Parashat 48 Portion 141 Dev 20:10 – 21:9 Josh 24:1-15 1John 2:15-17

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.)

Isa 46:9  “Remember the former events of old, for I am Ěl, and there is no one else – Elohim, and there is no one like Me, 

Isa 46:10  declaring the end from the beginning, and from of old that which has not yet been done, saying, ‘My counsel does stand, and all My delight I do,’ 

Isa 46:11  calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a distant land. Indeed I have spoken it, I also bring it to pass. I have planned it, I also do it. 

Isa 46:12  “Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness: 

Isa 46:13  “I shall bring My righteousness near, it is not far off, and My deliverance, it is not delayed. And I shall give deliverance in Tsiyon, My esteem to Yisra’ěl. 

Our Torah Portion begins (the last portion of Parashat Shoftim):

Deu 20:10  “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then you shall make a call for peace to it.

Deu 20:11  “And it shall be that if it accepts your call for peace, and shall open to you, then all the people found in it are to be your compulsory labour, and serve you.

Deu 20:12  “But if it does not make peace with you, and shall fight against you, then you shall besiege it,

Deu 20:13  and יהוה your Elohim shall give it into your hands, and you shall smite every male in it with the edge of the sword.

Deu 20:14  “Only the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you take as plunder for yourself. And you shall eat the enemies’ plunder which יהוה your Elohim gives you.

Deu 20:15  “Do so to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.

Parashat 48 Portion 140 Dev 18:1-20:9 Yer 29:8-14 Acts 3:22-26 Heb 12:25-29

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.)

    This Torah portion is about YHVH’s appointed authority and instruction for righteous living in His Kingdom.

      Deu 18:15  “יהוה your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brothers. Listen to Him,

     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 Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Deu_18:15-19. 

      This ‘’prophet’’ Yahshua will return with his bride to the teach all nations the Torah – Yesh/Isa 2:3  And many peoples shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of יהוה, to the House of the Elohim of Ya‛aqoḇ, and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk in His paths, for out of Tsiyon comes forth the Torah, and the Word of יהוה from Yerushalayim.” 

At this time the Set Apart House of YHVH and the restoration of the Levitical priesthood will be fully and perfectly restored. The Torah and its instruction as entrusted to the Levitical priesthood will constitute the Supreme Court of the Universe.

It is clear from scripture-  – Ezekiel 45:5 – 48:11-13 – that there will be a restored Levitical Priesthood operating and ruling under Messiah during the millennium.

1Pe 2:9  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a set-apart nation, a people for a possession, that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light,

This scripture was not written to all believers, it was written to a dedicated set apart group of people who were called to dedicate themselves to the service or priesthood of YHVH.

It is impossible to be a priest unto YHVH and ignore Torah. The following scripture serves as a sober reminder of a remnant priesthood that will form part of the first resurrection:

Rev 20:6  Blessed and set-apart is the one having part in the first resurrection. The second death possesses no authority over these, but they shall be priests(Kohanim) of Elohim and of Messiah, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (These priests will be Levitical priests – an eternal priesthood that has been promised and will not be transferred to the church)

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years have ended, Satan shall be released from his prison,

Our Torah portion begins:

Deu 18:1  “The priests, the Lĕwites, all the tribe of Lĕwi, have no part nor inheritance with Yisra’ĕl. They are to eat the offerings of יהוה made by fire, and His inheritance.

Deu 18:2  “But(and) among his brothers Lĕwi has no inheritance. יהוה is his inheritance, as He has spoken to him.

Jer 33:18  ‘And for the priests, the Lĕwites, there is not to cease a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to slaughter continually.’’ (“kol ha amim” – continually or “all the days” – while heaven and earth exist)

In the apostolic writings Shaul speaks of a Priestly leadership in the assembly.

It is very clear from the apostolic scriptures that there was never meant to be one faith for the Christians and one faith for the Jews. Sadly, there has not been an eagerness to guard the unity of the faith.

Parashat 47/48 Portion 138 Dev 16:13-22 Micah 6:6-8 Yoh 7:14-24

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.)

Second saying of Yahshua in the good news according to Thomas – Yahshua said, "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. and will rule over all."²When they find, they will be disturbed. ³When they are disturbed, they will marvel….

When unity based on truth prevails in the Hebrew community, YHVH will command a blessing… Psa 133:1  See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity – 

Psa 133:2  Like the precious oil on the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aharon, Running down on the collar of his robes – 

Psa 133:3  Like the dew of Ḥermon, That comes down on the mountains of Tsiyon. For there יהוה commanded the blessing, Life forever! 

Triennial Torah Portion begins -

Deu 16:13  “Perform the Festival of Sukkot[d] for seven days after the ingathering from your threshing-floor and from your winepress, Footnote: [d]Booths. 

Deu 16:14  and you shall rejoice in your festival, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Lěwite, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates. 

Deu 16:15  “For seven days you shall celebrate to יהוה your Elohim in the place which יהוה chooses, because יהוה your Elohim does bless you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be only rejoicing! 

Deu 16:16  “Three times a year all your males appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He chooses (Yerushalayim): at the Festival of Matzot,[e] and at the Festival of Shavuot,[c] and at the Festival of Sukkot[d]. And none should appear before יהוה empty-handed, Footnotes: cWeeks. dBooths. eUnleavened Bread. 

Deu 16:17  but each one with the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of יהוה your Elohim which He has given you. 

 Parashat 48 – “Shoftim

Deu 16:18  “Appoint judges and officers within all your gates, which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, according to your tribes. And they shall judge the people with righteous right-ruling.