Shemot (Exodus) 26.31ff.- (from last week's Midrash) -Vv.31-33 - The veil that separated the Kodesh Kadashim from the Kodesh place was an impressive piece of work. There is nothing in our passage to indicate how thick the veil was. I've heard it may have been as much as 6 inches thick, but that is an anecdote. (Perhaps someone has information about that they can share with us.) The veil would have been 10 cubits by 10 cubits and placed 20 cubits inside the tabernacle, making the Kodesh Kadashim 10 x 10 x 10, 1000 cubic cubits. (Try saying that 5 times, real fast.) 10 is the number of completeness and multiplied by itself 3 times - 3 is the number for divine perfection - is significant of the completeness of the Godhead. It hung on 4 posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold set in silver sockets. The number 4 represents creation - 4 cardinal directions, 4th Word refers to YHWH's creation, 4th clause of the Talmidim's prayer is the first to refer to the creation, there were 4 materials in the tabernacle, as well as 4 coverings and 4 furnishings, and etc. YHWH's dwelling place is in 'spiritual space - not within his creation. But when he enters into his creation on the other side of the 4 posts, he enters into the place of his grace, as will be seen in vv.36-37.

It was this veil that was torn from top to bottom when Yeshua died, exposing the Kodesh Kadashim to the Kodesh place. There was no more need of the Aharonic Kohen HaGadol to perform the atonement, though I have no doubt they had the veil patched or replaced by Yom Kippur that year. It is interesting that the Talmud tells us that beginning about 40 years before the destruction of the Temple by Titus the red ribbon on the scapegoat, that for centuries had miraculously turned white when the blood was properly sprinkled on the keporah, suddenly stopped changing color. Likewise other miracles that had ALWAYS occurred stopped. In Yoma 39b we read
"During the last 40 years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [For YHWH] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson colored strap become white; nor did the westernmost light shine (on the menorah until morning); and the doors of the Hekal would open by themselves…"1
There were other miracles that occurred for centuries on every Yom Kippur that just stopped. Kinda 'spooky' if you ask me. They never put 2 and 2 together or, if they did, they rejected the obvious explanation that the priesthood was now universal to all believers and we can come boldly before his kesay (Ivrim 4.16), as Yah had intended all along (Shemot 19.5-6).

Only after the veil was hung and the separation made between the kadosh and most kadosh were they permitted to place the keporah, mercy seat, onto the ark, and that in the Most Kadosh. The menorah and the table of showbread were placed on the south and north sides of the tabernacle, respectively, and exactly opposite each other. The altar of incense is not spoken of in these chapters. Its first mention is in 30.1, where Moshe is commanded to make it. I truly wonder why YHWH waited for this. If anyone has an explanation, I'm all ears.

Vv.36-37 - A hanging is made, this one to hang by gold rings on FIVE pillars with BRASS sockets. This separated the Kadosh from the outer court, where the laver and the altar of burnt offering were. Again, gold = mercy, brass = judgment and 5 = grace. The furniture inside the Kadosh place was all gold or gold overlaid, while the furnishings outside were of brass, signifying YHWH's grace and mercy applied in his judgment. Please notice that there is a distinction between the veil that separates the Most Kodesh from the Kodesh and the hanging that separates the Kodesh from the court, which is the door of the Kodesh place. They are of the same construction and materials and they both hang from posts, but only the hanging separating the Kodesh from the Most Kodesh is a veil (in the Restoration scriptures Ex.26.33&36). Q&C

Have you noticed yet that the instructions are given to build from most kadosh to least, from the ark in the Kodesh Kadashim to the outer veil and outer gate of the tabernacle, from 'spiritual space' to the camp of the people?

Vv.1-8 - Shittim wood is acacia wood. From Easton's Bible Dictionary,
ACACIA (Heb. shittim) Exodus 25:5, R.V. probably the Acacia seyal (the gum-arabic tree); called the "shittah" tree (Isaiah 41:19). Its wood is called shittim wood (Exodus 26:15, 26; Exodus 25:10, 13, 23, 28, etc.). This species (A. seyal) is like the hawthorn, a gnarled and thorny tree. It yields the gum arabic of commerce. It is found in abundance in the Sinaitic peninsula.
As we discussed last week, it would be unusual for this wood to be found in sufficient sizes and lengths to be used for boards and poles, but it is just like Yah to prescribe the use of such and then miraculously provide the stuff in sufficient quantities for His purposes.

As we've already briefly discussed, the number 5 in scripture represents grace and redemption. For example, the anointing oil was pure and consisted of 5 ingredients (Ex.30. 23-25). The fact of the brazen altar being 5 cubits x 5 cubits speaks to his abundant grace (Ivrim 4.16).
Jas.4:5-6, "Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? [6] But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."
The height of 3 cubits speaks once again to the perfection of the Godhead's abundant unmerited favor to us. The entire altar was to be overlaid with brass. The twisted, gnarled wood that so adequately describes our twisted and sin sick condition is overlaid with brass to signify the judgment of our sin and our sins. All the accoutrements were also made of brass. The 4 rings in the 4 corners of the brass net are not JUST to hang the net within the framework of the altar, nor are the ONLY to insert the poles to carry the altar, but symbolize the 4 corners of creation whence the sins of the world are brought for judgment. 'As it was shown you in the mount', Moshe either drew plans or oversaw the entire project personally. Q&C

Vv.9-19 - The hangings are of fine twined linen ONLY, no scarlet, blue or purple, as with the hanging of the door to the Kodesh and veil in the Most Kodesh places. They define the work area of the priests in their service to Yah and his people. The court of the tabernacle is 100 cubits by 50 cubits. On the north and south sides of the court were 20 posts holding up the 100 cubit hangings. The number 20 in scripture seems to represent 'waiting.' From Bullinger's 'Numbers in Scripture' :
Twenty years Jacob waited to get possession of his wives and property, Gen 21:38,41. Twenty years Israel waited for a deliverer from Jabin's oppression, Judg 4:3.
Twenty years Israel waited for deliverance through Samson, Judg 15:20, 16:31. But his work was never much more than "begun," Judg 13:25.
Twenty years the Ark of the Covenant waited at Kirjath-jearim, 1 Sam 7:2.
Twenty years Solomon was waiting for the completion of the two houses, 1 Kings 9:10; 2 Chron 8:1.
Twenty years Jerusalem waited between its capture and destruction; and
Twenty years Jeremiah prophesied concerning it (the wait for destruction).
The 20 posts are of acacia overlaid with brass + a band of silver, signifying the trial of faith in those sinners who've been judged and declared blameless through their trust in the promise of YHWH. The 10 posts on the west side of the court signify the perfection of divine order. Need I go into detail of the significance of the number 10 in scripture? The total of 50 posts on the north, west and south sides represents the completeness of YHWH's grace to us. But there are 11 more posts, 3 each on the south and north eastern corners with hangings of 15 cubits each + 4 more posts with a 20 cubit hanging for a gate over the opening left in the center of the east side of the court. 11 signifies an addition to the divine order - man's attempt to mimic YHWH's order in his own strength. From Bullinger:
If ten is the number which marks the perfection of Divine order, then eleven is an addition to it, subversive of and undoing that order. If twelve is the number which marks the perfection of Divine government, then eleven falls short of it. So that whether we regard it as being 10 + 1, or 12 - 1, it is the number which marks, disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration.
The 11 posts of the east side of the court therefore represent the prideful attempt to undo YHWH's perfection, a thing which man - and s.a.tan - has been attempting since his expulsion from Eden about 6000 years ago.

The fine twined linen of the hangings of the court itself signifies the fact that the believer who has trusted YHWH has been washed pure and clean. The blue, scarlet and purple gate signifies our entrance into the offerings of YHWH by the gate of Yeshua, who is the way of YHWH, the door of the Kingdom and the gate of the sheepfold. Without Yeshua, who is pictured throughout this tabernacle, we have absolutely NO ACCESS to the mercy of Elohim. The above significations are not, by any means, an exhaustive listing of the meanings of the numbers of the tabernacle. I merely offer them as brain fodder. Q&C
Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 16.10-19 - In our Torah portion for today we saw the hangings of the door to the tabernacle and the court. Here in Ezekiel we see similar clothing provided to us by our Elohim. The tabernacle in its details had not just pictured Yeshua to us. It had pictured YHWH's bride to him. Look at the clothing he gives his bride and compare them to the tabernacle's hangings and furnishings.

Vv.10-13 - embroidered work, fine linen and silk correspond to the blue, scarlet, purple and fine twined linen of the Bride of the King of the Universe. The sandals of badger skin show the same protection as the covering of the tabernacle from the elements of the world system. Adorned with ornaments speaks of the gold and silver of the furnishings and posts. The bracelets are seen in the bands of silver on the poles of the court, and the chain on our neck in the rings that both held the boards of the tabernacle together and hung the veil and hangings from the poles. The jewel on the forehead could be the mercy seat, and the crown on the head the crown of the table and the ark. Fine flour, honey and oil are the ingredients of the showbread. While we remained faithful to him, we prospered into a great Kingdom. This is true of both Yisrael and the uS of A.

Vv.14-19 - But our prosperity and beauty became a source of pride. We failed to recognize that all our beauty and splendor were from Elohenu, not ourselves. We are nothing special as human beings or nations. What makes us special is our relationship with YHWH Avinu through his Son, our Saviour, YHWH Yeshua haMoshiach. We lost sight of that and, trusting that our beauty was our own intrinsically, went after our own ways and played the harlot. Three times we're called harlots or whores in this short passage. We 1) took the garments of blue, purple, and scarlet that he gave us and used them to decorate our high places; then we 2) made images from the silver, gold and jewels he gave us, and covered them with the linen garments he gave us; and 3) anointed them with his anointing oil, burnt his incense, and offered his wave offerings before them. We despised him so much that we abused in our idolatry and whoredom the garments of purity that he provided. Is it any wonder that he divorced us? It is a wonder to me that after we treated him so despitefully he could still love us so much as to die OUR death so he could be raised a new man to be able to marry us again in accordance with Torah, as we see in
De.24:1-4, "When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. [2] And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. [3] And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; [4] Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before YHWH: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which YHWH Elohenu giveth thee for an inheritance.
Rom.7:1-4, "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? [2] For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. [3] So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. [4] Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto Elohim."
He could not marry the same woman as long as he lived. She can only marry a new man. So YHWH Yeshua died and became a new man when he was raised from the dead. Now he could marry his beloved, even though she'd gone after another. This puts a whole new light on
Heb.10:29, "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of Elohim, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Ruach of unmerited favor?"
In light of the verses in Deut.24 and Rom.7, that ought to scare us to death
Heb.6:4-6, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Ruach haKodesh, [5] And have tasted the good word of Elohim, and the powers of the world to come, [6] If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of Elohim afresh, and put him to an open shame."
How many times do you think Yeshua will die to make it possible to remarry us? He only died once and in doing so accepted our judgment. He WILL not die again; so don't put him to open shame by going after other elohim or willful sin. Q&C

Psalm 58 - In this psalm we are seen talking a good talk, but not walking a good walk. We talk of righteousness (v.1), but our hearts are wicked and violent (v.2). Violence here is the Hebrew word Chamas, the name of the radical Muslim terror organization. We are this way from the moment we're born, possibly from BEFORE our birth (v.3). We won't be turned away from our wickedness and violence (vv.4,5). David, in type of Moshiach, asks YHWH to judge the wicked who pose as tzadik (vv.6-8). Reminds me of the 70's Motown hit 'Smiling Faces Sometimes',
"Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend,
Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within."
Or 'Backstabbers' of the same era
"They smile in your face,
All the time they want to take your place,
The Backstabbers."
Everyone here or listening knows how it feels to be backstabbed. And if you don't, you know how to backstab. It's a part of being merely human to metaphorically stab folk in the back. We may not MEAN to, but that's the effect of 'getting it over' on someone else - something we all have done. David was feeling backstabbed by someone when he wrote this song. And it was someone he trusted judging by the tone of his imprecations to YHWH against the guy.

In v.9 David speaks of pots. He can't be talking about a pot of brass, like the ones among the accoutrements of the tabernacle service, for brass can't feel the points of thorns. This must be metaphorical of the produce of YHWH the Potter, who made vessels to honour and to dishonour. I really like the way the KJV puts v.9
"Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath."
The 'them' that he takes in the whirlwind has only one antecedent -'pots'. And he takes them BOTH away living to his wrath. Reminds me of
Rev.19:20-21, "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
Sounds the same to me. Both are cast into the lake of fire, which IS the wrath of YHWH, before YHWH Yeshua kills any with the sword that proceeds from his mouth, i.e.; before they can feel the thorns.

Do you suppose that we will rejoice when Yeshua finally takes his vengeance on the world system (v.10) or that we will praise and extol the King of kings when he executes YHWH's Wrath on his enemies? Q&C

Mattityahu 23.1-28 - There are 2 ways of looking at the passage on Moshe's seat. No matter which way we look at this passage we must realize that Yeshua did not agree with all the Pharisees said. In fact, he was more often rebuking them than extolling their great knowledge of Torah.

The conventional wisdom is that Yeshua was saying that when the scribes and Pharisees (S&P) are speaking of the written Law of Moshe, to do as they say. He seems to be saying that we need to obey them because they are in the seat of authority, but we are follow their actions since they say things right but don't do what they teach. The other way of seeing it is that the greek NT is deficient in that it makes a contradiction to itself, this being the only instance where Yeshua says anything really positive about the S&P. He is constantly rebuking them, telling his talmidim to beware the leaven of the Pharisees.

Nehemiah Gordon, a Karaite from Chicago living in Jerusalem, wrote a book last year on this very subject, "The Hebrew Yeshua vs. the Greek Jesus - New light on the seat of Moses from Shem Tov's Hebrew Matthew". A brief synopsis is that Matthew was likely written in Aramaic or Hebrew and translated into Greek in the 1st or early 2nd century CE. When the translators got to the word 'he' they used the word 'they' instead, thinking the antecedent of the pronoun was actually the S&P, when in the Hebrew mind it was obviously Moshe. Now taken in context with the rest of Yeshua's speeches abut the S&P, I would tend to agree with Gordon's position that Yeshua had NOTHING good to say about the S&P. Yeshua was ALL about getting the people of Judah back to the written Torah, as well as calling the lost sheep of the House of Yisrael back to fellowship with YHWH by getting back to Torah. The S&P were more after the 'Oral Torah' that Moshe supposedly was given by YHWH at the same time he got the written Torah.

Of course, there was no record of the 'Oral Torah' anywhere at the time, so it was constantly changing with the whims of the Rabbis. Even now, with the 'Oral Torah written down as a part what is generally called 'Talmud', it can be as changeable as the wind. The S&P placed more emphasis on the 'Oral Torah' than the written Torah, and according to Avi ben Mordechai's book on Galatians, the 'Oral Torah' was the 'law' to which the S&P constantly referred. This 'Oral Torah' was the traditions, teachings and works of the law as taught by the Rabbis. F'rinstance,
Mat.12:1-2, "At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. [2] But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day."
Mat..15:2, "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread."
To do work on the sabbath is prohibited in Torah, as is gathering manna, but not preparing food and eating it. We must be careful about adding to or diminishing the restrictions of Torah. The only food they were specifically told to not gather on sabbath was the manna. They were NOT told not to prepare the manna for consumption on sabbath. The Pharisees were referring to the 'Oral Torah', where they hold to a very strict definition of 'work'- almost ANY expenditure of energy. Webster's 1828 has for
work, n,
1. Labor; employment; exertion of strength; particularly in man, manual labor.
When Yeshua was finished telling them off, he went immediately into their synagogue to shatter another of their traditions by healing on the sabbath.

When they encountered him again, they were at least smart enough not to say 'unlawful' when they referred to a 'tradition of the elders' - a code word for stuff the Rabbis taught and did. There is no command to wash before eating in Torah. The only place ANYONE other than the priest is told to wash his hands in Torah is in De.21.6 after the beheading of the heifer as a substitute for the man-slayer who was not caught. The elders of the city were testifying their innocence by washing their hands of the bloodguilt and leaving it on the murderer. Reminds one of Pilate, doesn't it?

The key thing here is that even if the Pharisees were teaching written Torah, they also promoted Torahlessness as their teachings on the 'Oral Law' were about self-righteousness and not the righteousness that comes by faith in Yeshua. Q&C

After telling his listeners to follow the written Torah, he explains why they shouldn't follow the S&P - they are self-righteous prigs . They thrived on the attention, adulation and recognition from the 'hoi poloi'. And they resented it when young upstarts like this Yeshua of Netzaret DIDN'T make a fuss over them. Well, there must have been some of them in the audience, because he is about to lambaste them.

The S&P loved being called Rabbi, Master, Father, Teacher, and such, because it fueled their already enormous egos. The key verses in the first half of this chapter are 11-12 ,
"But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. [12] And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."
What is the thing that we are to do?
Micah 6:8, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
Ecc.12:13, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
If we do those things, YHWH will exalt us. He'll reward us in direct proportion to our humility in service to him. He'll also knock us down a few pegs when we get too big for our britches, start to think we're 'all that and a bag of chips.' If the truth be known, we ain't even half of that, and the chips are stale. We need to decrease and allow Yeshua to increase in us. Attitude is everything! Q&C

V.13 begins Yeshua's woes to the S&P. W1828 says
woe 1. Grief; sorrow; misery; a heavy calamity.
In Greek it is ouai, which I think is equivalent to Hebrew, OY! He pronounces 7 OY!s on the S&P for their hypocrisy and spiritual blindness. Remember the context is in their teaching 'Oral Torah' in place of the written Torah. They were shutting the Kingdom of Elohim to men by their emphasis on tradition and 'works of the law', meaning 'Oral Law.' They are leading men in a way that will take them straight to perdition. Some of those they are leading would enter the kingdom if not for the S&P's teaching. They disregard the teaching of Torah to care for the widows and fatherless, actually profiting from the oppression of the poor while orating for show while praying in public. They travel the world seeking fearers of YHWH, but then turn them into even worse hypocrites than they are themselves.

In v.16 Yeshua changes his tack a bit by calling the S&P 'blind guides'. He then shows their foolishness by pointing out that their 'Oral laws' have negated the Torah. In reference to the gold of the Temple he quoted
Ex.30:26-29, "And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, [27] And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, [28] And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. [29] And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy."
Then in reference to the gift on the altar he quoted
Ex.29:37, "Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy."
Yeshua called them fools and blind because they refused to acknowledge the supremacy of Torah over their tradition, and by their leadership they were leading people to an eternity without YHWH.
Is.5:20-24, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! [21] Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! [22] Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: [23] Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! [24] Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the YHWH of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel."
But the day will come when the ones who are led astray by the S&P will turn to YHWH and say with
Jer.16:19, "YHWH, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit."
And they will repent and YHWH will forgive them. And lest you get too high and mighty, remember that "such were some (ALL?) of you"(1Cor.6.11). Q&C

In v.23 he went back to the old tack of charging hypocrisy. Paying tithes of the lightest things in the inventory and straining food to keep out the unclean things is good, but to then disregard the more important things - like '3 of the pillars' of the Godhead on earth, justice, mercy and faith, is not so good. These are aspects of the Godhead that noone truly comprehends, but by which we can know something of the unknowable Elohim. His mercy does not outweigh his justice, nor his justice his faith. We see him exercise one or the other and assume he's overridden one for the other, when in reality the circumstances or actions of the people involved at the time warranted the working of the one over the other. Hence, justice meted out on Haman (ptui! It's traditional to make a spitting noise when pronouncing that man's name.), while mercy was granted to Mordecai and the Jews, both through the faith (and faithfulness) of Abba and Yeshua.

The S&P were very meticulous about making their table service spotless between courses, a practice that has evolved into having separate plates for dairy and flesh since there is a mitzvoth of Torah that says not to seethe a kid in his mother's milk. Where did the halacha of separate plates come from? Not Torah. It is a 'work of the law,' by which no flesh can be justified. They made an outward show of keeping the law, while doing all types of injustices behind the scenes. They loved the outward show of blamelessness, but turned their backs on the Torah of YHWH. It reminds me of
Eze.8:10-17, "So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. [11] And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. [12] Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth.
[13] He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. [14] Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
[15] Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. [16] And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
[17] Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose." (Is the branch the pine branch at Xmas? Don't you just LOVE the smell of a REAL TREE?)
Let's be very careful not to be too tough on the S&P. After all, they are us. We are every bit as guilty as they are of turning away from Torah and to our own ways. Aren't we? C'mon, be honest. If we judge ourselves and repent, it will go a lot easier on us at judgment time. Q&C End.