Commentary, Shabbat Chol-HaMoed, Pesach

SHABBAT CHOL HAMOED PESACH - Middle Or Intermediate Days
Exodus 33:12 - 34:26, Numbers 28:19 - 28:25

This Shabbat, we deviate from the normal weekly Torah portion because this is the Shabbat that falls within the 8 day observance of Passover. The portion that is read on this Shabbat is from Exodus 33 and has to do with the repercussions of the sin of the golden calf.
Now, Passover actually consists of 3 separate festivals that are cumulatively called Pesach. The 1st two I’ve already mentioned; Passover and Unleavened Bread. There is a 3rd festival called Bikkurim or First Fruits:-
Lev 23:4-8
4 'These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed
times.
5 'On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover.
6 'And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven
days you must eat unleavened bread.
7 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.
8 'But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD for seven days. The seventh day shall be
a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.'"
10 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give
to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the
priest.
11 'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the
Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

14th Nissan – Chag HaPesach
15th Nissan - Chag HaMatzot for 7 days, and
15th Nissan - the day after the Shabbat, Chag HaBikkurim – the Festival of First Fruits.

The instruction to count the Omer - known in Hebrew as S’firat HaOmer - derives from the Torah commandment to count forty-nine days beginning from the day on which the Omer, a sacrifice containing an omer or measure of barley, was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, up until the day before an offering of wheat was brought to the Temple on Shavuot or Pentacost.

Now, remember that the 1st day of any festival (chag) is treated as a weekly Shabbat. So, is the instruction in Lev 23:11 - He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it’, poses an interesting dilemma.

Is this instruction referring to the 1st day of Pesach which is treated just like any other weekly Sabbath? Or is Lev 23:11 referring to the actual weekly Shabbat? This is important because it determines when one starts counting the Omer.

The day from which the counting of the Omer commences, differs between the Orthodox Jewish community and other Jewish communities, although generally speaking, most Jewish communities follow the rabbinic interpretation. They count the omer from the day after the festival Sabbath i.e. from the 15th of Nissan.

The idea of counting a measure or omer each day represents spiritual preparation and anticipation for the giving and receiving of Torah, which was given by God on Mount Sinai at the beginning of the month of Sivan, around the same time as the holiday of Shavuot. The Sefer HaChinuch states that the Jewish people were only freed from Egypt at Passover in order to receive the Torah at Sinai, an event which is now celebrated on Shavuot. Thus the Counting of the Omer demonstrates how much a Jew desires to accept the Torah in his own life.
Of course, as followers of Messiah, we recognize that the giving and receiving of Torah would be incomplete without the outpouring of the Ru’ach HaKodesh on the day of Shavuoth, for it is the Spirit of G-d that enables and empowers us to live a life pleasing to G-d and one that upholds Torah. As someone once said,
• Torah without the Spirit can lead to legalism
• The Spirit without Torah, can lead to an abuse of our liberty in the Messiah

In the time of the Temple, a specially appointed priest was sent out into the ripening fields of the barley harvest and with a golden sickle, he cut the first ripened sheaths of this new harvest. The priest brought this omer or measure of barley to the High Priest who then conducted a ritual of waving this representative portion of the new harvest before HaShem. The obvious principle was that if the 1st portion or first fruit was acceptable to HaShem, then His blessing would be upon the entire crop! In John 20, we have the account of Miriam approaching the tomb and discovering that Yeshua’s body was missing. She asked the ‘gardener’ if he knew where they had taken his body.

John 20:15-17
15 Yeshua said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the
gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."
16 Yeshua said to her, "Mirriam!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher).
17 Yeshua said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My
brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"

Yeshua had to first ascend before His heavenly Father as the First Fruit of the new harvest of souls and thank G-d because He is acceptable, we who come after Him, are also acceptable to the Father, in the Beloved!
1 Cor 15:20
20 But now Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

The rabbis unfortunately, in my opinion, chose the day after the festival Sabbath to begin counting the Omer. I’ve often considered whether they did so purposefully for the specific reason of avoiding any identification with Yeshua’s ascension as described in John 20. Recently, I approached the UMJC rabbis forum and the consensus of opinion was that although this might have played a role in their halachic ruling, the more likely scenario is that it was part of the rabbinic strategy to usurp authority from the priests. The rabbis wanted to usurp the authority of binding and losing that previously, was a priestly prerogative and they initiated this process by starting changing historical dates. This is not to represent the rabbis in a bad light; we cannot fully comprehend the pressures that existed in those days. I am merely providing you with the historical context.

Now, as I’ve previously mentioned, the 1st and last days are considered to be a Shabbat. These intermediary days are known as Chol Hamoed or half holidays. Here, the laws are less stringent and certain types of work are permitted. Obviously, there is a weekly Shabbat during the celebration of Pesach and when the Sabbath falls during the intermediary days, it is known as Shabbat Chol Hamoed – Pesach! And, obviously too, there will also be a Shabbat Chol HaMoed during Sukkoth, which is also celebrated for 7 days.
The morning Torah reading of Shabbos Chol Ha-moed consists of selected portions from Parshas Ki Tisa - Exodus 33:12 - 34:26, Numbers 28:19 - 28:25.

One would automatically think that the Torah reading on the Shabbat during Pesach would focus on the exodus, for this is logical. However, HaShem is never impressed with man’s logic. Instead, the Torah portion from Ki Tissa focuses on Moshe's supplication to Hashem to forgive the Jews for the sin of the Golden Calf.
On Chol Hamo’ed Pesach we read the Torah portion which deals with a discussion between Moshe and Hashem following the episode of the Golden Calf. Moshe asks that he be shown the glory of Hashem so that he will understand the workings of Hashem.
Exod 33:13-23
13 "Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You
and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people."
14 And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
15 Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.
16 "For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go
with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the
earth."
17 So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace
in My sight, and I know you by name."
18 And he said, "Please, show me Your glory."
19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD
before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion."
20 But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live."
21 And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.
22 "So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will
cover you with My hand while I pass by.
23 "Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."

There are a few points that I would like to draw your attention to:
1. Moses asks ‘show me Your way”

The Hebrew word for ‘way’ is ‘derech’, which means ‘a way or course of life’. It can also mean ‘a mode of action’. “Show me Your way that I may know You”, Moses asks. HaShem’s response “My Presence will go with You”. The Hebrew word for ‘presence’ is ‘panyim’ or ‘face’. “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live".

To me, in this whole dialogue, it appears that HaShem never directly answers Moses’ questions. He alludes to something else in a rather obtuse way rather than dealing with the specific questions. Moses asks ‘show me Your Glory’. “Glory’ is k’vod’ which implies ‘honour, splendour’. G-d responds “I’ll show you my goodness’, a Hebrew word that means ‘beauty’.

But later, in the 2nd Temple period, the veil was lifted and in Messiah, we grasp the revelation of the truth. Yeshua said
John 14:6
6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Moses asked HaShem ‘show me Your way’. Yeshua answered “I am the Way’. Moses asked ‘show me Your glory’. Yeshua answered
John 14:9-18
9 Yeshua said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has
seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The word that I speak to you I do
not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works
themselves.
12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater
works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--
17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but
you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

The Father reveals His Glory in and through the Son! So, Moses’ requests were only fully answered centuries later in the Person of Yeshua!

2. The Rock
Notice that there are 2 distinct allusions to the Rock!
Vs 21 ‘stand ON the Rock’ ‘VENITZAVTA AL HATZUR “
Vs 22 “I will put you IN the cleft of the Rock’ ‘VESAMTICHA BENIKRAT HATZUR’

Hashem did, however, intend to give him some understanding. He tells him: ‘you will stand on the rock”, and He adds that when His glory shall pass over him, , “…I shall place you in the cleft of the rock…”. (Ex. 33,21-22). This is a very difficult passage to understand. What is implied by standing on the rock or being hidden in the rock?

In a homiletic sense, though, one can read a strong message into this. There are times when a leader must stand firmly as if they were on the top of a rock and not succumb to pressures from within or from without.
In other times they should be prepared to step aside and place themselves in a less formidable position, that is, to stand in the rock and not defiantly on top.

The sign of a good leader is one who knows which of these positions they should take. Not every leader is capable of making this distinction.

Allow me to make offer a midrash here and I offer this as my opinion. Often, when I pray for someone, I ask HaShem to release His anointing from within (for we are filled with a deposit of G-d’s Spirit) but also, from above! The anointing comes from within and from above and I offer this as a possible solution to Moshe standing ON the Rock and being hidden within a cleft IN the Rock. We need the anointing that is within that hides us in the cleft of the rock but also, the anoiting that comes from above when we stand on He who is the Rock of Ages.

3. G-d’s back

Rabbi Shimshon Rapheal Hirsch interprets the "back" to mean that we often can not see Divine providence in something that happens while it is happening. When we are caught up in the midst of a challenging situation or a crisis, we struggle to see G-d IN the pressing circumstances. But later, on reflection, we see that He indeed did carry us in the midst of that circumstance. We see as it were, His back after the situation has passed.
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THE SIN OF THE GLODEN CALF FORGIVENESS

The morning Torah reading of Shabbat Chol Ha-moed consists of selected portions from Parshas Ki Tisa. However, the first six aliyot have nothing to do with Yom Tov; rather, they deal with Moshe’s supplication to Hashem to forgive the people of Israel for the Chet Ha-egel (the sin of the golden calf) and the grand rapprochement between God and His people.

Is there thus any other connection between the Torah reading and the Moed (festival)? Shabbat Chol Ha-moed (as well as Shabbat which coincides with any Yom Tov) is unique, for the character of the day is not just that of Shabbat as its own day alongside that of Moed, in which the two days and their respective themes exist on their own. On the contrary, when Shabbat and Moed are joined, they fuse to create a new, unparalleled kedushah and status. Allow me to explain to the connection between the festival and the Shabbat.

• Shabbat is symbolized by its coming to the Jews.

The introductory part of the weekly erev Shabbat service is called Kabbalat Shabbat – The Acceptance of the Shabbat. It is composed of six psalms, 95 - 99, and also Psalm 29, representing the six week-days. Next comes the poem Lecha Dodi:-“l’cha dodi likrat kallah, p’nei Shabbat nekabelah”. This is a Jewish liturgical song recited at the beginning of the erev Shabbat service to welcome Shabbat prior to the Maariv (evening services).

Lekhah Dodi means "come my beloved," and is a request of a mysterious "beloved" that could mean either God or one's friend(s) to join together in welcoming Shabbat that is referred to as the "bride": likrat kallah ("to greet the [Shabbat] bride").

During the singing of the last verse, the entire congregation rises and turns to the open door, to greet "Queen Shabbat" as she arrives. It was composed by Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz in the mid-1500’s.
So, on erev Shabbat, the Shabbat Queen comes to us! And, as part of this coming, we also anticipate and welcome malachim - Divine visitors on the Shabbat. When I taught on the Shabbat some time ago, I mentioned that any creative work or work that alters the nature of a substance or a thing is prohibited on the Shabbat. Now, the Hebrew word for ‘work’ is ‘melacha’. The root word is ‘malach’, which is also the word for an angel or a divine visitation. I suggested that when we refrain from doing the work that is prohibited, HaShem responds by sending a divine being – a malach – as a blessing and kedushah.

• The Festivals are characterized by us coming to G-d

On the Shalosh Regalim - The Three Pilgrimage Festivals - Torah commands us to bring our sacrifices to HaShem in Jerusalem, the place which G-d chose to reveal His Name! And, as we draw near the Temple bringing our sacrifices, we draw near to the Shechinah, the divine Presence that resides behind the Parochet above the Mercy Seat.

On the Shabbat, He comes to visit us but on each of the major festivals, we go to encounter Him! And so, when the Shabbat that falls within the 7 day observance of either Pesach or Sukkoth, we have Shabbat Chol HaMoed. And here, we have a double blessing.
• the Sabbath Queen come to us (the Shabbat)
• and we draw near to the divine Presence (the Chag or Festival)
Y
a’akov 4:8 says “draw near to God and He will draw near to you”. WE DRAW NEAR AND SIMULTANEOUSLY, HE DRAWS NEAR! This is the beauty and the mystery when the Shabbat falls in the Intermediary days and it does so on only 2 occasions; on Pesach and on Sukkoth, for both are 7 day celebrations!

And the combination of the two together, is greater than the separate blessing of each individually. It is, rather, a new closeness, and the restoration of this intimacy is revealed in this Torah portion – Ki Tisa – where G-d chooses to forgive His people for the terrible sin of the golden calf incident.

Now, I read an abbreviated summary of all the festivals which says; they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat! But, there is also an anecdotal summary of the festivals (from Rabbi Shlomo Majeski) is as follows:

• Pesach is the holiday where you cannot eat WHATEVER you want (no leaven), but you can eat WHEREVER you
want.
• Succot is the holiday where you can eat WHATEVER you want, but you can’t eat WHEREVER you want (you
eat in the sukkah or booth). And
• Shavuot is the holiday where you can eat WHATEVER you want, WHEREVER you want, but you can’t eat too
much because it’s only two days long.

Now, there are always repercussions to sin. The cost of the sin of the golden calf was that from this point onwards, a mediator was necessary to stand between G-d and his people. Previously, the 1st born son in each home would mediate and function as a priest. Now, after the sin of the Eigel Zahav, G-d established the Sanctuary, the priesthood and the sacrifices.

In this context, it is important to note that G-d does not act or rather react in history because of man’s sin. When our first parents tasted of the forbidden fruit, HaShem did not resort to plan B. There is no plan B; there is only plan A.

Rev 13:8 – “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”.
2 Thess 2:13 – “But we are bound to give thanks to G-d always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because G-d from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth..".

The Lamb of G-d – Yeshua – was slain before the creation of the world. And, we were chosen for salvation from the beginning of time. There is no plan B!

So, after the sin of the golden calf, this mediatory role was fulfilled by Aaron and is the shadow of one greater than Moses who came as our eternal High Priest of the order of Melchizedek! Because of his perfect sacrifice, it was no longer necessary to persist with the shadow and therefore, the Temple, the priesthood and the sacrifices were done away with!

This intimacy in our relationship with HaShem because of His forgiveness and mercy is further enhanced by the reading of the Song of Solomon (Shir Ha-Shirim) on Shabbat Chol HaMoed – Pesach, and the reading of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet) on Shabbat Chol HaMoed – Sukkot. The whole book of the Songs of Solomon is a love story, reflecting our ideal relationship with G-d.

The haftarah portion for Shabbat Chol HaMoed - Pesach, is taken from the book of Ezekiel. Here in Eze 37, the prophet describes his vision of a valley filled with dry bones
Ezekiel 37:4-5
"Then God said to me: Prophesy to these bones, and say to them. You dry bones, hear the word of the
Eternal. Thus says the Eternal God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and
you shall live."

The LORD tells him to prophesy to the bones and to the wind, telling the bones to grow bodies and the wind to return breath to the bodies. Ezekiel does, and the bones come back to life. The LORD tells Ezekiel that, in the future, He will unlock the graves of His people and bring them back to life and return them to the land of Israel. When they experience the ultimate exodus – from death to life – will they will know that HaShem is the LORD.

The connection between the Shabbat of Pesach and this week's special haftarah reading can be found in the theme of Israel's deliverance. In the Torah, the Jews are delivered from slavery; in the Haftarah, the Jews are delivered from death.

Now, Genesis, chapter 2, describes God directly breathing the breath of life into the first man, Adam. In 1 Kings, chapter 17, Elijah the Prophet pleads with God to bring a dead child back to life. So, there is precedence for the divine breath bringing someone who was dead, back to life!

Here, in Ezekiel 37, it is the four winds that supply the breath to these revivified bones. Although HaShem is not directly involved in bringing the dried bones back to life, we know from whence come the four winds! Ps 135:7 – “He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he makes lightning for the rain; he brings the wind out of His treasuries”.

The image of dry bones being brought back to life as a metaphor for national resurrection has been well explored. This message had deep meaning to the exiled Jews of Babylonia where Ezekiel prophesized. And in the 20th century, this story again took on renewed importance in the aftermath of HaSho’ah, the Holocaust.

When we see photographs of the survivors of the concentration camps, it is easy to link this to his message in Ezekiel 37 & 38. There were those who returned to the Promised Land and not only were they restored to life, the very land itself was transformed and renewed! The nearly-dead were granted new life, they lived again and we, as a nation, returned to our soil.

Ezekiel's prophecy introduced the concept of resurrection which eventually became a cornerstone of Jewish belief. The Mishnah established resurrection as a religious principle as did Maimonides who included it among his Thirteen Articles of Faith. Even today, traditional prayer books include a prayer that speaks of God as one who "revives the dead" (mechayyeh ha-matim) as part of the Amidah prayer that is recited three times a day.

There is another perspective that I want to suggest. Our haftarah speaks of a national regathering and a resurrection from the seemingly dead, which obviously applies to G-d’s eternal purposes with K’lal Yisrael.
But, perhaps we can also view this portion from Ezekiel as applied to Yeshua’s death and resurrection,
for is He not the first fruit of all who were dead? The dry bones were the despondent people; the graves were the countries in which they are exiled. God promised "to open their graves" in response to the people's despair. They weren't actually dead. They were so traumatized by their losses that they were dead-like. By infusing them with God's spirit, they would have a resurrection-like experience. Coming back to the Land after the Holocaust, is a shadow of the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy!

Rabbi Sheldon Blank refers to Ezekiel's message as a metaphor of national resurrection. Not only would the people be reborn as a nation, but they would also have a spiritual reawakening. By sharing his vision with the despairing people living in exile in Babylon, Ezekiel was able to rekindle their belief in God and to give them hope that they would eventually return to the land of Israel to live again.

But, all these things are shadows of the better things to come and the substance belongs to Messiah! From an apostolic perspective however, we cannot separate this reading from the historical recollection of Messiah’s resurrection. The dead came alive as the first fruit or forerunner of the promise of a national resurrection and renewal. Depending on how one reckons the chronology of Yeshua's final week, the Saturday after his death on the execution stake coincided with either the first day of Unleavened Bread or Shabbat Chol HaMo'ed. In either case, the first Sabbath to fall within the seven days of Unleavened Bread is the anniversary of Yeshua’s resurrection from the grave! According to Matthew 28:1, He rose from the grave at the end of Shabbat, just after sunset and the beginning of Yom Rishon, the Sunday.

I offer this to you for your consideration. And, however we view these events, what can know with absolute certainty and conviction is that Yeshua rose form the dead and we who come after Him have the assurance of life eternal.
I Jn 5:11-13
11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that
you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

To be fully realized, an Exodus must include an inner voyage, not just a march on the road out of Egypt. I shared a few thoughts on this at our seder.

The difference between slavery and freedom is not that slaves endure hard conditions while free people enjoy ease. The unleavened bread remained equally hard in both states, but the psychology of the Israelites shifted totally.

• In Egypt, when the hard crust was given to them by tyrannical masters, the matzah they ate in
passivity was the bread of affliction, of slavery.
• But, when the left Egypt and entered into the wilderness, this same flat, hard bread became the bread
of their freedom.

And, their journey is our journey too! BUT WITH ONE GREAT DIFFERENCE! We wander in the wilderness of this world but in the Messiah, the bread of affliction potentially is transformed into the bread of our freedom!

James 1:23-25
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a
mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer
but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Out of fear and lack of responsibility, the slave accommodates to ill treatment. The sages say that the tragedy of our peopleis that we become comfortable in the glaut -the dispersion. Egypt was home even though they were brutally treated and so, every time they encounetered a hurdle in the wilderness, they longed to return to Egypt. They remembered the leeks and the onions of Egypt but somehow, mysteriously, they forgot the terrible hardships they endured at the hands of the Egyptians.

But, the one who pursues the law of liberty, out of dignity and determination to live free, the individual will shoulder any burden.

Matt 11:28-30
28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls.
30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."