1. Why Moses and Mordecai should be cheered all year long:
2. Why is wine an important part of Purim and Pesach?
3. Before salvation can be received our ‘pride’ must be destroyed
4. Faith conquers all

Why Moses and Mordecai should be cheered all year long:

There are two ways in which holiness is revealed in the world: either through the victory of the righteous or through the downfall of the wicked. First, when Israel acts justly the righteous are exalted and the praise of the Holy One rises up from us. When Israel or any of Adonai’s chosen people lacks merit deliverance comes through the downfall of those who are more wicked than us. The downfall of the wicked alone, however, does not bring joy into the world. Second, rejoicing-simcha only comes from “Blessed is Mordecai!” This is so because Mordecai symbolizes the “free reign of the Holy Spirit” upon the earth.

At Purim, it is a much greater occasion to celebrate “Blessed is Mordecai” than it is to declare, “Cursed is Haman.”

Therefore, it is a much greater occasion to joyously celebrate “Blessed is Mordecai” (the righteous administration of the Ruach Ha-Kodesh) than it is to declare “Cursed is Haman;” an end to the reign of wickedness in the world.

  At Pesach, it is a much greater occasion to celebrate “Blessed is Mosheh” than it is to declare, “Cursed is Pharaoh.”

Similarly, in the Pesach narrative it is Moses who is the hero. The Egyptian Pharaoh is the nemesis. The downfall of wicked Pharaoh does not bring us joy. Simcha only comes from “Blessed is Mosheh!” It is Mosheh who brought us the testimony of the Korban Pesach. Moses saw the day of Messiah and blessed it! “Blessed is Mosheh” for leading us to the Sacrificed One who has reconciled us to the Righteous Father.

Moses still calls us to the blessedness of repentance and forgiveness of sin.

This in turn leads us to the “Blessed is Moses and Mordecai.” “Blessed is Mosheh.” Free Israel! “Blessed is Mordecai.” Free the world! Then will we “all” be “doubly blessed and doubly free.”

Moses calls us to leave Egypt as slaves and enter the Promised Land of Israel as a free people and nation. Mordecai calls us to one day (we pray soon) extend the Promised Land of Israel into Persia (i.e. to extend the rule of the Most High throughout all of the world). It is Mordecai who reminds us that after repentance and forgiveness comes international liberation; after returning to the Holy One and receiving cleansing for sin comes the international reign of His righteousness.

May the “free reign of the Holy Spirit” soon be poured out from heaven as a flood of righteousness upon the entire earth. “Blessed is Mosheh.” Free Israel! “Blessed is Mordecai.” Free the world! Then will we “all” be “doubly blessed and doubly free.” Amen! Amen!

Why is wine an important part of Purim and Pesach?

As we discussed just one month ago in our study and observance of Purim, according to rabbinical tradition the people of Israel reaped the adversity of Haman’s Decree of Death because they participated in the wine feast of Ahasuerus. At the wine feast of Ahaserus the people of Israel ate defiled food and did not keep the commandments (mitzvot) of Adonai’s Passover. This transgression of not observing Pesach gave opportunity to the evil one to seek our (Israel’s) total annihilation.

Therefore, drinking the Wine of Pride represents the Banquet of our Rebellion.

Such disobedience on our part provokes the Righteous Father to wrath. For our Righteous Father “opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” For to us whom much is given (we are a chosen people), much is expected. The erasure of our sin (of not observing Pesach at the appointed time) and the downfall of proud Haman was brought about at the wine Banquet of our Deliverance. King Ahasuerus attended this banquet too. He is a symbol of Providence that is the Sovereign rule of Adonai over all of the nations and the peoples of the world (Gentile as well as Jew).

Adonai alone is the rightful Sovereign Ruler over all creation.

El Elyon (the Most High) rules through both His covenant of the Law (the first decree that leads to death); and His covenant of Grace (the second decree that leads to life). The first covenant alone applies to the Proud. The first covenant (I am a sinner in need of a Deliverer) together with the second covenant (Yeshua is my Deliverer) applies to the Humble. The proud are those who believe they stand righteous before the Holy One by their own virtue (righteousness). The evil deed (singular) is that God says we are sinners in need of a Deliverer (Savior) and we say we are righteous and we don’t need a Savior. By asserting this false belief (lie) the Prushim and all of their rabbinic successors are calling the Holy One a liar.

We must humbly agree with God that we are all sinners in need of a Savior—the M’shicho (His Messiah) whom He has sent .

The second covenant applies to the Humble. The humble are those who believe they are sinners in need of a Deliverer. The righteous deed (singular) is agreeing with God that we have all transgressed the Law and we are all (even Mosheh) in need of the Mashiach our Korban Pesach who is the only sinless one. He alone is our Deliverer. It is the Humble who stand righteous before the Holy One. We stand righteous before Him solely by His Virtue alone; and not through any virtue of our own (our righteous deeds). The Wine of Humility (Mordecai) represents the redemptive shedding of the blood (life) of the Korban Pesach. The blood of the Korban Pesach is a symbol of the sacrifice of all of the life of the Messiah. This includes both His physical and the spiritual life.

The Righteous One sacrificed all of His life on the accursed tree (configured in the sign of the Hebrew letter Tav) that brings cleansing of sin and “new life” to us through the “fulfillment” of the Law. Not the substitution of the Law of Moses.

Before salvation can be received our ‘pride’ must be destroyed:

The picture in both the festivals of Pesach and Purim is that Pride (chametz) must be destroyed before salvation can be received.

When the Salvation of Adonai (Yeshua) was offered by Adonai at His Banquet of Deliverance on Pesach, then the wicked one came and offered in its place his “substitute” Banquet of Rebellion; where his *Wine of Pride can be consumed to the full. Wine is a symbol of blood and blood is a symbol of life (spiritual as well as physical).

Therefore, an equivalent phrase to the phrase “wine of pride” is the Pride of Life (וְגַאֲוַת הַנְּכָסִים-pride ‘boasting [in it’s own] wealth’). In the time of our subservience in Egypt, our Korban Pesach (a symbol of Yeshua; i.e. personified yeshuah) paid our debt by His sacrifice, and in so doing set us free from the twin bondage of sin and death. The Messiah paid our sin debt in full (“נִשְׁלַם”) so that all who believe—believe in the sacrifice of His life (blood; i.e. physical and spiritual life) that ‘covers’ forever the doorposts of our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies—might one day become ‘doubly fruitful’ (אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙-firstborn is now Ephraim because our sin in not properly observing Pesach is now ‘forgotten,’ Manasseh-מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה). In Genesis (48:14) look and you will see the ancient Sign of the Tav (i.e. of redemption) in father Israel’s crossing of His arms to make Ephraim the firstborn son and Manasseh the second born son.

This means we were at the first brought forth in iniquity (בְּעָו֥וֹן) and conceived in sin (בְחֵ֗טְא) and we were not doubly fruitful. Then through the faith of our fathers at seeing and believing in the day of the Mashiach ben Yosef (the Korban Pesach) our fortunes were reversed. We (all of the children of Israel) are forgiven now!

Under the atoning covering of the Tav we have been purified in the cleansing waters of the redemptive life of the Korban Pesach. We have already become whiter than snow (מִשֶּׁ֥לֶג אַלְבִּֽין). All of our sins are forgotten now.

In these last days we are now seen in the Beloved as being Doubly Fruitful. Therefore, we are now by faith free-citizens in the kingdom of Adonai (our Father and our God). Unfortunately, most of us have yet to accept Adonai’s gift of forgiveness. There still exists a ‘delay’ in our full acceptance of our birthright.

Let there be no more delay!

Leave charan (חָרָ֖ן-the settlement in the spiritually parched’ place of  self-interest and pride). Come now AmIsrael to the spiritually blessed place. Leave charan. Pass through the land of Canaan (כְּנָֽעַן-Humility) as far as the site of Shechem (שְׁכֶ֔ם-Governance; i.e. the burden that is carried upon the shoulders), to the Oak of Moreh (אֵל֣וֹן מוֹרֶ֑ה-A symbol of the sacrifice (אֵל֣וֹן-oak tree) and redemptive teaching (מוֹרֶ֑ה) of the Mashiach). There now must be delay no longer! (שֶׁלֹּא תִּהְיֶה עוֹד שָׁהוּת)

Observe Pesach now and rejoice in the great feast of our salvation.

When our people (Israel) came out of Egypt the Holy One had us wander in the wilderness to humble us, to prove us. This the Righteous Father did so that we might know what was destined for us ‘before the foundations of the earth’ that it is His will that His (omnipresent) Holy Spirit would indwell our entire being, forever (Deuteronomy 8:3):

וְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת־כָּל־הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר הֹלִֽיכֲךָ ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ זֶה אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בַּמִּדְבָּר לְמַעַן עַנֹּֽתְךָ לְנַסֹּֽתְךָ לָדַעַת אֶת־אֲשֶׁר בִּֽלְבָבְךָ הֲתִשְׁמֹר מצותו אִם־לֹֽא׃ וַֽיְעַנְּךָ וַיַּרְעִבֶךָ וַיַּֽאֲכִֽלְךָ אֶת־הַמָּן אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַעְתָּ וְלֹא יָדְעוּן אֲבֹתֶיךָ לְמַעַן הֹודִֽעֲךָ כִּי לֹא עַל־הַלֶּחֶם לְבַדֹּו יִחְיֶה הָֽאָדָם כִּי עַל־כָּל־מֹוצָא פִֽי־ה’ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָֽם׃

“You shall remember all the way which Adonai Eloheicha has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Adonai.” In His confrontation with the evil one the Mashiach found strength to overcome the test when He recalled that “Ha-Adam does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Adonai:”

וַיַּעַן וַיֹּאמַר הֵן כָּתוּב לֹא עַל־הַלֶּחֶם לְבַדּוֹ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם כִּי עַל־כָּל־מוֹצָא פִי־ה’׃

He (the Mashiach) answered (our Advesary-שָׂטָן) and said, “See, it is written, ‘The Man (Ha-Adam-הָאָדָם) does not live on bread alone, but everything that comes out of the mouth of HaShem.”

Like father Abraham and his greater Son Ha-Mashiach, HaAdam Ha-acharon (הָאָדָם הָאַחֲרוֹן), we are called to be citizens of a royal nation, a nation that is called to greatness. It is our destiny as a people to put our trust ‘in’ the heavenly Father (Avinu Shebashamayim) sufficient to realize His loving-gracious plan to bless all the families, nations, and peoples of the world (Genesis 12:3):

וַאֲבָֽרֲכָה מְבָרְכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָֽה׃

And I will bless (brachah-בָֽרֲכָה) those who bless (brachah) you,
And the one who curses you (מְקַלֶּלְךָ) I will curse (אָאֹר).
And in you all (כֹּל) families (מִשְׁפְּחֹת) of the earth (הָאֲדָמָֽה) will be blessed (בְךָ).”

The modern fulfillment of this royal destiny of Israel requires faith (Habakkuk 2:4):

הִנֵּה עֻפְּלָה לֹא־יָשְׁרָה נַפְשֹׁו בֹּו וְצַדִּיק בֶּאֱמוּנָתֹו יִחְיֶֽה׃

Behold, as for the proud one (‘afal-עָפַל),
His soul is not right within him;
But the tzaddik (righteous-צַדִּיק) will live by his emunah (faith-אֱמוּנָה).

In ancient Israel six hundred thousand men plus women, children, and a mixed multitude of people, or approximately 2-3 million people came out of Egypt. However, tragically due to our ancestor’s unbelief and refusal to obediently follow the Holy One, a vast number of us died in the wilderness (cf. Numbers 32:11):

אִם־יִרְאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הָעֹלִים מִמִּצְרַיִם מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה אֵת הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹב כִּי לֹא־מִלְאוּ אַחֲרָֽי׃

“None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I (Adonai) swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully.” Only two men, over the age of twenty who had come out of Egypt, entered the Promised Land. Joshua (Yeshua) and Caleb were the only two men who refused to be afraid by the fierce giants that they saw dwelling in the Promised Land. Out of the twelve witnesses Yeshua and Kalev (kal כָּל-lev לֵב-“All Heart,” lit. dog-כָּלֵב) were the only two who walked by faith and believed the Word of Adonai. Without the exercise of sincere faith in the Most High, like that expressed by Joshua (Yeshua) and Caleb, Israel is ‘defenseless’ against the hateful opposition of the evil one.

Faith conquers all:

With full-faith in the Most High (El-Elyon), Israel is invincible.

The evil one knows that Israel can only be defeated when it is ‘not’ trusting in Adonai Elohim (the Almighty One). Like Joshua (Yeshua) and Caleb, the Prophet Moses (Joshua’s mentor) and the royal Statesman Mordecai (the descendent of Prince Jonathan) were righteous men who only trusted in the Most High. They feared no one but the Holy One of Israel.

Nisan 13.  Moses prepared to deliver the people from the bondage of Egypt. He knew that Israel would be a free people and a free nation in a matter of hours.

Nisan 13.  In a time of preparation for observance of the Passover Avinu Shebashamayim issued His own plan to neutralize the Decree of Annihilation written up by the wicked one.

Nisan 13.  The administration of the evil one (symbolized by wicked Haman) issued an Annihilation Decree ‘out with the Jews and out with Adonai’s righteousness.’

Nisan 13. Yehudah ben Shimon Ish-Kariot (יְהוּדָה בֶן־שִׁמְעוֹן אִישׁ קְרִיּוֹת) agreed to help the religious leaders in their plot to kill the Mashiach by having the local Roman (Gentile) ruler, Pilot, sign an order that His soldiers:

“Impale the Humble Man on a wooden post!”

The full name of Yehudah ben Shi’mon Ish-Keriot (Judas) in Hebrew literally means: “Praise of Hearing, Understanding, and Obeying the Village of Man.” This name is a clear depiction of the one thing that Adonai hates more than anything: ge’ah (גֵּאָה-pride):

יִֽרְאַת ה’ שְֽׂנֹאת רָע גֵּאָה וְגָאֹון וְדֶרֶךְ רָע וּפִי תַהְפֻּכֹות שָׂנֵֽאתִי׃

The fear (yirat) of Adonai (the LORD) is to hate evil (s’not ra-שְֽׂנֹאת רָע);
Pride (geah-גֵּאָה) and arrogance (v’gaon-וְגָאֹון) and the evil way (de’rech ra-דֶרֶךְ רָע)
And the perverse mouth (פִי תַהְפֻּכֹות), do I hate (sane’ti-שָׂנֵֽאתִי).

The meaning of the betrayer’s name “Praise of Hearing, Understanding, and Obeying the Village of Man” provides us with an excellent operational definition of what Pride does from the heart. Pride “lifts up” the Praise of Man. Judas lived for the Praise of Man. Not the Praise of Adonai. In contrast the Messiah lived for the Praise of Adonai! Just as in the narrative of Esther and Mordecai, the Banquet of the Praise of Man nearly caused the annihilation of Israel and all humankind. For if Israel would have been destroyed then there would have been no Messiah. And if there had been no Messiah then the Salvation of Adonai (lit Yeshua-יֵשׁוּעַ) would never have come. And if the Mashiach had never come then the reign of evil Haman would have never ended; which means the Rule of the Almighty One (lit. Yisra’el-יִשְׂרָאֵל) in heaven could never be established here on earth.

Praise be to our Father of Mercies (Avi HaRachamim), this never happened! For just three nights and three days after the Decree of Death, the Decree of Life was written by the “Humble Man” (lit. little man, Mordecai-מָרְדְּכַי). This was a prophetic foreshadowing of the actual permanent Decree of Life that Abba Avinu used to “cancel out” the Decree of Death.

In implementing this permanent Decree of Life the Mashiach has canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He (Yeshua Ha-Mashiach) has taken it out of the way, having nailed the Decree of Death to the accursed tree.  Therefore now Ha-Aryei Mishevet Yehudah (הָאַרְיֵה מִשֵּׁבֶט יְהוּדָה), the Lion of Judah, has permanently disarmed the rulers and authorities. He has made a public display of them. The Messiah of Israel and of all of the world has triumphed over them, forever!”

Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 4 >>