Devarim 21:10 – 25:19
"All the Torah learned in the present world
will be vain compared to the Torah of Mashiach." - Kohelet Rabba 11:12
Yahshua will not return ‘until the restoration
of all things’.
Act 3:19 “Repent therefore and turn back, for the
blotting out of your sins, in order that times of refreshing might come from
the presence of the Master,
Act 3:20 and that He sends יהושע Messiah,
pre-appointed for you,
Act 3:21 whom
heaven needs to receive until the times of restoration of all matters,
of which Elohim spoke through the mouth of all His set-apart prophets since of
old.
Act 3:22 “For
Mosheh truly said to the fathers, ‘יהוה your Elohim shall raise up for you
a Prophet like me from your brothers. Him you shall hear according to all matters,
whatever He says to you.
Act
3:23 ‘And it shall be that every being
who does not hear that Prophet1 shall be utterly destroyed from
among the people.’ (Emphasis added) Footnote: 1Deut. 18:18-20.
Let us listen once again to the words of our Messiah
that will bring revelation to this Torah portion:
Yoch/Joh 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would
love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the
world, for that reason the world hates you.
Joh 17:14 “I have given them Your Word, and the world
hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:15 “I do not pray that You should take them out
of the world, but that You keep them from the wicked one.
Joh 17:16 “They are not of the world, as I am not of
the world.
Joh 17:17 “Set them apart in Your truth – Your Word is
truth.1 Footnote: 1See Ps. 119:142, 151.
Joh 17:18 “As You sent Me into the world, I also sent
them
into the world.
Hence the title of
this week’s Torah portion – “When you will go out.”
Rom 8:19 For the intense longing of the creation
eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of Elohim.
The world longs to witness a people who will come out of the bondage of
religion and manmade ideas of how we should live our lives here on earth. The
world waits in great anticipation for such a people – may we be such an end
time people that will usher in the return of our Messiah.
This Torah portion contains the revelation of such a witness.
2Co 6:17
Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says יהוה, and do not touch what is unclean,
and I shall receive you.
The number 49 which can be expressed as 7 x 7 also sums up the
perfection intended in this teaching.
This week's reading, Ki Teitzei, contains 74 commandments, more
mitzvot than any other Torah portion. Some of the commandments discussed:
the law of the rebellious son, the obligation to bury the dead without undue
delay, the requirement to return a found object, the prohibition against
causing pain to any living creature, the prohibition against prostitution, the
laws of marriage and divorce, the procedure of the Levirate marriage, and the
obligation to eradicate the memory of Amalek.
Blessing for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher
bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn
ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you have selected us from among all the peoples, and
have given us your Torah.
Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
Torah Readings:
1.
21:10-21
2.
21:22 – 22:7
3.
22:8 – 23:6 (Heb. 23:7)
4.
23:7(8) – 23:23 (24)
5.
23:24(25) – 24:4
6.
24:5-13
7.
24:14 – 25:19
8.
Maftir: 25:17-19
Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-10
Aliyah Rishon 21:10-21
Deu 21:10 “When you go out to fight against your
enemies, and יהוה your Elohim shall give them into
your hand, and you shall take them captive,
Deu 21:11 and
shall see among the captives a woman fair of form, and shall delight in her and
take her for your wife,
The rabbis taught, "Do not underestimate the
value of parables, because by means of parables a person can master the words
of Torah" (Song of Songs Rabbah 1:8).
"All these things Y'shua spoke to the
multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 'I will open my
mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the
world.' " - Matthew 13:34-35
And so when YHVH gave us this Torah portion He was
giving a most profound parable into the Supreme Issue of the Universe - A love
story between a Bridegroom and Her Bride.
The story (parable) of a beautiful woman He captures after defeating the
forces of heaven and hell – the story of an unloved woman who He draws to
Himself with great tenderness and compassion and assures her of His undying
love and affection for all time.
“In parashah Ki Tetze we
see a beautiful picture of an Israeli man finding a “goy” (gentile) wife and
taking her as a bride bringing her into the fold of Yisrael.”
From
this passage we can see that through a war this Yisraeli man is able to redeem
a goy (gentile) from their pagan life and through this Yisraeli man this “isha”
woman, or wife is able to be absorbed into the commonwealth of Yisrael and
become a part of the faith and life of Yisrael. This process of bringing the “isha”
into the “house” of the Yisraeli man, shaving her head, and cutting her nails
was the sign and process of one's conversion from an old life of being a
Gentile to being part of the commonwealth of Yisrael. Being brought into the
“house” of an Yissraeli family was intimate language describing full inclusion
and integration into the practices and faith of that “house”.
The
conclusion of this conversion process; the shaving of one’s hair, the cutting
off of one’s nails is culminated with the shedding the old garments. These are
the garments of bondage in which this goyish isha (gentile woman) was found
wearing at the time as she was redeemed during this war between Israel and the
pagan elohim (mighty ones). In Devarim (Deut.) 21:13 it says, “…and she
shall put the clothing of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in your
house…”
The old
garments symbolize one’s old life, faith, and practice. These garments where to
be replaced with garments as found in this Set apart Yisraeli “house” that she
was now residing.
Deu 21:12 then you
shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her
nails,
Deu 21:13 and put
aside (Heb -vehasira) the mantle of
her captivity, and shall dwell in your house, and mourn her father and her
mother a month of days. And after that you shall go in to her and be her
husband, and she shall be your wife.
Note the use of the hyphil Hebrew verb “soor” “to set
aside” the verb is followed by a feminine possessive pronoun indicating that it
was the woman herself that was removing her garments. In the previous verse we
see from the Hebrew that woman herself shaved her head and trimmed her nails.
This Hebrew word for nails is “tseda” and can also mean to “make desolate” in
other words you abandon your past life and its customs and await the fate your
captor will choose for you.
The thirty days reminds us of the 30 days of the month of
“Elul” where our Captor will observe us to determine whether we truly desire to
be his and his alone.
Your Captor will observe you during these ‘30 days of
Elul’ to determine whether you truly desire to be his and his alone.
Deu 21:14 “And it
shall be, if you are not pleased with her, then you shall let her go at her
desire, but you do not sell her at all for silver. Do not treat her harshly,
since you have humbled her.
The Unloved Wife.
Deu 21:15 “When a
man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and they have borne him
children, both the loved and the unloved, and the first-born son is of her who
is unloved,
Deu 21:16 then it
shall be, on the day he makes his sons to inherit his possessions, he is not
allowed to treat the son of the beloved wife as first-born in the face of the
son of the unloved, who is truly the first-born.
Deu 21:17 “But he
is to acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the first-born by giving him a
double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength –
the right of the first-born is his.
The issue of Polygyny (a man having more than one wife)
is such an emotive and controversial issue, yet the Torah clearly mentions it
and how one should approach such an issue.
Western Christian
civilization has attempted to force monogamy on all of society and has greatly
succeeded in doing so. Most Christians oppose polygyny as YHVH’s loving way of
restoring wholeness to a people, providing it takes place within the structures
of the Torah.
Perhaps the true wholeness of any society can be measured
by how woman and other vulnerable people are treated.
This Torah portion has much to say about kindness towards
woman.
Even YHVH had two wives – Yirmeyahu/Jer 3:1-18; Ezekiel
23.
Jer 31:31 “See, the days are coming,” declares יהוה, “when I shall make a new covenant
with the house of Yisra’ĕl and with the house of Yehuḏah1,
Footnote: 1See Heb. 8:8-12, Heb. 10:16-17.
Jer 31:32 not like
the covenant I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand
to bring them out of the land of Mitsrayim, My covenant which they broke,
though I was a husband to them,” declares יהוה.
Deu 21:18 “When a
man has a wayward and rebellious son who is not listening to the voice of his
father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have disciplined him,
does not listen to them,
Deu 21:19 then his
father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of
his city, to the gate of his city,
Deu 21:20 and
shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is wayward and
rebellious. He is not listening to our voice, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’
Deu 21:21 “Then
all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. Thus you shall
purge the evil from your midst. And let all Yisra’ĕl hear, and fear.
We should all fear because our rebellion to His Torah
will bring DEATH.
Aliyah Sheni 21:22-22:7
Execution by impalement.
Deu 21:22 “And when a man has committed a sin worthy of
death, then he shall be put to death and you shall hang him on a tree.
Deu 21:23 “Let his body not remain overnight on the
tree, for you shall certainly bury him the same day – for he who is hanged is
accursed of Elohim – so that you do not defile the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you as an
inheritance.
Gal 3:13 Messiah redeemed us from
the curse of the Torah, having become a curse for us – for it has been written,
“Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.”1 – Footnote: 1Dt.
21:23..
What is the curse of the Torah? The penalty due to us because of our
disobedience.
Heb 10:28 Anyone who has disregarded (aorist active verb implies past and present) the Torah
of Mosheh dies without compassion on the witness of two or three
witnesses. (Anyone who disregarded and continues to disregard the Torah)
Heb 10:29 How much worse punishment do you think shall
he deserve who has trampled the Son of Elohim underfoot, counted the blood of
the covenant by which he was set apart as common, and insulted the Spirit of favour?
Note the well- known
use of the “chol v chomer” argument ie from light to heavy. In other words
disregarding the Torah is punishable by death, how much worse punishment will
we receive if disregard the power of Yahsua’s shed blood to pardon such a
transgression.
In other words the shedding of the blood of Messiah cannot be separated
from disobedience to the Torah, in fact the very blood of Messiah was shed for
our disobedience to Torah.
You
must return what you find to the original owner - Dev 22:1-3
Lost
property was returned to the village square where people could recover their
lost property.
Deu 22:1 “When you
see your brother’s ox or his sheep going straying away, you shall not hide
yourself from them. Return them to your brother without fail.
Deu 22:2 “And if your brother is not near you, or if
you do not know him, then you shall bring it to your own house, and it shall be
with you until your brother seeks it, then you shall return it to him.
Deu 22:3 “And so you do with his donkey, and so you do
with his garment, and so you do with whatever your brother loses, which he has
lost and you have found. You are not allowed to hide yourself.
The fallen animal.
Deu 22:4 “When you see your brother’s donkey or his ox
fall down on the way, you shall not hide yourself from them. Help him raise
them without fail.
Transvestism – confusion of male and female roles.
Deu 22:5 “A woman does not wear that which pertains to
a man, nor does a man put on a woman’s garment, for whoever does this is an
abomination to יהוה your Elohim.
The sages call this mitzvoth concerning the birds nest
the least of all mitzvoth - Mat 5:17-19
Deu 22:6 “When you
come upon a bird’s nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young
ones or eggs, with the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take
the mother with the young –
Deu 22:7 let the
mother go without fail, and take the young for yourself, so that it might be
well with you, and that you shall prolong your days.
“One who says
(in prayer), "Your mercy extends to a bird's nest..." should be
silenced... Since this reduces the mitzvot to humane laws, when in truth they
are divine decrees.
(Talmud, Berachot 33b)
Aliyah Shlishi 22:8-23:6
Guard rails for a parapet roof - making your home friendly
and safe. (Especially also think of children)
Deu 22:8 “When you build a new house, then you shall
make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring blood-guilt on your
house when one falls from it.
Avoiding mixture.
Deu 22:9 “Do not sow your vineyard with different
kinds of seed, lest the yield of the seed which you have sown and the fruit of
your vineyard be defiled.
Deu 22:10 “Do not plough with an ox and a donkey
together.
Deu 22:11 “Do not put on a garment of different kinds,
of wool and linen together.
Deu 22:12 “Make tassels on the
four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.
Tzitzit are made of mixed materials – cotton and wool. Cotton comes from
the earth and wool comes from animals. YHVH desires for heaven and earth to
come together in the lives of His Set Apart Ones.
The Defamed Wife - Dev
22;13 – 21 (evidence virginity)
Deu 22:13 “When any man takes a wife, and shall go in
to her, and shall hate her,
Deu 22:14 and shall make abusive charges against her and
bring an evil name on her and say, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I
did not find her a maiden,’
Deu 22:15 then the father and mother of the young woman
shall take and bring out the proof of the girl’s maidenhood to the
elders of the city at the gate.
Deu 22:16 “And the girl’s father shall say to the
elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as wife, and he hates her.
Deu 22:17 ‘And see, he has made abusive charges against
her, saying, “I did not find your daughter a maiden,” and yet these are the proofs
of my daughter’s maidenhood.’ And they shall spread the garment before the
elders of the city.
Deu 22:18 “And the elders of that city shall take that
man and punish him,
Deu 22:19 and fine him one hundred pieces of silver and
give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought an evil name
on a maiden of Yisra’ĕl. And she is to be his wife, he is not allowed to put
her away all his days.
Deu 22:20 “But if the matter is true, that the girl was
not found a maiden,
Deu 22:21 then they shall bring out the girl to the
door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death
with stones, because she has done wickedness in Yisra’ĕl, to whore in her
father’s house. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst.