Joy in the Messiah

תְּצַוֶּה
Tetzaveh / You Shall Command
Exodus 27:20-30:10
HafTorah Portion Ezekiel 43:10-27
Brit Chadasha  Hebrews 13:10-17

   Tetzaveh begins with pressing pure olives to make pure undefiled olive oil for the lampstand, the menorah.  The word for oil in this verse is shemen, one of the most common words for oil. The word shemen is related to shaman which means to shine or be glossy. During Hanukkah we light the shamash, שמש (shah-MAHSH) or servant, which refers to the servant candle. The Hebrew word mashach, משח (mah-SHOCK) means to anoint with oil as to put oil on. From mashach we get the word Mashiach, משיח (mah-SHEE-akh) which means the Anointed One, the Messiah. 
     There are two types of oil from the olive.  The first which is the purest, the finest and, of course, the most expensive is the beaten oil, which is used in this parsha. The Hebrew word for beaten is katith which means to break into pieces. The first oil to be extracted from the olive does not come from pressing the olives, but breaking, cutting or tearing them into pieces.
     When olives are ripe, inside the olive are a couple drops of liquid gold as it is called.  This is the beaten oil, the purest and finest.  After the liquid is drained from the olive by bruising, it is then crushed or pressed to extract the oil contained in the meat of the olive. This oil is not as pure and is used for cooking and put into lamps for light.  However, for the light in the tabernacle the people were instructed to use only the pure, beaten oil.  The beaten oil is considered to be the first fruit of the olive and it is this oil that is used to provide the light in the tabernacle.
     This points to our Savior, Yeshua who is the first fruit, the light of the world. He is pure and undefiled as the beaten oil.
     Chapter 28 continues with the instructions for the garments of priesthood.  The details are clear and ornate, a beautifully colored array, which includes a variety of shades, from the vegetable (linen), animal (wool) and mineral (gold and precious gemstones) kingdoms. God also incorporates gold pomegranate bells to be sewn on the hem.
      This parsha has the instructions for the breastplate, with twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel.  It states that Aaron is to bear the names of the sons of Israel, ‘So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. ³⁰ And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.’
     In Exodus 28 God commands: ‘You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLY TO THE LORD. And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. So it shall be on Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.’
     Other translations translate the Hebrew as: ‘You shall make a frontlet of pure gold and engrave on it the seal inscription: "Holy to the LORD." Suspend it on a cord of blue, so that it may remain on the headdress; it shall remain on the front of the headdress. It shall be on Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may carry any sin arising from the holy things that the Israelites consecrate, from any of their sacred donations; it shall be on his forehead at all times, to win acceptance for them before the LORD.’
     In the instructions regarding the garments, the Torah describes Aaron's function as "carrying" the item, using the Hebrew verb נשׂא (nassa). These items are physical, as in the stones on the ephod as in some unspecified way "on behalf of the Israelites.” This last command given to Aaron is to carry the sins of the Israelites. Thus, the Torah uses a metaphor to describe sin as though it is a physical burden that is "carried."  It is interesting that sin is referenced as a "burden".
     Scripture states: Psalm 38:4 ‘For my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.’
    And Yeshua stated in Matthew 11:30 that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. How does that translate into our lives today?  Because, He is the living, breathing, walking Torah, the path to righteousness, the path to God. We follow Him, we move into His light, the Torah which isn’t a burden, but freedom.     
     

Tetzaveh / You Shall Command  
Exodus 27:20-30:10 
Ezekiel 43:10-27
Hebrews 13:10-17

     Tetzaveh is about holiness, beginning with the pressed oil for the lamps. This parsha continues with the Priestly garments; the ephod, breast piece, including the Urim and the Thummim, the robe, the tunic, and undergarments.
      In Exodus 28:31-38 there is an in-depth description of the garments and the level of holiness that only comes from the Divine, ‘You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. ³² There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. ³³ And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: ³⁴ a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. ³⁵ And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die. ³⁶ “You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet:       HOLINESS TO THE LORD  ³⁷ And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. ³⁸ So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.’
     The making of the garments in Exodus 28 is lengthy and detailed. The turban was wrapped tightly around the head, and a “crown” was placed on top. The Hebrew word for crown in this verse is נֵזֶר nezer, which has a similar root to the word נָזִיר nazir or the Nazirite vow as in Numbers 6.  The nazir is a person separated from everyone else. There was also a tunic, long enough to cover the thigh and reach the knee.
     The Urim and Thummim are the transliteration of the Hebrew words for the two stones in the breast piece.  HaUrim VeHaTumim.  The reason that translators did not or could not translate these words exactly is that it is impossible to translate them into the English language accurately.  A literal translation for the word HaUrim is simply “the lights.” A literal translation of the word HaTumim is a little bit harder but can be translated as “the perfections.” 
     The Urim and the Thummim can be understood as “the Lights and the Perfections.” Even though we have the general translation of these two words, we don’t know exactly what they were.  There are many theories and teachings from the sages regarding the Urim and Thummim and a lot of mystery surrounding them.  Some believe that they were two stones. Others believe that they were objects for casting lots. Others still believe it was parchment paper. The truth is, we don’t know exactly what they were or how they functioned. Despite the lack of information regarding the Urim and the Thummim, we read in the Scriptures how they were used in the life of the Israelites. 
      Leviticus 8:8 ‘Then he put the breastplate on him, and he put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate.’
     Numbers 27:21 ‘Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his command, they shall go out and at his command, they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation.”
     Deuteronomy 33:8 ‘And of Levi he said: “Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one, whom You tested at Massah, and with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah…’
    Did David seek advice from the Urim and Thummim in 1 Samuel 23:9-11? ‘When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” ¹⁰ Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. ¹¹ Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 
    Garments of praise are mentioned in Isaiah 61:1-3, which Yeshua read in Luke 4:14-19. 
     In Matthew 22:9-14 Yeshua mentions garments, ‘Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ ¹⁰ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. ¹¹ “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. ¹² And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
     Two questions arise:  Will you come to the wedding and accept the invitation of Messiah?  Will you wear a wedding garment? 
  Garments of righteousness are mentioned in Job 29:14, Revelation 19:13-14, Zechariah 3:3-5, Psalm 104:1-2. 
   Chapter 29 contains the consecration of the Priests. God is telling Moshe the procedure He wants Moshe to do to prepare Aaron and his sons for ministry in the Temple. Although Moshe will be doing all of this, it was God who did the sanctification, not Moshe. Exodus 29:44-46 ‘I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aharon and his sons to minister as priests to Me. I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.’ 
     But there is a reoccurring phrase: “You shall do….” Moshe was responsible for making sure that what he saw on the mountain was what the people would make, but it would be HaShem who would implement it all. 
     Tetzaveh closes with the Yom Kippur atonement, Exodus 30:10 ‘Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the Lord.’ Chapter 30 is about what was to happen in front of the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle. Moshe was to make the oil and use it to anoint everything for the Tabernacle. It’s all about atonement, about Yom haKippurim, Hebrew for the Day of Coverings, The Day of Atonement, mentioned in Leviticus 16:11-15.