From Separation to Direct Access to God
-- T O R A H P O R T I O N --
Introduction:
How much effort do you put into staying connected (to the internet, to people, to work) and how much effort do you put into staying connected to God? What happens when access is limited or blocked?
Because we live in a modern technological world, wherever we go we look for a good signal or internet access to use for work, chat with friends, or watch movies. Without good access, we have difficulty in our daily activities.
Last Shabbat, God instructed the children of Israel to bring offerings of gold, silver, bronze, different colors, acacia wood, and stones for the building of a Mishkan, so that He may dwell among them. These included the Ark of the Testimony, the table for the showbread, the menorah, and the Mishkan itself.
This Shabbat, our Torah portion is the continuation of the building of the mishkan, and now God wants the children of Israel to make a veil which in Hebrew is paroket meaning veil or curtain. It also came from the root word perek which means break apart or divide with severity.
God wants this veil to be colored blue, purple, scarlet thread and woven linen. Some commentators said these colors indicate Yeshua. Blue represents the heavens where He came from. In Exodus 24:10 GNT it says: "And they saw the God of Israel. Beneath His feet was what looked like a pavement of sapphire, as blue as the sky." The purple represents Yeshua's royalty. John 19:2: "And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him." The scarlet represents Yeshua's blood that washes our sins. Matthew 27:31: "After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him." Finally, the fine linen represents Yeshua's righteousness even on His death. Matthew 27:58-59: "This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Yeshua. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth."
In verse 33, the purpose of the veil is to be a divider between the holy place and the Most Holy. Why? In Exodus 33:20 God said: "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." So the veil was to block someone who wants to see the Holy presence of God. Only Aaron the High priest could enter once a year but he has to bring blood of an innocent animal not only to atone the sins of Israel, but in exchange for his life. Aaron is also a foreshadowing of Yeshua, since He is our only Access to the Holy God.
Surprisingly in Hebrews 10:19-20, the author says: Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Christ, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh." So the veil is also Yeshua, the one who divides the holy place and the Most Holy. And since God's presence is behind it, Yeshua as the veil prevents God's fury. Here, we can already see what He will do and I want to share Mark 15:37-39 that says: "And Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this Man was the Son of God!" Through the death and blood of Yeshua, the veil (His body) was torn. The veil that was a divider suddenly became an access to the Father. HALLELUYAH BARUCH HASHEM!
While I was writing this I couldn't stop crying because of the joy of what Yeshua did to each one of us. Now I also want to share the two other veils in the mishkan so that we could understand more the beauty of these three. The first veil can be found at the entrance of the courtyard which is the only WAY to get inside. The second veil can be found at the door of the holy place and herein lies the TRUTH about Yeshua as the menorah and the table of showbread. And the third veil is our main topic that divides the holy place and the Most Holy where the salvation and LIFE of the children of Israel depends upon the innocent blood of the animal that Aaron brings once a year on Yom Kippur. What I can see is these three veils represent Yeshua, for He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to the Father except through Him( John 14:6).
In chapter 27, God instructed the children of Israel to make an altar of burnt offering. It is the first thing seen upon entering the gate of the courtyard. The Hebrew word for burnt offering is olaw which means "ascend, stairway, steps" and since it's the first thing to be seen upon entering the gate of the courtyard, this is also the first step a person who wants to offer will do and after the animal burns, the smoke will ascend to God, a sweet aroma to Him ( Lev.1:9).
The instruction for the burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it. Meaning God is always open for those who want to offer and repent. 2 Peter 3:9 says: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." The burnt offering also foreshadows Yeshua. He offered Himself, slaughtered, crucified, died as a Lamb and shed His blood for our sins.
The first veil in the gate of the court is to separate the children of Israel from the mishkan court. The second veil, the hanging for the door of the mishkan, is to separate the priest in the mishkan court from the holy place. The final veil which divides the holy place and the most holy separates the priest from the most holy place where the presence of God resides. Through the death and sacrifice of Yeshua, where did this separate you? Do you appreciate the access that Yeshua made because of His death and sacrifice and that you now have the freedom to approach God the Father?
Access determines relationship. Distance is not the problem, separation is.
If God removed all obstacles to reach Him, what barriers still remain in your heart?
-- H A F T A R A H P O R T I O N --
Now here comes Israel in our Haftarah portion. In spite of the mishkan where the presence of God is to dwell with them, atoned them every time they fell short, they still got to betray God because of harlotry. In Jeremiah 3:6 it says: Then the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, "Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there." It seems they have forgotten what God said to them in Exodus 6:6-7 where He made a covenantal words that He will BRING THEM OUT from under the burdens of the Egyptians, He will DELIVER them from bondage, He will REDEEM them with an outstretched arm and He will TAKE them as His people.
God clothed them with embroidered cloth of fine linen, adorned them with gold, silver, a great picture of a wedding and fed them with fine flour, honey and oil. These are the things of which the mishkan is made of and can be found inside of it. It could also remind them that there was a God who wanted to dwell with them.
But sadly, they failed. The essence of the mishkan and priesthood seems to have had no effect. That's why the author of Hebrews in chapter 10:4 says: "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."
The children of Israel broke the Sinai covenant, but the faithful and merciful God will renew it, not to be broken again and repentance (T’shuvah) is the key. And God will forgive them, and remember their sin no more.
How is your relationship with God now? How does God respond to you? How do you respond to Him? Maybe try to go to a very quiet place, reflect and analyze your relationship with your Creator.
The greatest tragedy is not Israel’s sin, but forgetting who clothed them, fed them, and called them His own.
God remained faithful while Israel chased other lovers.
Have you grown comfortable with God’s blessings while drifting from God Himself?
Is your relationship with Him marked by devotion or spiritual adultery masked as routine faith?
-- APOSTOLIC P O R T I O N --
And now, I want to grab this opportunity to connect it to our Apostolic portion, in which we have such a High Priest, who offered something better than the earthly priests. He is Yeshua, for He obtained a more magnificent ministry, as He is also the Mediator of a better covenant. He made the earthly priesthood outmoded because He is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who doesn’t need to offer up daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did ONCE FOR ALL WHEN HE OFFERED HIMSELF (Hebrews 7:26–27).
The earthly priesthood has weaknesses because they are human and need to sacrifice for their own sins. Besides this, they cannot write the Torah on our hearts nor give final propitiation for sins. Forever, Yeshua is our Great High Priest, seated at the right hand of His Father, interceding for each one of us. He alone is our Mediator and has the authority to write the Torah on our hearts. The earthly priesthood is a shadow that points to Messiah Yeshua.
The main point of Hebrews 8 is the comparison of Yeshua as the heavenly High Priest with the earthly priests.
Hebrews 8:3 – Every Priest Must Offer
“For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer.”
Yeshua does not abolish sacrifice—He fulfills it.
His offering was not animals, but Himself.
This aligns perfectly with Isaiah 53, where Messiah is both priest and offering.
Hebrews 8:4 – Earthly Limitation
“For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law.”
The Torah-defined Aaronic priesthood is still valid within its jurisdiction.
The issue is not legality but it's scope and effectiveness. Earthly priests minister on earth; Yeshua ministers from heaven.
Hebrews 8:5 – Shadow vs. Substance
“Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things…”
The Aaronic priesthood was never the final way for redemption, it was a shadow.
Shadows are not false; they are incomplete without the reality casting them.
Hebrews 8:6 – A More Excellent Ministry
“But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.”
Why is it better? Not because Torah is replaced but because the heart is transformed.
The better promise is not new commandments, but internalized obedience.
Yeshua did not merely open the way. He became the way.
Have you allowed His blood to cleanse not just your sins, but your conscience and your way of life?
The connection in Parasha 64 centers on direct access to God.
In the Torah, God establishes a dwelling place among Israel through the Mishkan, but access to His presence is limited and guarded by veils, showing that holiness requires mediation. In the Haftarah, God reveals that despite having access to His presence and covenant blessings, Israel broke intimacy with Him through unfaithfulness, showing that external access alone cannot change the heart. In the Apostolic writings, we see Yeshua as the heavenly High Priest who, through His once-for-all sacrifice, tears the veil and grants direct access to God by writing the Torah on the hearts of believers.
To strengthen our connection, let me use Hebrews 9:11-15 NKJV
"But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance."
At the beginning, we talked about how we constantly look for a strong signal or good internet access so that we can function in our daily lives. Weak access limits communication, productivity, and relationship.
In the same way, God has always desired connection with His people.
In the Mishkan, access was limited by veils.
In Israel’s history, access was damaged by unfaithful hearts.
But through Yeshua, the veil has been torn, the way has been opened, and direct access to God has been restored.
The issue today is no longer whether access is available. The point is whether we are staying connected.
Adonai is not withholding access. He is waiting for our response.
You check your signal multiple times a day.
You move closer to a router when the connection is weak.
You adjust your position to stay connected.
Do you do the same with God?
When your prayer life weakens, when obedience fades, when intimacy grows distant, do you move closer, or do you disconnect?
The veil is torn.
The access is open.
The question is: are you connected?
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
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Sources:
blueletterbible.org
bible.com
agodman.com
owlcation.com
abideinchrist.com
superiorword.org
shema.com
God’s Wilderness Tabernacle by Roger Walkwitz
The Mac Arthur Study Bible
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