Parsha Bereishit 2023/Lynn Jordan
Parsha Bereishit 2023/Lynn Jordan
True Rest.
Parsha Bereishit בראשית — “In the beginning” (Genesis/Bereishit 1:1 - 6:8)
Ilya Schor
Written by: Lynn Jordan
True Rest
Did you know ….
Adam and Eve’s first full day on earth was spent observing the Sabbath? Shabbat.
The day of Rest and communing with God.
This first Shabbat can be viewed as the template for how God commissioned man to walk with Him: Direct, divine Face-to-face holy communion and relationship with Him. No darkness. No sin.
A divine Father walking amongst and with His children, who were made and designed in His very image. Children Resting in Him. Children joyously worshipping Him.
Can we pause for an iota of time to fathom the trajectory of mankind, walking and talking in God’s divine splendor, in God’s divine Glory, enmeshed with His Divine Heart and Mind every day, all day, if there was no fall to sin and being shaped in iniquity?
Take a moment to use “elastic thinking“ *(1) — See/Think in the supernatural; expanded thinking; fathoming in an exponentially, higher dimension; no limits, no ceilings, no walls, no floors; Think/See what’s not physically visible to the naked eye nor comprehended by man’s finite ability.
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Think on your MOST intimate, deepest and most supernatural prayer and worship time with God:
God showing His visible Glory to you.
Feeling His Breath in the room with you.
Hearing angelic worship, attuned to your ears.
Smelling His very fragrance with divinely, recalibrated olfactory senses.
Experiencing the heart and Love of God laying on your heart.
His heart enveloping you as He felt like the, “….Son in its radiance….”, shining upon + embracing you.
Hearing Him speak to you with such unequivocal clarity.
Feeling complete in Him.
Are you there, yet?
Now ….
Multiply that experience by 1 billion x 1 billion to, actually, gauge a glimpse of what it may have been like to live in direct, divine fellowship with God.
The Sabbath, Shabbat, is the prototype of this. It is the prototype of this glorious fellowship, current day.
Shabbat is the prototype and prophesy of the world to come. For eternity.
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In this week’s Torah portion, Parsha Bereishit, we begin the first parsha of the 53-week, annual Torah portion reading cycle.
Creation Week:
Day 1: Night and Day (light) was created and separated.
Day 2: Sky and sea. The Sky divided upper waters from lower waters.
Day 3: Land (earth) and sea boundaries were established. Vegetation.
Day 4: Heavenly bodies: Sun, moon, stars. Sun dominates the day. The moon, dominates the night and stars.
Day 5: Swarms of fish and fowl/birds that fly above the earth.
Day 6: Animals and Mankind.
And God said, “Let us make man in our own image, after our own likeness.” The Lord God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.
And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created him; male and female He created them. God said that it is not good for man to be alone, so He made a fitting helper (Put Adam into a deep sleep, removed one of his ribs and fashioned it into a woman.) Both were placed in the garden of Eden.
God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fertile and increase fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all living things that creep on earth.” (Genesis 1:27-28)
Day 7: On the seventh day God finished the work that He had been doing, and He ceased on the seventh day from all the work that He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy; because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done. (Genesis 2:2-3)
Three acts of God denoted the seventh day:
He rested,
He blessed and
He hallowed the seventh day.
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What is the Sabbath/Shabbat? ….
Sabbath is the Hebrew word that is derived from “shavat” which means “to cease or stop; to rest.” Shabbat is a weekly, Jewish day of observance and rest. It is a time to cease from all work, from all business. Shabbat begins several minutes before sunset on Friday and is observed for 25 hours into Saturday evening.
Shabbat candles are usually lit 18 minutes before sunset, accompanied by brachas (spoken Hebrew blessings). Women traditionally commence with speaking a bracha, as everyone stands with closed eyes. Once candles are lit, you have accepted the oncoming Sabbath. We uncover eyes, gazing at the Shabbat lights; then, greet each other. This is viewed as a prophetic act of welcoming the coming of the Mochiach, the Light of the world.
“Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Observing the Sabbath is a mitzvah, a commandment, in Torah. The lighting of candles is not. Since fire is not to be used during the Sabbath, we can readily surmise that lighting Shabbat candles is necessary for us to see during the Shabbat meal, of course.
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The divine command ….
And the Lord said to Moses: Speak to the Israelite people and say: Nevertheless, you must keep My sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout the ages, that you may know that I the Lord have consecrated you. You shall keep the sabbath, for it is holy for you. He who profanes it shall be put to death: whoever does work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his kin. Six days may work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does work on the sabbath day shall be put to death. The Israelite people shall keep the sabbath, observing the sabbath throughout all ages as a covenant for all time: it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel.
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and was refreshed.” (Exodus 31:12-17)
The sheer importance of this holy, set aside time is witnessed during the building of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was the qadosh, holy, set aside place where the Israelites were to worship God. And, God responded to the worship with fire falling upon the altar. His very Presence showed up and was visible. The Tabernacle was where He spoke to Moses and the Israelites. During the Tabenacle’s construction, though, Israel had to honor this holy time of the Sabbath. Every iota of construction was suspended and prohibited, indicating that the holy time (the Sabbath) was more important than the holy place. 💭💨 🔥
Keeping the Sabbath day is the fourth commandment in the Decalogue, the 10 Commandments.
The seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord and holy to Him. SInce He observed the Sabbath in Bereishit 2:2-3, we are to follow suit with His example by observing.
What is holy and consecrated to God must be holy and consecrated unto us. The Sabbath is for His purposes, not our own. Indeed, it is a set aside time to intentionally focus, fixate and fellowship with God, without toil, distractions or interruptions. He is the centerpiece.
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– What about food during the 25 hours? Food is prepared beforehand.
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During the Shabbat meal brachas (blessings) are spoken. A bracha is spoken over the bread at the dinner. Lechem mishneh (double loaf [loaves]) are presented as part of the meal. This is a reminder of how God provided double portions of manna for the Israelites in the wilderness. Manna fell from heaven the day before the sabbath or holidays. Also, the first portion of the dough was to be set aside and given unto the Lord as a heave offering. A portion of bread was set aside and given to the priests to eat.
Additionally, bread symbolizes the Word.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the one begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
There were 12 loaves of bread that were placed inside of Ohel Mo’ed, the Tent of Meeting, that was replaced weekly for the Sabbath. Twelve loaves for 12 tribes of Israel. The Showbread, also called The Bread of the Presence sat on the golden table in the Holy Place.
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During the Shabbat meal🍷 kiddush is done. Kiddush, meaning, sanctification is one of the central rituals of Shabbat. A bracha is spoken over the wine, to sanctify Shabbat prior to the meal. God already marks the Sabbath as holy, set apart in His Word. As sanctification (kiddush) is spoken over the wine, we are confessing our agreement with God over the sanctity of the day. Saturday night is also closed with the kiddush bracha over wine.
In Judaism, wine is a symbol of joy, liberation, celebration and creation.
Wine speaks of the blood of the New Covenant of Grace in Christianity.
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Adults speak brachas over the children. Men and boys also speak Proverbs 31:10-31 over the women in the room, decreeing, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies….”
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We’re told in the Talmud that the first Feast of Weeks in which the Torah was given, fell on the Sabbath. Indeed, it is the, only day on which the Word of God could have been given to man.
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—- What would possess a God-fearing, Holy Ghost-filled Christian, living and observing under the Dispensation of Grace in the New Covenant with Christ…. to observe the Sabbath, which is specified in the Old Covenant under the Dispensation of Law in Torah?
God commands us too, throughout the ages.
He wrote the Old and New Testaments so that we come into His fullness. The two are interdependent of each other, married to each other. The Old (Torah) is not obsolete.
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) These are God’s words.
This observance reminds me of Jesus instructing us in the New Testament,
“This do in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19b)
Take communion.
The Bread (His body): “This is my body which is given for you: do this in remembrance of me.”
The wine ( His Blood) This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
— Why would a Christian, even need to “Do this in remembrance of me”? God’s very Ruach dwells within you. Isn’t that all you need?
Well…. God says to do it. These are His instructions in His Word.
Same with the Sabbath.
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“Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” (Isaiah 56:2)
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“If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, From pursuing your affairs on My holy day; If you call the sabbath, “delight,” GOD’s holy day “honored”: And if you honor it and not go your ways, Not look to your affairs, nor strike bargains—
Then you can seek GOD’s favor. I will see you astride the heights of the earth, And let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob— For GOD’s mouth has spoken.” (Isaiah 58:13-14)
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My Personal Shabbat Experience ….
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As a Spirit-filled Christian who now honors my Hebraic roots, I never felt the need or desire to observe Shabbat, let alone do this every week. The Lord drew me to observe Shabbat. (It certainly was not the religion-practicing church that lead me to observance.) The Ruach compelled me to observe Shabbat.
I can never forget my very first time observing Shabbat at home. God, Himself, descended in my home to Dine with me.
Pristine.
Kadosh.
Supreme.
Exquisite.
Absolute Awe.
My whole house was lit up. I had lights turned on, of course. But, His Presence lit up the whole house, like a floodlight.
The presence and Glory of God was SO BONKERS, so exquisitely overwhelming and tangible, like I never experienced. His Presence was and is in-articulatable. Words escape me.
Throughout the week, I always love prayer and worship before the Lord. Every Friday, though, God has a divinely, scheduled appointment to meet and commune with me!
The King of Glory dines with me. My total sight is fixated on fellowship with Him. Honoring Him. Worshiping Him. Walking and talking with Him. Listening to Him. Communing in intimacy with Him.
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In Thy presence is fullness of joy. (Psalms 16:11)
Now the Lord is that spirit; and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)
There is SO MUCH more in God’s Presence: love, shalom, grace, gifts, mysteries, beauty, splendor, honor, tenderness, validation, healing, equipping, elevation, glory, friendship, parenting, correction, instruction, strategy, vision, wisdom, contentment, alignment, adornment, fire, sound, worship, jewels, treasures, restoration, strength, sweet intimacy, delight and rest.
Shabbat points to Jesus.
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When the people of Isra'el stood before the mountain of Sinai, the Lord said unto them: "Remember that I said to the Sabbath: The Community of Isra'el is your mate." Hence, remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. (Exodus 20:8)
The Hebrew word "le-kadesh." to sanctify means to consecrate a woman to betroth (meaning, engaged to be married agreement).
The Sabbath is a bride.
And, its celebration is like a wedding.
Just as a bride when she comes to her groom is lovely, bedeckled and perfumed, so the Sabbath comes to Isra'el (and the Believer in Christ), lovely and perfumed. Just as a groom is dressed in his finest garments, so is a man on the Sabbath day dressed in his finest garments. *(2)
The finest garment that one can wear is the circumcision of his heart, the posture of his heart unto God.
"For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart -- in the Spirit, not the letter....." (Romans 2:28-29)
Just as a man rejoice all the days of the wedding feast, so does man rejoice on the Sabbath. Just as a groom does no work on his wedding day, so does a man abstain from work on the Sabbath day. Therefore, the sages (early rabbis) called the Sabbath a bride.
God calls the Sabbath a delight.
Even when the soul is seared, even when no prayer can come out of our tightened throats, the clean, silent rest of the Sabbath leads us to a realm of endless peace, or to the beginning of an awareness of what eternity means. There are few ideas in the world of thought which contain so much spiritual power as the idea of the Sabbath. Aeons hence, when of many of our cherished theories only shreds will remain, that cosmic tapestry will continue to shine.
Eternity utters a day. *(3)
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(1) Nathan Byrd, Ap.
(2); (3)Abraham Joshua Heschel; “The Sabbath;”
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My Prayer ….
Enter the true Rest of God.
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