Blessing for the Torah:
Bar’chu et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH
ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed!
Baruch ata YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher
bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’na-tan lanu eht Torah-to.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH,
the blessed
One for all eternity. 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.)
“One of the problems the early Greek and Latin
Church fathers had with the Torah is how it connected to everyday life. In
their Greek and Roman worldview, the goal was to escape this mundane physical
world and ascend to the sublime realm of ideas and philosophy where the soul
could be free from the clutches of the fallen universe. In their view of the
transcendent G-d it hardly seemed possible that He could be concerned with
houses, crops, cloths and even latrines. Somehow the haloed image of Messiah
was besmirched by such worldly concerns. They concluded that the true meaning
of the Torah(indeed of all Scripture) was embedded in the mystical layer of its
meaning, extractable only through allegory.
The very fact that Torah often deals with the most
common elements of life shows that YHVH always intended for His truth and
nature to be manifested through human lives. Unlike the pagan gods manufactured
in the minds and hands of fallen mankind whose “wholly other” character forbade
them to have contact with mortals, the Elohim of Yisrael dwells in the midst of
His people. He (Messiah) would descend so they might ascend. From the very
beginning YHVH intended to reveal Himself to man through Messiah – Immanuel –
Elohim with us.”
Isa 1:2
Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth! For יהוה
has spoken, “I have reared and brought up children, but they have transgressed
against Me.
Isa 1:3 An
ox knows its owner and a donkey its master’s crib – Yisra’ěl does not know, My
people have not understood.”
Isa 1:4
Alas, sinning nation, a people loaded with crookedness, a seed of evil-doers,
sons acting corruptly! They have forsaken יהוה,
they have provoked the Set-apart One of Yisra’ěl, they went backward.
Isa 1:5 Why
should you be stricken any more? You continue in apostasy! All the head is sick,
and all the heart faints.
Isa 1:6 From
the sole of the foot, to the head, there is no soundness in it – wounds and
bruises and open sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with
ointment.
Isa 1:7 Your
land is laid waste, your cities are burned with fire, strangers devour your
land in your presence. And it is laid waste, as overthrown by strangers.
Isa 1:8 And
the daughter of Tsiyon is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a garden
of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
Isa 1:9 Unless
יהוה of hosts had left to us a small remnant, we would have become
like Seḏom, we would have been made like Amorah.
Isa 1:10
Hear the word of יהוה, you rulers of Seḏom; give
ear to the Torah of our Elohim, you people of Amorah! (Jer
23:14; Amos 4:11; Lam 4:6; Rev 11:8)
Let us consider how this remnant lives. – Our Torah portion begins.
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.
“The first instruction given regards the
requirement of a parapet, a small guard rail required to be built around the
edge of a roof or balcony. In the ancient near east, houses were built with
flat roofs which were utilized for various purposes: drying and storing
produce, socializing, and sleeping in warm weather. The roof provided a kind of
“living room” where guests and family could gather. As such, it was imperative
that safety from falling from the roof be provided. A home owner who did not
makes such a provision was liable for the injury or death of anyone who might
fall from his roof. Negligence in such a matter was tantamount to homicide. The
Sages ruled that the parapet should be a minimum of 10 hand-breadths tall (30
inches). The law of the parapet is a good illustration of the Torah itself,
which when obeyed, functions as a “guard rail” for life in general.”
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. (Mat 11:29)
Deu 22:11 “Do not put on a garment of different kinds,
of wool and linen together.
Drash vs 11 – Wool
comes from an animal, linen comes from the earth. Man can take cotton seed and
produce linen. Man has no role in bring a sheep that provides wool into the
world. We assume that a normal man is not able to bring heaven and earth
together. Only Messiah is able to do this, and who Messiah appoints – his
priesthood.
“Josephus (Ant. 4.208) offers the suggestion that
the prohibition relates to the way those things pertaining to the High Priest
were not to be used by the common man. Since the High Priest wears garments
woven of wool and linen (e.g., Ex 39:8), these are comparable to that of the
anointing oil and incense which was not to be duplicated or used by the common
Israelite (cf.Ex 30:22–27). Interestingly, the very next section of our
parashah deals with tzitzit, which were traditionally made of white linen
threads combined with the dyed woollen thread of teichelet. Since these do not constitute
a garment, they do not violate the prohibition of mixtures. Yet in combining
the two substances, the common Israelite wore something that symbolically
connected to the Ephod of the High Priest. Since the purpose of the tzitzit was
to remind one of the commandments to do them, the combination of wool and linen reinforced the fact that obedience to YHVH required the duties and service of the High Priest. As a kingdom of priests (cf. Ex 19:6), Israel’s life revolved around the Tabernacle/Temple where YHVHs way of atonement was constantly displayed in the priestly service and sacrifices.”
Deu 22:12 “Make tassels on the four corners of the
garment with which you cover yourself.
The more detailed instructions for the tzitzit are
found in Num 15:37f. It is there that the actual term צִיצִת (tzitzit) is
found. The word itself describes a “tuft” or “strand” and could be used of a
lock of hair (Ezek 8:3) as well as a “tassel” of thread. The cognate word in
Assyrian (zizitu) describes the moveable part of a loom.
In our text, the word used is גְּדִלִים (g’dilim)
from גָּדִל (gadil) used only here and in 1Ki 7:17 which describes “wreaths of
chain work” on the capitals of the courtyard of Solomon’s Temple. Some (like
the Kairites) have taken this to be a prescription for how the tzitzit are to
be made, i.e., in a twisted or braided fashion. But the word is used in cognate
languages of common rope or cords, and most likely simply describes the manner
in which strands are combined to form a single cord. The Sages regarded the
wrapping of the teichelet (blue thread) and the tying of knots as complying
with the words of our text.
The tassels are specifically commanded to be
attached to the “four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.” In
ancient times, this was an ordinary outer garment worn all day. In the Middle
Ages when such a garment would too quickly identify a Jewish person to
persecutors, the tzitzit were attached to a smaller inner garment called a
tallit katan (“small tallit”), offering the ability to hide the tzitzit when
necessary.
The tassels are to be attached to the “four
corners” ( אַרְבַּע כַּנפְוֹת ) or “wings” of the garment. These may have been
actual corners, but could also describe scallops along the hem or even “the
places at which vertical bands of embroidery met the hems” (Tigay, JPS:
Deuteronomy, p. 203). The halachah of the Sages opted for actual corners,
requiring that the garment to which tzitzit are attached have clearly distinct
corners (cf. Menachot in the Mishnah).
There is nothing in this text nor in Num 15:37f
which clearly limits the wearing of tzitzit to men, though this became the
rabbinic halachah based upon the ruling that women were exempt from time-bound
commandments.
Since the purpose of the tzitzit is that “you man
look upon them” (Num 15:39), and since this
would only be practical during daylight hours, the
Rabbis included the ordinance of tzitzit among the timebound commandments (cf.
m.Kiddushin 1.7). But even in their halachah, women were exempted, not
prohibited.
Tzitzit are not considered a garment (since if they
were, the prohibition of sha’atnez would apply) and thus could not be ruled as
a male garment (which would be prohibited for women, cf. Deut 22:5; cf. Sifre
§115). Moreover, there are historical examples of leading Sages whose wives and
maid servants wore tzitzit (b.Menachot 43a; b.Sukkah 11a; y.Berachot 37a).
Based upon the biblical texts themselves, there is nothing to suggest that the
commandment of tzitzit applies only to males.”
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.
Deu 22:22 “When a man is found lying with a woman
married to a husband, then both of them shall die, both the man that lay with
the woman, and the woman. Thus you shall purge the evil from Yisra’ĕl.
Deu 22:23 “When a girl who is a maiden is engaged to a
husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her,
Deu 22:24 then you shall bring them both out to the
gate of that city, and shall stone them to death with stones, the girl because
she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he has humbled his
neighbour’s wife. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Deu 22:25 “But if a man finds the girl who is engaged
in the field, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who
lay with her shall die.
Deu 22:26 “But you shall do no matter to the girl. The
girl has no sin worthy of death – for the matter is like a man who rises
against his neighbour and kills him –
Deu 22:27 for he found her in the field, and she cried
out, the engaged girl, but without anyone to save her.
Deu 22:28 “When a man finds a girl who is a maiden, who
is not engaged, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out,
Deu 22:29 then the man who lay with her shall give to
the girl’s father fifty pieces of silver, and she is to be his wife because he
has humbled her. He is not allowed to put her away all his days.
Deu 22:30 “A man does not take his father’s wife, nor
uncover his father’s skirt.
The very fact
that these laws are given shows clearly that YHVH intends sexual relationships
to be reserved for committed
relationships. The author of Hebrews reiterates this when he wrote: “Marriage
is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for
fornicators and adulterers YHVH will judge” (Heb 13:4). The “marriage bed” (Gk
- he koite) is a euphemism for
sexual relations. Regardless of what our current society may say, casual sex
where there is no commitment is sinful and contrary to YHVH’s good purposes.
Our Torah text makes it clear that YHVH’s intention is that a woman be a virgin
when she marries. For a woman to remain a virgin until she marries means that
men must also honor YHVH’s standards.
Bringing an
accusation against a wife, charging her with pre-marital unchastity is a serious
issue. If the
charges are
shown to be valid, the penalty is death. However, a false accusation required
the husband to
be flogged, to
pay damages to the woman’s father, and the impossibility of ever bringing
similar charges
against her in
the future (which would result in a valid divorce). The manner in which such
accusations are
proven false is
for the woman’s parents to produce for the elders “evidence of her virginity,”
which consisted
of a cloth ( שִׂמְלָה , simlah). Simlah is a common
noun (found 35x in the Tanach) a describes “garments”
in general. In
some cases, it may be used of garments reserved for special occasions (cf. Gen
45:22 where
the garments
Joseph gives to his brothers may have been for the occasion of their dining
with him). It is
very probable
that in the ancient near east semitic cultures, virgins were accustomed to wear
clothing that marked them out as unmarried and still under the guardianship of
their fathers. In Judges 21:12, 400 virgins are identified among the population
of Jabesh-gilead. For a young woman to be so adorned would be allowed only as long
as the community in which she lived knew her to be a virgin.
If, however, the
charges were proven true, the woman is brought to the entrance of her father’s
house
and executed. The fact
that she comes to her father’s house reinforces the Torah perspective that a
father is
responsible for the
purity of his daughter until she marries. In the same way that a father had the
authority to
annul a vow his unmarried daughter had made (Num
30:3f), so he is responsible to guard her from any situation that might result
in pre-marital unchastity. In bringing the guilty woman to the entrance of her
father’s house, the charge against her also marks the fact that her father was
woefully negligent in his duties. This concept, of the father’s duty to guard
his daughters, ought to encourage us, even in our modern day, to take seriously
the responsibility Elohim has given to fathers.”
Deu 23:1 “No one wounded, crushed or whose member is
cut off does enter the assembly of יהוה.
Deu 23:2 “No one
of illegitimate(mamzer – heb root – alienate) birth does enter the assembly of יהוה, even a tenth
generation of his does not enter the assembly of יהוה. (They could
marry other mamzerim)
Deu 23:3 “An
Ammonite or Mo’aḇite does not enter the assembly of יהוה, even a tenth
generation of them does not ever enter the assembly of יהוה,
Deu 23:4 because
they did not meet you with bread and water on the way when you came out of
Mitsrayim, and because they hired against you Bilʽam son of Beʽor from Pethor
of Aram Naharayim, to curse you.
Deu 23:5 “But יהוה your Elohim
refused to listen to Bilʽam, and יהוה your Elohim
turned the curse into a blessing for you, because יהוה your Elohim
loves you.
Deu 23:6 “Do not
seek their peace nor their good, all your days, forever.
Two types of emasculation occurred in the ancient
near east, and are specifically noted in our text. Beyond being a eunuch,
self-castration is known to have occurred in the ancient near east as part of
certain religious ceremonies. Castration was also a form of punishment among
some of the pagan nations. Excluding eunuchs from participation in the
“assembly of Adonai” was most likely founded upon its close association with
paganism. Moreover, eunuchs would not govern with an eye to the next
generation, since they were unable to father children. Such governance could
therefore be woefully short-sighted. Likewise, those “ill-begotten or
illegitimate” ( מַמְזרֵ ,
mamzer) are excluded from the governing “assembly of Adonai.”
The exact meaning of mamzer is debated, but
there is little evidence that it means children born out of wedlock. The Sages
(noting the close proximity of forbidden sexual relationships in the previous
context) understand it to refer to children born from incest or adulterous
relationships. The Lxx and Targum Jonathan interpret it to mean children born
of prostitution. If these suggestions are on the mark, the point of excluding such
from the “assembly of Adonai” is that those who govern should be from whole families
because their decisions should nurture a society that fosters wholesome and
stable homes.The phrase “even in the tenth generation” should most likely be
understood as meaning “never.” Ammonites and Moabites are also excluded from
the governing
Deu 23:7 “Do not
loathe an Eḏomite, for he is your brother. Do not loathe a Mitsrite, because
you were a stranger in his land.
Deu 23:8 “The
children of the third generation born to them do enter the assembly of יהוה.
Deu 23:9 “When the
army goes out against your enemies, then you shall guard yourself from every
evil matter.
Deu 23:10 “When
there is any man among you who is not clean because of an emission in the
night, then he shall go outside the camp. Let him not come into the midst of
the camp.
Deu 23:11 “And it
shall be, when evening comes, that he bathes with water. And when the sun sets
let him come into the midst of the camp.
Deu 23:12 “And you
shall have a place outside the camp, where you shall go out,
Deu 23:13 and you
shall have a sharp implement among your equipment, and when you sit down
outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your excrement.
Deu 23:14 “For יהוה your Elohim
walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to
you. Therefore your camp shall be set-apart, so that He does not see unclean
matter among you, and shall turn away from you.
Deu 23:15 “You do
not hand over to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you.
Deu 23:16 “Let him
dwell with you in your midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your
gates, where it is pleasing to him. Do not oppress him.
Deu 23:17 “None of
the daughters of Yisra’ĕl is to be a cult prostitute, nor any of the sons of
Yisra’ĕl be a cult prostitute.
Deu 23:18 “Do not
bring the gift of a whore or the pay of a dog to the House of יהוה your Elohim
for any vowed offering, for both of these are an abomination to יהוה your Elohim.
Deu 23:19 “Do not
lend at interest to your brother, interest of silver, interest of food, or
interest of whatever is lent at interest.
Deu 23:20 “To a
foreigner you lend at interest, but to your brother you do not lend at
interest, so that יהוה your Elohim might bless you in all that
you put your hand to in the land which you are entering to possess.
Deu 23:21 “When
you make a vow to יהוה your Elohim, do not delay to pay it, for יהוה your Elohim is
certainly requiring it of you, and it shall be sin in you.
Deu 23:22 “But
when you abstain from vowing, it is not sin in you. (Mat 5:37)
Deu 23:23 “That
which has gone from your lips you shall guard and do, for you voluntarily vowed
to יהוה your Elohim what you have promised with your mouth.
Deu 23:24 “When
you come into your neighbour’s vineyard, you shall eat to the satisfaction of
your desire, but do not put any in a receptacle of yours.
Deu 23:25 “When
you come into your neighbour’s standing grain, you shall pluck the heads with
your hand, but do not use a sickle on your neighbour’s standing grain. (Lev
23:22)
Baruch
atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh
o’lam nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you
Yahweh, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of
truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you,
YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn