PARDES  ON  TORAH,  TRIBES,  AND  NEW MOON

By Rebbetzin Sherry A. Hord

            To begin this study, we must understand that there are four levels of Torah interpretation that the student of Torah may encounter through the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit).  When a new level of interpretation is found, the student must accept by emunah (faith) that the revelation given on a deeper level is Truth, and that it has been revealed by the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) for the student’s spiritual growth and an overall fuller and richer understanding of Torah.  Whenever a deeper level of interpretation is revealed, the Torah student should locate other Scriptures in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the Brit Chadasha (New Testament) to confirm the revelation.  Further Scriptures will also help to broaden the understanding even more so.

PARDES

THE  FOUR  LEVELS  OF  TORAH  INTERPRETATION

THE  FIRST  DAY  OF  TORAH

            With this newly gained understanding of the four levels of Torah interpretation, the student may now find Torah opened up before his or her eyes in a new, rich, and truly amazing way. The study will begin by carefully reading  Bereshith (Genesis) 1:1-19.  After reading this portion of Torah, the student should go to Mishle (Proverbs) 6:23.  Mishle 6:23 tells us that Torah is a light.  With this understanding now established that Torah is light, the student can now midrash the verses Bereshith 1:3-5. 

           The verses Bereshith 1:3-5 speak of light coming to be or light being created.  notice that it is the first thing to be created.  On the simple, plain, literal level of P’shat interpretation, the student may think of  Yahweh creating light such as the sunlight.  But on the Remez level we see that the word light is a hint as to the kind of light that was first created.  By going back to Bereshith 1:14-19, the student can see that the sun was not created until the fourth day. So, the Remez can not mean the sun in these first verses but Torah because Torah is light.   Torah is the first thing that Yahweh created.  Now, if we go down to the Sod level we will begin to understand that this Torah light is in fact Yahshua, the light or “living“ Torah of the Father.  

            The student should now begin to understand why there are so many references to the word “light” in the Brit Chadasha (Renewed Covenant/New Testament).  Therefore, the four levels of Torah interpretation are also found in the Renewed Covenant for the student to find through the revelation of the Ruach haKodesh.  Ephesians 5:8 says that we are to walk as children of the light.  Does this mean that we are to walk as children of  sunlight?  No, we are to walk as children of Torah or become Torah-keepers.  I Peter 2:8-9 is a reminder to believers or Torah-keepers not to become disobedient to the Word (Torah) because we have been called out of the darkness (ignorance of Yahweh and His Torah) into His marvelous light or Torah.

            Bereshith 1:2 tells us on the P’shat level that in the beginning the earth was formless, empty, void, dark, in an upheaval.  Now that we have the Remez understanding that light is Torah, we can understand that the earth was in this condition because it was without Torah.  There was no light or Torah on earth at the time that Yahweh recreated or renewed the earth for Yisrael to live on.  That means then that Yahweh recreated or renewed the earth expressly for the age of Torah, the age of light, the age of Yahshua’s intervention upon the earth.

            Bereshith 1:4-5 say that Yahweh separated the light from darkness and it became the first day.  The first day of creation was The First Day of Torah.  The word darkness in Hebrew is choshek (Strong’s #2822) which means:  the dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, night, obscurity.  On the P’shat level, the word darkness suggests the literal meaning of night vs. the day.  But on the Remez, hint level, we can find that the word darkness is really ignorance, wickedness, etc.  So then, the student can begin to understand that it is a “hint” that Torah, which contains the instructions of Yahweh, is in opposition or versus lawlessness, rebellion, death, destruction, ignorance, etc.  I Timothy 1:8-10 speaks about Torah being good and was given not for the righteous but for the lawless, unruly, wicked, sinners; and Torah must be taught properly.  John 1:1-14 speaks of Yahweh’s Word (Torah) being life and light 
(Torah).  1 John 1:1-7 say that Elohim (God) is light (Torah) and there is no darkness (misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, etc.) in Him or in His Torah (Yahshua) and that we must walk in His light (Torah and its instructions).

            In Bereshith 1:6-8 & 13, Yahweh speaks of the separation of heaven and earth, and the separation of day and night.  On the P’shat level, this is clear and simple to understand that it is the separation of two things.  But the word “separation” is a Remez or  hint  that Torah is completely set-apart unto Yahweh from all things that come from or are in the realm of  darkness or ignorance.  That is why Yahweh saves His people from the darkness and destruction of the world and separates or sets them apart unto Himself through the righteousness of Torah obedience which Yahshua attained for us.

            Bereshith 1:14-18 reveal that Yahweh set the lights in the heavens to separate day from the night, and to provide a calendar reckoning system for the earth.  On the P’shat level, the student can understand the simple, literal meaning again about the separation.  On the Remez level of these verses, we can see much more revealed.  Verse 16 pertains to the two great lights, the sun and the moon, but again the word “lights” can be interpreted to mean Torah is Yahshua, the greater light, which rules over the earth,  and the moon, the lesser light which are the instructions of Torah that rule over the darkness on the earth.  The purpose of Pardes or the four levels of interpretation is to take the student into a greater and deeper understanding of Yahweh’s plan for the earth and its people.

            THE  MISSING  TRIBES  OF  YISRAEL

            With this under the student’s belt, we can now go into the related teaching regarding the The Ten Missing Tribes of Yisrael.  In Bereshith 37:9, Yoseph (Joseph) dreamed that the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him.  This dream was prophetic of the events to come into Yoseph’s life.  He would be sold into slavery by his eleven brothers to become the Pharaoh’s right hand man in charge of the grain storage during the famine years in the Mesopotamia area.  Yoseph’s dream also indicates that the sun, moon, and stars are very relevant to the Tribes of Yisrael.

            The appearance of the eleven stars show us that the word “star” is a Remez.  It reveals that the star missing would be Yoseph; he would be missing from among his brothers, the other eleven stars, and become lost in the darkness of the world in Mitzraim (Egypt).  But in the Sod level, the dream indicates much more.  The Sod level reveals to us a series of prophetic events that would become the destiny of the House of Yoseph,  his two sons, Manassah and Ephraim and their tribes, which would have a similarity to Yoseph’s life.

            In the writings of the Prophets, Yahweh refers to Yoseph’s people as the Tribe of Yoseph or the House of Yoseph or by the individual tribal names of Manassah and Ephraim.  To fully understand the enormity of this revelation, the student should review the history of the Nation of Yisrael, in particular 1 Melakim (Kings) 11 & 12.

            During Yisrael’s history, the nation divided into two kingdoms.  The Tribe of Manassah and the Tribe of Ephraim, the two brother tribes, closely aligned themselves together and populated a vast area in the Northern Kingdom of Yisrael.  When the time of Yahweh’s judgment came upon the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom for their sin of idolatry by mixing His Torah with golden calf worship, the ten Northern tribes were exiled out into gentile or heathen lands for punishment.  As they began their exile, the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom assimilated into the Tribes of Manassah and Ephraim.  Once banished from Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel),  the people of the House of Yoseph would be missing for a time in their history.  They would eventually be scattered among the nations of the world in complete darkness or ignorance of Yahweh’s Torah.  Thus, as the one star in Yoseph’s dream was missing pointing to his missing years in Egypt from the other brothers, so would his House be missing one day in the world of darkness or spiritual Mitzraim (Egypt) until the time of Yahweh’s judgment was fulfilled.  There upon, Yahweh’s forgiveness and salvation would be offered through Yahshua’s atonement for their sins, and His merciful deliverance from spiritual darkness would be obtained through their return to Torah obedience.

THE  NEW  MOON  CONNECTION

            It was pointed out previously that the moon is the lesser light in the heavens.  On the P’shat level, we know that the moon is a globe that reflects the sunlight throughout the night for the earth to have light during the darkness.  In the New Moon and its monthly renewals, we can see the Remez or hint that the moon holds the “light” or the reflection, the instructions of Torah, and thus, Torah rules over the darkness of night.  
This is a very important, and an amazing revelation, and a wonderful comfort to one’s heart to know that the “light” of Yahweh, Torah, rules and reigns over the day and night for His people Yisrael.  The reflection of Torah, the instructions, even to this day rule and reign over the evil and destruction that takes place during the night; we should not be afraid.  Should one go out into the darkness of night and take the time to look up into the heavens, the Truth of this Remez will be very apparent.

            The sun and moon and stars have been given to the earth for light and also for determining Yahweh’s calendar that He has set forth in His Torah.  The student must understand that Yahweh’s calendar is given only unto the twelve tribes of Yisrael, not to the world of darkness.  

            At this point in the study, the student should be receiving a greater understanding through the Ruach haKodesh that the earth was really recreated or renewed by Yahweh specifically to place a generational line of people on the earth that would eventually bring forth the Lion of the Tribe of Yahudah (Judah), Yahshua HaMashiach, the Messiah of Yisrael.  It is then correct to understand that Yahweh expressly created Torah (Yahshua) on the First Day for this present age of the earth.  Yahweh then set the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens expressly for the earth to have light and for the Twelve Tribes of Yisrael to have a calendar reckoning system so that they might uphold and implement Torah in their lives here on earth.  He set the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens to tell the Yisraelites when to plant, grow, and harvest crops for their sustenance; to mate and breed animals; to have directional and navigational help; to know when to rest on His seventh day, the Shabbat (Sabbath); to celebrate the Feast Days or His festivals called moedim.  All of these wonderful things were done for His children Yisrael.  Yahweh did not recreate the earth, place the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens for the heathen people that would emerge upon the earth, those who would worship the created things rather than the Creator; they would only benefit from His benevolence to Yisrael.  This is why Yahweh warned the Yisraelites in Debarim (Deuteronomy) 4:15-19 not to  worship and make idols (false gods, false deities) of the sun, moon, and stars.

            Yahweh’s purpose in creating the sun, moon, and stars is found in Debarim (Deuteronomy) 16:1.  They were created for the children of Yisrael to observe the yearly New Moon and its monthly renewals to know when the first month of Yahweh’s new year would begin, commonly known as the month of Abib/Aviv.  With the appearance of the New Moon in the month of Abib/Aviv, Yisrael could then plan to celebrate Yahweh’s spring moedim (festivals) at their correct time, and the fall moedim in their correct sequence.  Yahweh’s moedim are a yearly cycle or a sequence of Remez and Sod revelations of the Birth, Death, Resurrection, and Return of Yahshua HaMashiach.  Just as the star constellations in the sky reveal the Good News (Gospel) to Yisrael and the world, the moedim of Yahweh reveal and remind the children of Yisrael throughout all their generations of the intervention of Yahshua HaMashiach into their personal and national lives.  So, “to guard or observe the month Abib/Aviv” is to begin Yahweh’s new year and the cycle of His moedim throughout the year.

            After the moon’s yearly cycle is completed, the New Moon appears in the spring month of Abib/Aviv.  Each month thereafter, the moon renews itself.  The renewal of the moon each month appears as a maiden moon or crescent moon in the western sky.  Typically, the moon renews itself every 29-30 days.  By the appearance of each renewal of the moon, 11, 12 or 13 renewals on some years, Yisrael’s calendar is calculated for each succeeding year.  For each renewed moon there is a renewed month for the year, and a reckoning of the weekly Shabbat, and the moedim that would be observed in that particular month.

            In ancient times, the New Moon was sighted by several appointed Levites, later rabbis, stationed in different areas of Yisrael.  When an observer spotted the New Moon or crescent, a shofar (ram’s horn) was blown from each observation spot.  The observers then returned to Yerusalem (Jerusalem) to confirm the sightings and declare the New Moon or its renewal.  1 Shemuel (Samuel) 20:5 tells us that a special meal was prepared in celebration of the New Moon.  Tehillim (Psalms) 81:3-4 states that we are to blow the shofar at the time of the New Moon, and at the Full Moon on the moed or festival day which would be Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) in the fall months because Sukkot always falls on the Full Moon on the fifteenth day of that month.

            The New Moon and its monthly renewal is a covenant of Yahweh with His people Yisrael.  Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 31:35-36 states, “Thus said Yahweh, who gives the sun for light by day, and the laws of the moon and the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea, and its waves roar - Yahweh of hosts is His Name:  ‘If these laws vanish from before me,’ declares Yahweh, ‘then the seed of Yisreal shall cease from being a nation from before Me forever.”  Stated in these verses is the Remez connection between the First Day of Torah, the Tribes of Yisrael, and the New Moon.  The laws of the moon and stars is a Remez that hints to the instructions of Torah for the Tribes of Yisrael, and if  the laws of the moon and stars vanish or the instructions of Torah vanish then the Tribes of Yisrael shall cease from being a nation before Yahweh.  The moon and stars are still there, so the Remez tells us that the Tribes or children of Yisrael still exist today and continue to remain as a nation before Yahweh.  The Sod level reveals that this remaining nation of Yisraelites is the “hidden” or the “mystery of the ekklesia” in Ephesians 5:32, the Redeemed Commonwealth of Yisrael comprised of all those Yisraelites “saved” from the world and returned back to Yahweh through the Blood of Yahshua.

            Another interesting Remez for the student to find in the above verses of Yirmeyahu is that the laws of the moon bring forth the New Moon to be Yahweh’s annual declaration of His love for the “zera” (seed or descendants) of Yisrael, and the monthly renewals of the moon are monthly reminders of His love for them throughout the year.  To really digest the rich and full meaning in this Remez, the student should realize that the word laws pertain to the instructions of Torah that shall never cease.  Yahshua confirmed this when He declared in Mattithyahu (Matthew) 5:17-18 that He did not come to destroy or put an end to Torah or the Prophets but He came to perfect them.  He also stated that not one jot or tittle shall pass away or be deleted from Torah.

            The Sod level expounds on Yahweh’s love for His children called Yisrael.  In the Sod level, the student should begin to see that the New Moon is an annual reminder from Yahweh to Yisrael that He possesses the marriage “ketubah” or marriage contract the ancient Yisraelites signed in the Ruach haKodesh with Yahweh at the foot of Mt. Sinai in the wilderness.  In Exodus 19:8, the ancient people of Yisrael promised to be faithful to Yahweh as a bride promised to her bridegroom, and to be obedient to His instructions.
The moon therefore, has been a reminder down through all the generations of the people of Yisrael that Yahweh holds the “ketubah,” and will reinstate the provisions of it when His People return to Him from their wandering in the heathen nations.  We can then see that the moon is a reminder to the children of Yisrael even today that Yahweh loves us, forgives us, yearns for us, and our “ketubah” with Him is signed with the Blood of Yahshua.  With this intense Remez hint, one can understand why the moon and its silvery light has always been associated with love and romance.

            The New Moon is so important that in Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:22-23, Yahweh tells us that it will remain year to year, just like the Shabbat will remain week to week.  This is a great and comforting Remez because it is linked to Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 31:35-36 meaning that His people called Yisrael will also remain year to year, Shabbat to Shabbat; the children of Yisrael, the zera (seed or descendants) will always remain.

            Therefore, the student can now understand that Yahweh has a very special purpose for the New Moon in the lives of the children of Yisrael.  The New Moon is so special that it will be observed in the forthcoming Messianic Kingdom Age when the Torah which was lovingly created the First Day, which is Yahshua HaMashiach, will reign and rule over the earth as Sar Shalom, Prince of Peace.  Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:23; Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 45:17 & 46:1-3 all speak of the New Moons remaining during the Return of Yahshua.  Furthermore, 2 Dibre HaYamim (2 Chronicles) 2:4 brings to reality that the New Moons are for Yisrael forever. 

            The rebbe now asks the student, “Has the earth been recreated or renewed, and the sun, moon, and stars created, and Torah brought forth from the Bosom of the Father for anyone else but Yisrael?”  The student would be wise to ponder, search diligently, and continue to study Torah to find further applications of the Pardes, the four levels of Torah interpretation, to expand on the study presented.                         

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