Parasha D’varim

D’varim (Deuteronomy) 1:1 – 3:22
Haftarah:  Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 1:1 – 27
Brit Chadasha:  Jn. 15:1 – 11 and
Heb. 3:7 – 4:11

Aleph Tav

• In the Revelation of Yeshua HaMashiach to John, Yeshua identifies himself as the Aleph and the Tav, the first and last letters of the Hebrew Aleph Bet; these references are found in Rev. 1:8, 1:11, 21:6 and 22:13.  

• Our modern translations read “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.” However, the words Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet.
• Since Messiah Yeshua is a Hebrew man and not a Greek man He would have said “I am the Aleph and the Tav, the beginning and the ending.”  
• This is the Aleph,א  , and the Tav, ת .  In its ancient form the Aleph Tav would read “strength of the covenant.”

Parasha D’varim
דְּבָרִ֗ים meaning “words or things”

• Moses penned the book (sefer) of D’varim (Deuteronomy) at the end of Israel’s forty year wilderness journey because there are newer generations that must be taught their own heritage.

• The book of D’varim is called the Mishna (repetition or review) Torah, that is a retelling of Israel’s history.  Moses is reviewing their history in the last five weeks of his life.  Recall he is forbidden to enter the land of promise because of his disobedience.  He will transfer his authority to Joshua prior to his death.
• D’varim is the plural form of “davar.”  The numerical value of “davar” is 206; 2 + 6 = 8.  The number eight directly connects us to the Book of the Covenant and the pattern of eight.  
• In its ancient form “davar” would read:  “The pathway into the house was from the beginning.”   Recall Jn. 1:1:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Yah, and the Word was Yah.”
• It is the Word of YaHaVah that will be spoken into our physical realm imparting to His creation His most perfect will.  His perfect will is expressed in the first Word of Scripture, Bereshit.
• Dt. 1:1 – 6:   “These are the words which Moshe spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.  It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea. Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month (חֹדֶשׁ = the new moon or month) that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that YaHaVah had given him as commandments to them after he had killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtoreth in Edrei.  On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law (אֶת־הַתּוֹרָ֥ה ), saying, YaHaVah our Elohay spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.’”  **The first six verses take us from the Sea of Suph  (Reeds) to the Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, which is Horeb.

• Dt. 1:7 – 8:  “Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates.  See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which YaHaVah swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.”
• Moses now begins to take them back in time to the Covenant of Promise that were given to Abraham.  See also Ge. 12:1, 13:14 and 15:18.  Moses wants to assure the newer generations that the “Covenant of Promises” also belong to them.
• As you continue to read, beginning in verse 9 you will see an assortment of Parashot as they relate to the wilderness journey.
• Dt. 1:19 – 21:  “So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as YaHaVah our Elohay had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea.  And I said to you, ‘you have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which YaHaVah your Elohay is giving us.  Look, YaHaVah your Elohay has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as YaHaVah Elohay of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’”
• At this point in Israels history, YaHaVah had them positioned to go in and possess the land.  Instead of going in and taking their own land inheritance, they chose one man from each tribe, twelve in all, to spy out the land.
• Their report further brought fear and discouragement in the camp of Israel with the exception of Caleb, from the tribe of Judah and Joshua, from the tribe of Ephraim.  
• V 26:  “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of YaHaVah your Elohay.”
• V 34 – 38:  “And YaHaVah heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, ‘surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed YaHaVah. YaHaVah was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘even you shall not go in there.  Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there.  Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.’”
• Those camped at the Jordan River could have been born, grew up, married and started their own families during the wilderness journey.  They knew no other life, not even how to observe the Torah.
• V 39:  “Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.”
• I will now begin to unpack the foregoing verses.  Let’s begin with the word ( davar) fortieth.
• The number four, forty, fortieth, four hundred or four thousand all have a relationship with the fourth Word of Scripture, the Aleph Tav.  The fourth Word of Scripture is thus, את.

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ

• Since we now understand that the Aleph Tav is Yeshua, we can see that His first advent will occur at the 4000 year mark.   If we spend some time thinking about His first advent, we will see that the doctrine He taught is the very same doctrine that was taught in the beginning.

• Yeshua was tempted by the adversary for forty days.
• Yeshua descended from the fourth tribe of Jacob, Judah.
• The fourth letter of the Aleph Bet is the Dalet, which means to enter or pathway.
• Yeshua was the fourth man in the fire, see Daniel 3:16 – 28.
• The appointed times of YaHaVah were a creation of the fourth day.
• The Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah occurred on the fourth appointed time, Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks.
• Recall Yeshua is the “living Torah.”  
• Yeshua, as the Aleph Tav “strength of the covenant” can be seen in all the number four permutations.     
• The next item to unpack is the number eleven. The very name of Yeshua our Mashiach stems from the root word Y’sha (ישע ) which means “to be saved.”
• Recall there are eleven spices used in the holy incense. These are Stacte, Onycha, Galbanum, Pure Frankincense, Balsam Oil, Musk, Cassia, Spikenard, Costus, Cinnamon and Agarwood (Amanita muscari).
• Ps. 141:2:  “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
• Rev. 5:8:  “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
• In my opinion, we can see that the “holy incense” represents a mediator between Yah and man.  Scripture tells us in 1^st Tim. 2:5 – 6:  “For there is one Yah and one Mediator between Yah and men, the Man Messiah Yeshua.”
• The Hebrew word for “incense” is ( קְטֹרֶת  – pronounced ket-o’-reth ).
• The eleventh letter of the Aleph Bet is the Kaph which is represented by a palm or an open hand and means to open, allow or to cover.
• Referring back to Dt. 1:5:  “On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law (אֶת־הַתּוֹרָ֥ה ) saying…”
• In my opinion, based on the presence of the Aleph Tav in relation to “The Torah” is clear.  Our success in life, i.e. as YaHaVah would see it, is based solely on our obedience to His Torah.  What follows is either obedience or rebellion to His covenant.
• In fact, in Dt. 1:21 YaHaVah gave Am Israel the command to “possess it.” He said to them, ‘look, YaHaVah your Elohay has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as YaHaVah Elohay of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’”
• It is my understanding that possession of Eretz Israel was completely   contingent upon Am Israel walking in covenant obedience hence the placement of the Aleph Tav The Torah.
• Dt. 1:26 – 27: “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of YaHaVah your Elohay; and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘because YaHaVah hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.’”
• The Father tries in vain to reassure them but they persisted so He withdrew His support for this venture.
• The Hebrew word for rebellion is מָרָה which is defined as to be contentious, be rebellious, be refractory, be disobedient towards, or to be rebellious against.
• Who or what are they rebellious against?
• I believe the answer is found in the numerical value of this word which is 245; 2 + 4 + 5 = 11.  Rebellion toward Yahs covenant equals the spirit of anti Messiah.  Since Yeshua is the Aleph Tav, Strength of the Covenant, Am Israel chose to rebel against The Fathers covenant.
• Heb. 3:12:  “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living Yah.”
• Am Israel didn’t actually believe Our Father would or could do what He said he would.  
• One final piece to unpack is found in V 33:  “Who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.”
• The Qal or root form of the word cloud, “anan,” is spelled thus, עָנַן.  The Qal form of cloud is used in the Tanakh eleven times and is a further reference to Messiah Yeshua.  Anan is spelled with an Ayin, Nun and Nun Sofit.
• The Ayin means to see, to know or watch for while each Nun means life, heir and continue.  In its ancient form this word would read:  “Watch for the heir, and watch for Him (the heir) a second time.”
• Yeshua is known as Ben Anan, Son of the Clouds, as He is known to be riding upon the heavens i.e. the clouds.  (The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Pg. 81)

Haftarah

• Is. 1:1 – 27

• “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!  For YaHaVah has spoken:  ‘I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib;  but Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers,  children who are corrupters!   They have forsaken YaHaVah, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward. Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick,  and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; 
• they have not been closed or bound up,  or soothed with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire;  strangers devour your land in your presence; and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.  So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.  Unless YaHaVah of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.  Hear the word of YaHaVah, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law (Torah) of our Elohim, you people of Gomorrah: ‘to what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? says YaHaVah.  I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle.  I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?
• Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me.  The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you;  even though you make many prayers, I will not hear.  Your hands are full of blood.  Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;  put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.  Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.  Come now, and let us reason together,
•  Says YaHaVah, ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of YaHaVah has spoken.’ How the faithful city has become a harlot!  It was full of justice;  righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves;  everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
• Therefore YaHaVah says, YaHaVah of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, ‘Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries, and take vengeance on My enemies.  I will turn My hand against you, and thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all your alloy.  I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning.  Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.  Zion shall be redeemed with justice,  and her penitents with righteousness.’” 

Brit Chadasha

Jn. 15:1 – 11 and Heb. 3:7 – 4:11

• 1 – 8:  “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit you are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
• I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
• Heb. 3:8 – 11:  “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘they always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘they shall not enter My rest.’”
• In conclusion, I believe that D’varim chapter one is a prophetic picture of Am Israel as they conclude their wilderness journey and prepare to take possession of Eretz Israel.  
• We, i.e. the covenant people of YaHaVah, are still not in the land, we remain in the diaspora.  Just as it was for Am Israel in our Torah portion, it is with us today. We are preparing to “take possession of the land of promise.” 
• My understanding is that at the second advent of Messiah Yeshua, is exactly when we will take possession of the land.  This is the reason for the many references to Yeshua in chapter one.
• This parasha recounts the rebellion of the older generation, those who perished during the wilderness journey.  I submit to you today that there are many believers that are still in this spiritual condition.  They are walking in tradition in lieu of truth.
• I also believe that walking in covenant obedience is a prerequisite for entry into His millennial kingdom.

Tisha B’Av

• This evening is Erev Tisha B’Av, the ninth of Av. The 9th of Av: A day of Jewish disasters.  Orthodox Jewish believers believe in the following.

• Tisha B’Av (the Fast of the Ninth of Av) is the darkest day on the Jewish calendar, a day of communal mourning to commemorate the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people, many of which have occurred on the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av. In particular, Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of the two Jerusalem Temples which occurred on the ninth of Av hundreds of years apart—the first in 586 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) and the second in 70 C.E. (Common Era).
• Tisha B’Av, one of two full-day fasts in the Jewish year (the other occurs at Yom Kippur), is the culmination of a three-week period of mourning called “The Three Weeks” in English or Bein HaMitzarim (literally, “between narrow straits”) in Hebrew. This name comes from a verse in the Book of Lamentations, which is traditionally read on Tisha B’Av: (ifcj.org/learn/jewish-holidays/what-is-tisha-bav)