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VIRTUAL CHANUKAH
POSTED 07 DECEMBER, 2007
Teaching on the Chanukah Torah Portion
Numbers 7:1-8:4
commentary by J.K. McKee
On the day that Moses
finished setting up the Tabernacle, he
anointed and consecrated it and all its
furnishings, as well as the altar and its
utensils. When he had anointed and
consecrated them, the chieftains of Israel,
the heads of ancestral houses, namely, the
chieftains of the tribes, those who were in
charge of enrollment, drew near and brought
their offering before the
Lord:
six draught carts and twelve oxen, a cart
for every two chieftains and an ox for each
one. When they had brought them before the
Tabernacle, the
Lord said to Moses: Accept these from them for use in the
service of the Tent of Meeting, and give
them to the Levites according to their
respective services
(Numbers 7:1-5, NJPS).
Numbers
7:1-8:4 is the customary Torah portion that is
read in the Jewish community throughout the
eight days of Chanukah. Orthodox Jews will often
read it through in various segments per day.[1]
If we were following this day-by-day schedule of
reading, then our selection for today, Chanukah
Day 4, would be Numbers 7:30-41. However, for
the sake of us all getting the most out of the
text, I have chosen to only comment on Numbers
7:1-5.
The Torah portion for Chanukah
appears in the narrative of the dedication of
the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The events
recorded are paralleled with the dedication of
the sacred vessels of worship in Leviticus
8:10-11. Without a doubt, this selection was
chosen by the Jewish Rabbis for us to compare
the dedication of the Tabernacle and the
sanctification of its objects of worship, with
the rededication that the Maccabees had to
perform when they cleansed the Temple after
their victory over the Seleucids. Numbers 7:10
says, “The leaders offered the dedication
offering for the altar when it
was anointed.” The Hebrew word for “dedication”
in this passage is, not surprisingly,
chanukah (hKnx).[2]
1 Now on the day that Moses had
finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed
it and consecrated it with all its furnishings
and the altar and all its utensils; he anointed
them and consecrated them also.
The Chanukah Torah reading
begins by telling us that “Moses finished
erecting the Tabernacle” (ATS). Obviously, the
text is recalling the story of how the
Tabernacle was being established, which would be
the mainstay order of worship for the Ancient
Israelites until the construction of the First
Temple by King Solomon. Moses did not “build” or
“set up” the Tabernacle, nor did he fashion any
of the furnishings, the altar, or the sacred
utensils. These jobs were all given to Bezalel,
Oholiab, and others, who were responsible for
actually constructing the Tabernacle and
performing the hard work behind. Yet, Moses is
credited with its construction as the leader of
Israel, who relayed God’s instructions regarding
how it was to be built.
It was not until the Tabernacle
was “anointed and consecrated” (NJPS) that the
work could be considered complete. The Hebrew
actually reads v’yimshachem v’yeqadesh otam
(~ta
vDqyw ~xvmYw),
employing two important verbs that every
Messianic Believer needs to know: mashach
(xvm)
and qadash (vdq).
Mashach means to “spread a liquid
(oil, paint) over,” often relating to “cult
objects” (CHALOT).[3]
This is the same verb from which the term
Mashiach (xyvm)
or “Messiah” is derived. Do we see important
themes reminiscent throughout the Numbers’
account, at least indirectly? Yes. As Believers,
we certainly see the majesty of God in the
specific details of the Tabernacle furniture, as
well as in the reality that in spite of the
awesomeness of these implements, the best that
the Tabernacle/Temple service could offer would
be temporary atonement for one’s sin, requiring
the Messiah Yeshua to come.
Of course, one of the aims of the
Tabernacle’s implements being anointed was so
that they could be “sanctified.” Qadash,
appearing here in the Piel stem (indicating
intensive action), can mean “to transfer
something to the state of holiness
(treatment in accordance with cult rules),
dedicate for use before God” (HALOT).[4]
It can also mean “to transform someone to the
state of holiness, dedicate” (HALOT).[5]
In the immediate Mosaic context, obviously the
utensils had to be anointed with oil in order to
be consecrated, or made holy for the Lord’s
work. Looking at this with the story of
Chanukah in mind, the same utensils would
have to be recrafted and reanointed in order for
the Temple service to be reinstated. 1 Maccabees
1:21 plainly attests that Antiochus Ephiphanes
“arrogantly entered the sanctuary and took the
golden altar, the lampstand for the light, and
all its untensils.” But also on a personal level
for us as Believers, each one of us has to
receive the Divine anointing that only comes
from us receiving Messiah Yeshua into our lives,
so that we can begin the process of
sanctification that comes with salvation.
The result of the Tabernacle
vessels being anointed with oil and consecrated
was so that now the Tabernacle could be used for
the service and worship of the God of Israel.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch remarks, “the entire
sanctuary formed a single, integrated unit, in
which every part had a sacred meaning and all of
them complimented one another. Thus, they could
not be sanctified piecemeal, but only when all
had been anointed.”[6]
Only when all of the Tabernacle tools,
implements, and devices were anointed and
consecrated could the Tabernacle be used.
Individually today, how many of
us think of this? Perhaps it is easy for us as
Believers in Yeshua to consider the importance
of us receiving the Messiah into our lives and
receiving His anointing. Perhaps its also easy
for us to consider the sanctification process,
whereby we are called to humanly decrease and be
conformed to His image, continually becoming
holy by obeying our Heavenly Father. But how
many of us have thought about the fact that it
was only when all the implements
for the Tabernacle were sanctified and
consecrated that it could be used?
Many of us come from religious
backgrounds where we have been taught that our
faith may only be a “one-on-one” relationship
with God, and that we are only accountable as
individuals to God for our conduct. This is true
to an extent, but we are also to function as a
corporate Body of Messiah in His service.
Perhaps v. 1 begs too many questions that we are
unprepared to answer at this time, notably:
How are we to all function together as a single
unit, just like the Tabernacle? More than
anything else during the Chanukah season,
let us rededicate ourselves to the Lord, and
make sure that we are individually anointed by
the Holy Spirit and are in that process of being
made holy.
2 Then the leaders of Israel, the
heads of their fathers' households, made an
offering (they were the leaders of the tribes;
they were the ones who were over the numbered
men).
After the
consecration of the Tabernacle implements, the
leaders of Israel come to Moses to offer gifts.
There is some differences in translation, as the
standard rendering is “made an offering” (NASU)
or “made offerings” (NIV); but the NJPS has
“drew near” and the ESV has “approached.” The
verb qarav (brq)
appears in the Hifil stem (casual action,
passive voice), indicating that it means “bring
near, of presenting, rededication, or
offering to” (BDB).[7]
Because of its relationship to the noun
qorban (!Brq),
meaning an offering, most expositors have
concluded that the text should be translated as
indicating that they brought something. Ronald
B. Allen notes, “This type of language is
particularly apt, for the leaders were ‘bringing
near’ to the symbols of God’s presence their own
gifts. These gifts were necessary and
utilitarian.”[8]
Of course, as we see later in v. 3, these men
bring some major gifts for the Lord’s work.
What is interesting is who these
ne’sei Yisrael
(larfy
yayfn)
or “chiefs of Israel” (ESV) were. No specific
identification of them is made in the Biblical
text, other than them being “leaders.” However,
referencing the Midrash Rabbah, Jacob Milgrom
remarks, “They had been foremen during the days
of Egyptian enslavement, and willingly accepted
beatings from their Egyptian taskmasters rather
than punish their fellow Israelites for not
meeting their quotas of bricks. As a reward,
they were honored to bring these inaugural
offerings”[9]
(cf.
Numbers Rabbah
12:16). This begs some interesting questions of
why this text would be read during
Chanukah.
Is there a connection between the leaders of
Israel bringing gifts to Moses and the work
performed by the Maccabees?
If it can be assumed that the
leaders of Israel were indeed the Israelite
foremen who took the brunt of beating for their
fellow countrymen, and they were then given the
honor of being leaders of Israel, could
parallels be made with the Maccabees who fought
off the Seleucid invaders? Being in military
service and fighting for a nation’s freedom is
one of the biggest sacrifices anyone can make.
It is a great honor, but it comes at a great
cost to the individual. While not an exact
parallel, 2 Maccabees 12:41-43 attests to the
fact that while in the heat of battle the
Maccabees remained faithful to the Torah, even
collecting up the required payment for sin
offerings to be made for them in the Temple:
“So they all blessed the ways of
the Lord, the righteous Judge, who reveals the
things that are hidden; and they turned to
prayer, beseeching that the sin which had been
committed might be wholly blotted out. And the
noble Judas exhorted the people to keep
themselves free from sin, for they had seen with
their own eyes what had happened because of the
sin of those who had fallen. He also took up a
collection, man by man, to the amount of two
thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to
Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In
doing this he acted very well and honorably,
taking account of the resurrection.”
Here we see that Judas Maccabeus
was faithful to the God of Israel and His ways,
even while fighting in the bush. Just as the
Israelite foremen would have made sacrifices for
their fellow man in Egypt, here the Maccabees
are making sacrifices on the battlefield. They
still pause and do the right thing in accordance
with the Torah, and as such the Maccabees became
the religious and political leaders following
the end of the Seleucid-Greek dominance, similar
to these leaders of Israel when the Tabernacle
was dedicated.
The important parallel today is
whether or not we will remain faithful to the
God of Israel and “take a beating” for it. Will
the Lord be able to reward us when we enter His
Kingdom and make us leaders? Perhaps we can take
comfort in the Messiah’s words, “Blessed are you
when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult
you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake
of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap
for joy, for behold, your reward is great
in heaven. For in the same way their fathers
used to treat the prophets” (Luke 6:22-23).
3 When they brought their
offering before the
Lord,
six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for
every two of the leaders and an ox for each
one, then they presented them before the
tabernacle.
Here we see the description of
the gifts that the chiefs of Israel bring before
the Tabernacle. They bring “six covered wagons
and twelve oxen” (RSV). The Hebrew word rendered
as either “cart,” “wagon,” or “draught” is
agalah (hlg[).
It is related to the word egel (lg[),
meaning “calf” (TWOT).[10]
What this would seem to indicate more than
anything else is that these carts were very
large, and “Covered wagons would certainly be
appropriate for transporting the sacred items.”[11]
These were the right gifts for the right time.
Just as all of the Tabernacle’s vessels were
being consecrated for it all to finally
function, the leaders brought additional
components that may be used. This can be similar
to our own individual lives, because as we find
ourselves doing those things God prepares us
for, He makes sure that we have all those extra
components that we might need to assist us in
life. We can see this happen by the Lord moving
on friends or family to help us in a time of
need, an unexpected occurrence in our personal
favor, or even with our Father protecting us
from things that we wanted to embark upon or
experience, but would be harmful to our
spiritual growth.
4 Then the
Lord
spoke to Moses, saying, 5 “Accept these
things from them, that they may be used in
the service of the tent of meeting, and you
shall give them to the Levites, to each
man according to his service.”
Some Jewish
commentators have indicated that “Moses was
reluctant to accept the leaders’ offerings,
which God had not commanded them to bring; the
experience of Nadab and Abihu, who died when
they brought unauthorized incense, was a
frightening precedent…But God told Moses that
the intention of the leaders was pure and their
offerings were worthy of acceptance.”[12]
The Lord tells Moses, “qach m'itam” (~Tam
xq,
Qal imperative), meaning to “Take from them.”
The command from the Lord is not a passive
“receive these things,” but actually an active
order to take them.
The result of Moses taking these
things is stated in the text: “Give them to the
Levites as each man's work requires” (NIV).
Moses was not to take the items for his
exclusive usage, but to redistribute them for
the Levites’ service. Moses was to be the
intermediary between those stirred by God to
give to His work, and Moses then gave those
under his authority the things that they needed.
I have been unable to find any
information in my reading of 1-4 Maccabees, or
the various histories, any specific references
that indicate when the Temple was cleansed,
massive numbers of people gave over and above
what was needed to rededicate it. I suspect that
it was difficult, at first, to give to the
rededication project as the Land of Israel had
been under Seleucid occupation and the people
were severely taxed. However, I am sure that
many Jewish people had the heart to give, and
gave of their time, energy, and resources in
whatever way was economically possible, and that
is why the Rabbis chose this selection for the
traditional Chanukah reading. A critical
component of the Chanukah season is
having the heart to give unto the Lord, and the
gift of service would have been required in
order to clean the Temple of its defilements,
and prepare it for renewed service to the God of
Israel. Just as Moses received gifts to help the
Levites in their service, so are gifts always
needed today by those in the Father’s service.
The challenge regarding gifts is
that we need to be willing to give to the
Kingdom’s work when the Lord moves upon us, in
whatever way we can. If not, just as there was a
massive amount of work to be done for the Temple
to be fully rededicated during the time of the
Maccabees, the work might not be completed.
Today in the Messianic movement, there is a
great amount of work that is not being
accomplished, ranging from the Biblical studies
and theological books that need to be written,
to the actual ministering to and counseling of
people who are new to this understanding. Add to
this the extreme amount of apologetical work
that needs to be accomplished in light of the
external, and even internal,
controversies we face.
The only way that any Messianic
ministry or congregation can function in the
Kingdom’s work is to receive gifts to take care
of the unforeseen things, just like the leaders
of Israel gave huge covered wagons that the
Levites could use. Moses was commanded to
actively take these things. But what happens
when there are no people who give? Does the
Lord’s work get accomplished? It can be, but it
is much more difficult and challenging. The
heart of Chanukah, I believe, is for one
to be generous in giving, just as was required
for the rededication of the Second Temple in
Jerusalem some 2,200 years ago.
Bibliography
Allen, Ronald B. “Numbers,” in EXP,
2:756-758.
Fox, Nili S. “Numbers,” in The Jewish Study
Bible, pp 297-301.
Hertz, J.H. “The Book of Numbers,” in
Pentateuch & Haftorahs, pp 596-601, 605.
Milgrom, Jacob. “Numbers,” in Etz Hayim:
Torah and Commentary, pp 805-811, 816.
Scherman, Nosson. “Parashas Beha’aloscha,” in
ArtScroll Chumash, pp 775-797.
_____________.“Parashas Naso,” in ArtScroll
Chumash, pp 765-773.
NOTES
[1]
Day 1 (7:1-17), Day 2 (7:18-29), Day 3
(7:24-35), Day 4 (7:30-41), Day 5
(7:36-47), Day 7 (7:48-59), Day 8
(7:54-59).
[2]
Cf. Deuteronomy 20:5; 1
Kings 8:63; 2 Chronicles 7:9.
In these passages the
verb chanak (%nx),
and the word chanukah, are used
in tandem to speak of dedicating
something.
[3]
William L. Holladay, ed.,
A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon
of the Old Testament (Leiden, the
Netherlands: Brill, 1988), 218.
[4]
Ludwig Koehler and Walter
Baumgartner, eds., The Hebrew &
Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament,
2 vols. (Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill,
2001), 2:1073.
[5]
Ibid.
[6]
Nosson Scherman, ed., et
al, The ArtScroll Chumash, Stone
Edition, 5th ed. (Brooklyn: Mesorah
Publications, 2000), 765.
[7]
Francis Brown, S.R.
Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, Hebrew
and English Lexicon of the Old Testament
(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979), 898.
[8]
Ronald B. Allen,
“Numbers,” in Frank E. Gaebelein, ed.
et. al, Expositor’s Bible Commentary,
12 vols (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981),
2:757.
[9]
Jacob Milgrom, “Numbers,”
in David L. Lieber, ed., Etz Hayim:
Torah and Commentary (New York:
Rabbinical Assembly, 2001), 805.
[10]
Carl Schultz, “lg[,”
in R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer,
Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds.
Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament, 2 vols. (Chicago: Moody
Press, 1980), 2:644.
[11]
Allen, in EXP,
2:757.
Milgrom states that these
“Wagons [were] strong enough to carry
heavy loads. Each draught cart requires
the power of two oxen” (Etz Hayim,
p 806).
[12]
Scherman, 765.
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