Dev/Deut
29:10(9) – 30:20
"This day" is a reference to Yom
Teruah, the day on which we all stand in judgment before YHVH (the Torah reading of Nitzavim is always read
on the Shabbat before “Rosh Hashanah”/Yom Teruah) - Rabbi Israel Baal Shem
Tov.”
Who is it that is standing and why are they
standing?
Once again this Torah portion gives us
critical eschatological insight concerning those who will stand before the Lamb
of YHVH in the end days.
We are once again confronted with the age
old debate about predestination – Armenianism verses Calvanism.
Let
us attempt to establish some kind of Hebraic perspective on this issue:
We
start with the closing verses of this week’s Torah portion –
Deu 30:14 “For the Word is very near you, in your mouth
and in your heart – to do it.
Deu 30:15 “See, I have set before you today life and
good, and death and evil,
Deu 30:16 in that I am commanding you today to love יהוה your Elohim, to walk in His ways,
and to guard His commands, and His laws, and His right-rulings. And you shall
live and increase, and יהוה your
Elohim shall bless you in the land which you go to possess.
Deu 30:17 “But if
your heart turns away, and you do not obey, and shall be drawn away, and shall
bow down to other mighty ones and serve them,
Deu 30:18 “I have
declared to you today that you shall certainly perish, you shall not prolong
your days in the land which you are passing over the Yardĕn to enter and
possess.
Deu 30:19 “I have
called the heavens and the earth as witnesses today against you: I have set
before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore you shall
choose life, so that you live, both you and your seed,
Deu 30:20 to love יהוה your Elohim, to obey His voice, and
to cling to Him – for He is your life and the length of your days – to dwell in
the land which יהוה swore to
your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ, to give them.”
“Hebraic ethics is rooted in the doctrine
of human responsibility that is freedom of the will. “All is in the hands of
YHVH except the fear of YHVH” is an undisputed maxim of the sages. And to
subject our will to the will of our Father in Heaven is the great purpose of
man’s life on earth. Josephus states that the doctrine of free-will was
maintained by the Pharisees both against the Sadducees, who attributed
everything to chance, and the Essenes, who ascribed all the actions of man to
predestination and Divine Providence. “Free-will is granted to every man. If he
desires to incline towards the good way, and be righteous, he has the power to
do so; and if he desires to incline towards the unrighteous way, and be a
wicked man, he has the power to do so. Since this power of doing good and evil
is in our own hands, and since all the wicked deeds which we have committed
have been committed with our full conscience, it benefits us to turn to
penitence and forsake our evil deeds; the power of doing so being still in our
hands. The Free-will of man remains one
of the fundamental pillars of the Torah. – Maimonides” end quote taken and
adapted from Hertz Chumash.
The apostolic writings add to this
important issue by stating:
Rom 9:15 For He says to Mosheh, “I shall favour whomever
I favour, and I shall have compassion on whomever I have compassion.”
(Ex/Shemot 33:19)
Rom 9:16 So, then, it is not of him who is wishing,
nor of him who is running, but of Elohim who shows favour.
Rom 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this
same purpose I have raised you up, to show My power in you, and that My Name be
declared in all the earth.”
Rom 9:18 So, then, He favours whom He wishes, and He
hardens whom He wishes.
Rom 9:19 Then you shall say to me, “Why does He still
find fault? For who has resisted His counsel?”
Rom 9:20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to
Elohim? Shall that which is formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made
me like this?”
Rom 9:21 Does not the potter have authority over the
clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for value and another not for
value?
Rom 9:22 And if Elohim, desiring to show wrath, and to
make His power known, with much patience tolerated the vessels of wrath
prepared for destruction,
Rom 9:23 and that He might make known the riches of
His esteem on vessels of compassion, which He had prepared beforehand for
esteem,
Rom 9:24 even whom He called, not only us of the Yehuḏim, but also of the
gentiles?
The severity of the
above scripture is verified once again in this week’s Torah portion:
Deu 29:18 lest there should be among you a man or woman
or clan or tribe, whose heart turns away today from יהוה our
Elohim, to go and serve the mighty ones of these nations, lest there should be
among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood.
Deu 29:19 “And it
shall be, when he hears the words of this curse, that he should bless himself
in his heart, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my
heart,’ in order to add drunkenness to thirst.
Deu 29:20 “יהוה would not forgive him, but rather,
the displeasure of יהוה and His
jealousy shall burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this
book shall settle on him, and יהוה shall
blot out his name from under the heavens.
Deu 29:21 “And יהוה shall separate him for evil, out of
all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, according to all the curses of the covenant that
are written in this Book of the Torah.
Overview of Parasha:
“On the last day of his life, Moshe gathers all the people, young and
old, lowly and exalted, men and
women, in a final initiation. The covenant includes not only those who
are present, but even those generations yet unborn. Moshe admonishes the people
again to be extremely vigilant against idol worship because, in spite of having
witnessed the abominations of Egypt, there will always be the temptation to
experiment with foreign philosophies as a pretext for immorality. Moshe
describes the desolation of the Land of Israel which will result from failure
to heed YHVH’s mitzvoth (commandments). Descendants of that generation and
foreigners alike will remark on the singular desolation of the Land and its
apparent inability to be sown or to produce crops. The conclusion will be
apparent to all- Hebrews have forsaken the One who protects them in favor of
powerless idols. Moshe promises, however, that the people will eventually
repent after both the blessings and the curses have been fulfilled. However
assimilated they will have become among the nations, eventually YHVH will bring them back to Eretz Yisrael.
Moshe tells the people to remember that fulfilling the Torah is not an impossibility;
rather it’s within the grasp of every Hebrew. The parasha dramatically
concludes with Moshe comparing the Hebrew People’s choice to follow the Torah
to a choice between life and death. Moshe exhorts the people to choose life.” (Ohr Somayach)
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,
ou 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 (the years when Nitzavim is read separately):
- 29:10-12
(9-11 Heb.)
- 29:13-15
(12-14 Heb.)
- 29:16-29
(15-28 Heb.)
- 30:1-6
- 30:7-10
- 30:11-14
- 30:15-20
- Maftir:
30:18-20
Haftarah: Yeshayahu/Isaiah 61:10 – 63:9
Isa 61:10 I greatly rejoice in יהוה, my
being exults in my Elohim. For He has put garments of deliverance on me, He has
covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with
ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isa 62:1 For
Tsiyon’s sake I am not silent, and for Yerushalayim’s sake I do not rest, until
her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her deliverance as a lamp that
burns.
Isa 62:4 No longer are you called “Forsaken,” and no
longer is your land called “Deserted.” But you shall be called “Ḥephtsiḇah,”(my
desire is in her) and your land “Married,” for יהוה shall
delight in you, and your land be married.
Isa 62:6 I have set watchmen on your walls, O
Yerushalayim, all the day and all the night, continually, who are not silent.
You who remember יהוה, give yourselves no rest,
Isa 62:7 and give
Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Yerushalayim a praise in the
earth.
Isa 62:10 Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare
the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Lift
up a banner for the peoples!
of His strength? “It
is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
Isa 63:2 Why is there red on Your
raiment, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
Isa 63:3 “I have trodden the winepress
alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. And I
trod them down in My displeasure, and I trampled them in My wrath. Their blood
is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have defiled all My raiment.
Isa 63:4 “For a day of vengeance is in My heart, and
the year of My redeemed has come.
Isa 63:5 “And I looked, but there was none helping,
and I was astonished that there was none upholding. So My own arm saved for Me,
and My wrath upheld Me.
Isa 63:6 “And I trod down peoples in My displeasure, and
made them drunk in My wrath, and brought down their strength to earth.”
Isa 63:7 Let me recount the kindnesses of יהוה and the praises of יהוה, according to all that יהוה has done for us, and the great
goodness toward the house of Yisra’ĕl, which He has done for them according to
His compassion, and according to His many kindnesses.
Isa 63:8 And He
said, “They are My people, children who
do not act falsely.” And He became their Saviour.
Isa 63:9 In all
their distress He was distressed, and the Messenger of His Presence saved them.
In His love and in His compassion He redeemed them, and He lifted them up and
carried them all the days of old.
Rev 19:9 And he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those
who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me,
“These are the true words of Elohim.”
Rev 19:11 And I saw the heaven opened, and there was a
white horse. And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True, and in
righteousness He judges and fights.1 Footnote: 1See Acts
10:42.
Rev 19:12 And His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on
His head were many crowns, having a Name that had been written, which no one
had perceived except Himself1 – Footnote: 1See 2:17.
Rev 19:13 and
having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood – and His Name is called: The
Word of יהוה.1 Footnote: 1John
1:1 & 14.
Aliyah
Rishon 29:10-12
Deu 29:10 “All of you are standing today before יהוה your Elohim: your leaders, your
tribes, your elders and your officers, all the men of Yisra’ĕl,
“Standing” “Netzavim” is a niphal verb. A niphal verb is
a “passive” verb. In other words we may assume all those who are standing are
standing because YHVH had something to do with their standing.
Rom 14:4 Who are you that judges another’s servant? To
his own master he stands or falls. But he shall be made to stand, for Elohim is
able to make him stand.
These are standing “today” in Hebrew “ha yom” which means
a specific day. It is not just by chance that parashat Netzavim is always read
on the Shabbat a week before Yom Teruah (Rosh ha shannah for the Jews).
We know that Yom Teruah points to the time when Yahshua
will meet His bride to be, just before the great marriage supper of the Lamb.
This is a time when the righteous dead will be raised.
They will stand before Yahshua (Netzavim) together with those who were caught
up in the air to meet the Messiah. The same image we see when a young Hebrew
couple are lifted into the air on their wedding day by the guests.
Today this is a word to those
who feel too weak to carry on – He says “Netzavim” you can stand because I will
help you stand and stay standing. In fact we will not only stand but we will
move forward. (The title and theme of our next parasha – “Vayelech” to
go, walk, come) We will stand and then proceed to move to a higher level
towards becoming one with the very essence of YHVH.
Let us however not forget that this day “ha
yom” is also a day of judgment. This is why the month of Elul precedes “THE day”
– a time of searching ourselves and preparing to be with Yahshua forever (yamim
noraim – days of awe).
Rom
14:10 ….. we shall all stand before the
judgment seat of Messiah.
Deu 29:11 your
little ones, your wives, and your sojourner who is in the midst of your camp,
from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water,
Great and small shall stand together. The sages say we
will recognize the beauty and uniqueness of each person, no one will despise
the other. This reminds us of a day when the body of Messiah will stand before
him – united and complete.
1Co 12:14 For indeed the body is not one member but
many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I
do not belong to the body,” does it therefore not belong to the body?
1Co 12:16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an
eye, I do not belong to the body,” does it therefore not belong to the body?
1Co 12:17 If all the body was an eye, where would be
the hearing? If all hearing, where would be the smelling?
1Co 12:18 But now Elohim has set the members, each one
of them, in the body, even as He pleased.
1Co 12:19 And if they all had been one member, where
would the body be?
1Co 12:20 And now, there are indeed many members, but
one body.
1Co 12:21 And an eye is unable to say to the hand, “I
have no need of you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
1Co 12:22 But much rather, those members of the body
which are thought to be weaker are necessary.
1Co 12:23 And to those of the body which we think to be
less respected, these we present greater respect. And our unseemly members
have greater seemliness,
1Co 12:24 whereas our seemly members have no
need. But Elohim blended together the body, having given greater respect to
that member which lacks it,
1Co 12:25 that there should be no division in the body,
but that the members should have the same concern one for another.
1Co 12:26 And if one member suffers, all the members
suffer with it; or if one member is esteemed, all the members rejoice with it.
1Co 12:27 And you are a body of Messiah, and members
individually.
1Co 12:28 And Elohim has appointed these in the
assembly: firstly emissaries, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, after that
miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, ministrations, kinds of tongues.
Deu 29:12 so that
you should enter into covenant with יהוה your Elohim, and into His oath, which יהוה your Elohim makes with you today,
This is that great
day when
those who are in Messiah will enter into a marriage covenant with him.
Aliyah
Sheni 29:13-15
Deu 29:13 in order to establish you today as a people
for Himself, and He Himself be your Elohim, as He has spoken to you, and as He
has sworn to your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Ya’aqov.
Deu 29:14
“And not with you alone I am making this covenant and this oath,
Deu 29:15
but with him who stands here with us today before יהוה our
Elohim, as well as with him who is not here with us today.
These words and this promise include those who were not
present when these words were spoken; those who keep the commandments and have
the testimony of Yahshua.
Rev 14:12 Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones,1
here are those guarding the commands of Elohim and the belief of יהושע.2 Footnotes: 1In
12:17 they are called “the remnant”
This is why we prepare ourselves during this month of
Elul to get ready to meet our Messiah.
Aliyah Shlishi 29:16-29
Deu 29:16 “For you know how we dwelt in the land of
Mitsrayim and how we passed through the nations which you passed through,
Deu 29:17 and you saw their abominations and their
idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were with them,
Deu 29:18 lest there should be
among you a man or woman or clan or tribe, whose heart turns away today from יהוה our Elohim, to go and serve the mighty ones of these nations,
lest there should be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood.
Deu 29:19 “And it
shall be, when he hears the words of this curse, that he should bless himself
in his heart, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my
heart,’ in order to add drunkenness to thirst.
In these days an awakening is beginning to take place
amongst believers both Jewish and gentile that to make light of the Torah of
YHVH is the worst possible error any human being can ever make. (see Yesh./Is
24)
Wormwood:
“Heb. la'anah, (to curse) the Artemisia absinthium of
botanists, is known as “Wilde-als” by the Afrikaans community. Wilde-als brandy
is a popular folk medicine still made and sold today. It is
noted for its intense bitterness. In the symbolical language of the Apocalypse
(Rev 8:10, Rev 8:11) a star is represented as falling on the waters of the
earth, causing the third part of the water to turn wormwood.
It is cultivated in cottage gardens on account of its fragrance. So it
smells good but tastes bad. It is used to remedy many bodily ailments which
include arousing sexual desire.
It should be noted that there is some
toxicity in the herb, as there is in absinthe. It is well known that absinthe,
when consumed in high quantities, can cause symptoms such as addiction,
hallucinations and epileptic attacks.
Its botanical name comes from the Greek goddess “Artemis” was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana and she is frequently portrayed wearing a moon crown. (See Acts 19)
Its botanical name comes from the Greek goddess “Artemis” was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana and she is frequently portrayed wearing a moon crown. (See Acts 19)