Sadducees of the NT, so Lukes Shimon was
both a biological descendant of Boethus and a spiritual descendant of Zadok. The
Aramaic terms seem to be giving a clever play on words in hinting at this history, even
though there is a separate but similar word for Sadducee, tzadokiyah, used elsewhere in
the Aramaic NT.

However, Lukes failure to officially call Shimon a high priestthough it is clear from
what he does that he was at least a regular priestmay be because of the fact he was not
from the right family for the high priests because when a high priest is from the right
family he directly says so:

(Act 4:5) And on the next day, the leaders and the elders and the scribes
assembled, (Act 4:6) and also Khanan the High Priest and Qayapa and Yochanan
and Alexandros and those who were from the line of chief priests.

Whereas Josephus says the following about Shimon Ben Boethus:

320
There was one Simon, a citizen of Jerusalem, the son of one Boethus, a citizen
of Alexandria, and a priest of great note there. (Antiquities 15:320)

In this same passage, which we quoted at the outset, it is clear that Shimon was
transplanted from Egypt to Israel, and his Alexandrian blood made it unlikely that he had
a true hereditary claim for the office of high priest. In fact Josephus pretty much admits
the only reason he had that job was because King Herod the Great married his daughter
thus giving birth to a new high priestly family that was resented by the Pharisees.

Therefore, I believe Luke knew this Shimon, though a righteous man, was only high
priest due to spiritual politics, and not because he was a son of Aaron. In fact Luke
himself seems to hint that he only is interested in priests with proper pedigree:

(Luk 1:5) In the days of Herodus the king of Yehuda, there was a certain priest
whose name was Zakharyah, from the order of the house of Awiya and his wife
from the descended daughters of Ahron. Elishwa was her name. (Luk 1:6)
And both of them were righteous before Elohim and walked in all the
Commandments and in the righteousness of Master YHWH without blame.

And so when all the facts are put together, it seems logical and necessary that only a
righteous High Priest like Shimon in Luke 2 is worthy to bless Mashiyach Yshua the
first time he is presented at the Temple!



15


Torah Question of the Week:
Other than the phrase Moshe, you take too much on yourself, what was the real
reason for this rebellion?

END PART 1


16



PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
Other than the phrase Moshe, you take too much on yourself, what was the real
reason for this rebellion?

Lets look at the last passages of Scripture before this portion opens:

37
YHWH also spoke to Moses, saying,
38
"Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that
they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their
generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue.
39
"It shall
be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of YHWH, so as to do
them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the
harlot,
40
so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your
Elohim.
41
"I am YHWH your Elohim who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be
your Elohim; I am YHWH your Elohim." (Numbers 15:37-41 NAU)

So I call this The Tzit-Tzit Rebellion because that was the last specific command
Moshe gave them before they rebelled. Lets go deeper

Why would something so simple create such consternation in the ranks of Israel?

I believe it has something to do with what the tzit-tzit represent rather than the command
itself. Lets see that text again:

37 YHWH also spoke to Moses, saying, 38 "Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them
that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout
their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue. 39 "It
shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of YHWH, so as
to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you
played the harlot, 40 so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be
holy to your Elohim. 41 "I am YHWH your Elohim who brought you out from the land
of Egypt to be your Elohim; I am YHWH your Elohim." (Numbers 15:37-41 NAU)

I have often likened the command to wear tzit-tzit with how we might tie a string around
our finger to not forget something important. In this case that important thing is
actually the whole Torah and drama of the Exodus!

Israel clearly wanted to play and be like other nations. This manifests in the wilderness
and also later when they ask for a king to lead them, again, so they can be like everyone
else. This type of conformity to the nations around them, of course, is a major insult to
YHWH, Who called them OUT FROM THE NATIONS to be a set-apart people. More
than that, it was YHWHs express plan that Israel learn His Torah so that THEY could
then teach the nations TO BE LIKE THEM, not the other way around!

17


So when we see this clearly, the rebellion is inspired, at least in part by a desire not to
stand out, even while they practice being priests of YHWH! Its like after a hard day at
the office the Israelites want to go home to pagan pleasures, as if they can separate
their job from their identity. I dont think I need to explain further regarding how this
idea all turned out for them.

Everything is associated with remembering what YHWH did for them and remembering
the Covenant that YHWH gave to them. This is true whether we are talking about Adam
and Eve failing to remember a single instruction to Noah and Abraham and so on up the
line. This is because we are told over and over again to SHAMAR or SHOMER
YHWHs Torahmeaning to guard it zealouslybut ironically later rabbis would think
this guarding involved putting a fence around it, rather than preserve it as it originally
came down.

One of the best examples with this is with Tzit-Tzit. YHWH commanded a tekhelet or
blue thread be there, but because the rabbis werent sure what shade of blue it was based
on what they remembered, they decided to make it all white! Now this is remarkable!
We dont know what it was for certain so to avoid making that mistake we choose
something we KNOW for a fact it wasnt? Isnt this sort of a miniature version of what
Korah did? Didnt Korah try as a Levite to work somewhat in that system but simply take
the mantle away from Aaron whom YHWH chose?

See this is what true rebellion looks like. It will try to mimic what is already there and
then suggest (or shout) that its VERSION of what is there is better, and it wont be too
much of a change if you just follow ME and put the authority of ME. But YHWH does
NOT share power and if he chooses Moshe then Korah can not override that decision, no
matter how nice his priestly outfit looks!

Havent we also seen enough of this rebellion in our own ranks at Netzarim? Can we
think of people who dress the part and claim proper lineage and a smooth Hebraic
vibe and yet have the goal being to bring attention and authority to themselves? Some
will even try to look exactly like Korah did 3500 years ago, but its not about the coat,
its about the person wearing it!

Instead YHWH demands that we root ourselves in His Word and do our best and even
risk problems by guessing wrong. Better to do that than to take shortcuts amongst
charismatic yet unlearned counselors and to stop thinking and fail to test the leadership
against the Word. If we do that, even if occasionally we guess wrong, we will still do
right in YHWHs eyes. Moshe clearly was not perfect. He sinned too and was punished
severely for those sins. But compared to everyone else, Moshe was the best MAN for
that job, and every time people tried to deny him that YHWH fought for him. YHWH
will then also fight for us as well when we follow that example.

1) Haftorah portion (English- 1 Samuel 11:14-12:22) and discuss common themes
with the Torah portion.

18


Vayomer Shmu'el el-ha'am lechu venelchah haGilgal unechadesh
sham hameluchah.

Vayelchu chol-ha'am haGilgal vayamlichu sham et-Sha'ul lifney
Yahweh baGilgal vayizbechu-sham zvachim shlamim lifney Yahweh
vayismach sham Sha'ul vechol-anshey Yisra'el ad-me'od.

2) Our linguistic commentary

CHADASH (1 Samuel 11:14) = renew, repair, but in this case totally re-make as
if form nothing. The system under the Judges hadd totally fallen and was utterly
destroyed. While you could say YHWH renewed the kingdom in the sense that
He maintained Israels right to have a king, the fact is the entire kingdom had to
be built from scratch because the paradigm had changed. The sense of
CHADASH, like CHODESH which is the same word, is that the rulers from
Judges had gone into darkness/nothingness, only to re-emerge and go forth under
Saul, David and Solomon.

to look the other way, I will return it to you (12:3) = interesting reading in
LXX: a pair of sandals testify against me, perhaps like Amos 2:6 or even
Deuteronomy 25 where the woman takes the sandal off of the man who wont
fulfill his vow to her in front of witnesses.

and the Egyptians oppressed them (12:8) is added in the LXX and missing in
the MT. This could be an original reading in the ancient Hebrew text that the
LXX was translated from! However, the Aramaic Tanakh does not have this
phrase, indicating perhaps that it came about from an equally ancient but
independent Hebrew source.
QITZIR CHITTIM HA YOM (12:16) = it is the wheat harvest today. In other
words, its SHAVUOT!

3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English) Yehuda 1:1-25 (all the way through with
applicable footnotes).

Jude 1:3

1) Maintain a conflict for the faith. Maintain the elements of Faith that cause
the clash between the two opposing forces. If there is truth to the proverb that the
opposite of love is not hate, but indifference: then the opposite of the Truth is not
lies, but relativism. Relativism is the doctrine (thinking) that nothing is
universally true; everything is relative to circumstances, application, feelings, or
emotions. When Yehudah writes, maintain a conflict we are compelled to
understand that the conflict is: for the faith which was once delivered to the Set
Apart believers. The enemy has substituted Faith with socially acceptable
religions as it is said; YHWH created Faith, but the Devil made a religion out of
19


it.

Jude 1:4

2) The Aramaic Mara Lord is defined in terms of human kings or false deities,
not YHWH. It may appear as if this rule is being broken here but this is not the
case. This is referred to as metaphoric transference, where two differing concepts
are linked by metaphor. Consider the Pagan court of Belshazzar, which does not
call upon the Name of YHWH. However, they use the Aramaic dialect to address
their deities by the title Mara. Along comes Daniel who employs the word Mara
to introduce them to YHWH, and he points out that there is only one real Master -
Mara of Heaven. In later times, Jews who remained in Babylon would simply
take off the alap and strip the word to its root level, using it for YHWH by adding
on the simplified form of the name as YAH, which is the same Name (Psa_68:4);
hence MarYah. MarYah grew out of the usage of Daniels writings, although it
was not used during his time. Daniel was the pivot point for two reasons: (1)
Daniel writes in Babylonian Aramaic, a close form to what the Peshitta Tanakh
would later be translated into. Daniel is also the only writer in Tanakh to use
Mara. (2) The use of Mara in Daniel is effectively split between human
(Dan_4:19; Dan_4:23) and divine (Dan_2:47; Dan_5:23) applications, which
reveals how the root Mar would become attached to Yah at a later time.
Although the metaphoric usage refers to YHWH, it is not equivalent to the Name
of YHWH in definition or usage. Compare: YHWH is a man of war: YHWH is
His name (Exo_15:3 JPS). Now I will scream like a woman in labor, gasping
breathlessly (Isa_42:13-14 JPS). With: (YHWH) is not a man that He should
be capricious; nor a Son of man that He should change His mind (Num_23:19
JPS). The first states that YHWH is a man of war; the second that YHWH
wails like a woman in labor - but YHWH is neither mortal man, nor woman, it
is metaphoric. There is also a Persian connection in Nehemiah: all who know
enough to understand, join with their noble brothers and take an oath with
sanctions to follow the Teaching of Elohim, given through Moses the servant of
Elohim, and to observe carefully all the Commandments of YHWH Adonenu /
MarYah Maran, His rules and Laws (Neh_10:29-30 MT/Peshitta Tanakh).
Persia and Babylon are neighboring countries. Persians speak a similar but not
identical Aramaic dialect whose influence is apparent even in Hebrew, here the
Hebrew Adonenu was translated into the Aramaic Maran. Understanding these
matters is important since YHWH Commands that we do not take His Name in
vain, (Exo_20:7). That we honor and revere His Set Apart Name (Mal_1:6).
That we sanctify His Name (Isa_29:23). That, My name is great among the
nations (Mal_1:11). Hundreds of verses tell of His Great Name. His Name and
identity is in Yshua who said, I have come in the name of my Father Joh_5:43.

Jude 1:9

3) Scholars suggest that this phrase Accuser contended about the body of
Moshe was part of an oral tradition that was later weaved into an apocryphal
20


pseudepigraphical work called The Assumption of Moshe. The tradition may have
arisen because of the two men named Joshua; Joshua the son of Nun and Joshua
the son of Yehozadak, that connect Moshes death scene in Deu_34:1-12, with the
quotation in Zechariah.

4) YHWH rebuke you is the proper way to cast out demons, speaking our own
words risks engaging demons and giving them permissions. YHWH rebuke you
is quoted from Zec_3:1. The Hebrew gaar (rebuke) is also used this way in
Mal_3:11 where YHWH says, I will gaar (rebuke) the devourer for your sakes.
The Hebrew Scriptures mention several classes of demons such as seirim and
shedim. In Lev_17:7 the Israelites sacrificed to seirim (hairy beings or satyrs)
also found in Isa_13:21; Isa_34:14 and 2Ch_11:15. The Israelites sacrificed to
shedim (demons) Deu_32:17 and Psa_106:37. Some Bible translations obscure
the meaning of seirim and shedim leading many Jews and Christians to believe
that demons are not mentioned in the Hebrew Tanakh. Jewish and Christian
traditions also obscure vital Scriptural elements of understanding the spiritual
realm and knowing how to deal with demons. Rabbinical Judaism tries to defeat
demons by religious traditions, prayer and keeping Torah, but not understanding
the Kingdom of Heaven or knowing Mashiyach has left many souls exposed and
vulnerable. The lower worlds (demons) created religious pride, elitism,
discrimination, ego, sectarianism, and the pride of cultural identity to entrap souls
in religious identity strongholds. The Christian world thinks along the lines of
Dualism which comes from paganism. Dualism views YHWH as a Good God
and the Devil as an evil god, and the two are at war with each other. In reality,
YHWH is Echad (One), Master over all good and evil. YHWH sends the angel
of death or the destroyer or slaughterer in Exo_12:23 killing the firstborn
sons. Scripture shows YHWH over all and in control of the demonic realm, And
it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from Elohim (1Sa_18:10).
YHWH has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all of your prophets (1Ki_22:23).
YHWH has mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof (Isa_19:14). The
story of Job sheds insight, And YHWH said to Satan, he is in your power; but
save his life (Job_2:6). YHWH permits haSatan to only go so far. YHWH is the
Lifegiver to the spirit realm. Paul writes, Elohim will send upon them the
strength of a deception that they may believe a lie (2Th_2:11). Yshua says
Many will say to me in that day, My master, my master! By your name, have we
not prophesied? And by your name have we cast out demons? And by your name
have we done many miracles? And then I will profess to them that from
everlasting, I have not known you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity
(Mat_7:22-23). Demons dont prefer one religion over another, whether Judaism,
Christianity, New Age, Evolutionism etc., what they want is control and authority
over YHWHs people.

Jude 1:14

6) We have witnessed an early influence of this Epistle, and we know that Jude
was fully accepted on the Roman lists by the year 170, but an alleged problem
21


shows itself when this Epistle is discussed. Specifically that Jude references two
apocryphal books: "But Michael, the chief messenger, when he disputed with the
devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him
but said, 'YHWH rebuke you'" (Jud_1:9). "And about these also Enoch, in the
seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold YHWH came with
many thousands of His Set Apart ones" (Jud_1:14). The books quoted from were
in circulation during the First Century; therefore, Jude could have also written his
letter during this time. The quotation lends credence to that time period as it
would have preceded rabbinic rulings of the late First Century that fixed the
Jewish canon. Also, the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal a wide variety of books not
officially canonized by Jews that nevertheless found strong adherents. Therefore,
Jude was merely referring to stories he knew his audience would be familiar with.
However, the final nail in the coffin comes with the help of Shaliach Paul: "For
in him it is we live and move and exist: as one of your own wise men has said:
From him is our descent" (Act_17:28). "Be not deceived; Evil stories corrupt
well-disposed minds" (1Co_15:33). One of them, a prophet of their own, said,
"The Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies" (Tit_1:12). Each of these
passages quotes a Pagan poet! 1 Corinthians is drawing straight out of a play by
Menander; Titus is a verbatim phrase lifted out of the poems of Epimenides, and
the quote from Acts was so frequently used by Greek poets as to make a listing of
them cumbersome and unnecessary! Has anyone then said Acts, Titus or 1
Corinthians should be excluded because they draw from sources that were not
themselves ultimately canonized? Certainly not! Obviously both Jude and Paul
knew something about the contemporary culture of those whom they were
addressing, and they simply used this knowledge to make a point. Perhaps this
indicates why the writings of Jude were rejected by some communities, while
simultaneously enjoying widespread acceptance and influence by others from a
very early date.

4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will read)

5) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (Rebellion often
begins with people who have the credentials of righteousness, like Korah. But
what makes a rebellion apart from YHWH is when the rebels put authority on
themselves, rather than YHWHs Words or Will. YHWH had clearly chosen
Moshe and confirmed that choice in the last Torah portion when Miriam and
Aaron rebelled. Nevertheless, these men thought they knew better, to their
destruction.)

6) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion
(Read portions of Religious Leaders, p. 938-942).




22


STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK FOR THIS
PORTION:

1) How is one statement in this Torah portion the opposite of a popular song
sung at Pesach?

2) Where in this Torah portion do we see a line that might be a clue as to what
the original Hebrew text might have looked like before the Masoretes
standardized the text and added vowel markings?

3) In this Torah portion also there is a hidden clue that will later relate to
Hanukkah. Where is that clue?

4) The Rabbis credit Samuel with doing something very important that is not
mentioned in the Scripture. What is it?

5) There are five surprising connections about Yehudah, the writer of the Epistle
that generally are not taught frequently. Four of these connections come
straight out of Scripture; the other is a part of ancient legend. What are these
five connections? (No I am NOT talking about him being Yshuas brother!)

Torah Thought for the Week:
Hey Jude: Take a Sad Song, and Make it Better


This is the one time during the year that our NT spotlight shines on the entire Epistle of
Yehudah because he is the only writer who directly mentions the Korah rebellion. As we
saw in our previous discussion, Yehudah seems to be particularly concerned about all
forms of rebellion from Abba YHWH and His Torah, whether great or small, but what
about Yehudah the man? What can Scripture and the most reliable traditions tell us about
this enigmatic brother of Yshua?

I have often delved into the mystery of recovering Yshuas early years, the so-called 18
lost years and of course much of what we can say in terms of general background that
informs us on Yshuas childhood would equally apply to Yehudah.

We know also that Yehudah is either the youngest (Matthew 13:55) or second youngest
(Mark 6:3) brother, as it was customary to list sibling names in birth order. Another
possibility is that Yehudah and Shimon (who switch places) were twins and therefore the
same age. Still another possibility lies with the moral judgments of Gospel eyewitnesses
and writers, and we will talk about that aspect later on.

Growing up in the Galilee in the first century was not easy. The money was little and the
taxes were high. Between paying food and monetary taxes to Herod Antipas and to Rome
directly, a working class person might lose almost 40% of his income. If you worked in a
trade like fishing, your boats and your other equipment had fees and taxes levied against
23


them as well. But after a while, just during the time Yshua and his brothers were
growing up, a leader arose in Galilee whose battle cry could best be summed up as Read
my lipsno new taxes!

His name was also Yehudahor Judas the Galilean. This Yehudah raised an army and
led a deadly insurrection against the Romans. It was a blood soaked preview to the doom
that awaited the entire nation later in that century.

In the common year 6, Yshua is about 10 years old and we have no firm ideas as to how
old Yehudah and the other brothers would have been except that they were YOUNGER
brothers, and not siblings from a previous marriage of Josephs as the Catholics claim.
Maryam, most certainly, did not die a virgin.

In any case, this rebellion took a while for Rome to crush. After defeating the rebels, the
Romans pursued them relentlessly back to their home baseSephorrisa city only 4
miles away from Nazareth. The city was burned to the ground and thousands died.
Yshua and Yehudah would have witnessed the Romans coming through their home area.

They would have smelled the smoke and seen the flames, along with the vanquished
rebels writhing in agony. It was a lesson both of them would eventually draw on in their
teachings: Rebellion can lead to a fiery end, and this applies even though neither of them
would have literally put the Romans in the role of a righteous judge. The event though
was so devastating it was recorded both by the historian Josephus and by Luke, and I
must believe it had a powerful impact on Yehudah himself.

But Yehudah didnt grow up in a vacuum. He had four other brothers and at least two
sisters growing up with him. Their father Joseph must have struggled to get by as a
carpenter (tekton in Greek, nagara in Aramaic) which really included a lot more than
just woodworking. Ironically though, the rebellion that scarred Yehudahs childhood
would, in a way, fuel a kind of family comeback.

Sephorris was too good a location for the Romans to let lay fallow. It was in a highly
strategic place for all sorts of trade in the region. It also had a thriving community of
both Jews and Gentiles living side by side. And so it was that the local ruler, again Herod
Antipas, took it upon himself to rebuild Sephorris with Roman permission.

In no time at all a magnificent new city arose, and with it came what we would only term
today as shovel ready projects. Antipas would need as many craftsmen from the local
area as he could find to help rebuild the city, and that meant a lot of new jobs for folks
like Yosef and Sons Carpentry. It is therefore more than likely that both Yshua and some
of his younger brothers assisted their father Joseph on this project, and it also would have
been the first time any of these boys would have come into contact with Gentiles. And so
another piece of Yehudahs childhoodand a very influential oneis recovered from
the wider historical record.

24


When Yehudah became a man, he seems to have opposed Yshuas ministry at first. The
Gospels speak of Yshuas brothers as a monolithic block of opposition. In Mark 3:21
Yshuas brothersprobably including Yehudahtried to get Mashiyach locked up
for being insane. The rejection of his family caused Yshua to make a number of caustic
comments including saying that those who were obedient of Abba YHWH were his
real family and that families will be divided two against three and three against two
for my sake.

Then, in Yochanan 7, those rebellious brothers of his were at it again, encouraging
Yshua to make a public spectacle of himself at Sukkot in the hopes he will get arrested!
Yehudah either was part of that plan or at minimum did nothing to stop it. Some of this
animosity to Yshua may have come from his abandonment of the family business during
the lost years because the Gospels speak of Yshua being raised in Galilee and then
subsequently returning that region just before the ministry begins.

As the years went on, it is almost certain that Yehudah would have faced another
challenge. He would have watched his older brother Yaakov who probably had held the
family together during the time that Yshua was away, switched sides.

In order to become the leader of the Jerusalem Beit Din, Yaakov had to establish himself
as a believer with solid credentials to lead. All Yehudah could do was watch from the
sidelines and probably lament that his whole family seemed to be falling apart over this
Messiah thing. His lament would have intensified as he saw all of Yaakovs beautiful
Torah educationwhich clearly was extensiveget wasted on the other side.

And yet, we also know somehow Yehudah did make a major change. More than
becoming a solid believer and leader in his own right, this man may have developed a
level of humility that rivaled that of his brother Yaakov.

The reason I say this is because when Yaakov introduces himself he doesnt mention his
family connections at all, but the apostle Paul has done this for him (Galatians 1:9). In
almost the same way, Yehudah has downplayed his family to, content to be called the
brother of Yaakov rather than the brother of our Master Yshua.

But in the Aramaic traditions of this text we get another insightful clue that affirms this
connection. At the end of the most ancient Aramaic copies of Yehudah is this statement:
End of the letter of Yehudah the Shaliach, the brother of Yaakov and Yosef.

The reason this reference is so important is that its the only one I am aware of that
mentions the 3
rd
brother of Yshua, Yosef outside of the Gospels, and the fact that Yosef
might even be delivering this epistle personally also speaks to his conversion of character
into the Set-Apart faith about his half-brother, Yshua. This is possible because none of
the usual suspects are mentioned (Tertius, Shila, Timothy, etc.).

Furthermore, apostles did not deliver their own mail, but sent their letters through the
hands of trusted intermediaries. But only with the brothers of Yshua and with
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Yochanans letters are those same reliable couriers not mentioned, and the question is,
why?

Recall that Yochanan was charged with taking care of Yshuas mother Maryam when he
saw his Master on the stake. Yochanan then, along with his new extended family of
Yaakov and Yehudah, may have used the same family courier who could have visited
Yochanan in Ephesus and later Patmos for one time and from there that same courier
hooked up with the other two leaders from Yshuas family.

If thats true, neither Yaakov nor Yehudah would have delivered these letters and the
last brother, Shimon, as we are about to see, may be the least faithful of all the siblings
and therefore least likely to deliver a letter. That leaves the 3
rd
brother, Yosef, and that
may also be why he is mentioned at the end of the Epistle. (Get back, Joe, Joe!)

And that leaves only the last brother to account for: Shimon. The common saying in
scholarship goes to avoid arguments from silence generally and as a matter of process I
agree with that.

Nevertheless, three things should be discussed about Shimon. First Yshuas choice of
successor, Shimon Bar Yonah or Peter, might have something to do with replacing the
brother he knew could be lost to him for the rest of Yshua life in addition to the good
things about Peters character that are directly mentioned in places like Matthew 16.

Second of course is the fact that Shimon is the only brother whose name appears nowhere
in the rest of the NT or NT manuscript tradition at the end of various books, as the other
three brothers clearly do.

Third, there has always been something in the Gospels that has puzzled me for many
years that I finally may have a plausible answer for, and it is the list of Yshuas siblings
given in the Gospels

(Mat 13:55) Is this not the son of the carpenter, his mother is called Maryam, and
his brothers Ya'akov and Yoseh and Shimon and Yehuda?" (Mat 13:56) "And
his sisters,
164
behold, are they not all with us? From where, thus, did all these
things come to this man?"

(Mar 6:3) "Is this not the carpenter, the son of Maryam and the brother of
Ya'akov and of Yoseh and of Yehuda and of Shimon?" And, "Behold aren't
his sisters here with us and they were offended at him."

Why the two different orderings of siblings? Why does Matthew record them as Yaakov,
Yoseh, Shimon and Yehudah while Mark says Yaakov, Yoseh, Yehudah and Shimon?
Why is Shimon 3
rd
in the list in Matthew and 4
th
or last in the list in Mark?

The normal Jewish tradition is to order siblings in the order of their birth, which is I
suspect what Matthew did here. Yehudah is the youngest brother, which concords well
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with the general opinion that he served well after the time his eldest brother Yaakov was
martyred in 62 CE.

But occasionally the birth order rule is broken, and that happens with respect to kings.
There were a few instances, for example, where a younger sibling is mentioned before
and older one because he got to be king and his older brother did not. Over time, this
process could have influenced Mark to perhaps put the siblings of Yshua, not in birth
order, but in order of importance, which may be why Shimon is last, because morally he
comes in last. Such makes further sense when we consider long standing and well
established Eastern and Western tradition that Mark is taking dictation from Keefa (Peter)
who most certainly could have made that kind of moral judgment, perhaps thinking about
his own failures as another man also named Shimon in the process.

The question is, if this is true, does Shimon the brother of Yshua being last morally
mean he never came to faith at all or does it simply mean his faith was least of all among
the siblings? Well, if the minor indulgence of two Beatles references is tolerated up until
now, allow me to offer a hopeful speculation to the more positive possibility based on the
words of another Shimonthe one who sang with Art Garfunkel these words

And the sign said, The words of the Prophets are written on the subway walls
and tenement halls

And

Yshua loves you more than you will knowwhoa, whoa, whoa. Yah bless you
please Mrs. Robinson, heaven holds a place for those who pray. Hey, hey, hey.

And so may it be that all of Yshuas family finally, at the end of all things, came to
proper understanding of who their immediate relative Yshua both was and is because

The minute, you let Yshua come in
Then you begin
To make it better

Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week!

Next week we will be exploring Chukkat, or Numbers 19:1-22:1. Our Haftorah portion
will be Judges 11:1-33 and our Renewed Covenant portion will be Yochanan 3:1-21!
Stay tuned!