Parsha "B'Chukotai" (in my statutes) LEV 26 - 27

[Ben Avraham]

PARSHA "B'CHUKOTAI" (In my statutes)

LEV 26:3- 27:34 JEREMIAH 16:19-17:14 2 COR 6:14-18

Shabbat shalom to all, this week we look at "In my statutes" and what we see YHVH saying is
"If you obey...............then I'll..........." these are all conditional rewards and in the negative sense, curses, for obedience to HIS mitzvoth. This a very much apart from the salvation issue
We can see the result today, in every day life. When we obey HIS Word, and put it into use, and show our love to YHVH through obedience, then, his promises take affect. When we love our neighbor like we love HaShem, his blessings take affect.

The first promise is that of rain; "I will give you your rains in their due season" always with the "if" clause. We are coming up into the time of Shavuot next week, and it reminds us of the promise of rain. There we the former rains, and the latter rains. The former rains were heavy downpours which broke up the dry land, and the latter rains caused the crops to grow to maturity. The promises of Adonai were directly proportionate to the type of life Am Yisrael led. They were an agricultural and livestock society, so, the blessings revolved around those,

When we look at ourselves in light of the promises, we are a working society, job holders, property owners or renters, our lives do not revolve around farms or livestock, with of course, exception to ranchers and farmers, so, we receive blessings in accordance to those things that are around us, One of the best blessings he says is: (vs 12) "I will walk among you and will be your God and you shall be my people"

We can see common sense in this, if the commandment states; "stop on the red" and we do, we receive a blessing knowing that we have obeyed the law of the land, which is expected. if we don't stop, then we can expect a curse to follow, a ticket, or worse, a crash.

YHVH also states, IF you DON'T obey my commandments/statues...........THEN....." We see that G-d means what he says, curses will follow, when we follow the footsteps of Israel, we see that they did NOT walk in the ways, but turned aside in disobedience, Yes, they were punished, cast out of the land, but NEVER did YHVH disown his people, A father can punish his children, but a father will NEVER be able to say YOU ARE NOT MY SON/DAUGHTER.

One of the results of disobedience, was that Israel was cast out of the land, sold into slavery to Babylon, then Rome sent them out, they ended up in many different countries, yet they continued to be G-d chosen, they went into idol worshiping goyim, yet they brought with them the worship of the ONE true G-d "Adonai-Elohim-Yeshua" the "3" yet ONE as ECHAD, they became the branches of Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Falashim, we can all trace our ancestry to one of those, We ask, "why the holocaust?" Why the inquisition? did Adonai forget his people? the answer is NO, He was right there, weeping, but scripture had to be fulfilled...."and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies, you shall perish among the nations and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.....(26:38) BUT...if they CONFESS INIQUITY, BE HUMBLED, ACCEPT THEIR GUILT.....THEN... I will remember.....we see that everything is conditional. Isn't it the same way with our earthly fathers and mothers? if we TESHUVAH our hearts, then, we will receive forgiveness. (Teshuvah = change of mind and heart, to walk the right way instead of the wrong way)

We see that YHVH has brought Israel back into the land. I have promised HaShem that I will do my part and my duty to serve Israel through the IDF, (Israel Defense Forces) as a volunteer because Israel has a right to exist, as the chosen nation, this should be something that every believer should try to do at least once in their lifetime, (my opinion) speaking as a veteran of the US Army (Once a soldier always a soldier, Hoo-Yahh) and this will happen in a few weeks, May YHVH supply my needs there in the land! We just celebrated May 14th, when Israel was proclaimed a nation once again, in one single day! just as we display the American flag on July 4th, we should display the Israeli flag on May 14th, as Israel is also our nation.

chapter 27 talks about dedicating things to the LORD, If we dedicate House, children, car, money, possessions to the LORD, then we should use them for JUST THAT, and not defile them with mundane, unholy things.
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JEREMIAH 16:19-17:14.

The prophet starts out with; "O LORD my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction, the gentiles shall come to you from the ends of the earth and say, "surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthless, and unprofitable things". and so true this is, the false religions of the world which worship false gods, even in Christianity, there are pagan beliefs that have infiltrated the churches, and many have taken these beliefs/practices into their worship and rites; Christmas, Easter egg coloring, Easter bunny, Halloween disguised as "fall festival" eating of un kosher foods, the changing of the Sabbath to "Sunday" (I will probably be eaten alive after sending this parsha out to the different forum sites)

We need to get back to the basic of , What has the author said? what HE says IS, and WILL BE. "I will cause them to know my hand and my might, and they shall know that my name is YHVH" (16:21) When we look at the ancient Hebrew letters, the shortened name YAH, means "BEHOLD "h" the HAND (y) (of the LORD)
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2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-18

" I will dwell in them and walk among them, I will be their God and they shall be My people"

and the Ruach HaKodesh does live IN us, and we ARE HIS people, we have joined the olive tree and are part of it according to the promises...BUT....we must COME OUT from among the lost, the ungodly, and not have anything to do with their life style and practices, YES, we should try and reach the lost with the gospel of Yeshua, as sons and daughters of YHVH, we have the responsibility to show G-d's love through words and deeds, and thus, bring the lost out of darkness into the light

Shabbat shalom.............rabbi Ben Avraham

[alon]

I've held off commenting on this par'shah because the part that most concerns me looks (to me anyhow) like it contradicts the rest of scripture. This cannot be, so I've been looking for answers. But here goes:

Leviticus 27:28-29 (ESV) “But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord. No one devoted, who is to be devoted for destruction from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.

Leviticus 27:28-29 (CJB) However, nothing consecrated unconditionally which a person may consecrate to Adonai out of all he owns — person, animal or field he possesses — is to be sold or redeemed; because everything consecrated unconditionally is especially holy to Adonai. (LY: vii) No person who has been sentenced to die, and thus unconditionally consecrated, can be redeemed; he must be put to death.

Leviticus 27:28-29 (JPS) But of all that anyone owns, be it man or beast or land of his holding, nothing that he has proscribed for the Lord may be sold or redeemed; every proscribed thing is totally consecrated to the Lord. No human being who has been proscribed can be ransomed: he shall be put to death.

Vayikra 27:28-29 (OJB) Nevertheless, no cherem, that a man shall devote unto Hashem of all that he hath, both of adam and behemah, and of the sadeh of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed; every cherem is kodesh kodashim unto Hashem. No cherem, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death.


devoted- set apart, dedicated, or consecrated

consecrated- solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred".

proscribed-To denounce or condemn. To prohibit; forbid. To banish or outlaw (a person).

cherem- H2764 חרם חרם physically (as shutting in) a net (either literally or figuratively); usually a doomed object; abstractly extermination: - (ac-)curse (-d, -d thing), dedicated thing, things which should have been utterly destroyed, (appointed to) utter destruction, devoted (thing), net.



The wording here is as someone given to God; not as a criminal sentenced to death but as someone held holy to God. Such a person is to be put to death, without recourse to ransom and apparently with no other recourse, such as the High Priest abrogating the death sentence. Contextually it comes at the end of a passage which speaks of things offered willingly to the Lord.

The whole idea of the last few par’shas is that God owns Israel- the land and the people. No man may give the life of another of his family or servants. Furthermore human sacrifice is itself proscribed in and in Jewish law. It is an abomination to God and to His people. Yet here we have these two verses, apparently totally at odds with the rest of scripture. Even the commentary in my JPS TNK is at a loss as to what this means; but it cannot mean what it seems to say.

Deuteronomy 12:31 (ESV) You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.

Deuteronomy 18:10 (ESV) There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering,anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer

So what could explain Leviticus 27:28-29? Why would they be in the TNK? If I can see the incongruency, certainly the Rabbis of old would have seen this. Yet if they’d commented on it surely the writers of the notes in my Study TNK would have known about it. And since it is there, I’d assume it would have been implemented at some time. I’m at a loss as to what to do with this short passage. My best guess is there is something I am missing; somehow I misunderstand what is being said here.

Dan

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

I know it has been a while since I posted, but Adonai has kept me busy doing His work, and Alon has been doing a great job in my stead. I did although have a few seconds today to reply to this thread.

That is a good question. In the first passage in Vayikra the context is what can be redeemed, and what cannot. A person could be dedicated to the service of Adonai, and in these cases couldn’t be redeemed. Although verse 29 shares the context of that which cannot be redeemed, what is different is that it involves someone who has been put to death through the judgment of the Beit Din, based on the sentence spoken of in the . This is not human sacrifice, this is just the death penalty which mankind has issued based on the ruling of the . Such a one who is set-apart unto this judgment cannot be redeemed.

So, there is no contradiction. The certainly teaches against taking a human and sacrificing them, as the scriptures you pointed out. This type of sacrifice is prohibited. One of the first rules of Biblical hermeneutics is that scripture cannot contradict scripture. In Yeshua’s case, he was fighting a great spiritual war, and willingly laid down his life in self-sacrifice to save others. The is not against such a sacrifice, and indeed calls us all to love our neighbor as ourselves in this way.

Until next time...

Shalom uv’rachot b’Yeshua,

R’ Reuel

[jimmie]

I see I am late posting my response.

There are two categories of things being discussed. In the first part of Leviticus 27:28 it is talking about things a person gives to God. These things cannot be sold or bought back after they have been freely given.

The second part deals with things God (not man) has devoted to destruction. The Hebrew words are cherem (noun) and charam (verb). They refer to something devoted to the ban. "Its basic meaning involves taking things or people out of ordinary use and devoting them irrevocably to God. ... Whatever was put under the ban was either to be devoted to the Lord's service permanently or destroyed." Both "devoted to destruction" and "set apart" are the same Hebrew word, that is why the last phrase of 28 goes with 29.

The destruction of Jericho done under a ban (Joshua 6:17-19). That is why nothing was to be taken from Jericho, except what was to be used in the Lord's service. Achan and his family were killed for violating this ban. The Amalekites were destroyed under the ban as well (I Samuel 15:3), which is why Saul was punished for leaving the king and some animals alive.

What the law stated in Leviticus 27:28-29 is that any person under the ban could not be bought back (redeemed). He had to be put to death.

[Ben Avraham]

PARASHA: "b'chukotai" (in my statutes)

LEV 26:3-27:34.................JER 16:19-17:14...............2 COR 6:14-18

What are "statutes" one may ask? they are rulings and conditions related to the law, in this, related to HaShem's mitzvoth. We find that verse 3 is very interesting, and it starts with an "IF" which means "conditional"

"IF you walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and perform them...THEN...."

There are three interesting words here; "Walk" "Keep" and "perform" one might say that they are all the same. But why would God mention them like that if they mean the same thing? It is a difficult question to answer, since they all seem to be saying the same thing. Statues are the details of the commandments, we must, "walk" "Keep" and "perform".

We might be reminded of three things which we all go through in the learning process; "knowledge" "understanding" and "wisdom" ; "Y'diy'ah" (knowledge) "Havanah" (understanding) "Chochmah" (wisdom). When we study God's Word, especially his mitzvoth, we gain "knowledge" but some say that with "knowledge" and no more, well, that and 10 cents will get you a cup of coffee, (when was coffee 10 cents? maybe in the 1950s) BUT...if we add "understanding to the knowledge we gain, then that is more, We can read a lot, BUT do we UNDERSTAND what we read? I could read a manual on heart surgery, but I probably would not understand what I read, unless a doctor explains it to me, in more basic terms, if after that, I understand, then....I would have advanced from "knowledge to understanding". Perhaps knowledge and understanding, when it comes to the commandments, would mean that we are "Keeping" in mind what HaShem is teaching us through the . However, if we "put into action" what we have learned, first by knowledge, then proceeded by "understanding" then, we are achieving what God has had in mind for us, that is "performance"

One can "walk" YHVH's statutes in our minds and hearts, "Keeping" them in mind, and then, "Performing" them, so, what we learn we must put into action. We can see that in every job in this world. A doctor learns from books, lectures, thus gaining knowledge and understanding, then he "practices" what he has learned as an intern, and when he has perfected his "performance" he gets his license to practice medicine,

There is a lot to learn in God's Word, He has given us his commandments in order to live a "Kadosh" lifestyle before HIM and before our fellow man (and woman) he has not given us these to make our lives miserable, but to clarify what is holy and un holy, clean vs unclean, especially since we live in a fallen world dominated by sin. The curse of sin has been conquered and vanquished by Yeshua HaMashiach on Calvary's cross, our "Yeshuah" (Salvation) has been secured in HIM, We have gained "righteousness" through HIM, now, we must live a "righteous" lifestyle. (doing what is correct and Kadosh) being "Tsaddikim"

Chapter 26 deals with "conditions" "IF...THEN" "IF YOU DON'T.....THEN" All blessings, relationships, contracts, etc are all "conditional" even salvation is conditional, IF we repent of our sins, and turn from our sinful ways, and accept Yeshua/Jesus as our LORD and Savior, THEN we will be saved, salvation will be ours for all eternity. It is not an automatic thing, Yeshua died for our sins, and it is a free gift, only IF we accept it, by repentance (Teshuvah) If salvation were something automatic, being granted to every single soul on earth at the time of death, then "heaven" would soon become a "hell" with all the Adolf Hitlers, Stalins, etc up there doing there "thing"

the blessings given to Israel were earthly blessings, speaking of their crops, rain, etc, on the condition that they might OBEY his commandments... BUT IF YOU DO NOT OBEY ME...vs 14 then come the curses, is it any different today? I would say not. To stay out of jail, obey the "commandments" of the law of the land. If you want your home to be the state prison, then DISOBEY the laws of the land.

Chap 27 deals with "vowing" and "dedicating" things to Adonai. Back then, it came with a small cost. If a person "vowed" or promised, dedicated something or someone to the service of Adonai, the person had to pay a small price in silver, Today, we see almost the same thing, We can dedicate ourselves to teaching HIS Word, but we have to PAY a bit of silver during our tenure in a Yeshiva or Bible college to get ourselves ready. One time I sent 30 Bibles through Malawi Bible society, to people in small town in that African country, but I had to purchase those bibles through the Bible society, the bibles were "dedicated" to those people, but it still "cost" me some money. So we can see the relationship between money, and dedicating, vowing, etc. Rav Shaul (Paul) paid a "price" to be a "Nazarite" for a time, he got a hair-cut and had to pay a fee.

and this is the end of the book of Leviticus.

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YIRIMYAHU 16:19-17:14

"Oh YHVH, my strength and my fortress" the prophet speaks through the Ruach HaKodesh. "The Gentiles will come to you" and is this not true? the whole world has come to YESHUA and HIS WORD for salvation. The prophet outlines blesses and curses, if Israel chooses to follow Adonai, yet Israel rejected the commandments of God, thus the prophet writes "the sin of Y'hudah is written with a pen of iron, and with a point of a diamond, engraved on their hearts" So all of the people were made "conscious" of their sin....Yet He will "cause them to know My hand and my might, and they shall know that my name is YHVH", in 17:7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in YHVH" So, we can trust in YESHUA and receive his blessings...............or reject.............and receive curses, this is a similar message to the message in Leviticus.

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2 COR 6:14-18

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers" we interpret this more in marriage relationships, which makes sense, both husband and wife should be born again believers

if not, many times, trouble will come forth. But this can also refer to very close friendships, the closer people become, the more our "intimacies" will surface, and the un-believer will see that we are "of Yeshua" and not "of the world" there will be friction,

"Come out from among THEM and be separate (Kadosh, Holy) " which is the calling of ALL PEOPLE, to leave "Egypt" and cross over to "Eretz C'naan" leave the world of sin, and the slavery to sin, and come to YESHUA and be part of HIS PEOPLE. But it doesn't mean we can't relate to lost people, sure, but there is a limit, we should not engage in unrighteous activities which are sinful that they might invite us to do..

.....and you shall be my sons and daughters....So, we are "kol B'nei Elohim" (all children of God) those who have accepted Yeshua as Mashiach and LORD. Baruch HaShem

rabbi Ben Avraham