Behaalotekha 2011

This weeks Torah portion, Behaalotekha/When you set up covers Numbers 8:1-12:16. It is the 3rd portion of the book of Numbers/Bemidbar. 3 is the numerical value of the Hebrew letter which carries the idea of something being lifted up. It is no coincidence that this portion falls within the time frame of the celebration of the Feast of Shavuot! Shavuot is enclosed by wave offerings something that is lifted up. The counting of the omer starts upon a wave offering having been done, and upon Shavuot we see another wave offering of the bread of the first fruits. Within this portion the significance of the wave offering is seen as well! Numbers 8:2 Behaalotekha is translated in the KJV as when thou lightest. the root of this word is #5927 alah to go up, ascend, climb The way one approaches the Menorah and performs service in the Holy Place is very different from how one approaches the altar. The reason why is that it is teaching us of a process that would restore us back, grant us access, to something that had been lost. Everyone has access to the altar to bring a sacrifice, but only Levi (My heart) goes into the Holy Place to light the menorah (thats why we see the dedication of the Levites tied to the instructions for the Menorah showing the purpose of the dedication is to go in!) When was access lost to what this Menorah represents? The root of the name of this portion is alah (#5927), its closely related to #5929 aleh leaf. Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves (aleh) together, and made themselves aprons. Aprons: Strongs #2290 chagowr girdle, belt, loin covering * = fenced off place (Tabernacle), = to lift up, ascend & owr/light They attempt to ascend to the light thats found within the fenced off place/Tabernacle! This is exactly what Aaron is being told to do here in Numbers 8. But Adam & Eve attempt to gain access in the wrong manner and are removed from the fenced off place! What is the difference from how the Levites approach the light and how Adam & Eve attempted to gain access? First we need to take a side trail! Leaves for Adam & Eve lead to their being removed from the Garden and judgment ensuing. But leaves for Noah represent judgment coming to a close and his having survived it (bitter waters).

Genesis 8:11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth [was] an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. Adam & Eve use fig leaves, but Noah receives an olive leaf. Fig: Strongs #8384 teenah fig, fig tree; contains the root lie, self-deception Olive: Strongs #2132 zayith olive, olive tree; Exodus 27:20 the oil used to light the menorah is taken from the olives! *Adam & Eve cannot approach the light of the Tabernacle/intimate place because they do so in a lie, its a false light that they attempt to replace what they have lost with. So they are removed. *Noah gains access to the intimate place (Ark) and receives the proper light (olive)! How you receive the proper light is hinted at within the word olive! = weapon, sword, to cut = my = Covenant My cut is from the Covenant One who has allowed the Covenant to circumcise their flesh can gain access to the light of the intimate place! This is substantiated in Numbers 8:2 lamps shall give light over against the candlestick Over against: Strongs #4136 muwl front, in front of; from #4135 muwl to circumcise, let oneself be circumcised, be cut off Something has to be cut off/circumcised, bloodshed is required upon access being regained! When Adam & Eve attempt to regain access to the light, at that point they do so by trying to bypass this. With Noah, we see the earth itself being circumcised as all but Noah and his family are cut off. And then with the priests now in the Tabernacle we see first the altar then the Menorah in the Holy Place! *The same thing is seen in the natural as well where blood is shed during intimacy when the hymen is broken Genesis 17:13 My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant Flesh: Strongs #1320 basar flesh; from #1319 basar to bear news, show forth On the end it the letter = head, beginning The flesh bears the news, shows forth what happened at the beginning! Thats why the Covenant needs to be in our flesh its the mark that shows we are ones that are being

restored and brought back, once again allowed access to the intimate place. Now we can understand why the coverings Adam & Eve make for themselves are unfit coverings there is no bloodshed. Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did YHVH make coats of skins, and clothed them. Skin: Strongs #5785 owr skin, hide Its a play on words within the Hebrew with the term or meaning light! He is teaching Adam the proper way to regain access to the light within the intimate place! There was bloodshed required, something had to be cut off. Revelation 13:8 lamb slain from the foundation of the world *This is why Passover comes first then Shavuot. The exact same picture is seen concerning the Tabernacle Man as well! Exodus 26:14 And thou shalt make a covering for the tent [of] rams skins dyed red, and a covering above [of] badgers skins. Rams: Strongs #352 ayil

ram, strong man/leader/chief, terebinth tree

Skins: Strongs #5785 owr dyed red blood Above: Strongs #4605 maal higher part, upper part, above; from #5927 alah to go up, ascend, climb the way one approaches the light! The Tabernacle teaches us again of the strong man/Messiah who would be cut off for our sakes upon the Terebinth tree providing for us the blood covering that would allow us to alah/ascend again to the light!!

The Service of the Priests

When the Levites are being dedicated, its another clear picture that shows access to something is being restored, access that had been lost when man left the Garden of Eden. And we are taught the proper way to do this, so we dont find ourselves covered in a false light! Numbers 8:9-11 The Levites are lifted up as a wave offering. *Remember the wave offering goes hand in hand with the Festival of Shavuot! Offer: Strongs #5130 nuwph to move to and fro, wave, besprinkle Exodus 20:25 (1st reference to nuwph) And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up (nuwph) thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

Once again there is a difference in the language used concerning the altar and the language concerning the Menorah and things that take place within the Holy Place! You are commanded to alah to the menorah, yet no steps shall be ascended to the altar. The Levites become something that is waved/nuwph, yet there are restrictions concerning this same action with the altar. Hewn Stone: Strongs #1496 gaziyth a cutting, hewing *Yet these are the same types of stone used to build the house of YHVH/Temple, 1 Chronicles 22:2 and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of Yah. Breaking down gaziyth = to ascend, lift up & = Olive (olive oil used to light the menorah = light)! Youre not to ascend to the light at this point! Tool: Strongs #2719 chereb sword, knife *1st reference is Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword (chereb) which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. By attempting to ascend to the light at the altar, your nakedness becomes exposed and the sword which turns every way blocks us from gaining access Just like with Adam & Eve! But the altar becomes the place where we gain the covering that allows us to ascend; it deals with blood being shed and with our own flesh being dealt with. This same pattern is seen upon the calendar of YHVH concerning these Spring Feasts! o Passover Blood covering is provided and circumcision takes place (this is why you cant eat of the Passover without being circumcised its preparing you for what comes next) o Shavuot the wave offering is performed in preparation to ascend into the Tabernacle! Just as the sword was waved blocking access in order to protect the bedchamber, now the Bride herself becomes the one who is waved (Levites) and it is her responsibility to protect it! What is she protecting? This is the wheat harvest. Wheat: Strongs #2406 chittah wheat; gematria: 22 = 5 , 8 + 9 + there are 22 letters in the Hebrew Alephbet, the language of the Torah and our Ketubah! The bride at Shavuot is now one who is supposed to be ready to guard the Torah, hence the reason we see the Torah given to Israel at Mt. Sinai at this time!!

By looking at the numerical values/gematria the connections become even stronger between the Garden and the Tabernacle and the Feast of Shavuot! Cherub 228 = First Fruits bikkuwr 228 = *In fact Cherub and bikkuwr are spelt with the same letters in Hebrew, just in a different order! Shavuot is the offering of the first fruits, just as the dedication of the Priests deals with the first fruits. Numbers 8:18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel. Truly, the deeper meaning of Shavuot now becomes known! By celebrating Shavuot there is a transition that takes place as the Bride/Priests becomes the one who takes the place of the Cherub. *Shavuot contains the 2 letter root shuv meaning to return its about returning to the place where access had been lost and once again taking on the rightful role of the Bride who will guard the intimate place! 2 other words sharing this same gematria of 228 are Tree of Life and Light of Yah leaving no doubt that access to the light/Menorah was the same picture as access being gained to the Tree of Life! There is still one more word that carries this number molten calf/egel maccekah Its the reminder of the main reason we continue to lose access. All the firstborn were called to serve as Priests, but the molten calf got in the way! It becomes a pivotal player in the story of Shavuot how you handle it will determine whether you are the Bride who gains access back and is restored, or whether you remain on the outside looking in. Molten: Strongs #4541 maccekah a pouring, libation, molten metal, cast image, a web, covering, veil, something woven = from, out of = sukkah/Tabernacle *In order to worship the molten calf, you remove yourself from the Tabernacle/sukkah, entering under a different covering. Without the proper covering/blood atonement, the flaming sword will block your access. But for those that spend the 50 days removing all things that would represent the molten calf, they will ascend/alah Eye ( )to her ( = )His eyes would be to her, shell have a paniym al paniym /face to face encounter! And this bride will find grace in His eyes (just like Noah)!!

Shavuot is all about the restoration of the light to the Bride! Mt. Sinai on fire and the Light of YHVH in the form of His Torah is given to the people. In the upper room, Acts 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.