Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry
Ovadyah Ben Yisrael
FROM THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION:
Shabbath Parah
Shabbath Parah is the “Sabbath of the Red Heifer.” It occurs on the Sabbath prior to Shabbath Hachodesh of the month of Aviv. It is a reminder to the people of Yisrael that they must be purified in order to eat the soon coming Pesach. In ancient times, a public announcement was made to that effect immediately before Rosh Chodesh Aviv.
The scripture readings are: B’midbar 19:1-22 and Yechezqel 36:16-38.
“And YHWH spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying, This is a law of the Torah which YHWH has commanded, saying, Speak to the children of Yisra’el, that they bring you a red heifer, a perfect one, in which there is no blemish and on which a yoke has never come. And you shall give it to El’azar the priest, and he shall bring it outside the camp, and shall slay it before him. And El’azar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times toward the front of the Tent of Appointment. And the heifer shall be burned before his eyes – he burns its hide, and its flesh, and its blood, and its dung. And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and throw them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. The priest shall then wash his garments, and shall bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest is unclean until evening. And he who is burning it washes his garments in water, and shall bathe his body in water, and is unclean until evening. And a clean man shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and shall place them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Yisra’el for the water for uncleanness, it is for cleansing from sin. And he who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his garments, and is unclean until evening. And it shall be a law forever to the children of Yisra’el and to the stranger who sojourns in their midst. He who touches the dead of any human being is unclean for seven days. He is to cleanse himself with the water on the third day, and on the seventh day he is clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day, then on the seventh day he is not clean. Anyone who touches the dead of a human being, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the Dwelling Place of YHWH. And that being shall be cut off from Yisra’el. He is unclean, for the water for uncleanness was not sprinkled on him, his uncleanness is still upon him.”
“And the word of YHWH came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, when the house of Yisra’el dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds. To Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her monthly period. So I poured out My wrath on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols they defiled it. And I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the lands. I have judged them according to their ways and their deeds. And when they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My set-apart Name for it was said of them, These are the people of YHWH, and yet they have gone out of His land. But I had compassion on My set-apart Name, which the house of Yisra’el had profaned among the nations wherever they went. Therefore say to the house of Yisra’el, Thus said the Adonai YHWH, I do not do this for your sake, O house of Yisra’el, but for My set-apart Name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I shall set apart My great Name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. And the nations shall know that I am YHWH,’ declares the Adonai YHWH, ‘when I am set-apart in you before their eyes. And I shall take you from among the nations, and I shall gather you out of all lands, and I shall bring you into your own land. And I shall sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean – from all your filthiness and from all your idols I cleanse you. And I shall give you a new heart and put a new Spirit within you. And I shall take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I shall give you a heart of flesh, and put My Spirit within you. And I shall cause you to walk in My laws and guard My judgments and shall do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. And you shall be My people, and I shall be your Elohim. And I shall save you from all your uncleannesses. And I shall call for the grain and increase it, and I shall bring no scarcity of food upon you. And I shall increase the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of scarcity of food among the nations. And you shall remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not excellent. And you shall loathe yourselves in your own eyes, for your crookednesses and your abominations. Not for your sake am I acting,’ declares the Adonai YHWH, ‘let it be known to you. Be ashamed and blush for your ways, O house of Yisra’el! Thus said the Adonai YHWH, On the day that I cleanse you from all your crookednesses, I shall cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruined places shall be rebuilt, and the land that was laid waste tilled instead of being a ruin before the eyes of all who pass by. And they shall say, This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Ěden. And the wasted, the deserted, and the destroyed cities are now walled and inhabited. Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, YHWH, have rebuilt the destroyed places and planted what was laid waste. I, YHWH, have spoken it, and I shall do it.”