Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue
Parsha Shoftim: Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17
Halftarah: Isaiah 51:12-53:12
Brit Chadasha: Mattiyahu 5:38-42; 18-20; Acts 3:13-26; 7:35-53; 1 Cor. 5:9-13; 1 Tim 5:17-22; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 10:28-31
In this weeks portion we see Moshe telling Israel to appoint righteous judges and officers who shall rule honestly and without favor.
He then warns the people not to plant an Asherah tree or erect a pillar for idol worship near the Altar of HaShem. He goes on to caution B’nai Yisrael that the penalty for idol worship is death by stoning, but he qualifies the penalty by requiring two or three witnesses to condemn the accused before a death sentence may be handed down.
Moshe sets districts and jurisdictions to handle disputes between the people. If local courts cannot handle the matter then they may appeal to a higher court where the Kohanim, Levites, and the Judge of the day will determine the disposition of the case. Moshe warns the people to so what the judges say and be careful to do as they teach you. For the recalcitrant who will not abide the judge’s decisions then that person shall die.
Moshe also predicted that the time would come when B’nai Yisrael will ask for a king “like the nations around them.” The king had to be of Judah. He could not have too many horses, which represented wealth or too many wives because they may lead him astray. Solomon was a good example of violation of both those restraints and the resulting consequences. Further, the king should write for himself two copies of the Torah. One must be with him always, as he should read from it continually, so that he does neither become arrogant or deviates from the commandments.
Moshe then lists the kinds of false prophets and soothsayers that exist among the nations: sorcerers, astrologers, and animal charmers among others. He points out that these nations have only this to listen to but B’nai Yisrael has YHVH Elohim, the living Elohim. He warns if a prophet arises in Israel and purports to speak in the name of YHVH and declares certain things to happen, and they do not, then he is a false prophet and not of YHVH Elohim.
Moshe then appoints the cities of refuge for those who kill unintentionally to flee to for protection. YHVH does not want innocent blood shed in the land by revengeful families and these cities are set up for that purpose.
Moshe then addresses the people regarding property boundaries, and in no case are they to be tampered with as HaShem Himself has set the boundaries of each person. The law of witnesses is then set forth and a single witness alone cannot testify against someone as to their sin, but the law requires two or three. If there are proven to be false witnesses then what they had wanted to do to the accused should be done to them.
Then Moshe explains the rules of War. He cautioned Israel not to fear their enemies for HaShem is with them as He is with every Believer. There is to be no fear or panic because YHVH Elohim is with you. Those exempt from going to war are:
· Anyone who has built a new house and not lived in it
· Anyone who has planted a vineyard and not eaten of it
· Anyone who is betrothed to a woman and has not lived with her
· Anyone who is faint-hearted.
The reason for the first three exemptions is that someone else will benefit from what the person has begun; the reason for the fourth is that a person who is afraid may make others afraid as well.
Moshe then explains that when the people come to a city you are to call out for peace. If the nation or city refuses peace then B’nai Yisrael is to kill all males and take everything else as booty.
Finally, Moshe says when they lay siege to a city they are not to cut down the fruit trees, but should use non-bearing trees to make armaments.
Then Moshe tells them of the law of Eglah Arufah. If a corpse is found in the field, the elders and judges should measure the distance between the corpse and the surrounding cities. The elders of the city nearest the corpse must take a calf, which has never been used for work, bring it to a stream, and kill it by cutting its neck in the stream. The elders of the city should then approach and wash their hands over the calf and say, “Our hands have not spilled the blood of this person, nor did we see who did it.” They then ask YHVH Elohim to take the blood of the calf as atonement. The murderer’s hunt continues however.
This is a synopsis of this weeks Torah portion however there is one point I would like to cover in more detail. In verse 1 of chapter 18 we learn that the Levites are not to receive land as their inheritance, and the very next verse repeats this message. We also must understand the importance of owning land in that time. Without land, you could not provide for yourself in an agriculture society, which Israel was then. That is why Yisrael had to pay tithes to the Levites so that they could eat and survive. But still they had no place to call home. The point here is YHVH’s solution: He is their inheritance and their home is the Temple itself. That is why we are told twice that the Levites had no inheritance in the land: the first time to show us that the Levites get tithes from all the other Israelites and the second time to teach us that there in no place like home, “YHVH Elohim’s home.”
What is the Haftarah connection to this week’s parsha? Yeshayahu 51:12-52:12
‘This is the fourth of the “seven prophecies of comfort” read between the Fast of the Ninth of Av and Rosh Hashana.
Our Haftarah begins with HaShem saying: “I am the One who comforts you.” YHVH assures us that we will soon be redeemed, and we will make our way back to Israel. With a promise like that from HaShem, we have no reason to be afraid of the nations.
Gemmatria: Ki Tavo el ha’aretz… “when you enter the land…” (17:14) Moshe tells B’nai Yisrael that when they enter the land they will want to appoint a king. The numeric value of the words Ki tavo, “when you enter,” is 439. This is the same value as the words Bemay Shmuel, “In the days of Shmuel (Samuel).” It was during the days of Shmuel that B’nai Yisrael asked him to appoint a king for them. See the connection? “When you enter the land… in the days of Shmuel…they will want to appoint a king”
Shabbat Sholom,
Rabbi Davis