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1
One Mediator!
By Rabbi Levi bar Ido/B’nai Avraham
Many people, both Yehudi and Ephraimite have any problems accepting a mediator in everyday life. Why, then, do
“religious” people object to a mediator in their spiritual lives? To the Jew the concept of 
a mediator is unnecessary.The idea of mediation implies that man is inadequate to approach Elohim by virtue of his own effort. It implies there isa gap between us and Elohim that we cannot bridge by our own efforts. To the Ephraimite, the concept of mediationreminds them of Romanism and a
privileged priesthood that forgives sin and administers Elohim’s grace to man.
We must ask ourselves the question: What do the ancient sages and writings reveal about the person of the
 Moshiach
(Messiah) and His role as a mediator or intercessor? Is the concept of a mediator only to found in the
“Church” or is it a role found in the
TaNaK 
and other writings by the sages of old?
Is a mediator “un
-
Jewish”? Let
usexamine some of the evidence and arrive to a scholarly conclusion.
Yahweh our Righteousness
First it is clear that according to the views of the Hasidim the Messiah is a person, not just an office, spirit, or age.
“THE MESSIAH IS A
PERSON.THE HASIDIM NEVER ACCPET THE NOTION OF A MESSIANIC AGEAPART FROM A PERSONAL MESSIAH.
Encyclopedia of Hasidim by Tzvi M. Rabinowicz pg.312
The Messiah was thought to be the Son of Elohim Who would be called YHWH
Zidkenu
. Messiah
would be Yisrael’
srighteousness and His Name would be YHWH!
Who was it that ascended into heaven, and came down again? Who gathered the wind in His fists? Who boundthe waters in a garment? Who set up all the ends of the earth? What
is His Name and what is His Son’s Name,
if thou knowest it?
Mishle (Prov.) 30:4 Lesser
4
Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath boundthe waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is hisson's name, if thou knowest?
JPS
The name of Messiah was contemplated, for it is written, His name existeth ere the sun (Ps. LXXII, 17)
Midrash Rabbah Gen.1:4
Rab Huna counted amongst the seven Names of Messiah also: YHWH Zidkenu [Jer.23:6].
Midrash Mishle10:21
5
Lo! Days are coming, Declareth Yahweh, when I will raise up to David A righteous Bud, and he shall reign asking, and prosper, And shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
6
In his days, Shall Judah be saved,And Israeli abide securely,
 — 
And, this, is his name whereby he shall be called Yahweh, our Righteousness.
Yirmeyahu 23:5-6 Rotherham
The Scripture calleth the Names of Messiah also: YHWH Zidkenu, because He is the Mediator through Whomwe shall get the righteousness of YHWH.
R. Joseph Albo of Toledo
 – 
Sepher Ikkarim 28:54
What is the Name of King Messiah? To this answered Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: YHWH is His Name, for it is
written” This is the Name whereby He shall be called: YHWH Zidkenu.
Midrash Echa 1:51
“The
name of the King, YHWH is our Vindicator, in Hebrew is a play on the name of Zedekiah, and mightsuggest that the ideal future king will be named YHWH Zidkenu, the same elements in the name Tzidkiyah in
reverse order.”
Jewish Study Bible pg. 972
5
For YHWH
Echad hu
(there is one Elohim) and there is also
melitz Echad 
(one mediator,
Iyov 33:23
,
Yeshayah 43:27; cf. Devarim 5:5,22-31
 
), one Moshiach (one arbitrator--
Iyov 9:33
 
), one
sarsur 
(agent)between YHWH and
kol bnei Adam
, the Ben Adam Moshiach Yahshua,
6
the one who gave his
nefesh
[
Yeshayah 53:10-12
] as a
kapparah
, a
pidyon
(ransom), on behalf of all.
1 Tim.2:5 OJBC
 
2
The Role of a Mediator is Torah
This concept of a mediator is objected to by Yehudim who teach that no mediator is needed between Elohim and man.But, the
TaNaK 
reveals how mediators were a central part of Yisrael from the Beginning. Yisrael, as a nation of 
cohanim,
were to mediate between the Elohim of Yisrael and the nations. They were to be the light of the world so thenations might come to YHWH.
5
Now therefore, if ye will hearken unto My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be Mine owntreasure from among all peoples; for all the earth is Mine;
6
and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and aholy nation.
Shemot 19:5-6
But, when the time came for the people of Yisrael to meet with YHWH, they implored Moshe to go in their stead asa go-between out of fear. Just as Yeshayahu trembled at the sight of the
kadosh
Elohim, Yisrael trembled at the sightand sounds at Mt. Sinai. Our fore-fathers experienced fear and inadequacy at the thought of meeting Elohim.
5
Then said I: Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, YHWH of hosts.
6
Then flew unto me one of the seraphim, with aglowing stone in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar;
7
and he touched my mouth with it, andsaid: Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin expiated.
8
And I heard the voice of YHWH, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: 'Here am I; send me.'
Yeshayahu 6:5-7
And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the horn, and the mountainsmoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off.
19(20; -16)
and they said unto Moses:'Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not Elohim speak with us, lest we die.'
20(20; -17)
And Moses saidunto the people: 'Fear not; for Elohim is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before you, that ye sinnot.'
21(20; -18)
And the people stood afar off; but Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where Elohimwas.
Shemot 20:18-21
In light of these accounts in the
TaNaK,
we learn two things that are very important:
If we do not need a mediator then Elohim
is not what He says He is:” because I
YHWH
am KADOSH”
Wayyiqra 20:26.
If that is a fact, then Moshe, Yisrael, and Yeshayahu were fools to tremble in His presence.To say that YHWH is less than what He is denies what gives us dignity, hope, and purpose in our lives.
YHWH is
KADOSH,
but a mediator is not necessary because Elohim does not desire a relationship with man.
But both of these assumptions are false.YHWH’ holiness cannot be compromised but yet He does desire a relationship
with man. YHWH used Moshe, navaim, cohanim, and sacrifices to intercede for His people Yisrael. He has alwaysdesired to be reconciled to man.
A Mediator for Man
The Two-Covenant Heresy teaches that Jews come to Elohim without a mediator but
“
Goyim
” approach H
im throughMessiah. Many, taking for granted that the idea of a mediator is un-Jewish/Torah, think 
Rav Sha’ul brought the role
from Gnosticism in order to make his message more palatable to Greeks and Romans. Although Gnosticism positionsvarious beings between Elohim and man, the idea of a mediator between Elohim and mankind is not only Jewish butinseparable from the history of Yisrael recorded throughout the
TaNaK 
. Jewish tradition says that angels mediated atthe giving of the
Torah
on Mount Sinai (
Acts 7:53
 
).
53
"You who received the Torah at the directions of 
malachim
and were not
shomer 
of it."
Acts 7:53
Yahshua’s role as mediator of the Renewed Covena
nt was foreshadowed by Mosheh, who is called the mediator of the
Torah
in
Gal. 3:19
, but also in this fourth-century Midrash Rabbah:
 
3
19
Why then the
Mattan
Torah? The Torah was added because of 
pesha'im
, until the
ZERAH 
(Moshiach)should come to whom the
havtachah
had been made (
BERESHIS 22:18
). Now the Torah was administeredthrough
malachim
(
Devarim 33:2; Tehillim 68:18
 
) by the hand of a
sarsor 
(middleman/agent--
VAYIKRA26:46; BAMIDBAR 36:13),
an
ish benayim
.
20
Now the
sarsor 
, the
ish benayim
, the
metavvech
, is not for onlyone, but Elohim
hu echad 
(
Devarim 6:4
 
).
Galatians 3:19-20
03316
: 3316
mesites
mes-ee'-tace from 3319; a go-between, i.e. (simply) an internunciator, or (by implication)a reconciler (intercessor):--mediator.
Rabbi Yitzchak said: Our rabbis learned that if a cask is broken [before being delivered to the buyer], it is themiddleman who bears the
loss. Elohim said to Moses, ‘You were the middleman between me and my children;
you broke the Tables [of the
Torah
, Exodus 32:19], so you must replace them.’ How do we know this?Because it is written, ‘Hew two tables of stone like the first …’
[Exodus 34:
1].” (
Deuteronomy Rabbah 3:12
 
)A 9th-century
Midrash
says: “Before Yi
srael sinned, what does Scri
 pture say of them? ‘Before all Yi
srael
watching, the glory of YHWH appeared like a devouring fire on top of the mountain’ (
Exodus 24:17
). Accordingto Rabbi Abba bar-
Kahana, the phrase, ‘devouring fire,’ means that seven realms of fire seemed to be devouringone another on the mountaintop. And Israel looked and felt neither fear nor terror. But after sinning, they couldn’teven look at the face of Elohim’s
intermediary, [
Exodus 34:29
 – 
35
].” (
Pesikta Rabbati 15:3
 
) In a footnote to histranslation of 
Pesikta Rabbati
, William G. Braude relates the word “
intermediary
” (Hebrew
sarsur 
, rendered
“middleman”)
to
Deuteronomy 5:5
, where Moshe said
: “I stood between you
and
YHWH 
to declare to you theword of 
YHWH 
, since you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain.” If this is not
mediation, whatis? According to
Webster’s Dictionary
a mediator is a synonym for an intercessor.
Mediator
: noun-
1
.one who mediates; esp. one who mediates parties at variance
2
.A mediating agent in achemical or biological process.
Mediate
: verb fr. LL- to be in the middle
1:
to interpose between parties inorder to reconcile them.
2
: to reconcile differences
1a
: to effect by action as an intermediary
b
. to bring accordout by action as an intermediary.
2a
: to act as an intermediary agent in bringing, effecting, or communicating.
Intercede:
verb: to intervene between parties with a view of reconciling differences: syn. MEDIATE
Webs
ter’s New Collegiate Dictionary
A mediator is one who stands between two estranged (alienated) parties and seeks to reconcile them.
10
For if when we were oyevim (enemies) we were reconciled to Elohim through the
mavet 
(death) of the BenHaElohim [Moshiach], how much more, having been reconciled and no longer
oyevim
, shall we be deliveredby His (risen)
Chayyei
(
olam
)!
Romans 5:10
20
On behalf of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, therefore, we are emissaries of 
shalom
[
Yeshayah 27:5; 52:7;Eph
.
6:20
], as if Elohim were entreating through us: we ask on behalf of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, bereconciled to Elohim.
2 Corinthians 5:20
21
And you, once having been alienated and
oyvim
(enemies) in the mind by
ma'asim hara'im
(evil deeds),
22
yetnow Moshiach reconciled in the
Guf 
(body) [1:18] of his
basar 
[
Tehillim 16:9-10
] through Moshiach's
mavet 
[
Daniel 9:26; Yeshayah 53:8-9
] to present you,
kedoshim
(holy) and without
mum
(defect,
Vayikra 22:20
 
)and without reproach before him,
23
provided you remain in the [correct orthodox Jewish]
Emunah
[Faith, theEmunah of the true
Dat haYehudit],
having been founded in it and securely established and not moving awayfrom the
tikvah
(hope) of the
Besuras HaGeulah
which you heard, the
Besuras HaGeulah
which has beenproclaimed in
kol hanivrah
(all creation) under
Shomayim
, the
Besuras HaGeulah
of which I, Sha'ul, became a
keli kodesh
(minister).
Colossians 1:21-23
A Pseudepigrapha work dating from around the first or second century
B
.
C
.
E
.:
“Draw near to Elohim and to the angel
that intercedes for you, for he is a mediator
between Elohim and man ….” (
Testament of Dan 6:2
)Besides Mosheh, the
cohanim
were mediators who presente
d Yisrael’s
sacrifices to Elohim; the prophets were
middlemen who spoke Elohim’s words t
o the people; and the kings of Yisrael were middlemen, ruling Yisrael on
Elohim’s behalf and representing them before Elohim. Far from being “un
-Jewish/Torah
,” human mediation between
Elohim and Yisrael is the model in the
TaNaK 
.
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