HaTechiyah - The Resurrection

HaTechiyah - The Resurrection
A d'rash for Chag HaMatzot Chol HaMoed
By Rabbi Reuel Dillon
One of the common Hebrew words for "resurrection" is "techiyah" (‫)תחיה‬. We see that this
is the word being used in Maimonides' thirteen principles, the thirteenth confessing belief in
the resurrection of the dead, where it is states in Hebrew; "Ani ma-amin be-emunah
sh'leimah shettih-yeh t'chiyat hammetim", translated to mean "I believe with complete faith
that there will be a resurrection (t'chiyat) of the dead". Also, in Acts 23:6 when R' Sha'ul
(Paul) speaks of the resurrection of the dead, the Salkinson-Ginsburg Hebrew translation of
the New Testament uses the Hebrew phrase ‫" לִתְ ִחיּ ַת ַהמֵּתִ ים‬litchiyat hammeitim", also
using the word "techiyah".
I believe the use of this word is significant for several reasons. The word sounds very similar
to another Hebrew that, although may not be etymologically related, may nonetheless have
intended significance from Avinu Shebashamayim (our Heavenly Father). If you pronounce
the "chet" in the word like the "kof" sound making the "k" sound, it sounds like "tekia", the
word for "trumpet blast", which has been associated with the resurrection. During Rosh
HaShanah, otherwise known as "Yom Teruah" the "tekia" is the blast that is heard in the
beginning and in the end during the traditional blowing of the shofars. Thus, it could
represent not only the announcement of the Great King at his first coming and his entrance
into the heavenlies after his resurrection, but it could also represent the second coming of
the Great King Yeshua, The Messiah, and the resurrection of the dead that will accompany
his second coming.
We are taught that this last "tekiah" blast will signal the resurrection of the dead.
1Corinthians 15:51-52 states, "Look, I will tell you a secret - not all of us will die! But we will
all be changed! It will take but a moment, the blink of an eye, at the final shofar. For the
shofar will sound, and the dead will be raised to live forever, and we too will be changed".
The word "tekiah" comes from the Hebrew root "teka", and is used Tehillim (Psalms) 150:3
when it exhorts us to "Praise him with a blast on the shofar!". And, when we arise to life
everlasting at the sound of the shofar...I believe that indeed His praises will be on our lips.
The actual Hebrew word "techiyah" comes from the Hebrew word "chai", meaning "life". I
believe this is significant because in Yochanan (John) 11:25-26 Yeshua said, "...I AM the
Resurrection and the Life! Whoever puts his trust in me will live, even if he dies; and
everyone living and trusting in me will never die. Do you believe this?". This question of the
resurrection of Yeshua The Messiah and his holy ones is absolutely foundational to our faith.
And, Yeshua asks the question, "Do YOU believe this?"
We see that during the 1st century that is was indeed a defining aspect of a Messianic faith.
In Ma'asim (Acts) 23:6-8 we read that it was this doctrine that R' Sha'ul (Paul) chose to
distinguish himself. It says, "But knowing that one part of the Sanhedrin consisted of
Tz'dukim and the other of P'rushim, Sha'ul shouted, "Brothers, I myself am a Parush and the
son of P'rushim; and it is concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am
being tried!" When he said this, an argument arose between the P'rushim and the Tz'dukim,
and the crowd was divided. For the Tz'dukim deny the resurrection and the existence of
angels and spirits; whereas the P'rushim acknowledge both".
As we see in our previous passage, the Tz'dukim (Saduccees) denied the resurrection.
Because they generally only accepted what could be found in the Torah, they claimed that
God never spoke of a resurrection. On the other hand, it was specifically the P'rushim
(Pharisees) who were teaching about the resurrection of the dead well before Yeshua's first
coming. And, in Judaism today it is a central doctrine. For example, in Pirkei Avot 4:22 we
read, "Those who are born are destined to die, and those who die are destined to live".
Orthodox Judaism teaches that the resurrection will take place during the Messianic age.
Midrash Devarim Raba 11:9 speaks of Yoseph's resurrection and that his bones should be
transported to the land of Yisra'el, so that when he resurrects it will be more convenient to
be directly in the Holy Land. In addition, the second blessing in the Amidah (Gibor), the
most recited prayer in Judaism, recognizes and blesses Adonai for the resurrection three
times a day.
This prayer says, "You are eternally mighty, my Master, the Resurrector of the dead are You;
Great in salvation. Who sustains the living with grace, resurrects the dead with great mercy,
supports the fallen, heals the sick, releases the confined, and keeps His faith to those asleep
in the dust. Who is like You, O Master of mighty deeds, and Who is comparable to You, O
King Who causes death and restores life and makes salvation sprout? And You are faithful
to resurrect the dead. Blessed are You, O Lord, Who resurrects the dead."
Nonetheless, where does the Torah or the TeNaKh speak of resurrection of the dead? You
would think the TeNaKh would teach us about this if it were true, or if it was an important
doctrine, it would be mentioned in some way. Interestingly enough, it is during the Pesach
(Passover) season when we are reading about the resurrection of The Messiah, and about
our own resurrection unto life through The Messiah, that the haftarah reading for the
intermediate days (chol haMoed) of Pesach & Chag HaMatzot (Feast Of Unleavened Bread)
being read in synagogues across the world speaks of the resurrection. This haftarah reading
is Yechez'kel (Ezekiel) 37:1-6. It states; "With the hand of HaShem upon me, HaShem
carried me out by his Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of
bones. He had me pass by all around them - there were so many bones lying in the valley,
and they were so dry! He asked me, "Human being, can these bones live?" I answered,
"Adonai HaShem! Only you know that!" Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones!
Say to them, 'Dry bones! Hear what HaShem has to say! To these bones Adonai HaShem
says, "I will make breath enter you, and you will live. I will attach ligaments to you, make
flesh grow on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you. You will live, and you will
know that I am HaShem."'"
In the Torah, the belief of the resurrection can be found in B'reishit (Genesis) in the account
of the "akeda", the binding of Yitz'chak (Isaac). In chapter 22:1-2 states, "After these things,
God tested Avraham. He said to him, "Avraham!" and he answered, "Here I am." He said,
"Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Yitz'chak; and go to the land of Moriyah.
There you are to offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will point out to you."
Avraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go there,
worship and return to you." And, in B'reishit (Genesis) 22:5 we than read, "Avraham said to
his young men, "Stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go there, worship and return
to you." How does this prove that Avraham was displaying belief of the resurrection? God
told Avraham that his son Yitz'chak would be killed and offered as a "burnt offering", yet
three verses later he says that he AND his son would return. How else would this be
possible in the mind of Avraham if God told him that his son would die as a sacrifice?
We know that this was a Jewish understanding in the first century, and in we are explicitly
told as much in the book of Ivrim (Hebrews). Ivrim 11:17-19 states, "By trusting, Avraham,
when he was put to the test, offered up Yitz'chak as a sacrifice. Yes, he offered up his only
son, he who had received the promises, to whom it had been said, "What is called your 'seed'
will be in Yitz'chak." For he had concluded that God could even raise people from the dead!
And, figuratively speaking, he did so receive him". Therefore, this is a valid reference found
in the Torah that speaks of the belief of the resurrection displayed by our forefather, that he
no-doubt passed on to his descendants.
Although there are many other passages in the TeNaKh that speaks of the resurrection and
life after dead, the following are a few other passages. Speaking of Melech David, Sh'mu'el
Bet (2Samuel) 12:21-23 says, "His servants asked him, "What are you doing? You fasted and
wept for the child while it was alive; but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat food!"
He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; because I thought, 'Maybe
HaShem will show his grace to me and let the child live.' But now that he's dead, why should
I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
In Yesha'yahu (Isaiah) 26:16-19 we read, "HaShem, when they were troubled, they sought
you. When you chastened them, they poured out a silent prayer. As a pregnant woman about
to give birth cries out and writhes in her labor pains, so we have been at your presence,
HaShem we have been pregnant and been in pain. But we, as it were, have given birth to
wind; we have not brought salvation to the land, and those inhabiting the world have not
come to life. Your dead will live, my corpses will rise; awake and sing, you who dwell in the
dust; for your dew is like the morning dew, and the earth will bring the ghosts (refa'im - dead
ones) to life".
The book of Dani'el 12:1-2 we are told, "When that time comes, Micha'el, the great prince
who champions your people, will stand up; and there will be a time of distress unparalleled
between the time they became a nation and that moment. At that time, your people will be
delivered, everyone whose name is found written in the book. Many of those sleeping in the
dust of the earth will awaken, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting shame and
abhorrence".
Not only does the TeNaKh clearly speak of the resurrection, but it also speaks of the
resurrection of The Messiah himself. A Messianic prophecy of the Messiah in Tehillim
(Psalms) 16:10-11 states, "For You will not leave My soul in Sheol; You will not give Your
Holy One to see corruption. You will make Me know the way of life. In Your presence is
fullness of joys; at Your right hand are pleasures forever". It is known that the sages of
Yisra'el interpreted this passage to be speaking of the Messiah. Kefa (Peter) being aware of
this, used this exact passage to speak of the resurrection of The Messiah Yeshua.
In Ma'asim (Acts) 2:23-31 we read about him saying, "This man was arrested in accordance
with God's predetermined plan and foreknowledge; and, through the agency of persons not
bound by the Torah, you nailed him up on a stake and killed him! "But God has raised him
up and freed him from the suffering of death; it was impossible that death could keep its
hold on him. For David says this about him: 'I saw ADONAI always before me, for he is at
my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. For this reason, my heart was glad; and my
tongue rejoiced; and now my body too will live on in the certain hope that you will not
abandon me to Sh'ol or let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the ways
of life; you will fill me with joy by your presence.' "Brothers, I know I can say to you frankly
that the patriarch David died and was buried - his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore,
since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that one of his
descendants would sit on his throne, he was speaking in advance about the resurrection of
the Messiah, that it was he who was not abandoned in Sh'ol and whose flesh did not see
decay".
Likewise, the well-known Messianic prophecy in Yesha'yahu (Isaiah) 53 not only speaks of
the sacrificial death of The Messiah, but also of his resurrection. In 53:5-12 we are told,
"But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining
that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises we are healed. We all, like sheep, went
astray; we turned, each one, to his own way; yet HaShem laid on him the guilt of all of us.
Though mistreated, he was submissive - he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to be
slaughtered, like a sheep silent before its shearers, he did not open his mouth. After forcible
arrest and sentencing, he was taken away; and none of his generation protested his being cut
off from the land of the living for the crimes of my people, who deserved the punishment
themselves. He was given a grave among the wicked; in his death he was with a rich man.
Although he had done no violence and had said nothing deceptive, yet it pleased HaShem to
crush him with illness, to see if he would present himself as a guilt offering. If he does, he
will see his offspring; and he will prolong his days; and at his hand HaShem's desire will be
accomplished. After this ordeal, he will see satisfaction. "By his knowing [pain and sacrifice],
my righteous servant makes many righteous; it is for their sins that he suffers. Therefore I
will assign him a share with the great, he will divide the spoil with the mighty, for having
exposed himself to death and being counted among the sinners, while actually bearing the
sin of many and interceding for the offenders."
In keeping with what the TeNaKh teaches, Yeshua explained all of these things to us in
Mark 9:31 where he taught us, "...The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men
who will put him to death; but after he has been killed, three days later he will rise."
Granted, Yeshua The Messiah did many wondrous miracles, and taught the things of God
like no one else, but the one thing that proved and established his true authority and that he
was indeed The Messiah, was his resurrection.
In Yochanan (John) 2:18-22 when confronted by some of the Judeans asking him to show a
sign proving his authority and to prove who he was, he cited his resurrection as the primary
sign proving his authority and who he was. It says, "So the Judeans confronted him by
asking him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove you have the right to do all
this?" Yeshua answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up
again." The Judeans said, "It took 46 years to build this Temple, and you're going to raise it
in three days?" But the "temple" he had spoken of was his body. Therefore, when he was
raised from the dead, his talmidim remembered that he had said this, and they trusted in the
TaNaKh and in what Yeshua had said". Likewise, in Romans 1:2-4 R' Sha'ul (Paul) tells us,
"God promised this Good News in advance through his prophets in the TaNaKh. It
concerns his Son - he is descended from David physically; he was powerfully demonstrated
to be Son of God spiritually, set apart by his having been resurrected from the dead; he is
Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord".
There are several key aspects to our faith, but we really need to spend some time meditating
on how profound and foundational the doctrine of resurrection is to our faith. In
1Corinthians 15:12-20 R' Sha'ul speaks about this. He says, "But if it has been proclaimed
that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, how is it that some of you are saying there is
no such thing as a resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then the
Messiah has not been raised; and if the Messiah has not been raised, then what we have
proclaimed is in vain; also your trust is in vain; furthermore, we are shown up as false
witnesses for God in having testified that God raised up the Messiah, whom he did not raise
if it is true that the dead are not raised.
For if the dead are not raised, then the Messiah has not been raised either; and if the
Messiah has not been raised, your trust is useless, and you are still in your sins. Also, if this is
the case, those who died in union with the Messiah are lost. If it is only for this life that we
have put our hope in the Messiah, we are more pitiable than anyone. But the fact is that the
Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have died".
Just as the Cohen HaGadol (The High Priest) entered into the Beit HaMikdash (the Holy
Temple) and the Kodesh Hakodashim (the Holy Of Holies) on Yom Kippur (Day of
Atonement) and the people anxiously awaited his return, which would indicate that the Yom
Kippur offering was accepted, so too, does the return of Yeshua The Messiah, our heavenly
Cohen HaGadol, from the grave indicate that our sins that he took upon himself were
absolved through his sacrifice, and that we too would, through the merit of The Messiah, be
resurrected unto life eternal. Ivrim (Hebrews) 5:7-9 teaches us, "During Yeshua's life on
earth, he offered up prayers and petitions, crying aloud and shedding tears, to the One who
had the power to deliver him from death; and he was heard because of his godliness. Even
though he was the Son, he learned obedience through his sufferings. And after he had been
brought to the goal, he became the source of eternal deliverance to all who obey him". Both
Yeshua's death and his resurrection was key in securing our eternal salvation and making us
righteous in the eyes of Adonai. Romans 4:25 states that Yeshua, "...was delivered over to
death because of our offences and raised to life in order to make us righteous".
And again, in Yochanan (John) 11:26 Yeshua asks us, "Do you believe this?". How have you
come to know and believe this? How can we know these things for sure? Not everyone
could have a face to face encounter with Yeshua, and not everybody witnessed Yeshua's
death and resurrection, so personal experience would, in general, be insufficient for the
many millions of believers that would come to faith in Yeshua The Messiah throughout the
ages. Therefore, God would leave His word documenting these truths and these witnesses
so those who would come to faith in the future would have a sure foundation to base their
faith on. I believe this is how Yeshua wanted his talmidim (disciples) to build their faith.
I think we see this demonstrated by Yeshua in Luke 24:13-27 where we read, "That same
day, two of them were going toward a village about seven miles from Yerushalayim called
Amma'us, and they were talking with each other about all the things that had happened. As
they talked and discussed, Yeshua himself came up and walked along with them, but
something kept them from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you talking about
with each other as you walk along?" They stopped short, their faces downcast; and one of
them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only person staying in Yerushalayim that
doesn't know the things that have been going on there the last few days?"
"What things?" he asked them. They said to him, "The things about Yeshua from Natzeret.
He was a prophet and proved it by the things he did and said before God and all the people.
Our head cohanim and our leaders handed him over, so that he could be sentenced to death
and executed on a stake as a criminal. And we had hoped that he would be the one to
liberate Isra'el! Besides all that, today is the third day since these things happened; and this
morning, some of the women astounded us. They were at the tomb early and couldn't find
his body, so they came back; but they also reported that they had seen a vision of angels who
say he's alive! Some of our friends went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had
said, but they didn't see him."
He said to them, "Foolish people! So unwilling to put your trust in everything the prophets
spoke! Didn't the Messiah have to die like this before entering his glory?" Then, starting
with Moshe and all the prophets, he explained to them the things that can be found
throughout the TaNaKh concerning himself".
In this passage when they were expressing their disappointment and disbelief he could have
just clearly revealed himself to them, announcing that he was Yeshua, and that he had
resurrected from the dead, and although he would later reveal himself, first and foremost he
wanted to direct them to the scriptures, so that their faith would be placed in what the
scriptures said about these things and about him. Yeshua understood the wisdom in this
approach and to not rely on experiences or witnessing wondrous events to establish our
faith. For in Luke 16:24-31, as he relates the story of El'azar and the Rich Man he says, "He
called out, `Father Avraham, take pity on me, and send El`azar just to dip the tip of his
finger in water to cool my tongue, because I'm in agony in this fire!' However, Avraham said,
`Son, remember that when you were alive, you got the good things while he got the bad; but
now he gets his conso lation here, while you are the one in agony. Yet that isn't all: between
you and us a deep rift has been established, so that those who would like to pass from here
to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' "He answered, `Then, father, I
beg you to send him to my father's house, where I have five brothers, to warn them; so that
they may be spared having to come to this place of torment too.' But Avraham said, `They
have Moshe and the Prophets; they should listen to them.' However, he said, `No, father
Avraham, they need more. If someone from the dead goes to them, they'll repent!' But he
replied, `If they won't listen to Moshe and the Prophets, they won't be convinced even if
someone rises from the dead!'"
Speaking of the Torah...Living a life of Torah is an immensely important and foundational
aspect of our faith, it is how we express our love and obedience to our Heavenly Father, and
it truly leads to a more blessed and spiritually full life here on Earth. It is certainly the
natural expression of a Godly life for those who have been redeemed (Yechezk'el/Ezekiel
36:26-27, Matittyahu/Matthew 5:16-19, Romans 3:31, Romans 8, ect)...Indeed, as we hear
the beginning of the Good News and we are told to repent and turn from our sins, it helps
us to identify the sin we are to turn from (Yochanan Alef/1John 3:4).
But, if we are not firmly founded in our faith concerning the death and resurrection of
Yeshua The Messiah, and we haven't wholeheartedly accepted this foundational part of the
message of the Good News, our observance of Adonai's Torah will have had little
significance in the grand scheme of things, especially when we look back from the purview
of eternity. Without the death and resurrection of the Messiah Yeshua...nothing else
matters. For in Mark 8:36, speaking of eternal life, Yeshua teaches us, "Indeed, what will it
benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? What could a person give in
exchange for his life? For if someone is ashamed of me and of what I say in this adulterous
and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in his
Father's glory with the holy angels".
And, with the death and resurrection of The Messiah as our foundation, the Torah will be
fulfilled in us, and will be brought to its fullest meaning and potential. I believe we will not
experience the fullness of Adonai's Torah until we enter into the Olam Haba (The World To
Come) and into the Kingdom of Heaven. At that time I believe it will become even more
significant and relevant to us. But, we will not see any of this unless we have firmly planted
our faith in the death and resurrection of Yeshua The Messiah, in his sacrificial work, in his
cleansing of the heavenly Beit HaMikdash / Holy Temple (see: Ivrim/Hebrews 9:22-24), and
in the righteousness he merited on our behalf l'olam va-ed, forever and ever, through his
glorious "techiyah" (resurrection). He is risen! He sits at the right hand of Adonai and has
been given all authority, power, glory, and honor. Through the power of his resurrection we
now serve the God of the Living! HalleluYah!!
In closing, Colossians 2:10-15 exhorts us with the following words, "And it is in union with
him that you have been made full - he is the head of every rule and authority. Also it was in
union with him that you were circumcised with a circumcision not done by human hands,
but accomplished by stripping away the old nature's control over the body. In this
circumcision done by the Messiah, you were buried along with him by being immersed; and
in union with him, you were also raised up along with him by God's faithfulness that worked
when he raised Yeshua from the dead. You were dead because of your sins, that is, because
of your "foreskin," your old nature. But God made you alive along with the Messiah by
forgiving you all your sins. He wiped away the bill of charges against us. Because of the
regulations, it stood as a testimony against us; but he removed it by nailing it to the
execution-stake. Stripping the rulers and authorities of their power, he made a public
spectacle of them, triumphing over them by means of the stake".
V'imru Amein! And, all God's people said, "Amein!"
Shabbat shalom v'chag sameach!
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