Parashat Beha’alotcha, The importance of the Passover Lamb

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In week’s reading from Parashat Beha’alotcha (בהעלתך) Bamidbar / Numbers 8:1-9:14 God commands Moshe on the construction of the Menorah and that the seven lamps are to give their light from the front of the lampstand (8:1-3).  The Lord then instructs Moshe to take the Leviim from among the Sons of Yisrael and cleanse them.  The purification process includes the sprinkling of water, using a razor to remove all of their hair, and to wash their bodies and clothing (8:6-7).  The Cohanim (Priests) are purified for service in the Mishkhan (Tabernacle) along with an offering that is made by the blood of a bull for a Chatat Korban (לְחַטָּאת, Sin Offering) and a Mincha Korban (מִנְחָת, Grain Offering) mixed with oil (8:8).  The Cohanim are presented before God and before the people (8:9) as a wave offering and only then are they qualified to perform their duties of service before the Lord (8:11).  During the Korbanot (Sacrifices), the Cohanim are to lay their hands upon the head of the bulls; one is to be made as a Chatat Korban and the other as an Olah Korban (עֹלָה, Whole burnt offering) (8:12).  Scripture goes on to say that the Lord will take the Levites instead of every first born of Yisrael drawing a parallel with the Passover and the first born dying (8:16).  The Leviim are instructed to perform the service of work in the Mishkhan between the ages of twenty five and fifty years of age (8:24-25).  The Lord then spoke to Moshe instructing the Children of Yisrael to observe the Pesach (Passover) festival saying that the Pesach festival is so important even a person who has touched a dead person and become unclean must still observe the festival (9:9).  It is written in Vayikra / Leviticus 9:18 יח   עַל-פִּי יְהֹוָה יִסְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל וְעַל-פִּי יְהוָֹה יַחֲנוּ כָּל-יְמֵי אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁכֹּן הֶעָנָן עַל-הַמִּשְׁכָּן יַחֲנוּ: 9:18 At the command of the Lord the sons of Israel would set out, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. (NASB) according to the lips/mouth of the Lord (עַל-פִּי יְהֹוָה) the people would set out or encamp.  During the wilderness journey, the people were led by the Lord (YHVH) to move or to stay indicated by the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.  During the people’s wilderness journey the Lord was teaching the people the role of obedience in their lives and the impact obedience has in their spiritual lives.  In each place the people camped, the Lord taught them something and provided for their needs.  Are you having or do you feel you are in wilderness journey today?  What is the Lord teaching you and how is the Lord providing for your needs in the midst of your trouble?  All sin makes us unclean before the Lord and can lead us to places we do not want to go.  Praise the Lord today we are able to call upon His name, and in the name of His Son Yeshua the Messiah we have the forgiveness of sins.  Read more here.

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Duane D. Miller received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of Akron Ohio. He is currently a Chemical Engineering Researcher. Duane’s research expertise has focused upon functional materials development for the control, conversion, and release of process gases in Energy production technologies. His R&D interests include computational chemistry, developing novel technologies for converting biomass to fuels and studying their fundamental interactions during the chemical conversion process. His past experience includes sorbent development for pre- and post-combustion CO2 and SO2 capture, selective absorption of H2S from methane streams, O2 capture for oxy-fuel combustion, photocatalytic reduction of alcohols, NOx reduction catalysis, the development of oxygen carriers to combust fossil fuels (CH4 and coal) for the chemical looping combustion processes, and the extraction of rare earth elements using patent pending sorbents. His research expertise has focused on operando-characterization using Infrared, Raman, and UV-Vis spectroscopy to observe the nature of the catalytic active sites and reaction intermediates under realistic reaction conditions, allowing direct correlation of molecular/electronic structures with catalyst performance during Gas-Solid / Liquid-Solid Adsorption and Photocatalytic Processes with real time online analysis of reaction products using ICP-MS and mass spectrometry. His current work involves a multi-disciplinary approach to developing, understanding, and improving the catalytic gasification of coal and methane, high temperature chemical looping combustion, and the catalytic decomposition and gasification of biomass and coal using novel microwave reactor.​ He has been studying the Hebrew Scriptures and the Torah for 20+ years and sharing what he has learned. The studies developed for MATSATI.COM are freely to be used by everyone, to God be the Glory!