Introduction:
Obviously, Moses bringing down the 10 Commandments from Mount Sinai is the most important event of this week's portion and probably in the entire history of the Jewish people. Accordingly, it deserves its own article for discussion and analysis. Here we will only be discussing the other events that are in this week's section of the Torah.
What I would like to explore in this article is:
· The meaning of the name: "Amalikites" and how it relates to the Sabbath
· The true meaning of: "a miracle" and how it relates to the judges
· The symbolism of the numbers associated with the judges
Exodus 18.1 – 20.23
In this week's portion we get a second glimpse of the father in law of Moses: "Jethro" ("Yitro"). What I believe many people misunderstand when discussing both the Old and New Testaments is that the Old Testament does not describe what happened in Egypt as: "miracles", it describes these actions as: "hits" and the New Testament in Hebrew does not describes the healings and other feats of Jesus as: "miracles" it describes them as: "letters" (this can also be translated as: "signs"). The only place we actually see the word: "miracle" in the Old Testament is in relation to the staff of Moses and later describing the pole on which the bronze snake was placed.
Thus, in last week's portion we saw Moses sitting on a rock and at first he was holding the stick above his head by himself, but then, after he tired, he as assisted by a member of the tribes of Judah and Levy (the tribe which will eventual rule Israel and the tribe of the priesthood). The occasion for this action was a battle between the Children of Israel and the Amalikites and by exploring the meaning of their name we can gain some insight into the significance of the Sabbath.
One thing that must be understood about the Old Testament is that when it gives a certain name to a specific people that doesn't necessarily mean that that is the name they call themselves. So for example: We are told that the 2nd wife of Moses came from the tribe of Cush, which is traditionally associated with Black people (Of course, we should just mention here in passing that, obviously, someone forgot to tell Moses that Judaism passes thru the mother since his first wife wasn't Jewish either). The point is, however, that if one asked the 2nd wife of Moses, she might give a completely different name for her people.
Most names in the Old Testament, especially when that name is changed, has something to do with the person's function in the story. Therefore, it is quite possible that the name: "Amalikites" was applied to them only in the Old Testament and they a different name for themselves.
The Hebrew word: "Amal" means: "worker", thus: "the Amalikites" are "the workers" although tradition usually describes them as: "the workers of inequity". In order to appreciate the meaning of this name, we must remember that Adam worked in: "The Garden of Eden" and the word for:"garden" is the root for the word for "archive". Also: the rabbis have for centuries described: "The Torah" as: "the tree of life". If you are a Christian then perhaps you will recall that Saint Augustine described Jesus as: "The Tree of Life" and the Gospel of John describes him as: "the word of God". The point is: both these references associate: "trees" with: "words" or: "books". Hence, if Adam: "worked in an archive" then the word: "work" is a metaphor for: "study".
The Hebrew word for: "cross over" can also be translated as: "pregnant". Accordingly, it is my belief that the correct translation of the name: "The Hebrews" is: "The Pregnant People" (i.e. the people who have the seeds of God planted in them). Thus, The Jews for centuries have been known as: "The People of the Book" and when speaking with Moses God described The Children of Israel as: "his son". Furthermore, in the New Testament Jesus says that: "The Parable of the Sower" is the most important parable of them all and anyone who does not understand this parable understands nothing.
In the Old Testament since Adam and Eve only eat of the fruit from: "The Tree of Knowledge…." Then we can clearly see that: "fruit" is a metaphor for: "knowledge". Additionally, in the New Testament Jesus compares: "the teachings of false prophets" to: "bad fruit" and both the Old and New Testaments refer to pregnant women as: "having fruit in their wombs".
Other references in relation to food are the claim by the rabbis that "The Torah is the bread of life" and, in the New Testament, where Jesus describes his body as: "bread" and, as noted, the Gospel of John calls him: "the word of God".
Thus, later in the Torah, when we are told that "God will provide his people with food on the Sabbath", since we have just shown that: "different types of food" are metaphors for: "different types of knowledge". What we are really being told is: "On the Sabbath God speaks to those who 'rest'" (i.e. "those who do not study")
Basically then, "the Amalikites" are people who: "work on the Sabbath" and "they try to produce their own sources of knowledge". By way of contrast: The Children of Israel will be commanded in this week's portion: "to rest on the Sabbath" and later they will be specifically told not to search for food on the Sabbath.
Another example of this same idea comes from the story at: "Mount Moriah". The name of this location comes from the Hebrew word for: "teacher" (i.e. "mor-reh") and we are also told: "On God's mountain he will provide". This was in response to Isaac's question about: "the lamb" and the New Testament definitely associates: "the lamb" with: "the word of God".
My feeling then is that it is important not to study on the Sabbath or to think about ways to improve one's station in life. Later, when we are giving a different version of the Israelites craving meat than the one we saw in last week's portion, God punishes with: "death" (i.e. "lack of understanding"): "only those who craved the meat" and not those who ate the meat (One can see a parallel here with the story of Adam and Aaron.
It is Eve and the Israelites who crave the forbidden fruit and the golden calf. Thus, Eve receives a punishment related to her, while the curse God gives in relation to Adam's work is placed on the earth. Adam himself is never cursed and this is clearly stated in the story of Noah. Likewise, Aaron himself is not punished for heeding the voice of the people {Adam heeded Eve's voice}, but many of the Israelites are punished).
Returning then to the image seen in last week's portion of the Torah of Moses sitting on the stone with the staff above his head, what we must appreciate then is that the Ten Commandments are written in stone, thus "stone" is a metaphor for: "the word of God" at its simplest level of understanding. Thus Jesus not only describes himself as bread, but also as a stone and, in one gospel, after the disciple Simon speaks in the spirit of God his name is changed to: "Peter" which means "rock" (the name: "Barjona" is actually two Hebrew words which mean: "Son of the Dove" which in turn is a metaphor for: "word of the spirit").
Thus, Moses is: "resting on the word of God" or: "uses the word of God as his base of support". In addition, the walking stick, which is made of wood, is a symbol for: "knowledge, or teachings, from God". Thus when we use the word as the base of our understanding and we place the teachings of God above our own sources of understanding (i.e. one's head) then miracles will occur…. Hence the stick is named: "the miracle", but sometimes this is mistranslated as: "banner of the lord" as if it was a flag or battle pennant.
How this all relates to Jethro is that he suggests to Moses to set up a system of judges to explain God's laws to the people and to discern good from evil so to speak. The important issue here is that the Hebrew for: "judge" is also the root of the word for: "sentence" (as in: the judges sentences a criminal to 5 years in jail). In Hebrew, as in English, this same word is used in communication.
Thus, in the Hebrew New Testament what we have are not: "miracles", but: "letters" (signs). Jesus is described as: "the word of God" and the beginning of the messianic age is: "The Day of the Sentence", which is usually mistranslated as: "Judgment Day". (Since words are a part of a sentence, this is what is being implied when Jesus spoke of: "coming again".
Additionally, Moses compared: "his words" to: "the rain" and: "the words of Moses" are in reality: "the words of God". Since we commented that the Gospel of John described Jesus as: "the word of God", then we can clearly understand that Jesus was speaking metaphorically when he said he would: "return with the clouds".
The last point in relation to the idea of Jethro is his use of the numbers: "1,000", "100", "50" and "10" when describing the function of each judge.
· The number: "1,000" is associated with the messianic age and we have just shown that the messianic age is associated with bringing a completed message from God (a full sentence), whereas his prophets only bring: "letters" and: "words".
· The number: "100" is associated with: "the happiness of receive God's word". Thus in the New Testament there is the story of the happy man who finds the 100th sheep and in the Old Testament Abraham and Sarah finally produce "a son" (they receive a message from God) when Abraham is 100 years old and this boy's name is: "Isaac" which means: "laughter".
· The number: "50" is associated with "redemption" and that a person's land will be returned to him after 50 years. Since we have shown that the Garden of Eden was an archive, "redemption of the land" has to do with: "restoring one's source of knowledge".
· The number: "10", of course, is associated with the 10 commandments but it is also associated with "Noah" (his name means "rest"), since he is the 10th generation from Adam. Basically, Noah removed the curse placed on the earth after Adam ate the forbidden "fruit" and we have already noted the connection between "the earth", "fruit" and "knowledge".
In conclusion, Jethro helps establish a system of judges to teach the people, but these men are to consult with Moses on the most difficult cases (i.e. They are not to make up laws on their own as did the rabbis of Ezra's time). Moses himself is not to work out the answers either. He is to use the word of God as his base of understanding and to realize that the teachings of the Lord are at a much higher level of understanding then he could ever hope to attain. When he sits (the Hebrew verb for: "sit" is the root of the word for: "The Sabbath") and rests, "a true miracle" will occur and God will implant in the minds of his people a teaching which will enable them to defeat even the most intelligent of enemies.
