Weekly Drash - Yitro

Compliments of First Fruits of Zion
reprinted by permission of FFOZ

Parashat Hashavuah

Yitro - יתרו : “Jethro”
Torah : Exodus 18:1–20:23 (26)
Haftarah : Isaiah 6:1–7:6; 9:5–6
Gospel : Mark 7–8

The Signs of Pentecost
 

Thought for the Week:

“‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the LORD, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’” (Jeremiah 23:29). The School of Rabbi Yishmael taught that the verse “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces,” means that just as a hammer is divided into many sparks, so too every single word that went forth from the Holy One, blessed be He, [at Sinai] split up into [all] languages.” (Talmud, b.Shabbat 88b)

Commentary:

The festival of Shavuot (Pentecost) is the traditional anniversary of the day on which God spoke at Sinai. According to one ancient tradition, when God gave the Ten Commandments, His voice spoke them in all languages of the world. According to another legend, His words came forth as visible torches of fire, which came to every Jew individually.

In Acts 2, the disciples gathered to celebrate Shavuot (Pentecost), the anniversary of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Holy Spirit fell upon them in the form of tongues of fire. The torches of fire came to rest on each individual disciple. The miracle is a clear allusion to the legend of God’s fiery voice at Mount Sinai. In addition, subsequent to receiving the fiery Spirit of God, the disciples found themselves proclaiming the Gospel in every language. The miracle of speaking in all tongues is another allusion to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

Whether or not the tradition of the seventy languages and the fiery words preserve actual historical memories of the Mount Sinai experience is not of great consequence. It is consequential, however, to remember that the disciples and followers of Yeshua were all well aware of the Shavuot legends. We can only assume that those legends predate the book of Acts; otherwise, the allusions would be meaningless. Thus, the disciples must have known the story of the giving of the Torah on Shavuot. They knew the story of the words of fire resting on each individual on Shavuot. They knew the story of God’s voice speaking to all mankind in every language on Shavuot. Therefore, the miracles, signs and wonders that came upon them in Acts chapter 2 carried deep significance. The tongues of fire and the speaking in every tongue were both direct allusions to the receiving of the Torah. God was underscoring the inseparable relationship between His Holy Spirit and His Holy Torah.

Shavuah Tov! Have a Good Week!

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Restoration Products

We are pleased to announce 3 different Restoration products, now available at the FFOZ Store (http://ffoz.com/store).  The Restoration Book, the Restoration Workbook and the Audio Book. The new workbook contains fifteen chapters that correspond to the chapters in the book Restoration, written by D. Thomas Lancaster. Each chapter contains an introduction and questions to help the reader explore the concepts and ideas presented in the book in more detail.

Ideal for Study Groups
 

This workbook is primarily intended for use in a group setting. Group leaders could set up a book study, where participants read a chapter during the week, and then the group could go over the workbook portion of the chapter during the study.

The Restoration Audio Book, read by D. Thomas Lancaster, contains six CDs and is narrated by the Author.
 

FFOZ's Weekly e-Drash is based on our popular Torah Study Program,
Torah Club. For an introduction to Torah Club click here.

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