Pesukim פסוקים are the "verses" of Scripture divided into Parashaot (Portions) read in the synagogue each week. On Monday's & Thursdays there are 3 divisions of the week's Parasha read and on Shabbat all 6 are read including a Maftir (added), which makes up the final Pesukim (verses) of the Parasha totalling (7) Aliyot each week. Rabbi Eric will give a short d'rash on each of the daily Pesukim that make up the week's Parasha for a good daily dose of Torah. For more explanation on how the Torah is read and divided daily and weekly in the Synagogue see the following links:
The Daily Pesuk for FRIDAY, June 8th, 2018 / 25, Sivan 5778
Parashat Sh'lach / פרשת שלח־לך
Numbers 15:17-26 Tree of Life Version (TLV)
17 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, 18 “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael. Say to them: When you enter the land to which I am taking you, 19 and you eat some of the food of the land, you are to offer a portion to Adonai. 20 You are to offer a cake from the first of your ground-up meal as an offering from your threshing floor—so you are to lift it up. 21 Throughout your generations to come, you are to give this offering from the first of your ground-up meal.
Unintentional Versus Defiant Sin
22 “If you unintentionally fail, not keeping any of these mitzvot that Adonai related to Moses 23 —that is, anything that Adonai commanded you through Moses’s hand, from the day Adonai commanded and onward throughout your generations— 24 and it is done unintentionally out of sight of the community, then the entire community is to offer one young bull from the herd for a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to Adonai, along with its appropriate grain offering and drink offering, and one male goat as a sin offering. 25 So the kohen will make atonement for the entire community of Bnei-Yisrael, and they will be forgiven, for it was unintentional and they brought a fire offering and their sin offering to Adonai for their error. 26 So the whole community of Bnei-Yisrael along with the outsider residing among them will be forgiven, for all the people were involved in unintentional wrongdoing.
17 וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
18 דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֲלֵהֶ֑ם בְּבֹֽאֲכֶם֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֛י מֵבִ֥יא אֶתְכֶ֖ם שָֽׁמָּה׃
19 וְהָיָ֕ה בַּאֲכָלְכֶ֖ם מִלֶּ֣חֶם הָאָ֑רֶץ תָּרִ֥ימוּ תְרוּמָ֖ה לַיהוָֽה׃
20 רֵאשִׁית֙ עֲרִסֹ֣תֵכֶ֔ם חַלָּ֖ה תָּרִ֣ימוּ תְרוּמָ֑ה כִּתְרוּמַ֣ת גֹּ֔רֶן כֵּ֖ן תָּרִ֥ימוּ אֹתָֽהּ׃
21 מֵרֵאשִׁית֙ עֲרִסֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם תִּתְּנ֥וּ לַיהוָ֖ה תְּרוּמָ֑ה לְדֹרֹ֖תֵיכֶֽם׃ ס
22 וְכִ֣י תִשְׁגּ֔וּ וְלֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֔וּ אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַמִּצְוֺ֖ת הָאֵ֑לֶּה אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶֽׁה׃
23 אֵת֩ כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה יְהוָ֛ה אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֑ה מִן־הַיּ֞וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה יְהוָ֛ה וָהָ֖לְאָה לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶֽם׃
24 וְהָיָ֗ה אִ֣ם מֵעֵינֵ֣י הָעֵדָה֮ נֶעֶשְׂתָ֣ה לִשְׁגָגָה֒ וְעָשׂ֣וּ כָל־הָעֵדָ֡ה פַּ֣ר בֶּן־בָּקָר֩ אֶחָ֨ד לְעֹלָ֜ה לְרֵ֤יחַ נִיחֹ֙חַ֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וּמִנְחָת֥וֹ וְנִסְכּ֖וֹ כַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט וּשְׂעִיר־עִזִּ֥ים אֶחָ֖ד לְחַטָּֽת׃
25 וְכִפֶּ֣ר הַכֹּהֵ֗ן עַֽל־כָּל־עֲדַ֛ת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְנִסְלַ֣ח לָהֶ֑ם כִּֽי־שְׁגָגָ֣ה הִ֔וא וְהֵם֩ הֵבִ֨יאוּ אֶת־קָרְבָּנָ֜ם אִשֶּׁ֣ה לַֽיהוָ֗ה וְחַטָּאתָ֛ם לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה עַל־שִׁגְגָתָֽם׃
26 וְנִסְלַ֗ח לְכָל־עֲדַת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְלַגֵּ֖ר הַגָּ֣ר בְּתוֹכָ֑ם כִּ֥י לְכָל־הָעָ֖ם בִּשְׁגָגָֽה׃ ס
Hafrashas challah
Today's Pesukim are very timely and fitting for this day; because this afternoon all around the world, in every observant household the smell of fresh baked Challah will permeate the air! Ummmmy! That smell of fresh baked bread, there is nothing like it. If you are able to be in the kitchen when the baking begins you will notice something a little odd, a little traditional ritual that most bakers fail to ever do. It is call Hafrashas Challah, or "Separating the Challah". And today's pesukim give us this mitzvah. The "taking out of a portion of dough" and "Raising it Up" as it says in pesuk 20 above, is accompanied by a traditional blessing for taking Challah:
The portion is then wrapped in foil and set aside for Adonai. This is the procedure done each Friday afternoon before Shabbat begins.
Giving the "Bikkurim" (First Fruits) to Adonai is a very good lesson to teach to our young children and to learn by the time they are adults. Mature believers understand that all we have is from the Lord, and it is an act of worship to set aside the First Portion for Him. This is a spiritual discipline, setting aside what is "holy"; is akin to Tithing. Those who struggle with tithing have mostly never been taught these lesson growing up throughout their childhood. It becomes difficult for them if they receive Salvation in Yeshua as an adult to change their lifestyle; and unless they are discipled in the "Way" of the Lord, they continue living their old lifestyle never growing spritually and understanding the critical importance of how to worship.
Worship is not just what you do at synagogue or a church. It is a "Lifestyle". And this lesson has further ramifications...
In Biblical times it was common for the challah set aside to be used to ferment the next batch of dough. Shaliach Shaul was using this mitzvah to illustrate a very important theological point to the first century Messianic believers who were in Rome. He said the following regarding Hafrashas Challah:
Romans 11:16 If the firstfruit is holy, so is the whole batch of dough; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
In context of this single pesuk the illustration here is to demonstrate the relationship between Jewish believers and Non-Jewish believers, who we are in relationship with each other and with the Messiah! In fact the topic of the entire chapter of Romans 11 is about this topic. Here Shaul is using the example of Challah to illustrate his point to us.
In his "Jewish New Testament Commentary", Dr. David Stern says, "Today "challah" means the special braided loaves of bread served in Jewish homes on Shabbat and during festivals. In the Bible the word describes a small "cake" baked from dough set aside for God; this must be done first (hence the term "firstfruits"). Only afterwards may the loaf made from that dough be eaten, so that the loaf is then "holy" in the sense of being usable at all. Talmud tractate Challah gives details of the procedure. Also, to illustrate the same principle another way, if, as is the case, the root is holy, then so are the branches, for they are connected to the root, so that the same sap flows through to the branches from the root."
Yeshua the Messiah is the Separated Challah, the portion of Adonai. It is He who makes the entire loaf Holy. There are two loaves of Challah traditionally offered on each Sabbath Table. One represents Israel and the other the Nations. Shaul speaks this way to demonstrate that while the firstfruits of each loaf is Holy, so are the very loaves themselves. The Challah taken is what is used to ferment the next batch on the next Shabbat. So too the Messiah makes us Holy. Also, in context of Romans 11, Shaul talks about the "Root" of the Olive tree and how there are "Natural Branches", and there are "Wild Olive Branches"; this too illustrates for us the critically important dynamic of the Messianic Body of Messiah - both Jew and non-Jew are redeemed by the same Jewish Messiah, a descendant of King David of the Tribe of Judah and THE Son of Abraham, the 2nd Adam.
Today, when you enjoy the aroma of the fresh baked Challah, and lift it up to dedicate it to Hashem, may you remember the reality of Messiah's Sacrifice for us all.
Shabbat Shalom,
R' Eric
In his "Jewish New Testament Commentary", Dr. David Stern says, "Today "challah" means the special braided loaves of bread served in Jewish homes on Shabbat and during festivals. In the Bible the word describes a small "cake" baked from dough set aside for God; this must be done first (hence the term "firstfruits"). Only afterwards may the loaf made from that dough be eaten, so that the loaf is then "holy" in the sense of being usable at all. Talmud tractate Challah gives details of the procedure. Also, to illustrate the same principle another way, if, as is the case, the root is holy, then so are the branches, for they are connected to the root, so that the same sap flows through to the branches from the root."
Yeshua the Messiah is the Separated Challah, the portion of Adonai. It is He who makes the entire loaf Holy. There are two loaves of Challah traditionally offered on each Sabbath Table. One represents Israel and the other the Nations. Shaul speaks this way to demonstrate that while the firstfruits of each loaf is Holy, so are the very loaves themselves. The Challah taken is what is used to ferment the next batch on the next Shabbat. So too the Messiah makes us Holy. Also, in context of Romans 11, Shaul talks about the "Root" of the Olive tree and how there are "Natural Branches", and there are "Wild Olive Branches"; this too illustrates for us the critically important dynamic of the Messianic Body of Messiah - both Jew and non-Jew are redeemed by the same Jewish Messiah, a descendant of King David of the Tribe of Judah and THE Son of Abraham, the 2nd Adam.
Today, when you enjoy the aroma of the fresh baked Challah, and lift it up to dedicate it to Hashem, may you remember the reality of Messiah's Sacrifice for us all.
Shabbat Shalom,
R' Eric
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