Original Agape of Neshamah
“Ahavah (Agape) gedolah than this no one has, that someone lay down his neshamah for his chaverim.” (John 15:13, OJB)
“The Ohev (lover) of his neshamah will lose it, but the Soneh (hater) of his neshamah in the Olam Hazeh will keep it unto Chayyei Olam.” (John 12:25, OJB)
“Now my neshamah has been troubled, and what may I say? Save me from this sha’ah? No, it is for this tachlis that I came to this sha’ah. Avi, bring kavod to Your Name. A bat kol came out of Shomayim, saying, ‘I have both brought kavod to it and I will bring kavod to it again.'” (John 12:27-28, OJB)
We see the progression of laying down one’s life from the nefesh to the neshamah:
“For whoever wishes to save his nefesh shall lose it; but whoever loses his nefesh on account of me [Moshiach] shall find it.” (Matthew 16:25, OJB)
The lover of his neshamah will lose it, but the hater of his neshamah in the Olam Hazeh…
“The root חזה (hzh II) is not used as a verb in the Bible, but in cognate languages it may mean to be opposite or in front. In the Bible, this root shows up only in the masculine noun חזה (hazeh), denoting the breast of an animal. This word occurs only in wave-offering scenes, where it denotes the breast-piece of sacrificial animals (Exodus 29:26, Leviticus 7:30, Numbers 6:20).” (Abarim-publications Dictionary)
The hater of his neshamah in the Olam Hazeh – in the wave (ascent) offering, the offering of the sacrifice of the neshamah through cosmic circumcision, cosmic ascent offering of dying to your own neshamah, laying it down for your friends to bring a higher glory and judgment upon the qlippoth, and a greater mercy upon the people of God who have come to the Cave of Treasures.
Burnt Offering: The first offering is the olah, literally, “an offering of ascent,” commonly called the Burnt Offering.
The wave offering, known as “tenufah” in Hebrew, and the ascent offering, also called the burnt offering or “olah,” hold significant places in the sacrificial system of ancient Israel. Understanding their connection helps in appreciating their deeper spiritual meanings, especially within a Kabbalistic and New Testament context.
Wave Offering (Tenufah)
The wave offering was a sacrificial ritual where portions of the sacrificial animal or other offerings were literally waved before the Lord. This gesture symbolized presenting the offerings to God and acknowledging His provision and blessings. The wave offering often involved the first fruits of the harvest, bread made from the first grain, or specific parts of animal sacrifices like the breast and the thigh.
Ascent Offering (Olah)
The ascent offering, or burnt offering, was a more comprehensive sacrifice in which the entire animal was burnt on the altar. The Hebrew term “olah” means “to ascend,” reflecting the idea that the smoke of the sacrifice ascended to God as a pleasing aroma. This offering symbolized the complete surrender and devotion of the worshiper to God, seeking atonement and favor.
Connection and Spiritual Significance
The wave offering and the ascent offering both symbolize aspects of the worshiper’s relationship with God, but they emphasize different elements:
Wave Offering: This offering represents acknowledgment and gratitude towards God. By waving the offering, the worshiper physically demonstrates giving back to God a portion of what He has provided, symbolizing the acknowledgment of God’s sustenance and blessings. It is an act of celebration and thanksgiving.
Ascent Offering: The ascent offering goes further in its symbolism. It represents total dedication, submission, and purification. The burning of the whole animal signifies the complete giving of oneself to God, highlighting the themes of atonement, purification, and a desire to rise towards a closer communion with the Divine.
Kabbalistic Perspective
From a Kabbalistic viewpoint, these offerings can be seen as steps in spiritual ascension:
Wave Offering: Aligns with the initial stages of spiritual awakening and acknowledgment of divine presence in one’s life. It corresponds to the lower sephirot (spheres) like Malkhut (Kingdom) and Yesod (Foundation), where the priest acknowledges and begins to interact with the Angel of YHVH (Jesus Christ).
Ascent Offering: Aligns with higher stages of spiritual maturity and total surrender. It corresponds to the higher sephirot such as Tiferet (Beauty) and beyond, where the goal is union with God through complete self-sacrifice and spiritual elevation.
New Testament Fulfillment
In the New Testament context, these offerings find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ:
Wave Offering: Christ is seen as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20). His resurrection is a wave offering before God, acknowledging Him as the first and best part of the harvest of souls.
Ascent Offering: Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate ascent offering. His complete and total offering of Himself is seen as the perfect and final olah, achieving atonement and enabling believers to ascend spiritually through faith in Him.
Olah, literally, “an offering of ascent.”
This is the baptism of fire through ascension.
Matthew 3:11 (NIV):
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Luke 3:16 (NIV):
“John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.'”
Acts 2:3-4 (NIV):
“They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
Isaiah 4:4 (NIV):
“The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.”
1 Peter 1:7 (NIV):
“These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
What is Peter talking about that proves the genuineness of your emunah?
1 Peter 1:3-7 (NIV):
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
“Let everything that hath neshamah praise HASHEM. Praise HASHEM!” (Psalm 150:6, OJB)
The hater of his neshamah in Olam Hazeh:
“The verb חזה (haza I) is a poetic verb meaning to look, see, or behold (Song of Solomon 7:1, Isaiah 33:20), to experience a prophetic vision (Numbers 24:4, Ezekiel 12:27), or to understand/perceive (Job 34:32, Psalm 63:2)” (Abarim-publications Dictionary)
We sacrifice the lower things for the higher things in God. We lay down the life of our higher souls progressively through the circumcision of the heart, which is the soul and mind, to rise in Christ who was the first fruit of the ascension offering.
“The Ohev (lover) of his neshamah will lose it, but the Soneh (hater) of his neshamah in the Olam Hazeh will keep it unto Chayyei Olam.” (John 12:25, OJB)
That is the sacrifice of the circumcision and baptism of fire through the neshamah soul to ascend, “olah,” through the world of B’riah to receive the Chaya soul in the world of Atzilut.
Greater love has no man than this:
The Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB), and it is found in the New Testament, Book of John, Chapter 15, verses 12-13:
“This is my mitzvah for you, that you have ahavah (Agape) one for the other, as I have ahavah (Agape) for you. Ahavah (Agape) gedolah than this no one has, that someone lay down his neshamah for his chaverim [BERESHIS 44:33].”
In Hebrew, the term “chaverim” (חֲבֵרִים) means “friends” or “companions.” It is the plural form of “chaver” (חָבֵר), which means “friend” or “companion.” In the context of the quote, “chaverim” refers to friends or close companions for whom one might lay down their life.
“10 I came that they may have Chayyim (Life) and that they may have it more abundantly. [TEHILLIM 65:11] 11 I am the Ro’eh HaTov (the Good Shepherd). The Ro’eh HaTov lays down his neshamah for the tzon. [TEHILLIM 23:1; Yeshayah 40:11; Yechezkel 34:11-16, 23; Yeshayah 53:7, 8, 10].”
Tehillim (Psalms) 23:1:
“The LORD is my Ro’eh (Shepherd); I shall not want.”
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 40:11:
“He shall feed His flock like a Ro’eh (Shepherd); He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”
Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 34:11-16:
“For thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Hineni, I, even I, will both search My tzon, and seek them out. As a ro’eh seeketh out his tzon in the day that he is among his tzon that are scattered; so will I seek out My tzon, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the yom anan (cloudy day) and choshech. And I will bring them out from the nations, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Yisroel by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a tov mireh (good pasture), and upon the high mountains of Yisroel shall their naveh (fold) be; there shall they lie down in a tov naveh, and in a fat mireh shall they feed upon the mountains of Yisroel. I will feed My tzon, and I will cause them to lie down, saith Adonoi Hashem. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with mishpat.”
The Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB), specifically from the New Testament, Book of John, Chapter 10, verses 10-11: “Just as HaAv has da’as of me and I have da’as of HaAv, so I lay down my neshamah for the tzon.”
The Hebrew word “tzon” (צֹאן) refers to “flock” or “sheep.”
Hashem be with your neshamah. Chen v’Chesed Hashem be with you.
