Nasso - Day #7

Nasso נָשֹׂא - Elevate!  

Torah Reading: Numbers 4:21-7:89

Haftarah: Judges 13:2-5

Shabbat: Numbers 7:72–89

7:72 On the eleventh day, Pagiel, the son of Ochran, prince of the children of Asher, 73 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

74 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

75 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 76 one male goat for a sin offering;

77 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Pagiel, the son of Ochran.

78 On the twelfth day, Ahira, the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali, 79 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

80 one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

81 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 82 one male goat for a sin offering;

83 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Ahira, the son of Enan.

84 This was the dedication offering of the altar, on the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden ladles; 85 each silver platter weighing one hundred thirty shekels, and each bowl seventy; all the silver of the vessels two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; 86 the twelve golden ladles, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the ladles weighed one hundred twenty shekels; 87 all the cattle for the burnt offering twelve bulls, the rams twelve, the male lambs a year old twelve, and their meal offering; and twelve male goats for a sin offering; 88 and all the cattle for the sacrifice of peace offerings: twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication offering of the altar, after it was anointed.

89 When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Hashem, he heard His voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; and He spoke to him.

Today’s Meditation:

In verse 89, we read that Moses heard His voice above the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. How magnificent this must have been. Hashem is pleased with His special gifts from His special people. The offerings and sacrifices of obedience have been met. All is well. If even just for a short time. Isn’t that the way it is with us, too? All can be super good and right, for a short time. But that’s when we have to show our love and trust even during the hard times. It’s during those times that we grow really close to Hashem because we have to depend on Him. If you are going through a good time, give your praises to Hashem. If you are going through a challenging time, try to thank Him for staying by your side and for assuring you that it will all work out.

Today’s Challenge:

Who could enter the Holy of Holies during this time? Just Moses and the High Priest Aaron. And I believe Aaron could only enter on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Time with Hashem is special. Time to be appreciated and to look forward to. My challenge to you today is to think about how you spend your time with Hashem. Is it special? Do you plan it? Do you try to spend time with Him every day? I tend to talk to Him throughout the day. I like to think He is with me through everything I do. In the morning, I do my Bible Torah study, and I always feel like He is giving me revelation and direction through His Holy Scripture. I pray for His land and His people (Israel) every day. Make sure you are making time to be with the Father. He is the whole reason for our existence. I pray we never forget that.

This Week’s Haftarah: Judges 13:2-5

13:2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and childless. 3 Hashem’s angel appeared to the woman, and said to her, “See now, you are barren and childless; but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t eat any unclean thing; 5 for, behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to Elohim from the womb. He shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

Today’s Haftarah Meditation:

In this week’s Torah Portion, Hashem describes the Nazarite vow to us. And here in Judges, we read about Samson and how, even before he is conceived, an angel tells his mother that Samson will be a Nazarite. And he will be set apart to defend Israel. Sometimes Hashem does call us to tasks and sets us apart. I think the next time He does this with me, I will try to follow the Nazarite instructions. It makes sense. A clear mind from alcohol, especially over time, really helps you to have a more explicit focus. This might be something we all think about.

Today’s Haftarah Challenge:

I don’t know if any of you have ever had an angel from Hashem come to you. I know there have been times in my life when it seemed as if an angel came and helped me through a particular situation. Our family has a story about when our two adopted sons first came to us from Korea. Before we met them on the plane, we had arrived at Chicago O’Hare Airport. We had gotten lost at the airport, and their arrival was getting close. Out of nowhere, a woman in a suit appeared and asked us if we needed help. She walked with us for a while, then clearly showed us where to go. We thanked her and started walking away. We turned around, and she had disappeared. The challenge today is to think of times when unusual things happened. Did it involve an angel? Maybe a special messenger from Hashem has visited us. And that is a wonder and an honor.

Nasso - Day #6

Nasso נָשֹׂא - Elevate! 

Torah Portion: Numbers 4:21-7:89 

Numbers 7:42–71

7:42 On the sixth day, Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, 43 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

44 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

45 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 46 one male goat for a sin offering;

47 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.

48 On the seventh day, Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, 49 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

50 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

51 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 52 one male goat for a sin offering;

53 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Elishama, the son of Ammihud.

54 On the eighth day, Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh, 55 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

56 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

57 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 58 one male goat for a sin offering;

59 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur.

60 On the ninth day, Abidan, the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin, 61 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

62 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

63 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 64 one male goat for a sin offering;

65 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Abidan, the son of Gideoni.

66 On the tenth day, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan, 67 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

68 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

69 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 70 one male goat for a sin offering;

71 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai.

Today’s Meditation:

The tribe leaders all gave the same sacrifices to Hashem. Equality in worship of the Father. That’s an interesting concept. But, they didn’t give it all on the same day. They each had their own day. It reminds me of how it is now in a way. We each bring something to Hashem on our own special day. It could be on Shabbat or another day of the week. But, we can still do something or give something on a day set apart. The question is what are we giving/doing? Give this some thought and be like the tribe leaders, giving Hashem beautiful gifts.

Today’s Challenge:

I feel like today’s reading is a lot about equality. No tribe leader was trying to outdo the other. They probably saw the first leader make their sacrifice and offerings, and decided it would be good to do the same. Maybe they realize that Hashem sees us all as equals,” so why outgive each other? It is an excellent example of being fair. My challenge to you today is to think about your kids, grandkids, coworkers, or friends, and ask yourself: Do you treat them equally when it comes to gift-giving? Or do you have your favorite one that you treat differently? Maybe rethink your giving and try to make things equal. I have a feeling that this is important. Probably, because no one gets hurt this way. Please take a look at it and make any necessary changes.

Nasso - Day #5

Nasso נָשֹׂא - Elevate!  

Torah Portion: Numbers 4:21-7:89

Numbers 7:1–41

7:1 On the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it with all its furniture, and the altar with all its vessels, and had anointed and sanctified them; 2 the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, offered. These were the princes of the tribes. These are they who were over those who were counted; 3 and they brought their offering before Hashem, six covered wagons and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox. They presented them before the tabernacle. 4 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 5 “Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing the service of the Tent of Meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.”

6 Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service. 8 He gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9 But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them; they carried it on their shoulders.

10 The princes gave offerings for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed. The princes gave their offerings before the altar.

11 Hashem said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.”

12 He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah, 13 and his offering was:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

14 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

15 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 16 one male goat for a sin offering;

17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

18 On the second day, Nethanel, the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, gave his offering. 19 He offered for his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

20 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

21 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 22 one male goat for a sin offering;

23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel, the son of Zuar.

24 On the third day, Eliab, the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, 25 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

26 One golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

27 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 28 one male goat for a sin offering;

29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Eliab, the son of Helon.

30 On the fourth day, Elizur, the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, 31 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

32 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

33 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 34 one male goat for a sin offering;

35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, a year old. This was the offering of Elizur, the son of Shedeur.

36 On the fifth day, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, 37 gave his offering:

One silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels,

one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

38 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

39 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb, a year old, for a burnt offering; 40 one male goat for a sin offering;

41 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

Today’s Meditation:

The Tabernacle is finished and anointed. The princes from each tribe come to bring their offerings, most of which go to the priests. It’s really about sharing what you have for the glory of Hashem. They took what they had and found a gift for Hashem, His tabernacle, and His priests. It may seem to us like it was an obligation, but really, they must have seen it as an honor. Remember, they were coming out of Egypt, idolatry, and slavery. They were meeting the one true Elohim for the first time. Some did not even know who He was. Now they were witnessing His power, glory, and majesty. They were probably eager to give gifts to support this.

Today’s Challenge:

How eager are you about giving gifts to Hashem and His people? Do you support Israel, the people, and the land? Maybe take some time to pray about how you can support Hashem’s people and the land. In doing so, you are honoring Hashem. Just make sure you do it with eagerness and joy. Check your motive. Maybe think about how the princes gave their gifts from their tribes. And how they were meeting Hashem, some for the very first time. They were learning how to worship, pray, and give. It must have changed their lives. Maybe if we do some joyful giving, it will change ours.

Nasso - Day #4

Nasso נָשֹׂא - Elevate!  

Torah Portion: Numbers 4:21-7:89

Numbers 5:11–6:27

5:11 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him, 13 and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and this is kept concealed, and she is defiled, there is no witness against her, and she isn’t taken in the act; 14 and the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife and she is defiled; or if the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife and she isn’t defiled; 15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring her offering for her: one tenth of an ephah of barley meal. He shall pour no oil on it, nor put frankincense on it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to memory. 16 The priest shall bring her near, and set her before Hashem. 17 The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and the priest shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. 18 The priest shall set the woman before Hashem, and let the hair of the woman’s head go loose, and put the meal offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal offering of jealousy. The priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that brings a curse. 

19 The priest shall cause her to take an oath and shall tell the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you haven’t gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband’s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings a curse. 20 But if you have gone astray, being under your husband’s authority, and if you are defiled, and some man has lain with you besides your husband—” 21 then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall tell the woman, “May Hashem make you a curse and an oath among your people, when Hashem allows your thigh to fall away, and your body to swell; 22 and this water that brings a curse will go into your bowels, and make your body swell, and your thigh fall away.” The woman shall say, “Amen, Amen.”

23 “‘The priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall wipe them into the water of bitterness. 24 He shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causes the curse; and the water that causes the curse shall enter into her and become bitter. 25 The priest shall take the meal offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the meal offering before Hashem, and bring it to the altar. 26 The priest shall take a handful of the meal offering, as its memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water. 27 When he has made her drink the water, then it shall happen, if she is defiled and has committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causes the curse will enter into her and become bitter, and her body will swell, and her thigh will fall away; and the woman will be a curse among her people. 28 If the woman isn’t defiled, but is clean, then she shall be free, and shall conceive offspring.

29 “‘This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes astray, and is defiled, 30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes on a man, and he is jealous of his wife; then he shall set the woman before Hashem, and the priest shall execute on her all this law. 31 The man shall be free from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity.’”

6:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to Hashem, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. 4 All the days of his separation, he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

5 “‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to Hashem. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. 

6 “‘All the days that he separates himself to Hashem, he shall not go near a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to Adonai is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation, he is holy to Hashem.

9 “‘If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day, he shall shave it. 10 On the eighth day, he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting. 11 The priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall make his head holy that same day. 12 He shall separate to Hashem the days of his separation, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a trespass offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

13 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting, 14 and he shall offer his offering to Hashem: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering, one ram without defect for peace offerings, 15 a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil with their meal offering and their drink offerings. 16 The priest shall present them before Hashem, and shall offer his sin offering and his burnt offering. 17 He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Hashem, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering and its drink offering. 18 The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings. 19 The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved the head of his separation; 20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Hashem. They are holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows and of his offering to Hashem for his separation, in addition to that which he is able to afford. According to his vow, which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.’”

22 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them,

24 ‘Hashem bless you, and keep you.

25  Hashem make His face to shine on you,

    and be gracious to you.

26 Hashem lift up His face toward you,

    and give you peace.’

27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”

Today’s Meditation:

Hashem wants unity, trust, and honesty in a marriage. And if this is challenged, He provides a way to solve any issues regarding faithfulness. It sounds rather harsh, but the offense in itself is harsh. Doubt in a marriage can be very troublesome. It is better to get things out in the open and resolved. If you are married, make sure you have communicated everything you worry about to your spouse. Talk about things and bring them to the fore. Have an honest and truthful relationship with your partner. This honors Hashem.

Today’s Challenge:

In chapter 6, we learn about the Nazarite vow, which applies to both men and women. Apparently, it is a time to separate yourself from the things of the world and get closer to Hashem, even to become “holy”. Again, Hashem goes into great detail about this. Holiness is essential to Hashem. So, my challenge for you today is to look at your life and think about how you could set yourself apart from the world and separate yourself from it for Hashem. You could even pray about taking a Nazarite vow and follow these instructions. You may want to conduct a study on it to ensure you are following it appropriately. Think of the blessings that would follow as you grow closer to Hashem.