Lev. 19 : 01 - 20 : 27 RESTORERS OF THE BREACH

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

RESTORERS OF THE BREACH

A d’rash for parashah K’doshim

Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:1-20:27
Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) 20:2-20, 22:1-19

By Re’uel D.

It has been taught by the Jewish sages that because the essence of the ten commandments are given in this parashah it was to be stated in the assembly to the entire congregation of Yisrael. In this parashah we learn about something important in connection to the corporate assembly. Rabbi Moshe Alshich taught the following, “The easiest thing is to hide from the world and its follies, seclude oneself in a room, and be a holy hermit. What the desires, however, is that a person should be part and parcel of "all the congregation of the children of Israel"--and be holy.”. Indeed, in our reading we read the following; “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall be holy; for I, HaShem, your Elohim am holy.” – Vaykira (Leviticus) 19:2

The command to be holy as Adonai is holy is not only a call to a pursuant life, but it is a call to a pursuant life together as a congregation. In the Hebrew, the command to be holy is found in the plural as the word “k’doshim”, and not the singular word “kadosh”. We cannot hide ourselves away in our houses on the holy convocations of Adonai (i.e. Shabbat, Moedim, ect.) and claim to be pursuing the command to be holy as He is Holy. It is a community venture, and we are called to do it together. In Judaism a congregation is considered to be at least ten people, or a minyan. Even if one had ten in their family at home the command for the holy convocation and thus the congregation is the word “mikra”, which means “a called out assembly”. This means that you have to be called out from your homes to gather together with those whom are pursuing the of Adonai. This is part of what it looks like to be holy as Adonai is Holy.

Our Heavenly Father doesn’t dwell just by Himself, He seeks to dwell with the holy ones whom are part of the congregation of Yisrael. How are we to keep the command to love one another as ourselves if we don’t choose to fellowship with one another in the first place? We are called to encourage each other unto love and good works. And, part of these good works is to encourage each other to get out and gather together for the holy assemblies. In the book of Hebrews 10:24-25 it states, “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.”. Do you see the day of Adonai approaching?? If yes, get busy and invite your neighbors to assemble together on Shabbat (Sabbath). We are to be restorers of ancient paths to dwell in and repairers of the breach!

In the book of Yeshaiyahu (Isai.) 58:12 we read, “Those who shall be of you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”. Messianic congregations everywhere are raising the foundations and repairing the breach, and restoring the ancient paths to dwell in. And, this path is the of Adonai. In the future those of the Nations will realize that they have inherited lies, those things that have been contrary to the teachings of Adonai. In Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 16:19 we read, “HaShem, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, vanity and things in which there is no profit.”. And, to where shall the Nations come? In Yeshaiyahu (Isaiah) 2:2-3 we read, “It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of Hashem’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many peoples shall go and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Hashem, to the house of the Elohim of Ya’akov (Jacob); and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth, and the word of Hashem from Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).”. The nations shall come from the ends of the Earth and exchange the lies taught to them by their fathers for the truth of Adonai and His .

As we build the old waste places, raise the former foundations, repair the breach, and restore the paths to dwell in we need to call out our friends, brothers, sisters, and family to understand the truth of Adonai. We must correct false doctrine and man-made walls that have been erected causing a barrier between God’s people and His truth (Tehillim/Psalm 119:142). All of you whom have ears to hear, be repairers of the breach! There has been a breach in covenant and we are to call our people back to a covenant relationship with the God of Yisrael.

It is often taught by unlearned individuals that now that Messiah has come we have been given a new command to love our neighbor as ourselves and that we should forget about the laws and the of Elohim (God). But, I say to you, was this command to love our neighbor as ourselves really a new command? In parashah K’doshim we read the following passage in Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:18, “‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Hashem.”. This command came from the itself. Of course, Messiah is the word of Elohim made flesh, therefore, He is the living ! In other words, it originated from Him in the first place. In Mattityahu (Matthew) 22:37-38 Yeshua the Messiah quoted the Shema where he stated, “You shall love Hashem your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.”. He then went to state the following in Mattiyahu 39-40, “A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “The whole and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”.

Keep in mind that Yeshua perfectly kept these two commands by demonstrating His obedience to the whole of His Father’s commandments as found in the . But, it was in the Spirit of these two commands that he kept the rest. In the book of 1Yochanan (John) 5:1-3 we read the following, “Whoever believes that Yeshua is the Messiah is born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not burdensome.”. Do you consider the commandments or the of God to be burdensome? If so, you should check your heart…check to see if God’s law has actually been written on it. If it is in fact not, how can you claim to know and love God? How can you claim to have entered into the New Covenant? To love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and your neighbor as yourself is a call back to living a pursuant life! Some would disagree with me about this, but other Rabbis of old (whom were certainly pro-) taught the same concept before Yeshua.

One good example would be Rabbi Hillel. Hillel lived in the century before Yeshua The Messiah. In the Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Shabbath Folio 31a) we read the following about what Hillel taught, “On another occasion it happened that a certain heathen came before Shammai and said to him, 'Make me a proselyte, on condition that you teach me the whole while I stand on one foot.' Thereupon he repulsed him with the builder's cubit which was in his hand. When he went before Hillel, he said to him, 'What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbor: that is the whole , while the rest is the commentary thereof; go and learn it.'”. Yeshua the Messiah was teaching the same concept as Hillel taught before Him, and we can safely conclude that Hillel was not teaching that this precept replaced the need to pursue a life.

Sometimes it is difficult to keep our friends and family accountable to the way of righteousness as found in Adonai’s . Many times if we remind them and teach them about the holy standard of God we are rebutted with statements such as, “judge not, lest you be judged”. But, if we seek to see what the says we can more accurately understand what our Rabbi taught regarding this. It is true that we are to love our neighbor, but in loving our neighbor it includes keeping him accountable to the of Adonai. Don’t believe me? In connection with the command to love our neighbor as ourselves we read the following in Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:17, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.”. Yeshua our Master taught the following in Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:1-2, “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.” So, how do we reconcile this teaching in light of our previous passage that states that we are to “surely rebuke your neighbor” in connection with loving him? If we continue to read the rest of the passage our Rabbi gives us the answer. In Mattityahu 7:3-5 He teaches us, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.”. Messiah Yeshua instructs us to first make sure that we are walking the path of and to make sure we are not transgressing in the area of life that we seek to correct our brother in. Once we have searched ourselves first to make sure our life is reflecting our Heavenly Father’s …than we will be fit to correct our brother, or sister.

Because living out the is a community event, we are responsible to correct our neighbor after we have examined ourselves first. We are the congregation of Adonai together - and live holy lives unto God together. We cannot be a congregation if we live our lives in isolation or individually, only as a whole are we a congregation, and thus are responsible for each other’s spiritual health. For, our brother’s and sister’s health turns out to effect our own health. And, if we keep each other accountable to increasing and magnifying the of Adonai in our lives we will be increasing the life and the vitality of our communities. In haftarah K’doshim we read the following in Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) 20:11, “I gave them my statutes, and showed them my ordinances, which if a man does, he shall live in them.”. This passage is one of the reasons that the in Judaism is known as a Tree of Life.

But, it only becomes a tree of life when it takes root in our heart. And, it is not a Tree of Life for the Jew only. In Vayikra (Lev.) 19:34-36 we read, “The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Hashem your Elohim.”. For all those either in Christianity or even in Messianic Judaism whom say otherwise…such ones simply have unjust measures as they are not using the measure of Adonai’s . And, that is why it says in the very next few verses the following, “‘You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length, of weight, or of quantity. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just efah, and a just hin. I am Hashem your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”. Adonai goes on to qualify that just measures indeed are equated to observing the as our very next verse in Vayikra 19:37 states, “‘You shall observe all my statutes, and all my ordinances, and do them. I am Hashem.’”. And again, notice the direct context to the Gentile whom becomes part of the commonwealth of Yisrael. In the book of B’midbar (Numbers) 15:15-16 it states, “For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner, a statute forever throughout your generations: as you are, so shall the foreigner be before Hashem. One (law) and one ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you.’”. The fact is, he calls both Jew and Gentile to the same standards. He calls both Jew and Gentile to be holy. Thus, it is written, “‘Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am Hashem your Elohim. You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am Hashem who sanctifies you.” - Vayikra (Lev.) 20:7-8. As seen in our previous passage, Adonai sanctifies us and sets us apart by giving us His commandments. That is why when we perform one of His commandments we recite the first part of the following bracha (blessing), “Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu, Melekh Haolam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav”, which means, “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King Of The Universe, whom has sanctified us in His commandments…”.

Do you belong to the God of Yisrael? Have you been set apart to Him? If so, hear the of Adonai, “You shall be holy to me: for I, Hashem, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.” – Vayikra (Lev .) 20:26. Being holy unto Adonai is all about belonging to Adonai. And, that is why it says in the book of Hebrews 12:14, “Eagerly pursue peace and holiness with all, without which no one will see the Lord”. The Hebrew word for “peace” is “shalom” and it communicates something that has been made complete or whole. Together as a congregation we are all called to restore and make whole the breaches caused by our forefathers, reproving the lies, and restoring the ancient paths to walk in. May we all be workers whom together restore holiness among our people and build again the foundation of amongst our family, friends, community, and world. Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in do time we will be lifted up. May we encourage each other unto love and good works. And, may we not forsake the gathering of ourselves during the Sabbaths and Holy Days of our Lord. May we exhort each other to attend these called out assemblies, and even more so as we see the day of the Lord approaching!

Shabbat shalom!