Parashat Ki Tisa

Many messianics read the weekly Torah readings. Generally, Torah is the name given to the first five books of the Bible, although there are times when it refers to a larger body of text. The most basic meaning of the word Torah is teaching. Torah is HaShem’s [God’s] teaching to His people. In the Torah HaShem tells us how to live. They are HaShem’s instructions to us. Each week we read a passage from the Torah. This passage is referred to as a parashah [if used in combination with the name of the passage parashah becomes parashat]. The Hebrew names of the first five books are derived from the first few words of the book. Bereshit = Genesis; Shemot = Exodus; Vayikra = Leviticus; Bamidbar = Numbers; Devarim = Deuteronomy. The Hebrew names for the parashah [passage] comes from the first few words in the reading.

Let us try to understand the Torah – not as a book of law, and surely not as a book of lore, but as the book of life. Let us read with our eyes and listen with our souls. May our lives be transformed to what HaShem intended them to be.

Shemot 30
11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
12 When you lift up* [when you lift up = ki tisa] the people of Israel according to their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to the Lord, when you count them; that there should be no plague among them, when you count them.

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* they are talking about taking a census - I translated the first part of this sentence to reflect the Hebrew.

Shemot 30:16 And you shall take the atonement money of the people of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the Tent of Meeting; that it may be a memorial to the people of Israel before the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls.

This should surely stimulate some thought. This "atonement" was to be done when a census was taken. Comments anyone......

How we understand "atonement" can be a stumbling block to Yeshua. For those of us that have accepted Yeshua as Messiah we see this differently than for the one that it is a stumbling block

Shemot 30
14 Every one who passes among those who are counted, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to Adonai.

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This offering is a "terumah" in Hebrew. The root here means "to lift up"

Shemot 30
15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering to Adonai, to make an atonement for your souls.

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It is interesting to me that this "atonement" or covering is to be the same for everyone.

Shemot 31
13 Speak you also to the people of Israel, saying, Truly my sabbaths you shall keep; for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am Adonai that does sanctify you.

14 You shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy to you; every one who defiles it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work in it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to Adonai; whoever does any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant.

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We have defined for us the purpose of Shabbat - that we may know that Adonai sanctifies us. It is so important that we understand this that we are to devote 1/7th of our lifetimes to figure this out. We need Him to do this -sanctify us.

I can't help but to continue that thought with this....

For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day....

Sorry if that didn't make sense. Let me see if I can do better

When most people run across the word atonement they immediatly think forgiveness of sin.

Thorndike Dictionary:
Atonement
1) giving satisfaction for wrong, loss or injury; amends
2) reconciliation of God with sinners through the suffering and death of Christ.

The English word atonement is an attempt to translate the Hebrew "kafar" (and several words from this root). The Hebrew word is broader than our understanding I think.....

Shemot 30:12 When you take the census of the people of Israel according to their number, then shall they give every man a ransom (kafar) for his soul to the Lord, when you count them; that there should be no plague among them, when you count them.

In this verse the purpose of the kafar (translated here as ransom) is so that no plague be among them.

Shemot 30:15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering to the Lord, to make an atonement (kafar) for your souls.

Shemot 30:16 And you shall take the atonement (kippurim -this is plural) money of the people of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the Tent of Meeting; that it may be a memorial to the people of Israel before the Lord, to make an atonement (kafar) for your souls.

Here we see kafar is a memorial. Does this satisfy our understanding of the English word atonement? Don't misunderstand me - I am NOT saying that Yeshua didn't forgive sins I am trying to talk about the Hebrew word kafar.

visionary said:

I do not understand how you can think that by accepting Yeshua as the Messiah that is would be a stumbling stone or a stumbling block for Yeshua Himself since He ordained it.

Could you explain this a little further, please?

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What I was trying to say is that if a person had a different understanding about how this atonement happened - potentially they would not draw the same conclusion as you or I - that the natural conclusion would be that we need Yeshua (Adonai in the flesh) to forgive sin. I said that badly I thinks

Shemot 31:14
You shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy to you; every one who defiles it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work in it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

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Defile, desecrate, profane, polluting, are common words used in this verse.

31:14 CJB
Therefore you are to keep my Shabbat, because it is set apart for you. Everyone who treats it as ordinary must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it is to be cut off from his people.

There is a connection between "to profane" and "to treat common". The Hebrew word that is used here is llx chalal.