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The
Principle of Separation
The Torah
portion for this Shabbat (Numbers 4:21-7:89) is
called Nasso, from the verb meaning “to
lift, to take or to carry (can have the connotation
also of weights in scales)”. Moses is asked to
“take a head count” as it were - conduct a census
of the 30-50 year-old men in the families of Gershom
and Merari, to perform service in the Tabernacle
and the Tent of Meeting.
Parsha
Nasso includes a section on the priestly
test for a woman accused of having committed adultery,
in what is as far as I can tell, the only mention
of “holy water” in the Scriptures. Adultery, in
the Judeo-Christian tradition, has always been
regarded as among the most serious of offenses,
and until the past century or so, always carried
severe consequences. Sadly, the effect of a century
of secularization, coupled with our enshrining
of immorality in movies and on television, has
been to desensitize us. We have become jaded,
so that, rather than be shocked and horrified
by it, we treat adultery as little more than merely
an everyday, if unfortunate, reality. Let me tell
you, however that it was regarded as so serious
an offense, that Yeshua declared it to be the
only justifiable basis for divorce. I wonder what
He would have to say to us about watching morally
twisted soap operas, sexually suggestive television
shows and obscene movies.
This section
from the Torah also includes laws governing fraud,
and the making of personal and financial restitution,
and confession of such sins before God. But the
overriding theme in this week’s parsha has to
do with separation - the marking out of particular
individuals as distinct and separate. On a purely
temporary basis, some were to be separated from
the community of Israel for reasons including
leprosy, bodily discharges or having had any contact
with the dead.
But then
there was the separation of those who took a Nazirite
vow. Nazirite comes from the word meaning consecrated,
either in a religious or ceremonial sense, or
marked out as consecrated to high office - it
may also be translated crown or diadem. For the
duration of a Nazirite vow (no less than 30 days
but potentially much longer) no wine or strong
drink was permitted; no grape juice, grapes or
even raisins - anything produced by the vine was
prohibited. Scholars suggest it may have been
a caution against drunkenness during the vow,
or else a renunciation of Canaanite [agri-]culture
and a recalling of having relied upon God in the
wilderness. The Nazirite was also required to
let his hair grow until the completion of the
vow, at the conclusion of which he would cut it,
and the hair would be burned on the altar. After
that he would again be permitted to enjoy the
fruit of the vine.
We also
find here the marvelous benediction God gave Aaron
and his descendants, the priests, to pronounce
over the sons of Israel which to this day is prayed
and chanted in synagogues around the world!
Parsha
Nasso concludes with a description of Moses
entering the Tent of Meeting - alone - and God
speaking with him directly from between the cherubim
atop the Ark Covering (Mercy Seat) of the Ark
of the Testimony. This, perhaps, is the most significant
of separations, for was it not Moses who on several
occasions had to intercede before God to turn
His righteous wrath away from our people on account
of our frequent transgressions and thanklessness?
Yet how is it that Jewish people today are so
quick to dismiss the mediation of Yeshua as Messiah,
by saying, “We don’t need a middle-man!”? Really?
Such claims betray biblical illiteracy and a stunning
ignorance of our own history.
We have
always needed a mediator. The entire line of Kohanim,
priests, represented mediation. Among other things,
the book BaMidbar, Numbers, teaches us
the principle of separation. God, who is infinitely
separate, pure and just, cannot have communion
with sinful humanity without something first being
done to satisfy the due penalty of our sin. There’s
a clever saying I once heard and never forgot:
“The righteousness God requires is the righteousness
His righteousness requires Him to require!” Thanks
be to God He sent Yeshua to be the sin-Bearer
for all mankind.
Now it
is up to us to separate ourselves from those things
that hinder our walk with Him. Therefore, since
we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding
us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and
the sin which so easily entangles us, and let
us run with endurance the race that is set before
us, fixing our eyes on Yeshua, the author and
perfecter of faith (Heb. 12:1-2a).
Shalom,
Rabbi Glenn
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