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Annual Reading Schedule - Torah Given Through Mosheh - Week 35 - One Law, Importance of Sabbath, Tsiytsit, Fire Holders, & Plague (Numbers 14:38-16:50)

Reading Questions

  1. Who are the only ones over the age of 20 when they spied out the land of Yisra'el (Israel) who were permitted to enter the land?
  2. What laws are strangers supposed to follow?
  3. Is it a sin to not do all the commands that Yahweh spoke to Mosheh (Moses)?
  4. Is there a difference between sinning by mistake and sinning defiantly?
  5. What is the penalty for breaking the Sabbath?
  6. What does this show us about the Sabbath?
  7. What are we commanded to wear on our garments, why are we commanded to wear this, and what can we learn from this?
  8. What did Mosheh (Moses) first do when he and Aharon (Aaron) were being accused and what can we learn from this?
  9. They assembled against Mosheh (Moses) and Aharon (Aaron), but who did Mosheh say they had set against and what can we learn from this?
  10. Why are the fire holders of the 250 men Set-Apart?
  11. Who are the only ones permitted to offer incense before Yahweh?
  12. What was the response of Mosheh (Moses) and Aharon (Aaron) when Yahweh told them to separate from the congregation that He would consume them and what can we learn from this?

Reading Notes

  • Numbers 15:30-31 sounds somewhat similar to Hebrews 10:26-31.
  • The word "gather" in Numbers 15:32-33 is coming from a Hebrew word qosheish (קֹשֵׁשׁ) (Strong's # H7197) which is the same word used in Exodus 5:7 and Exodus 5:12 when the children of Yisra'el had to "gather" stubble for straw. This gives me the impression that possibly this is considered work because it may involve searching out to collect things you don't yet have. In the camp at the Feast of The Tree Huts (Tabernacles) this becomes a real-life situation where people need to understand practically what you can and can't do for wood, etc. because real fires are used at the feast. This is when me and a brother discussed this and I researched it further to discover it was the same word as in Exodus 5. It seems that if the wood were already in a pile and somewhat close to the fire, it is not gathering to grab a little wood and throw it in a fire that had already been started before Shabbat. It does not seem it is merely the act of carrying the wood a few feet, but possibly the fact that the wood was not yet gathered and the real work would be if I have to go and search for the sticks or wood to start with. That is not an enjoyable task and definitely a distraction from a Shabbat day whereas just taking a little wood from an already "gathered" pile to an already lit fire nearby is a lot less work. However, I am no Hebrew scholar or expert, so search this matter out for yourself and pray for guidance. Never do something that violates your conscience, and never break Shabbat. These are just my thoughts after studying it out a little.
  • It is interesting that as we "look" at the Tzitziyot, we are supposed to remember the commands to not search after our own heart and our own eyes. Instead of searching after our own eyes (i.e. what we desire to see happen), we can think about what Yahweh desires to see done (i.e. focus more on being obedient to His commands rather than what we want – let His desire be our focus).
  • Numbers 16:26 shows where Mosheh told them to get away from the tents of the men who had done wrong and not touch their belongings even, so that they do not share or be consumed in their sins. This reminds me of verses such as 1 Timothy 5:22, 2 John 1:10-11, and Revelation 18:4. We do not want to be partakers of things with people doing evil and be consumed or destroyed along with them.
  • The only verse in Hebrew where Tsiytsit is mentioned besides Numbers 15:38-39 is Ezekiel 8:3. The word "lock" in Ezekiel 8:3 when referring to a lock of his hair, is actually Tsiytsit. This shows that, perhaps, the best translation for Tsiytsit may be "lock" instead of tassel, but that is debatable. So, perhaps, we are to make a "lock" on the wings of our garments, and Deuteronomy 22:12 would be specifying that it would be a braided lock.

Related Verses

Jealous of Mosheh & Aharon: Psalms 106:16-18
Tassels/Tsiytsit/Fringes/Lock: Deuteronomy 22:12, Ezekiel 8:3, Matthew 9:20, Matthew 23:5, Luke 8:44
Wings: Exodus 19:4, Ruth 2:12, 3:9, Psalms 57:1