Nisan 10, 5763 /
April 12, 2003
Nisan 10, 5766 / April 8, 2006
Nisan 10, 5769 / April 4, 2009
Nisan 8, 5772 / Mar 31, 2012
Nisan 8, 5775 / Mar 28, 2015
Nisan 8, 5778 / Mar 24, 2018
Nisan 7, 5781 / Mar 20, 2021
Beha alotekha / When you
arrange
SCRIPTURES
should be read first
Menorah
(Numbers 8:3)
There are seven golden lamps, shaped something like teapots, that rest upon the
branches of the golden menorah (lampstand). The three lamps on the left
face right, and the three lamps on the right face left; so that all six branch
lamps face the center lamp, which faces forwards. Each lamp has a hinged lid,
which is opened for filling and cleaning; and each has a spout with a wick in
it, which is lit with a flame.
Golden Menorah in Jerusalem, made for the anticipated Third Temple [Photo by DDD
2000]
(Zechariah 4)
Here we see a vision of a golden menorah. There is a bowl at the top, with
seven spouts to pour oil into the seven lamps. Then there are two olive trees,
each with a branch toward the menorah. From these two branches are two golden
pipes, from which the two olive trees pour, from themselves, golden oil into the
bowl. We are told that the olive trees represent “two anointed ones”.
(Revelation
11) Here we see, in the future, the Temple of God. In it are two golden
menorot (pl. of menorah), and two olive trees. We are told that the olive
trees represent “two witnesses”.
From our
previous Passover Seders, we may remember that men are anointed for three
reasons: to be King of Israel, Prophet of Jerusalem, or Priest of the Most High
God. From this, it may be deduced that the two olive trees of Zechariah
represent Messiah (anointed) Priest and Messiah Prophet, standing next to the
menorah, of which the shamish (the center lamp of the menorah) represents
the Messiah King – Yeshua. The two “anointed ones”, or “witnesses”, may refer to
Moses as Priest, and Elijah as Prophet, representing of the Torah and the
Prophets. This seems to fit well with Paul’s statement that the Law and the
Prophets witnessed to Yeshua (Romans 3:21-22).
The
Passover Offering
(Numbers 9) “And
they prepared the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, between
noon and sunset, in the Wilderness of Sinai; according to all that Yahweh
commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.”
The Passover
(lamb) is to be slain and roasted on the fourteenth day of the month, between
noon and sunset. It is then to be eaten between sunset and midnight, which is
the first six hours of the fifteenth day of the month. It is to be eaten with
unleavened breads and bitter herbs, at the beginning of the Feast of the
Unleavened Breads. The Biblical name of this first feast is the Feast of the
Unleavened Breads, not “Passover”. It is the first of the three “Feasts of
Yahweh” (Exodus 20:22).
There are
several reasons for confusion about this verse. Firstly, in Torah, “the
Passover” (pesach) always refers to the sacrifice – the lamb, not to a
festival. Secondly, Old English translations that use the phrase “keep the
Passover”, instead of “prepare the Passover”, lead many to the misunderstanding
of observing a festival on the fourteenth. Thirdly, people who are unaware that
all of the sacrifices were performed at the Temple, partly by the priests,
within a couple of hours, sometimes teach that Sadducees (or other groups)
performed this at different times.
Not only was
the time specified, but the preparation of the Passover lamb had to be
“according to all of its rites”, which are found in various parts of Torah.
Hebrew explanation of Torah references – from Talmud
Pesachim 66a: (Soncino Talmud)
“What
is written in the Torah: Let the children of Israel PREPARE THE PASSOVER
SACRIFICE in its APPOINTED TIME, . . .” (Emphasis added.)
Pesachim 58a
Mishnah: “The afternoon tamid (offering) . . . on the eve of Passover
it is slaughtered at seven-and-a half hours (1:30 PM) and offered at
eight-and-a-half hours (2:30) PM, whether it is a week day or a Sabbath.
If the eve of the Passover fell on Sabbath eve (Friday), it is
slaughtered at six-and-a-half hours (12:30 PM) and offered at
seven-and-a-half hours (1:30 PM), and THE PASSOVER OFFERING AFTER IT.”
(Emphasis added.)
Gemara: “Whence do we know it? -- Said R. Joshua b. Levi, Because
Scripture saith, The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the
other lamb shalt thou offer between the two evenings, which gives
two-and-a half hours before and two-and-a half hours after and one hour
for ITS PREPARATION (2:30 - 3:30 PM).”
Yevamot 71b Footnote 4: (Soncino Talmud)
“.
. . at the TIME of the PREPARATION of the PASCHAL LAMB . . .”
(Emphasis added.)
Yevamot 71b Footnote 10:
“Between
the PREPARATION and the EATING of the Paschal lamb.”
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Note that,
while English versions may be confusing, the Hebrew, and the Temple practice,
was very specific. So, just what was the point?
When Yeshua
perfectly fulfilled every aspect of the Seder, and exactly at the prescribed
time, everyone should have recognized who He was, and what was happening. The
entire Seder is now to be performed “In remembrance of Me” (Yeshua). Each act
teaches us, and reminds us yearly, of something we need to keep in remembrance
about Yeshua.
(Numbers 9:6)
Since one must be clean to offer at the Temple, a question arose about those who
were unavoidably unclean, or detained out-of-town.
This is the
only rite that is of such importance that one may have a "second chance".
Without observing the Feast of the Unleavened Breads, no subsequent Temple
festival may be observed – as one is excommunicated. This is a picture:
redemption is foundational to all subsequent phases of salvation.
Nisan 14: Day of Preparation of the
Passover Lamb
Date Yeshua was crucified
Nisan 15: First day of
Feast of the Unleavened Breads
(Holy Day)
Start day (in evening) with Passover Seder
to celebrate the redemption of the Bride from sin
Nisan 16: Day to wave a lamb with an omer
loaf of barley
Start counting down fifty days to
betrothal
Nisan 21: Seventh day of Feast of the
Unleavened Breads (Holy Day)
Sivan 6: Feast of
Weeks / Day of the Firstfruits (Holy Day)
Celebrate betrothal of Messiah and
Bride
Tishrei 1: Day of Trumpeting
(Holy Day)
Hear shout of archangel, last trump:
rehearse Yeshua’s return for Bride
Tishrei 10: Day of the Atonements
(Holy Day)
Purification of the Bride
Tishrei 15: First day of
Feast of Tabernacles
(Holy Day)
Marriage supper of the Lamb
Tishrei 21: Seventh day of Feast of
Tabernacles
Tishrei 22: Eighth Day Assembly
(Holy Day)
Celebrating the eternal dwelling of
Messiah and Bride
Readings:
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who chose us from among all peoples by
giving us Your Torah.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
Reader 1*
Amen. 1
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to Aaron and say to him,
'When you mount the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in the front of the
lampstand.'" 3 Aaron therefore did so; he mounted its lamps at the
front of the lampstand, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 4 Now
this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base
to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern which Yahweh had
showed Moses, so he made the lampstand.
Reader 2*
Amen. 5
Again Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 6 "Take the Levites from among
the sons of Israel and cleanse them. 7 "Thus you shall do to them,
for their cleansing: sprinkle purifying water on them, and let them use a razor
over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they will be clean. 8
"Then let them take a bull with its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil;
and a second bull you shall take for a sin offering. 9 "So you shall
present the Levites before the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the
whole congregation of the sons of Israel, 10 and present the Levites
before Yahweh; and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites.
11 "Aaron then shall present the Levites before Yahweh as a wave offering
from the sons of Israel, that they may qualify to perform the service of Yahweh.
12 "Now the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls;
then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for an elevation offering to
Yahweh, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 "You shall have the
Levites stand before Aaron and before his sons so as to present them as a wave
offering to Yahweh.
Reader 3*
Amen. 14
"Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the
Levites shall be Mine. 15 "Then after that the Levites may go in to
serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and present them as a wave
offering; 16 for they are wholly given to Me from among the sons of
Israel. I have taken them for Myself instead of every first issue of the womb,
the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17 "For every firstborn
among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the
day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them
for Myself. 18 "But I have taken the Levites instead of every
firstborn among the sons of Israel. 19 "I have given the Levites as a
gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the
service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on
behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of
Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary."
Reader 4*
Amen. 20
Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel to the
Levites; according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the
Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. 21 The Levites, too,
purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them
as a wave offering before Yahweh. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse
them. 22 Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service
in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons; just as Yahweh had
commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them. 23 Now
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 24 "This is what applies to the
Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform
service in the work of the tent of meeting. 25 "But at the age of
fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work any more.
26 "They may, however, assist their brothers in the tent of meeting,
to keep an obligation, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall deal
with the Levites concerning their obligations."
Reader 5*
Amen. 9:1 Thus Yahweh spoke to Moses
in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had
come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 "Now, let the sons of Israel
prepare the Passover at its appointed time. 3 "On the
fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed
time; you shall prepare it according to all its rites and according to all
its ordinances." 4 So Moses told the sons of Israel to observe
the Passover. 5 They observed the Passover in the first month, on the
fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according
to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did.
Reader 6*
Amen. 6 But there were some men who
were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover
on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 Those
men said to him, "Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we
restrained from presenting the offering of Yahweh at its appointed time among
the sons of Israel?" 8 Moses therefore said to them, "Wait, and I
will listen to what Yahweh will command concerning you." 9 Then
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10 "Speak to the sons of Israel,
saying, 'If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a
dead person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover
to Yahweh. 11 'In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight,
they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
12 'They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of
it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it. 13
'But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet neglects to observe
the Passover, that person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not
present the offering of Yahweh at its appointed time. That man will bear his
sin. 14 'If an alien sojourns among you and observes the Passover to
Yahweh, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance,
so he shall do; you shall have one statute, both for the alien and for the
native of the land.'"
Reader 7 *
Amen. 15 Now on the day that the
tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the
testimony, and in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the
tabernacle, until morning. 16 So it was continuously; the cloud would
cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 Whenever the
cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set
out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel
would camp. 18 At the command of Yahweh the sons of Israel would set
out, and at the command of Yahweh they would camp; as long as the cloud settled
over the tabernacle, they remained camped. 19 Even when the cloud
lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the sons of Israel would keep
Yahweh'S charge and not set out. 20 If sometimes the cloud remained a
few days over the tabernacle, according to the command of Yahweh they remained
camped. Then according to the command of Yahweh they set out. 21 If
sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was
lifted in the morning, they would move out; or if it remained in the daytime and
at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out.
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who in giving us Yeshua, the Living
Torah, has planted everlasting life in our midst.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
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"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who selected good prophets, delighting
in their words which were spoken truthfully.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, Who chose the
Torah, Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,
and the prophets of truth and
righteousness."
Zechariah 4:1-14
Reader 8*
Amen. 1 Then the
angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is awakened
from his sleep. 2 He said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I
see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its
seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on
the top of it; 3 also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of
the bowl and the other on its left side." 4 Then I said to the angel
who was speaking with me saying, "What are these, my lord?" 5 So the
angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what
these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." 6 Then he said to me, "This is
the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My
Spirit,' says Yahweh of hosts. 7 'What are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone
with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"
Reader 9*
Amen. 8 Also the word
of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid
the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know
that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. 10 "For who has despised the
day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line
in the hand of Zerubbabel-- these are the eyes of Yahweh which range to and fro
throughout the earth." 11 Then I said to him, "What are these two
olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?" 12 And I
answered the second time and said to him, "What are the two olive branches which
are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?"
13 So he answered me, saying, "Do you not know what these are?" And I
said, "No, my lord." 14 Then he said, "These are the two anointed
ones who are standing by Yahweh of the whole earth."
Psalm 101
(To be sung.) A Psalm of David.
1I will sing of lovingkindness and
justice, to You, O Yahweh, I will sing praises. 2 I will give heed to
the blameless way. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house in the
integrity of my heart. 3 I will set no worthless thing before my
eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not fasten its grip on
me. 4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; no one
who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure. 6 My eyes
shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; He who
walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me. 7 He who
practices deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who speaks falsehood shall
not maintain his position before me. 8 Every morning I will destroy
all the wicked of the land, so as to cut off from the city of Yahweh all those
who do iniquity.
Revelation 11:1-19
Reader 10*
Amen. 1 Then there
was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and measure
the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2
"Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it
has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for
forty-two months. 3 "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses,
and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand
before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them,
fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to
harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6 These have the power to
shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their
prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to
strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. 7 When
they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss
will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. 8 And their
dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called
Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 Those from
the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies
for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a
tomb. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and
celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets
tormented those who dwell on the earth.
Reader 11*
Amen. 11 But after
the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they
stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.
12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here."
Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.
13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city
fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were
terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is
past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly. 15 Then the seventh
angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the
world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah; and He will reign
forever and ever." 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their
thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,
"We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You
have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 18 "And the
nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be
judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints
and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who
destroy the earth." 19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was
opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were
flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a
great hailstorm.
"Blessed are You, Yahweh
our God, King of the Universe,
Rock of Ages, righteous
throughout all generations.
You are the faithful God,
promising and then performing, speaking and then fulfilling,
for all Your words are true
and righteous.
Faithful are You, Yahweh
our God, and faithful are Your words,
for no word of Yours shall
remain unfulfilled;
You are a faithful and
merciful God and King.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our
God, Who are faithful in fulfilling all Your words."
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