（民15）作饼当举祭 (Num 15) Offer a cake from your dough

(Applied ChatGPT for English translation. 中文在后面。）

Numbers 15:18-20 “… When ye come into the land whither I bring you, Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the LORD. Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: …”

Here the word “bread” in Hebrew is called “challah.” Jewish tradition deduces from Scripture that whenever the quantity of wheat that is ground into flour reaches one omer, a portion must be taken and made into challah and offered as a heave offering. See:

An omer is approximately five pounds; it is both the quantity of wheat ground into flour from which the heave offering must be taken, and the daily ration of manna given to each Israelite in the wilderness. Exodus 16 teaches that after leaving Egypt, the Israelites were in the wilderness of Sinai where there was no agriculture. Therefore, the Creator rained down food from heaven called manna—one omer per person per day, about five pounds.

This passage is very important, for it teaches many implicit truths:

The New Generation Enters the Land: In Numbers 14, most of the older generation of Israelites were sentenced to die in the wilderness for their rebellion and did not enter the Promised Land. Here it says, “When ye come into the land whither I bring you,” indicating that the Creator’s promise will still bring “you” (adding in the new generation of Israelites) into the land. The rebellion of the older generation does not thwart God’s plan—He will have enough chosen people to occupy the land.
God as Provider in Both Manna and Grain: “The bread of the land,” and the manna from heaven, are both ways the Creator feeds His people. Because the former requires human labor, it is easy to forget God’s role—yet our ability and opportunity to labor come from Him. Therefore, whenever the wheat ground into flour reaches the amount of one omer, a portion must be taken for the heave offering. This reminds us that this one omer of ground wheat flour is, like the omer of manna, a gift by the Creator’s grace.
The Creator’s Intent for Food from the Land: God’s plan is not for His people to eat manna forever in the wilderness, but to eat the produce of the land—wheat ground into flour. As Psalm 104:14 says, “He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herbs for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth.”

More broadly, biblical tradition holds that we ought to live out God’s commandments in the “land” symbolizing the material world, and thereby receive reward. As Psalm 115:16 says, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.”
Were it otherwise, a soul would best remain with the Creator and need not have a body formed, breath of life breathed into nostrils, or be given a garden of Eden to tend.

Holy Service in Ordinary Daily Life: That one may take from the flour of wheat—an everyday, seemingly ordinary thing—and offer a portion as a heave offering to fulfill God’s command is beautiful. I suspect that even in the world to come, after the dead are resurrected, we will still fulfill God’s commandments in the material world and daily life. John 21:9 records that “As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.” This describes Jesus, after His resurrection, preparing breakfast of fish and bread for His disciples, personally fulfilling the command to “love one another.”

If fulfilling God’s commandments in the material world and daily life is our responsibility in both this life and the world to come, the only difference is that in this life we face greater difficulty and exert more effort. Yet I believe the future reward will also be greater. As it says in Pirkei Avot 5:23, “Reward is proportionate to the effort.” See:

https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.5.23?lang=bi

（民15）作饼当举祭

在民数记15:18-20，造物主要摩西教导在旷野中的以色列人：“ … 你们到了我所领你们进去的那地，吃那地的粮食，就要把举祭献给耶和华。你们要用初熟的麦子磨面，作饼当举祭奉献 …”

这里的“饼”，希伯来语叫“challah”。犹太人从圣经推导，每当麦子磨面的数量超过一俄梅珥，就应取一部分作饼，当举祭奉献。参见

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dough_offering

https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Numbers.15.20.2?lang=bi

一俄梅珥大约五斤，既是需要从中献举祭的麦子磨面的数额，也是以色列人当时在旷野每人每天的“吗哪”配额。圣经出埃及记16章教导，以色列人出埃及以后，到了西奈半岛的旷野，那里没有农业生产，所以造物主从天上降下粮食给他们，叫吗哪，每人每天的配额是一俄梅珥，大约五磅。

这一段圣经很重要，教导了很多隐含的道理。

第一，旧的一代的大多数以色列人在民数记14章刚因为叛逆而被判决死在旷野，不能进应许之地，这里说的“你们到了我所领你们进去的那地”，说明造物主应许仍然会领“你们”（新一代补上的以色列整体）进入应许地，叛逆的人进不去，但这些人的叛逆阻挡不了造物主的计划，祂总会有足够的选民占领应许之地。

第二，“那地的粮食”，和天降的吗哪，都是造物主喂养祂的选民的方式。因为前者需要自己劳动的参与，就容易让人忽视造物主的作用，其实自己劳动的能力和机会都来自造物主。所以每当麦子磨面达到天降吗哪的配额（一俄梅珥），就要从中取些献举祭，这可以提醒我们，这一俄梅珥麦子磨的面，也和一俄梅珥天降的吗哪一样，都是来自于造物主的恩赐。

第三，造物主的计划，不是让祂的选民永远在旷野吃天降的吗哪，而是让我们吃那地里出的粮食，吃麦子磨的面。诗篇104:14说，祂使草生长，给六畜吃。使菜蔬发长，供给人用。使人从地里能得食物。更广泛地说，正宗的圣经传统认为我们应该在“地”所象征的物质世界里行造物主的诫命，得到奖赏。诗篇115:16教导我们，天，是造物主的天。地，祂却给了世人。否则的话，人的灵魂留在造物主那里最好，不需要为他造一个肉身把生气吹到鼻子里，又为他造一个伊甸园让他管理。

第四，人可以从麦子磨的面，这样日常生活中看似很普通的东西，取一部分献举祭履行造物主的诫命，这是一种很美好的事情。我猜测，即使在死人复活后的来世，我们也要在物质世界和日常生活中履行造物主的诫命。约翰福音的最后一章记载，耶稣自己死里复活后，还指导门徒们打渔，还为他们准备炭火，烤鱼和饼作早餐，亲自履行“爱人如己”的诫命。

如果说，在物质世界和日常生活中履行造物主的诫命，在今生来世都是我们的责任，那么，唯一的区别是在今生我们所遇到的困难和所需要付出的努力更大，但我相信将来的奖赏也会更大，按犹太人的父老章节5:23 所说，“奖赏与努力相对应”，参见https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.5.23?lang=bi