Household Salvation

By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)

Paqid Mikha ben Hillel

and Paqid Poriel ben Abraham

Shemot (Exodus) 19:6 You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

We signed up to be a holy nation of priests, not to live well. Individual unity with HaShem is a non-starter. In His statement of intent quoted above, HaShem made it clear that He was bonding with the nation, not with individual Jews. Only a unified Israel that can connect with HaShem.

In Acts, there is an interesting passage that states:

2 Lukas (Acts) 16:25-33 ¶And at midnight Shaul and Silas (Luqas) prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Shaul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Shaul and Silas (Luqas), And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Obey Faithfully on the Master Yeshua the Messiah, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

This introduces us to the concept of household salvation. Household salvation is the saving of a whole house through the actions of one individual, the leader of the household. The rest of this article will be used to demonstrate the reality of household salvation and to provide some examples of such salvation taking place. The above passage from Acts is just one of many examples that one can find in this article.

Before we look at some instances of household salvation, we must first understand the full meaning of the word 'house' or 'household'. Household doesn't just mean household. We know that the usage of the word 'house' or 'household' can extend from just the immediate family of one's self from the way it is used for Israel.

Shemot (Exodus) 16:31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

Shemot (Exodus) 40:38 For the cloud of HaShem was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

2 Luqas (Acts) 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that G-d hath made that same Yeshua, whom ye have crucified, both Master and Messiah.

Hebrews (Bereans) 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a G-d, and they shall be to me a people.

Clearly the meaning extends to much more extended family. Israel, Jacob, was the father of the people of Israel. The household of Israel is thus the extended family of Jacob.

As was said earlier, the concept of household salvation involves the leader of a household doing something which then saves the rest of his household. The actions of one affect the whole. Many can be saved through one. Therefore, it is important to understand who can be the leader of a household.

The leader of a household is always the father. No place in Torah will you find the phrase 'house of Sarah' or 'house of Batshevah'. We can also extend this and say that the leader of the household is also a firstborn, regardless if he was actually the first to come from his mother's womb. Rashi explains this in his commentary for the following passage in Torah:

Shemot (Exodus) 12:29-30 And it came to pass, that at midnight HaShem smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

If there was a firstborn there, he died. If there was no firstborn there, the most important one of the household is called “a firstborn,” — as the verse says, “I, too, will make him a firstborn.” [Psalms (Tehillim) 89:28]

Tehillim (Psalms) 89:20-28 Then You spoke in a vision to Your devout [prophets], and said, “I have placed [My] assistance upon the mighty one, I have exalted the one chosen from among the people. I have found David, My servant; with My holy oil I have anointed him; with whom My hand shall be established [to assist him], My arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact from him, nor shall the iniquitous person afflict him. And I will smash his tormentors from before him, and smite those who hate him. And My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My Name his power shall be exalted. And I will set his hand upon the sea, and his right hand upon the rivers. He will call to Me, 'You are my Father, my God and the Rock of my salvation!' I, too, will make him a firstborn, supreme over the earth's kings.

There are examples of men who were not born as firstborns, but became firstborns by their actions. For instance, Jacob became the firstborn when he bought the birthright from Esau:

Bereshit (Genesis) 25:30-33 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage ; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

The birthright is the firstborn's, and when Esau transfered the birthright to Jacob, Jacob became the firstborn.

Judah, according to Rashi, was the firstborn of the 12 tribes of Israel (despite Judah being the fourth son of Jacob). He became firstborn through his actions.

Clearly the leader of a household is also the firstborn of the house. Now when someone in the Torah is called a firstborn, we know that it can also have the meaning of leader of his household. We can then restate the concept of household salvation as: The actions of the firstborn can cause him and his entire household to be saved. If the firstborn is saved, his entire household is saved. The implications of this statement are staggering and should not be understated!

If the head of a household is also a firstborn, then one could further state that he is also a Kohen, a priest. Or at least he should have been. Before the sin of the Golden Calf, all firstborns of Israel would be priests. This is called the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Bereshit (Genesis) 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Tehillim (Psalms) 110:4 HaShem hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek is understood to be Shem, son of Noah, according to the Midrash:

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers IV:8 - TAKE THE LEVITES, etc. (III, 45). Our Rabbis have said: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, order the firstborn Israelites to be redeemed by means of the Levites? Because originally, before the tribe of Levi arose, the firstborn performed the sacrificial service. As our Rabbis have learned: Before the Tabernacle was erected the high places were permitted and the sacrificial service was performed by the firstborn. From the moment when the Tabernacle was erected the high places were forbidden and the service was confined to the priests. There is proof that the firstborn offered the sacrifices before the tribe of Levi took office. Go back to the beginning of the creation of the world. Adam was the world's firstborn. When he offered his sacrifice, as it says: And it pleased the Lord better than a bullock that hath horns and hoofs (Ps. LXIX, 32) - he donned high priestly garments; as it says: And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them (Gen. III, 21). They were robes of honour which subsequent firstborn used. When Adam died he transmitted them to Seth. Seth transmitted them to Methusaleh. When Methusaleh died he transmitted them to Noah. Noah arose and offered a sacrifice; as it says: And he took of every clean beast... and offered burnt-offerings on the altar (Gen. VIII, 20). Noah died and transmitted them to Shem. But was Shem a firstborn? Japheth, surely, was the firstborn; as it says: Shem... the brother of Japheth the elder1 (Gen. X, 21)! Why then did he hand them on to Shem? Because Noah foresaw that the line of the patriarchs would issue from him. There is proof that Shem offered sacrifices; since it says: And Melchizedek, king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was priest of God the Most High (Gen. XIV, 18). Now was it to him that the priesthood was given? The priesthood, surely, was not given to any man until Aaron arose. What then is the meaning of the statement here, ‘and he was priest’? Because he offered sacrifices like priests. Shem died and handed it on to Abraham. But was Abraham a firstborn?5 The fact is that because he was a righteous man the birthright was transferred to him, and he offered sacrifices; as it says: And offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son (Gen. XXII, 13). Abraham died and handed it on to Isaac. Isaac arose and handed it on to Jacob. But was Jacob a firstborn? No; but you find that Jacob prudently took it [the birthright] from Esau. He said to him: Sell me first thy birthright (Gen. XXV, 31). Do you suppose perhaps that it was for no good reason that Jacob asked Esau to sell him the birthright? No! Jacob wished to offer sacrifices and could not, because he was not the firstborn. Said Esau: ‘What can I expect of this birthright? ' As it says: Behold I am at the point to die; and what profit shall the birthright do to me?

We see that Shem may not have been a firstborn, but became a firstborn when his father Noah passed the robes of Adam to him. This is a metaphor for passing the priesthood.

We therefore have found that the head of a household is not only a firstborn, but is also a priest. In fact, being a firstborn is being a priest of the order of Melchizedek. Being the head of one's household is being the priest of that household.

This new understanding requires more explanation. Being a firstborn doesn't seem to come with many responsibilities or duties. One doesn't conjure images in one's mind about a firstborn being much more than the one who helps raise the rest of his siblings and does more household chores. However, one can also see this as training for when the firstborn goes to the house of HaShem to represent his house, to take care of his people and to do the chores of the house of HaShem.

So now we must explore the duties a priest has to his household. One should be aware that the household of the firstborn is not just his immediate family, but it is all of Israel. The household of Israel is the household the priest is representing.

Returning to the example of Shem, we find a clue as to what the duties of the priest are.

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXXVI:6 AND SHEM AND JAPHETH TOOK A GARMENT. R. Johanan said: Shem commenced the good deed, then Japheth came and hearkened to him. Therefore Shem was granted a Tallit and Japheth a pallium. AND LAID IT UPON BOTH THEIR SHOULDERS. Now since it is said, AND WENT BACKWARDS, do we not know that THEY SAW NOT THEIR FATHER'S NAKEDNESS? This, however, teaches that they hid their faces with their hands and walked backward, giving him the respect due from a son to a father. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Shem: ‘Thou didst cover thy father's nakedness: By thy life! I will reward thee When these men are bound in their cloaks (be-sarbelehon), ' etc. (Dan. III, 21). (R. Judan and R. Huna [differed as to the meaning of ’ be-sarbelehon ‘]: R. Judan said: It means in their prayer cloaks; R. Huna said: It means in their robes of state.) The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Japheth: ' Thou didst cover thy father's nakedness: By thy life, I will reward thee, for It shall come to pass on that day, that I will give unto Gog a place fit for burial in Israel’ (Ezek. XXXIX, II). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Ham: ' Thou didst bring thy father's nakedness into disgrace: By thy life, I will requite thee: So shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt, and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered to the shame of Egypt ‘ (Isa. XX, 4).

The tallit has many names. Prayer shawl, prayer closet, and even tent. A tallit is a four-cornered garment with fringes, called tzitzit in Hebrew, that are a representation of the 613 commands of Torah. These commands are our link to HaShem, since in the observance of the commands we learn more and become closer with HaShem. Therefore, when the priest dons a tallit he is connecting himself with HaShem.  This garment is needed to make that connection to HaShem during prayer.

When we think about the tallit as a prayer closet, we picture a private area for prayer, one-on-one with HaShem. In this way, the priest is given a very personal connection to HaShem.

When we think about the tallit as a tent, we picture a dwelling place for, perhaps, an entire family. In this way, the priest is not only representing himself before HaShem, but his entire household. This is one of two main duties of a priest—to mediate between the people and HaShem.

We can see that mediating between the people and HaShem is an important task for the priest and we can see that the tallit is an important tool for this task, but the priest has another duty to perform—mediate between man and man. We can see why Aaron and his line were chosen to take the place of the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Shemot (Exodus) 28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest' office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron' sons.

Aaron was know for his peace-making.

Mishnah Pirke Abot 1:12 Hillel said: Be a disciple of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving people and bringing them close to Torah.

In fact, Aaron embodied the guiding principles of Judaism found in the Tanakh:

Micah (Mikha) 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth HaShem require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

How is this so? What does justice have to do with peace-making? It has everything to do with it!

Jerusalem Talmud, Ta'anit 4:2, 68a Rabbi Shimon ben Gamaliel said, "The world stands on three things: justice, truth and peace." And these three are actually one thing. When justice is served, truth is done and peace is made.

So we can see that choosing Aaron and his lineage was not merely an arbitrary decision by HaShem, but was actually a decision based on the normal behavior of Aaron.

Not only is peace-making between man and man important, but peace-making between HaShem and man is important as well. Aaron, as well as his brother Moses, was known for his ability to do that as well. An example is found in the Torah:

Shemot (Exodus) 16:41-50 But on the morrow [following the destruction of Korah and his followers] all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of HaShem. And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of HaShem appeared. And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation. And HaShem spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from HaShem; the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

Aaron made peace between HaShem and man, staying a plague that would have wiped out all of Israel. Aaron saved the household of Israel by his actions. It is obvious now just how important the leader of a household really is!

Although we related the duties of mediating between HaShem and man as well as man and man to Aaron's behavior and his subsequent appointment to the priesthood, these same responsibilities apply to priests of the line of Melchizedek. We should expect no less of a priest from that line.

This also reveals another qualification to be a priest. To be able to be a peace-maker, or 'to do justly' as it says in Micah, a priest must be an expert in Torah and Halakha. How can a priest mete out justice if he doesn't even know the laws of justice? He can't. Thus we can see that a priest must, in modern terms, also be a Hakham (Rabbi).

In Micah, love of mercy is also highlighted as a guiding principle of Judaism. Mercy is an important quality that priests must be especially diligent to incorporate into their every action and every decision or ruling they make. His Eminence, Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai gives us a concise explanation of the importance mercy has to  priests in his commentary for Exodus (Shemot) 12: :29-51:

We read in the Torah Seder for this week about the last plague that killed all the first-born of Egypt, and concluding with the thought that no Gentile is allowed to eat of the Korban shel Pesach (Paschal sacrifice) until he be circumcised. What would these two thoughts have in common?

Simply put, the Egyptians because of their lack of mercy towards the Israelites forfeited the right to be priests of the Most High, and Passover is a meal to celebrate the redemption of the first-born which before Israel participated in the sin of the golden calf were obligated to be priests of their family unit.

Passover is an interesting festival, it celebrates the priesthood of all the first-borns. Also it is a festival that serves to awaken within each Israelite the need to learn and perform their priestly functions. That is why no Gentile is allowed to eat of the Passover sacrifice unless he joins the priestly family by circumcision in accordance to the rites and laws of Moses and of Israel.

This important ingredient of mercy is perfectly outlined in Scripture in Hosea 6:6, where it is stated: “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of HaShem more than burnt offerings.” Mercy is thus one of the key ingredients of being a priest. Firstborns, because they are often entrusted more responsibilities than the rest of his siblings, tend in general to have more mercy than his siblings. Further, most first-borns have had to take care at some point of his siblings, and by nature is used to taking care of others, thus trained from an early age to have mercy on others. This quality of mercy results also in greater patience and elasticity with other persons. Thus, we do not make priests of persons who do not have mercy, patience, and tolerance to other peoples' points of view.

Abraham, a priest from the line of Melchizedek, expresses this attribute of mercy by pleading for the lives of those in Sodom and Gomorrah:

Bereshit (Genesis) 18:20-33 And HaShem said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before HaShem. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And HaShem said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it . And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty' sake. And he said unto him , Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it , if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty' sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten' sake. And HaShem went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Abraham was so well known for his kindness and mercy that the Attribute of Kindness (Heb. Chessed, Mercy) said, "All the days that Abraham was in the world, I did not have to do my work, for Abraham took my place” (Sefer HaBahir 86).

So we can see that mercy is an extremely important part of a priest's duty as mediator between man and HaShem, and mediator between man and man.

Finally, in Micah 6:8 we see that to 'walk humbly with thy God' is another guiding principle of Judaism. This principle applies, like the others, especially to priests. Who other to use as an example of humility than Moses our teacher?

Bamidbar (Numbers) 12:3 Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth!

Moses was a true embodiment of humility. He had more than one occasion to glorify himself and to get special treatment from HaShem. He could have asked HaShem to make him high-priest instead of his brother, Aaron. He had multiple occasions to be angry with those who challenged his authority (Exodus 12 with Aaron and Miriam; Numbers 16:1-5 with Korah and his men). He could have been envious of Eldad and Medad when they prophesied, as Joshuah though he should be, but instead responded to Joshuah (Numbers 11:29), “Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all HaShem's people were prophets, and that HaShem would put his spirit upon them!”

Moses even had a chance to replace Israel; however, in an act of great humility and peace-making he was able to save Israel from destruction.

Shemot (Exodus) 32:7-14 And HaShem said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves : They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And HaShem said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought HaShem his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And HaShem repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

It is crucial for all leaders to be humble, because if they aren't they will likely fall prey to greed and ego. Power corrupts, unless one is mindful of the source of power. The priests have such power and authority over Israel, it would be easy for them to extort Israel and use the power given to them for evil rather than good.

Moses knew that everything that he had was given to him by HaShem. Any abilities or wealth he had came from HaShem. He lived his life in humility and service towards HaShem. Should we ask less of our spiritual leaders, even today? No, and therefore another duty and qualification of a priest is to act humbly and to live a humble life in service towards HaShem and man.

We have explored the duties a priest has towards his household, but what about the reverse? What about the duties a household has towards its priest? Let us see what the Torah has to say:

Bereshit (Genesis) 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of HaShem, to do justice and judgment; that HaShem may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Bereshit (Genesis) 35:2-4 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

In Genesis 18:19, it says that Abraham will command his household, and that they will obey him. We can then infer that the members of a household must obey the leader of the household. Therefore, the people of the house of Israel must obey the priests. In 35:2-4, we see again that the members of a household obeyed the leader of their household. We can see that there is an emphasis on obedience to the leaders of household.

We must also honor and respect the priests, as we would the leader of a household.

Now that we know what it means to be a leader of a household, we can now find examples of household salvation in the Bible.

We've already seen some examples in previous paragraphs. Moses and Aaron both saved their household, Israel, multiple times.

An excellent example comes from Genesis:

Bereshit (Genesis) 7:1 And HaShem said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

We all know the story of the flood and Noah's ark, but now we see the salvation of  Noah and his family in a new way. Noah's family was saved through his merit. It is because of him that they lived on to repopulate the earth. We can already see just how important it is to have good leaders!

Another example of household salvation:

Bereshit (Genesis) 22:1-13 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am .  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. ¶And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of HaShem called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns:

In 'The Midrash Says' it depicts the sequence of events, including dialogue between Abraham and Isaac. This dialogue includes the following (Bereshit p. 197):

“My father, my father,” he cried. “Here are both fire and wood but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”

“G-d Himself will choose the lamb for the sacrifice, my son, and if not, you will be the lamb!”

Isaac put his face between his hands and wept.

“Is this the Bet Hamidrash about which you spoke to my mother?” he sobbed. When Abraham heard this, he wept also. But Isaac controlled himself and comforted him, “Do not feel distressed, father. Fulfill you Creator's will through me! May my blood be an atonement for the future Jewish people!”

Then later (p. 199):

When Abraham put his knife to Isaac's neck, Isaac's soul departed form his body.

The sacrifice of Isaac would have been an atonement for the sins of all future Jews. However, we read in the Torah that Abraham was stopped before he could slaughter his son. We read in the Midrash that Isaac's soul departed from his body, however, which means he died. Since Abraham didn't kill him, how could Isaac's soul leave his body? Either HaShem took it, or Isaac gave up his life. Since we know that HaShem desired to save Isaac, it must be that Isaac gave up his life to atone for the sins of all future Jews.

But how could Isaac atone for all future Jews? Because all the future Jews would come from him. Isaac begot Jacob, who begot the 12 tribes, which were the house of Israel. Isaac saved the future house of Israel from their sins, by atoning for them.

Incidentally, this parallels the story of Yeshua.

1 Lukas (Luke) 23:46 And when Yeshua had cried with a loud voice, he said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit”: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Clearly Yeshua gave up his own life, and this too was an atonement. However, who was the atonement for? The Jews didn't need any atonement, they already had Isaac for an atonement. But since Yeshua was a Jew, who else could he be an atonement for? (For further explanation see: http://www.betemunah.org/merit.html

Yochanan (John) 1:29 The next day John seeth Yeshua coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Yochanan (John) 3:17 For G-d sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Apparently, Yeshua was sent to save the world, to atone for the sins of the world. But how can that be, since he is Jewish? Not only that, but there doesn't appear to be a similar relationship between the world and Yeshua as there was between the Jewish people and Isaac.

But in fact, the relationship is the same in every way.

1 Corinthians 15:19-23 If in this life only we have hope in Mashiach, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Mashiach risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Mashiach shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Mashiach the firstfruits; afterward they that are Mashiach's at his coming.

The relationship is the same because Yeshua was Messiah (Mashiach), because he was also Adam!

In the article on Adam found here on this site, it is pointed out that both Adam and the Messiah are both called the Son of HaShem.

1 Luqas (Luke) 3:38 Which was [the son] of Enos, which was [the son] of Seth, which was [the son] of Adam, which was [the son] of G-d.

Matityahu (Matthew) 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Mashiach, the Son of the living G-d.

Clearly then Yeshua was a salvation to the world, because all humanity came through him. As one can see, the subject of household salvation has implications for the whole world!

As for the Master of Nazareth also being the big brother of his household, Israel, he also gave his life willingly to protect the existence of the Jewish people, as is stated:

Yochanan (John) 18:14 Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

The Master of Nazareth took upon himself the responsibility to be the Bechor (firstborn) of his family as Ya’aqov (Jacob) had, concerning his household, in buying the birthright from Esav (Esau).

As Yeshua taught and lived he expects the same of his talmidim (disciples) as he addresses in the Midrash of Mattityahu (Matthew) 10:24-25, “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord…”

The Master of Nazareth has given us the task to follow his example of being a Bechor (firstborn) firstly unto our Nazarean Community, the Community of K’lal Yisrael (the whole of Israel), and to the world. Let us take up this most noble challenge, in our Emunah (faithful obedience) to HaShem, to serve the people of Israel and all men. Let us bear this “cross” as the Master of Nazareth had to engage in the daily mitzvah (deed) of restoring and redeeming the world.

* * *

This study was written by

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

(Greg Killian).

Comments may be submitted to:

Rabbi Dr. Greg Killian

12210 Luckey Summit

San Antonio, TX 78252

Internet address:  gkilli@aol.com

Web page:  http://www.betemunah.org/

(360) 918-2905

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