Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, King of the universe, who has made us set apart through His commandments and commanded us to actively study Torah. Please YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all Your people Yisrael. May we and our offspring, and the offspring of Your people, the House of Yisrael, may we all, together, know Your Name and study Your Torah for the sake of fulfilling Your desire. Blessed are You, YHVH, Who teaches Torah to His people Yisrael. Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, King of the universe, Who chose us from all the nations and gave us the Torah. Blessed are You, YHVH, Giver of the Torah
Isa
65:9 “And I shall bring forth a seed from Ya‛aqoḇ, and from Yehuḏah an
heir of My mountains. And My chosen ones shall inherit it, and My servants
dwell there.
Psa
15:1 יהוה, who does sojourn in Your
Tent? Who does dwell in Your set-apart mountain?
Psa 15:2 He who walks blamelessly, And does righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart.
Psa
24:3 Who does go up into the mountain of יהוה? And who does stand in His set-apart place?
Psa 24:4 He who has innocent hands and a clean heart, Who did not bring his life to naught, And did not swear deceivingly.
Isa 66:16 “For by fire and by His
sword יהוה shall judge all flesh, and the slain of יהוה shall be many –
Isa 66:17 those who set themselves
apart and cleanse themselves at the gardens after ‘one’ in the midst, eating
flesh of pigs[a] and the abomination and the mouse, are snatched away,
together,” declares יהוה. Footnote: aSee Isa_65:4.
‘’This scripture is a prophecy revealed to Yeshayahu/ Isaiah.
It is a future event waiting to be fulfilled.
Pigs and mice are just some of the
unclean meats listed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.
If YHVH intended to stop reinforcing His
dietary law the moment that Yashua was killed and rose again, then why do we
find this prophecy talking about YHVH destroying those people eating unclean
meat?
It only makes PERFECT sense when we know YHVH still wants us to follow His food law today and in the future.’’
Deu
14:1 “You are the children of יהוה your Elohim. Do not cut yourselves nor
shave the front of your head for the dead,
Deu 14:2 for you are a set-apart
people to יהוה your Elohim, and יהוה has chosen you to be a people for Himself,
a treasured possession above all the peoples who are on the face of the
earth.
Deu 14:3 “Do not eat whatever
is abominable.
Deu 14:4 “These are the living
creatures which you do eat: ox, sheep, and goat,
Deu 14:5 deer, and gazelle, and
roebuck, and wild goat, and mountain goat, and antelope, and mountain
sheep.
Deu 14:6 “And every beast that
has a split hoof divided in two, chewing the cud, among the beasts, you do
eat.
Deu 14:7 “But of those chewing the
cud or those having a split hoof completely divided, you do not eat, such as
these: the camel, and the hare, and the rabbit, for they chew the cud but do
not have a split hoof, they are unclean for you.
Deu 14:8 “And the pig is unclean
for you, because it has a split hoof, but does not chew the cud. You do not eat
their flesh or touch their dead carcasses.
Deu 14:9 “These you do eat of
all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales you do
eat.
Deu 14:10 “And whatever does not
have fins and scales you do not eat, it is unclean for you.
Deu 14:11 “Any clean bird you
do eat,
Deu 14:12 but these you do not
eat: the eagle, and the vulture, and the black vulture,
Deu 14:13 and the red kite, and
the falcon, and the buzzard after their kinds,
Deu 14:14 and every raven after
its kind,
Deu 14:15 and the ostrich, and the
nighthawk, and the seagull, and the hawk after their kinds,
Deu 14:16 the little owl, and the
great owl, and the white owl,
Deu 14:17 and the pelican, and the
carrion vulture, and the fisher owl,
Deu 14:18 and the stork, and the
heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat.
Deu 14:19 “And every creeping insect
that flies is unclean for you, they are not eaten.
Deu 14:20 “Any clean bird you do
eat.
Deu 14:21 “Do not eat whatever dies of itself. Give it to the stranger who is within your gates, to eat it, or sell it to a foreigner. For you are a set-apart people to יהוה your Elohim. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Midrash: Dietary laws existed long before YHVH’s Laws were codified in the Torah.
Gen
26:4 “And I shall increase your seed like the stars of the heavens, and I
shall give all these lands to your seed. And in your seed all the nations of
the earth shall be blessed,
Gen 26:5 because Aḇraham obeyed My voice and guarded My Charge: My commands, My laws, and My Torot.”a Footnote: aTorot - plural of Torah, teaching.
‘’The origin of the distinctions
The first Scriptural account noting distinctions between clean and unclean animals documents events that occurred long before the Exodus. Almost 1,000 years before YHVH made a covenant with the nation of Yisrael, in fact centuries before there even was an Yisrael, He told Noach to take into the ark unclean animals by twos and the clean ones by sevens (Genesis 6:19; Genesis 7:2).’’
Gen
7:1 And יהוה said to Noaḥ, “Come into the
ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous
before Me in this generation.
Gen
7:2 “Of all the clean beasts take with you seven pairs, a male and
his female; and of the beasts that are unclean two, a male and his
female;
Gen 7:3 and of birds of the heavens seven pairs, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
‘’In this passage, YHVH commanded Noach
to take with him in the ark clean and unclean animals. This happened thousands
of years before YHVH made a covenant with Ysrael.
YHVH does not have to explain to Noach
which of the animals is clean and unclean because Noach has already observed
YHVH’s commandments.
Noach is not an Yisraelite.
Thus, the argument that the dietary law only applies to the Yisraelites is faulty.’’
Act
10:12 in
which were all kinds of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and
creeping creatures, and the birds of the heaven.
Act
10:13 And a voice came to him, “Rise up, Kěpha, slay and eat.”
Act
10:14 But Kěpha said, “Not at all, Master! Because I have never eaten
whatever is common or unclean.”
Act
10:15 And a voice came to him again the second time, “What Elohim
has cleansed you do not consider common.”
Act 10:16 And this took place three times, and the vessel was taken back to the heaven.
This incident is about Peter’s vision.
Many people assume that YHVH is showing
here Peter that eating unclean meats is now already acceptable.
People often use this to back up their
claim that Christians are now free to break YHVH’s food law because of the
vision of Peter. But a careful analysis of this scripture would show us the
opposite.
Peter did not IMMEDIATELY make
a conclusion that YHVH is telling him that the food laws are now done away
with. Instead, Peter responded, “Not so, Master; for I have NEVER eaten
any thing that is common or unclean.”
This means that even after about 30
years after Yahshua’s death, Peter and other apostles
never ate unclean animals – this clearly go against the common assumption of
Christians today.
YHVH is showing Peter that Salvation is now available for Gentiles, a group of people whom the Jews refer to be “unclean”. This is YHVH’s intent as what we see in the later verse 28, saying “but YHVH hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.”
Mat 8:28-34
Note Yahshua cast demons into pigs and not sheep.
‘’YHVH's Word—encompasses all aspects of
our lives, including what we eat. The specific purpose YHVH gave for
avoiding unclean meats is His people are a Set Apart People. As
we apply the biblical laws in our lives, they encourage us to think
differently, to think more like YHVH. They alter our perceptions. For example,
keeping YHVH's Sabbath days changes the way we think about and use our time.
His laws of tithing, concerning portions of our income, alter our perception
and use of our physical resources.
Since many people enjoy eating pork
(ham, bacon, sausage, etc.) and experience no immediate adverse effects, some
have looked for scientific reasons that YHVH may have had in mind when He told
the ancient Yisraelites not to eat pork (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy
14:8). One theory is that YHVH forbade the eating of pork so that the Ysraelites
would not catch certain diseases, such as trichinosis, that pigs can carry.
After all, the Yisraelites did not own refrigerators, and researchers had not
yet warned people to thoroughly cook pork to kill any potential
disease-carrying organisms.
Since modern research has apparently
solved these problems of disease, and we rarely hear of parasites passing to
people through under-cooked meat, many people assume eating pork is now
acceptable to YHVH. Since many people eat pork all their lives and live to a
ripe old age, the average person—if he thinks about it at all—assumes eating
pork has little or no effect on health or longevity.
Research has convinced some doctors and
nutritionists, however, to recommend that some of their patients avoid pork and
shellfish (another category of biblically unclean food) in their diets; they
understand that some people do not properly digest these meats. So some will
acknowledge that avoidance of certain meats makes sense for people with
particular health problems, but not as a rule for everyone.
Most religious teachers have adopted a
perspective that parallels this scientific reasoning. Theologians have assumed
that the laws of clean and unclean meats originated under the Old Covenant with
ancient Israel and came to an end with the establishment of the New Covenant.
Thus they believe many laws from the Old Testament are no longer applicable to
Christians.
Quote: “Many
think Paul confirmed this approach when he said, "I know and am convinced
by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who
considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean" (Romans 14:14).”
This reasoning places YHVH in the role
of master physician in the Old Testament and Yahshua in the role of liberator
from YHVH's law in the New Testament. If we assume that YHVH was simply looking
out for the health of the ancient Israelites, the Bible's lists of clean and
unclean animals become only primitive health issues for which modern,
enlightened, liberated mankind no longer has need. The popular reasoning is
that Christ understood this and gave His followers the freedom to decide for
themselves in such matters. Some believe YHVH will honor any decision we make
for ourselves regarding such things.
This popular view is taught by most
churches. But the crucial question remains: Does it accurately reflect
biblical teaching?
God's view is different
God made mankind in His own image
(Genesis 1:26-27). In doing so He gave men and women the ability to reason.
Though a wonderful gift, our thinking ability is not infallible. When ancient
Israel's reasoning went awry, God said, "Come now, and let us reason
together" (Isaiah 1:18).
But Scripture also records God telling
us: "'My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says
the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher
than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts'" (Isaiah 55:8-9).
The Bible is a book about relationships—specifically
how people in the past related to God and, based on their experiences, how we
should relate to Him. God's law—His direction and instruction for
people—provides the guidelines for developing a relationship with Him that
leads to eternal life.
So God, not man, is the authority on our
conduct (Proverbs 14:12), including deciding that of what foods we may or may
not eat.
In addition, the great prophet Jeremiah
candidly admitted, "O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it
is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah
10:23).
In light of these Bible verses, we need to carefully examine the matter of clean and unclean meats. We need to be sure we understand God's perspective instead of relying exclusively on our own reasoning.” End quote.
Tithes
Deu 14:22 “You shall tithe without
fail all the yield of your grain that the field brings forth year by
year.
Deu 14:23 “And you shall eat
before יהוה your Elohim, in the place
where He chooses to make His Name dwell, the tithe of your grain and your new
wine and your oil, and of the firstlings of your herds and your sheep, so that
you learn to fear יהוה your Elohim always.
Deu 14:24 “But when the way is too
long for you, so that you are not able to bring the tithe, or when the place
where יהוה your Elohim chooses to
put His Name is too far from you, when יהוה your
Elohim is blessing you,
Deu 14:25 then you shall give it
in silver, and shall take the silver in your hand and go to the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses.
Deu 14:26 “And you shall use the
silver for whatever your being desires: for cattle or sheep, for wine or strong
drink, for whatever your being desires. And you shall eat there before יהוה your Elohim, and you shall rejoice, you
and your household.
Deu 14:27 “And do not forsake the
Lěwite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with
you.
Deu 14:28 “At the end of every
third year you bring out all the tithe of your increase of that year and store
it up within your gates.
Deu 14:29 “And the Lěwite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the sojourner and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, shall come and eat and be satisfied, so that יהוה your Elohim does bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
Hegg
- Verse 22–29 deal with the laws of tithes. We may note several
important aspects of these laws. First, it is clear that tithing was required
of crops (and products derived from crops) and livestock. There is no mention
of tithing money gained by other means of livelihood. Of course, one could
argue by analogy that since the vast majority of Israelites were farmers,
tithing crops and flocks could be understood as tithing one’s wealth in
general. Still, there is no indication, for instance, that a craftsman was
required to tithe his earnings. Secondly, the text is clear that one is to
tithe the crops that were sown (14:22). This helps inform the issue mentioned
by our Master in Matthew 23:23, when He compares the tithing of herbs with the
weightier commandment to honor one’s parents. For herbs grow naturally in the
Land (without being “sown”) and thus technically are not required to be tithed.
Yet the Pharisees, going beyond the letter of the Torah, tithed mint, dill, and
cummin regardless. The Master’s point is that if they had been likewise
meticulous about the weightier matters of the Torah, they would have been
praiseworthy. The laws of tithing allowed one to sell the tithe for money if
one was at too great a distance from the “place where the Lord your God
chooses” (i.e., the Temple), and bring the money to Jerusalem in order to buy
the necessary means for sacrifices, libations, and so forth. The primary point
is that all such tithes belonged to God, and could not be used for any other
purpose. It is in this way that one would learn to “fear” God, for in giving
back to Him a tithe of that by which He has blessed, one acknowledges that the
necessary sustenance of life is from His hand. Giving back to God is thus a
means of constantly confessing that our blessings come from Him. In addition to
the yearly tithe (“year by year”) the tithe every three years was to be
gathered for the disadvantaged, i.e., those unable to provide for themselves.
This included the ger (who could not own land), the orphan (who had no
inherited land), and the widow (who likewise did not receive an inheritance).
Grouped together with the disadvantaged was the Levite, who had no tribal
allotment in the Land. This triennial tithe was the normal tithe of the year,
but was not taken to Jerusalem. Rather, it was to remain in the town or village
and be distributed to the poor so that all could “come and eat their fill” (v.
29). Presumably the tithe every three years would be distributed daily to those
in need. This is how the Mishnah interprets our verse (m.Peah 8.5). If this is
the case, then we may presume that three percent of the yearly produce and
flocks was sufficient to sustain the disadvantaged among the nation’s
population.
The mention of the triennial tithe for
the poor gives rise to the notice of the sh’mittah or sabbatical year. In the
seventh year, all produce was considered ownerless, and thus the poor were
allowed to eat whatever the Land produced voluntarily, including the fruit of
the vine and tree, as well as other crops that may have grown from seeds
dropped in the previous harvest, or from volunteer plants. That Israel failed
to honor the sabbatical year meant that the possibility existed for the poor to
be unsustained in the seventh year, since the previous triennial tithe was
calculated to last only three years, not four. In the sabbatical year, all
debts were cancelled for Israelites (“fellow” and “kinsman” are used as
equivalent terms here), which presumably included the ger who had joined
himself or herself to Israel’s God. The foreigner who remained outside of the
worship of Israel’s God (the nochri) retained his debts in the sabbatical year.
The cancellation of debts ensured that the economic stability remained in the
Israelite community. Thus, when God’s commandment regarding the sabbatical year
is heeded, the result is “there shall be no needy among you.” If the triennial
tithe is gathered for the poor, the corners of the field left for their
maintenance, and debts remitted in the sabbatical year, even the disadvantaged
would be provided for. It is in obeying God’s commandments that the Israelite
society would flourish. This is the picture given in the haftarah portion (Is
54:2–8). The regathered Israel is blessed because in her return to the Lord,
she abides by His commandments.
The Apostolic portion was chosen on the basis of the equality it teaches for all who are in Messiah. In the same way that an ancient Israelite, by obeying the laws of tithing and of the sabbatical year was willing to sacrifice his own interests for the sake of his fellow Israelite, thus showing equality, so each one in the body of Messiah is to consider others as more important than himself. Ethnic and gender differences remain, but these are not criteria for determining how one treats others. Within the family of God, all are to be received and treated equally, as those who have been adopted into God’s household, and thus hold equal covenant status, which includes the privileges and responsibilities of the covenant as lived out before Him. End quote.
The
Sabbatical Year
Deu
15:1 “At the end of every seven years you
make a release of debts.
Deu 15:2 “And this is the word of
the release: Every creditor is to release what he has loaned to his neighbour,
he does not require it of his neighbour or his brother, because it is called
the release of יהוה.
Deu 15:3 “Of a foreigner you could
require it, but your hand is to release whatever is owed by your brother.
Deu 15:4 “Only, there should be no
poor among you. For יהוה does greatly bless you in the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to possess as an inheritance,
Deu 15:5 only if you diligently
obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard to do all these
commands which I am commanding you today.
Deu 15:6 “For יהוה your Elohim shall bless you as He promised you. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And you shall rule over many nations, but they do not rule over you.
Psa
119:89 Lamed Forever, O יהוה, Your word stands firm in the heavens.
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 Yahveh, 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