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Todays Parsha #22: Va-Yakhel (And he assembled)

PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS
1) When Aaron submits to the peoples request to build a Golden Calf, he also reveals a
very subtle form of betrayal by ignoring what aspect of the Hebrew calendar?
When Aaron says, Tomorrow will be a feast to YHWH the word for tomorrow is
MACHAR which basically attaches to the morning AFTER a Hebrew day is concluded.
Because the Hebrew day starts in darkness as night begins and ends the following
evening, MACHAR is meant to bypass either the upcoming sunset, as in this case, or if
proclaimed from the evening, progress to the SECOND MORNING. Either way, Aaron
seems to have forgotten that the Hebrew day begins and ends at sunset. In addition to not
being able to add a feast on his own authority, which we already went over, even if this
was not a huge sin that said feast would have to begin at sunset, not the next morning.
2) Where would Aarons idea for this subtle betrayal have been drawn from? What
inspired it?
It was inspired by Aarons time in bondage in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians were
sunrise to sunrise reckoners and always began their day accordingly. All of their pagan
festivals were made to coincide with the morning, rather than the sunset. Also Mount
Sinai is right near a shrine to Hathor, the cow goddess that Egyptian myth says gives
birth to a Golden Calf every morning.
3) What do earlier details about Aaron tell us that also relate to his failure in this Torah
portion?
Exodus 4:14 has Aaron easily moving about to meet Moshe after the encounter with the
Burning Bush. The very fact that Aaron is in Midian strongly suggests he is not enslaved
by the Egyptians and that he may have special status to be able to move about freely. We
should combine this fact with another that I have discussed recently: The people go
straight to Aaron and demand he build them a god of gold. Now why would they do this?
Obviously, when they were all in bondage, they knew Aaron had the skill of a craftsman
that would put him above the average slave wallowing in the brick pits of Goshen.
Otherwise, I find it hard to believe Aaron could move about with impunity without the
knowledge and consent of the Egyptians. But if Aaron did know the arts of the temples
in Egypt, it would explain some of this mystery. There is obviously a lot more to
discover however on this matter and my suggestion here is in no way meant to answer it
completely.
4) How did the Israelites in effect devolve into becoming Egyptians? Hint: The answer
is not as simple as saying they reverted to paganism with the Golden Calf but because
of what happens after they worship the Golden Calf.
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Exodus 32:35 says that Abba YHWH smote Israel because of the Golden Calf, and
inflicted plague. The Hebrew word for smote or strike is NAGAF, and it is also used
in connection to how Abba YHWH punished or smote the Egyptians with plagues.
5) What detail in the famous confrontation of Eliyahu vs. the prophets of Baal disproves
a long standing rabbinic tradition?
The rabbis have said that in ancient times the only proper place to proclaim the Name of
Abba YHWH was in the Temple, and much later on they officially eliminated from
synagogue service after the time of Ezra. However, Eliyahu here built an altar and
dedicated in the Name of Abba YHWH and called on Him directly by that Name,
disproving this idea. He also prayed in that Name several times.
1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:
Vayakhel means and he assembled. The verb is derived from KAHAL, Hebrew for
assembly, congregation. After a brief sermon on the importance of Shabbat, Moshe
then gets the Israelites to work on the manifold details of building the Tabernacle and
related furniture and objects.

Vayakhel Moshe et-kol-adat beney-Yisra'el vayomer alehem eleh hadevarim

asher-tsivah Yahweh la'asot otam.
Sheshet yamim te'aseh melachah uvayom hashvi'i yihyeh lachem kodesh
Shabat Shabaton l'Yahweh kol-ha'oseh vo melachah yumat.
2) Read Parsha (English-Exodus 35:1-38:20). Play by Play commentary where
appropriate.

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3) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:

ELEH HA DEVARIM (35:1) = these are the Words. When this and other similar phrases
appear, it is referring specifically to the giving of the covenant at Sinai, or to events
immediately preceding or following from that event (Exodus 19:6, 20:1, 35:1;
Deuteronomy 29:1-6).
LO TEVAARU ESH BECHOL MOSHVOTEYCHEM BEYOM HA-SHABBAT
(35:3) = Do not ignite any fire on the Shabbat, no matter where you may live. This
command forms the basis of the rabbinic opinion that you should not run electricity on
Shabbat with the idea being to close a circuit is the equivalent of building a fire.
However, all hospitals in Israel certainly remain running on the Shabbat day which tells
us we should not ban electricity at the expense of our health. Furthermore, the fire is in
our house in the form of the current running whether we throw the switch or not. Nor can
the electric company be thought of as our servants working on Shabbat.
One person told me they store wind and solar power in a battery that can be tapped on
Shabbat. Since the energy was already stored (kind of like gathering manna on the 6
days) it seemed a good alternative to tapping that which was stored already rather than
getting new energy from the electric company.
What makes that very interesting however is that by law, the electric company MUST
buy back from you surplus energy you generate on your own, which leads to another
halachic discussion: Does the money gotten in that way count as commerce if the stored
energy was used on Shabbat? We need a Beit Din for this stuff!
Note on 35:5-5-6: The techelet wool they are collecting here, although they probably do
not know it at the time, will be in part used for making the Israelite tzit-tzit about 18
months later. Other techelet wool is very well understood to form part of the priests
clothing as this was delineated earlier in Exodus.
VECHOL CHACHAM LEV BACHEM YAVOU VEYAASU ET-KOL ASHER
TSIVAH YAHWEH (35:10) = Every one of you who has wisdom upon their hearts shall
come forward and make all that Yahweh has commanded. wisdom upon their hearts
indicates natural talent, given by Yahweh to do this particular task.
SHEMEN HA-MAOR (35:14) = illuminating oil. The menorah here is given special oil
to light it with. However, I also find it interesting that the word MAOR is also used, in its
plural form of MAOROT, to describe the sun and the moon in Genesis 1:14, literally
calling them luminaries and singly (luminary) in Genesis 1:16. This is an interesting
metaphor as Abba YHWH gives light to the sun (like the oil) and the sun gives its light to
the moon, explaining why the sun is the greater light, but in another sense Abba
YHWH provides the oil for both luminaries. Taking this metaphor only a tiny bit
further, it may explain why both Josephus and Philo referred to the menorah as reflecting
or embodying the orbits of the planets, because the sun and the moon anciently were
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counted as two of seven planets, with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn being
the remaining 5.
VAYAVOU KOL ISH ASHER NESAO LIBO VECHOL ASHER NADVAH RUCHO
OTOT HEVIU ET-TRUMAT YAHWEH LIMELECHET OHEL MOED ULECHOLAVODATO ULEVIGDEY HA-KODESH (35:21) = Every person whose heart has lifted
them up (to service) then came forward. Also each one who wanted to give brought a
contribution to Yahweh for the making of the Tent of Meeting, all its necessities and the
sacred vestments. The metaphor whose heart has lifted them up means who
volunteered out of inspiration. It is also interesting that another wordterumah or
contributionis also in this line and it also means to elevate.
VE-HA-NESIIM (35:27) = and the princes. These men are implied to be tribal
chieftains and the word here is the origin of the later Hebrew term NASI, which in
Yshuas day designated the head of the Sanhedrin. It is sometimes translated as
president but prince is the better rendering.
LAASOT BECHOL MELECHET MACHASHAVET (35:33) = and all other skilled
work. The word for work or MELECHET is the same as the word for KINGDOM or
DOMAIN, so this is skilled work for the kingdom of Father YHWH.
Note for 35:34: Oholiab is called here the son of Ahisamach, the tribe of Dan.
Ahisamach = my brother has supported. Dan, as we just saw, means judgment.
Note for 35:35: This explains why my brother has supported Oholiabs judgment:
He has filled them with skills to perform every work as an engraver and a designer and
of an embroidererand a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.
Good judgment indeed!
Note for 36:1: Bezalel = in the protection (shadow) of El. Oholiab = my fathers tent.
Or, In the protection of El (is) my fathers tent! Compare to Yshua saying My
Fathers house has many rooms!
CHOCHMAH BE-LIBO (36:2) = wisdom of the heart. Highlighting this phrase once
more but from a different angle this time out, as CHOCHMAH is a very special form of
heavenly wisdom, thus showing said wisdom literally as a gift of the Ruach ha Kodesh.
Note on 36:6: The literal reading in the Hebrew, let no man or woman do any more
work is referring to their carrying or bringing more raw materials for the Tabernacle.
From this example the rabbis derive the rule that to carry objects is one of the activities
that is prohibited on the Shabbat, which may explain why the Pharisees repeatedly chided
Yshua for commanding that people carry their pallet and similar issues. However, the
Oral Law, both during that time and now, seems a tad inconsistent on the matter as a
pious Jew in worship is sometimes called upon to lift heavy objectslike the Torah
scroll itself for exampleand that is problematic because to my mind the rabbis cannot
posit a sacred exception, i.e. that because the Torah scroll is a sacred object it is exempt
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from being counted as a work object, because the materials the Israelites are carrying
here are ALSO sacred objects, for the Tabernacle! Therefore it seems to my mind only
logical to not posit this command as a Shabbat prohibition. Of course, it also may be a
case by case matter as well, depending on what is being carried, for what purpose and
how heavy it is.
ORECH HAYERIAAH HAACHAT SHMONEH VEESRIM BAAMAH
HAYERIAH HAECHAT MIDAH ACHAT LECHOL HAYERIOT (36:9) = all the
tapestries were the same size, 28 cubits long and 4 cubits wide. 28 divided by 4 is of
course 7, a sacred number of completeness and perfection. It also may refer to the 28
days of the VISIBLE lunar cycle.
VAYECHABER ET-CHAMESH HAYERIOT ACHATA EL-ECHAT VECHAMESH
YERI'OT CHIBAR ACHAT EL-ECHAT (36:10) = The first five tapestries he sewed
together, as well as the other five. The term is HE SEWED rather than were sown.
This could mean that either Betzalel or Moshe were directly involved in the actual
production of this piece. Same as with 36:14.
VEET AMUDAV CHAMISHAH VEET VAVEYHEM VETSIPAH ROSHEYHEM
VACHASHUKEYHEM ZAHAV VEADNEYHEM CHAMISHA NECHOSHET
(36:38) = there were five poles to hold it, along with gold hooks, caps and bands. There
were also five copper bases. The detail with the caps was not recorded earlier, for the
pillars, in Exodus 26:37. Exodus 38:17 will add that these caps are made of silver.
TOPHACH (37:12) = hand breadth. As we saw last week this is the length across four
fingers of the hand, or just over 2 inches.
VAYITSOK LO ARBA TABEOT ZAHAV VAYITEN ET-HATABAOT AL ARBA
HAPEOT ASHER LEARBA RAGLAV (37:13) = and he cast four gold rings for the
table, placing the rings on the corners of the four legs. This detail is not mentioned in
Exodus 25:26.
VAYAAS ET-HAKELIM ASHER AL-HA-SHULCHAN ET-KEAROTAV VEET
KAPOTAV VEET MENAKIOTAV VEET HA-KESAVOT ASHER YUSACH
BAHEN ZAHAV TAHOR (37:16) = He made the utensils to go on the table, bread
forms and incense bowls, as well as half tubes and side frames to serve as dividers of the
bread, all out of pure gold. This is a detail that was not recorded in the previous
accounting, in Exodus 25:29. This shows the advantage of multiple accounts from which
to draw all the needed details.
VAYITSOK ARBA TABAOT BEARBA HA-KETSAVOT LEMICHBAR HANECHOSHET BATIM LABADIM (38:5) = He cast four rings on the copper screen to
hold the carrying poles. Same as above, another unique detail not mentioned previously
(Exodus 27:4).

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VAYAAS ET-HA-KIYOR NECHOSHET VEET KANO NECHOSHET BEMAROT

HA-TSOVEOT ASHER TSAVEU PETACH OHEL MOED (38:8) = the dedicated
women who assembles at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. The word TSOVEOUT is
derived from TSAVA which means to charge so these women have been charged or
dedicated in this specialty, almost as if they were a craft guild of some kind. Also many
rabbis believe the reference to mirrors proves these items were actually bronze, which
has a much higher gloss.
VAYAS ET-HECHATSER LFEAT NEGEV TEYMANAH KALEY HECHATSER
SHESH MOSHEZAR MEAH BAAMAH (38:9) = he made the enclosure (for the
Tabernacle). On the south side, the twined linen hangings were 100 cubits long.
VEHADADANIM LAAMUDIM NECHOSHET VAVEY HAAMUDIM VACHASHUKEYHEM KESEF VETSIPUY RASHEYHEM KASEF VEHEM
MECHUSHAKIM KESEF KOL AMUDEY HECHATSER (38:17) = The bases for these
poles were made of copper and the pole hooks and bands were made from silver. All the
enclosures poles also had silver caps, and the poles were ringed with silver. Here is the
fifth detail not listed in the previous accounting, given in Exodus 27:11.

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Bonus Teaching: Fun with Pesach, Part 1

First: Pesach in a Nutshell!

1) 14th of Abib (morning-afternoon, day of preparation for the seder). On the 14th you
get the matzah, bitter herbs and the rest of the meal items ready. You sit down for seder
just before sunset on the 14th, do the meal into the early hours of the 15th.
2) 15th (High Shabbat), from your seder to the next sunset is High Shabbat where no
work or commerce of any kind is allowed.
3) 16th is first fruits or Bikurrim, when the sheaf would have been waved to the priests.
There is no modern equivalent for observing this now, just be aware of
it.
4) 17-20, regular days of Pesach, no ban on commerce or work but still must eat
unleavened bread.
5) Any Friday sunset to Saturday sunset time in these 8 days is the Shabbat in the middle
of the feast and is considered special.
6) 21--High Shabbat for the last day of Pesach, no work or commerce of any kind is
allowed.
Introduction
I know weve spent a lot of time in recent weeks dealing with a lot of calendar stuff and
controversy, so this week I thought I would take a different path and approach.
Regardless as to what any of you here decide to do with regards to Pesach (celebrating
either around March 23rd or April 22nd), the fact remains that I have to begin my Pesach
preparations now, in order to stay on schedule with the calendar I use.
That new approach also means I have to do what I can to more simply and efficiently
answer at least the major issues regarding not just Pesach but when Mashiyach Yshua
died.
But dont worry, because theres a reason I called this teaching Fun with Pesach. I
decided to make this teaching more like a TV quiz show, asking certain questions and
delivering some little known facts for the answers along the way. (Please no looking at
the Notes before I deliver the answer.) As I ask these questions, I would like for all of
you to please write your answers down and then compare them with the answers I will
give later on.

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After I have asked these questions, I will use Part 2 to answer them from Scripture and
then show the relevancy of those answers to dealing with a lot of the confusion that is
rampant at this time of year.
And now the quiz
We begin then, with question #1, and I will fairly warn you in advance that this is, in a
sense, also a trick question. Ready? Here we go
1) How many lambs are slain at Pesach? Is it
A)
B)
C)
D)

1
7
8
50

2) The Pesach feast begins the moment the sun sets ending the 13th. TRUE or
FALSE?
3) The terms Pesach and Feast of Unleavened Bread are always
interchangeable and refer to the same exact thing. TRUE or FALSE?
4) The day of preparation for Pesach is the 13th of Abib, since the feast starts on
the 14th. TRUE or FALSE?
5) The entire Pesach (and/or Feast of Unleavened Bread) event lasts
A)
B)
C)
D)

6 days, the first and last days are separate.

7 days, as the 14th when we slay the lamb doesnt technically count.
8 full days, from the 14th to the 21st inclusive.
None of the above.

6) Not all the events that the church usually teaches happened at the Last Supper did
actually happen there. TRUE or FALSE?
7) There is no question that the Last Supper is a Seder Meal. TRUE or FALSE?
8) Many NT scholars believe that the account in John is running a day behind the
versions in Matthew, Mark and Luke with regards to the Last Supper, Crucifixion
and Resurrection. The truth of the matter is
A) We cant figure out who is right or wrong because our understanding of first
century Torah observance is limited or contradictory.
B) John only appears to be running a day behind and the reason has to do with
mistranslation of the earliest NT texts.

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C) The different accounts are all correct because there were rival traditions on
when different groups kept Pesach.
D) The issue is not with when Pesach starts at all but rather when different parts
of the feast were done by different groups.
9) The timing of First-fruits has nothing to do with the day Yshua rose from the
dead. TRUE or FALSE?
10) Fill in the blank for the correct days of the week from the choices below: Yshua
was crucified on a ____ and rose on a ____.
A)
B)
C)
D)

Tuesday, Saturday.
Wednesday, Saturday.
Thursday, Sunday.
Friday, Sunday.

11) The day that Yshua died was also

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
G)

The 14th, the Preparation Day for the Annual Shabbat.

A Friday afternoon, the preparation time for the Weekly Shabbat.
Both a regular Shabbat and an Annual Shabbat.
An Annual Shabbat that was ending.
An Annual Shabbat that was beginning.
In between an Annual and a Weekly Shabbat.
Cloudy with a chance of supernatural darkness and earthquakes.

12) Fill in the blanks. The day that Yshua died also must correspond to the ___ day
of Abib because___
A) 14th, because he is our Pesach lamb that must be sacrificed on that day to align
with the evening sacrifice and 1 Corinthians 5:7.
B) 15th, because Matthew 26:17 and Luke 22:7-9 have Yshua alive all day on
the 14th, including the late afternoon when he was otherwise supposed to have
been dead.
C) 14th, because Mashiyach cannot be crucified nor the Sanhedrin meet to
condemn him on an Annual Shabbat.
D) 14th, because the Pesach started just after sunset on the 13th, and he was
arrested and condemned that night, dying the following afternoon.
E) 15th, because in the year Yshua died there had to be back to back Shabbats,
where the Annual was followed immediately by the Weekly.
F) 15th, because Amos 9 predicts that he must die in the daylight part of a feast
that is turned into mourning.
The answers to these and other questions will be given in Part 2!

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Torah Question of the Week:

How is the Tabernacle remembered in the plan of Ezekiels Temple?
END PART 1

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PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
How is the Tabernacle remembered in the plan of Ezekiels Temple?
Because the north and south sides of the Tabernacle are 100 cubits and this figure is
carried over in part to the dimensions of the inner court of the Temple:
Then he made the court: for the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twisted
linen, 100 cubits; their twenty pillars, and their twenty sockets, made of bronze; the
hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver. For the north side there were 100
cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty sockets were of bronze, the hooks of the
pillars and their bands were of silver. (Exodus 38:9-11 NAU)
Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gate to the front of the exterior of
the inner court, 100 cubits on the east and on the north. As for the gate of the outer court
which faced the north, he measured its length and its width. It had three guardrooms on
each side; and its side pillars and its porches had the same measurement as the first gate.
Its length was fifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits. Its windows and its porches
and its palm tree ornaments had the same measurements as the gate which faced toward
the east; and it was reached by seven steps, and its porch was in front of them. The inner
court had a gate opposite the gate on the north as well as the gate on the east; and he
measured 100 cubits from gate to gate. Then he led me toward the south, and behold,
there was a gate toward the south; and he measured its side pillars and its porches
according to those same measurements. The gate and its porches had windows all around
like those other windows; the length was fifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits.
There were seven steps going up to it, and its porches were in front of them; and it had
palm tree ornaments on its side pillars, one on each side. The inner court had a gate
toward the south; and he measured from gate to gate toward the south, 100 cubits.
(Ezekiel 40:19-27 NAU)
4) Haftorah portion (English- 1 Kings 7:40-b-50) and discuss common themes with the
Torah portion. This week we will read straight through and give more commentary
due to its short length.

Vaya'as Chirom et-hakiyorot ve'et-haya'im ve'et-hamizrakot vayechal

Chiram la'asot et-kol-hamelachah asher asah lamelech Shlomoh beyt
Yahweh.
5) Our linguistic commentary comes from the last line, 7:50, with two key words:
DELETH- the door, and is the same word as the letter DALET, which looks like a
door. In Aramaic that door-letter also has a dot in the middle for a knob to open it up!
Put the DALET into YHWH and you get YEHUDA (Judah, praise)! However, this
concept should never be used to justify pronouncing the Name as Yehovah
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because these are completely different words, meanings and roots for to be (hayah,
YHWH) and praise (Yehudah) and one does not prove the morphology of the other.
For more information, please see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZFP02mAHlQ.
PENIMI =innermost, as in innermost door leading to the Kadosh Kadoshim.
Derived from PANIM (face). Moshe knew Abba YHWH panim al panim (face to
face), meaning Moshe had an intimate relationship with the Father. Here these
innermost doors lead to the intimate place of Abba YHWH on earth and that is why
you might die if you are not a high priest or if you are and enter the shrine at the
wrong time, in the wrong way, and so on. Then face to face becomes LITERAL
and so would your death be.
6) Renewed Covenant portion: (English) Hebrews 9:1-14, read straight through.
9:1 mentions the earthly sanctuary but secretly also refers to the heavenly one in the
Aramaic. As we saw last week, the word for ministrationteshmeshtais derived
from SHEMESH/SHAMASH, meaning the sun. This phrase would seem to anticipate
the great and perfect tabernacle that Yshua entered into in 9:11!
Hebrews 9:3
51) Kadosh Kadoshim (Set Apart of the Set Aparts) translated as "Holy of Holies";
however, it is important to note that many religions use "holy" as a term to denote what is
sacred unto them. In the Malchut Elohim, the term Kadosh denotes the "nature" of
YHWH. YHWH is the sole Creator and sustainer of Life; He has made distinct
"boundaries" in Himself which He reveals according to His Word and through the Ruach
haKodesh. The word holy is derived from heile which means to be warmed by the sun.
It has a direct connection to sun worship; this is not a matter of semantics, but of
understanding and applying what belongs unto YHWH and that which is not of Him. In
Christianity being "holy" is often thought of as "being like Jesus" although most
Christians wouldn't dare to live like Y'shua and His Talmidim for fear of being "too
Jewish," or being labeled as legalists! Y'shua and His followers were Torah Observant; it
is within Torah Observance that one can truly define what it means to be "Set Apart unto
YHWH." "But know that YHWH has Set Apart him that is Chasid (righteous) for
Himself: YHWH will hear when I call unto him" (Psa_4:3).
Hebrews 9:4
52) Some theologians posture that there was no censer in the inner sanctum for more
information see Epistle to the Hebrews in Appendix.
MATLA is Hebrews 9:9 is closely related to MILTHA (Word in John 1:1), both
derived from to speak. In this place though MATLA means symbol but it can also
mean proverb/parable in Matthew 13:18 which would appear to draw near to Word

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(MILTHA)! So in a sense this symbol becomes the proverb that becomes the Word made
flesh!
7) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (See the Torah
Thought for the Week which talks about the hope that out of the most unclean things
can come things Set-Apart and beautiful unto YHWH.)
8) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion.
(This week we offer expanded commentary from the footnotes.)

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Bonus Teaching: Fun with Pesach, Part 2

Okay lets get back to our quiz and see how you all did! We begin with #1 which, as I
mentioned earlier is kind of a trick question.
1) How many lambs are slain at Pesach? Is it
A)
B)
C)
D)

1
7
8
50

The answer isD, 50 lambs are slain over the entire 8 day feast of Pesach and Feast
of Unleavened Bread, with one slain on the 14th and seven slain on each of the
remaining seven days, or 49. All these lambs are males a year old (Exodus 12:5, comp.
to Numbers 28:1-19) and are therefore identical. As a result ANY of the year old male
lambs slain between the 14th and 21st of Abib is in actual fact a Passover lamb. I
should also point out this was in a way a trick question the way I phrased it, since some
might take the phrase at Pesach to meant just the 14th while others would apply it to all
8 days, which is a matter we will deal with in answering another question.
And in the first month, on the fourteenth day, is the Passover of and on the
fifteenth day of this month is a festival. For seven days unleavened bread is eaten.
On the first day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. And you shall
bring near an offering made by fire as a burnt offering to : two young bulls
and one ram, and seven lambs a year old, perfect ones they are for you. (Numbers
28:16-19, The Scriptures 1998)
Incidentally, the 50 lambs may be a reflection of the 50 day omer count ending at
Shavuot, and the reason why you only kill one lamb on the 14th but seven on all the other
days is because only the last hours of the 14th are elevated in sanctity with the Pesach
offering, whereas for the 15th onwards, the entire days are considered sacred. Its almost
as if there is a kind of pro-rating going on.
2) The Pesach feast begins the moment the sun sets ending the 13th. TRUE or FALSE?
The answer is FALSE. As I just observed in the previous answer, about 21 hours on the
14th is considered normal. The Israelites were still in bondage on the morning and
through the late afternoon of the 14th. It is only when they slayed the lambs and put the
blood on the doorstep and then roasted the lamb as the day was ending that the occasion
we call Pesach actually began. As a good friend and teacher once observed, Pesach is a
time of offering, NOT a day.
Pesach is in fact one of two Set-apart times when the occasion does not begin
immediately after the sunset of the previous day, in this case, the 13th of Abib. When the
darkness of the 14th begins, it is NOT Pesach. Nor is it Pesach at dawn or noon or even
hours after that. It is only when the lamb is slain at the end of the day that Pesach really
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begins. Incidentally, Yom Kippur is the other occasion, except in that case the fast begins
BEFORE the 10th of Tishri.
You are not allowed to slaughter the Passover within any of your gates which
your Elohim gives you, but at the place where your Elohim chooses to make His
Name dwell, there you slaughter the Passover in the evening, at the going down of the
sun, at the appointed time you came out of Mitsrayim. (Deuteronomy 16:5-6, The
Scriptures 1998)
On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a setapart gathering for you. And you shall afflict your beings, and shall bring an offering
made by fire to . And you do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of
Atonement, to make atonement for you before your Elohim. For any being who
is not afflicted on that same day, he shall be cut off from his people. And any being
who does any work on that same day, that being I shall destroy from the midst of his
people. You do no work a law forever throughout your generations in all your
dwellings. It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your beings. On the
ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you observe your
Sabbath. (Leviticus 23:27-32, The Scriptures 1998)
3) The terms Pesach and Feast of Unleavened Bread are always interchangeable
and refer to the same exact thing. TRUE or FALSE?
The answer is FALSE. In the Tanakh, there is a clear distinction made between the
Pesach OFFERING done at the end of the 14th and the seven days of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread from the 15th-21st.
However, when we get to the NT, sometimes the distinction is made and sometimes it
is not. Here are three examples of the former:
Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples drew near to
Y'shua and said to him, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Paskha?"
(Matthew 26:17 AENT)
And in the first day of the unleavened bread in which the Yehudeans slay the Paskha,
his disciples were saying to him, "Where do you desire us to go for you to prepare the
Paskha to eat?" (Mark 14:12 AENT)
And the day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread arrived during which there was the
custom that the Paskha be slaughtered And Y'shua sent Keefa and Yochanan and said
to them, "Go. Prepare the Paskha for us that we may eat." And they said to him,
"Where do you want us to prepare it?" (Luke 22:7-9 AENT)
These three references above will become important later on for answering other
questions, so please bear them in mind. In the meantime, please observe that between
the three references there is enough collective data to establish the timing as late in
the afternoon on the 14th. The first day of unleavened bread cannot be any earlier
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than the 14th and the late afternoon of the 15th would be too late to prepare the FIRST
lamb.
On the other hand, I admit I exploited the ambiguity of the term Pesach in question
1 (to make this very point) and applied it to all 8 days, which I know many others also
do. If I had asked the first question as How many lambs are slain for the first Pesach
offering? then the answer would have to be 1.
Finally, it was the use of the word all that made this answer false, as sometimes the
separation of the 14th from the rest was made clear and other times it was not.
4) The day of preparation for Pesach is the 13th of Abib, since the feast starts on the
14th. TRUE or FALSE?
The answer is FALSE, because the preparation day is actually the 21 hours of the
14th, from the moment sunset ends the 13th to the following day up to late afternoon.
Realistically speaking, real preparation for Pesach does not begin before noon and the
lamb is not killed (which is only the start of preparing it) until 3 PM or even a bit
later.
5) The entire Pesach (and/or Feast of Unleavened Bread) event lasts
A)
B)
C)
D)

6 days, the first and last days are separate.

7 days, as the 14th when we slay the lamb doesnt technically count.
8 full days, from the 14th to the 21st inclusive.
None of the above.

I have been mentioning 8 days frequently in previous answers, which eliminates answers
A and B. Nevertheless I think I may have thrown a bit of a curveball here because the
right answer is not C, but rather D, none of the above. The reason why C is wrong is
because I said 8 full days, and as we have seen Pesach is only starting on the last part
of the 14th, far from a full day. The more accurate statement is that Pesach-Feast of
Unleavened Bread happens over part or all of 8 Hebrew days.
6) Not all the events that the church usually teaches happened at the Last Supper did
actually happen there. TRUE or FALSE?
The answer is TRUE. In fact one of the most iconic events of the Last Supper was
actually at The Second to Last Supper: The washing of the apostles feet! Heres how I
know that:
Y'shua answered and said, "The one for whom I dip and he I give the bread to." And
Y'shua dipped the bread and gave it to Yehuda, the son of Shimon Skaryota (the
Zealot). And after the bread, then Satan entered in him. And Y'shua said to him, "The
thing that you do, you do it quickly!" But no man of those who reclined understood of
this concerning what he said to him. For some thought that because of the bag
16 | P a g e

Yehuda was carrying that he had expressly commanded him to buy what was
needed for the feast, or that he might give something to the poor. Now Yehuda
took the bread and went at once, and he departed when it was night outside.
(John. 13:26-30 AENT)
So how could the Pesach Feast have started if they thought Yehuda was going to buy
supplies for that same feast? Also how could the Pesach Feast had started when
Yochanan 13:1 clearly states it had not? And if it was sunset after the 14th, Yehuda
cant buy supplies. Its a High Shabbat!
Clearly the feast had NOT started yet, and since we know this was after the two days
before Pesach reference in Matthew 26:1-2, the only possible timing is that this was
the supper that began on the 13th of Abib. But, by the time Yehuda left, the sun had
set and it was night, so now the very start of the 14th. It is this very issue that has
confused many into trying to put Pesach earlier than it is supposed to be. This proves
we do NOT begin the Pesach the moment the 13th is over.
7) There is no question that the Last Supper is a Seder Meal. TRUE or FALSE?
I know of a lot of scholars who want to really attempt to bring reasonable doubt into
this issue and state the Gospels contradict themselves on this point. Some of these
scholars even get specials on the History Channel and the like. Nevertheless, the real
answer is TRUE, there is no doubt as far as the Gospels are concerned, that the Last
Supper is most indeed a Seder running from the end of the 14th to the opening hours
of the 15th.
The chief reason why some dont believe this I perceive is due to what we talked
about for the question just answered above (#6). Because the washing of the feet
cannot be on the 14th and because Christian tradition insists this is the Last Supper,
then the Last Supper by definition cannot be a Seder meal. This then gives rise to all
manner of theories trying to explain why John is on a different schedule, but thats a
topic for the next question.
Suffice to say for now that once John 13:1-30 is de-coupled from the Last Supper
block, there is no impediment whatsoever from seeing the rest of Johns account as
contemporaneous with the Seder meal as described in Matthew, Mark and Luke.
8) Many NT scholars believe that the account in John is running a day behind the
versions in Matthew, Mark and Luke with regards to the Last Supper, Crucifixion and
Resurrection. The truth of the matter is
A) We cant figure out who is right or wrong because our understanding of first
century Torah observance is limited or contradictory.
B) John only appears to be running a day behind and the reason has to do with
mistranslation of the earliest NT texts.

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C) The different accounts are all correct because there were rival traditions on when
different groups kept Pesach.
D) The issue is not with when Pesach starts at all but rather when different parts of
the feast were done by different groups.
Many teachers in Hebrew Roots will insist that C is the right answer, saying that the
Galileans kept Pesach a day earlier than the Jerusalem Jews did or that Yshua and his
disciples were a day earlier than the priests and Pharisees were.
The reality though is that C is false and the correct answer is, D, the issue is not with
when Pesach starts but rather when different parts of the feast were done by
different groups.
One reason why answer C could be popular among some of our teachers is that the
Talmud in Pesachim 6:4 states: A festal offering derives from the flock of sheep or
from the herd of oxen, from lambs or from goats, from males or from females, and it
is eaten for two days and the intervening night, to the night of the 15th of Nisan. (The
Mishnah by Jacob Neusner, p. 240)
Interestingly enough, we have proof from the Gospels this was actually practiced in
the first century:
And they brought Y'shua from the presence of Qayapa into the Praetorium, and it was
morning and they did not enter into the Praetorium, that they not be defiled before
they had eaten the Paskha. (John 18:28 AENT)
But, by direct reference, sometime after Yochanan 13:30 but before Yshuas arrest in
Yochanan 18:1-12 was the fourth Gospel writers version of the Last Supper and the
other three Gospels directly state Yshua performed the Seder with the prepared lamb
(Matthew 26, Mark 14 and Luke 22).
Therefore, the reason the Pharisees has not yet eaten their Pesach lamb was because
they were following the Talmud, not the Torah. The former said the 14th of Abib lamb
had to be eaten or destroyed no later than daybreak on the 15th, but the latter gave the
Pharisees another 12 hours to do this instead. The reason may be because of what
Josephus said in the Jewish War, book 6:
So these high priests, upon the coming of that feast which is called the Passover,
when they slay their sacrifices, from the ninth hour till the eleventh, but so that a
company not less than ten belong to every sacrifice, (for it is not lawful for them to
feast singly by themselves,) and many of us are twenty in a company, found the
number of sacrifices was 256,500; which, upon the allowance of no more than
ten that feast together, amounts to 2,700,200 persons that were pure and holy.
(The Jewish War, 6:423-425)

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If you only have two hours to slay more than a quarter million lambs, that leaves only
the last hour of the day to slay the lambs for their own households. While the Talmud
does not precisely give a reason for the extension then, I believe it probably had
something to do with them running out of time slaying lambs for the rest of Israel.
Then, as the 14th turns into the 15th, these priests and Pharisees are given until the end
of the 15th to offer their first lamb, called the chagigah (from chag, feast, hence
festal offering) at the same time the rest of Israel are doing the second chagigah.
However, if they miss that deadline for the evening sacrifice on the 15th, now the
priests and Pharisees are in violation and are barred from doing Pesach entirely! They
must wait another month to just do the regular seder on 15 Iyar, per Numbers 9.
But because they ran late on the afternoon of the 14th, that is why they still had not
eaten their Pesach lamb when they visited Pilate in the early morning of the next day,
the 15th, and if they got defiled by coming into Pilates housewhich Oral Law also
said would happenthat defilement would keep them outside the camp until after
sunset, in which case they would have missed that late afternoon sacrifice and had to
wait another month.
As a result, for the priests and Pharisees who were watching Yshua die, his lingering
into the 9th hourthe beginning of the time to do the sacrificewas kind of
cramping their style. If they did not leave soon, again they would miss that very
deadline.
Therefore, John is not running a day behind. He is simply relating special details
related to advanced halacha that when misunderstood by modern readers make him
appear to be so.
9) The timing of First-fruits has nothing to do with the day Yshua rose from the dead.
TRUE or FALSE?
SPECIAL NOTE: On the video I actually mis-spoke and said FALSE when I meant
TRUE. Sorry for any confusion there!
The answer is TRUE, which may seem surprising given that some Scripture verses
would appear to contradict that judgment, such as these:
But now the Mashiyach has risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them
that slept. And as by a man came death, so also by a man came the resurrection of the
dead. For as it was by Adam that all men die, so also by the Mashiyach they all live:
Everyone in his order; the Mashiyach was the first-fruits; afterwards, they that are
the Mashiyach's, at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23 AENT)
So whats going on? I mean, if Paul says essentially that Yshua is the first-fruits of the
resurrection how can I possibly say otherwise? The answer isI DIDNT say otherwise!
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The key to seeing this is in the way I phrased the question. Please notice that I didnt say
first-fruits had nothing to do with Yshuas resurrection, but that the TIMING of firstfruits had nothing to do with the DAY of the resurrection. The resurrection itself is
relevant to first-fruits, but not in the way most think, but the TIMING is not. Heres why:
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, When you come into the land which I
give to you, and you shall reap of its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, to be
accepted for you: on the following morning after the Shabbat-convocation1 the priest
shall wave it.
And you shall offer that day when you wave the sheaf a male lamb without blemish of
the first year for a burnt offering to Yahweh. And the meat offering for two tenths of an
ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahweh for a sweet
aroma: and the drink offering for it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin.
And you shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the exact same
day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim2: it shall be a statute forever
throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
And you shall count to yourselves from the morning following after the Shabbatconvocation, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven
complete weeks3: Even to the morning4 following after the seventh (complete) week shall
you number fifty days; and you shall offer a new meat offering to Yahweh. (Leviticus
23:10-16-Matara)
What all of this means for our question is simple: The First-fruits are offered on the 16th,
not the Sunday dawn on which Yshua rose. And the First-Fruits do NOT rise either but
instead they are gathered from the earth and presented to the priests.
1

As defined earlier, in Leviticus 23:6-7, referring to the 15th of Abib.

This refers to the 16th of Abib, the day after the 15th Shabbat-convocation. See Joshua 5:10-13.
3
If the start of the omer count was fixed to Sunday, the first day of the week, there would be no need to
command that the weeks be complete or tamim in Hebrew, because they would automatically be
complete, starting each week on Sunday and ending each week on Saturday. The only reason one would
need a separate command to force the weeks to be complete is because the 16 th of Abib can hit any day of
the week, and if it hits on a Tuesday, your weeks must count completely from Tuesday to Monday, and so
on.
4
The work here is not boker or yom but rather machar, which has a special meaning the others dont.
While the first two terms can generically refer to either a sunrise or the start of a day, machar specifically
refers to the morning after the current Hebrew day concludes. This becomes important when we consider
that any Hebrew day starts in darkness and has its last half end by sunset, which means the yom or boker
part of the Hebrew day is in only 12 hours from its start the previous evening. Depending on the time
reference, these different words can yield different results. If for example the timing begins late in the
afternoon, then all three Hebrew terms refer to the next morning. The current Hebrew day ends that sunset
and the next morning on the new day is intended. On the other hand, if the timing reference starts at night,
then boker and yom will be pointing to the next sunrise about 12 hours later but machar will be pointing to
the morning after that, because the next boker-yom is still part of the same Hebrew day and machar
referring to the morning on the following Hebrew day.
2

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In fact, the first-fruits are presented to the priests, not because they are alive but because
they have just been harvested and are therefore DEAD. Therefore, First-Fruits cannot
relate to resurrection DAY since THEY are not resurrected. However, they DO relate to a
part of the drama surrounding the resurrection:
And on the next day, which was after the sunset, the chief priests and the Pharisees
were gathered with Peelatos. And they were saying to him, "Our master, we have
remembered that the deceiver would say while he was alive that, "After three days, I will
arise." Command, therefore, that they guard the grave until the third day, or else his
disciples come steal him in the night and say to the people that he has risen from the
dead. And the last deception should become worse than the first. Peelatos said to them,
"You have the guards. Go and take precautions as you know." And they departed and
took precautions by the grave and set a seal upon that stone together with the guards.
(Matthew 27:62-66 AENT)
Now notice this detailits the priest and the Pharisees that ask this of Pilate, and he tells
them to make preparations. Heres a possible surprise though: By going to the tomb, the
priests and Pharisees have declared that the First-Fruits of what WILL be the resurrection
is really DEAD at this point. The First-Fruit Yshua had been GATHERED FROM LIFE,
PLUCKED (crucified) on the 15th and then buried, so that on the 16th he could be before
the priests and Pharisees and certified as the dead First-Fruits, again, that will later come
alive again. So while Yshua doesnt go to them, they come to him and do the same thing
the priests do for the First-Fruits. Then once he is risen, he becomes the first fruits to
those who have gone asleep, as Paul taught.
10) Fill in the blank for the correct days of the week from the choices below: Yshua was
crucified on a ____ and rose on a ____.
A)
B)
C)
D)

Tuesday, Saturday.
Wednesday, Saturday.
Thursday, Sunday.
Friday, Sunday.

The answer isC, Yshua dies on a Thursday and rises on a Sunday morning. Lets
see why. Answer A is eliminated since all four Gospels tell us he rose on the first day of
the week, not the seventh day of the week, so any resurrection before the end of Shabbat
is incorrect.
Answer D, that Yshua died on a Friday and rose on a Sunday, the traditional Christian
belief, is also wrong because Matthew 12:40 said that just as Jonah the prophet spent
three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man spend
three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. No matter how hard the church tries
there is no way to make 1 days into three days and three nights.

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Now to counter this, some have suggested that Yshua meant ON the third day rather than
three days and three nights which is actually at the END of the third day. It is true that
there are several places where the vague phrase is on the third day he will rise to life,
however this is clarified by the fact this is the Sign of Jonah:
And Yahweh appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach
of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17 Matara)
There is no other way to translate shlosha yamim ushlosha laylot other than three
days and three nights, which Friday to Sunday can never be. If Yshua had meant
on the third day as some Christian scholars believe, I cannot see any reason for him
to use the Sign of JONAH. Instead, it would be more likely for him to call it the Sign
of JOSEPH, since Joseph freed his brothers AFTER TWO DAYS, or on the third
day by that definition (Genesis 42:17-18).
You can only get three days and three nights by counting the last part of Thursday
afternoon as a day which is Scriptural (Joshua 8:29, Matthew 20:1-16). The third
night will then end Sunday dawn, after which he rises (Mark 16:3,9).
That leaves choice B, Wednesday to Saturday, and yes I know a lot of Hebrew Roots
folks favor this one, but it is still incorrect. Wednesday is wrong because the
astronomy is unequivocal that in the year Yshua died Wednesday was the 14th of
Abib, and he did that Seder at that time, which means he cannot be dead by 3 PM that
same day.
Similarly, Saturday is also wrong because yes, while it is true Saturday NIGHT is the
first day of the week, there is only one DAWN on the first day of the week and thats
Sunday morning. Sorry, there is no way around the fact that he rose at DAWN.
John 20:1 tells us it was still dark when the women set off for the tomb, but this
dark time could not be early in the night because women would not travel alone
without male escort at that time. But if the night was ending and sunrise was near,
that makes perfect sense. It was safe to travel then.
Also, since there was an earthquake the moment Yshua died (Matthew 27:54) it
makes sense that the earthquake the women experienced on the way, as the sun rose
(Mark 16:2) marked the moment of his resurrection, which concords with statements
in all four Gospels that Yshua rose at the end of the night, not at its beginning:
...as the first of the week was dawning, came Maryam of Magdala and the other
Maryam that they might see the grave. And behold a great earthquake occurred for a
Messenger of Master YHWH descended from heaven and came and rolled away the
boulder from the entrance, and he was sitting upon it. (Matthew 28:1-2 AENT)
And when the Shabbat had passed, Maryam of Magdala and Maryam the mother of
Ya'akov and Shalom bought spices that they might come to anoint him. And at early
morning on the first of the week, they came to the cemetery as the sun was rising...
Then, at early morning on the first of the week, he had risen and appeared first
22 | P a g e

to Maryam of Magdala, she from whom he had cast out seven demons. (Mark 16:12,9 AENT)
Now on the first day of the week, at dawn while still dark, they came to the tomb
and brought the spices, those, which they had prepared. And there were other women
with them. (Luke 24:1 AENT)
On the first of the week, in the morning while it was dark, Maryam of Magdala
came to the tomb and saw that the stone was removed from the grave. (John 20:1
AENT)
Granted the language in Matthew and Mark is much stronger than it is in Luke and John
in that the first two affirm that the approach of the women and the resurrection happened
at dawn on the first day, whereas the last two simply put the women there at that time and
dont directly confirm the latter. However, Luke and John also dont contradict Matthew
and Mark either, and I would find it hard to harmonize the accounts with the idea that two
of the Gospels are lying and two others are telling the truth, when the reality is the
general statements of some are easily harmonized into the specific statements of the
others.
11) The day that Yshua died was also
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
G)

The 14th, the Preparation Day for the Annual Shabbat.

A Friday afternoon, the preparation time for the Weekly Shabbat.
Both a regular Shabbat and an Annual Shabbat.
An Annual Shabbat that was ending.
An Annual Shabbat that was beginning.
In between an Annual and a Weekly Shabbat.
Cloudy with a chance of supernatural darkness and earthquakes.

The answer is: D, an Annual Shabbat was ending. While A is correct that the 14th
of Abib is the Preparation Day, Yshua is not arrested until the start of the 15th. He is
totally free and therefore also alive ALL day on the 14th, again as these references we
saw before prove:
Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples drew near to
Y'shua and said to him, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Paskha?"
(Matthew 26:17 AENT)
And in the first day of the unleavened bread in which the Yehudeans slay the Paskha,
his disciples were saying to him, "Where do you desire us to go for you to prepare the
Paskha to eat?" (Mark 14:12 AENT)
And the day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread arrived during which there was the
custom that the Paskha be slaughtered And Y'shua sent Keefa and Yochanan and said

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to them, "Go. Prepare the Paskha for us that we may eat." And they said to him,
"Where do you want us to prepare it?" (Luke 22:7-9 AENT)
Once it is established that Yshua could not have died on the 14th, the 15th of Abib is
the only other viable alternative, and late afternoon on the 15th is as the Annual
Shabbat (the First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread) is as that Annual Shabbat is
ENDING.
Please see the attached Powerpoint When Did Yshua Die? for more information on
this complicated issue. But for now the main point is, that several Aramaic words
were mangled into Greek and left a false impression.
For example, erubata is sometimes thought to mean either Friday (which we know
is wrong) or day of preparation, which is either the afternoon of the 14th for the
Annual Shabbat (too early) or the afternoon of the 16th for the weekly Shabbat (way
too late).
It was then translated into Greek three times in John (19:14, 31 and 42) as paraskue,
which means day of preparation for a Shabbat or a feast. If that rendering is correct,
then Yshuas death day indeed could only be a Wednesday or Friday afternoon, and
yet I have chosen Thursday!
In consulting other Aramaic versions, they all seem to be following in line with the
Greek understanding. But, in reality, erubata means evening in 19:14 describing
the evening of the 14th as having turned over to the 15th now that night has passed and
it is dawn, or the sixth hour from midnight by Roman time.
As a result, John 19:14s reading of werubata hawat dpetzkha is closer to and the
evening of the Paskha (i.e. from the sunset ending the 14th to the next morning of the
15th, or 6th hour) had turned over into the dawn.
The second place we see erubata/paraskue are several references in 19:31. Lets take
these one at a time. In the opening line we have din metil derubata, which is literally
rendered since because it was the setting of the day or since because it was
evening. Either way, it describes the afternoon ending.
Next in 19:31 is the phrase metil dshabta nagha, or because the Shabbat was
closing down/spending the night. What is neat about this one is that nagha can also
mean shining, dawning and this meaning I believe was what the Greek redactor
thought, so he rendered it and the Sabbath was dawning, meaning the weekly
Sabbath was metaphorically about to begin.
Additionally, the issue as to whether nagha is spending the night/closing down or
dawning/beginning rests on whether or not it IS a Shabbat of ANY kind at that
MOMENT. This is where the third and final reading of 19:31 helps: yoma hwa gyr
raba yoma dshabta or, because the day was a Great Shabbat day. This is about the
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day that is ending, not about the day that is about to start, and that current day IS a
HIGH SHABBAT, which can only mean the 15th, but in a few hours the 15th will be
over and go to bed, as the expression goes.
Then 19:42 says, metil dshabta aila howat or because that Shabbat that was brought
was turning over, i.e. ending.
Therefore, the Aramaic never uses the phrase preparation day even though it was
put into Greek which does use that term. In fact preparation day in Aramaic is a
completely different term, more akin to yoma dnetivata which never appears in the
Aramaic NT.
And one more thing, another possible answer in addition to this one is G: Cloudy with
a chance of supernatural darkness and earthquakes!
12) Fill in the blanks. The day that Yshua died also must correspond to the ___ day of
Abib because___
A) 14th, because he is our Pesach lamb that must be sacrificed on that day to align
with the evening sacrifice and 1 Corinthians 5:7.
B) 15th, because Matthew 26:17 and Luke 22:7-9 have Yshua alive all day on the
14th, including the late afternoon when he was otherwise supposed to have been
dead.
C) 14th, because Mashiyach cannot be crucified nor the Sanhedrin meet to condemn
him on an Annual Shabbat.
D) 14th, because the Pesach started just after sunset on the 13th, and he was arrested
and condemned that night, dying the following afternoon.
E) 15th, because in the year Yshua died there had to be back to back Shabbats,
where the Annual was followed immediately by the Weekly.
F) 15th, because Amos 9 predicts that he must die in the daylight part of a feast that
is turned into mourning.
G) The answer is B, the 15th, because Matthew 26:17 and Luke 22:7-9 have
Yshua alive all day on the 14th, including the late afternoon when he was
otherwise supposed to have been dead.
STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK
1) Why is the specific commandment about the Shabbat given again in Exodus 35 when
it has already been given three times previously to this same group of people? (This is
in contrast with Deuteronomys passages on the same matter, which are given to the
next generation after the Exodus.)
2) How are details in the construction of the Ark of the Covenant directly related to the
name of its craftsman, Betzalel?

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3) How is another design aspect of the Ark of the Covenant repeated during an
important Gospel event?
4) Why would Solomon contract work for building the Temple out to a pagan king?
5) What does Hirams choice of worker that he sends to Solomon tell us about his
resources that is surprising?
Torah Thought for the Week:
The Truth About RISEN: Has Hollywood Finally Met the Mashiyach?
I remember way back in 2004, when I was of course still living in the Philadelphia area, I
had a Jewish friend named Michael who always respected my believing in Yshua. At
any rate one day he left an urgent message on my machine that said something like: Hey
Andrew! What the ____ man! I just heard that Mel Gibson is coming out with a movie
about your guy (remember that guy was a reference to Yshua by my family and
friends) in ___ Aramaic no less! This is big and YOU are going to be caught in the
middle of the whole thing. Call me!
What Michael didnt know was that I had seen this Passion of the Christ project
coming two years in advance. The rumors had begun spreading in the Aramaic
community by the end of 2001, and someone there had a friend of a friend of someone
on Mel Gibsons team that in fact leaked info about the film to us before the public knew
about it.
So to say that we in the Aramaic NT community were excited about this film shot
entirely in Aramaic and Latin (and a little Hebrew) was an understatement. And yet,
when the film finally did come out what we got was essentially a mixed bag. I gave it
great credit for showing the most accurate and unflinching depiction of the crucifixion
ever put on film, but was literally crest-fallen when I found out they had essentially made
up the Aramaic used in the film using nothing from the Aramaic NT itself. Then, after a
few months, the fervor died down and the whole point of the exercise seemed largely
forgotten although it did do extremely well commercially.
In the years since Passion came up there have been a few Hollywood attempts to
recapture if not that films spirit, at least its level of success, but to my mind, everything
had fallen flat, including last years Son of God.
But now we have a new candidate to consider. Its not in Aramaic like Passion was nor is
there massive gore or blood in the execution scenes. Whats more, there is only a very,
very small part of the Gospel that the filmmakers utilize in telling their story. So how
good could this film possibly be?
Well for starters, I would like to say that I encountered my first issue with this Risen
film in its first 30 seconds. In the opening shot they have picked 33 CE, not the 30 CE, as
the year Yshua died. I mean reallyonly a tiny fraction of scholars still hold to 33 and
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the vast majority of us are in the 30 CE camp which has overwhelming Scriptural and
historical support. It would have been better if they didnt put up a year at all rather than
put up this one!
Then about halfway through the film they had the disciples in Galilee after the
resurrectionmaybe a week or so afterand the sky had a full moon. No way! It was
too soon for the next full moon and the one from Pesach long gone. This was a NEW
moon at best or, again, why have the shot at all?
And the Roman guy who is at the center of the story? He never existed as far as I can tell.
Clevius is not a re-worked Cornelius since Cornelius was a centurion and Clevius was a
tribunea far higher rank. No way a Roman burst into the upper room while a risen
Yshua was having supper with the apostles. Never happened! Theres no hint of this guy
even in the folk tradition. What are they thinking?
Oh and did I mention the Friday to Sunday death to resurrection timeline which almost
none of us in the faith walk can accept? Not cool at all!
And as for the rest of the film outside all these considerations, well I just want to say this
clearly and strongly: I want all of you hearing this right now to completely disregard
everything I just said and RUN, dont walk, to the nearest theater and see this film now!
When the DVD and Blue Rays come out, buy them, give them and share them! FINALLY
someone got this right!
What an amazing filmextremely accurate and well done in every respect. This is the
film we in Hebrew Roots have been waiting for, so the next time we are dialoguing with
a Christian and they want to know what we are about, just tell them to watch Risen!
Yes, it is that good.
Okay, so lets get down to the details. Why DO I love this film so much? Why do I feel
this is, by far, the best attempt by Hollywood to tell the Greatest Story Ever Told?
Well let me tell you what also happened in the first 30 seconds of the film: The Romans
talked about that Jewish god YAHWEH. The first time I heard it, I was floored. Did
they really say YAHWEH? I didnt have to wait long, because 2 minutes later they said it
again! Then 5 minutes after that they called the Messiah YESHUA, and they stuck to
these names for the rest of the film! Except for one reference to God in the end (during
the Aaronic Blessing of all things), this is the first movie about the Messiah to
exclusively use the Hebrew Names! That is beyond huge considering 99% of the folks
seeing this film probably are regular church folks with little to no experience with the
Names, and yet Jesus and Christ are NOWHERE in this film. What an amazing step
forward.
Second, the details of Jerusalem, the priests, the Pharisees and the apostles were all
historically accurate. I found not a single problem in anything they depicted and trust me
thats rare. Even when they speculated, the speculation made sense.
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For example, we have no exact contemporary drawings of first century crucifixion. We

have found in archaeology a single foot with an iron nail through it, and thats pretty
much it. There is no way to know if Yshua hung down straight or had his arms spread
out. But what they showed still made sense with the few facts we do know. Yshua had
his arms stretched a bit, but not all the way. And the nails were through the WRIST, not
the palm, which is very important to me. Then the nails in the wrists had an iron circular
kind of cap to keep the nails in. We have zero evidence of such caps, but it made perfect
sense. I bought it. Then the feet were not nailed through together but splayed apart and
nailed separately. This is also possible, even if we are not sure 100%. The closest I can
come to clarity on what crucifixion looked like is in a reference by Philo, but that only
takes us so far.
Everything though about Yshua and the apostles in terms of how they probably looked,
how they actually dressed, mannerisms and so on was SPOT ON. Risen avoided one of
the worst excesses of Hollywood imagination. Ever see those 1960s versions where
Yshua is in bright red and purple garments, almost like a tie dyed psychedelic toga? Of
course, Torah law prohibited this kind of clothing, and I know home spun linen when I
see it and did see it in Risen. Good work!
And even though they use very little of the Gospels in telling their story, they do justice
to important parts in the Gospels they dont use. For example, obviously Yshua healed a
lot of lepers, but NOT on the Sea of Galilee when he commands the apostles to catch 153
fish in John 21. Still, did I care when he healed a leper at that moment? NOits one of
the most moving scenes in the entire film, and at least they showed what such a healing
looked like.
And then there is just the whole idea behind the film. They depict the resurrection as a
fact and then try to imagine how various people on the ROMAN side would have looked
at it. Everything they guessed at about Pilate, Clevius and others made perfect sense.
Having the Romans chase after either the body or the Savior like a bunch of ancient CSIs
gave fresh context to the familiar Biblical account. It made it new and exciting, without
sacrificing accuracy.
Oh and then theres the guy playing Yshuaa totally Jewish looking man, perhaps a bit
older than Messiah was but still he looked exactly right. He looked young enough to be
believable but worn enough to accurately depict the harsh realities of first century Roman
dominated life. These were not a bunch of clean shaven Brits out of central casting with
generic outfits and ridiculous accents. These guys were totally credible as Semites in the
first century.
Theres a lot more I could say but I will leave on this point. My friends and I didnt just
casually see this film. We made it an event10 of usand none of us were
disappointed. Risen delivers in a fresh yet completely reverent and historically proper
way. I am so happy someone finally got this story down the way it was meant to be told.
Thank you!
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Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week!
Next week we will be exploring Pekudei (these are the expenses), Exodus 38:21 to 40:38,
Haftorah 1 Kings 7:15-8:21 and our Renewed Covenant portion will be the first 11 lines
of Acts. Stay tuned!

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