2. Beha'alotcha - בהעלותך : "When you set up"
Torah: Numbers 8:1 - 12:16 Haftarah: Zec 2:14-4:7 (KJV 2:10-4:7)
Brit Chadesha: 1 Co 10:6-13, He 7:15-28, Ja 1:17, Col 1:15-23, Rev 11:1-19
Psalms: Psalm 36, 90, 132
Gospels: Luke 7, 8, 9 2

3. Fun Facts about Beha'alotcha.
Fun Facts about Beha'alotcha
36th of 54 portions
3rd of 10 in B’midbar
Written on 240 lines in a Torah
12th in length, 3rd in B’midbar
Beha’alotcha contains 5 of the 613 mitzvot; 3 positive and 2 prohibitions
We see that the #7 is used quite frequently in the passages that I’ll be reading. So let’s look at the #7.
We will follow Bullinger’s pattern instead of man's use of the number. Our only concern in this work is with God's use of them and we will find both design and significance.
The first natural division of time is stamped by the Number seven:
On the seventh day God rested from His work of Creation.
When God ordained His ritual work of Redemption, seven is again stamped upon it in all its times and seasons.
The seventh day was the holy day
the seventh month (Tishrei) was specially hallowed by its number of sacred festivals (Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur and Succoth)
the seventh year was the Sabbatical year of rest for the land, the Sh’meet-ah year
while 7 x 7 years marked the year of Jubilee, the Jovel (Lev 25:4,8).
(continued on next slide)

4. Fun Facts about Beha'alotcha.
Fun Facts about Beha'alotcha
36th of 54 portions
3rd of 10 in B’midbar
Written on 240 lines in a Torah
12th in length, 3rd in B’midbar
Beha’alotcha contains 5 of the 613 mitzvot; 3 positive and 2 prohibitions
(continued from previous)
The various periods of gestation also are commonly a multiple of seven, either of days or weeks:
With ANIMALS the period of gestation of—
The mouse is 21 (3x7) days
The hare and rat, 28 (4x7) days
The cat, 56 (8x7) days
The dog, 63 (9x7) days
The lion, 98 (14x7) days
The sheep, 147 (21x7) days
With BIRDS, the gestation of—
The common hen is 21 (3x7) days
The duck, 42 (6x7) days
With the Human species it is 280 days (or 40x7)
(continued on next slide)

5. Fun Facts about Beha'alotcha.
Fun Facts about Beha'alotcha
36th of 54 portions
3rd of 10 in B’midbar
Written on 240 lines in a Torah
12th in length, 3rd in B’midbar
Beha’alotcha contains 5 of the 613 mitzvot; 3 positive and 2 prohibitions
(continued from previous)
It’s been said that man's pulse beats on the seven-day principle:
for six days out of the seven, it beats faster in the morning than in the evening,
while on the seventh day it beats slower.
Thus the number seven is stamped upon us physically. Man is to rest one day in seven. He cannot violate this law with impunity, for it is interwoven with his very being.
Man may say "I will rest when I please,"—but it is like all man's attempts to improve on God's way.
God has integrated all of his creation into a rule of sevens:
There are seven musical notes: Doe, Ray, Me, Fa, So, La, Ti and then the “octave cycle” ends and begins with the next Doe.
Also, there are seven colors answering to the seven musical sounds
sounds which harmonize, correspond with colors that harmonize.
While discords in color correspond with discords in music.

6. How is the Haftarah like Beha'alotcha?.
How is the Haftarah like Beha'alotcha?
Zec 4:1-2, “And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, 2And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:”
This haftorah contains a vision of the golden Temple Menorah, whose daily kindling is discussed in the opening of this week's Torah reading. This vision (or prophecy) takes place after the 70 year Babylonian captivity has ended and already a wave of people have returned.
It was told by Zechariah shortly before the building of the Second Temple while Zerubbabel is the governor of Judah (Haggai 1:1, he was the grandson of Jehoiachin) and Joshua, son of Jehozadok, is the high priest.
The prophet describes a scene in the Heavenly Court:
Satan seeks to accuse Joshua, the High Priest of the "soiled garments" he was wearing. (Soiled garments are symbolic of sins).
YHVH himself defends the High Priest: "And the Lord said to Satan: The Lord shall rebuke you, O Satan; the Lord who chose Jerusalem shall rebuke you. Is [Joshua] not a brand plucked from fire? (Meaning “how dare Satan prosecute an individual who endured the hardships of exile?”)
And He raised His voice and said to those standing before him, saying, 'Take the filthy garments off him.' And He said to him, 'See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I have clad you with clean garments." (continued on next slide)

7. How is the Haftarah like Beha'alotcha?.
How is the Haftarah like Beha'alotcha?
Zec 4:1-2, “And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, 2And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:”
(continued from previous)
YHVH then proceeds to outline the rewards awaiting Joshua if he and his descendents follow YHVH's ways.
The ultimate reward is, "Behold! I will bring My servant, the Shoot, " an allusion to Messiah Yeshua, the Shoot of David.
Zechariah then describes a vision of a golden seven-branched Menorah.
An angel interprets the meaning of this vision: "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel [descendent of King David], 'Not by military force and not by physical strength, but by My spirit,' says the Lord of Hosts." Meaning that Zerubbabel's descendent, Messiah Yeshua, will have no difficulty in choosing his task, it will be as simple for him as lighting a menorah.

8. How does this portion begin?.
How does this portion begin?
Numbers 8:1-3, “1And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2Speak unto Aaron and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 3And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Sometimes life gets a little out of balance. A person might become obsessed with work and neglect his family; there’s shopping and paying bills, cleaning and yardwork. There are so many ways that each one of us can get distracted and consumed by legitimate things we are involved in.
Things can get out of balance in our spiritual lives as well:
a person can become so involved in servicing the needs of the people, but fails to study the Word,
yet a person can become so obsessed with studying Torah that he forgets to do Torah.
Another person places all of his emphasis on praise and worship, but fails to consider the rest of creation.
Another becomes so involved with the details of ritual observance that they forget the most important thing is to love one another.
Staying balanced is difficult. The menorah is a good illustration of living in balance. 3 lower cups on the left and 3 lower cups on the right of the elevated, center servant cup (or candle) —perfect symmetry. Yeshua is the center servant candle and when He is the center of our attention, the rest of life will fall naturally into balance. 8

9. Why were the Levites omitted from the census last week?.
Why were the Levites omitted from the census last week?
Nu 8:13-14, “And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD. 14Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.”
At the beginning of the book of Numbers, Moshe and Aharon counted the Levites and set them aside for service in the Tabernacle. The Levites were substitutes for the firstborn sons of the Israelites.
The needed to be initiated in the Tabernacle service in much the same way that Aharon and his sons had been initiated into the priesthood back in Leviticus 8 & 9. Numbers 8 describes the inauguration.
The purification rituals made the Levites ritually fit to enter the Tabernacle. The Levites were to serve as surrogates for their firstborn sons and to represent all Israel in the service of the sanctuary. This made the Levites like a type of sacrifice—a wave offering—and during the process of offering something to YHVH, the people must lay their hands on the offering in order to invest one’s own identity upon that offering as stated in this verse:
Nu 8:20, “And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.”
Things that are waved before the LORD are retained by the priests for sanctified usefulness only and thus it was for the Levites.

10. Why do we get a second Passover?.
Why do we get a second Passover?
Nu 9:10-11, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the LORD. 11The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.”
When it came time to keep the first anniversary of Passover after leaving Egypt, the children of Israel prepared to bring lambs to the Tabernacle for Passover sacrifices. However, when the festival came, many were not able to eat or partake of the offerings they intended to make at the Tent of Meeting because they had become ritually unfit.
Let’s say there had been a death in the family, then preparing the person for burial rendered those who came in contact with death ritually unfit. It took seven days to go through a ritual cleansing, so some would not be able to partake—and miss out on the remembrance and reenactment of the redemptive process. The Passover is not a sin offering, it is a peace offering (sin offerings are not eaten by the one who makes the offering).
After the Passover in Egypt, they reenacted their deliverance from slavery as a remembrance and an opportunity to teach our children about their redeeming LORD.
God gives a second chance to someone who misses Passover, but not for any of the other feasts. Why? While we no longer take sacrifices to a physical Temple, it is a reminder that our God is one of second chances. He is a God who yearns for our salvation and a relationship with His people. How can we resist Him?

11. . ?
This may very well be the way the LORD saw the children of Israel as they camped…
The paleo-Hebrew letter Tav is made by two intersecting lines; In Hebrew, the letter is spelled with a tav, which means covenant; and a vav, which means a nail.
Nails secure things—they hold things permanently in place.
Tav literally means a secured covenant and the symbol of redemption.
Perhaps the LORD was continuously reminded of his plan for redemption of the world as He watched over the camp through 40 years of complaining that He, Moses and Aharon endured.
A couple of week’s ago, B’midbar gave us the map for setting up the camp, this week we get a picture of breaking camp and the marching order for the tribes:
Nu 10:33, “And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them.”
(continued on next)

12. . ?
This may very well be the way the LORD saw the children of Israel as they camped…
(continued from previous)
Judah (186,400) would pitch camp on the East, and would go FIRST in breaking camp. With him would be the tribes of Issachar (54,400) and Zevulun (57,400)
The Levites Gershon and Merari would go out next with the Tabernacle components.
Reuben (46,500) would pitch camp on the South, with Simeon (59,300) and Gad (45,650). This camp (151,450) would go in the second rank
Then the Kohathites set out with the sanctuary.
Ephraim (40,500) would pitch on the West, with Manasseh (32,200) and Benjamin (35,400). This camp (108,100) would go in the third rank. Dan (62,700) would pitch on the North, with Asher (41,500) and Naphtali (53,400). This camp numbered 157,600, bringing the total of the four camps to 603,550.
The Levites, which included Moshe and Aharon’s families, would be located in the center (middle) of the four camps, encompassing the Tabernacle.

13. What might the standards or flags look like?.
What might the standards or flags look like?
Judah
“Lion” on
Sky blue
Reuben
“Mandrakes”
on Red
Ephraim
“Ox” on
Black
Dan
“Snake” on
Sapphire
Issachar
“Sun and stars” on
Azure
Simeon
“Gates of Shechem”
on Green
Benjamin
“Wolf” on
Multicolored stripes
Asher
“Olive tree, corn or fruit”
Lt olive green
Zevulun
“Ships and nav tools”
on Silver
Gad
“Tents and troops” on
Gray Moire
Mannasha
“Horn of a wild ox”
on Black
Naphtali
“Running stag” on
Amethyst
Nu 10:14, “In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies...”
Nu 10:18, “And the standard of the camp of Reuben…”
Nu 10:22, “And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim…”
Nu 10:25, “And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan…”
(You might want to go over the symbols and colors of the flags that coincide with Jacobs visionary blessing of his children.)
Incidentally, Joseph’s standard was black with pyramids on it.
Levi’s standard had 1/3 white, 1/3 red, 1/3 green with an ephod on it.
(Wouldn’t it be nice to have our own set of tribal flags?)

14. Nostalgia for the Familiar: The 2nd incident of complaining happens when a nostalgia for the food of Egypt sweeps over the camp. “We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.” (Num 11:5-6).
Even without the rabbi’s descriptive embellishments, here is a food provided directly from heaven. Manna was the perfect food. Yet after a year of a steady manna diet, the Israelites had begun to long for the foods they once knew. There was nothing wrong with the manna except that it wasn’t fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks onion and garlic that they remembered seeing in Egypt. We have to wonder: how much of the food they remembered was actually found on a slaves table?
The book of Numbers contains several stories of Israel’s discontent in the wilderness. In each story, the Israelites complain about something and YHVH punishes them for complaining. The lesson is simple: God doesn’t like complaining. Paul said in 1Co 10:10-11, “Neither complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”
The generation in the wilderness were not any worse at complaining than other congregations of believer’s. Every group is vexed by the endless grumbling of a portion of its people!!
(continued on next) 14

15. (continued from previous)
Believers enter the Torah movement from a variety of denominational and religious backgrounds. Typically, when they do, they commit to a life of Torah which they pursue with a zeal. Old ways are tossed aside. Old styles of worship and theology are discarded in favor of a generous portion of truth which descends daily like manna from the study of Torah. Everything changes. Your calendar, your holidays, your day of worship, your friends, your rhythm of life, the places you go, your style of worship, the entertainment you watch-everything is different---even the food you eat.
It is normal, at a certain point, to long for some of the old things you have left behind. Believers in the Torah movement often feel bewildered by the strangeness of the new world they have entered. They reflect back on the simpler days when a Sunday morning worship service was they full extent of their expression of faith. They long for the simplicity they once they once knew. Nothing seems to please us more than complaining about what we don’t like and the little things that do not meet our approval. We are malcontents, who might even demand more than we are willing to give, just like the children of Israel (continued on next) 15

16. Every day of our lives is full of both good things and bad things.
(continued from previous) A person of faith is duty bound to rise above their instincts to complain and criticize and look for the best.
Every day of our lives is full of both good things and bad things.
Every human being has positive and negative characteristics.
If we concentrate on the bad things that each day contains and the negative characteristics that each person possesses,
then we will spend our entire lives in an ugly world
where everything goes wrong all the time
and everyone we know is grossly deficient.
With our critical spirits and tongues we can actually ruin our own lives.
The truth is that a critical person complains against God and that leads to blasphemy! Grumbling is a telltales sign of weak faith. If we believe that God is in control and is working ALL THINGS our for the good, then we accept things as they are and show strong faith. What is the antidote for a poisoned, malcontented spirit? Gratitude for whatever is going right! 16

17. What was so unbearable that drove Moshe to ask for death?.
What was so unbearable that drove Moshe to ask for death?
Nu 11:14, “I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. 15And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.”
If you are a parent, then you know how maddening it can be when your children are whining and complaining about all manner of trivial matters! Sometimes a spiritual leader is in a similar position, but with many more children, and apparently that is where Moshe was at.
The next time you are tempted to complain about the condition of your life, health, your experience, your family, your workplace, your congregational family, or even your rabbi—think about this Torah portion and Moshe.
The cumulative burden of:
complaining for the sake of complaining
expecting everyone else to work out a solution
never volunteering to be part of the solution
or getting your hands dirty to lighten the load or make things better
was enough to put the most humble man the earth had yet seen, over the edge. There is a difference between bringing legitimate problems forward and complaining. There is a huge difference between murmuring and reaching out for help or brain storming for solution to a problem! (Someone who can never accept advice, is murmuring.) We need the freedom to talk about real problems that can be fixed, but we also need to acknowledge that murmuring and complaining come from a totally different source.

18. What did the LORD establish for Moshe?.
What did the LORD establish for Moshe?
Nu 11:16, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.”
Moshe cried out that he was no longer able to single-handedly lead Israel. (…and we have to remember that at times there were more than 2 million people.) God agrees and allows Moses to appoint 70 elders as co-leaders. The LORD said to Moshe, “And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.” (Nu 11:17.)
Be careful what you ask for… because then the LORD declared:
Nu 11:18, “And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; 20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?”

19. Even Aharon and Miriam were not above the sin of grumbling
Even Aharon and Miriam were not above the sin of grumbling. Nu 12:1, “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.”
Apparently they had something against Moshe because of the woman he had married—people are often irritated by their siblings spouses. The complaint had something to do with Moshe’s role as leader over the assembly. Miriam and Aharon assumed that no one could hear their private grip session against their brother—but they forgot that God could hear. The Torah says, “2And the LORD heard it.” The LORD called all 3 out to the Tent of Meetings and spoke of Moshe’s uniqueness, Miriam suffers leprosy and Moses cries out for her healing. YHVH heals Miriam, but she must still leave the camp for 7 days.
What made Moses so unique? The LORD explains in Numbers 12:8, “With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
Moses heard the voice of YHVH directly and clearly, even audibly. Moses did not receive prophecy in oracles or visions (like all other prophets). He simply heard the voice of God speaking, and what he heard he passed on to Israel. 19

20. Summary Aaron is commanded to light the menorah.
Summary
Aaron is commanded to light the menorah
Tribe of Levi is initiated into service
A 2nd opportunity to keep Passover is given
“How to” journey from camps instructions
People tire of manna and complain
Quail descend until it overwhelms them
70 elders are appointed
Miriam and Aaron misstep and Moses prays for healing
Aaron is commanded to raise light in the lamps of the menorah, and the tribe of Levi is initiated into the service in the Sanctuary.
A "Second Passover" is instituted in response to the petition "Why should we be deprived?" by a group of Jews who were unable to bring the Passover offering in its appointed time because they were ritually impure. YHVH instructs Moses on the procedures for Israel's journeys and encampments in the desert, and the people journey in formation from Mount Sinai, where they had been camped for nearly a year.
The people are dissatisfied with their "bread from heaven" (the manna) and demand that Moses supply them with meat. Moses appoints 70 elders, to whom he emanates of his spirit, to assist him in the burden of governing the people. Miriam speaks negatively of Moses and is punished with leprosy; Moses prays for her healing and the entire community waits seven days for her recovery. 20