Yom Kippur and Melchizedek Teaching by Elder David
In the previous weeks we’ve come into the month Elul were Yahweh literally draws near to hear our hearts then these weeks build up to Yom Teruah the Day of LoudNoise where we become completely awakened and roused to realign and renew our faith. Yahweh fashioned an instrument that when sounded allows the soul to resonate and make each one of us who knows the sound become elevated on an equal footing.
Now, we enter into a final stretch toward Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, where our whole being becomes completely subdued and resubmerged into Yahweh’s will.
A highly concentrated form of t’shuvah began to take form thirty days out from Yom Teruah and now we build on this even further till we reach a forty day period to a great crescendo of outpouring culminating on Yom Kippur.
But what is all this really about? As beings bound within a sphere of linier time, Yahweh knew in His infinite wisdom that man requires many constant refuges set in time to meet the demands of transcending the confines of a fallen world. From appointed times set within days, weeks, months and years, Yahweh has given us a ladder with a multitude of rungs set so near to one another that they disallow the enemy to gain any lasting footholds against us. As a new believer begins to take on more of the Covenant and starts to observe the weekly Sabbath, the most obvious and evenly spaced rung on this ladder, he begins his journey in transcending the trappings of the world. All the dismay at the myriad of strife that can come against a man melts into one very simple exercise, which is to fear Elohim and serve Him with joy. This mixture of awe and joy is key. The winds of the world that once buffeted him dissolve and a joy indifferent to his lot takes hold. No matter what the weather, in season or out of season, the believer should strive to receive his sole source of true joy from Yahweh, so that great earthly gains or losses will never spoil him.
The expression ‘to dig deep’ is a very apt term for this time of year because it expresses the desire to draw down into the deepest depths of our being and rise up. “Out of the depths I call to You, Yahweh! (Psalm 130:1)” Why do we have to draw so deeply to bring something up so high? The answer is that Yahweh made each one of us with a soul that cannot be harmed or corrupted by the world. “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. (Matthew 10:28)”
Yahweh has ten sefirot, ten spheres or channels of Divine energy with which He created the world and which flow through every aspect of reality including our own souls. These ten sefirot are mentioned in Scripture. The first three in Exodus 31:3 (Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge) and the other seven are mentioned and alluded to 1 Chronicles 29:11 (Greatness, Power, Glory, Splendour, Foundation, Mercy and Kingdom). At the core of this arrangement of spheres is the tenth sefirot - malkut (Kingdom or kingship).
Each one of us knows that our own kingdom is in need of restoration. Over the years our dignity, majesty and security have been eroded, so we need to access the place that was never wounded – the place of the Divine soul. It’s no coincidence that the Ten Days of Awe correspond to the Ten Sefirot. But let’s have a closer look and see what goes on behind the scenes as we beseech Yahweh for His mercy as we cry out to him.
According to the Zohar, the human body is a mirror of the Ten Sefirot, which are the ten dimensions that comprise all reality. Our physical world represents just 1% of true reality, a world of chaos, in case you hadn’t noticed. The remaining 99% of reality is the unseen source of all happiness, goodness, wisdom, healing and prosperity. All goodness flows from this hidden realm. Any chaos in our life is because we have disconnected from the source.
Yom Teruah Message
“On the first day of the seventh month – Tishrie – you are to have a day of rest, a zikhron teru’ah mikra kodesh (sacred assembly of remembrance accompanied with trumpet blasts). Do no regular work, and present an offering made to Yahweh by fire. (Leviticus 23:24-25)”
“On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a Yom Teruah (Day of the Blastings) to you. (Numbers 29:1)”
Yom Teruah is a Day of loud blasts. This refers to the sound of trumpets which signal the beginning of the Fall Feasts. Originally, twin silver trumpets in Numbers 10:1-10 is how Yahweh commanded the feast to be heralded. The two trumpets represent the two witnesses, the two houses of Israel, Ephraim and Judah, both made of one complete piece of silver. Silver symbolizes refinement.
The call of the silver trumpets were later assimilated into the repertoire of the shofar [ram’s horn].This commonality and intertwined relationship between the shofar and the two silver trumpets can be seen when we compare Psalm 81:3[4] where the shofar was used to herald the new moon] and Numbers 10:10 [where this function was delegated to the two silver trumpets].
The sound of the shofar starting at the tip, the Genesis, and ending at the opening, the Revelation revives the dead and so we hear the shofar in order to revive our faith. ‘All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a shofar sounds, you will hear it. (Isaiah 18:3)”
Yom Teruah* is known by many names. It is also most commonly referred to as Rosh Hashanah, the Head of the Year, Yom HaZicharon*, the Day of Remembrance, and Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgement.
Yahweh will judge every human being in a clear, concise and orderly fashion. For Elohim is not an Elohim of disorder but of shalom. As in all the congregations of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33) All His judgments will unfold in a particular way and according to a particular pattern. “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. (Revelation 20:12)”
His coming and judgments will be frightening, so He makes clear His patterns for those who love him. “Woe to you who long for the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? That day will be darkness, not light.” (Amos 5:18) “Yahweh thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of Yahweh is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?” (Joel 2:11)
“The great day of Yahweh is near--near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of Yahweh will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, A day of shofar and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. (Zephaniah 1:14-16)”
Many people agree that Scripture contains the pattern for living, but few know or obey its precise pattern, its timings encapsulated in holidays and festivals. Scripture outlines certain times for particular focuses, practices and actions. These observances serve a three-fold purpose; they maintain or bond an Israelite’s present relationship with the Father, serve as reminders of the past events, linking us to our ancestors, and as dress rehearsals to prepare us for future key Biblical events.
The mercy months of Elul and Tishrie are arranged in a way that enables a man to make reconciliatory approaches to Yahweh. The accounting we take of our past year’s conduct, the Scriptures we read, the actions like blowing and the shofar all create an environment according to the one Yahweh asked us to create.
What’s the environment He asks us to create? A pathway to return, to return the hey, the teshuv-hey – t’shuvah.
שׁוּבָה, יִשְׂרָאֵל, עַד, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ “Shuva Yisroel ad Yahweh Elohecha,” “Return, Israel, to Yahweh your Elohim (Hosea 14:1)”
In this context, עַד "ad" in Hosea 14:1 means “all the way to.” It signifies a complete arrival. You could have used the preposition אֱל el meaning to, toward, at, into, in direction of, onto, unto. עַד "Ad" and אֱל "el" both express movement in space. But whereas אֱל יְהוָה "el" Yahweh suggests movement in the general direction of Yahweh, עַד יְהוָה "ad" Yahweh adds a sense of arrival, a sense of the completeness of the journey. אֱל "El" is "to", עַד "ad" is "all the way to."
This is what is meant by the verse: “Messiah (as the Express Image of Yahweh, Col. 1:15) is the some total of (goal) the Torah so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: ‘The man who does these things will live by them. (Lev. 18:5)’ (Romans 10:4, 5)" When we embrace YahShua we go all the way to Torah. “YahShua answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6)”
When we embrace Yahshua, the real Yahshua, we embrace the totality of the Torah. We say this, over and over and yet it is this sole revelation that is the hardest truth to absorb. Sometimes we perceive some part of the Torah as not being related to Yahshua. As we do t’shuvah, we try to embrace Yahshua completely and yet we sometimes fail to embrace the Torah. When we fail to embrace the Torah, if it’s really Torah, we pull away from some aspect of our embrace with Messiah. For example, we might say let’s embrace unity and we do so, but we must also examine whether this movement will cause us to disconnect from Messiah, i.e, the Torah. Am I saying that Yahshua doesn’t embrace unity? Of course not, but if we unify with idolatry for the sake of peace, we step out of unity with Messiah. So rather than focusing on Yahweh’s will, we focus on a resolution and try to add Messiah to it to complete a perfect picture. What part of Yahweh’s will requires our will to make up a deficiency or a short-fall? Rather than rushing off to fix a problem and then going to Yahweh with it supposedly resolved, shouldn’t we just obey Yahweh’s will in the first place?
In our walk, sometimes a false path or a false finish line is presented before us, if we don’t check the authenticity of the path or the finish line we see, we can run off course. This is the danger of false prophecy and speculation. It can destroy a person, a household, and even a whole community. We are nearing the end of this tiresome blood moon fiasco. September 28 is Judgement day, only problem is that I fear it might not be the type of Judgement day that it’s supporters foresaw. Instead it will be a judgement day, a day of judgement on all who have been swept along with its hysteria.
Yes, Biblical prophecy is unfolding before us. The world is hurtling toward oblivion, but let’s not misread the signposts. Over the past hundred years it has become the norm to say “Christ Jesus is coming soon,” as if he could come at any time. This is complete nonsense. If he could come at any time why would we observe High Holidays in specific timeframes?
What if Yahshua doesn’t come in your lifetime? Is that going to affect your walk? It shouldn’t. Rabbi Akiva, who at first, endorsed a false Messiah in the 2nd Century, was admonished by a peer named Rav Yochanan ben Torta who said: "Akiva, grass will grow from your cheeks and still the son of David will not (have) come." (Jerusalem Talmud, Taanit chapter 4:5 page 68d)
The nearness of Messiah’s return should not be a variable in how well you’re walking with him!
Preparing for judgement without the core focus being to achieve an “ad” or “all the way t’shuvah” is like preparing to fight a battle with an overwhelming enemy without Yahweh.
The distinction between “Shuva Yisroel ‘ad’ Yahweh” and “Shevua Yisroel ‘el’ Yahweh” may be understood better if we understand the word עַד "ad" as a time reference. We find this time dimension of הבושת teshuvah in various teachings of Scripture, “When they sin against you--for there is no one who does not sin--and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, `We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy; (1 Kings 8:46-50)”
How do we receive salvation or rescue from the clutches of the enemy? We redeem our time. We invest our time in t’shuvah, Torah study, mitzvoth and then Yahweh will save us from our current calamities. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of Yahweh is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)”
If we understand the Hebrew word מדה middah meaning measured time, עַד, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ Ad Yahweh Elohecha is interpreted: while there is yet a time of mercy called יְהוָה מדה "middah Yahweh" and before time runs out known as אֱלֹהֶיךָ מדה " middah Elohecha." Do הבושת t’shuvah while yet there is measured time, because, in time, םימחר מדה middah Rachamim (the time of evil) reverts to דנ מדה middah Din (the time of justice).
“Seek Yahweh while he may be found; call on Him while he is near (Isaiah 55:6)!” “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:12)” Do t’shuvah while there is time. Since when did we give doomsday prepping equal footing to t’shuva? If the word says, that I don’t need to go back into my house for even so much as shirt, then you do the math. I’m not saying don’t do anything, but the oil in Messiah’s parable of the ten virgins is a parable, it’s not real oil!
Our coming near to יְהוָה Yahweh in הבושת teshuvah is a function of time. The Scriptural calendar provides us with times that allow us an unusual closeness to יְהוָה Yahweh – these are called Yomim Tovim (literally “Good days”). Although we can, and must, do הבושת teshuvah at any time, the ten days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur are especially favorable for this. עַד "Ad" is a זמר remez (hint) to this period of repentance. עַד "Ad" refers to a nearness in time. שׁוּבָה, יִשְׂרָאֵל, עַד, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ Shuva Yisroel "ad" Yahweh Elohecha. “Return, Israel, to Yahweh your Elohim (Hosea 14:1)” The time is now!
We exist in time as well as in space. Yahweh’s time contains all time called “eternity,” which is the fullness of time not the end of time. So we are heading toward the fullness of all time!
We, as humans, see eternity as the end of time. Remember the popular song: “It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine,” by the rock band R.E.M. They’re the same group that gave us: “That's me in the corner, that's me in the spotlight, I'm Losing my religion.”
If יְהוָה Yahweh is Space, He is also Time. Of course, we do find this dimension in the revelation of Yahweh’s name. אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה “Eyeh ashur eyeh,” I am that I am, cause of all causes, root of all roots. The name offered to Moshe at the “Burning Bush” clearly indicates the dimension of time. The Tetragrammaton יְהוָה as it is written indicates the dimension of time as well as of space. Yahweh is the “Cause of all causes.” The human mid has been programmed to expect an effect for every cause. Thus, we can conclude that this vast universe must have a cause. This “cause” we call Yahweh – the Creator.
“And Elohim said…, "I AM WHO I AM." (Exodus 3:14)” What Yahweh did at creation was step from concealment into manifestation. The “Ayn Sof” or Infinite One, that exists without end; He who has no beginning and has no end, moved from the incomprehensible into something that can be grasped – a Father.
Thus, if, in the process of teshuvah, we return to our Heavenly Father, יְהוָה Yahweh, we must describe such a return in terms of both space and time. And we do: שׁוּבָה, יִשְׂרָאֵל, עַד, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ “Shuva Yisroel "ad" Yahweh Elohecha”: עַד "ad" refers to time; אֱל "el" refers to space.
One who sins grows instantly distant from Yahweh. “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in Yahweh’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:14-24)” That distance cannot be measured in miles or in light years. It is a distance that manifests itself in moral confusion and spiritual isolation, in spiritual sickness and despair. The approach to Yahweh which is called teshuvah brings a nearness that manifests itself in joy and spiritual vitality. It is a closeness in the time dimension of the spirit as well as in the space dimension of the spirit. It is יְהוָה עַד "ad" Yahweh as well as יְהוָה אֱל "el" Yahweh. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah YahShua (as the expression of Yahweh), because through Messiah YahShua the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1,2)”
The sinner is trapped by the ערה רציyetzer hara’s (the Flesh – the Evil Inclination Romans 7) beckoning, which is always for the moment’s pleasure, for the current fad or fashion. “… each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:14, 15)” Today, it is fashionable to be sinful. How distant must the sinner be from Yahweh’s Eternal! Nearing יְהוָה Yahweh means embracing eternity. Commitment to a Torah that is eternal allows for such an embrace. Then just as he nears his demise he reaches out to the Presence that has been seeking him the whole time, and turns from his wicked way and embraces the Lord!
I can hear the Believer shout, “fowl!” They might say, “I’ve lived my whole life for you and now you’re going to give this guy eternity who comes in by the skin of his teeth and repents on his death bed? THAT’S NOT FAIR!” I remember a similar attitude in a Bible Story – “The Prodigal Son.” “(The Father) said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ (Luke 15:27-32)”
Our nearness to יְהוָה Yahweh at Mount. Sinai was for all times even though, individually, we are mortal. This is achieved by a covenant with לארשי ללכ klal Yisroel..... “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.With [eternal] life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation. ()Psalms 91:14-16” We are individual beneficiaries of a covenant with an eternal klal Yisroel, the Commonwealth of Israel. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of Yahweh: And if children, then heirs; heirs of Yahweh, and joint-heirs with Messiah; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8: 16-18)” Collectively speaking, לארשי ללכ klal Yisroel is immortal. Were a Believer able to sever his connection with לארשי ללכ klal Yisroel after he has experienced everything the Kingdom has to offer, he would lose that immortality. Then teshuvah would be rendered impossible. “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of Yahweh (Torah) and the powers of the Olam Habah (World to Come), if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, (Hebrews 6:4, 5)” We are not talking about normal “backsliding,” but apostation even after experiencing everything to include the “World to Come.” It is only his inherent connectedness to the Kingdom that allows him to reclaim his nearness to the Infinite One. And his connectedness is assured. הבושת Teshuvah is therefore possible.
“As for you (Gentiles), you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways (culture & religion) of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air (HaSatan, the adversary), the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature (Or our evil inclination) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, Yahweh, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Messiah even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And Yahweh raised us up with Messiah and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Messiah YahShua, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Messiah YahShua. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of Yahweh-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are Yahweh’s workmanship, created in Messiah Yahshua to do good works, which Yahweh prepared in advance for us to do. Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision-- remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in the Commonwealth of Israel, aliens & foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without Yahweh in the world. But now in Messiah YahShua you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Messiah. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the hatred of the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to Yahweh through the gallows, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with Yahweh’s people and members of Yahweh’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Messiah Yahshua himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a Holy Temple in the King. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which Yahweh lives (Ephesians 2)”
This הבושת teshuvah reaches יְהוָה עַד "ad" all the way to Yahweh, a reunion with the eternal in His time and at His place. “This is what Yahweh says: "Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." Let no foreigner who has bound himself to Yahweh say, " Yahweh will surely exclude me from his people (klal Yisroel)." And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree." For this is what Yahweh says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-- to them I will give within my Temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. And foreigners who bind themselves to Yahweh to serve him, to love the name of Yahweh, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-- these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." The Sovereign Yahweh declares-- he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered." Come, all you beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts of the forest! Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain. "Come," each one cries, "let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better. (Isaiah 56)"
May we be near to the Presence of Yahweh and receive the fullness of His bountiful blessings through King Messiah His Son.