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Service Times
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Weekly Drash - Beshalach
Compliments of First Fruits of Zion Parashat HashavuahBeshalach - בשלח : “When he sent” A MemorialThought for the Week:Chassidic discourse teaches that the Spirit of Messiah is more exalted than that of Moses. Whereas Moses is depicted being drawn out from the water and dividing the sea, walking through the water, Messiah is depicted above the water. In the beginning of Genesis it says, “and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.” The Sages teach, “This is the Spirit of Messiah.” In the gospels, Messiah walks over the surface of the water. Commentary:
In the traditional Jewish telling of the crossing of the Red Sea, Nachshon ben Amminadab, the prince over the tribe of Judah, plays an important role. Who is Nachshon? His name is mentioned six times in the
Torah. To believers his name is familiar from the genealogies of the Master in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Nachshon was one of the ancestors of Yeshua. The Torah refers to him as the prince over the tribe of Judah. The story of Nachshon can teach us about Messiah. The Torah calls Nachshon the prince (nasi) over the tribe of Judah. The word “Prince” (nasi) is twice translated in the Greek (LXX) version of the Bible with the Greek word archegos: forerunner, leader, trailblazer, captain, pioneer, prince, head. In the Talmud’s story, Nachshon was a trailblazer who led the way into the sea. He ushered Israel to safety by taking the proverbial leap of faith. He was the archegos of the people. Archegos is a word used by the Apostles to describe Yeshua. Peter refers to Yeshua as the “archegos of life” (Acts 3:15) and “the one whom God exalted to His right hand as an archegos and a Savior.” (Acts 5:31) The writer of the book of Hebrews refers to Messiah as the “archegos of their salvation through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10) and the “archegos and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) He is the archegos of life in that He was the first to pass from death to life. In that sense, the Red Sea can be likened unto the grave. Just as Nachshon led Israel through the sea to safety on the other side, Messiah leads the way through the grave to safety on the other side through His resurrection. Like Nachshon struggling beneath the waves, He preceded us as the archegos of salvation. And just as Nachshon demonstrated saving faith for all Israel by taking that first leap of faith, Messiah is the archegos and perfecter of our faith.
Shavuah Tov! Have a Good Week!
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