Month: September 2023

When Moses descended from Mt. Sinai holding the two Tablets in his hands, his face was radiant to such an extent, that the people were afraid to approach him (Ex.34:29).

Why did it shine so bright? Perhaps it was because he had seen the Faces of God, but I’m not so sure about that. After all, this wasn’t the first time that he had seen God Faces to face (Ex. 33:11). So, what was different this time?

This time, Moses held Stone Tablets with letters engraved on them (2 Cor. 3:7). Paul said that these letters “kill” (verse 6) and “condemn” (verse 9). But despite this, they radiated glory on Moses’s face. Interesting!

Temporary Radiance

The radiance on his face is referred to in the Bible as a “glory (in Hebrew – radiance) which was passing away” (verse 7). Indeed, such was the radiance of the letters of the Torah and the commandments it contained. It shone from the Stones unto Moses’ face, and its intensity made it impossible for the people to look upon him. Moses had no choice but to cover his face.

I wonder what Moses’ face would have looked like had he been privileged to behold not only mere letters engraved in stone, such that can kill and condemn, but the Word Himself, who had put on flesh. The NT gives us a glimpse into it, when it describes the unique event on the mount of transfiguration (Luke
9:29-31), but it doesn’t tell us much about Moses’ face. The OT records the one time God permitted Moses to glimpse His glory. Apparently, God shielded Moses’ eyes to preserve his life (Exodus 33:20-23).

The Veil Descends

Approximately 40 years later, shortly after Moses’ death, the veil that was on his face grew thicker and heavier and descended onto the hearts of each individual among the people of Israel. I am sad each time I think about how this veil continues to cover the hearts of so many among my people to this day.

Many among us still do not fully grasp that that which was “passing away”, as Saul referred to the glory of the carved letters (2 Corinthians 3:13), is over. That the Torah is merely a tutor, guiding us to the ultimate Truth. This heavy veil still stirs the fear of death within us of what will happen if we won’t fully heed every letter that Moses engraved on the stone tablets (not to mention the myriad of letters written since, which are considered sacred and authoritative to this day).

The true essence, the “ministry of righteousness” (verse 9), whose glory and radiance are far superior and excellent (verse 10), terrify us. We are fearful to look upon it. Much the same we are clueless to the fact that the Faces of Yeshua are the real thing.

But a day will come when our eyes will be lifted and we will look upon Him, as the prophet Zechariah promises. On that day, we will understand that the Living Letters were pierced for our transgressions, and we will weep bitterly.

Until then, I remind myself that Yeshua, the Word that will never “pass away”, paid the full price, including the price for the veil itself.

How Exactly?

I’ve been pondering about that. How did Yeshua pay for the terrible punishment called the “Hidden Faces of God”? [for more on the subject, click here: https://ornagrinman.com/2019/06/08/faces-or-a-mask-a-midrash-for-shavuot/ or check out this video on YouTube The Hidden Faces of God]. The fact that His Faces are hidden from us is the punishment, so how can Yeshua be both the atonement as well as the punishment?

As I was pondering about it a few days ago, I immediately recalled that terrible moment, when He cried out on the cross: “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?).

There, on the cross, the hiding and the revealing crossed each other’s path. It was a junction, when the loving, intimate and manifest Face of His heavenly Father, the Face He could behold whenever he desired, was hidden from Him. On the cross Yeshua cried out to His Father, together with His nation: “Why have You forsaken us? Why are You hidden?”

And there He had also cried out to us: “Why have you all – my brothers, my sisters – forsaken Me?”

Pray With Us and For Us

On Yom Kippur, which is just a few days away, Jews all over the world, and especially the religious and observant ones, will gather in the synagogues. They will afflict their souls and hope that a day will come, in which they will be fortunate enough to see the glory of God. They are still seeking it through letters that can only kill and condemn, but we can pray that God will breathe life over these letters .

As they pray and recite the letters that are part of the “system of death”, we can pray that hearts will turn to the living Messiah. That the veil be removed, and that His brothers and sisters will see without fear of death or condemnation the “unveiled” (verse 18) Faces of the Jewish Messiah.