Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Use your imagination with me for a moment. You're in a dark hallway with large, imposing metal doors in front of you. With a loud, metallic creak, the doors swing outward, and the sunlight pours over you. It bathes your skin in its warmth for the first time in years. And as you take your first steps outside, you can feel something sweeping across you from head to toe, making your hair dance across your skin. It's so refreshing. You could stand there for hours and let its waves roll over you. What was it called? Oh, yes. Wind.
What's going on? You've just been released after several intense years of being in the worst possible conditions imaginable, you've been released to begin a new life and start all over. But just then, you realize that your hands are full. Somewhere in the recesses of your mind, you hear a voice explaining why these things are important. Somehow, you know they are the keys to maintaining your freedom. You look down and see that you're holding a small book, a jar of something that smells like it could take paint off of a car, and a cracker.
Really? This is freedom? Let's figure out what all this means in this week. Five minute tour.
This week we're studying the portion of Bishalach Exodus 1317 through 1716, and here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one, crossing the sea and Sharat Tayyam. When Pharaoh finally released the children of Israel, God led them around the land of the Philistines so that they wouldn't immediately be afraid and turn back. However, they did quickly find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Well, maybe more like a rock and a wet place. Fickle Pharaoh and his army were in hot pursuit and had the children of Israel backed up against the Yom suf, the sea of Reeds, with seemingly no escape. As we know, God intervenes and saves the day. Moses holds out his staff over the waters, and they part. And the children of Israel cross through the Yomsuf on dry land. Once they reach the other side, Moses leads them in a song to declare what the Lord has done for them. It's called sharatayam, or the song of the sea. Its 18 verses are recited every day during the morning prayers. Number two, Moses miracles and Midrash Paul's validation of jewish lore. We have something in this week's Torah portion that I would call wet miracles. What do I mean by wet miracles? Well, in this week's Torah portion, we have three different miracles that involve water. First, we have the splitting of the Sea of reeds. Next, we have Moses turning the bitter waters into drinkable sweet water by throwing a tree into it. Last, Moses strikes the rock and enough water flows from it to quench the thirst of an entire nation for years. In fact, the midrash claims that that same rock followed the Israelites around in the desert, providing water for them until they reached Maraba on the border of the promised land. Does that seem far fetched? Listen to what Paul told the congregation in Corinth. Our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Messiah. One corinthians ten, one through four. And number three, manna from heaven and the Sabbath test. The miracle of Manna appeared when the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. We read the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the people of Israel said to them, would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full. For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Exodus 16, verses two and three. God heard the grumbling and told Moses that he would send the manna as a test. Quote behold, I'm about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them whether they will walk in my Torah or not. Exodus 16 four. What was the test? To see if they would keep the Sabbath, the Lord gave them specific instructions regarding the collection, preparation and cooking of the manna during the first six days of the week and told them to refrain from these things on the 7th day, the Sabbath. Moses told the people, tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will, bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning. Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the 7th day, which is Sabbath, there will be none. Exodus 1623 and 25 of course, some of the people didn't listen and went out to gather on the Sabbath and found none. The Lord rebuked them for their stubbornness and reminded them that they were to cease from their labors on the Sabbath and that he would be their provision.
[00:05:18] Speaker B: Have you started preparations for Passover? It may seem like a long way away, but it will be here before you realize it. Well, if you're looking for Passover resources, I've got a few things that could help. First, I've got a bundle of helpful tips and articles you can download for free to help you with your Passover preparations. You can get all of these great resources absolutely free by simply signing up for my mailing list using the link in the description box below. Just fill in your info, hit subscribe and you'll be given a link to download my Passover resource kit. No spam, no double mailings. Just enjoy the resources included in this bundle. Next, I have an original song for Passover that you and your family can learn and sing together at the Passover table. It's called the Mageed Song and it gives the basics of the Passover story with a catchy melody that you'll be humming for weeks after your seder. Just use the link below or at the end of this video to check it out. Last, you can pick up a copy of cup of Redemption, my messianic Passover Hagada, to evaluate for your seder. It has a 4.6 star rating and over 70 reviews on Amazon, so grab.
[00:06:24] Speaker A: Your copy and see if it's a.
[00:06:26] Speaker B: Fit for your family and your Passover table. The link is in the description box below.
[00:06:30] Speaker A: This week's tour commentary is called the mouth of freedom and comes from a book, five minute Torah, volume two. At the end of last week's tour portion, we experienced the incredible deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. Our reading concluded with the inauguration of the various ceremonies surrounding Passover and how these ceremonies are to assist in commemorating the exodus from Egypt. According to the beginning of chapter 13, the focal point for remembering the events of the Exodus does not seem to be as much about eating a lamb year by year as eating matzah. Unleavened bread for an entire week of the year, Moses instructs the children of Israel, seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the 7th day there shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days, no leaven bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. You shall tell your son on that day. It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt, and it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth, for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. Exodus 13 six through nine. Besides the removal of leaven, this passage has two main components. Number one, eating matzah for seven days, and number two, telling the story of the exodus. Both of these tasks are accomplished by means of the mouth. These instructions are almost immediately followed by an interesting statement. Then the Lord said to Moses, tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of P. Halt. This is Exodus 14 one and two. At first, this passage seems only to name the israelite encampment. However, Rashi lets us know that we can learn something special from this. He tells us that P Hahirot has not always been the name of that location. He says that the site was previously called Pitom, one of the cities built by the Israelites see Exodus 111, but that it is now called Pihachirot. Why is it called Pihachirot? Because of a valley, a mouth that cuts through the mountainous region on the eastern coast of Egypt. It became known as Pichachirot, or mouth of freedom. The name of this location would forever attest to their freedom. God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt to the mouth of freedom. However, they were not intended to remain there. Things began to heat up at this location. Here at the mouth of freedom. They were trapped between the approaching egyptian army and the sea. And although their present circumstances did not seem to reflect their freedom, we know that the difference between God's perspective and ours is often vastly different. Fortunately, the God of the universe knew that the great obstacle in front of them would melt away at his command. At the command of the Lord. The children of Israel walked across the sea on dry land, and the Egyptians were never able to pursue them again. Hashem brought the children of Israel to Pihachirot to begin their journey of freedom. The children of Israel memorialized that moment by naming that location the mouth of freedom. It was a proclamation that they would never be slaves again. That proclamation is retold every year after the sun has set and the first day of unleavened bread has begun. Every year at the Passover Seder, the mouth of freedom metaphorically moves from the eastern coast of Egypt to our dinner tables. During the Passover meal, we sit together and use our mouths to declare our freedom through what we eat and what we say. We eat matzah and bitter herbs. We bless God for our food. We thank God for our freedom. We recount the story of our freedom to our children. You have been brought to the mouth of freedom and have been given a mouth of freedom. Your children need to know how God redeemed you. Your neighbors need to know the miracles he performed on your behalf. Your coworkers need to know how he has transformed your life. To refuse to proclaim that freedom is to deny that freedom and to remain in bondage. Mark your starting point. Bless God, feed your soul and tell your story well. What will your Passover look like this year? Will eating the matzah and bitter herbs just be something you do as part of the event, or will it take on new meaning? Will reading from the Haggadah be an endurance test, or will it become more personal this year? What are some ways we can make our Passover Seder more meaningful? And what can we do to bring our family and guests to the mouth of freedom and help them experience their own redemption story? I would love to hear your ideas. That's all for this week. Don't forget to hit the like and subscribe buttons. And feel free to hit the super thanks button or make a contribution using one of the links below to support the channel. I'll see you again soon with another messianic insight into the eternal Torah of God. Blessings from Amet Tatorah.
