Rooted in Truth

               Set Apart

A continuation of the Woman Matriarchs of our Faith in The blog series Essence of Ishah.

What does it mean to be chosen and set-apart??

Does this only account to a certain people group, nation or certain individual??

What is it about the Jewish Nation that makes them so special?? Why are they called the chosen people? 

Rebekah

Rebekah is the second woman Matriarch of the Jewish faith. She becomes the wife of Isaac and is chosen by Abraham's servant Eleazar, through the "camel test." She passes with flying colors and is given her place under Sarah's tent. Rebekah echoes Sarah in many ways. Let's go through some of her attributes and the essence she carried together.

First of all Rebekah was selected; some translations read she was appointed, and set-apart. 

She was a virgin from the house of Abraham, and 

like Abraham takes the opportunity to show loving kindness. She is loyal to her Fathers house. We also read that she is modest, devoted, sensitive, and responsible. She follows through on a difficult task. She is referred to as a "Rose among thorns" even though she lived among idol worshippers. Gen 24:58

Her faith and loyalty belonged to the God of Abraham and the God of her soon to be husband Isaac. The Rabbi's say that Rebekah was a worthy candidate to fill in the role of Mother Sarah because she continued carrying on the biblical traditions.

 Blueprint to Holiness

"The Israeli scholar Tamar Frankiel suggests in her book, The Voice of Sarah, that the fact that with Rebecca now in Sarah’s tent once again Shabbat candles ]burned from one Shabbat to the next and fresh challah was always on the table is not meant to convey their devotion to homemaking, but rather it points to the miracles that resulted from their inherent holiness.

Frankiel concludes: “The implication is that the holiness of Sarah’s life was like that of the Temple itself, and that [Rebecca] echoed her in every way.”

It’s not just that the holiness of Sarah’s life was equal in measure to the holiness of the Temple. Rather, when faced with the task of building a home for God, it was Sarah’s home that was used as a blueprint."

In ancient biblical times we understand that the physical temple symbolized a sacred, HOLY, and set apart place for the presence of God to dwell. Today we are that mobile moving temple. And God gives us the blueprint on how to live out HOLINESS. And it starts by building Him a home for His presence to dwell in. When that happens it overflows and spills over even into our physical homes.

When we came to the knowledge of Torah. And learned the significance of keeping the biblical commands of Adonai. We learned that we needed to separate ourselves from the rest of the world. We needed to let go of our man made traditions and grab hold of the Holy One's traditions. We began observing Shabbat and The Appointed Feast Days. The Lord declares these days as Holy and Sacred gatherings. So why isn't everybody keeping them?? I was having this conversation with my husband one day. And He said "We live in a world where the Holy has been replaced by the Good. It's not enough to be Good. We need to strive to be HOLY."

And because we serve a Holy God. Why wouldn't you think that he would expect the same from us? To be Holy as He is Holy.

The Hebrew word for Holy is Kadosh. It means to be  "set apart" for a specific purpose and function. The root letters are qof, dalet, and shin. Qof is a paradoxical letter that means something good and evil. Representing a "beastly nature" but it also means completion and perfection. Dalet is the image of a door and means to be selfless. The letter shin means teeth, to sharpen, or press. 

I believe that being Holy is not a representation of being perfect but of "becoming more and more into the image of Christ" and controlling our "beastly nature" becoming selfless and willing to be pressed, sharpened, and put through the refiners fire. We are a work in progress. The word says we are being transformed into the same image of Adonai from "glory to glory" 

Why else do you think God chose the Isrealites to "become" a Holy nation and priesthood? He needed a people to represent Him here on earth.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

1 Peter 2:9 TLV

Holiness comes with a price. And the journey to get there is not easy. The Israelites had to be purified. They had to be pressed, and sharpened. God had to strip them of their idols and their most desired possessions. He leads them through the wilderness and teaches them how to become His beloved bride. Much like our chosen Rebekah who is given fine jewelry as a betrothal gift. Abba adornes Israel in "fine linen" and precious jewels as well. And He signs the Marriage contract on Mt. Sinai. 

Israel was chosen to be set-apart from the Nations. The Holy One appointed this family line. With all our Matriarchs for the specific purpose to reveal His power, His faithfulness, and loving-kindness to the world. He is a God that keeps and fulfills His promises. Isn't it exciting that we get to be a part of this Covenant promise. Using God's Blueprint His Torah (instructions) to carry on the Holy traditions that set us apart from the rest of the world. What an amazing way to identify ourselves. And we have our Matriarchs and the Nation of Israel to thank for leading us through their example.

Ruth Camargo

Albuquerque, NM

[email protected] 

Sources

HOLY: Kadosh! Kadosh! Kadosh! - Hebrew Word Lessons https://hebrewwordlessons.com/2018/03/04/holy-kadosh-kadosh-kadosh/

The Miracle in Sarah's Tent | My Jewish Learning https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-miracle-in-sarahs-tent/