Ki Tissa / Ki Sisa; When You Take
In this week’s Parsha, Moshe Rabbenu is told to take a census of the people of Israel. One of the elements of the census was that every person being counted had to bring a token to be counted; a kind of early Poll Tax, some might say. Each person brought a half-shekel. This changed over the years into the Temple Tax, which was also a half-shekel. A shekel was literally a measure of silver weight of around a quarter of an ounce, or 7 grams. At today’s prices, that is around 2.70. Each person gave the same amount, regardless of their wealth or status, showing that in the eyes of The Almighty we are all the same. Some dealers sell Temple Half Shekels and these are available on the Internet (as are most things). Why not a full shekel? Because the Chassidic masters say we are each incomplete without others. Aharon (Aaron) and his sons washed their hands and their feet before entering the Mishkan. There was a sweet oil, made like the perfumers make. The Almighty in His wisdom gave us 5 senses: sight, taste, smell, touch and hearing; how many do we use in our worship of our Creator? In many traditions there are smells and bells which make worship multi-sensory; our praises are a sweet aroma to The Almighty.
The Parsha almost contains the name ben Hur; the man chosen for the construction of the Holy Place was Bezalel (or Betzalel), who was the grandson of Hur. He was chosen by The Almighty for the special task of making the Holy Place beautiful with gold, copper and silver. The Almighty says of him, I have filled him with a spirit, with wisdom insight and knowledge, and with every craft. . . There is a beautiful parallel here with the people chosen in Acts chapter 7 to serve as waiting staff for the widows and orphans. There, we are told that the Leaders said, Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. As the extension of The Almighty’s choosing and Body was happening (see Alex Jacob’s book when it is published later this year for more on this) so there was a realisation that there was more to worship than the Temple. Just as Betzalel was chosen for his obedience, so were Stephen and co.
Moshe Rabbenu makes the stunning request to The Almighty, that he should be blotted out of the Book of Life so as to save the people. This is the same sentiment as the Apostle Saul / Paul, who says at Romans chapter 9 verse 3 that, for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed cut off from the Messiah!if that would save them. This is not an idle thing, but a plea from the heart of a man whose soul intent (pun intended) was the eternal safety of the Jewish people.
We are told that the Sabbath was not just to be kept, but also to be made in verse 16 of chapter 31. Sabbath, being a creation ordinance, has an intrinsic holiness; in making it we bring that holiness into our lives and into our homes. As has often been said it is not that Jewish people have kept Sabbath, but that Sabbath has kept the Jewish people. As we read the story of Esther last week, and as we will read the account of the Exodus at Pesach, one of the different things about Jewish people is the need to keep Sabbath.
Ezekiel chapter 36 is familiar to many who are interested in telling Jewish people about Yeshua, Jewish Roots, or Christian Zionism. The prophet here tells that the Land will be restored as well as the people. We are also told the actual reason for that restoration. The reason is not that The Almighty views Jewish people as in any way special; surprisingly the restoration is not because of the promises made to the Jewish people. The reason for the Land and the people being restored is that The Almighty is jealous for His Name! The Name of The Almighty is used as a cursing word for many people, and Jewish people are maligned. We are told in many places in the Bible that The Almighty is a jealous Deity; here in Ezekiel we see how He will act and indeed is acting to restore the holiness of His Name. For centuries the Land was overrun by people who showed no love for the Land. There was little if any agriculture; the rivers dried up; there were swamps everywhere. Then, beginning in the 19th Century, Jewish people began returning to the Land in large numbers. They started cultivating the swamps, planting the shrubs and trees as described in the Torah. Now Israel is a net exporter of flowers, fruit and vegetables. Just this week it was reported that the water level in Kinneret has gone above the red line for the first time in many years. This is due to the prayers of the people of The Almighty, Jewish and Gentile.
Psalm 103 has the refrain, Bless The L-RD, O my soul. It appears 5 times. In times when many are saying Please, G-d, bless my soul it is important that we should bless The Almighty. This is why Jewish blessings begin with Blessed Art Thou, O L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe. We do not bless food, we bless the One Who gave it.
As we prepare for Sabbath, let us intend to make it a holy oasis in time and space