Parashat Beha’alotekha

Saturday 6 June 2015                   Sivan  19  5775

Parashat Beha’alotekha ~ When you set up                          Shelley Wood Gauld
Num 8:1-12:16, Zech 2:14-4:7, 1 Cor 10:6-13, Rev 11:1-19

Parashat Beha’alotekha opens with instructions as to how Aaron was to service the lamps of the menorah in the Mishkan’s Holy Place. This solid gold candelabrum was to be replenished daily with pure olive oil ~ with its lamps lit in a particular order, starting with the central shamash (lamp) and moving outward. According to the Talmud (Shabbat 22b), all seven lamps were filled with the same amount of oil (shemen), but the shamash never ran dry ~ despite the fact that it was always the first to be lit. This miracle, that is said to have continued throughout the temple period, is reflected in the narrative of Chanukah. Interestingly, the Talmud records that this miracle ceased to occur after the death of Yeshua (c. 30 CE); “during the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot (for the Lord) did not come up in the right hand [Lev 16:8]; nor did the crimson coloured tape become white; nor did the centremost light shine” (Tractate Yoma 39a). Was not Yeshua the ultimate ‘korban’ and sin-bearer ~ and our eternal ‘shamash’?

Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps [of the menorah] may be kept burning.” (Exod. 27:20)

The olive oil used to fuel the lamps of the menorah had to be pure, thus only the first clear drops from each olive were used for this purpose. In Judaism olive oil symbolises the highest degree of knowledge and wisdom. This, in turn, is upheld by the Messianic perception of oil as a symbol of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). But olive oil is also associated with the nation of Israel itself. Just as olive branches are beaten in order to harvest the olives, and are squeezed and pressed in order to release their sacred oil, so too is divine knowledge, wisdom and sanctification the inevitable outcome of Israel’s times of suffering and persecution.

There are other poignant parallels between the humble olive tree and this nation. Olive trees, indigenous to the Mediterranean region, were first cultivated by Semitic peoples more than 3,500 years ago. These sturdy evergreen hardwoods can survive to an age of approximately 1,500 years and thus epitomize the concept of “resolute persistence.” The fruit of the wild olive is small and worthless (good stock has to be grafted into a wild sapling in order to improve its fruit), therefore olive trees are cultivated in order to increase their yield. They also do not produce fruit unless they are exposed to very cold temperatures for at least two to three months of the year. Likewise, the Jews, as sturdy and as ancient as olive trees, are native to the Mediterranean region and Semitic in origin; they too have been “cultivated” to become a “holy nation”; and have persevered despite centuries of persecution and inhospitable conditions. They epitomize the concept of “resolute persistence”.

We note that the first plant species to be mentioned in the Scriptures is the olive tree (Gen. 8:11) ~ in the account of Noah and the flood ~ and it is used throughout as a symbol for the tribes of Israel (Jer.11:16). Sha’ul uses it as a symbol for in-grafted Gentiles (Rom.11), and in Hosea we find an image of the olive tree as a symbol for the restored nation of Israel: “His splendour will be like an olive tree. . . ” (Hos.14:16)

Now note that the menorah was fashioned in the shape of a tree… It is described as having branches, buds, calyxes and blossoms… As trees are powerful symbols in biblical narratives, relating, in Genesis, to the fall of man and, in the Gospels, to the redemption of humanity by means of the Messiah’s crucifixion (“He hung on the tree”), one has to wonder if the menorah represents the Tree of Life and thus the Divine?

In this week’s Haftarah and Brit Khadashah portions a symbolic use of menorahs and olive trees appear in the prophetic books of Zechariah and Revelation. In Zechariah 4 we read about a menorah and two olive branches standing before the Lord of the earth… The olive branches are ‘the two who have been anointed with oil’ ~ implying a priestly ministry ~ with their power coming from the Ruach HaKodesh. In Revelation we read about two prophesying witnesses, dressed in sackcloth, standing before the Lord of the earth. They are also called “two olive trees” and “two lampstands”.

Who are these olive trees or branches if not HaShem’s original “olive tree” ~ the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel? Or are they HaShem’s Jewish and Gentile witnesses in the world? And the menorahs amongst these olive trees? Could these represent Yeshua before the divine throne, and amongst His people, as the eternal divine ‘shamach’? Lord, give us ears to hear and eyes to see…

I have come as a light into the world so that everyone who trusts in me might not remain in the dark. (John 12:46)