Massei “Journeys”
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Norman, Oklahoma.
While customs are not commandments there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.
Massei is the Hebrew title for “Journeys” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Numbers starting in chapter 33 and going through chapter 36 verse 13.
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah reading comes from the book of Jeremiah in chapter 2 verses 4 -28, chapter 3 verse 4, and chapter 4 verses 1 through 2.
The gospel readings that are incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Mark in chapter 11 with verses 12 through 23.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Overview-
The forty-third reading from the Weekly Torah Portion cycle is called Massei in Hebrew, which means “journeys” in English. The Torah Portion name comes from the words at the beginning of Numbers 33:1, which state, "These are the journeys of the sons of Israel.” Massei is the conclusion of the book of Numbers and concludes with the continuous Torh narrative found through the Torah Portions beginning in Genesis. This narrative is not resumed until Moses’ death at the end of Deuteronomy.
Massei is the last weekly Torah Portion reading in the book of Numbers and it wraps up some details for us. It includes the encampments of the Hebrews from Egypt to Moab. It includes information on the borders of the promised land as well as the apportioning of the land. Moses gives more laws on inheritances and the cities of refuge laws. Massei is traditionally read with the Torah portion Mattot.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Numbers 33:1 Israel’s Journey from Egypt
Numbers 33:50 How to Conquer Canaan
Numbers 34:1 The Boundaries of the Promised Land
Numbers 34:16 Tribal Leaders
Numbers 35:1 Cities for Levities
Numbers 35:9 Cities of Refuge
Numbers 35:16 Concerning Murder and Revenge
Numbers 36:1 Marriage of Female Heirs
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Jeremiah 2:1 God Pleads of Israel’s Repentance
Jeremiah 3:1 Unfaithful Israel
Jeremiah 3:6 A Call to Repentance
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Mark 11:13 Jesus and the Fig Tree
Mark 11:15 Jesus drives out the evil from the Temple Court
The Book of Numbers “Bamidbar” which means “In the Wilderness.”
The Old Testament is commonly referred to as the Torah. It is the most sacred of all of Israel’s Scriptures. Most of our modern Bibles include the Old Testament “Torah” as the first five books in the Bible. The name in Hebrew of the fourth book of the Bible (Numbers) is Bamidbar. The name “Bamidbar” comes from one of the opening phrases in the book of Numbers which means “In the Wilderness,”
The Greek Septuagint is where we find the English name for “Bamidbar” called “Numbers.”
In the Book of Numbers, we see the recounting of the story of Israel’s quest through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. It is a journey that could have been negated if it weren’t for the bad report of the ten spies. It also outlines how the generation who came out of Egypt would die in the wilderness and give way to the triumph of the second generation in leading their way into taking the promised land as their inheritance.
As Messianic Christians, we find the book of Numbers and the stories therein, as a historical account of how we as believers are grafted into the covenants and promises of God with our forefathers and how we can learn to walk and learn from their actions.
To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE
