Commentaries on Weekly Torah Readings
Ki Tavo Nitsavim VaYelech Ha'azinu V'zot HaBracha
 |
Ha'azinu (האזינו) – Deuteronomy 32:1–52
by
Jon Thompson
This portion, up to verse 44, is the Song of Moshe. This is one of the most exciting portions in the Torah. Throughout the Torah, YHVH does many miracles through Moshe, and he passes on to the people hundreds of instructions and teachings. We experience our first introduction to YHVH, Who He is and what He has done, through the writings of Moshe.
With all that transpires and all we learn in the Books of Moshe, we sometimes lose sight that Moshe was a prophet. By YHVH's own words:
“Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you, I YHVH will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
“My servant Moshe is not so, who is faithful in all Mine house.
“With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of YHVH shall he behold:” (Numbers 12:6–8)
Here in portion Ha'azinu we see the prophecy of Moshe that is so significant the angels will sing it at the time of the seven last plagues at the end of the world:
“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of Elohim.
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of Elohim.
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, YHVH Elohim Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.” (Revelation 15:1–3)
When Moshe begins his song, he calls two witnesses—the heavens and the earth:
“Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.” (Deuteronomy 32:1)
Of all the witnesses that he could call, he chooses the two that mankind cannot alter. We can pervert what occurs on the earth, but the earth remains, and the heavens remain as reliable witnesses to Moshe's words and YHVH's covenant until the end when there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Moshe then proceeds to tell Israel what will happen to them in the future.
It is from this portion that we find out how the rabbis reckon the seventy nations often referred to in extra–biblical literature. When Jacob went into Egypt, there were seventy souls with him. YHVH knew how many would accompany Jacob/Israel into Egypt, and so divided the people at Babel into that many groups:
“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of men, He fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.
For YHVH's portion is His people, Jacob His allotted heritage.” (Deuteronomy 32:8, 9)
Moshe tells the people to ask their fathers and their elders about these things and they will tell them. This is the other half of the commandment in the Shema to teach theses things diligently to our children. (Deuteronomy 6:7) If the parents forget to teach the children, Moshe tells the children to ask their fathers and elders.
By this we see that while there is great responsibility placed on each generation to pass along the mighty deeds of YHVH. The younger generation should not passively wait for them to do so–they should ask. We see this responsibility on the part of the next generation in Exodus where YHVH tells the people:
“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, what is this? [Redemption of the firstborn] that you shall say to him, by strength of hand YHVH brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:” (Exodus 13:14)
From this we may derive that no generation can effectively use the excuse “My parents never told me.” Between the parent's requirement to pass on the information and the children's responsibility to ask their parents, and failing in that the elders–nobody should be ignorant of the mighty works of YHVH.
The system broke down. Many do not know the Truth, but the reason they don't is that somewhere in the past some ancestor(s) between the tower of Babel and today decided not to teach their children about YHVH. Their children did not seek the answers, or when they did, their parents didn't tell them the Truth.
This is one way in which the iniquity of the fathers is visited on the children. We who have come to know YHVH and His words need to live them, guard them, and pass them on to the next generation in their pure form without the addition of manmade traditions and without deleting anything.
Return to top Commentary Archives
|
Nitsavim (נצבים) – Deuteronomy 29:10(9)–30:20
VaYelech (וילך) – Deuteronomy 31:1–30
by
Jon Thompson
The children of Israel stand at the edge of the Promise Land. They pause for a short time as Moshe delivers his final address and counsel before he leaves them. One of the poignant undertones of Deuteronomy is that Moshe knows he will not enter the land, and he has one last chance to encourage and warn his family who has followed him for forty years through the wilderness.
On one hand, it is as though we eavesdrop on the parting words that Moshe feels will be most valuable to those he has loved, fought with, cared for, and led as they followed YHVH and watched their parents, brothers and sisters die. On the other hand, as those who are preparing to “enter the land,” Moshe addresses us as well; his words are:
“To him who stands here with us today before YHVH your Elohim; and also with him that is not here with us today.”
(Deuteronomy 29:15)
We are not eavesdropping; Moshe addresses these words to us.
We have been scattered throughout the earth, and Moshe continues to speak to us:
“And it shall be when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you among all the nations where YHVH your Elohim shall banish you,
You shall bring back to your heart these things; and shall turn back to YHVH your Elohim and listen to His voice, according to all that I am commanding you today, you and your sons with all your heart, and with all your soul;
Then YHVH your Elohim will turn your captivity, and He will have pity on you, and will return and gather you from all the nations where YHVH your Elohim has scattered you.
If you are cast out to the end of the heavens, YHVH your Elohim shall gather you from there, and He shall take you from there.”
(Deuteronomy 30:1–4)
If we turn back to the Torah and to YHVH who gave it, He promises that He will gather us from wherever we have been scattered.
We have trouble keeping Torah while living in a world that despises the commandments of YHVH. Finding employment that allows us to take Shabbat and the Appointed Times off from work. Going out to eat and not knowing what abomination might end up in our food, and staying morally clean when the world encourages impurity and abomination as “normal” and “healthy.”
Moshe promises that YHVH will bring us home to the land and we will prosper:
“Then YHVH your Elohim will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiple you more than your fathers.” (Deuteronomy 30:5)
Moshe gives us one of the first explanations of the “new covenant” in Deuteronomy 30:6:
“And YHVH your Elohim will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”
When someone wants to know what the new covenant is and where they can find it, here is one of the first places. When we understand the basis of the new covenant and where we find it in Scripture we can better understand what the covenant is and what our covenantal responsibilities are.
Since Moshe reveals the new covenant it is not confusing when he tells us that YHVH will circumcise our heart to love Him with all our heart and soul. We know from what he already told us that to love YHVH means to obey Him and keep His commandments. In case there is any confusion about it, Moshe goes on to reaffirm:
“And you shall return and obey the voice of YHVH, and do all His commandments which I am commanding you today.“
(Deuteronomy 30:8)
The Torah is life. To obey it is to allow YHVH to bless you. In this portion, Moshe utters one of the most important instructions and admonitions in all of Scripture:
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, that you may live, you and your seed.”
(Deuteronomy 30:19)
The outcome at the final judgment will be determined what each of us have done with the Torah of YHVH. But Moshe in this portion encourages each of us to make the choice to obey, to live and not die, to be worthy of blessing and not cursing.
Now it's up to you. What do you choose? It's the same question Yehoshua (Joshua) challenged the people with at the end of his days:
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve YHVH, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve YHVH.” (Joshua 24:15)
Return to top Commentary Archives
|
Ki Tavo (כי תבוא) – Deuteronomy 26:1–29:9
by
Jon Thompson
We can see in this week's portion a culmination and summation of all that has come before it in the Torah since Israel went into Egypt until now. There is an admission to YHVH of where Israel came from:
“My father was a perishing Aramean! And he went down to Egypt with few men, and lived there, and became a nation there, great, mighty and many.” (Deuteronomy 26:5)
It is important when we come before YHVH that we are aware of our status. We come from humble beginnings, no matter what our lineage or our status is in this world. Israel could have been instructed to say, “My father was the great patriarch Abraham, father of the patriarch Isaac, father of the patriarch Jacob, who was renamed Israel. Our family is blessed of YHVH and chosen from among all people.” It is not from a position of prestige we are to approach our King, but from a position of humility.
“And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and put hard labor on us. ” (Deuteronomy 26:6)
Not only are we of humble circumstances, but we are in a position from which we cannot deliver ourselves. As Israel came before YHVH, they were to acknowledge their affliction and labor. We see this reflected in the Passover Seder (סדר) when we recite this scripture. At the meal, we eat the maror (מרור) to taste the bitterness of slavery lest we forget that we are to bow to no master but YHVH, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)
“And we cried to YHVH, the Elohim of our fathers, and YHVH heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our labor, and our oppression. ” (Deuteronomy 26:7)
In contrast to our treatment by the Egyptians, YHVH hears our cries as we call out to Him. Our taskmasters may ignore our pleas, but YHVH is faithful.
“And YHVH brought us out from Egypt by a mighty hand, and by an arm stretched out, and by great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders. And He has brought us to this place, and has given to us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. ” (Deuteronomy 26:8, 9)
How many times in the intervening years since they stood at the edge of the land have Israel's enemies ignored their legitimate cries against oppression and affliction. They cried out, but it appears that YHVH ignored their pleas for deliverance from the ghettos of Muslim nations during the Middle Ages, the Spanish inquisition, Soviet pogroms, and Nazi death camps. Even today, they cry out as the Middle East nations, the European Union, and the United States attempt to slowly whittle away at the land and exterminate the people.
For generations the Jews have cried out for relief, yet there has been little respite, and not on the magnitude of “A mighty hand, an arm outstretched and by great terribleness with signs and wonders.” (Ibid) The question they have asked for generations is epitomized by Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof—“Why?”
The answer to Tevye's question lies in our portion:
“And it shall be, if you will not heed the voice of your YHVH your Elohim, to take heed to do all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, even all these curses shall come on you and overtake you:”
(Deuteronomy 28:15)
When Yeshua confronted the religious leaders of His day, He condemned their practice of setting aside the Torah, and confirmed they did not “heed the voice” of YHVH:
“And answering, He said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, hypocrites; as it has been written: This people honors Me with the lips, but their heart is far away from Me;
And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
For forsaking the commandment of Elohim, you hold the tradition of men: immersings of utensils and cups, and many other such like things you do.
And He said to them, You to set aside the commandment of Elohim so that you may keep your tradition.”
(Mark 7:6–9—Yeshua quoting from Isaiah 29:13)
There is little question that the Pharisees were devout. The problem, then as now, is that so many religiously follow the “commandments of men,” often not realizing they are “forsaking the commandments of YHVH.”
On one side, the rabbis claim the authority to supercede Scripture with their rulings. On the other side, the Christian churches claim the same authority. Each of these groups replaces many of YHVH's commandments with traditions tailored to support their own agenda and unique brand of religion.
It is our responsibility and blessing to return to His Torah and find out
what His commandments, statutes and judgments are. As we learn what He has
instructed, we have the opportunity to live according to “The commandment
of YHVH.” We also have the charge to guard them from pollution and,
“Diligently teach them to our children.”
(Deuteronomy 6:7)
May our generation be one in which many repent and return to YHVH, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob–not according to the traditions of men–but in obedience to His Torah.
Return to top Commentary Archives
|
“Behold, the days are coming, says YHWH,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah
. . . I will put My law in their minds,
and write it on their hearts;
and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
Jeremiah 31:31,33b