Behaalotkha
an excerpt from CG Workbook Five Vol IV: "The Shadows Know"
The Sole Man
Interwoven with the instructions concerning the moedim (feasts) is a repeated use of the noun "atonement" or the verb "atone." Yom HaKippurim is a Day of Coverings, translated as the Day of Atonement. The fall feasts share a theme of coverings, such as Yom Teruah (clouds), Yom HaKippurim (clouds of incense, blood, oil, changes of clothes), and Sukkot (sukkah). For that matter, both seasons of the moedim have some hint to the coverings, such as the covering of the blood on the doorpost at Pesach. Since the moedim are fueled by one Holy Spirit, they are not disparate, but one.
Repeatedly in the Torah portions it is the nefesh (soul) that is singled out as in need of atonement and redemption. In previous volumes, you learned in more detail that the nefesh and body are the firstborn of a man, while the ruach (spirit) is the second-born. The symbol of the ruach is the head (authority), while the symbol of the nefesh is the heel, which means something which comes after. The heel/nefesh represents our appetites, emotions, desires, and intellect.
When the nefesh of appetite, emotion, desire, and intellect rule the man, then that which was designed to be underneath and behind him is put at the forefront of his decisions. He is a soul man. How hard would it be for a human being to have eyes in his feet? The heel is no place from which to view the world, yet how many times does emotion decide our paths?
For this reason, the nefesh needs to be redeemed and subjected to the regenerated ruach of a man under the authority of the Ruach HaKodesh. A human's ruach naturally reaches to the Ruach above, but it can be held captive to the whims and appetites of the nefesh. Redeem the nefesh, and the ruach is free to follow the leading of the Ruach HaKodesh, and the nefesh will fall into step with His will and be covered by the Ruach HaKodesh. The nefesh needs a covering; it needs an authority.
This shadow covering of the nefesh is pictured in a number of ways in Scripture: the redemption of the firstborn of man and beast, the atonement for the nafshim of Israel at Yom HaKippurim, and even the question of those who missed the Pesach hints to the need for atonement, for they state that they were "tamei for a nefesh." They are granted the opportunity to eat the Unleavened Bread and bitter herbs to remember the deliverance of the firstborn. The redemption of the nefesh, padah, implies a ransom for a captive. It takes someone or something stronger than the captive (and very strong) nefesh to redeem it:
For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn. Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare in the coastlands afar off, and say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.' For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. (Jeremiah 31:6-16)
The moedim offer a shadow of the reality of the redemption of the nefesh, which is held captive by its own heel, the hardened skin of sin. Just adjacent to the tough skin of the heel, however, is the soft, sensitive skin of the sole. The sole is even ticklish, like the ribs. No wonder women are so sensitive...we came out of Adam's side!
Atonement (caphar), which is the authoritative covering of redemption for a captive nefesh, carries a little secret in its Hebrew root.
Strongs #3709: Noun Feminine; from #3721
כָּפַף
Meaning: 1) hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow of the hand
1b) power
1c) sole (of the foot)
1d) hollow, objects, bending objects, bent objects
1d1) of thigh-joint
1d2) pan, vessel (as hollow)
1d3) hollow (of sling)
1d4) hand-shaped branches or fronds (of palm trees)
Carefully read the meanings of
caphar
, and a related theme emerges.
A human is a vessel for the Torah, a little lamp full of commandments.
They are "bent" in that they bend to the will of the spiritual Head, which is Yeshua in the Father.
When they walk in the covering authority of the Ruach, then they have power, and in the heart of the Torah, Vayikra (Leviticus), it is the palm of the Kohen's hand that is the vessel for the anointing, cleansing oil:
Leviticus 14:15-18, 26-29.
Ironically, the caph, or palm of the hand, is related to the hand-shaped branches of palm trees with which Israel celebrates the covering feast of Sukkot.
In English, the palm branch is mentioned in Leviticus 23:40.
The word kippah, which is the headcover of a Jewish male, is also derived from the same root for its cup-like appearance. The Levites "lean their hands" upon the heads of the bulls to atone (l'capher) prior to their elevation ceremony. This would have cupped the vessels of their hands (caph) upon the head of the beast representing their sin and elevation from sin (8:12-13). By designating the head, HaShem has them demonstrate submission of the nefesh to His Heavenly authority, which is how human beings are elevated and restored in the Kingdom.
Leviticus 14, which offers so many uses of the caph as the palm, details the cleansing of the leper who has been separated from the Camp of Israel and relegated to the outer edges of fellowship. The log of oil from which the Kohen fills his palm is presented specifically as a wave offering (14:12) with a male lamb, the cost of redemption for the firstborn. The ritual of cleansing consecrates the former leper anew in the House of the Father. Likewise, in Behaalotkha, Aaron offers the Levites as a wave-offering (8:11, 14, 21) of redemption for the firstborn of all of the Children of Israel (8:16-19). Aaron must have been quite strong for his age...and sensitive, too!
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