November 2, 2024: Parashah Torah Portion Noach - "Noah" & Rosh Chodesh

Shabbat: November 1st, 2024 at sunset until November 2nd, 2024 at sunset.

Scriptures:

• Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan: Friday November 1st, 2024

  Haftarah (Prophets): Isaiah 66:1-24

  
  

• Shabbat Noach: Saturday November 2nd, 2024: Parashat Noach - "Noah" Torah Portion: Genesis 6:9-11:32

  Haftarah (Prophets): Isaiah 66:1-24

  Brit Chadashah (New Covenant): Matthew 24:36-46; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Hebrews 11:7

Restore Israel Team: Elihana Elia, Dr. Hadassah Elia & Devorah Silva

This Erev Shabbat, Friday November 1st, 2024 was very significant, as it was Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan - the New Moon Feast for the new month of Cheshvan!

On the Biblical calendar, the month of Cheshvan חשׁןו immediately follows the "holiday month" of Tishri, where we celebrated so many great and joyful feasts. However, Cheshvan is sometimes called Mar-Cheshvan ("bitter Cheshvan") because there are no festivals during the month ("neither feast nor fast") and it marks the start of the cold and rainy season in Israel.

Yet, a very significant event happened during this month of Cheshvan! The Torah records for us that ADONAI brought down the Flood that destroyed the world on Cheshvan 17, in accordance to Genesis 7:10-11, which lasted until Cheshvan 27 (Genesis 8:14) - exactly one calendar year after it began:

"10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened." Genesis 7:10-11

"By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry." Genesis 8:14

Because Noah's Flood began and ended during this month, Cheshvan is generally regarded as "mar" - a time of judgment and hardship.

ADONAI gave Noah the sign of the rainbow, announcing that He would never again destroy the world by a flood again:

"I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." Genesis 9:11

Despite its association with judgment, some Jewish traditions affirm that the month of Cheshvan will eventually lose its bitterness, because it will be during this time that the "third Temple" will be inaugurated.

However, for us as Messianic believers in MESSIAH YESHUA, this future Temple will be the "Tribulation Temple," the place where the anti-Messiah (or also known as the antichrist) will betray the people of Israel about midway through the final "week" of Daniel's great prophecy.

Indeed it will only be after YESHUA returns to save Israel at the End of Days that the Fourth (Millennial Kingdom) Temple will be established, and then all the surviving nations will come to Zion to honor ADONAI the LORD God of Israel and celebrate Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), year after year:

"16 Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them."

Zechariah 14:16-17

Rain is referred to as a blessing after a drought, a symbol of God's love and teachings to spread over the world, and even as a flood to wash away the sins of a corrupt world!

Last week's Parashah Bereshit showed how the fall of Adam and Eve caused humanity to plunge into idolatrous chaos. The wicked generations of Cain (and the ungodly mixture of the human and the demonic through the "nephilim") caused the world to be entirely steeped in anarchy and bloodlust, so that "every intention of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil, continually":

"The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." Genesis 6:5-6

After nine generations, the LORD "had enough" and was ready to wipe humanity from the face of the earth. However, God recognized Noah (from the godly line of Seth) as a tzaddik צדּיק - a righteous man, and graciously made provision to save him from the wrath to come.

Parashah Noach opens up with the following:

"These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God." Genesis 6:9

Noah's name comes from the Hebrew verb nu'ach נוּח meaning "to rest." He was named by his father Lamech who said, “This one will comfort us from our work and from the pain of our hands because of the ground which Adonai cursed." Genesis 5:29. As such, Noah is a type of Messiah who saves the world and gives comfort and rest.

ADONAI revealed to Noah his intention of destroying all the inhabitants of the earth with a great and worldwide flood (mabbul), and therefore instructed him to build a 450 foot long, three-tiered wooden teivah ("ark") and to cover it both inside and out with pitch (or resin).

Noah took his wife, his three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth) and their wives, and two animals: male and female of every sort of unclean animal, and seven of every clean animal into the ark, to be sheltered from the coming flood.

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the 17th day of the month, all the "fountains of the great deep" burst forth, and the rain began to fall for 40 days and nights. The waters eventually covered the entire earth, overwhelming even the tops of the highest mountains. After 150 days, the water began to recede, and on the 17th day of the 7th month, the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat.

From its perch, Noah dispatched a raven, and then a series of doves, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the earth. In the six hundred and first year (601) of Noah's life, in the second month, on the 27th day of the month, after a stay of 1 year and 11 days inside the ark, the ground was finally dry! Noah then removed the ark's covering and built an altar to offer sacrifices to ADONAI. The LORD then made a covenant בּרית (Brit) with Noah and his descendants to never destroy the earth with a flood, and gave the rainbow קשׁת (keshet) as a sign of this covenant.

It's important to note the first thing that Noah did, when he came out of the ark:

“Then Noah built an altar to ADONAI and he took of every clean domestic animal and of every clean flying creature and he offered burnt offerings on the altar.” Genesis ‭8‬:‭20‬

As a result of that, the Bible says in Genesis 8:21-22:

"21 When ADONAI smelled the soothing aroma, ADONAI said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, even though the inclination of the heart of humankind is evil from youth. Nor will I ever again smite all living creatures, as I have done.

22 While all the days of the land remain, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease.”

This shows us the significance of building a holy altar unto ADONAI, no matter the circumstances we are facing! It's in the worship and the building of an altar, a sacrifice of praise to ADONAI, taking our attention away from the circumstances, and focusing on the LORD YESHUA, the Author and Finisher of our faith, that things begin to shift for the good, in our lives: deliverances, healings, victories and breakthroughs!!!

"Focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame; and He has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

Shabbat is an appointed time that ADONAI has set for us to meet with HIM. He not only wants us to worship HIM at this appointed day, but also expects us to bring HIM an offering worthy of HIM! So lets honor the LORD this Shabbat, loving Him and worshipping Him with all of our hearts, minds, bodies and strength!

"You heavens above, rain down My Righteousness; Let the clouds shower it down.

Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it;

I, the LORD, have created it.

9“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds

among the potsherds on the ground.

Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’

Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’?

10Woe to the one who says to a father, ‘What have you begotten?’

Or to a mother, ‘What have you brought to birth?’

11“This is what the Lord says—the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:

Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children,

or give me orders about the work of my hands?

12It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it.

My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts."

Isaiah 45:8-12