Promises
Fulfilled
Shabbat Shalom Kol
Yisrael. It is our pleasure to present this week's Torah Parsha commentary by
Nazarene Yisraelite Rabbi T. (Mordecai) Mitchell, Rabbi and Rosh Zaken of B'nai
Yeshurun Nazarene Yisraelite Synagogue, Kittanning, Pa. and board member of the
Union of Nazarene Yisraelite Congregations. It is our sincere hope and prayer
that these commentaries encourage, inspire, and strengthen the body of Messiah
in Kol Yisrael. This week our Parsha is Va'etchanan (And I Pleaded)
Debarim (Deuteronomy) 3:23 to 7:11.
Our Haftarah portion is YeshaYahu (Isaiah) 40:1-26. Our suggested Brit Chadasha
readings are: MattithYahu (Matthew) 4:1-11; Romans 3:27-31 and Ya'aqob (Jacob
James) 2:14-26. Please also read Tehillim (Psalms) 102 and 99, and Mishle
(Proverbs) 4.
3:23. And I
pleaded with YHWH at that time, saying,
24. O Master
YHWH, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand,
for who is a mighty one in the heavens or on the earth who does according to
Your works and according to Your might?
25. I pray, let
me pass over and see the good land beyond the Yarden, this good hill country,
and Lebanon.
Our Parsha begins with
Mosheh pleading with Almighty Yahweh to set aside His decree that Mosheh should
not enter the promised land because of his transgression of striking the rock in
Bemidbar (Numbers) 20:11-12, rather than speaking to it, as Yahweh commanded
him.
The opening verses of
this Parsha show us several things. First, Mosheh was never willing to give up
the hope that a sentence could be reversed. Yet, despite his pleading, Yahweh
stood firm on His decision. This shows us that there are times when we may plead
for something we want or think we should have, yet our requests will be denied.
Simply put, we cannot and do not get everything we want. We cannot expect to
escape the consequences of our sins. We read in Tehillim (Psalms) 99:8 You
answered them, O YHWH our Elohim. You were a forgiving El to them, though You
took vengeance of their deeds.
However, Yahweh is a
forgiving and merciful El. Despite the fact that Mosheh's request to enter The
Land was not granted, this in no way affected his salvation. Mosheh died, having
only seen The Land. Although he did not set foot in The Land, he died with the
assurance of his salvation, and the sure hope of his resurrection to eternal
life in the Kingdom of Yahweh.
Our ultimate goal
should not be to get everything we want from Yahweh, (The desire to receive
for self alone) but rather, to obtain the gift of eternal life. Sometimes,
however, we fail to listen, and consequently we fail to see the ultimate good
that Yahweh has in store for us. The vision of our plan often obscures the
vision of Yahweh's plan for our lives. Rest assured that Yahweh will never
abandon us if we are faithful.
In Debarim 4:6, Mosheh
has to remind the people of their role and purpose. Referring to the
instructions of the Torah, he says:
And you shall
guard to 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.'
Mosheh was telling
Yisrael, and by extension us today, that it is our faithful keeping of the Torah
as a lifestyle of the redeemed, that is a witness to the people of the nations.
This admonition also tells us the the Torah is not exclusively for the Jews or
even for Kol Yisrael, it is for all people, everywhere, regardless of race or
ethnic origin. (YeshaYahu 66:23).
Please read Debarim
4:25-32 carefully, for this great prophetic passage contains the crux of the Two
House message.
Certainly, we all
should be familiar with the Ten Utterances or Ten Commands in Debarim 5:6-21,
however, in closing I would like us to consider the Shema, in Debarim
6:4-9.
Most of us are in the
habit of reciting the Shema at least twice a day, according to Debarim 6:7b ...when you lie down, and when you rise up.
However, the Mitzvah of the Shema is more than mere recitation. To understand
this, let us consider a few of the verses that are sometimes ignored or taken
lightly by some.
Verse 8 says:
And (you) shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as
frontlets between your eyes.
The Mitzvah of this
verse is the basis and reason for Tefillin. It is interesting to note that the
Hebrew word for frontlets is
Totafot, literally, a headband. The binding of Tefillin
is largely misunderstood and ignored even by some in spiritual Kol Yisrael. For
a thorough study and understanding of Tefillin, may I suggest that our readers
contact Rabbi Nydle to see if he has copies of his tape series,
Binding to
Purpose. This is a Positive Mitzvah that cannot be
rationalized or spiritualized away. We owe it to ourselves to make a diligent
study of this subject. Binding Tefillin can endow us with great blessings,
powerful spiritual energy and protection from Almighty
Yahweh.
Verse 9 says:
And you shall write them on the door posts of your house
and on your gates.
This is another
greatly misunderstood and often ignored Mitzvah. The Hebrew word for
doorpost is Mezzuzah, and from this we
get the name for the rectangular shaped little boxes that are often seen on the
door posts of the homes of observant Jews and Torah observant Messianic
believers.
Placing a Mezzuah on each door post of our homes is
another Mitzvah that cannot be rationalized or spiritualized away. However,
fulfilling the Mitzvah requires some consideration.
To understand the Mitzvah of Mezzuah we must turn to
the Oral Law. Before going any further, we must clarify our position on Oral
Law. We in the Union of Nazarene Yisraelite Congregations do not believe that
the Oral Law is inspired. However, our position is: We set our doctrine (core
beliefs) by Written Torah, and we turn to the Oral Law, when necessary, for
further clarification or for a deeper understanding.
The Command in Debarim 6:9 is at best, somewhat
vague. How do we manage to write the Commands of Yahweh on the door posts of our
homes? Do we write the entire 613 Commands, or do we write only a few that are
representative of all? Do we actually write on door frames?
The Oral Law
settles these questions for us by determining that we can fulfill the Mitzvah by
writing four Scriptures on a small parchment, called a Klef, and enclosing the
Klef in a rectangular box (to protect it from the elements and ravages of time)
and affixing the box to the right side of the doorway as we enter our homes.
Details of placing a Mezzuah and blessings to be recited while doing so may be
found in a book available from First Fruits of Zion: Living Emblems, Ancient
Symbols of
Faith.
Another book resource
is: The Book of Jewish Practice, by Louis Jacobs, available from most book stores.
As we have often said,
we must not attempt to separate the physical from the spiritual. Although the
Mezzuzah may be regarded as a mere physical object, and perhaps by some,
erroneously, as Jewish myth, mysticism or superstition, it is none-the-less,
sanctioned and commanded by Yahweh's Torah. While it is a physical object, the
proper placing of Mezzuoth (Plural of Mezzuah) on various doors of the home
(never on bathroom or basement doors) is not only a silent witness to our
Yisraelite faith, but has deep spiritual implications.
Let us consider this
passage from the Zohar, Vaetchanan, Vol. 22, Page 45: It is a commandment
that man should fix a Mezzuzah at his door, so that everyone will be guarded by
the Holy One, blessed be He, upon leaving THE HOUSE and entering THE HOUSE. This
is the secret of HaShem (Yahweh) shall preserve
your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and forever
more (Tehillim-Psalms 121:8).
Prior to this portion,
the Zohar says that a Mezzuzah (properly placed in good faith) will guard
against demonic activity entering the home.
Brothers and sisters, I
realize that some will scoff and ridicule these seemingly astonishing ideas.
Nevertheless, we do not apologize for bringing forth such teachings. Both Rabbi
Nydle and I are encouraged by the words found in MattithYahu (Matthew) 7:28-29:
And it came to be, when Yahshua had ended these words, that the people
were astonished at His teaching. 29. For He taught them as one
possessing authority, and not as the scribes.
With all that's been
said, the greatest and most vital fulfillment of the Shema is to demonstrate
genuine love for Almighty Yahweh. This principle was taught by our Master and
Messiah, Yahshua, as he recited the Shema in Mark 12:29-30, and added the
Mitzvah of Vayyiqra (Leviticus) 19:18 to love our neighbor as ourselves, in Mark
12:31.
29. And Yahshua
answered him, The first of all the commands is, 'Hear O Yisrael,
YHWH our Elohim, YHWH is One.
30. And you shall love YHWH
your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your
mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first
command.
31.And the second, like it, it
this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' There is no other commandment
greater than these.
Again, we cannot
separate the physical from the spiritual. Fulfilling Mitzvaoth such as Tefillin
and Mezzuza are Mitzvaoth (Plural of Mitzvah) to which we must give serious
consideration and study if we seek the blessings and deep things Yahweh has for
us. However, without a true spiritual commitment to living Yahweh's Torah as the
lifestyle of the redeemed, then such ritual objects, are just that, and
nothing more. We must be modern-day Bereans who: Prove all things and
hold fast to that which is good.
May Almighty Yahweh
bless us all as we seek to serve Him and learn more of His ways. This Shabbat is
Shabbat Nachamu, the Sabbath of Consolation. This is the first of sseven Sabbaths of Consolation.
Please read YeshaYahu 40:1. Our Parsha, Va'etchanan, is always read following the Ninth of Av, one of
the most dreadful and sorrowful days in the history of the Hebrew people. May
the words of this week's Parsha and perhaps the words of the commentary as well,
bring us consolation as we encounter the personal griefs of life, and may those
temporary griefs, turn to everlasting Joy in Yahweh and His Annointed, our
Messiah, Yahshua. Va'etchanan should remind us
that no matter how far we might stray from Almighty Yahweh and His Torah, and
His Living Torah, Yahshua our Messiah, He is always ready to accept, love and
forgive us if we just call upon Him with a sincere desire to return to
Him.
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Questions or comments regarding this week's Parsha commentary may be
addressed to Rabbi Mitchell by e-mail at: yoel@windstrean.net
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