Speak Easy
The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the sons of Israel Numbers 15:37-38
Spoke – Speak – What you don’t see can hurt you. And what you don’t see are two different Hebrew verbs translated by one English verb. God speaks (‘amar) to Moses but He tells Moses to speak (dibber) to the people. What’s the difference and why does it matter?
The first difference is simply a grammatical one. ‘amar is used to introduce a following direct quotation. So, in this case, the verb ‘amar introduces the speech of God that follows. Dibber denotes the acts of speaking or what is spoken. ‘amar tells us a quotation is about to follow. ‘amar tells us the words that follow are God’s words, not the words of Moses.
Secondly, dibber seems to cover the whole of a conversation. It is comprehensive. It’s about the conversation from beginning to end. Perhaps the most important element here is this: in ancient near-eastern cultures, the process of naming (the use of dibber) was a creative act that brought something into being. This is also true in the Bible. God’s very word causes creation to come into being. God’s word has a power beyond merely a symbolic representation of something.
Thirdly, ‘amar is event language. Its etymological background comes from the idea of making something visible. In fact, it seems to originally have been connected with the idea of seeing. Thus, ‘amar can be used in all of the following senses: announce, declare, promise, refuse, predict, repeat, inform, mention, assure, answer, praise, command, think, consider, discuss and explain. This Hebrew verb has a very wide application. ‘amar is distinctive because it is always about a personal relationship. Even when ‘amar is used with inanimate things, the speaker always has some personal relationship with the objects. In this regard, there is no distinction between the sacred use of ‘amar and the secular use of the verb. ‘amar is about a complex cluster of personal revelation activities that create relationship between the speaker and the object.
Now let’s apply these distinctions to Numbers 15:37-38. God speaks to Moses. Immediately the verb tells us there is a personal relationship involved in this disclosure to Moses. Furthermore, the verb tells us what comes next is precisely what God said to Moses. dibber tells us the words we read are the full conversation that must be conveyed to the sons of Israel. There is power in these words of God. They are not arbitrary. They have precise and intentional meaning. They are pregnant with divinity.
Why is all of this so crucial? Because Numbers 15:37-38 are the last part of the Shema, repeated three times every day. These two verbs set the stage for God’s final instructions to His people. They are just what He said and just what He meant. They are the revelation of who He is in relationship with us.
I guess we better listen. Right?
So, if this is so important, why don’t we know that Numbers 15:37-41 is supposed to be a daily reminder of God’s will for our lives?
Topical Index: Shema, ‘amar, dibber, speak, Numbers 15:37-38
Blessed are you, HASHEM, our Elohim, King of the Universe, Who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace adn creates all. He Who illuminates the earth and who dwell upon it, with compassion; and in His goodness renews daily, perpetually, the work of creation. How great are your works. (1) Isaiah 44:6 (2) Psalms 68:5 (3)Nechemiah 9:5 (4) Psalms 113:2 (5) Isaiah 45:7
HASHEM, You make them all with wisdom, the world is full of Your posessions. The King Who was exalted in solitude before creation, Who is praised, gloridied, and upraised since days of old. Eternal Elohim, with Your abundant compassin be compassionate to us-O Master of our power, our rocklike stronghold, O Sheild of our salvation, be a stronghold for us. The blessed Elohim is great in knowledge, prepared and worked on the rays of the sun; the Beneficent One fashioned honor for His Name, emplaced luminaries all around His power; the leaders of His legions, holy ones, exalt the Almighty, constantly relate the honor of Elohim and His sancity. May you be blessed, HASHEM, our Elohim, beyond the praises of Your handiwork and beyond the bright luminaries that you have made-may they glorify You-Selah!
May You be blessed, our Rock, our King and Redeemer, Creator of holy ones; may Your Name be praised forever, our King, O Fashioner of ministering angels; all of Whose ministering angels stand at the summit of the universe and proclaim-with awe, together, loudly-the words of the living Elohim, and King of the universe. They are all beloved; they are all flawless; they are all mighty, they all do the will of their Maker with dread and reverance. And they all open their mouths in holiness and purity, in song and hymn-and bless, praise, glorigy, revere, sanctify and declare the kingship of-
The Name of God, the great, might, and awesome King; holy is He. Then they all accept upon themselves the yoke of heavenly sovereignty from one another and grand permission to one another to sanctify the One Who formed them, with tranquillity, with clear articulation,and with sweetness. All of them as one proclaim His holiness and say with awe:
“Holy, holy, holy, is HASHEM, Master of Legions, the whole world is filled with His glory.”
“Blessed is the Glory of HASHEM from His place”
To the blessed Elohim they shall offer sweet melodies to the King, the living and enduring Elohim, they shall sing hymns and proclaim praises. For He alone effects mighty deeds, makes new things, is Master of wars, sows kindnesses, makes salvations flourish, creates cures, is too awesome for praise, is Lord of wonders. In His goodness He renews daily, perpetually, the work of creation. As it is said: Give thanks to Him Who makes the great luminaries, for His kindness endures forever. May you shine a new light on Zion, and may we all speedily merit its light. Blessed are you, HASHEM, who fashions luminaries.
With an abundant love have You loved us, HASHEM, our Elohim; with exceeding great pity have You pitied us. Our Father, our King, for the sake of our forefathers who trusted in You and whom You taught the decrees of life, may You be equally gracious to us and teach us. Our Father, the merciful Father, Who acts mercifully, have mercy upon us, instill in our hearts to understand and elucidate, to listen, learn, teach, safeguard, perform, and fulfill all the words of your Torah’s teaching with love. Enlighten our eyes in Your Torah, attach our hearts to Your commandments, and unify our hearts to love and fear Your Name, and may we not feel inner shame for all eternity. Because we have trusted in Your great and awesome, holy Name, may we exult and rejoice in Your salvation. Bring us in peacefulness from the four corners of the earth and lead us with upright pride to our land. For You effect salvations, O Elohim; You have chosen us from among every people and tongue. And you have brought us close to Your great Name forever in truth, to offer praiseful thanks to You , and proclaim Your Oneness with love. Blessed are You, HASHEM, who chooses His people with love.
1) Ezekiel 3:12 (2) Psalms 136:7 (3) Cf. 86:11
END
HAVE A BLESSED DAY EVERYONE!!! CAN WE DO ANY LESS?
HI Yolanda,
That was really beautiful. We are blessed that you shared this prayer with us. When I read it I was praying it too! When I read your next question about the tzitstzits, I realized that you must be Jewish. So you can maybe help me with this. We are in a time when many are just coming into Messianism, and don’t know what is the right or proper thing to do. My friend and I were discussing honor and humility as we learn to walk with the Jewish people. I know some gentile Messianics who wear the Kippah, Tahlit, and blow the shofar, and I have seen how this offends Jewish people.
I t is maybe perceived by Jews as being ignorant and presumptuous (and rightly so).
But I think it is done mostly out of uninformed zealousness that tries to materially or outwardly connect with the Jewish roots of their faith. What do you think?
In Romans 11:16-25 it talks about being grafted in.
Maybe this is a little easier to understand. We lived on a farm when I was young and my dad grafted a pear branch on an apple tree.
The fruit the pear branch produced was nurtured and grew by what comes from the root of the apple tree, but they do not look or taste like apples. But when an apple branch is grafted back in, it will look and taste and be an apple! Maybe this answers your Question too!
Shalom,
I am a grafted in Gentile and I wear tzitzit. In fact most of our congregation does …. both Jew and Gentile! I blow the shofar as well! 🙂 The Rabbi would never dissuade anyone from submitting and obeying the mitzvot! I do not however wear a kippah …. just no spiritual conviction yet regarding that tradition! But for the mitzvot …. that is another story 🙂 There is no uninformed zealousness going on with me or my Messianic community …. no offense meant.
I can tell you wearing tzitzit is more than a “connection” for us. Yes indeed there is a component of unity … in being echad with Israel but ultimately it is more about submitting … it is more about being His. It is about one way for all people … both homeborn and the stranger who cleaves to Yisrael.
Perhaps some Jews get offended …. (especially since my office is in Manhattan and I am not one to hide my faith!) but conversely the blessings far outweigh the tribulations. The opportunities that He sends my way … well let us simply say that they are blessings!
As far as the tzitzit and B’rit Chadasha go …. it is not for me a reminder of the law but a reminder of the mitzvot … a reminder of the character of Adonai Eloheicha. Despite the indwelling of Ruach HaKodesh I can not adequately express to you how comforting it is to see either my own or others’ tzitzit.
I have no problems what so ever with mitzvot, mishpatim, etc. These are not yokes but rather a reflection of my G_D. They were good enough for Adonai Yeshua and are most assuredly good enough for the likes of sinner as myself!
Back to the Jew that views a goy wearing tzitzit as being ignorant or presumptuous …. that would be their problem would it not? In fact ignorant or presumptuous would be a better description for Jews who think that a goy should not submit to the heritage of Mashiach and Yisrael.
Oh Drew,
Forgive me, I should have known that this would happen!I see now that we are all walking together in the same direction, and that we should accept each other’s differences, even if we don’t understand them.
My question was asked only because my friend and I are both new to this, she is of Jewish lineage, grew up evangelical, but is now discovering the Jewish roots of her faith. She is now in an area of Canada that is very isolated from any Messianic fellowship, we live far away from each other, but try to encourage each other as we grow in Torah.
I still think you are awesome, I’m glad I got to see your inside, before the outside.
Maybe God is telling me I need to wear blinders. On the other hand, I think I will repent for being judgmental. Shalom
Dear sister …. no need to apologize (really) … my concern was only regarding the source of such ideology and not personal offense. If I were to get set off by your comment …. well I would be on the moon by now given what people have hit me with in the past 🙂 … LOL
I understand all too well that there are plenty within the Messianic movement even that shout …. “stealing our identity” … or “those Gentiles are Jew want to be(s)” … and neither is the case. I am completely content with how Adonai saw fit to speak me into existence and despite any claims to the contrary … I am an Israelite!
In fact understanding the Hebrew culture and more specifically discipleship should lead us down the path of emulation and not disunity …. without concern on either side of the covenantal fence so to speak. Yeshua busted down the wall of partition but others want to keep it up.
The Jew should share the ways of Adonai and the rich heritiage of Mashiach and the Gentile should embrace it! Adonai is no respecter of persons. For years I went along a path of obedience …. without knowing as much of the Hebrew heritage as I should have … but praise Adonai …. He brought me to a place where I have received excellent Jewish mentoring …. deeply enriching my understanding of the Jewish people and my relationship in our little community. And most importantly my relationship with Yeshua is as close as it has ever been. 🙂
So dear Antoinette … please don’t fret one bit! I can tell just by your posts that you are a
lovely sister of strong faith.
Praise Yeshua
Thanks Drew,
I feel like I’ve learned so much, but I know I still have so much I have to be shown. This was a lesson well learned from a gracious teacher.
Are You going to Israel in the fall with Skip?
I might get to meet a lot of you over there, That would be such a treat!
I would love for you all to meet the Rabbi and wonderful ministry I will be volunteering with. after working with them for a year I’ll probably really get my eyes opened.
We all have much to learn … do we not? And everyone said Ahmein! LOL
No … I will not be going to Israel in the Autumn …. sad to say.
I have been working on my beloved wife for a long time …. I would be thrilled just to have her join me at the synagogue! 🙂 … So small steps are needed first. I just would not feel right going to Eretz Yisrael without her if you know what I mean? So I am hopeful that this bound spirit is a call for personal endurance …. leading towards great joy!
You on the other hand … wow … moving to Israel … how awesome is this? 🙂
I am righteously envious … What a wonderful turn of events … a remarkable blessing indeed.
You are going to have to fill us in with more details dear lady … it is quite frankly mind boggling …. its like “who would of thunk it?”
I was in Israel 4 yrs. ago when I first got the revelation about God’s heart for Israel,
A group of us toured the land for a week, and then I was assigned to volunteer at Sabra House. I was helping the new Olim settle in to Israel, they were mostly Russian, Ukranian, and Romanian, The ministry is teaching them their lost heritage.
http://www.sabra.ru/sabrarussia/sabraisrael/
I have been studying hebrew on my own for the last 4 years, (i can read it now, very slowly but I don’t know what most of the words mean) in preparation for such a time as this. Now I hope to actually learn to speak it with the new immigrants who will also just be learning it. I plan to add a page to my website for my Israel experiences. More on all this later. It is 10:15 here and I need to sleep. lylah tov (sp?) Good Night
Ma tovu ohalecha Yaahkov mishkenotecha Yisrael! (How lovely are your tents oh Jacob, your dwelling places of Israel)
So you will be getting a regular view of Armageddon … a.k.a. “the plains of Megido” … that is a bit disconcerting!
And regarding the language …. I agree …. vocabulary and verb tensing are the rough parts. Short time to read … longer time to build up vocab and accurately translate. 🙂
Skip, I was just thinking about my tzitszits and wondering their role as a New Testament believer. As we no longer need them to remind us of the law; that was written in our hearts now that we have His Spirit inside us to guide us, are they to remind me of the fulfillment of Yahshua’s coming? And of course they still are a more scriptural visual that WWJD!!!
Skip ….
So the Israelites were commanded to wear tzitzit throughout their generations in order to remember the mitzvot of Adonai and not go astray to follow after their own hearts. Correct … Yes!
Hmmm …. we see in the Gospel of John (chapters 13-17) where Yeshua is leaving instructions as well to the nation of Israel … final instructions …. while celebrating “The Pesach Seder”. And what is included in these instructions? ….
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. ….
14:22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 14:23 Yeshua answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
And let us not forget one new commandment …. to love one another as Yeshua loved us …. and in this command was the fulfillment of Torah revealed … the teaching that only HaMashiach could reveal!
I have always kept these passages very close to the vest because they are so representative of the perfection of the covenant by, in and through Yeshua. (Praise His Holy Name)
So similar is the relationship between the purportedly old and new …. we need only look at The Words …. “shomer ha mitzvot” – “keep the commandments”! ELOHIM is unchanging … eternal …. I love the perfect consistency of truth between B’rit Chadasha and Tanakh …. it witnesses to the unity of Father and Son!
But we should of course see the difference in the perfection of the covenant and it is huge … The Father shall give you another comforter … Ruach Hakodesh and then ELOHIM will be within us! But let us not forget the common aspects …. “shomer ha mitzvot”!
Skip, God’s will is that we seek after Him and His Holiness; however, my King James only has 41 verses–thank you for sending me to read this!!!
Sorry, my typo. There are only 41 verses in Numbers 15. I have corrected the entry in the Today’s Word.
14:22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
14:23 Yeshua answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.
Several years ago I purchased a talit for myself. Not a souvenir from a trinket shop, but a genuine gadol talit made by hand in Jerusalem. When making my purchase the man at the store pointed out to me the tzitzit were not yet tied, not did it have the blue cord attached. I inquired as to why. He replied that the tying of the knots and the intertwining of the blue cord was the responsibility of its owner. In other words I was to recall the Shema and the mitzvot as I tied the knots and intertwine the blue cord. This was an action I had to take. I had to learn what knots to tie, in what order they were to be tied, and how the blue cord was to be woven into the tzitzit. My action brought a consequence. By doing this my talit became personal to me; just as the Word of YHWH is be renewed in me.
I am sorry I did not get to read your question sooner but it has been a long day. It looks like you got your answer though. Thank you Drew.