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Todays Parsha #53: Haazinu (Give ear/listen)the on steroids edition with Fast of
Gedaliah teachings, Shabbat Shuvah readings and other Bonus Features.

Special Reminder!

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Special Teaching, Moedim/Tishri 2014 Schedule
For more information, please see the 2014 Calendar under Other Resources and then
Calendar Tab. This schedule will be in the Notes throughout the Set-Apart season.
(Bonus Audio, Video and Written Teachings Will be Available for the Following):

Nitzvaim-Vayelech Parashot Sunset Fri Sept 19-Sunset Sat Sept 20
Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanna Sunset Wed Sept 24-Sunset Thu Sept 25
Fast of Gedaliah/Haazinu/Shabbat Shuvah Sunset Fri Sept 26-Sunset Sat Sept 27
Yom Kippur (25 hour fast thru Shabbat) Sunset Fri Oct 3-Sunset Sat Oct 4
Sukkot (1
st
day) Sunset Wed Oct 8-Sunset Thu Oct 9
Sukkot (2
nd
day) Sunset Thu Oct 9-Sunset Fri Oct 10
Shabbat Middle of Sukkot/Chol HaMoed Sunset Fri Oct 10-Sunset Sat Oct 11
Shemini Etzeret/Simchat Torah Sunset Wed Oct 15-Sunset Thu Oct 16
(Those outside of Israel have Shemini Etzeret and Simchat Torah on the same day.
Includes last parsha, #54, VeZot Ha-Berachah, or The Blessing of the Tribes)

Return to First Parsha, Bereshit Sunset Fri Oct 17-Sunset Sat Oct 18


PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEKS STUDY QUESTIONS (Nitzvaim-Vayelech):

1) In this short Torah portion is a little line that totally blows out of the water the
false Christian teaching of Dispensationalismor the idea that there was ONLY
an Age of Law in the Tanakh and ONLY an Age of Grace in the NT. Where is
that line?

'Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your
descendants, so that you will love Yahweh your God with all your heart and
soul, and so will live. (Deuteronomy 30:6 NJB)

So much for the idea that spiritual circumcision in the NT is a substitute for
the physical circumcision it the Tanakh. BOTH are needed!
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2) The Rabbis have started the Haftorah portion at 61:10 rather than 61:1, perhaps
because Yshua read from 61:1 in Luke 4. However, while they may have
avoided quoting from Yshua, they ran right smack dab into quoting someone else
who is fairly important to Yshua as well! Who is this person and where is the
quote?

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I exult for joy in Yahweh, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed
me in garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in a cloak of saving justice,
like a bridegroom wearing his garland, like a bride adorned in her jewels.
(Isaiah 61:10 NJB)

This is fairly close to what Maryam, Yshuas mother says in Luke 1:46:


46 And Maryam said, "My
soul magnifies Master
YHWH.
64

I find this pretty interesting because MORVA is derived from RAB which
means make great, multiply in Aramaic which literally means to EXULT
as the Hebrew does. So the Rabbis may have avoided quoting Isaiah that
Yshua read from but they still bumped into the part of Isaiah Maryam
quoted from!

3) How is a detail in this Torah portion directly linked to one of the greatest miracles
in Exodus?

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"Sulphur! Salt!-The whole country is burning! No one will sow, nothing
grow, no vegetation spring ever again! Devastation like that of Sodom and
Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, devastated by Yahweh in his furious
wrath!"
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And all the nations will exclaim, "Why has Yahweh treated this
country like this? Why this great blaze of anger?" (Deuteronomy 29:22-23
NJB)

The word for ANGER is APH, which means NOSTRIL. Anger is a kind of a
snort whereby YHWH opened the Sea of Reeds and expressed that anger
against the Egyptians. Now however its Israels turn, if they disobey, to face
the same force that parted the waters.

1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:

Haazinu means give your ears or listen. It is the opening stanza of Moshes
last song that he spoke of at the end of the previous portion. Although the
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language is poetic, the graphic imagery is meant for easy remembrance and its
warnings are definitely LITERAL. There is no other poetry done as well in
Tanakh except perhaps Job 38-42.

Please understand that my intention here is to prepare you for the rigors of these
Set-Apart days, not necessarily do all the readings for you. I want to lay a firm
foundation in terms of plain spoken meanings of the text and historical context
but the actual efforts I cannot do for another person.

2) Parsha (English-Deuteronomy 32:1-52). This week we will read the entire
portion.

3) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.

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

HAAZINU (32:1) = give your ears (literal) or listen well.

LEKACH (32:2) = lesson, denotes an oral teaching. However, that doesnt meant
it wont be preserved in the written Torah later, as this clearly was.

KI SHEM YAHWAY EKRA (32:3) = when I shall proclaim YHWHs name.
Rabbis have twisted this to say YHWHs teachings because His Name is under
the ban. EKRA (proclaim, call) can also mean read which implies that we are to
both shout out and write down YHWHs Name.

HATZUR TAMIM PAOLO (32:4) = Literally: The Rock, perfect are His Deeds.
Others idiomatically render the rock as Mighty One or God, as Septuagint
translates. Also appears in 32:18 and 32:31.

SHICHET (32:5) = destruction. From Bibleort.org: (Ralbag; Malbim; HaKethav
VeHaKabbalah). Literally, 'Destruction to Him not His children their defect.' Or,
'They have hurt themselves, not Him, faulted children' (Targum); 'The defect of
His non-children is that they have been corrupt to Him' (Ibn Ezra; Ramban;
Sforno); 'They were corrupt to Him, not [like] children; this is the defect of the
warped and twisted generation' (Saadia; cf. Lekach Tov); 'They have been corrupt,
not Him, it is His children's defect' (Ralbag); 'The ones who have corrupted His
[name] are not His children because of their defect' (Abarbanel); 'Is destruction
His? No! It is the fault of His children' (Moreh Nevukhim 3:12; Chizzkuni); 'Have
they corrupted Him? No. It is [merely] their own defect' (Abarbanel); 'He
destroyed His non-children, but it was their own fault' (Chizzkuni); 'Their defect
has corrupted it so that they are no longer His children' (Hirsch); or, 'They were
corrupt, not [pleasing] Him, defective children' (Septuagint).

HEVEL (32:9) = lot, but can also mean rope.

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YELEL (32:10) = can mean parched which is the probable meaning, but also
howling, perhaps a reference to the winds blowing sand.

NACHAH (32:12) = guided, but also can mean to give rest. So perhaps YHWH
did both, i.e. guided them to rest/comfort.

YESHURUN (32:15) = the one who sees, or according to others, the upright
one (from Yashar). Septuagint renders it the beloved one meaning Israel.

TAHPUCHOT (32:20) = reverses itself. Literally, to go the adverse direction off
of the right road. Perverse in other words.

VELO EL (32:21) = and no-gods. However the root of el is also mighty ones
so it could read and those of no power; also see Galatians 4:8.

PAAH (32:26) = literally corner or to remove them from every corner, banish,
utterly destroy wherever they are.

VEAMAR EY ELOHEYMO TSUR CHASAYU VO = (32:37) = Elohim will
say, Where is THEIR ROCK in whose power they trusted? This brings new
meaning to on this rock I will build my assembly, with Yshua calling all back
to proper worship in part through Peter but most especially through Torah
observance.

CHAY ANOCHI LEOLAM (32:40) = I am Life forever or I am Life everywhere
(i.e. for the universe).

PAROTH (32:42) = can be related to Pharaoh or to having long hair.

VAYAVO MOSHE VAYEDABAR (32:44) = Moshe came and proclaimed (this
song). He actually does this three times, in Deuteronomy 31:22 to those around
him, Deuteronomy 31:28 to the elders and Deuteronomy 31:30 to all of Israel.

ASHER ANOCHI MEID BACHEM HAYOM (32:46) = that I warn before you
today, but literally, I bear witness. See notes for Deuteronomy 6:4 on how the
WITNESS is embedded in the Masoretic text for the words of the Shema.

HAYOM HAZEH (32:48) = that very day. Some rabbis think this references the
noon time on the day of Moshes death and birth where all these things are being
proclaimed from 32:1 to the end of the book.


END PART 1


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PART 2: BONUS TEACHINGS ON SHABBAT SHUVAH, TZOM GEDALIAH
AND OTHER SPECIAL DAYS DURING THE DAYS OF AWE!


1
st
Bonus Teaching!
OTHER DAYS BETWEEN ROSH HASHANNA AND YOM KIPPUR

1) What is Tzom Gedaliah?

Tzom Gedaliah, or the Fast of Gedaliah, is a minor half-fast done from sunrise to
sunset on the 3rd day of Tishri, unless that day is a Shabbat, when fasting is
generally frowned upon. In such a case, the fast will occur on 4 Tishri.

Gedaliah was a popular governor of the Jewish people just after the Babylonian
exile. He was put in charge of the remnant of Judah that was allowed to stay in the
land and not go into Babylon. When he was murdered on the 3
rd
day of Tishri
Israel mourned for his loss so greatly that it became an annual event. And yet,
many people in Judaism and Hebrew Roots have largely ignored his storyand
that ends right now!

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And before Jeremiah retired, he added, 'You can go back to Gedaliah son of
Ahikam, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed governor of
the towns of Judah, and stay with him among the people, or go anywhere else you
think suitable.' With that, the commander of the guard gave him provisions and a
present, and dismissed him.


6
Jeremiah went to Mizpah, to Gedaliah son of Ahikam and stayed with him,
among those people still left in the country.


7
When the military leaders who with their men were still in the field, all heard
that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor of
the country, making him responsible for the men, women and children, and those
of the poor country people who had not been deported to Babylon,
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they came to
Gedaliah at Mizpah: Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan sons of
Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, Jezaniah
son of the Maacathite, they and their men.


9
To them and to their men Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore an
oath. 'Do not be afraid', he said, 'of serving the Chaldeans, stay in the country,
serve the king of Babylon, and all will go well with you.


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I for my part, as the man answerable to the Chaldeans when they come to us,
shall stay here at Mizpah, whereas you can harvest the wine, summer fruit and oil,
fill your storage jars and settle in the towns which you have seized.'

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Similarly, when all the Judeans living in Moab, with the Ammonites, in Edom
and elsewhere, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had
appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan as their governor,
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the
Judeans all came back from wherever they had been driven. On their return to the
land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, they harvested an immense quantity of wine
and summer fruit.


13
Now Johanan son of Kareah and all the military leaders still in the field, came
to Gedaliah at Mizpah
14
and said to him, 'Are you aware that Baalis king of the
Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to assassinate you?' But Gedaliah
son of Ahikam would not believe them.


15
Johanan son of Kareah then spoke in secret to Gedaliah at Mizpah, as follows:
'Please let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will be any the
wiser. Why should he assassinate you and cause the dispersal of all the Judeans
who have rallied round you. Why should the remnant of Judah perish?'


16
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam replied to Johanan son of Kareah, 'You will do no
such thing, for what you say about Ishmael is false.'

In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, who
was of royal descent, came with officers of the king and ten men to Gedaliah son
of Ahikam at Mizpah. And as they were taking their meal together, there at
Mizpah,
2
Ishmael son of Nethaniah stood up with his ten men, and attacking
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with their swords, they killed the man
whom the king of Babylon had made governor of the country.


3
And all the Judeans who were with him, that is with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and
the Chaldeans soldiers who happened to be there, Ishmael killed too.
4
On the day
after the murder of Gedaliah, before the news had become known,
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eighty men
arrived from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, with their beards shaved off, their
clothing torn, and covered in self-inflicted gashes; they were bringing cereal
offerings and incense with them to present to the Temple of Yahweh.


6
Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out of Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he
went. When he met them he said, 'Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.'
7
But once
they were well inside the town, Ishmael son of Nethaniah slaughtered them, with
the help of his men, and had them thrown into the storage-well.


8
There were ten of them, however, who said to Ishmael, 'Do not kill us: we have
stocks of wheat and barley, oil and honey, hidden away in the fields.' So he spared
them and did not kill them with their brothers.
9
The storage-well into which
Ishmael threw the corpses of all the men he had killed was a large one, the one
which King Asa had built as a precaution against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael
son of Nethaniah filled it with the slaughtered men.

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10
Ishmael then took all the rest of the people prisoner who were at Mizpah, the
king's daughters and all the remaining people in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan,
commander of the guard, had entrusted to Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son
of Nethaniah took them prisoner and set out, intending to cross over to the
Ammonites.


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When Johanan son of Kareah and all the military leaders who were with him
heard about all the crimes committed by Ishmael son of Nethaniah,
12
they
mustered all their men and set out to attack Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They
caught up with him at the great Pool of Gibeon.


13
At the sight of Johanan son of Kareah and all the military leaders with him, all
the people with Ishmael were delighted.
14
All the people whom Ishmael had
taken as prisoners from Mizpah turned about, went back and joined Johanan son
of Kareah.
15
Ishmael son of Nethaniah, however, escaped from Johanan with
eight of his men and fled to the Ammonites.


16
Johanan son of Kareah and all the military leaders with him then rallied all the
remaining people whom Ishmael son of Nethaniah had taken as prisoners from
Mizpah after killing Gedaliah son of Ahikam: men -- fighting men-women,
children and eunuchs, whom they brought back from Gibeon.
17
Setting off, they
made a halt at Khan Kimham near Bethlehem, intending to go on to Egypt,
18
to
get away from the Chaldeans. They were now terrified of them, since Ishmael son
of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam whom the king of Babylon had
made governor of the country. (Jeremiah 40:5-41:18 NJB)

In the NT, the demon Yshua drove out in Matthew 17:14-21 could have been on Tzom
Gedaliah, because right after this the Pharisees try to collect the Temple tax in advance of
Yom Kippur (Exodus 30:14-17, Matthew 17:24-27), a tax which we know they did not
collect prior to 2 Tishri, a tradition of which is very strong in the Talmud.(Sheqalim 3:1-
2). And since it was an optional fast, it made sense that Yshua said of the demon that the
disciples could not drive out, This kind only comes out by prayer and fasting (Matthew
17:21), since Yshua was keeping that fast and his disciples were not! The probable date
then for this event was Thursday, September 27
th
, 29 CE.

2) What are the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah?

These are the Ten Days of Repentance, from Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanna until Yom
Kippur. As the liturgy says, On Rosh Hashanna the books are opened and on Yom
Kippur they are sealed.

This idea of books of life is inspired partially by what is written in the book of
Daniel
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As I looked on, Thrones were set in place, And the Ancient of Days took His
seat. His garment was like white snow, And the hair of His head was like lamb's
wool. His throne was tongues of flame; Its wheels were blazing fire.
10
A river of
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fire streamed forth before Him; Thousands upon thousands served Him; Myriads
upon myriads attended Him; The court sat and the books were opened. (Daniel
7:9-10 JPS 1985)

The way this imagery further developed in Jewish liturgy was that these books of life
represented a 3 volume set. The first of these, which was very thin, contained all the
names of people who were so righteous that their life was guaranteed for another
year. The next book, also very thin, had the names of all the people who were so evil
that it was certain they were going to die. The remaining volume though was very
thick, and it contained all those peoplethe vast majorityfor whom their fates had
not been decided.

It would then fall to those people to do their best during all of Elul along with a
special extra effort in these Ten Days, to convince Abba YHWH to let them live.
After Yom Kippur, the final decisions are made about who will live or die and the
books are sealed. It is important to note that these traditions were most certainly in
force during the First CenturyYshua HaMashiyach would have recognized much
of what Jews do today as part of the way things were back then.

Later on we will see proof of that last statement, as these same traditions will be
taught on in the New Testament as well.

3) What is Shabbat Shuvah?

The Shabbat between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur is called the Shabbat Shuvah, the
Sabbath of Returning. On this Shabbat the weekly parshain this case Haazinuis read
as normal, but additional readings in the Haftorah from Hosea, Micah and Joel are added
on this day as well. It is Hoseas call in his portion to return to Abba YHWH that gives
this Shabbat its name, along with its position in the Days of Awe, a time of great
repentance and returning as well.

On Shabbat Shuvah one is particularly encouraged not merely to rest as one would do on
a normal Shabbat, but to focus intently on prayer, study, reflection and meditating on His
Name and Word. As with Shavuot, marathon study sessions starting on Friday night are
not uncommon.

4) Do We Really Have 4 New Years Days According to Torah?
The Torah does not directly use any term like "new year" in reference to Rosh Hashanah,
except for that possible reference we saw in Ezekiel 40. The Talmud though, in tractate
Rosh Hashanna, specifies four different "New Year's Days" for different purposes:
1) 1 Tishri (conventional "Rosh Hashanah"): "new year" for calculating calendar
years, sabbatical-year (shmita) and Yovel (Jubilee) cycles, and the age of trees
for purposes of Jewish law; and for separating grain tithes.
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2) 15 Shevat (Tu BShevat): "new year" for treesi.e., their current agricultural cycle
and related tithes.
3) 1 Abib: "new year" for counting months and major festivals and for calculating
the years of the reign of a Jewish king and also
a) In biblical times, the day following 29 Adar, Year 1 of the reign of ___,
would be followed by 1 Abib, Year 2 of the reign of ___.
b) In modern times, although the Jewish calendar year number changes on
Rosh Hashanah, the months are still numbered from Nisan.
c) The three pilgrimage festivals are always reckoned as coming in the order
Passover-Shavuot-Sukkot. This can have religious law consequences even
in modern times.
d) 1 Elul (Rosh Hashanah LaBehema): "new year" for animal tithes.

5) What is Kol Nidre?
The last of the major occasions before Yom Kippur however is also the latest addition
to the Jewish liturgy. Late on the 9
th
of Tishri, in the afternoon, is when the actual
fasting for Yom Kippur is technically supposed to begin, as we see here

27
'But the tenth day of this seventh month will be the Day of Expiation. You will
hold a sacred assembly. You will fast and offer food burnt for Yahweh.
28
You
will do no work that day, for it is the Day of Expiation, on which the rite of
expiation will be performed for you before Yahweh your God.
29
Anyone who
fails to fast that day will be outlawed from his people;
30
anyone who works that
day I shall eliminate from his people.
31
No work will be done -- this is a perpetual
law for your descendants wherever you live.
32
It must be a day of complete rest
for you. You will fast; on the evening of the ninth day of the month, from this
evening till the following evening, you will rest completely.' (Leviticus 23:27-
32 NJB)

Over the centuries, it became very natural for Jews to go to synagogue early for
Yom Kippur--that is to say before sunset on the 9
th
of Tishri, to begin their prayers
and fasting. However, as Jewish persecution reached its peak in places like 16
th

century Spain, the Jews were under tremendous pressure to convert to Roman
Catholicism or face exile or death.

For the Jews who were determined to stay in Spain, they faced a seemingly
impossible dilemma: Lie about their faith and pretend to be Catholic to stay alive or
tell the truth and die. The Rabbis got together at that time and decided that concerns
of life and death trumped that of telling the truth to their enemies.

As a result, Kol NidreAramaic for all vows--was instituted on the 9
th
of Tishri.
Pious Jews could take a vow at that time which absolved them from being truthful
about other vows Gentiles would force on them regarding their faith.

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When the practice of Kol Nidre became better known, anti-Semites ironically pointed
to it as an example of why Jews were deceptive people, and they spread further
exaggerations that because the occasion meant all vows that every single word out
of a Jews mouth was a lie. The reality of course was, only those vows that would
bring a Jew hardship or death for being Jewish were given Rabbinic dispensation, and
this was also well within Torah standards in terms of accommodation for matters of
life and death. Rahab for example is praised in the Tanakh for lying about where the
Hebrew spies were hiding to her people in Jericho.

Another aspect of Kol Nidre has to do with vows to Abba YHWH that, in spite of
pious Jews best efforts, nevertheless fell short for whatever reason. These words of
Kol Nidre differ slightly between Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions. In both, the
supplicant prays to be released from all personal vows made to Elohim during the
year, so that any unfulfilled promises made to Elohim will be annulled and, thus,
forgiven. In Ashkenazi tradition, the reference is to the coming year; in Sephardic
tradition, the reference is to the year just ended. Only vows between the supplicant
and Elohim are relevant. Vows made between the supplicant and other people remain
perfectly valid, since they are unaffected by the prayer, unless of course the original
exception life and death matters is not in play.

But just because our study of these special in between days hit a particular part of
Jeremiah for the Fast of Gedaliah that is very close to another intriguing topic, I was
inspired to write about that other topic for our next section: Where is the Ark of the
Covenant?

END PART 2

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PART 3: Spotlight Teaching on the Ark of the Covenant!


2
nd
Bonus Teaching:
Isaiah, Jeremiah and the Location of the Ark of the Covenant!

Introduction: Not in Jerusalem

(Jer 3:16) And it shall be, when you have increased, and shall bear fruit in the
land in those days, declares , that they no longer say, The ark of the
covenant of . Neither would it come to heart, nor would they remember it,
nor would they visit it, nor would it be made again. (Jeremiah 3:16-17 TS 1998)

This line from Jeremiah suggests a few things. First, that he may know where the Ark
is, or he wouldnt sound so sure it would never be remembered again and second, that
wherever the Ark of the Covenant is, it is not in Jerusalem or Israel proper.

Later on, we will see the exact circumstances that drove the Ark out of the city, but
even if it somehow stayed, the antechamber it might have been inper Ron Wyatt
and others who have suggested suchwould surely have been destroyed by Babylon
or Rome. In both cases, the destruction levels went down well below the foundations,
which were completely overthrown, with fire and other damages so total that any said
antechamber would have been destroyed and the Ark, assuming it did survive, would
simply be irretrievable from its current position. Therefore, I am quite happy to report
the Ark was most certainly taken out of Jerusalem long before Nebuchadnezzar
invaded. Just how long ago, under what circumstances and where it may be now are
the subjects of this essay.

The timing of this prophecy by Jeremiah is also very important. Old Testament
Survey (Eerdmans: 1982, p. 482) by William Sanford LaSor dates this in harmony
with the vast majority of Biblical scholarship as having been uttered between 627 and
621 BCE. At that same time, King Josiah is on the throne of Judah, and in his 18
th

year, 622 BCE, the following happens:

(2Ch 35:1) And Yoshiyahu (Josiah) performed a Passover to in
Yerushalayim, and they slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first
month. (2Ch 35:2) And he set the priests in their duties and strengthened them for
the service of the House of , (2Ch 35:3) and said to the Lwites who were
teaching all Yisral, who were set-apart to , ut the set-apart ark in the
house which Shelomoh son of Dawi, sovereign of Yisral, built. It is no
longer to be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve your Elohim and His
people Yisral, (2Ch 35:4) and prepare by the fathers houses, according to your
divisions, by the writing of Dawi sovereign of Yisral and by the writing of
Shelomoh his son. (2Ch 35:5) And stand in the set-apart place by the divisions
of the fathers houses of your brothers the lay people, and the portion of the
fathers house of the Lwites.
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(2Ch 35:6) And slaughter the Passover, and set yourselves apart, and prepare for
your brothers, to do according to the word of by the hand of Mosheh.(2Ch
35:7) And Yoshiyahu gave the lay people lambs and young goats from the flock,
all for Passover offerings for everyone present, to the number of thirty thousand,
and three thousand cattle these were from the sovereigns possessions.

(2Ch 35:8) And his leaders contributed a voluntary offering to the people, to the
priests, and to the Lwites. ilqiyah, and Zearyahu, and Yeil, leaders of the
House of Elohim, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six
hundred, and three hundred cattle; (2Ch 35:9) and Konanyahu, his brothers
Shemayahu and Nethanl, and ashayahu and Yeil and Yozaa, chiefs of
the Lwites, gave to the Lwites for Passover offerings five thousand, and five
hundred cattle. (2Ch 35:10) And the service was prepared, and the priests stood
in their places, and the Lwites in their divisions, according to the command of
the sovereign, (2Ch 35:11) and they slaughtered the Passover. And the priests
sprinkled out of their hands, while the Lwites were skinning.

(2Ch 35:12) And they removed the burnt offerings, to give them to the divisions
of the fathers houses of the lay people, to bring to , as it is written in the Book
of Mosheh, and the same with the cattle.

(2Ch 35:13) So they roasted the Passover offerings with fire according to the
right-ruling, and they boiled the set-apart offerings in pots, and in cauldrons, and
in bowls, and brought them speedily to all the lay people. (2Ch 35:14) And
afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the
sons of Aharon, were offering burnt offerings and fat until night. So the Lwites
prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aharon.

(2Ch 35:15) And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their places, according
to the command of Dawi, and Asaph, and Hman, and Yeuthun the seer of the
sovereign. And the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their position,
because their brothers the Lwites prepared for them.

(2Ch 35:16) And all the service of was prepared that day, to perform the
Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of , according to the
command of Sovereign Yoshiyahu. (2Ch 35:17) And the children of Yisral
who were present performed the Passover at that time, and the Festival of
Unleavened Bread for seven days. (2Ch 35:18) There had not been a Passover
performed in Yisral like it since the days of Shemul the prophet. And none of
the sovereigns of Yisral had performed such a Passover as Yoshiyahu
performed, with the priests and the Lwites, and all Yehuah and Yisral who
were present, and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim. (2Ch 35:19) In the
eighteenth year of the reign of Yoshiyahu (622 BCE) this Passover was
performed.

13


What this passage of Scripture tells us is that the Ark of the Covenant was not in its
expected place. King Josiah then had assumed the priests had temporarily hidden it in
some antechamber, perhaps underground as some Jewish tradition suggests, but the
reality is quite different: The priests had already taken the Ark out of the country! The
question is: Why? The answer, I believe, has to do with Josiahs grandfather, Manasseh,
who was the most evil king either Judah or Israel every produced:

(2Ch 33:1) Menashsheh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned fifty-five years in Yerushalayim. (2Ch 33:2) But he did evil in the eyes of
, according to the abominations of the gentiles whom dispossessed from
before the children of Yisral. (2Ch 33:3) For again he rebuilt the high places
which izqiyahu his father had broken down, and raised up altars for the Baals,
and made Ashrim, and bowed himself to all the host of the heavens and served
them.

(2Ch 33:4) And he built altars in the House of , of which had said, In
Yerushalayim is My Name, forever.(2Ch 33:5) And he built altars for all the
host of the heavens in the two courtyards of the House of .

(2Ch 33:6) And he made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of
Hinnom, and practiced magic, and used divination and witchcraft, and consulted
mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of , to provoke Him.

(2Ch 33:7) And he placed a carved image of the idol which he had made, in
the House of Elohim, of which Elohim had said to Dawi and to Shelomoh
his son, In this house and in Yerushalayim, which I have chosen out of all
the tribes of Yisral, I put My Name forever, (2Ch 33:8) and no more shall I
remove the foot of Yisral from the soil which I have appointed for your fathers
only if they guard to do all that I have commanded them, according to all the
Torah and the laws and the right-rulings by the hand of Mosheh.

(2Ch 33:9) Thus Menashsheh led Yehuah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim
astray, to do more evil than the gentiles whom had destroyed before the
children of Yisral.

In the last five years of his reign however, Manasseh was seized and brought into
Babylon for a time, and this crisis forced him to humble himself before Abba YHWH.
Manasseh prayed and repented of his sins and, while Abba YHWH heard him and
restored him to power, the damage was already done.

I believe the event bolded and underlined above, the placing of an idol where the Ark
rested, simply could not be tolerated by priests still loyal to Abba YHWH. They
remembered well the plagues the Ark inflicted on the Philistines when it had been taken
to their temple to Dagon, their fish god. They may have also linked the Ark to the
destruction of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers who were camped on King Hezekiahs doorstep,
and that was without the Ark directly being threatened.
14



On the other hand, though Abba YHWH restored Manasseh and was later on very
pleased with King Josiah, Josiahs excellent deeds were not enough to compensate for
what Manasseh did:

25
No king before him turned to Yahweh as he did, with all his heart, all his soul, all
his strength, in perfect loyalty to the Law of Moses; nor did any king like him arise
again.
26
Yet Yahweh did not renounce the heat of his great anger which had
been aroused against Judah by all the provocations which Manasseh had caused
him.
27
Yahweh said, 'I shall thrust Judah away from me too, as I have already thrust
Israel; I shall cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the Temple of
which I have said: My Name shall be there.'
28
The rest of the history of Josiah, his
entire career, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? (2
Kings 23:25-28 NJB)

That is why Abba YHWH also decided that Josiahs mercy would be to die in battle so
his eyes would never see his beloved Jerusalem fall. For now though the main point is
this: The latest time the Ark of the Covenant could have been taken out of Jerusalem was
622 BCE, Josiahs 18
th
year when he noticed the Ark was missing.

Setting the Range of its Disappearance

But if 622 BCE is the latest time the Ark could be in its rightful place, when was the
earliest time it could have been taken? The last certain direct reference to it was in
Solomons 20
th
year, or about 951 BCE, just after he married the daughter of Pharaoh (2
Chronicles 8:11).

In more recent years, some historians, not to mention a few ambitious Hollywood
screenwriters, dreamed up a scenario that the invading Pharaoh Shishak took the Ark in
Rehoboams 5
th
year, which is to say 926 BCE, and then relocated it back to Tanis, his
capital city. This was of course the theory advanced in the famous movie Raiders of the
Lost Ark, but in spite of the fact three Jewish scholarsGeorge Lucas, Steven
Spielberg and Lawrence Kasdanadvanced this idea, it has long since been discredited
in the scholarly community.

The chief reason why is simple: A careful reading of both 1 Kings 14 and Shishaks own
account of the campaign reveals he never entered Jerusalem to sack it. Instead, he seems
to have besieged the city for a short time and then advanced on it to collect a bribe
from Rehoboam to stop invading (1 Kings 14:25-31). The majority consensus now is that
Shishak did carry off a lot of Temple treasure, as both 1 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 11
suggests, but that it wasnt everything since Rehoboam picked what treasure to let go,
especially his famous silver shields, and with Rehoboam doing the picking it is extremely
unlikely he would give up the Ark if he didnt have to.

15


Furthermore, in spite of language like he carried off all the Temple treasure, Scripture
tells us plainly much of it survived intact in Jerusalem, because we also have treasure lists
of what went into captivity into Babylon.

But if the Ark of the Covenant did not go with Shishak, when exactly was the earliest
time it could have left Israel? The answer has to do with listening to a very special
prayer:

(Num 7:89) And when Mosheh went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him,
he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the lid of atonement
that was on the ark of the Witness, from between the two keruim. Thus He
spoke to him.

(1Sa 4:4) And the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from there the ark of
the covenant of of hosts, dwelling between the keruim. And the two sons
of li, ophni and Pineas, were there with the ark of the covenant of Elohim.

(2Sa 6:2) And Dawi rose up and went with all the people who were with him
from Baal Yehuah, to bring up from there the ark of Elohim, that is called
by the Name, the Name of Hosts, who dwells between the keruim.

(1Ch 13:6) And Dawi and all Yisral went up to Baalah, to Qiryath Yearim of
Yehuah, to bring up from there the ark of Elohim, , who dwells between
the kerubim, where the Name is called on. (1Ch 13:7) And they placed the ark
of Elohim on a new wagon from the house of Ainaa, and Uzza and Ayo
were leading the wagon.

(Psa 80:1) Give ear, O Shepherd of Yisral, Who lead Yosph like a flock; Who
dwell between the keruim, shine forth! (Psa 80:2) Before Ephrayim,
Binyamin, and Menashsheh, Stir up Your might, And come and save us!(Psa
80:3) Cause us to turn back, O Elohim, And cause Your face to shine, That we
might be saved! (Psa 99:1) shall reign; Peoples tremble! He is enthroned on
the keruim; The earth shakes! (Psa 99:2) is great in Tsiyon, And He is high
above all the peoples.

Paying particular attention to 2 Samuel 6:2, we see plainly the Ark itself acquired the
Name of Him Who dwelt near itYHWH of Hosts Who dwells between the kerubim.
The Ark became the physical embodimentmuch like the Burning Bushof the Spirit
of Abba YHWH on earth.

Furthermore, every time this phrase appears in the narrative or as a prayerHe who
dwells between the kerubimthe Ark is either directly present or it is from a time period
that we know it was still in Israel. The same is true of the last two references, Isaiah
37:16 and 2 Kings 19:15, which reference a particular historical event that can only
happen when the Ark is present:

16


(2Ki 19:14) And izqiyahu received the letters from the hand of the
messengers, and read them, and went up to the House of . And iziyahu
spread it before . (2Ki 19:15) And izqiyahu prayed before , and said,
O Elohim of Yisral, the One who dwells between the keruim, You are
Elohim, You alone, of all the reigns of the earth. You have made the heavens and
earth. (2Ki 19:16) Incline Your ear, O , and hear. Open Your eyes, O ,
and see. And hear the words of Sanri, which he has sent to reproach the living
Elohim. (2Ki 19:17) Truly, , the sovereigns of Ashshur have laid waste the
nations and their lands, (2Ki 19:18) and have put their mighty ones into the fire,
for they were not mighty ones, but the work of mens hands, wood and stone, and
destroyed them. (2Ki 19:19) And now, O our Elohim, I pray, save us from
his hand, so that all the reigns of the earth know that You are Elohim, You
alone.

Notice Hezekiah goes into the inner shrine and spreads the letters from the hands of the
messengers before YHWH, and then utters the line who dwells between the cherubim.
This can only mean Hezekiah put the letters on the Table of Displaytheres no other
place to put themand that same table is directly facing the Ark of the Covenant! Since
the phrase dwells between the cherubim is not said unless the Ark could be there
chronologically or is in fact mentioned directly as being there, the Ark had to still be in
Jerusalem on this occasion, when King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah in 700
BCE.

So these details tell us the Ark was still in Jerusalem in 701 BCE, and yet it was not in its
proper place for King Josiah in 622 BCE, so obviously something terrible happened in
the intervening 81 years.

As we saw, that something was the entrenched and deadly paganism of Manasseh, which
forced the priests to at least get the Ark out of that evil kings clutches. The question was,
where could they take it to keep it safe?

Where Did it Go?

One prominent researcher, Graham Hancock, suggested the answer had to be Ethiopia. In
his 1994 book Sign and Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant, Hancock noted
that the Ethiopians have the oldest continuous form of Judaism on the planet; this
Judaism is very likely rooted in First Temple times and the State of Israel seemed to
agree, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel in the
1980s.

On these general points, I have no quarrel. Nor is there any doubt in my mind that the
Ethiopian cultures strong veneration of the Ark as a symbol in both its Jewish and
Christian population, its early legends about the Ark and their kings, point to some kind
of possible contact with Aaronic priests and possibly the Ark itself.

17


Hancock posits that during Manassehs rule, priests spirited the Ark first to Elephantine
island of the coast of Egypt because, according to his view, a Temple to Abba YHWH
with a sanctified altar and working priesthood resided there. Then, when the Temple
burned down, it was supposedly taken to Tania Kirkos, an island off of Ethiopias coast
near the Blue Nile.

The only problem with Hancocks theory is there is no hard evidence the Temple to
YHWH at Elephantine existed that early, and this is borne out by the prophet Isaiah:

(Isa 19:18) In that day five cities in the land of Mitsrayim shall speak the
language of Kenaan and swear by of hosts, one is called the City of
Destruction. (Isa 19:19) In that day an altar to shall be in the midst of the
land of Mitsrayim, and a standing column to at its border. (Isa 19:20)
And it shall be for a sign and for a witness to of hosts in the land of
Mitsrayim. When they cry to because of the oppressors, He sends them a
Savior and an Elohim, and shall deliver them.

The phrase City of Destruction which is ir-ha-heres in Hebrew is widely believed to be
a word play for what the Greeks call Heliopolis and what is otherwise known as ir-ha-
heresa, that is the City of the Sun, the ancient Egyptian center for sun worship and
astronomical observation. Ezekiel also prophesied about the same city, known also as On
or Beth Shemesh, the House of the Sun (Jeremiah 43:13).

My point is this: Isaiah is saying a Temple to Abba YHWH will be built in Heliopolis,
and this does happen about six centuries later, but if there was already a Temple to
YHWH in Egypt at Elephantine when Isaiah made this prophecy in around 712 BCE
(20:1 refers to an uprising in Ashdod that took place in that year), wouldnt the prophet
have mentioned it, if only to distinguish it from the later one he is prophesying about?

Then between 712 and 585 BCE, it seems the five cities Isaiah prophesied about speaking
Hebrew do in fact arise, and Jeremiah comments on four of them when he is forced to go
to Egypt the year after the Jerusalem Temple is destroyed:

(Jer 44:1) The word that came to Yirmeyahu concerning all the Yehuim who
were dwelling in the land of Mitsrayim who were dwelling at Midol, and at
Tapanes, and at Noph, and in the land of athros, saying, (Jer 44:2) Thus said
of hosts, the Elohim of Yisral, You yourselves have seen all the evil that I
have brought on Yerushalayim and on all the cities of Yehuah. And see, this day
they are a ruin, and no one dwells in them,(Jer 44:3) because of their evil which they
have done to provoke Me, by going to burn incense by serving other mighty ones
whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers.

Migdol, which is also the Hebrew word for tower was an Egyptian town near the Suez
Canalit may be the Jews actually founded that community and gave it its Hebrew
designation. Noph and Pathros are the Hebrew names for the old and new capitals of
Memphis and Thebes, respectively, and Tahpanhes is Tell Defenneh, a city about 20
18


miles southwest of Pelusium, also known in Scripture as Sin, in the eastern part of Lower
Egypt.

The point is, we see a clear establishment of these Jewish communities, four by
Jeremiahs time and the fifth, Heliopolis, is yet to be established as a center for Yahwistic
worship by Egyptian Jews.

However, wherever large numbers of Jews gathered there should have been in this period
some remnant of a priesthood with sanctified altars to service them, and so the Ark could
have come to one of these Jewish communities for safe keeping in the decades leading up
to the destruction of Solomons Temple.

On the other hand, it is also possible the fleeing priests from Manassehs day did go to
Ethiopia after all, but bypassed Elephantine Island on their way. In the context of the
time, a southwards journey, first overland to Egypt across the Sinai desert where trusted
Jews could help them and then loading the Ark on to a barge to float down to the source
of the Nile, best makes sense with the facts as we have them.

Once at the source of the Nile, I do believe the Ark was taken to Tania Kirkos, agreeing
with longstanding Ethiopian legends. The Aaronic priests then would have trained some
of the locals how to care for the Ark and do animal sacrifices, thus explaining the ancient
form of their Judaism that continues to exist today, as well as how that time might give
birth to various legends of the Ark still being in their country now.

Unlike their legends however, the Ark of the Covenant probably never made it further
into Ethiopia proper, so it was not taken to Axum to reside in the Church of Mount Mary
of Zion, as is often alleged by Hancock and others.

Not Returned to Judah?

What I believe happened instead is that the priests who fled Manasseh stayed with the
native Ethiopian converted Jews for a long time, perhaps two centuries or a little more,
but when they heard that by 516 BCE that the Temple in Jerusalem had been rebuilt and
restored, they must have considered returning home.

However, per Jeremiahs teaching, the people in Israel no longer needed nor remembered
the Ark as their religion had changed. In fact the prophet Haggai declared the following
about this new Temple without the Ark:

(Hag 2:7) And I shall shake all the nations, and they shall come to the Delight of all
the nations, and I shall fill this House with esteem, said of hosts. (Hag 2:8) The
silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares of hosts. (Hag 2:9) Let the
esteem of this latter House be greater than the former, said of hosts. And in
this place I give peace, declares of hosts.

19


So with their own homeland seemingly not caring about the Ark, where could they take it
next? Surely not to other pagan nations like the emerging Persian Empire who would
have little idea what to do with it, and the Northern Tribes of Israel of course still had not
returned from their Assyrian captivity to care for it either. So the Aaronic priests
probably just bided their time in Ethiopia, waiting for a better opportunity.

A New Altar and Place for the Ark Rises at Elephantine

That opportunity came when the first altar dedicated to Abba YHWH was constructed in
Egypt, on Elephantine Island. While we dont know exactly when this Temple was built,
in the Letter to Bagoas dated to 407 BCE, the Jews were asking for assistance in
rebuilding parts of the structure that had been recently damaged. One statement in that
letter read in part:

'Now our forefathers built this temple in the fortress of Elephantine back in the
days of the kingdom of Egypt, and when Cambyses came to Egypt he found it
built. They (the Persians) knocked down all the temples of the gods of Egypt, but
no one did any damage to this temple.

The reference to when Cambyses came to Egypt is clearly about Cambyses II, the son
of Cyrus I of Persia, who ruled from 530 to 522 BCE, and this is the earliest certain date
for the Temples construction, although it is very easy to imagine that it could have been
built several decades earlier, in response to the flooding of Jewish exiles into Egypt after
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. This again brings us back to the possible force
behind building that Temple, Jeremiah himself!

(Jer 43:5) And Yoanan son of Qara and all the commanders of the army
took all the remnant of Yehuah who had returned to dwell in the land of
Yehuah, from all nations where they had been driven (Jer 43:6) the men,
and the women, and the children, and the sovereigns daughters, and every
being whom Neuzaraan, chief of the guard, had left with ealyahu son of
Aiam, son of Shaphan, and Yirmeyahu the prophet, and aru son of
Nriyahu. (Jer 43:7) So they went to the land of Mitsrayim, for they disobeyed
the voice of . And they went as far as Tapanes.

(Jer 43:8) And the word of came to Yirmeyahu in Tapanes, saying,
(Jer 43:9) Take large stones in your hand, and you shall hide them before the
eyes of the men of Yehuah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the
entrance to Pharaohs house in Tapanes. (Jer 43:10) Then you shall say to
them, Thus said of hosts, the Elohim of Yisral, See, I am sending, and I
shall bring Neuaretstsar the sovereign of Bael, My servant. And I shall set
his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he shall spread his canopy
over them.

Jeremiahs advice to these exiles in Egypt is also very telling:

20


(Jer 46:24) The daughter of Mitsrayim shall be put to shame. She shall be given
into the hand of the people of the north.(Jer 46:25) of hosts, the Elohim of
Yisral, has said, See, I am bringing punishment on Amon of No, and on
Pharaoh, and on Mitsrayim, and on their mighty ones, and on their sovereigns,
and on Pharaoh and on those trusting in him.

(Jer 46:26) And I shall give them into the hand of those who seek their lives,
into the hand of Neuaretstsar sovereign of Bael and into the hand of his
servants. And afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares
.(Jer 46:27) ut as for you, do not fear, O My servant Yaao, and do
not be discouraged, O Yisral! For look, I am saving you from afar, and
your descendants from the land of their captivity. And Yaaqo shall return,
and shall have rest and be at ease, with no one disturbing.

(Jer 46:28) Do not fear, O Yaao My servant, declares , for I am
with you. Though I make a complete end of all the gentiles to which I have
driven you, yet I do not make a complete end of you. But I shall reprove you in
right-ruling, and by no means leave you unpunished.

This passage suggests that some Jews will remain in Egypt, and if in fact they do stay
there for centuries on end they most certainly will need that Temple in Elephantine and
its accompanying priesthood to continue in Covenant. The same is true with their
Babylonian counterparts, as history shows that while many returned to Judah when the
captivity was concluded, about 90% stayed behind in that nation as well.

Therefore, if the Elephantine Temple was not built shortly after the destruction of the
First Jerusalem Temple, it must have been sometime in the next few decades after that
time. If we split the difference then from 585 (when Jeremiah and other exiles from Judah
arrived in Egypt) to 525 BCE (the approximate time Cambyses II would have seen that
Temple at Elephantine), we come to a middle average of about 555 BCE, give or take a
decade, for the most likely time for the Egyptian temple to Abba YHWH to arise. This
date fits in with all the primary evidence we have seen from Scripture and history.

And this is where we go back to Ethiopia. I believe that when the Aaronic priests heard
that a Temple to YHWH was now functioning in Egypt, that was their cue to get the Ark
off of Tania Kirkos Island, and float the Ark back up to the other end of the Nile and
eventually to that Jewish Temple.

Then, sometime after 350 BCE, the Temple at Elephantine fell into disuse and the Ark
went missing again for a time. Perhaps it stayed with prominent Jewish families in one of
the five cities Isaiah prophesied about, much as it had shifted from Shiloh to private
houses before being installed in a permanent house by Solomon. The probable demise of
this shrine was brought upon by a resurgence of the god Khnum, which Egyptians
insisted they use the altar right next to the one dedicated to Abba YHWH.


21


One Temple Dies, Another is Born, to House the Ark

About another two centuries later, just before the Maccabean Revolt in 171 BCE, another
Temple dedicated to Abba YHWH in Egyptthe one actually prophesied by Isaiah to be
rise in Heliopolisbegan to be built. The story begins when a potential high priest
named Onias is denied the opportunity to serve in that capacity in Jerusalem. This was
done despite the fact that Onias was from the right Aaronic family to be high priest and
the man who beat him out for that position was not.

In desperation then, Onias writes to King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, asking
for permission to build a Temple to Abba YHWH on the ruins of pagan temple that had
fallen into disrepair. The King and Queen, very much surprised by the request,
nevertheless give this response to Onias:

70
``King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra to Onias, send greetings. We have read
your petition, wherein you desire permission to be given you to purge that temple
which is fallen down at Leontopolis, in the nome of Heliopolis, and which is
named from the country of Bubastis; on which account we cannot but wonder that
it should be pleasing to God to have a temple erected in a place so unclean, and so
full of sacred animals.
71
But since you say that Isaiah the prophet foretold this
long ago, we give you permission to do it, if it may be done according to your
law, and so that we may not appear to have at all offended God herein.''
72
So
Onias took the place, and built a temple, and an altar to God, like indeed to that in
Jerusalem, but smaller and poorer. I do not think it proper for me now to describe
its dimensions or its vessels, which have been already described in my seventh
book of the Wars of the Jews
73
However, Onias found other Jews like himself,
together with priests and Levites, that there performed divine service. But we
have said enough about this temple. (Antiquities, 13:70-73)

This Temple will actually stand until about 73 CE, when the Romans destroy it for fear
the Jews they just defeated will rally around the one remaining shrine. I believe the Ark
of the Covenant was in this Temple at least until that time, and in fact it could have been
hidden deep under the ground of what is now the modern city of Cairo today, and it could
still be there today, just waiting to be found.

Incidentally, the Onias Temple was apparently given a major endorsement by the Greek
editors of the Septuagint. While the first five books of the Torah were first translated into
Greek around 260 BCE, the rest of the Tanakh took place ata fairly leisurely place over
the next century and a half. By the time these editors got around to translating Isaiah 19,
they had decided to change the phrase City of Destruction which referred to Heliopolis
and its Jewish Temple to City of Righteousness (polis atsedek- -) and this
may even reflect an ancient Hebrew variant the Septuagint came from, since atsedek,
which is not the normal word in Greek for righteous seems to be derived from the
Hebrew word, tzedek, meaning the same thing.

Dead Sea Ark?
22



Finally, there is one more possibility to discuss. It still remains possible that at some
point the Ark was taken out of Heliopolis and brought to the only other serviceable altar
dedicated to Abba YHWH: At Qumran.

At the end of the Maccabean Revolt, the original priests of Zadok who had served
continuously for 800 years from Davids time, were driven out into the desert by the
Hasmonean Kingdom, who wanted to serve Israel as both rulers and priests. These are the
same Zadokites that are praised by the prophet Ezekiel as the ideal servants that Abba
YHWH longs to have return to service (Ezekiel 44:15-16).

At that same time another dissident group known as the Essenes had split from another
group called the Sadducees, and declared the Temple in Jerusalem corrupt, again
establishing their own altar, priesthood and sacrificial system. It is these same Essenes
whom many believe wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.

All these facts also suggest Qumran as a possible resting place for the Ark, but in
November of 2013 I met someone who appeared to think he could confirm this as fact.
His name was Jim Barfield, and I met him in a ministry trip out to New Mexico.

Jim explained that he had been able to prove to the Israeli Antiquities Authority that the
outline and design of Qumran was meant to be a mirror image of Jerusalem, and that
Qumrans sole purpose was to be the Real Jerusalem, the one place worthy to house the
Ark near its own sacred altar.

Unfortunately, while the Powerpoint he discussed was compelling, I did not have an
opportunity to follow up on Mr. Barfields research to the degree that I could confirm his
theory. I could only admit it seemed plausible, but could find no other hard evidence to
explain how or why the Ark of the Covenant, if it were residing in Heliopolis, somehow
made its way to Qumran. As a result, Qumran remains a tantalizing possibility that I can
neither prove nor disprove.

Therefore, until better evidence surfaces, I will continue to research the idea that the Ark
of the Covenant is in fact laying beneath the remains of ancient Heliopolis and the special
Temple for Abba YHWH that was built there.



Torah Question of the Week:
What is the one image in this weekly portion that has not been seen since the days of
Adam?

END PART 3



23



PART 4: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
What is the one image in this portion that has not been seen since the days of Adam?

41
If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on justice, I will render
vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me. (Deu 32:41 NAU)

The last time YHWH had a flashing sword was when He commanded the cherubim with
a flaming sword to keep the way to the tree of life.

1) Haftorah portion (Haazinu): (English- 2 Samuel 22:1-51) and discuss common
themes with the Torah portion. Read entire portion first.

2) Our linguistic commentary

CHEBEL (22:6) = cords, as in of Sheol/death. This same word was thought to be
pains of death in Acts 2:24 but there is no pain in death itself, only in dying or
perhaps in future judgment. The same word however can mean
pain/travail/corruption in Acts 2:27 and other places, so it is easy to see where the
mistranslation into Greek came in.

SUKKOT (22:12) = booths. It is very interesting that darkness would be said to
have a dwelling place or booths where it is stored. It sounds similar to
statements in Job. Darkness then is not merely the absence of light but a force in
its own right. At least, it was before the light was born.

YAREM MIN SHAMAYIM YAHWAY (22:14) = and thundered from heaven
YHWH. This word for thunder RAAM is the same word in Aramaic that
Yshua uses to name his disciples sons of thunder. Actually, Yshua says
BENAY RAGSHEE but since RAGSHEE has a bunch of meanings, Mark picked
REAMA in 3:17 as his translation to make it clear which meaning was
intended. REAMA and RAAM are the same word.

SHUB (22:21) = recompensed, but literally, restored, turned me back.

TAMIM (22:24) = blameless, but the real meaning is I was complete before
Him meaning that his righteousness was complete, perfected.

TZARAPH (22:31) = tested, but literally smelted, refined as in a great fire.

HA EL MAUZI CHAYIL (22:33) = the El is my strong fortress. CHAYIL, the
word for strong, powerful in Aramaic is CHAYLA and designates specifically
the power for Yshua to do miracles for his Father YHWH. It is referenced in the
Lords Prayer as Kingdom, POWER, glory.
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3) Shabbat Shubah Haftorah Portion and Linguistic Commentary: Hosea 14:2-10,
Micah 7:18-20 and Joel 2:15-17.

HOSEA 14:2-10:

NASA (14:2) = take away but literally carry off.

PARIM SHAPATINU (14:3) = word play between fruit of our lips and
steer/bull from our lips, both PAR. The idea is clearly that our words can in
some cases substitute for animal offerings.

MESHUBAH (14:4) = apostasy, but literally, turning away, as in from
YHWHs truth and into the lie of paganism. Same verb is used later in this line,
My anger has TURNED away from them.

PARACH (14:8) = blossom, or be fruitful. There is much fruitful imagery in
this chapter of Hosea, climaxing with a plea to Ephraim, whose name also means
fruitful.

EPHRAIMPERI (14:9) = again a word play. From Ephraim comes HIS FRUIT
(PERI).

MICAH 7:18-20:

MI EL KAMOCHA (7:18) = who is like unto You, El. Another form of this is
used in Exodus 15:11, from which we get the name MICHAEL, a contraction of
MIKAMOCHA EL.

Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act
of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because
He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will
tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of
the sea. You will give truth to Jacob And unchanging love to Abraham, Which
You swore to our forefathers From the days of old. (Micah 7:18-20 NAU)

JOEL 2:15-27:

TAQA/TEQIA (2:15) = denotes a long shofar blast used to gather Israel. (Teruah
is the short blast as in Yom Teruah, Rosh Hashannah.)

15
Blow a trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, Gather
the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children
and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride
out of her bridal chamber. Let the priests, the LORD'S ministers, Weep between
the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, And do
25


not make Your inheritance a reproach, A byword among the nations. Why should
they among the peoples say, 'Where is their God?'" (Joel 2:15-17 NAU)

4) Renewed Covenant portion (Haazinu): (English) is normally Romans 10:14-
21 but is suspended for Shabbat Shubah readings. Renewed Covenant Shabbat
Shubah portion with Linguistic Commentary: Hebrews 4:1-9 (extemporaneous).

AENT English AENT Aramaic
1 Let us fear, therefore, or else
while there is a firm promise of
entering into his rest, any among
you should be found coming short
of entering.
1

2 For to us also is the
announcement,
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as well as to
them: but the Word they heard did
not benefit them because it was not
combined with the faith of those
who heard it.
2


3 But we who have believed do
enter into rest. But as he said, As I
have sworn in my wrath that they
will not enter into my rest: for
behold, the works of Elohim
existed from the foundation of the
world.
3


4 As he said of the Shabbat, Elohim
rested on the seventh day from all
his works.
6

5 And here again, he said, They
will not enter into my rest.
5
6 Therefore, because there was a
place where one and another might
enter; and those persons from the
first to whom the Good News was
delivered did not enter, because
they had no faith:
4


7 again he established another day,
a long time afterwards; as above
written, that Dawid said, Today, if
you will hear his voice, and do not
7


26


harden your hearts.
8 For if Yehoshua,
25
the son of
Nun, had given them rest, he would
not have spoken afterwards of
another day.
9 For there remains a Shabbat
29
for the
people of Elohim.

9 For there remains a Shabbat
29
for the
people of Elohim.

8


9

Hebrews 4:2

27) The announcement being the Good News (Gospel); see Appendix Good News.

Hebrews 4:8

28) The name Joshua is derived from the Hebrew Yehoshua; the shortened form first
appears in Neh_8:17 as "Yeshua". Yehoshua did not usher in the Olam Haba "rest";
Yehoshua ben Nun is a "type" of Mashiyach ben David.

.
Hebrews 4:9

29) Lamsa also targums this more properly in terms of direct intention/meaning. It is
therefore the duty of the people of Elohim to keep the Sabbath! The fact is, though,
neither Aramaic nor Greek has Shabbat rest; the word rest was added by replacement
theologians in a bid to twist the Seventh Day Shabbat into a futuristic fulfillment. Paul
teaches that the Kedoshim (Set Apart people) who enter into Shabbat here and now, are
entering into the work of the Ruach haKodesh, but also towards the eternal Shabbat of the
Olam Haba (World/Age to Come). Paul is writing to a Jewish audience; he need not
explain the joy of Shabbat, but he magnifies haMishchah (the anointing) received on
Shabbat that is a taste of the Olam Haba. The Ruach haKodesh (Shabbat Bride) in the
Spirit of Mashiyach makes Shabbat a very special time. Because a person goes to church
on Saturday does not necessarily indicate that they automatically enter into Shabbat. For
some, Sabbath is a denominational or doctrinal theology, rather than weekly Set Apart
time to wait on YHWH and His Mashiyach. The Fourth Commandment, to remember
the Shabbat, is from YHWH; the theology to not observe Shabbat originates with early
Christo-Pagans who integrated Christian values into calendars that were based on sun
worship.

Theological attempts to use this verse to abolish Shabbat are founded on both pagan and
anti-Semitic rhetoric. Notice that in Greek Bibles the term sabbatismos is sandwiched
between the katapauo (Heb_4:8) and katapausis (Heb_4:10) which is a common Greek
term for rest. In reality Greek speakers have clarified the meaning of sabbatismos as
the observance of Shabbat. See Justin, Dialogue with Trypho 23:3; Epiphanius,
Adversus Haereses 30:2:2; Martyrium Petri et Pauli 1; Apostolic Constitutions 2:36:2.
27



However, in an interesting response to these assertions, some have suggested that the
Aramaic equivalent word in question, lmashbato, is in infinitive form as a verb. To their
mind, that suggests a meaning closer to rest as opposed to the Shabbat as a formal
time of the week, i.e., as a proper noun. However, even if this is granted, the root for the
rest is still shbt, which brings us back to Shabbat as a seventh (also shbt) interval or
(possibly) in the sense of an annual occasion that counts as Shabbat irrespective of the
day of the week it falls on. Either way, though, we are still talking about continual
moedim (sacred occasion) patterns derived from Tanakh and mentioned in a letter written
to the Hebrew people! So, if it is keep Shabbat as in keep the rest it still brings us to
that seventh/sacred interval and the sense of keep (counting) the sevens (to) rest. The
proof of this matter, however, resides in the fact that another verb for rest is used all
over this passage. The word anikh/atnikh, which is derived from the root nkh, and clearly
connotes a generic rest, appears in Heb_4:1; Heb_4:3-5; Heb_4:8; Heb_4:10-11. It is
only with the connection of the phrase the people of Elohim that Rav Shaul then
deliberately brings in the root of seven, shbt, so either by pshat or more esoteric
reckoning the seventh day is certainly intended. In fact, such a tactic can even be shown
to be part of his writing style. Why else would he in Heb_4:4 use the words Shabbat,
seventh and rest in one sentence, knowing these were derived from the exact same
root?

Finally, it is worth noting how both Murdock and Etheridge have basically transposed the
infinitive phrase so that it has the effect of a noun in a practical sense in English.
Etheridge writes in his notes: Lemashbothu. Inf. Aphel of shabath, Quievit; celebravit
diem sabbathi. He has translated it somewhat ambiguously, though not in a
contradictory manner as, Therefore, yet to enjoy a shabathism is confirmed to the people
of Aloha (Eloah/Elohim), even though the Latin he provides clearly reads as, celebrate
the Sabbath day. Please also note that he admits the word is in inf. Aphel (infinitive)
form which again speaks to continuous/eternal celebration of the Shabbat. Etheridge also
includes the rest meaning for completeness, but as a noun in English, even though he
lists it as an Aphel verbal form which is technically correct from the Aramaic. This idea
seems confirmed lastly with Murdock, who then has the interesting reading of,
Therefore it is established, that the people of Elohim are to have a sabbath. Clearly
Murdock then also thought that the infinitive form of lmashbato should be rendered in
English as the noun a Sabbath and not as a generic verb meaning to rest; the former
approach employed by Lamsa is also retained here.

5) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will read):

6) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (So many
works to show our faith and our love. Just look at all this Scripture we have to
go through to even remotely do the sacred occasions justice!)

7) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion
(They Repented Not, p. 974-977).

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Again, the unique time of year requires reflection as opposed to mere study. This is a
time to assess ourselves in all our relationships, whether to YHWH or to humanity.
Therefore this requires active participation with each other that abstract study does
not allow. Use the time you would have for the Study Questions to carefully think
about your good and bad deeds over the past year. The best study you could do is
to seek forgiveness from those you may have wronged.

Torah Thought for the Week:
The True Shabbat Worth Returning To

This Shabbat marks the Set-Apart weekly celebration between Yom Teruah and Yom
Kippur, or what the Rabbis call Shabbat Shuva, the Shabbat of Returning. SHUV is also
where we get the Hebrew term for repentance, or TESHUVAH and this idea is vastly
different from what is often taught (and sold) in Christianity.

What Christianity offers is a magic pill or panacea. Now please dont get me wrong in
the way that many on the other side of this issue most assuredly would if they were
hearing this teaching: Yshua provides blood atonement for all of our PAST sins when
we repent initially and put him as Master and Savior in our hearts. Somehow, the idea is
twisted that ifheaven forbid---someone actually suggests there might be WORK
involved to prove our repentance that such empties the cross of its power. Actually, all
that idea shows is a faith emptied of power because said faith does not lead to doing His
commandments (Revelation 22:14).

So getting this idea straight in advance of the rest of this lesson is super important.
Again, I say it plainly, there is no sin that Yshua cannot forgiveand blaspheming
against the Ruach is not a sin which is repeatable today, and we have gone over why that
is the case fairly recently. But this washing in the blood is far from the whole story.

Yshua said, even in the later Christian-Greek traditions to the adulteress in John 8, Go
and SIN NO MORE. Leaving aside the fact that the 4 earliest Greek manuscripts of John
do not have this story and other issues within the account that, at best, are an
oversimplification of Torah procedure in such a casewhere is the MAN also, since they
caught her IN THE ACT of adultery or did she do this by herself?there is merit to this
story and something to be learned in the Western preservation of it. The fact is, the
woman was forgiven of PAST sins, so she could RETURN to a virtuous life that Abba
YHWH intended for her from the beginning. If she continues in sin, Yshua will not
continue to forgive her unless there is more repentance on her part.

But on the other hand, that doesnt mean that people can just say a magic spell called
grace every time they are about to sleep with someone other than their spouse. So
what? You take that exotic dancer home and put her in your bed but before taking her to
yourself you say, Uh Lord, for what I am about to do Im real sorry and then just have
at it? I dont think so. But that is exactly what grace means in many Christian circles.
In other Christian circles, its ALMOST as bad, since you can just offer a quick apology
AFTER you laid with that exotic dancer for the 50
th
time and get on with your day.
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Theres nothing like overcoming temptation just after you gave into it! Why not go on a
diet right after youre done that hot fudge banana split sundae while youre at it? Or,
better, REPENT of that sundae, order and eat another one and THEN repent.

Seriously though, TESHUVAH also means TURN AROUND, or go back to the right
road as I suggested above. You must turn from sin, because, as Yshua points out in
Yochanan 8 the following:

And you will know the truth and that truth will set you free." They said to him, "We
are the seed of Awraham and never has bondage
92
to anyone been served by us. How
do you say that you will be free men?" Y'shua said to them, "Amen, amen I say to
you that anyone who commits sin is the servant of sin. (Yochanan 8:32-34-AENT)

So right after you will know the truth and the truth will set you free Yshua goes on and
EXPANDS what that truth is. If you are in active commission of sin, you are a SLAVE to
sin. If that sin is your master you cannot serve TWO masters, that sin and Abba YHWH.
Therefore, you must get OUT of bondage from sin EVERY day, actively, turn from that
sin whenever you can and repent SINCERELY where you fail.

This brings us also to Yom Kippur which we are rapidly approaching. The 10 days
between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur are called the Days of Awe. During this time
Abba YHWH is said to be evaluating who will live and who will die based on
REPENTANCE! He knows if you are sincere or not and this is the time to SHOW Him.
Yshua also was very much in line with their halacha (or they with his, since he probably
said it first) that we must ask forgiveness of those we offended FIRST and try to be
forgiven as much as possible, and then ask Abba YHWH, or we will not be forgiven.

But, lest anyone think the Rabbis get a free pass because they are really cool looking
Yehudi so they MUST KNOW everything right? Hmmm, this seemed to come up in
recent weeks.

Heres my point on the Jewish side of the fence. Our efforts can only take us so far. Jews
no longer follow the Tanakh proscribed methods of animal sacrifice and they dont
accept the blood atonement of Yshua which super-ceded that either. So this leaves a lot
of Jewry in a pickle. It is very fortunate then that Abba YHWH is so gracious and patient
because of or in spite of what is theologically convenient for them. And before the
Christians cheer me on too much on this point remember: He still commands YOU to do
Shabbat, the moedim and to remember His Name, so theres plenty of repentance to be
had on both sides, thank you very much.

And so, at the end of the day, both sides need Shabbat Shuva equally. BOTH need to rest
in His love and BOTH need to sincerely use the opportunity to RETURN to path of
righteousness He laid at our feet for ALL peoples 3500 years agoits called the Written
Torah of Moshethe same Torah that our Savior literally died to keep!


30


Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week!

Next week, stay tuned for THE SCROLL TO SCROLL 2014 YOM KIPPUR SPECIAL!