1 RECOGNITION THE MESSIANIC PROPHECY BIBLE PROJECT http

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RECOGNITION THE MESSIANIC PROPHECY BIBLE PROJECT http: //www. messianicbible. com www. hearoisrael. org HEAR O ISRAEL SHEEPFOLD GLEANINGS WRITTEN BY JULIE PARKER www. sheepfoldgleanings. com MESSIANIC ISRAEL ALLIANCE http: //www. messianicisrael. com AZAMRA TORAH FOR OUR TIME – RABBI AVRAHAM GREENBAUM http: //www. azamra. org 2

BO “Go” TORAH: Exodus 10: 1 -13: 16 HAFTARAH: Jeremiah 46: 13 -28 B’RIT CHADASHAH: Luke 2: 22 -24, John 19: 31 -37 All scripture references: The Scriptures 1998+ unless otherwise noted 3

BO And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, so that I show these signs of Mine before him, (Exodus 10: 1 ) “Bo” has two slightly different spellings in Scripture depending on where you look. Here it is spelled simply “Beit-aleph” and means “come”, “enter”, “come with”, “bring near”, “go out”, “go”, or as translated here “go in”. The letters in “Bo” (beit = 2, aleph = 1) have the combined numerical value of “ 3”. Seven is the number of spiritual perfection or completeness, three is the number of a divine perfection or completeness. Yahshua spent three days and nights in the grave; which as he said, was the “sign of Yonah” given to that generation, who spent three days and nights in the belly of the great fish (Yonah 1 & 2). B‟nei Yisra‟el was separated from Mitzrayim by darkness for three days. They were also commanded to separate themselves completely from Mitzrayim by a journey of three days into the wilderness, in 4 order to make offerings to יהוה , according to Shemot 3: 18.

GIMMEL is equal to the number three and is said to denote kindness. It is a form of the word ‘gamol’, meaning ‘to nourish until completely ripe’, or ‘to bring to maturity’. From this notion comes the expression gemilut chessed – an act of great kindness. The pictograph for GIMMEL is a camel and echoes the word for camel, ‘gamal’. which symbolises the gamol chessed – performer of kindness, as it carries with it the burdens of life on its journey through the desert, equipped with sustenance to help those travelling with it. Its name comes from the word ‘to wean’ and ‘a nursing infant’, signifying its independence as well as its need for nourishment. In Hebrew thought and teaching it is referred to as a “bridge”. A bridge between events, people and opinions. The literal meaning of the word “gimmel” is “to deal out” or “give out”. This is a picture of Yeshua the one who gave of Himself to re-establish the bridge between the Father and us. It also represent the third person in the Godhead the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father, helping us over the bridge (Yeshua) to the Father. 5

8 TH PLAQUE And Mosheh and Aharon came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus said יהוה Elohim of the Heb rews, ‘Till when shall you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they serve Me. ‘Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, see, tomorrow I am bringing locusts within your borders. ‘And they shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one is able to see the land. And they shall eat the rest of what has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. ‘And they shall fill your houses, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Mitsrites, which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day. ’ ” …Pharaoh then called for Mosheh and Aharon in haste, and said, “I have sinned against יהוה your Elohim and against you. “And now, please forgive my sin only this once, and pray to יהוה your Elohim, that He would only turn away this death from me. ”. . (Exodus 10: 3 -19 ) 6

LOCUST It is reported that a swarm of locust can be up to 50 million strong and climb up to 3, 000 feet (914 meters) in the air posing problems for pilots. In a National Geographic article it was reported that fifteen to thirty million adult locusts inhabit each square mile of a swarm. Depending on the wind, locust swarms can fly at some 10 to 12 miles an hour (16 to 19 kilometers an hour), traveling 80 miles (130 kilometers) or more in a single day. Another resource reported that in 1954 locusts migrated from northwest Africa to the British Isles. In 1988 they moved from West Africa to the Caribbean, covering some 3, 100 miles (5, 000 kilometers) in the period of about ten days. In 2010 Australian locust swarmed over 500, 000 square kilometers (190, 000 square miles) roughly the size of Spain. The insects weigh less than one tenth of an ounce (two grams) but eat their weight in food each day. In a day, one ton of locusts, a very small part of a swarm, consume enough food for 2, 500 people. The locust can live between three to six months, and there is a tenfold increase in locust numbers from one generation to the next. 7

ARBEH - JUDGEMENT The word translated here as “locusts” is “arbeh” (aleph-reish-beit-hey) and has several meanings; one of which is “locust” as in a “swarm of locusts” or more precisely “swarming locusts”. It also means, according to Gesenius‟ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, “floodgates”, as in the floodgates of heaven, that open up during hard rains. The locust was an attack on Anubis, the god of the fields, especially cemeteries. The letters that make up “arbeh” have the numeric value of 211 which equals; ”hei „ra‟ah” or “he has shown”, “gibor” or “mighty”, “ee‟ra” or “you fear”, “ha ber‟ad” or “the hail” and “El Pa‟al” or “El of Recompense”. The equivalent Aramaic word for “arbeh”, in the Aramaic Targum is “gova”. The word “gova” is used in Revelation 9: 1 -11, the locusts that come out of the pit. “Gova” is related to the Hebrew word “geva”, which means “height” and has the connotation of “coming down from on high” as with judgment. Then I shall repay you the years that the swarming locust (ha arbeh) has eaten, the young locust (ha yeleq), and the (chaseil) consuming locust, and the (gazam) gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you. ” Joel 2: 25 8

DARKNESS However, יהוה hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not let the children of Yisra’ĕl go. And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, and let there be darkness over the land of Mitsrayim, even a darkness which is felt. ” . . and there was thick darkness in all the land of Mitsrayim for three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, while all the children of Yisra’ĕl had light in their dwellings. (Exodus 10: 20 -23) The ninth plaque, that of darkness; a darkness that can be felt. This kind of darkness is talked about throughout Scripture. First Abram: And it came to be, when the sun was going down, and a deep sleep fell upon Ab ram, that see, a frightening great darkness fell upon him. (Genesis 15: 12 ). And, this is the same darkness mentioned at the giving of the “Ten Commandments” in . . “Do not fear, for Elohim has come to prove you, and in order that His fear be before you, so that you do not sin. ” So the people stood at a distance, but Mosheh drew near the thick darkness where Elohim was. (Exodus 20: 18 -21) 9

EVIL BEFORE YOUR FACE And he said to them, “Let יהוה be with you as I let you and your little ones go! Watch, for evil is before your face! (Exodus 10: 10 ) In the Hebrew we find the following translation: Then he said to them, “You better hope יהוה is with you because when I let you and your little one go…. . beware for RA is in front of your faces!” The word for evil in Hebrew is Ra, and Ra was a chief god of Egypt. He was the sun god, the god of light…and Pharaoh considered himself to be the son of this god. So we can see here that Pharaoh is setting forth the challenge of the Elohim of the Hebrews verses the sun god Ra! The light of Egypt verses the light of !יהוה And no wonder! For Satan himself masquerades as a messenger of light! (2 Corinthians 11: 14 ) 10

RA Ra was the ancient Egyptian sun god, and was viewed as the creator of all life. This false god was identified primarily with the noonday sun and represented light, warmth, and growth to its worshipers. It is depicted as a man with the head of a hawk, bull, ram, or solar orb, and its symbols were sometimes combined with other gods. Darkness represented the complete removal of Yahweh’s presence from the Egyptians, while the light (of His presence) continued to remain over the Children of Israel. His presence (i. e. His faithfulness) was with them. Symbol of a time to come: And the city had no need of the sun, nor of the moon, to shine in it, for the esteem of Elohim lightened it, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Revelation 21: 23 ) Darkness snuffed out life; without light life ceased. Scripture said that no one could move. They were paralyzed for those three days. Without the life support of light even the air around them was immobile, fire could not even burn. This plague was so terrible they could actually “feel” the darkness. 11

SUN WORSHIP The pattern of how worship of the sun has continued throughout history. In ancient Babylon, the kings served as high priests of the sun god, Bel-Marduk. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 ed. , the celebration of the winter solstice around December 25 was regarded as the birthday of the sun. It was a major holiday associated with giftgiving and the sacred evergreen tree. Persia was Babylon’s successor and the ancient Persian religion centred on the worship of Mithras, the god of light. The Greeks of Asia Minor identified Mithras with their ancient sun god, Helios. Then Alexander the Great travelled to Egypt to the Temple of Amon-Ra to be proclaimed by the priests as the literal son of the sun god. In 274 AD Aurelian established the sun-god as the supreme god of the Roman Empire. 12

CONTANTINE Constantine, considered Rome’s first “Christian” emperor, was himself a devotee of the sun god. The famous vision of the cross as he marched on Rome came to him from the sun. The sun appeared on most of his coins and his own statue at Constantinople bore the rayed crown of the sun-god. His coins were inscribed: “Sol Invicto Comiti” (Committed to the invincible sun). While claiming to be a “Christian”, Constantine maintained the title “Pontifus Maximus” the high priest of paganism. In 321 AD, Constantine enacted laws that all courts of justice, inhabitants of towns, and workers were to be at rest on Sun-day, doing away with the Sabbath. The term used was “the venerable day of the sun. ” The observance of Sunday (associated with sun worship), has thus worked its way right on down through the medieval period to modern times. Contrary to what we’ve been told, it was not יהוה that authorized the change from a 7 th day Sabbath to the 1 st day of the 13 week.

SUN GOD He saw himself as the sun god, he believed this so much that he had 'יהוה s Biblical lunar calendar changed to a solar calendar to have the people pay homage to him and take the focus off the God of Israel. Without God’s lunar calendar directing and guiding them, Yahweh’s people lost their heritage and their identity. They even began to see ’יהוה s celebrations as strange and foreign. The establishment of his solar calendar worked, and many were led astray into the worship of Babylonian celebrations like Christmas and Easter. Constantine even named the days of the week after Babylonian gods to have the people pay homage to the gods he worshipped. Thus we readily accept the days of the week as Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday etc. not realizing they are so named in honor of pagan gods. So don't let anyone pass judgment on you in connection with eating and drinking, or in regard to a Jewish festival or Rosh-Hodesh or Shabbat. These are a shadow of things that are coming, but the body is of the 14 Messiah. (Colossians 2: 16 -17 CJB)

DECEMBER 25 The idea to celebrate Christmas on December 25 also originated in the 4 th century. The Catholic Church wanted to eclipse the festivities of a rival pagan religion that threatened Christianity’s existence. The Romans celebrated the birthday of their sun god, Mithras during this time of year. Although it was not popular, or even proper, to celebrate people’s birthdays in those times, church leaders decided that in order to compete with the pagan celebration they would themselves order a festival in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. December 25 was chosen as the official birthday celebration as Christ’s Mass so that it would compete head on with the rival celebration. This was the Roman version of Christianity. It was polluted and mixed and filled with pagan rituals. Christmas was slow to catch on in America. The early colonists considered it a pagan ritual. The celebration of Christmas was even banned by law in Massachusetts in colonial days, not taught in most public school history classes. 15

EZEKIEL Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You are to see still greater abominations than these. ” And He brought me into the inner court of the House of יהוה. And there, at the door of the Hĕk al of יהוה , between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the Hĕk al of יהוה and their faces toward the east, and they were bowing themselves eastward to the sun. (Ezekiel 8: 15 -16 ) Ezekiel is taken through a vision to the temple of יהוה and shown many detestable things, and the MOST detestable thing was this. There are men worshiping in the temple of יהוה , but they are participating in some facet of sun worship, which causes their backs to face the ALMIGHTY !יהוה Worship of the sun in ’יהוה s own house! יהוה hates the mix in our worship. 16

DAY OF יהוה There is darkness in the “Day of ”יהוה , as in “And I shall give signs in the heavens and upon the earth: blood and fire and columns of smoke, the sun is turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of יהוה. “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the Name of יהוה shall be delivered 1. . . (Joel 2: 3032). We read Woe to you who are longing for the day of !יהוה What does the day of יהוה mean to you? It is darkness, and not light, as when a man flees from a lion, and a bear shall meet him; or entered his house, rested his hand on the wall, and a serpent shall bite him. Is not the day of יהוה darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? (Amos 5: 18 -20 ) Near is the great day of יהוה , near and hurrying greatly, the noise of the day of יהוה. Let the mighty man then bitterly cry out! That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and trouble, a day of waste and ruin, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of ram’s horn and alarm . . . “And I shall bring distress on men, and they shall walk like blind men. . their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung. ” (Zephaniah 1: 14 -17 ) 17

CALENDER CHANGE “This month is the beginning of months for you, it is the first month of the year for you. (Exodus 12: 2 ) Israel will hear the very first commandment given to corporate Israel, before the last plaque happens and it was “change your calendar”. The calendar of Egypt was based on the sun, and in dealing with this preoccupation with sun worship, יהוה commanded the Israelites to base their calendar on the moon. They were no longer to have anything to do with worshiping the sun or with the sun god, Ra. The beautiful concept of light had been so perverted by the evil one. Teaching them the truth about light will be a part of Elohim freeing His people from Pharaoh’s rule and Egypt’s influence. And He will do this by starting with the celebration of the New Moon. Based on this calendar, the events of the Passover will be remembered and celebrated each year as an everlasting ordinance! ‘And this day shall become to you a remembrance. And you shall observe it as a festival to יהוה throughout your generations – observe it as a festival, an everlasting law. (Exodus 12: 14 ) 18

FIRST MITZVAH The first mitzvah of the Torah to the Children of Israel is that of "sanctifying the month" (KIDDUSH HACHODESH). This involves counting the months of the year from Nissan, the month of redemption, and, when the Sanhedrin sits in the Land of Israel, taking testimony from witnesses who have sighted the new moon in order to declare the start of the new month. Marking time from the point at which the moon, having briefly disappeared from sight, begins to wax and grow, is a sign of constant regeneration and vitality. The sign of the crescent was taken over by Islam, but the unique power of the crescent of the new moon as a symbol of renewal is known only to the Children of Israel, who observe the commandment of Sanctifying the Month. ’יהוה s lunar calendar establishes the timing of His moedim/feast days called the paths of righteousness, an aspect of the walk of holiness He has called His people to. 19

CALENDER Most rabbis assert that this is actually the beginning of the Torah (the Instructions). In the Hebrew, verse 2 reads; “Ha chodesh hazeh lachem rosh chodesh‟im rishown hu lacham l‟chodeshe ha shaneh. ” Now, according to the rabbis, while this verse can be translated as above, there is a second possible translation; “This new moon shall be for you the head of months, it is the first month of the year. ” This understanding is supported by the following verse, verse 3, which states; “Speak to all the congregation of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this month each one of them is to take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. (Exodus 12: 3 ). Since the command for each household to take a lamb on the 10 th day, this command had to be given some days earlier. Note: יהוה does not tell Moshe and Aharon to “speak to the Children of Yisra’el” here. Yah says that this “is the beginning of the month for you (lachem)” and that this “is the first month of the year (lachem) for you”. Then, יהוה has them speak to B‟nei Yisra‟el regarding the choosing of a lamb on the 10 th day of the month. 20

ROSH CHODESH Rosh Chodesh is the Hebrew term for “New/renewed moon”. Blow the ram’s horn at the time of the New Moon, At the full moon, on our festival day. (Psalms 81: 3) Rosh Chodesh is a time to come together with other believers and “sound the shofar”! The moon is a heavenly body that cannot produce its own light. Israel also has no light of its own, but she would learn she was to be a light to the nations. On Rosh Chodesh the moon’s light breaks forth from the darkness and brings light to the world as a reminder to us of our calling and purpose. Our purpose is to bring the light of salvation to the world. We are to be reflecting the light of Torah into a dark world. For the command is a lamp, And the Torah a light 1, And reproofs of discipline a way of life (Proverbs 6: 23) 21

LIGHT Torah and Yeshua is the Living Torah! Therefore יהושע spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but possess the light of life. ” (John 8: 12) The light that we are reflecting, is the light of Torah, which is Yeshua! When we love Yeshua by keeping His commandments, we reflect that light into a dark world: “If you love Me, you shall guard My commands. (John 14: 15) Yeshua also said: “You are the light of the world. It is impossible for a city to be hidden on a mountain. “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it shines to all those in the house. “Let your light so shine before men, so that they see your good works and praise your Father who is in the heavens. (Matthew 5: 14 -16) 22

PRESENCE OF GOD Rosh Chodesh is the exact day when ’יהוה s presence filled the tabernacle: And it came to be in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the Dwelling Place was raised up. … And the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the esteem of יהוה filled the Dwelling Place. . . (Exodus 40: 17 -35) It is written in the Talmud that “anyone who blesses the New Moon is like one who receives the Shekinah (the glory)”. This is exactly what happened when the Israelites raised up the tabernacle in the desert on Rosh Chodesh! Thus every month on Rosh Chodesh, we are able to watch that little sliver of moon pierce the darkness and we are reminded of our purpose…. shine forth His light! Be renewed! “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make stand before Me, ” declares יהוה , “so your seed and your name shall stand. “And it shall be that from New Moon to New Moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, ” declares יהוה. (Isaiah 66: 22 -23) 23

THROW YOU OUT And יהוה said to Mosheh, “I am bringing yet one more plague on Pharaoh and on Mitsrayim. After that he is going to let you go from here. When he lets you go, he shall drive you out from here altogether. Exodus 11: 1 This is a parenthetical statement. As soon as Moses and Aaron had been forcefully driven out of the palace by Pharaoh, יהוה informed Moses that one more plague was forth-coming. It would be a judgment, and effectual to bring about the release of Israel, a departure that Pharaoh would actually hasten. A translation of Sforno [Chumash, Stone Edition] reads: "He shall send you [the children of Israel] as he has sent you [Moses and Aaron, when he ejected you from the palace throne room]; he shall surely thrust out all of you. " 24

DEATH OF FIRST BORN Moshe said, "Here is what Adonai says: 'About midnight I will go out into Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the slavegirl at the hand mill, and all the firstborn of the livestock. There will be a horrendous wailing throughout all the land of Egypt — there has never been another like it, and there never will be again. (Exodus 11: 46 CJB) This was the last and final plague on Egypt. The death of the firstborn was an attack on Pharaoh, the god-king. Pharaoh was considered a god, as was his firstborn son who would succeed him on the throne. In fact, the firstborn of people and animals in general were often worshipped. Pharaoh was considered an incarnation of Ra, the sun god, and Osiris, the giver of life. Because Pharaoh’s son was considered a god, when he died it was as if a god of Egypt had actually 25 died.

NISSAN Your animal must be without defect, a male in its first year, and you may choose it from either the sheep or the goats. " 'You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the entire assembly of the community of Isra'el will slaughter it at dusk. (Exodus 12: 5 -6 CJB) The month of Nissan is governed by the astrological sign of Aries (T'LEH, the Ram), called the "head" or first of the constellations, since this is when the annual "regeneration" of the world begins in springtime. The Egyptians, who were masters of astronomy and astrology, worshipped sheep (see Gen. 46: 34 and Rashi). The commandment to the Children of Israel to take young sheep, ritually slaughter and eat them, was indicative of the destruction of the Egyptian religion through the Exodus and its replacement with a completely new and revolutionary way of coming to know G-d. Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum 26

DOOR POST AND LINTEL They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame at the entrance of the house in which they eat it. That night, they are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire; they are to eat it with matzah and maror. Don't eat it raw or boiled, but roasted in the fire, with its head, the lower parts of its legs and its inner organs. Let nothing of it remain till morning; if any of it does remain, burn it up completely. " 'Here is how you are to eat it: with your belt fastened, your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand; and you are to eat it hurriedly. It is Adonai's Pesach [Passover]. (Exodus 12: 7 -11 CJB) The two doorposts represent the. Two Houses of Israel: the House of Judah and the House of Israel. They are joined together by the lintel, Yeshua, the Lamb of God, the mediator between heaven and earth. End times unity is seen here of the restoration of all Twelve Tribes. The one gate can also reflect the future “twelve gates” unified in Yeshua that lead into the New Jerusalem. The house represents the house of Yahweh and His covering, which we choose to remain in as we walk in obedience 27 to Him.

I WILL For that night, I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both men and animals; and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt; I am Adonai. (Exodus 12: 12 CJB) At Midnight, on the 14 th day of Abib, יהוה killed all the first-born in Mitzrayim, of man and beast. But, the Children of Yisra‟el, and those of the “mixed multitude”, who obeyed the instructions lived to depart Mitzrayim and the slavery of four generations, just as יהוה had first promised Avraham over 400 years earlier. Note: YHVH says; „And I shall pass through the land of Mitsrayim on that night…. ‟, the Hebrew word for “pass through” is “abar” (or “ayin-beit-reish” = eber), which also means to “pass over” which equates to “The Passover”. “Abar” in the Aramaic “And I shall be revealed in the land of Mitsrayim on that night…‟. “He” passed through not an angel” and “I and not a seraph” and “I and not a messenger”. Only יהוה , Who gives life, can take it. As we learned last week, this concept of meting out judgment to Mitzrayim, while showing mercy and salvation to Yisra‟el, are the attributes that are 28 revealed in the Name “Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey”.

MATZAH " 'This will be a day for you to remember and celebrate as a festival to Adonai; from generation to generation you are to celebrate it by a perpetual regulation. " 'For seven days you are to eat matzah - on the first day remove the leaven from your houses. For whoever eats hametz [leavened bread] from the first to the seventh day is to be cut off from Isra'el. On the first and seventh days, you are to have an assembly set aside for God. On these days no work is to be done, except what each must do to prepare his food; you may do only that. You are to observe the festival of matzah, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you are to observe this day from generation to generation by a perpetual regulation. From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day, you are to eat matzah. During those seven days, no leaven is to be found in your houses. Whoever eats food with hametz in it is to be cut off from the community of Isra'el — it doesn't matter whether he is a foreigner or a citizen of the land. Eat nothing with hametz in it. 29 Wherever you live, eat matzah. ' “(Exodus 12: 14 -20 CJB)

SYMBOLISM Bitter herbs (Exodus 12: 8) - Represent the bitterness of our slavery and bondage. Matzo - Flat unleavened bread, represents ’יהוה s pure Word pointing to our redemption and freedom from our sin. Roasted lamb - represents the Messiah Yeshua, the Savior of the World who took our death upon Himself. Easter: Man imposed Easter (by threat of death) on the people three hundred and twenty five years after Yeshua died. Yeshua never taught Easter or the celebration of it. Easter originated and was celebrated in Babylon hundreds of years before Yeshua was born. Easter is the celebration of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of fertility at the spring equinox. Eggs are a symbol of Ishtar, and were dipped in the blood of human sacrifices made to pay homage to her. Today’s practice of decorating Easter eggs originated from this tradition. 30

SIGN "Moreover, it will serve you as a sign on your hand as a reminder between your eyes, so that Adonai's Torah may be on your lips; because with a strong hand Adonai brought you out of Egypt. Therefore you are to observe this regulation at its proper time, year after year. When Adonai brings you into the land of the Kena`ani, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and gives it to you, you are to set apart for Adonai everything that is first from the womb. Every firstborn male animal will belong to Adonai. Every firstborn from a donkey, you are to redeem with a lamb; but if you choose not to redeem it, you must break its neck. But from people, you are to redeem every firstborn son. (Exodus 13: 9 -13 CJB) Part of the priestly garments was the mitre, a gold plate on the High Priest’s forehead that read “Holy unto Yahweh. ” This “sign” distinguishes the Bride in the end days; the Bride and the priesthood, and are called Holy unto יהוה when they walk in His ways and keep His feasts! (Exodus 28: 36; Revelation 20: 4) For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the 31 mortal with immortality (1 Corinthians 15: 53).

FIRST BORN. . set apart for Adonai everything that is first from the womb. Every firstborn male animal will belong to Adonai. (Exodus 13: 12 CJB) In this week‟s parsha, we see two Hebrew words that come into play here. First, the word “be‟qor” means literally “born first” and the word “peh‟ter” which means “to separate” or “first to open”. Here we see clearly the intent to set apart or separate the ones born first, just as they were first to open or separate the womb. The first-born son in the family was assigned several important functions. He was the kinsman-redeemer of family members and land that was sold, or encumbered, to satisfy debt. And also, to recover family who were captured, abducted, or sold into slavery. The stories of Judah and Tamar, and Boaz and Ruth depict the role of the firstborn head of the family as one who “raised” his replacement by fathering a child for the family. In the event of his death, the next son would marry his brother‟s wife and raise up a seed, as an heir for the dead brother. And, this was also considered a picture of the resurrection. 32

FIRST BORN RESPONSIBILITY The firstborn was also the blood avenger, if any family member had lost his life at the hand of another. He was responsible to restore family property that had been lost, taken or seized. In order to be able to respond to all these contingencies the father bestowed upon his first-born, before death, a “double portion” of his material wealth, above the other siblings. Up until then he was more like a prince. In taking full responsibility for all matters in his family, he became to his clan like a king or ruler and a servant of Elohim, as well as a judge and a guardian of Torah for the family. Avraham, for example, was instructed to command his children in the ways of righteousness according to B’reshith 18: 19. The Levites, who were given the priesthood of the firstborn, were to bestow, inspire, and be an example of “life and peace” according to Mal’aki 2: 5. But first he had to prove his faithfulness to his father and to the Torah of Elohim. Had he violated these requirements, he stood a good chance of losing this position to a younger brother, as happened with Esau and Rueben. 33

SET APART יהוה chooses His first-born according to His will and often times our heart. יהוה gave Ya‟aqob revelation and the insight to adopt Manasseh and Ephraim in order to give Yoseph a “double portion” as he would a first-born. To Yoseph, Ya‟aqob gives the blessings of multiplicity and the family priesthood. The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers. (Genesis 49: 26 NKJV). Looking at the Hebrew we get the whole story. The word used for “separated” is “na‟zir” (Strong‟s #5139) meaning “consecrated”, “dedicated” or “set-apart one” and is the root for Nazarite. Yoseph was set-apart and given the “priesthood” according to the order of the Melek Tzaddik (first-born, righteous king). Shim‟on Kepha tells us in Kepha Aleph 2: 4 -5; Drawing near to Him, a living Stone – rejected indeed by men, but chosen by Elohim and precious – you also, as living stones, are being built up, a spiritual house, a set-apart priesthood, to offer up spiritual slaughter offerings acceptable to Elohim through Yahshua Messiah. 34

DONKEY So, what about the donkey thing? Elohim killed the first-born throughout Mitzrayim; but, by the blood of the lamb, ransomed the first-born of Yisra‟el. He then instructs us, that the first-born of the animals are His, except that we are to ransom the first-born of the donkeys, or asses, with a lamb. The obvious in comparing men and asses as donkeys are a picture of us; and here‟s how. The Hebrew word used here for “donkey” is “cham‟or” (Strong‟s #2543) literally meaning “ass”, also “troubled” or “in turmoil”. “Cham‟or” is spelled “chet-mem-reish”. “Chet” means “fear”, “mem” means “water” or “fountain of Wisdom” and “reish” means “head” or “beginning”; showing us that fear (or reverence) of the water (the washing of the Word) is at the “beginning” of our relationship to Elohim. In other words, these donkeys represent those who have fear (or reverence) of the Word. Our turmoil, then, is to understand learn it. These are as “first-born” who are ransomed. Those who don‟t care for the Word are not ransomed and their necks are broken. So, being an ass isn‟t always a bad thing. 35

יהוה PROVIDES FOR HIS DONKEY יהוה repeats this ransom, or redeeming of the first-born command 18 times in the Torah. He called Yisra‟el His first-born in Shemot 4: 22; And you shall say to Pharaoh, „Thus said יהוה , “Yisra‟el is My son, My firstborn, ” And we see For thus said יהוה , . . For I shall be a Father to Yisra’ĕl, and Ephrayim – he is My first-born. “Hear the word of יהוה , O gentiles, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Yisra’ĕl gathers him, and shall guard him as a shepherd his flock. ’ “For יהוה shall ransom Yaʽaqob , and redeem him from the hand of one stronger than he. (Jeremiah 31: 7 -11). Ya‟aqob indeed gave the “first-born” blessing to Ephraim over Manasseh, when he adopted them from Yoseph. He set Ephraim apart, made him “na‟zir”, just as he had done for Yoseph. Ephraim sinned and led the whole of the Northern Kingdom into idolatry. It was Elohim who instructed and guided Ya‟aqob to bless Yoseph and then Ephraim with the priesthood of Melek Tzadik, He provided the “Lamb” for the redemption of His first-born donkey, just as he did for all Yisra‟el, His first-born, in Mitzrayim. 36

TODAY Today the world is witnessing cataclysmic, earth-shaking events. Natural disasters and man-made catastrophes have been wracking the earth with uncanny frequency in recent years. But today's leaders, both the democratically elected variety and the dictatorial are not the same as Pharaoh. Nor are today's wise men - the pundits and scientists and scholars - the same as the wise men and magicians of Pharaoh's day. The last thing that any of today's cultured classes want to admit of is evidence of the "finger of " יהוה behind all the turmoil. Natural disasters have their sources in cold scientific fact, and when those facts are stretched to the breaking point then the finger is pointed at man as the source of nature's breakdown: • Pollution and overpopulation; • Abuse of the planet's natural resources have set the very immutable laws of nature awry. Political and social upheaval? They are the result of past and present colonialism and economic injustice. Our greatest minds tell us so. 37

CONSPIRACY THEORY Nobody can deny that there is some substance to all these explanations. After all, even Pharaoh's necromancers were able to turn the Nile to blood. Like today's soothsayers, Pharaoh also wanted to believe that all phenomena, no matter how powerfully devastating and directed, are basically explainable and explicable. If whisperers of enchantments can recreate the plagues of Egypt, no matter how self destructive that recreation may be, then this is a great comfort. If we can explain what is happening all around us via our intellect then we don't need to search for a greater or more searing answer. Then we don't need to search our hearts. And when all else fails, when science and reason cannot explain the unexplainable, then we, the ever-clever thinking human beings can always find comfort in that last great refuge: the conspiracy theory. Equipped with its own self-serving circular logic and the usual array of guilty parties, the conspiracy theory will weather even our greatest fleeting moments of true doubt and contrition. No doubt it was the power of the conspiracy theory that enabled Pharaoh to bounce back after each and every plague and dig in his feet once again and deny that there is a יהוה in the world. 38

GOD’S CHILDREN While יהוה was raining destruction down upon Egypt, He was simultaneously communicating with His people, giving them instruction. He told them to be ready to relate the wonders He was working to their children and their children's children for all time. (Exodus 10: 2) He told them to take note of the new moon and to use it to take control of time and thereby take control of their own destiny. (ibid 12: 2) He told each household to acquire a lamb and to be ready to slaughter and eat it, in what would be the most extreme and outrageously politically incorrect act of their day - the "P" word - the korban Pesach, (Passover offering). (ibid 12: 3) He told them to take the blood from the Pesach lamb and to paint their doorposts red, so that they would no longer see themselves as being just like everyone else, but as being special and in possession of a יהוה given mission. (ibid 12: 7) And the most miraculous thing happened, in fact the only miraculous thing: They listened. Because Israel took up 'יהוה s great challenge to team up with Him and change the world forever, His efforts were not in vain, and His presence was revealed in the world and acknowledged by all. 39

MOSES VS יהוה Moses was the greatest of all prophets, but he was still "the MAN Moses". Moses could say that the first-born would be smitten "ABOUT Midnight" (Ex. 11: 4). But יהוה alone could make the plague actually happen "AT midnight" (Ex. 12: 29) -- at the exact moment. יהוה alone is the "hero" of the Exodus. "And I shall pass through [Targum = I shall be revealed in] the land of Egypt on this night" (Ex. 12: 12) -- "I and not an Angel; I and not a Saraf; I and not a messenger. " (from the Seder Night Haggadah, commenting on "And I shall pass through / be revealed"). The whole purpose of the Exodus was not to glorify a man or a nation, but to reveal יהוה 's absolute power over all creation. As Moses reminded the people forty years later, at the end of his ministry. (Deuteronomy 7: 6 -10) 40