Teresa's baby steps into blogging

From my Torah reading on Shabbat in Beshalach a found some interesting thoughts. In the reading of the Exodus from Egypt Joseph's empty tomb represented Israel's redemption from Egypt, for Joseph had prophesied that God would bring them up from there, and he had made them promise to bring his bones with them. The empty tomb signified that the promised redemption had occurred. Just as the redemption from Egypt betokens our redemption in Messiah, so too Joseph's empty tomb portends Messiah's empty tomb. In fact, the tomb in which the Master was laid belonged to a man named Joseph. I thought how the future resurrection of the dead would be a witness to those left behind that the promised redemption had occurred.


This reading was also interesting. Exodus 15:27 Then they came to elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

The twelve springs and the seventy palms of Elim beg for interpretation. The Targum Pseudo-Yonaton reports that the twelve springs symbolize the twelve tribes, one spring for each tribe. The seventy palms symbolize the Sanhedrin; that is, the seventy elders of Israel. If so, the elders of Israel grow up from the water of the springs of Israel. Perhaps the twelve springs represent Israel and the seventy palms represent the seventy nations of the world. If so, the nations drink from the springs of Israel. Perhaps the twelve springs represent the twelve disciples and the seventy palms represent the seventy disciples. If so the multitude of Yeshua's disciples grow from the teaching of the twelve.

After Bryan lesson on Sunday about the blood of Abel I found this reading interesting. Genesis 4:10 He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground."

In the Bible, blood is regarded as containing the essence of the soul. Leviticus 17:11 says that "the soul of the creature is in the blood." From the Hebraic perspective, then, the idea of Abel's blood crying out to God from the ground is not just a literary flourish. The traditional telling of the story of Cain and Abel, recorded in Targum Yonaton, lends a Messianic interpretation to the story. In the Targum, we are told that Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan - Passover: And it was at the end of days, on the fourteenth of Nisan, that Cain brought of the produce of the earth .. and Abel brought of the firstlings of the flock.

In the Targum, Cain and Abel offer their sacrifices on the same day that the Passover lambs would one day be offered. Cain strikes down Abel and spills his blood that same day. It is the first instance of manslaughter. Abel's blood cries out from the ground.

Notice the foreshadowing of Messiah that is present in this story. Messiah may be likened unto Abel. He is the righteous one who does good. On the fourteenth day of Nisan, the same day that the Passover lambs were offered in the Temple, Yeshua was killed. Like Abel, He was slain by the hands of men.

Cain may be likened unto sinful humanity, under control of sin. So, too, Messiah was slain for the sin of humanity. In a sense, it is as if the story of the crucifixion of Messiah answers the story of Cain and Abel.

The writer of the book of Hebrews makes a reference to the blood of Yeshua, "which speaks better than the blood of Abel" Hebrews 12:24. Abel's blood, spilled on Passover, cried out in a voice of condemnation. Yeshua's blood, spilled on Passover, cried out in a voice of forgiveness. "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" Luke 23:34. Hence, the blood of Yeshua truley does speak "better than the blood of Abel."