The Light of Torah Messianic Congregation
Faith of our Father, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob series
Presents Article Two
Prepared by P. R. Reid
March 24, 2022
What Do You See When You Look at the Menorah?
This article is dedicated to the Supreme One, the One to whom all praise, honor and glory belong. May the truth of His word resound throughout the whole of His creation. Selah!
Introduction
In Article One we discussed the first letter of Scripture, the oversized letter Bet. In its ancient form the Bet means family, house or in. It’s my opinion, that everything that follows in Scripture is a description of how The Father intends to accomplish His goal, i.e. how the “Bridegroom Yeshua” acquires His “Bride.”
This article began as a question I asked myself in the wee hours of the morning while looking at my mini Menorah. The answer to my question came to me in a series of waves throughout the night.
We will employ the following hermeneutical tools in this article:
- The Rule of First mention (the first mention of any word establishes the precedent in which it will be used throughout Scripture)
- The Rule of Complete mention
- Covenant language i.e. “keep my commandments”
- His perfect will for creation
- PaRDeS (THE RULES OF PARDES INTERPRETATION *
- Ancient Hebrew pictograph
- Simple gematria
The four levels of interpretation are called: Pashat, Remez, D’rash & Sud. The first letter of each word P-R-D-S is taken, and vowels are added for pronunciation, giving the word PARDES (meaning “garden” or “orchard”). Each layer is deeper and more intense than the last, like the layers of an onion. (http://www.yashanet.com)
Generally speaking, everyone on our planet recognizes the Menorah as symbolic to the Jewish people. That is, of course, correct. The rule of first mention takes us to Ex. 25:31: “You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece.”
The Hebrew word initially used for lampstand or candlestick is “Menorat,” מְנֹרַת. This is where we will begin our study. In its ancient form “Menorat” would read: “The blood of His Son, who was from the beginning, will seal us.” Now we know that the “Menorat” has everything to do with the redemptive work of our Messiah Yeshua. The word “Menorat” is a feminine noun.
One of the root words of “Menorat” is “nar,” נֵר, which is a masculine noun. The “Nar” is the 4th branch, the central staff, also referred to as the “servant” branch. The reason the genders are significant will become apparent later on.
The “Menorat” is for the benefit of the “Bride” as it is feminine in gender. It’s held in place by the “Nar,” the “Bridegroom.” The last letter being used in “Menorat” is the letter Tav, ת , which means mark, sign, signal, monument or covenant.
The “Menorat” was to be made of “pure gold.” The Hebrew word for “pure” is “Tahor,” טָהוֹר, which speaks to ritual purity. The Hebrew word for “gold” is “Zahav,” זָהָב. The pure gold speaks to the bride who will be ritually pure. The “Bride” will become ritually pure by being beaten.
The “Menorat” will be made out of “pure gold,” beaten gold. The Hebrew word for beaten is “Miqsaw,” מִקְשָׁה which relates to the hammering out of metal. Doesn’t this connect us to the refiner’s fire? I will suggest to you that it is the refiner’s fire that will purify the bride of Messiah. Zechariah 13:9: “And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” This verse tells us that His people will be tested and purified in the refiner’s fire. This sentiment is repeated in Zech. 7:9.
Yeshua, the “Nar,” is the “Bridegroom.” The six branches extend, on either side, from Him. The seven branched Menorah is a picture of blending, a unification if you will, of Yeshua and His purified Bride. The Menorah was placed in the Mishkans’ Holy Place. The Holy Place was a completely dark environment. When the Menorah was lit, it illuminated the Holy Place; His light in an otherwise completely dark place.
The illumination of the Holy Place by the lit Menorah is a subsequent illustration of Ge. 1:1 – 1:5: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light (אֶת־הָאוֹר), it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” This darkness and light are spiritual.
This Scripture contains the first mention of the word “good.” When God saw the light, it was “good.” Light and the word good are used together. Ge. 2:11 – 12 speak to the gold being good: “The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. The good gold is a reference to the purified “Bride” of Messiah. The “Bride” in her purity is united with the “Bridegroom” in the Menorah.
The unity of the “Bridegroom” and the “Bride” as in the lit Menorah was a picture of Israel being a “light” to the nations. Is. 42:6 – 7: “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.”
The spelling and usage we are more familiar with, מְנוֹרָה, appears in the same block of Scripture. I mention this because of its root word which is מָנוֹר”Manor,” meaning yoke. Mt. 11:28 – 30: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” His “yoke” also makes its way into the word Menorah.
Ex. 25:32 – 34: “And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower.”
Believe it or not, I found only one correct depiction of the seven branch Menorah on the internet.
The only design element I want to discuss is the number of bowls on each branch. They total 22. This number corresponds to the 22 letters in the Hebrew Aleph Bet. Yeshua represents the entire Aleph Bet, He is the Living Word. The “Bride of Messiah” will be well studied in these words.
In Article One we discussed the very first word in Scripture, Bereshit. We’re going to revisit this word in our study of the Menorah. The first word of Scripture, as discussed in Article One is “Bereshit,” בְּרֵאשִׁית. As you can see, six letters compose this word. There is a seventh letter that is implied, if not used in print. That letter is the first letter of the Hebrew Aleph Bet. The Aleph represents The Father, The Supreme Being. Since all things come from Him to us, He would have been present in the act of creation. Where would He have been? The Aleph, YaHaVah, would have been sitting on His own throne in the heavenly, unseen realm.
We can now view Bereshit as א ב ר א ש י ת. Now there are seven letters used in the first word of Scripture. These first seven letters establish the pattern of seven. This pattern of seven is widely used. It should be no surprise to us that the seventh day is His day of rest. The day He chose to be a sign between Him and us. This is the day we spend with Him in study and praise. There is NO other day in Scripture dedicated and set apart for this purpose. If we take the first word of Scripture, א ב ר א ש י ת and assign a number to each Hebrew letter, we have numbers one through seven. The seventh letter of the Hebrew Aleph Bet is the Zayin which means, food, cut or nourish. The seven branch Menorah does just that. It speaks to our spiritual food, which is the Word of Yah. This food nourishes our very Neshema. The definition of the 7th letter, the Zayin, meaning “to cut,” speaks to His cut covenant, the foundation of our relationship with Him.
Furthermore, the Aleph, א and the bet, ב , when combined, spell the word Av which means father. His covenant will be birthed by Himself, “The Father.” “The Father” in the spirit realm and Abraham in the physical realm.
We see the pattern of seven, the Menorah, in the fourth day of creation. Ge.1:14 – 18: “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth;’ and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.” The luminaries will light the physical realm but are to be used in a spiritual application. Let me explain.
The Hebrew word for “seasons” is “Moed,” מוֹעֵד. “Moed” means sacred season, set feast or appointed season. The luminaries, particularly the moon, were created so that humanity could count or reckon time in the same manner as our Creator. When we reckon time the way He ordained it, we are completely in sync with Him, the rhythm of creation.
The appointed seasons belong to Him. They are His very specific festivals which all begin with the sighting of the new moon, the Rosh Chodesh. For example, His first appointed season is Passover, Pesach. The count down toward Pesach begins with the first new moon of the annual cycle. A most interesting fact is that the instructions for the first Pesach were given to Moses just prior to Israels’ departure from Egyptian bondage.
Ex. 12:1: “Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ‘this month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.’” Moses and Aaron knew how to reckon time by watching the lunar cycle. After twelve new moons, the cycle would begin again.
Ex. 12:2 – 18: “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. (The blood would likely have been placed in a triangular shape. Parentheses’ mine) Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.’”
The festival count begins with the first new moon, the first Rosh Chodesh. There are seven festivals:
1st) Pesach – Passover which is a covenant festival
2nd) Hag HaMatzot – Unleavened Bread
3rd) Hag HaBikkurim – Firstfruits
4th) Shavuot – Pentecost
5th) Yom Teruah – Trumpets
6th) Yom Kippurim – Day of Atonements
7th) Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles
Imagine the Menorah. Moving from right to left, which is how Hebrew is read, the first branch is symbolic of the first of Yahs’ festivals Pesach, which is a Covenant festival, number ONE.
The last festival is Sukkot which represents the final ingathering, redemption, and number SEVEN.
An exact depiction of The Father’s plan, from Covenant to Redemption! 1 and 7 = 17. Seventeen represents resurrection day! In order for us to fully appreciate this outline, I will show you using a visual application.
Let’s look at the Menorah using the first line of Scripture as our template.
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָֽרֶץ
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Days of Creation, 1st seven words
7 1
First and last festival
ז א
Covenant to Redemption
One and Seven, 17, resurrection day!
The Menorah provides us with a picture of the week of Messiah Yeshuas’ death. Pesach would have occurred on Wednesday, the 4th day of the week, the 14th day of the first month. Resurrection would have subsequently occurred, between the evenings, on the 7th day of the week, the Shabbat, the 17th day of the first month. A full three days and nights in the borrowed tomb.
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָֽרֶץ
The dots show us the shape of the Menorah
By connecting the dots, we have a
Triangle! A triangle of 17
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 = 153! The triangle of 17 provides a second witness contained within the Menorah as to the resurrection day of Yeshua.
The seven branched Menorah is a continuous pattern throughout Scripture. We previously discussed this pattern when we examined the first word of Scripture. We see this pattern emerge again in the first week of Scripture. The pattern being displayed is from “Covenant” to “Redemption.”
His Scriptural progression is clearly seen. His purpose for creation, i.e. to make a covenant with man, in order to make a family for His Son, Yeshua, is referenced in Ge. 1:1.
On the eighth day, the number of covenant, the day following the first Shabbat, He forms Adam, referenced in Ge. 2:7. Adam and Chava would be the first priests in the earthly realm, after “Order of Melchizedek.” We can be certain of this because of Ge. 3:21: “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” The Hebrew word for “tunic” is כָּתְנוֹת. Kotonet means an inner garment or tunic. It is a priestly garment made for both men and women. This Scripture teaches that the royal priesthood is for both the male and female.
We can connect this garment with YaHaVahs’ proposal to Israel found in Ex. 19:5 – 6: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” This is a confirmation that the Melchizedek Priesthood existed long before the Aaronic Priesthood. This word, “kotonet,” will be used again with regard to the coat/tunic of Joseph, Aarons’ tunic as well as the tunic worn by Yeshua, the coat the soldiers cast lots for. Notice the two Tav’s in the word “kotonet,” כָּתְנוֹת. I believe we can look at these two very significant letters as representing two covenants; the Abrahamic covenant and the restored Abrahamic covenant.
Abraham is a descendant of Seth, Adam and Chava’s third son. YaHaVah makes His covenant with Adam, Ge. 2:7, then 20 generations later he chooses Abraham. It was Abraham He chose to make His “cut” covenant with. Recall the 7th Hebrew letter is the Zayin, ז , which means “to cut.” Ge. 2:1 – 3 speaks to the Shabbat, the seventh day of rest. A full cycle isn’t it? From covenant to redemption, 1 to 7, 17!
The pattern is repeated again with regard to the first exodus. The first Pesach, as recorded in Ex. 12, was an invitation to Israel to enter into His covenant. Pesach, Passover, had nothing whatsoever to do with a sin sacrifice.
There are four things required in the making of a covenant:
- The invitation. Choose a lamb or goat and kill it at twilight. To be clear, not all Israel chose to accept His invitation.
- Acceptance. Those that did choose to follow His instructions agreed to align themselves with YaHaVah.
- Covenant confirming meal. Those inside, with the blood on their doorposts and lintels, were told to eat specific items.
- Blood sacrifice. The sacrificed lamb or goat would have provided that particular element.
Israel left Ramses after the first Pesach, on the festival of Hag Matza, Unleavened Bread. Their first stop was Sukkot. From covenant to redemption!
The pattern is seen again in Is. 11:1 – 2: “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
In keeping with the 4th branch of the Menorah, the servant or Shamash branch, the Spirit of Counsel is fourth in order in Isaiah’s list. The Hebrew word for “counsel,” is “Etzah,” עֵצָה. This word can be defined as counsel, purpose or advice. What does a counselor do? There is “crafty counsel,” which is a counsel with evil intent. The author of “crafty counsel” is the adversary, his counsel will draw a person away from Him. The Spirit of Counsel will draw a person toward Him. The Spirit of Counsel is how Yeshua taught those who would listen. He taught them The Fathers’ doctrine, true counsel.
Let’s look more closely to the word “Etzah.” The first two letters of this word are the Ayin and Tsade. When combined, it’s the Hebrew word for tree. The “tree,” a creation of day three, tells us that the Spirit of Counsel” was active on this day. Day three of creation is more than the creation of seed for fruits and vegetables. This day speaks to the greater seed, that of the Etz Chaim, the Tree of Life. The Etz, the עצ, will give birth to the “pure seed,” Yeshua.
The third letter of the Aleph Bet is the “gimal.” In its ancient form the “gimal” is a picture of a foot and means to gather or walk. 1 Jn. 2:6 speaks to us about walking, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” Yeshua offers true and perfect counsel. His counsel is that of His Father, YaHaVah. It is only His doctrine that we should be adhering to.
To go one step further, the “gimal” is comprised of the letter “Vav” and the letter “Yud.” The numerical value of the “Vav” is 6 and the value of the “Yud” is 10; 6 + 1 = 7. The number seven connects us to the Menorahs’ seven branches.
The “Etz Chaim,” the Tree of Life was placed in the center of Gan Eden. If we have chosen to “walk” like Messiah Yeshua, then surely our goal is to reside forever in the garden. If then, we are walking like Messiah, as seen in the unity of the Menorah, our “light” will shine as our eternal witness of Him, who is faithful and true, who lives forever.
There is one more group of seven to address, that being the seven churches. In keeping with our pattern, the 4th church is Thyatira. This letter is recorded in Rev. 2:18: “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, ‘these things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. (Italics mine) Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works. Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
The counsel of Jezebel is “crafty.” She has seduced the people with false worship. The counsel of Yeshua is true and good. A truly stark contrast!
Later on in Is. 11:11 we are told about the “second” exodus. We have already read that the festival of Pesach, Passover, preceded the “first” redemption. Since The Fathers’ patterns do not change, Pesach, Passover, will also precede the “second” exodus. Let’s read Is. 11:11: “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant (אֶת־שְׁאָר ) of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim. But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they shall plunder the people of the East; they shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; and the people of Ammon shall obey them. The LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; with His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River, and strike it in the seven streams, and make men cross over dry-shod.
There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who will be left from Assyria, as it was for Israel in the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.” The “second” exodus is a mirror of the “first” exodus. Covenant renewal will precede the “second” exodus.
Recall the desire of the remnant is to reside forever with the “bridegroom,” Yeshua. Where is the ultimate location of this residence? Is it possible that the location of the new Gan Eden, the Garden of Eden, is the New Jerusalem? After all, by Rev. 19, YaHaVah has acquired His family, which was the goal of His creation. The marriage supper has already been enjoyed. Where will the “bride” live?
Rev. 21:10: “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Rev. 21:22 – 27: “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
Rev. 22:1 – 5: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads (See Ez. 9). There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”
The “brides” residence will be the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is the abode of the Tree of Life, the Etz Chaim. The cycle is now complete. We began with Gan Eden and we conclude in Gan Eden, the Garden of Eden. Adam and Chava are evidence that no one can dwell in the presence of the Supreme Being unless they are walking in covenant obedience.
In conclusion, The Menorah pattern, began with the first “light” and continues through the New Jerusalem. The Menorah provides us with a visual, a picture of a unified “bride” and “bridegroom,” from “covenant” to “redemption;” Pesach to Sukkot. The Menorah gives us the picture of the first “light” through the millennial kingdom.
The first mention of “light.” Ge. 1:3.
The complete mention of “light.” Rev. 22:5
His perfect will as well as covenant language are reflected in the instructions of the Menorah.
1 Pt. 2:9: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”