The Shaar of the Kingdom

During the Shacharit L’Chol שחרית לחול

or the Weekday Service,

as the Torah is carried to the Ark,

the congregation recites Psalm 24.

Why is this particular psalm chosen

for this important event every weekday?

The key to the answer to this question

lies in the word Shaar שער or gate.

In this psalm the gates are equated

to the everlasting doors פתחי עולם .

The everlasting doors are then equated

to the Messiah משיח who is

the King of Glory מלך הכבוד .

The statement is repeated two times

at the end of this psalm to confirm

that its importance and occurance

is established by HASHEM.

“Lift up your heads, O you gates;

and be lifted up, you everlasting doors;

and the King of glory shall come in.

Who is the King of glory?

HASHEM strong and mighty,

HASHEM mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O you gates;

even lift them up, you everlasting doors;

and the King of glory shall come in.

Who is this King of glory?

HASHEM, master of legions of armies,

He is the King of glory.

שאו שערים רושיכם

והנשאו פתחי עולם

ויבוא מלך הכבוד:

מי זה מלך הכבוד

יהוה עזוז וגבור

יהוה גבור מלחמה:

שאו שערים ראשיכם

ושאו פתחי עולם

ויבא מלך הכבוד:

מי הוא זה מלך הכבוד

יהוה צבאות

הוא מלך הכבוד סלה:

These important connections between

the Messiah and the Gates, and in particular

the Eastern Gate, can be seen in Psalm 118:19-26,

which is the great and the last psalm of the Hallel הלל .

Verse 19 calls them the Gates of Righteousness.

“Open to me the gates of righteousness:

I will go into them,

and I will praise HASHEM.

פתחו לי שערי צלק

אבא בם אודה יה:

This is an important connection

to the Messiah המשיח

because he is totally righteous.

In Verse 20 the psalm says

“This is the Gate of HASHEM”

meaning the Messiah המשיח,

“and the righteous shall go into it.”

זה שער ליהוה

צדיקים יבאו בו:

Isaiah the Prophet corroborates this

when he says in Isaiah 26:2-4:

“Open you the gates,

that the righteous nation or people

who keeps faith may enter in.

You will keep him in perfect peace,

whose mind is stayed upon you:

because he trusts in you.

Trust in HASHEM forever:

because in HASHEM THE LORD

is the rock of strength

that lasts forever.”

פתחו שערים

ויבא גוי צדיק

שומר אמונים:

יצר סמוך תצור שלום

שלום כי בך בטוח:

בטחוּ ביהוה עדי־עד

כי ביהּ יהוה צור עולמים:

Verse 21 of Psalm 118 shows

the results of entering into this gate שער

which is praise,

and it reveals

the name of the Messiah משיח

who is Yeshua ישוע .

“I will praise you:

because you have heard me,

and become to me Yeshua.”

אודך כי עניתני

ותהי לי לישועה:

This further identifies

the gate with the Messiah המשיח .

The Prophet Ezekiel also identifies

the Messiah המשיח as the Prince הנשיא

in Ezekiel 44:1-3:

“Then he brought me back

the way of the gate

of the outward sanctuary

which looks toward the East;

and it was shut.

Then said HASHEM to me:

This gate shall be shut,

it shall not be opened,

and no man shall enter in by it;

because HASHEM the G-D of Israel,

has entered in by it,

therefore it shall be shut.

It is for THE PRINCE ;

THE PRINCE shall sit in it

to eat bread before HASHEM;

he shall enter by the way

of the porch of that gate,

and shall go out

by the way of the same.”

וישב אתי דרך שער

המקדש החיצון

הפונה קדים

והוא סגור:

ויאמר אלי יהוה

השער הזה סגור יהיה

לא יפתח

ואיש לא יבא בו

כי יהוה אלהי ישראל בא בו

והיה סגור:

את־הנשיא

הנשיא הוא ישב בו

לאכול לחם לפני יהוה

מדרך אולם השער יבוא

ומדרכו יצא:

This special status of The Prince הנשיא

indicates that he is the Messiah המשיח .

Then Psalm 118 reveals a mystery.

Verse 22 of Psalm 118 speaks

about the Messiah המשיח as being

the stone האבן who the builders rejected,

but HE is become the head of the corner.

This is the cornerstone

of the temple of HASHEM.

“The stone who the builders rejected

is become the head of the corner.”

אבן מאסו הבּונים

היתה לראש פנה:

Verse 23 declares that this is from HASHEM,

AND IT IS A WONDER.

“This is the doing of HASHEM,

it is a WONDER in our eyes.”

מאת יהוה היתה זאת

היא נפלאת בעינינו:

The Messiah Yeshua המשיח ישוע

is the stone who the builders rejected,

but he is become the cornerstone

of the temple of HASHEM.

Isaiah the Prophet speaks about

the Messiah Yeshua המשיח ישוע becoming

the cornerstone

of the Temple

as a sign to be wondered at

in Isaiah 24:14:

“Therefore, behold,

I will proceed to work a Wonder

among the people:

even a Wonder that shall be Wondered at;

For the wisdom of their wise men

shall perish,

and the understanding of all their prudent men

shall be hid.”

לכן הנני

יוסף להפליא את העם הזה

הפלא ופלא

ואבדה חכמת חכמיו

ובינת נבניו תסתתר:

Verse 24 of Psalm 118 reveals

that those who do understand this

and do not reject the Messiah המשיח

will declare that this is the day

that HASHEM has made,

and they will be glad and rejoice in it.

“This is the day that HASHEM has made,

we will be glad and rejoice in it.”

זה היום עשה יהוה

נגילה ונשמחה בו:

Gladness and joy enter

the hearts of all

who receive him.

Verse 25 reveals that the petitions

for salvation and prosperity come

as a result for those

who have entered into the gate

by receiving the Messiah המשיח.

“We beseech you, HASHEM,

SAVE NOW;

we beseech you, HASHEM,

SEND NOW PROSPERITY.”

אנא יהוה

הושיעה נא

אנא יהוה

הצליחה נא:

This tells us that HASHEM

will bring salvation and prosperity

to all who believe.

Finally Verse 26 is the great blessing

of the Messiah Yeshua המשיח ישוע

as he enters through the gate.

This blessing is the portion

of all who receive him.

The people bless him from the

House of HASHEM.

This is the inheritance of all who

open the gates of their hearts

to the Messiah Yeshua המשיח ישוע.

“Blessed be he who comes

in the Name of HASHEM:

WE HAVE BLESSED YOU

OUT OF THE HOUSE OF HASHEM.”

ברוך הבא בשם יהוה

ברכנובם מבית יהוה:

Yeshua ישוע declared this when he said

“Truly, truly I say to you,

I am the Shaar השער the gate.

By me if any man enter in,

he shall be saved,

and shall go in and out,

and be fed in green pastures.

Truly, truly, I say to you,

he who does not enter by the Shaar

into the sheepfold,

but climbs up some other way,

the same is a thief and a robber.

But he who enters

by the Shaar השער the gate,

is the shepherd of the sheep.

To him the porter, HASHEM, opens;

and the sheep hear his voice;

he calls his own sheep by name,

and he leads them out.

And when he puts forth his own sheep,

he goes before them,

and the sheep follow him:

for they know his voice.

And a stranger they will not follow,

but they will flee from him:

for they do not know

the voice of strangers.

Truly, truly, I say to you,

I am the Shaar השער the gate

of the sheep.

All that ever came before me

are thieves and robbers:

but the sheep did not hear them.

The thief comes not

but to steal, and to kill,

and to destroy:

I am come that you may have life,

and that you may have it

more abundantly.

ישוע דבר

אמן אמן אני אומר לכם

אנכי השער:

איש אם יכנס דרכי יושע :

הוא יכנס ויצא

וימצא מרעה:

אמן אמן אני אומר לכם

מי שאינו נכנס אל מכלא הצאן

דרך השער

אלא מטפס בדרך אחרת

גנב הוא ושודד:

הנכנס דרך השער

הוא רועה הצאן:

לו יפתח יהוה השומר השער

והצאן שומעות בקולו:

הוא קורא לצאנו בשם

ומוציא אותן:

לאחר שהוציא את כל אשר לו

הוא הולך לפניהן

והצאן הולכות אחריו

כי מכירות הן את קולו:

אחרי זר לא תלכנה

כי אם תברחנה ממנו

מפני שאינן מכירות

את קולם של זרים:

הוסיף ישוע ואמר

אמן אמן אני אומר לכם

אני הוא שער הצאן:

כל אשר באו לפני

גנבים הם ושודדים:

אין הגנב בא אלא

לגנוב ולהרוג ולהשמיד:

אני באתי שיחיו להם חיים

ובשפע שיחיו להם:

The conclusion is that

the Messiah Yeshua המשיח ישוע

shall cause to live forever

all who through him

enter into the kingdom

of David King of Israel מלך ישראל .

The Prophet Micah says

in Micah 2:12-13:

“I will surely assemble, O Jacob,

all of you:

I will surely gather

the remnant of Israel:

I will put them together

as the sheep of Bozrah,

as the flock

in the midst of their fold

under his word;

they shall make great noise

by the reason of the

multitude of men.

the breaker is come up before them:

they have broken up,

and have passed through the gate,

and are gone out by it:

and their king shall pass before them,

and HASHEM on the head of them.”

אסף אאסף יעקב כלך

קבץ אקבץ שארית ישראל

יחד אשימנו כצאן בצרה

כעדר בתוך הדברו

תהומנה מאדם:

עלה הפורץ לפניהם

פרצו ויעברו שער

ויצאו בו

ויעבור מלכם לפניהם

ויהוה בראשם:

The Messiah Yeshua המשיח ישוע

is the LEADER into

the Kingdom of David מלכות דוד .

If you have him

as your leader,

then HASHEM rests on your head,

and upon your head

rests the crown

of eternal life.

כתר חיי עולם