Parashat 46 - “Ekev” or “Because”

Debarim/Deut 7:12 -11:25

Yeshayahu/Isa 51:1  “Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, seeking יהוה: Look to the rock you were hewn from, and to the hole of the pit you were dug from.

Isa 51:2  “Look to Avraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you. For he was alone when I called him, and I blessed him and increased him.

Isa 51:3  “For יהוה shall comfort Tsiyon, He shall comfort all her waste places. For He makes her wilderness like Ěḏen, and her desert like the garden of יהוה. Joy and gladness are found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of song.

This prophecy is found in this week’s “haftarah” and gives us extremely important insight as to how we can walk in the fullness of YHVH’s blessing.

“For those who trust YHVH for the promises, the proper order for faith and obedience is set by the sequence in which the covenants were given. In other words, faith must precede obedience. But the kind of faith accepted by YHVH is one, which naturally flows into obedience. True obedience never comes before faith, nor is it an addition to faith. It is always the result of true biblical faith.”  (Lyman)

Avraham believed (first had faith) then he responded in obedience (circumcision).

In other words the evidence of true faith was and will always be that obedience to Torah flows out of a faith in YHVH’s promise to save us.

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,

you 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:

1. 7:12 – 8:11

2. 8:12 – 9:3

3. 9:4-29

4. 10:1-11

5. 10:12-22

6. 11:1-9

7. 11:10-25

8. Maftir: 11:22-25

      Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14 – 51:3

Aliyah Rishon 7:12-8:11

Deu 7:12 “And it shall be, because you hear these right-rulings, and shall guard and do them, that יהוה your Elohim shall guard with you the covenant and the kindness which He swore to your fathers,”

יב וְהָיָה עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן, אֵת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָאֵלֶּה, וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם, אֹתָם--וְשָׁמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְךָ, אֶת-הַבְּרִית וְאֶת-הַחֶסֶד, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע, לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ.

Note the future tense of the words “it shall be,” “ you will hear,”” you will guard,” “you will do,” then YHVH “will guard” His covenant with you.

The word “eikev” used here in the text as “because” is unusual. The sages say much about this unusual use of the conjunction “because” (a conjunction is a word that joins together words, phrases or sentences)

In the context of this Torah portion “eikev” which means “heel” is used as the conjunction between our keeping YHVH’s Torah and YHVH’s blessing us.

Tzemach Tzeddek (the 3rd Chabad Rebbe) sees it as a reference to ikvata d'meshichah, the generation of "the heels of Moshiach" (the last generation of the Exile is called "the heels of Moshiach" by our sages because: a. they are the spiritually lowest generation, due to the "descent of the generations"; b. it is the generation in which the footsteps of Moshiach can already be heard).

This is the generation that will "hearken to these laws," as Maimonides writes: "The Torah has already promised that the people of Israel will return to YHVH at the end of their exile, and will be immediately redeemed."

The first time the word “ekev” is used is in Ber/ Gen 3:15 “And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel”(ekev). This is clearly one of the first prophetic references we have of the coming Messiah in the Torah. It appears that the kind of “walk” the Messiah would have would crush the head of the enemy and the enemy would do everything in his power to hinder that walk. This is true of the followers of Messiah to this day. If we (jointly) walk as Messiah walked we will experience the blessing.

The gematria of “ekev” (ayin, kuph, beit) is 172. The same number of words in the 10 sayings. If we reverse the letters of the word “eikev” we have the word “beka” the weight of the nose ring for a bride as well as the sum required for redemption of the ancient Yisraelites, the half shekel.

The Hebrew word used here for “hear” is “tishme- oon” this is a Hebrew word used with an emphatic emphasis. We see this same verb ending used with several verbs in this portion.

This is not just a casual hearing, it implies a hearing that causes one to obey and do what you have heard with a very serious intensity, in other words you have really, really heard and there is a clear evidence to prove that you have heard.

What must they hear (tishme oon)? Thy must hear the “Mishpatim” or right rulings.

Deu 7:13 and shall love you and bless you and increase you, and shall bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you.

Deu 7:14 “Blessed are you above all peoples – there is not going to be a barren man or a barren woman among you or among your livestock.

Deu 7:15 “And יהוה shall turn away from you all sickness and put on you none of the evil diseases of Mitsrayim which you have known, but He shall put them on all those who hate you.

Deu 7:16 “And you shall consume all the peoples whom יהוה your Elohim is delivering over to you – your eye shall not pardon them. And do not serve their mighty ones, for that is a snare to you.

Deu 7:17 “When (even though) you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I, I am unable to drive them out,’

Deu 7:18 do not be afraid of them. Remember well what יהוה your Elohim did to Pharaoh and to all Mitsrayim,

Deu 7:19 the great trials which your eyes saw, and the signs and the wonders, the strong hand and the outstretched arm, by which יהוה your Elohim brought you out. יהוה your Elohim does so to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.

Deu 7:20 “And יהוה your Elohim also sends the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed.

“A hornet was a badge of Thothmes 3 and his successors, and would thus be a veiled reference to the systematic series of invasions and conquests in Palestine undertaken by that Pharoah. These invasions had reduced the fighting power and resistance of the Canaanites”.

Deu 7:21 “Do not be afraid of them, for יהוה your Elohim, the great and awesome Ěl, is in your midst.

Deu 7:22 “And יהוה your Elohim shall drive out those nations before you, little by little. You are not allowed to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.

This principle gives us an interesting insight into the Messianic realm, where the boarders of Yisrael will be much larger. The implication is that b’nei Yisrael will need to grow in righteousness to the place where they can effectively enjoy their inheritance.

Deu 7:23 “But יהוה your Elohim shall deliver them over to you and destroy them with a great destruction until they are consumed.

Deu 7:24 “And He shall give their sovereigns into your hand, and you shall destroy their name from under the heavens. No one is going to be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.

Deu 7:25 “The carved images of their mighty ones you are to burn with fire. Do not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it, for it is an abomination to יהוה your Elohim.

Deu 7:26 “And do not bring an abomination into your house, lest you be accursed like it. Utterly loathe it and utterly hate it, for it is accursed.

Deu 8:1 “Guard to do every command which I command you today, that you might live, and shall increase, and go in, and shall possess the land of which יהוה swore to your fathers.

“every command” – “kol ha mitzvah” Moshe was telling them and us that we cannot choose which commands we would or would not obey.

Deu 8:2 “And you shall remember that יהוה your Elohim led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, prove you, to know what is in your heart, whether you guard His commands or not.

Deu 8:3 “And He humbled you, and let you suffer hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, to make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of יהוה¹. Footnote: ¹Messiah quotes this in Mt. 4:4 and in Lk. 4:4.

In these last days “manna” (Torah) is once again falling from the heavens, and once again people are calling it strange.

Deu 8:4 “Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.

Deu 8:5 “Thus you shall know in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so יהוה your Elohim disciplines you,

Deu 8:6 therefore you shall guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.

Deu 8:7 “For יהוה your Elohim is bringing you into a good land, a land of streams of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills,

Deu 8:8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey,

Deu 8:9 a land in which you eat bread without scarcity, in which you do not lack at all, a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you dig copper.

Deu 8:10 “And you shall eat and be satisfied, and shall bless יהוה your Elohim for the good land which He has given you.

          (This instruction is the reason why we should pray after we have enjoyed our meals.)

Deu 8:11 “Be on guard, lest you forget יהוה your Elohim by not guarding His commands, and His right-rulings, and His laws which I command you today,

Aliyah Sheni - 8:12-9:3

We see again and again in the history of YHVH’s people that when they are blessed they tend to forget the source of blessing and to live in a way pleasing to Him. This is not going to happen to the end- time Bride of Messiah.

Deu 8:12 lest you eat and shall be satisfied, and build lovely houses and shall dwell in them,

Deu 8:13 and your herds and your flocks increase, and your silver and your gold are increased, and all that you have is increased,

Deu 8:14 that your heart then becomes lifted up, and you forget יהוה your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage,

Deu 8:15 who led you through that great and awesome wilderness – fiery serpents and scorpions and thirst – where there was no water, who brought water for you out of the flinty rock,

Deu 8:16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, in order to humble you and to try you, to do you good in the end,

Deu 8:17 you then shall say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand have made for me this wealth!’

Deu 8:18 “But you shall remember יהוה your Elohim, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, in order to establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is today.

Let us note carefully the reason YHVH gives us increase and wealth – to establish the Torah not to secure a comfortable future for ourselves and our children. It is only when we seek first His Kingdom rule and His righteousness that all things will be added unto us. Matt 6:33

Deu 8:19 “And it shall be, if you by any means forget יהוה your Elohim, and follow other mighty ones, and serve them and bow yourself to them, I have warned you this day that you shall certainly perish.

Deu 8:20 “Like the nations which יהוה is destroying before you, so you are to perish, because (EKEV) you did not obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim.

Deu 9:1 “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: You are passing over the Yardĕn today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and stronger than yourself, cities great and walled up to the heavens, (a possible reference to their occultic power)

Deu 9:2 a people great and tall, the descendants of the Anaqim, whom you know, and of whom you heard it said, ‘Who does stand before the descendants of Anaq?’

Deu 9:3 “And you shall know today that יהוה your Elohim is He who is passing over before you as a consuming fire – He does destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall dispossess them and destroy them quickly, as יהוה has said to you.

Once again we must consider the effectiveness of a unified Torah-observant- people. The gates of hell will not be able to stop them. – Matt 16:18

Aliyah Shlishi 9:4-29

Deu 9:4 “Do not think in your heart, after יהוה your Elohim has driven them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness יהוה has brought me in to possess this land.’ But it is because of the wrong of these nations that יהוה is driving them out from before you.

Deu 9:5 “It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wrong of these nations that יהוה your Elohim drives them out from before you, in order to establish the word which יהוה swore to your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Ya’aqov.

Deu 9:6 “And you shall know that יהוה your Elohim is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.

Deu 9:7 “Remember, do not forget how you provoked to wrath יהוה your Elohim in the wilderness. From the day that you came out of the land of Mitsrayim until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against יהוה.

Deu 9:8 “Even in Ḥorĕḇ you made יהוה wroth, so that יהוה was enraged with you, to destroy you.

Deu 9:9 “When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which יהוה made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I did not eat bread nor did I drink water.

Deu 9:10 “Then יהוה gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of Elohim, and on them were all the Words which יהוה had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

Deu 9:11 “And it came to be, at the end of forty days and forty nights, that יהוה gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.

Deu 9:12 “Then יהוה said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you brought out of Mitsrayim have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them, they have made themselves a moulded image.’

Deu 9:13 “And יהוה spoke to me, saying, ‘I have seen this people, and look, they are a stiff-necked people.

Deu 9:14 ‘Leave Me alone, so that I destroy them and blot out their name from under the heavens, and make of you a nation stronger and greater than they.’

Deu 9:15 “So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.

Deu 9:16 “And I looked and saw that you had sinned against יהוה your Elohim, and had made for yourselves a moulded calf! You had quickly turned aside from the way which יהוה had commanded you.

Deu 9:17 “And I took the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes,

Deu 9:18 “and I fell down before יהוה, as at the first, forty days and forty nights. I did not eat bread and I did not drink water, because of all your sins which you committed in doing evil in the eyes of יהוה, to provoke Him.

Deu 9:19 “For I was afraid of the displeasure and rage with which יהוה was wroth with you, to destroy you. But יהוה listened to me that time once more.

Deu 9:20 “And יהוה was very enraged with Aharon, to destroy him, so I prayed for Aharon at that time also.

Deu 9:21 “And I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it and ground it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw its dust into the stream that came down from the mountain.

Deu 9:22 “And at Taḇ’ĕrah and at Massah and at Qiḇroth Hatta’awah you made יהוה wroth.

Deu 9:23 “And when יהוה sent you from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa, saying, ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the mouth of יהוה your Elohim, and you neither trusted Him nor listened to His voice.

Deu 9:24 “You have been rebellious against יהוה from the day that I knew you.

Deu 9:25 “So I fell down before יהוה the forty days and forty nights, for I fell down because יהוה had said He would destroy you.

Deu 9:26 “And I prayed to יהוה, and said, ‘O Master יהוה, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance whom You have redeemed in Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Mitsrayim with a strong hand.

Deu 9:27 ‘Remember Your servants, Avraham, Yitsḥaq, and Ya’aqov. Do not look on the stubbornness of this people, or on their wrong or on their sin,

Deu 9:28 lest the land from which You brought us should say, “Because יהוה was not able to bring them to the land which He promised them, and because He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.”

Deu 9:29 ‘And they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm.’

Aliyah Reviee 10:1-11

Deu 10:1 “At that time יהוה said to me, ‘Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to Me on the mountain. And you shall make yourself an ark of wood,

Deu 10:2 then I write on the tablets the Words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. And you shall put them in the ark.’

Deu 10:3 “So I made an ark of acacia wood, hewed two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain, with the two tablets in my hand.

Deu 10:4 “And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten Words, which יהוה had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. Then יהוה gave them to me,

Deu 10:5 and I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made. And they are there, as יהוה commanded me.”

Why two sets of tablets? This possibly refers to the two comings of Messiah – first time as Ben Yosef and the second time as Ben Dawid. The first time Messiah or the Torah in the flesh was broken for our iniquities and sins the second time he comes to meet his bride (unified Yisrael) and rule and reign over the nations for 1000 years.

           Aliyah Chamishi 10:12-22

Deu 10:11 “And יהוה said to me, ‘Arise, go before the people, to set out, and let them go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’

Deu 10:12 “And now, Yisra’ĕl, what is יהוה your Elohim asking of you, but to fear יהוה your Elohim, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being,

Deu 10:13 to guard the commands of יהוה and His laws which I command you today for your good?

Deu 10:14 “See, the heavens and the heaven of heavens belong to יהוה your Elohim, also the earth with all that is in it.

Deu 10:15 “יהוה delighted only in your fathers, to love them. And He chose their seed after them, you above all peoples¹, as it is today. Footnote: ¹See also 7:6, 14:2, 26:18, Ps. 135:4 and Amos 3:2.

Deu 10:16 “And you shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and harden your neck no more.

Deu 10:17 “For יהוה your Elohim is Elohim of mighty ones and Master of masters, the great Ěl, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.

Deu 10:18 “He executes right-ruling for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and a garment.

Parashat 45 - Ve etchanan – “I implored” or “I pleaded.”

Devarim/Deu 3:23-7:11 

Why did Moshe plead with YHVH to enter the land?

It is possible that Moshe was enabled to look into the future Messianic realm and he desperately wanted to be part of what he saw, however what Moshe saw was destined for the second coming of the Messiah and the establishing of the Messianic rule on earth.

So Moshe the ‘great prophet like unto our Messiah’ warns us and also comforts us with these words:

       Deu 4:30  “In your distress, when all these words shall come upon you in the latter days, then you shall return to יהוה your Elohim and shall obey His voice.

Moshe saw into the future and realized that only One was worthy and able to take us (and keep us) in the promised land – Yahshua Ha Mashiach – We learn from Moshe that a profound inner transformation will take place in the midst of great distress that will by the power of YHVH’s Ruach enable and prepare us to cross over into the millennial kingdom at the end of this age.

This Torah portion lays the foundations for how this transformation will take place in our lives.

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,

you 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:

1. 3:23-4:4

2. 4:5-40

3. 4:41-49

4. 5:1-21(18 Heb.) 

        5. 5:22(19) – 6:3

        6. 6:4-25

7. 7:1-11

Maftir: 7:9-11

 

Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26

Aliyah Rishon 3:23-4:4

Deu 3:23  “And I pleaded (va etchanan) with יהוה at that time, saying,

Va'etchanan el-YHVH

And to the mercy/favour of YHVH I appealed,

ba'et hahi l’emor.

to that time, saying . . .

‘Ve etchanan’ is a verb meaning he implored, he pleaded, or sought favour. It is a “hitpael” verb. Hitpael verbs are reflexive verbs - the subject of the sentence performs the action on itself. These verbs are intense verbs which imply that there is a certain desperation attached to the action of the verb.  It conveys the meaning that the action of the verb will not stop until the action of the verb has come to pass. The root of this verb is “favour” or “chanan” which means to show favour or pity. When this verb is in the Hitpael it literary means “you continued to show favour to yourself” understood in Hebrew as “pleading or imploring”.  In hindsight we now believe that this favour will become reality for Moshe rabbeinu (Moshe our rabbi) when the Messiah returns.

The kindest thing you can do for yourself is to continually plead for the favour and mercy that will be poured out upon those who desire to witness and embrace the coming Messianic kingdom. 

The timing of this pleading also seems significant in that it was taking place subsequent to YHVH’s destroying the power of Yisrael’s enemies. We see here that Yisrael was not just taking for granted that they were called to enter into the land of Yisrael.

In the context of this chapter we read about the destruction of Og and Shihon. Note from the following verse how terrifying this enemy actually was:

Deu 3:11  “For only Oḡ sovereign of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Repha’ites. See, his bedstead was an iron bedstead. Is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the cubit of a man.”

Note that the time to earnestly seek YHVH’s favour is after He has taken care of your enemies. This happens because of deep impact and awe that comes upon a people who have seen the Hand of YHVH.

Deu 3:24  ‘O Master יהוה, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand, for who is a mighty one in the heavens or on earth who does according to Your works and according to Your might?

Deu 3:25  ‘I pray, let me pass over and see the good land beyond the Yardĕn, this good hill country, and Leḇanon.’

Literal translation of vs 25 is as follows: “I will cross over (because) and I have seen (perfect tense) the good land which is across the Yarden, this, the good mountain and the Levanon.” 

Rashi comments “the mountain” (ha har in Hebrew) refers to the temple mount in Yersushalayim. The Levanon too is an epithet for the set apart temple because Levanon comes from the word “lavan” which means white because it makes white or provides atonement.

It is possible that Moshe could not cross over because the time for the Temple to be rebuilt, the service restored and for Messiah to rule and reign over all the earth had not yet come?

Deu 3:26  “But יהוה was enraged with me, for your sake, and would not listen to me, and יהוה said to me, ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me about this matter.

“enough of that” or “this is too much for you” YHVH was telling Moshe that he was not able to permanently lead Yisrael back into the land for them to settle there until the completion of this age and the coming age of the Messianic kingdom. Only Messiah would succeed with such a mission. There is a veiled reference to Messiah in the mentioning of Yehoshua. Yehoshua was the very same name that the Messiah would have when he appeared 2000 years ago. (The “e” en Yehoshua was originally an “a”.)

Deu 3:27  ‘Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and look with your eyes, for you do not pass over this Yardĕn.

Deu 3:28  ‘But charge Yehoshua, and strengthen him and make him brave, for he shall pass over before this people and causes them to inherit the land which you see.’

Deu 3:29  “And we dwelt in the valley opposite Bĕyth Pe’or.

Beth Peor points us to the seed of our destruction but also to the seed of our restoration.

Beth Peor or “place of the opening” – destruction comes with receiving a “mixed seed”. Restoration comes with the receiving of the “pure seed” of YHVH’s Torah.

In the following verses we see YHVH’s original plan and solution for mankind’s dilemma – the tree of Life – The Torah.

Deu 4:1  “And now, O Yisra’ĕl, listen to the laws and the right-rulings which I am teaching you to do, so that you live, and shall go in and possess the land which יהוה Elohim of your fathers is giving you.

Deu 4:2  “Do not add to the Word which I command you, and do not take away from it¹, so as to guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I am commanding you. Footnote: ¹See also 12:32, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18-19.

Deu 4:3  “Your eyes have seen what יהוה did at Ba’al Pe’or, for יהוה your Elohim has destroyed from your midst all the men who followed Ba’al Pe’or. (Master of the opening).

Our eyes will once again see in the latter days what YHVH will do to those who have opened up their hearts to receive the seed of mixture that has hindered them from obeying the Torah.

The sages believe that Moshe was equating idol worshippers with those who denied the divine origin of the Torah and our obligation to embrace all of its instruction.

Deu 4:4  “But you who are clinging to יהוה your Elohim are alive today, every one of you.

Aliyah Sheni 4:5-40

Deu 4:5  “See, I have taught you laws and right-rulings, as יהוה my Elohim commanded me, to do thus in the land which you go to possess.

Deu 4:6  “And you shall guard and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding before the eyes of the peoples who hear all these laws, and they shall say, ‘Only a wise and understanding people is this great nation!’

Deu 4:7  “For what great nation is there which has Elohim so near to it, as יהוה our Elohim is to us, whenever we call on Him?

Deu 4:9  “Only, guard  yourself, and guard your life diligently, lest you forget the Words your eyes have seen, and lest they turn aside from your heart all the days of your life. And you shall make them known to your children and your grandchildren.

Deu 4:10  “The day when you stood before יהוה your Elohim in Ḥorĕḇ, יהוה said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me and I make them hear My Words, so that they learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth and teach them to their children.’

Deu 4:11  “And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the heart of the heavens – darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.

Deu 4:12  “And יהוה spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard a voice of words, but saw no form, you only heard a voice.

Deu 4:13  “And He made known to you His covenant which He commanded you to do, the Ten Words, and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.

Deu 4:14  “And יהוה commanded me at that time to teach you laws and right-rulings, for you to do them in the land which you pass over to possess.

Deu 4:15  “Therefore, diligently guard yourselves, for you saw no form when יהוה spoke to you at Ḥorĕḇ out of the midst of the fire,

Deu 4:16  lest you should do corruptly and shall make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure – the likeness of male or female,

We see man’s propensity to want to worship any “form” that represents the fullness and the mightiness of YHVH. We sadly see this in Christianity who have confused the son of YHVH with YHVH Himself. That is why this Torah portion continues to define YHVH and the watchword of our faith -  Devarim 6:4

Deu 4:17  the likeness of any beast that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the heavens,

Deu 4:18  the likeness of any creature that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;

Deu 4:19  and lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and shall see the sun, and the moon, and the stars – all the host of the heavens – and you be drawn away into bowing down to them and serving them, which יהוה your Elohim has allotted to all the peoples under all the heavens.

Deu 4:20  “But יהוה has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Mitsrayim, to be His people, an inheritance, as it is today.

Deu 4:21  “And יהוה was enraged with me because of your words, and swore that I would not pass over the Yardĕn, and that I would not enter the good land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance.

Deu 4:22  “For I am to die in this land, I am not passing over the Yardĕn, but you are passing over, and shall possess that good land.

Deu 4:23  “Guard yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of יהוה your Elohim which He made with you, and shall make for yourselves a carved image in the form of whatever יהוה your Elohim has forbidden you.

Deu 4:24  “For יהוה your Elohim is a consuming fire, a jealous Ěl.

Deu 4:25  “When you bring forth children and grandchildren, and shall grow old in the land, and shall do corruptly and make a carved image in the form of whatever, and shall do what is evil in the eyes of יהוה your Elohim to provoke Him,

Deu 4:26  “I shall call the heavens and earth to witness against you on that day, that you soon completely perish from the land which you pass over the Yardĕn to possess – you do not prolong your days in it but are completely destroyed.

Deu 4:27  “And יהוה shall scatter you among the peoples, and you shall be left few in number among the gentiles where יהוה drives you.

Deu 4:28  “And there you shall serve mighty ones, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

Deu 4:29  “But from there you shall seek יהוה your Elohim, and shall find, when you search for Him with all your heart¹ and with all your being. Footnote: ¹Jer. 29:13.

Deu 4:30  “In your distress, when all these words shall come upon you in the latter days, then you shall return to יהוה your Elohim and shall obey His voice.

This is as clear as it can get. Could we be part of a people who are calling to YHVH in the latter days to deliver us from the galut (exile)?

Deu 4:31  “For יהוה your Elohim is a compassionate Ěl, He does not forsake you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

Deu 4:32  “For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that Elohim created man on the earth, and ask from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens, whether there has been a Word as great as this, or has been heard like it. (Torah)

Deu 4:33  “Has a people heard the voice of Elohim speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live?

Deu 4:34  “Or has Elohim tried to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of a nation by trials, and by signs, and by wonders, and by battle, and by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great fearsome deeds, according to all that יהוה your Elohim did for you in Mitsrayim before your eyes?

Deu 4:35  “You have been shown it, to know that יהוה Himself is Elohim; there is no one beside Him.

Deu 4:36  “From the heavens He let you hear His voice, to instruct you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire.

Deu 4:37  “And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their seed after them, and brought you out of Mitsrayim with His Presence, with His great power,

Deu 4:38  to drive out from before you nations greater and stronger than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is today.

Deu 4:39  “And you shall know today, and shall recall to your heart that יהוה Himself is Elohim in the heavens above and on the earth beneath; there is none else.

Deu 4:40  “And you shall guard His laws and His commands which I command you today, so that it is well with you and with your children after you, and so that you prolong your days on the soil which יהוה your Elohim is giving you for all time.”

Aliyah Shlishi 4:41-49

Deu 4:41  Then Mosheh separated three cities beyond the Yardĕn, toward the rising of the sun,

The establishing of these three cities of refuges is stated in the future tense (root -badal – javdil) vs 41 should read that Moshe WILL establish three cities of refuge sometime in the future. The sages have various explanations for this. We must therefore assume that the instruction of this Torah portion is also meant for a future fulfillment.

Deu 4:42  for him who killed someone to flee there, he who kills his neighbour unintentionally, without having hated him in time past, and might flee to one of these cities and live:

Deu 4:43  Betser in the wilderness in the level land for the Re’uvĕnites, and Ramoth in Gil’aḏ for the Gaḏites, and Golan in Bashan for the Menashshites.

Deu 4:44  And this is the Torah which Mosheh set before the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Deu 4:45  These are the witnesses, and the laws, and the right-rulings which Mosheh spoke to the children of Yisra’ĕl after they came out of Mitsrayim,

Deu 4:46  beyond the Yardĕn, in the valley opposite Bĕyth Peʽor, in the land of Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites, who dwelt at Ḥeshbon, whom Mosheh and the children of Yisra’ĕl had smitten after they came out of Mitsrayim.

Deu 4:47  And they took possession of his land and the land of Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, two sovereigns of the Amorites, who were beyond the Yardĕn, toward the rising of the sun,

Deu 4:48  from Aroʽĕr, which is on the bank of the wadi Arnon, even to Mount Siyon, which is Ḥermon,

Deu 4:49  and all the desert plain beyond the Yardĕn as far as the Sea of the Araḇah, below the slopes of Pisgah.

Aliyah Reviee 5:1-21

Deu 5:6  ‘I am יהוה your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of bondage.

Deu 5:7  ‘You have no other mighty ones against My face.

Deu 5:8  ‘You do not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth,

Deu 5:9  you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, יהוה your Elohim, am a jealous Ěl, visiting the crookedness of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Deu 5:10  but showing kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My commands.

Deu 5:11  ‘You do not bring¹ the Name of יהוה your Elohim to naught, for יהוה does not leave him unpunished who brings His Name to naught. Footnote: ¹Or lift up, or take.

Deu 5:12  ‘Guard the Sabbath day, to set it apart, as יהוה your Elohim commanded you.

Deu 5:13  ‘Six days you labour, and shall do all your work,

Deu 5:14  but the seventh day is a Sabbath¹ of יהוה your Elohim. You do not do any work – you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, so that your male servant and your female servant rest as you do. Footnote: ¹See footnote at Ex. 20:10.

Deu 5:15  ‘And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Mitsrayim, and that יהוה your Elohim brought you out from there by a strong hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore יהוה your Elohim commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Deu 5:16  ‘Respect your father and your mother, as יהוה your Elohim has commanded you, so that your days are prolonged, and so that it is well with you on the soil which יהוה your Elohim is giving you.

Deu 5:17  ‘You do not murder.

Deu 5:18  ‘You do not commit adultery.

Deu 5:19  ‘You do not steal.

Deu 5:20  ‘You do not bear false witness against your neighbour.

Deu 5:21  ‘You do not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor do you desire your neighbour’s house, his field, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, his ox, nor his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbour.’

If we take the first five sayings (right hand side tablet) and compare them with the second group of five sayings (left hand side tablet) we see the second five are physical manifestations of the first five. The first five reflect our love for YHVH and the second five reflect our love for our neighbor.

For example take the first saying “I am יהוה your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of bondage.” Compare this to saying number six “You do not murder.” We can conclude that our failure to believe and trust that only YHVH is able to make our freedom possible can be compared to bringing destruction upon ourselves and others (murder).