Teachings
Shabbats - Saturdays
The 4 special Saturdays
Yaakov, Béla Orbán
The Jewish community consider the 4 Saturdays (Shabbats) preceding Pessah (Passover) as being Special ones. Their difference comes from the fact that except from current portions read in the Torah (Sidra Parashat and Haftora), we read a further part holding the same name as the actual Special Shabbat.
Their order is as follows:
1.Shabbat SHEKALIM – Saturday of Shekels
2.Shabbat ZÁHOR – Saturday of remember, of reminding
3.Shabbat PARA – Saturday of the law of the red cow
4.Shabbat HaGADOL – The Great Saturday
1. Shabbat SHEKALIM
We shall return later on this subject within another teaching.
2. Shabbat ZAHOR
The second Saturday among the special ones. Its moment is not a coincidence since it falls every time one week before Purim.
The remembering of Amalek that God decreed:
"Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt..." (Dt.25,17)
In the Jewish communities, it is thus in this day when we read the part in Deuteronomy 26:17-19. The reminding is also connected with the history of the fight of Israel against Amalek. Moses went up on the mountain and Joshua won. Exodus 17:8-16
Let us also always remember the promise which follows this story:
"… the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation"
The fight always lasts, the fight of the Lord.
During thousands of years, we could be the witnesses of the fact that Amalek never died. In the history of Purim, we see him reappearing under the name of Haman as well as under the name of the well known murderers of the Chosen people in the last century during the Shoa. But Amalek is today more awaken than ever.
But who is Amalek today?
Who is the one which is against us (Chosen People and Saved People of God), against whom we have to fight together and beside God, since it is His fight?
Who is the one who attacks those who went out from their Egypt as well as their Calling? Who is the one who attacks those who are on the road towards the heavenly homeland? Who does not wants at all that the believer fulfills the role and settle in the place, the ministry and the function that God defined for him/her?
Do we really fight against the desires of the flesh?
The danger does not stop growing when the laws of the earthly world give no more protection against Amalek, against the physical desires.
Today almost everything is allowed, and the modern world as well as the spirit which rules over it fight and destroy little by little any barrier, any law still framing and settling the desires of the flesh.
But God's promise is eternal…
Remember Amalek.
The desires of the body attack us as soon as we born. These desires act and also influence our thoughts and our desires of the soul.
Remember Amalek?
Yes, and to do this, it is necessary to return to the source, until the original sin, until Adam and Eve.
Since we all were born in that state.
3. Shabbat PARA
The part which is read this day: Numbers 19.
The part read in the Torah speaks about the purifying sacrifice of the red cow which purifies from impurities due to the deaths. This action reminds the purification made before every Pessah at the time of the first Sanctuary.
"And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke."(Num 19:1-2)
The so down slaughtered animal was sacrificed in holocaust outside of the camp in a fire of cedar wood with scarlet and hyssop.
During the sacrifice all which was pure became impure and all which was impure got cleansed …
The wise Jews cannot explain this outstanding ceremony. There is a hypothesis according to which it would be about an offering of repair in memory of the golden veal.
Others consider this law as being a decree.
The sovereigns often ordered decrees to the peoples without giving any explanation or sense about their meaning or their purposes. They did so to make clear their absolute power in the eyes of everyone.
Because there is no Sanctuary today, and because as a consequence of it, there is no pacificator ashes prepared according to the method explained previously, we are consequently all in the state of impurity by the death...
This is the reason why it is forbidden to go up to the Temple Hill in Jerusalem, to the territory of the Sanctuary…
Although, for us, the notion of purifying Sacrifice is quite well known…
The redeeming work of Yeshua HaMashiach was carrying this double effect.
He became impure by our sins, while we were cleansed by Him.
The carmine is the symbol of the blood, the hyssop the one of the cure and the cedar generates the good savor…
4.Shabbat HaGADOL
The last Special Saturday is the one that precedes directly Pessah.
It is a very ancient custom that the rabbis hold long speeches on this day in the synagogue to prepare the community for the reception of Pessah and for its laws.
Translated from hungarian by Richard (Zeev Shlomo)
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