Baruch atah, YHVH Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu laasok b’divrei Torah.
Blessed are You,
YHVH our Elohim, King of the universe, who has made us set apart through His
commandments and commanded us to engross ourselves in the words of the Torah.
Blessed are You, YHVH, Giver of the Torah – Amein.
בנים אתם – ‘’sons are you..’’
YHVH begins this Torah portion by first addressing the responsibility of
the men to build and protect YHVH’s laws and legacy – on earth. (Heb ‘’banah’’
means to build)
Clean and Unclean Food
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, (Hebrew men
are not like other men – seeking an identity outside YHVH)
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. 1 Pet 2:9
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.
‘’Dairy cows spend almost 8 hours a day chewing their
cuds for a total of almost 30,000 chews daily. It can be said that a content
cow is one who is seen chewing her cud. In reality there is quite a bit of
truth in this statement. When cows chew their cuds, they secrete saliva. This
saliva contains a natural antacid which helps to buffer the rumen or first
compartment of the stomach. Proper buffering of the rumen allows a cow to
digest forages better and to eat more feed which helps her produce more milk.
What stimulates a cow to chew her cud? When a cow chews
her cud, she is regurgitating a bolus of food into her mouth which she rechews
and re-swallows - a small rounded mass of a substance, especially of chewed
food at the moment of swallowing.’’
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.
Most people in the world do not really give much thought
to what they eat. They may even say ‘’we have bigger problems in the world than
to worry about eating pork’’ Perhaps one of the reasons for many problems is
that people eat so much pork and other forbidden food- Rom 14:17
Pork's Dominance: Pork constitutes a significant
portion (36%) of global meat intake, underscoring its importance in diets
worldwide. This high percentage indicates pork's popularity, driven by its
flavour, versatility in cooking, and cultural significance in many regions.
Consumption Trends: The current consumption stands
at 112.6 kilotons, with an expected rise to 129 kilotons by 2031. This
projection suggests a steady increase in pork demand, likely influenced by
population growth, economic development, and changing dietary preferences.’’
In 2024, China is expected to consume over 58.1 million
metric tons of pork, which is more than half of the world's total – approximately
1,5 billion pigs slaughtered every year.
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.
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.
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.
רק אם־שׁמוע תשׁמע בקול יהוה אלהיך לשׁמר לעשׂות
את־כל־המצוה הזאת אשׁר אנכי מצוך היום׃
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.
Both
our salvation and blessings come through faith and obedience.
Generally
speaking believers don’t like to admit that we have all fallen short in these two
areas. In these days a tiny remnant of believers are getting tired of being
disobedient.
Rom
11:32 For YHVH locks up all together(not them) in
stubbornness, that He should be merciful to all."
Luke 18:8 ….at the coming of the Son of Mankind, will He
be finding the faith on the earth?
If we reflect on the instructions of this Torah portion
and consider the track record of the church (even the Jews) for the past 2000
years – we must conclude we have all shown bad faith and gross disobedience
when it comes to YHVH’s laws.
How can a group of believers justify the fact that they
have deliberately disobeyed and changed YHVH’s laws for the past 2000 years?
Let us remind ourselves of how critical faith and
obedience are:
Joh
3:36 “He who believes(faith) in the Son possesses everlasting life, but
he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of Elohim
remains on him.”
All
believers need to sincerely ask themselves – has YHVH ever been pleased when
His children have disobeyed Him? And how long will YHVH still tolerate our
disobedience?
Some
believers believe that we and the world are about to find out the painful and devastating
consequences for our disobedience in the near future.
There
has never been a time in human history where mankind need to more carefully
reflect on what lies ahead for all of us in the coming days.
No
amount of human persuasion will change the minds of the masses, however the
powerful intervention of YHVH into human affairs will.
Gen
6:3 And יהוה said, “My Spirit shall not
strive with man forever in his going astray.
·
Deuteronomy 28:15-68: Describes the
curses that will befall those who disobey YHVH's laws.
·
Hebrews 3:7-8: Warns against
hardening one’s heart against YHVH and the danger of falling away from
faith.
Rom
2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and tolerance, and
patience,[a] not knowing that the kindness of Elohim leads you to repentance?
Footnote: a 2Pe_3:9.
Rom
2:5 But according to your hardness and your unrepentant heart you are
treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of Elohim,
Rom
2:6 who “shall render to each one according to his works”:b Psa_62:12.
Footnote: bSee footnote Mat_16:27.
Rom
2:7 everlasting life to those who by persistence in good work seek for
esteem, and respect, and incorruptibility;
Rom
2:8 but wrath and displeasure to those who are self-seeking and do not
obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness;
Rom
2:9 affliction and distress on every human being working what is evil, of
the Yehuḏi first, and also of the Greek;
Rom
2:10 but esteem, respect, and peace to everyone working what is good, to
the Yehuḏi first and also to the Greek.
Rom
2:11 For there is no partiality with Elohim.
Through
great turmoil and tribulation the world will soon discover that the Torah of
YHVH (which includes all the writings found in our Second Writing’s scriptures)
is the most profound and the most important document on earth and in the
heavens. All of humanity both living and dead will also come to realize the
consequences of lightly esteeming any of His Words.
While the light of His truth still shines in this world –
there is hope for mankind.
Mat
5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, so that they see your good
works and praise your Father who is in the heavens. Mat 5:17 “Do not
think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to
destroy but to complete.”
Blessed are you
YHVH, 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 – Amein.