Parashat Ki-Theytzey

(Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19)

This refers to nations outside the Land of Israel, where captives may be taken. Unlike the men, virginal women are not killed because they do not carry the seed of the condemned people:

12. "then you shall bring her inside your house, and she shall shave her head and prepare her nails.

Prepare (literally, simply "do") her nails: the exact meaning or purpose is unclear, but perhaps it is symbolic, as with her hair, of putting off her uniqueness and individuality completely, like men conscripted into the army are all made to look alike. Her hairstyle and nails are a woman's point of pride, and also identified her as a member of her former culture, so she can now make a fresh start. She is no longer under her old authority, so she removes the things that symbolize it. In a way she is made to look like a baby again, since she was being "born again" as part of Israel. Like her nails, she will now reflect a different light.

Resemblance: from the word for "image"--clothing that conforms to the shape of one's body, and thus by extension, the garments by which she conformed to her former culture's standards, for she is now to be an Israelite. Likewise, evangelists who "harvest" and pastors who "thresh" are to teach the paganism out of anyone they "capture". (Eph. 4, interpreting the counting of the Omer) Once one is part of free Israel, his former identity is only a vestige of his captivity. Now that YHWH is drawing us back home, we do not need the reminders of our exile. A month: the symbol of renewal. After a set time, she must move on from whatever she was to the immense new task of learning to be an Israelite. This is also enough time for her, as a woman, to have even what was inside her body purged out. The Apostles also gave those returning to Israel from being scattered among the nations time to learn and absorb Moshe's teaching in the process of rejoining the commonwealth of Israel.

Let her go free: Aram., "release her to her own rights". We must do the right thing (v. 9) for those who are entering the community of Israel today as well, for most have been enslaved to the Roman or Babylonian system, and of course to self. She has the same rights as any native-born Israelite woman. A woman who was rightfully married but is no longer desired may not be as attractive to another man, so she must be compensated for this loss of face.

16. "then [this is how it] must be: when [it comes] time to divide his inheritance for his children, he may not give the son of the loved [wife] the right of the firstborn before the son of the less favored, [who is in fact] the firstborn.

Leah's firstborn Re’uven only lost his right to Rachel's firstborn because he took his father's concubine. Less favored: literally, hated.

First: or "best". Do not shortchange an innocent man; do what is right toward the Israelite that you do not particularly like. (v. 9)

This does not refer to a child, but an adult of accountable age (by the Torah, 20 years)—who probably should not be living under his parents’ roof as a parasite, but taking responsibility for himself.

20. "and tell the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, and will not obey our voice; he is a squanderer and a drunkard.'

A squanderer and a drunkard: the first term means one who is so lavish with things that he acts as if they have no value; i.e., he is "spoiled". Alternately, it can mean that he himself is worthless or insignificant. Sometimes it is translated "glutton"; thus this is the accusation some were trying to level against Y'shua (Mat. 11:19), indicating that they were using this “code name” for a rebel, thus saying He should be stoned to death because he would not submit to the rabbinic customs of his day. However, he said, "Wisdom is shown to be righteous by all of her children" (Luqa 7:31-35)--an answer that vindicated not only him but his "mother" (Prov. 8), against whom he was thus NOT rebelling.

Building-stones: the community is actually built up by this seeming act of destruction, because it is purified. Stones are one things that cannot be ritually defiled. Purge: the good of the whole nation is more important than individual family ties. Rabbinic writings say that this sentence never had to be carried out; the deterrent was effective. Awe: fear or respect--the very thing which was missing in the rebellious son.

"Hang": talith in Hebrew, like the prayer shawl that hangs over one's shoulders. Tree: Hirsch, "gallows".

This is why Yoseyf of Ramathayim was so concerned to take Y'shua's body off the cross before sunset, especially when the next day was a festival high day (which was the case in Yochanan 19:31ff. Being the Passover Lamb, he also could not remain overnight; Deut. 16:4.) But Sha'ul also tells us that by "becoming sin" by taking this type of curse upon himself for us, he removed from us the curse that the Torah held over our heads, and allowed us to share his righteousness. (Galatians 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:21) Accursed means "vilified" or "treated lightly"--the picture of hanging off the ground being appropriate, versus one "carrying weight" with YHWH being buried underground. Though he never did evil, he came to be perceived as a criminal this way.

CHAPTER 22

Ox or lamb: These are animals YHWH accepts on His altar so that people may draw near to Him, re-establishing or strengthening the relationship, and they have been chased away from their masters. We are meant to draw near in order to hear, not rashly or hastily trying to talk our way in. Except for confession, our words must be few, letting our actions speak for themselves. (Eccles. 5:1) He does not want us to draw near with our mouths when our hearts are far from Him, fearing Him only according to men’s commands (as is so common in both Christianity and Judaism, which have “driven away” the things He will accept on His altar, for both have said animal sacrifice is no longer necessary, though their reasons are different); He will make it clear that His word is greater than their rulings. (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 29:13-14) We like to hear ourselves talk and do things our way. There are drawing-near “offerings” prescribed for every festival and Sabbath, and even those of us who have brought back the true festival calendar that both Christianity and Judaism expelled all too often see them as a “sacrifice”—I have to give up my Saturday for YHWH; I have to use all my vacation time at the feasts. We are thus the ones who have driven away the things He has prescribed by which we can draw near. Just because we are present at His appointments does not mean we are drawing near; if we consider them a sacrifice, we might as well just stay home. If we return to Him, He will return to us. (Mal. 3:7) He will not draw near if we approach Him with the wrong animals. How foolish to bring something else when He has provided the right things to bring. (Gen. 4:3-5; Mat. 22:11-12) Ignore: literally, "hide yourself from". Don’t pretend you don’t see the things you need to return to your brother to help him draw near. One of the biggest ways we have cast off the ways of YHWH is by trying to draw near on our own rather than as a people. So community is also what we must restore to our brothers.

No “finders keepers” rule here. Take care of it as if it were your own and return it to him as soon as you know whose it is, even if it belonged to your enemy. (Ex. 23:4) Yehudah has been taking in many of the “lost sheep” of the House of Israel, but they do not have the right to insist that we follow their traditions when we have our own heritage as part of Israel to be returned to. Are not acquainted with him: or, do not know whose it is. He does not say we should go looking for our distant cousins who lost their property. We have been told we need to gather the masses, but Y’shua said our true brothers are those who do YHWH’s will, and that we need to focus on those who are worthy among the lost sheep of the House of Israel. We receive many treasures from YHWH’s word which we ourselves may never be able to use, but we need to store them up for others who will need them. We need to guard them well, taking care of them and cleaning them up so they are ready to be given back in perfect condition. Once we know who our true fellow Israelites are, we need to restore their lost heritage to them, even if they don’t realize they have lost it. “Here is your festival calendar back! Here is the Sabbath that was stolen from you!” You may not get a warm reception if people do not want to receive the truth that they belong to Israel and have obligations to it, for they feel they are being accused. YHWH’s word truly judges us, but we need to make it clear that we are being judged together, since we all went astray. A few will celebrate the revelation and embrace it whole-heartedly. Either way, it is our responsibility to make it known. (Y’hezq’el 33) Bring it into: literally, add it to. Take care of it as well as your own things. We are indeed our brothers' "keepers".

A donkey is something unclean that can be redeemed by a lamb. (Ex. 13:11ff) It is stiff-necked, a picture of looking only at our own interests, not those of our brothers. Not seeing our brothers’ needs is one of the primary reasons Y’shua, the Lamb, was offered for us. In the context of serving one another, stubbornness can be put to a positive use as determination, thus being redeemed. Y’shua’s burden is light, and community-mindedness lightens our brothers’ load as well. His clothing: Heb., semlah—the type of clothing that takes the shape of a person, thus the inner garments, not the outer ones that conceal our shape. This is one’s most basic covering, and like redemption, it also comes from Y’shua. We must restore the truth about who Y’shua is—our kinsman redeemer, anointed by Another—so they can understand what redemption really means.

It is even acceptable to do this on the Sabbath (Luk. 14:5), since life is the purpose behind the letter of the Torah. A donkey and ox can both plow and can both carry great burdens—just not the same ones at the same time. (v. 10) Paul says that restoring those brothers who fall into sin and bearing one another’s burdens fulfill the Torah of the Messiah. (Gal. 6:1ff) What is His Torah? This very verse is the foundation for that interpretation, so Y’shua’s Torah is the very same Torah Moshe was giving right here.

A warrior's weapon: Aramaic interpretation. Alternate rendering: “what pertains to a man"; LXX, "the apparel of a man", which is an appropriate reading, though we must remember that modern clothing differs from ancient, when no one “wore the pants” and everyone wore what we would consider “dresses”, so we must limit our interpretation to things that clearly mark one as male or female. There are deeper meanings, for the literal rendering is “A woman shall not put on the likeness of strength, nor shall a woman have a strong vessel.” This is Shim'on Kefa/Peter's basis for calling a woman "the weaker vessel" (1 Kefa 3:7). Neither is inferior in value, but neither is meant to try to be the other. This is a reminder for the husband to take up his place as the strong leader so the wife is not tempted to, since though most do not really want to lead the household, it is self-evident that someone must do so. She is not to be a pushover, nor is he to be a brute, but the man, as spiritual head, is responsible to ensure that all in his household are seeking and approaching YHWH. Not only does having our house in this order prevent our prayers from being hindered; the wife’s submission is also a picture of our relationship to Y'shua as our husband (Eph. 5:24), even as he took the "weaker", submissive position in relation to his Father (2 Cor. 13:4).

Bird: small bird or fowl: tsippor, from a word meaning "to depart early", so the "early bird" is actually a Hebrew concept! It can also mean “to hop around”, which has been our tendency as the children of Israel. Esau’s homeland is described as his “nest” in Ovadyah 4, so Israel’s “nest” must be our Land. Some of the children may depart from the Land, but the entity of Israel—the “mother” concept--must remain intact so there is something for the exiles to return to.

This command parallels that of not boiling a kid in its mother's milk, because the whole lineage would be destroyed that way. We would end all fruitfulness and eradicate the hope of our posterity having food from that source. Yet this verse literally only says "take", and mentions nothing overtly about eating it (though that is implied). So we must look deeper: When today’s evangelist goes into a church to "hunt out" who is meant to take their place as Israel, we must bring only those who are teachable; those who are "dyed in the wool" and will not allow themselves to be changed, must be taken out of the picture. We must bring them in as our own, not as children of their mother, since Yoseyf’s wife was Egyptian, thus, figuratively, the philosophies our mother, the Church, espoused will shorten our days. The phrase “prolong your days” is always used in connection with the Land of Israel(30:20; Ex. 20:12; et al), which makes requirements of us. (Lev. 18:28; 20:22) YHWH was to us like a mother bird (32:10-11) who flutters over her young, creating a wind current so they to will begin to flap their wings and prepare to fly, so they will not remain immature in the nest (thinking only about how inconvenient this wind is to them) and thus become breakfast for or captive to whomever may walk by. We cannot protect what He has given us by being lazy. This is the day to work out our salvation, finding our rest only in Him. Following these strange laws accomplishes just that.

Safety railing: parapet or low wall, from the word for "repress". Flat roofs are common in the Middle East, where it seldom snows. They serve the purpose of a patio. People often spend leisure time there, dry clothes or grain there, have social interaction from roof to roof, or even sleep there in hot weather. People are expected to be in this naturally-dangerous position, so YHWH considers it negligence to take no precautions against accidents. When we build our houses, we must do so with others in mind. It is to be a place of refuge and hospitality, not just for our comfort. When we build up our households, too, they must be raised like tent-dwellers, who know they are responsible to protect any who come under their roof—or on top of our roof, in this case!

With mixed kinds of seed: literally, from two different vessels. Hebraically, wine, the product of a vineyard, is symbolic of joy. (Psalm 104:14) Thus the things that gladden us are not to come from two different sources. Biblically, we are commanded to receive our joy from YHWH’s festivals (16:14; Lev. 23:40), eating before YHWH in the Temple (12:5ff), the fact that YHWH can be trusted (Psalm 5:11), and when He rescues those who are held captive. (Psalm 14:7) So these are the kinds of seed we are to plant. We must sow His field with things of His Kingdom, not of this age or of self. Forbidden: literally "holy"; LXX, "devoted", i.e., not for ordinary consumption, or in this case, unfit for consumption, and seriously diminished from what it could be, since neither type is given the room to flourish. Hirsch: "kinds which are closed to each other". Y'shua's parable of the wheat and tares illustrates this, and shows that the ultimate meaning here is not horticultural as much as it is a picture of how His congregation (which a vineyard pictures) will bear weakened fruit in the end if haSatan's seed grows along with that sown by the "Son of Adam". Mixing theologies obscures the truth. However, Hirsch points out that "if something was planted or sown, and afterwards other plants or seeds are wrongfully planted there, then what was originally planted or sown remains allowed to be used, and only the additional or subsequent growth is prohibited." The true apostolic doctrine was sown throughout the world before the enemy sowed the tares. Once we realign ourselves with that, we will be fit for the Master's consumption. When the holy seed was intermingled with the people of Kanaan, both the foreign wives and those born of these forbidden marriages had to be sent away. (Ezra 9:2; 10:3). If the wives had allowed themselves to become Israelite, it would not have been a problem, since this is not about “race”, as some would try to say, but about mixing the ways of YHWH with paganism. But since they tried to retain their old identity (as in 21:10ff), they had to be take out of the way like the mother bird above whose heart would not be broken in.

Indeed, you cannot! The root word for "ox" is "traveller"--one that moves on, while a donkey typically digs in its heels unless coerced by a reward. This is another forbidden mixture, and is the basis for Paul's command not to be "unequally yoked" with unbelievers. (2 Cor. 6:14) His context is lawlessness, or being without Torah. He says to come out from such and not touch the unclean thing. The ox is a clean animal; the donkey is not. The ox is the highest form of offering, while a donkey, though strong, useful, able to carry much, and redeemable, cannot be offered on His altar. It offers less to Him. Just because it can also pull a plow does not mean it has the right to pull a plow with what is already acceptable and does not need to be redeemed. Y'shua speaks of his yoke being easy: it is common to yoke a seasoned plow-ox and a novice together so that the one can train the other, but two different types of animals will want to move at a different pace, and are likely to start moving in a circle instead of a straight path. This is really the same argument as was given in verse 9, and which will be given in verse 11, since the term for "mixed kinds" can apply to animals or fabrics as well. The point is to teach us about how to live: "How can two walk together unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3:3) In Hebrew, a donkey (the name of which means "heap" —i.e., the whole pile) is associated with the world at large, so we could read, "do not yoke a sojourner to the world"; it will tie us to one place. The word for "plow" can also mean "keep silent"; there is no peace if you mix clean and unclean, or try to serve both YHWH and Mammon. It can also mean "devise", for we cannot co-design things well with people who are motivated differently.

The two will react differently to washing, etc., like the new patch that will shrink away from the worn-out wineskin in Y'shua's analogy. But wool is an animal fabric, while linen is from a vegetable. This reminds us of a similar illustration all the way back in the first generation born on earth. Qayin brought a sacrifice that was the work of his hands, the produce of earth, not heaven, since Y'shua tells us that a field represents the world. Hevel (Abel) brought a living being with blood, which represents a gift from heaven, since life is attributable only to YHWH. Likewise we are forbidden to mix a type of worship appointed by heaven with that which originates on the earth, from men or "the prince of this world". Get your covering from either the kingdom or the world. Not both. Choose one or the other; do not be lukewarm. (Rev. 3:16)

Tassels: "twisted fringes", elsewhere called tsitsiyoth--something to look at and notice so that you will remember who--and whose--you are. It must include a thread of blue in it. (Num. 15:38) There is much argument over the source of the dye, but the term there is based on the color, not the source. While in second Temple times the most common source was the chilazon snail, indigo was sometimes used, and there is archaeological evidence that this was common in Egypt, and thus is the most likely source at least for the first generation that would be obeying this command. The important thing is that the blue not be left out. The vesture here is the outer garment; the tassels are not to be hidden (Ex. 22:26) like the candle under a basket. Corners: literally, "wings", which may give the background for the reason the woman with an issue of blood wanted to touch the "hem" of the garment of Y'shua, in whose wings there is healing. (Malachi 4:2) Vesture: the outermost garment; a different term for an outer garment is used in Numbers 15, but neither uses the term from v. 5 that refers to an undergarment, though this has become common practice. Both terms refer to something that conceals the body, and likewise, when we are dressed according to His commands, our own selfish ways will be suppressed and not as able to influence others.

14. "and bring a fabricated case against her and bring about an evil reputation for her, declaring, ‘I took this woman and when I came near her, I discovered that she was not a virgin!'

15. "Then the girl's father and mother shall fetch and bring forward the tokens of the girl's virginity to the elders of the city in the gate,

16. "and the girl's father shall tell the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, and he despises her!'

The presence of the evidence makes it clear that he was only looking for an excuse to be rid of her.

Cloth: LXX, "garment"; i.e., the sheet with blood on it from the wedding night. This underlines the importance of keeping it as evidence rather than discarding it, as would be our natural tendency.

Chastise: teach by beating. This is what David meant when he said, ‘Let the righteous heap blows on me." (Ps. 141:5) I.e., "Do whatever it takes to make me holy."

Virgin: She is married by this point, but the time in question is when she was still a virgin. Yet on a deeper level, Paul says he is working hard to present those coming back into covenant as a pure, chaste virgin (2 Cor. 11:2), though they did go astray, because YHWH promised to rebuild the virginity of Israel (Yirm./Jer. 31:4). It is Y'shua's blood that serves as the evidence. (cf. v. 17) But the proof is also in whom we are treating as our Husband now.

21. "then they shall bring the girl to the door of her father's house, and the men of the city shall pelt her with stones until she dies, because she has brought about a disgraceful folly in Israel--committing fornication [while] in her father's household; this way you shall purge out the evil from among yourselves.

Father's household: here is where the picture lies for us. Idolatry in Scripture is considered the same as adultery. Slander against the children does come back upon the father, the one in authority over us and from whom we come. A tree is known by its fruit. There remains no protection in the household for those who live the opposite way from what they were taught. Purge: literally, "burn". This behooves us to both keep our daughters out of situations where they are likely to become impure and to be careful what we say!

Y'shua was tested by having a woman caught in this act brought to him for a verdict (Yochanan 8), but since the man was not brought (being, perhaps, even one of the accusers themselves), the case was invalid, and so he used it as evidence against the accusers, just as in the prior case mentioned here. (Compare Yochanan 8 in the context of chapter 7 with Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 17:13ff, his point of reference.)

Betrothed: engaged, but with a stronger legal bond than in our culture. Stealing someone else’s fiancée is the theme of many stories in Western culture, but betrothal is considered the first stage of actual marriage in Israel, so this counts as adultery, since she was promised to him, and thus already had the same legal obligations to him as if the consummation had also taken place.

Did not call out for help: This implies her consent and possibly even her subconscious desire. The sentence is very clear, leaving no room for law suits or messy divorces. People will tend to avoid doing what they know will incur the death penalty.

26. "while to the girl you shall do nothing, because there is no sin [worthy] of death in the girl, because this case is just the same as when as a man rises up against his fellow citizen and murders him,

27. "because he met up with her in the open field, and the betrothed girl cried out for help, but there was no one to rescue her.

Open field: Y'shua likens the whole world to a field, a place outside the protection of the community based on YHWH's instruction, where there is justice available for the needy. "Sin is not counted where there is no law" (Rom. 4:15), but when one knows better, she is judged based on what she did know, not what she could not have known. As in v. 24, this emphasizes the importance of her actually calling out for help, even if she seems to be in a place where no help is available.

29. "then the man who lay with her shall give the girl's father fifty [sheqels] of silver, and she shall become his wife; since he has humiliated her, he may never divorce her all the days of his [life].

This is not adultery; he has simply taken a wife, though without betrothal and in a shameful way. Thus the penalty is not as stiff as in v. 19. But although he has made this all-important choice in a fit of passion, he is still responsible, and must live with this intemperance all his life. He has no right to complain against her as the man in v. 13ff, since her parents may not have been able to save the token of her virginity (as in v. 15). His payment is a public record that this woman, who is yet an Israelite, is vindicated and can move on past her shame. As with a cured leper, she (and more so, he, by his faithfulness) can be restored to being a vital functioning part of the community.

His father's skirt: i.e., the one his wife is wearing. Re’uven was guilty of this, and for this reason lost his birthright privileges. Aramaic, "his father's shame". But the word used is actually "wing" or "corner"--the same word used in verse 12, which is one reason the tzitziyoth were to be placed just there (Numbers 15:39) --to remind men not to stray in this particular way. As we gravitate toward Torah,it gravitates toward us. While we can only practice a limited form of these social laws in our present context, we must move as far as we can in the deeper truths they symbolize. Fighting off the attacker is an option in some cases; in others, we can do nothing, but as we move more into community we can do much more. To move forward, we must have a like-minded group. The further we try to walk in YHWH’s Word, the more He will make us able to carry out.

CHAPTER 23

May enter: Aramaic, "be considered purified for admission into..." This would include a man who wishes to marry an Israelite woman. Not that the person who is born a eunuch or forced to be so by others (Mat. 19:12) is despised by YHWH; Yeshayahu/Isaiah 56:3 addresses this. Rather, one who has chosen to render himself incapable of obeying the very first command ("Be fruitful and multiply"). This was a common practice among pagans (often the idea was to sacrifice one’s own fertility for the sake of his crops’ fertility), which in a slightly modified way was brought into the Church through the requirement of celibacy for priests. However, a priest in Israel may not deliberately prevent procreation. Cut off: or "severed". This might include a vasectomy. The man who chooses to have no seed is counted as dead already. YHWH said it was appropriate for trees to yield fruit through seeds. (Gen. 1:11-12) Trees in Scripture are often symbolic of people. Efrayim means "doubly fruitful", which he must be as he returns to his Land. Of course, the concept goes far beyond physical reproduction. When we teach what we know and understand, we are sowing seeds. (Mat. 13:22) We need to plant it in the fertile ground of others who are ready to learn and bear more fruit, even if one seed is all we have. Those who prevent themselves from reproducing are a picture of withholding what they know. Our fruit is when we live what we know, and others live what we teach them through our words and, more importantly, actions. This way we have not just a tree, but a forest. The priests were rebuked for calling the fruit of YHWH’s table “contemptible”, but part of the reason for this was that people were bringing them second best. (Mal. 1:11-14) We cannot use the excuse that YHWH knows our heart, because He tests our hearts through our actions. If we do not bring forth fruit worthy of the repentance He has granted us, we will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Mat. 3:7ff) A tree cannot change its fruit (Mat. 7:17-19), but we can do something about our shortcomings. There is a way back from our exile if we seek YHWH with all of our desires and motivations (Deut. 4:26ff), and if we love our neighbors as ourselves. Y’shua somewhat sarcastically called this a “new commandment”—not because it was never heard before, but because it had not yet been “taken out of the wrapper” and used! (Yoch. 13:34) But in our day, though individual repentance is still necessary, corporate repentance is far more important. Israel is called a vine from which YHWH expects to enjoy the fruit. (Yeshayahu 5) His covenant is not with individuals but with a people. When we understand how many times He has been “burned” by us in the past, His frustration is no surprise. When as a people we bear acceptable fruit, “all Israel will be saved”. Not understanding that it is about the whole nation (and focusing only on personal salvation) cuts off our seed and makes us fruitless trees. So how do we become fruitful again? By hearing the Word, learning to think according to it (Mat. 13:23), understanding its Hebraic context (that it is for those who are willing to leave themselves behind and cross over into a covenant that puts the nation of Israel first). Nothing else will keep us safe in the Land. Even Y’shua’s blood, as necessary as it was to cleanse us from our past strayings, is not an excuse for staying where we are. If we do, we keep crucifying Him again and again. (Heb. 6:6; 10:26-29) Y’shua also tied the fruitless tree to a lack of faith. (Mat. 21:18ff) The way we increase our confidence in YHWH is through practice. We cannot be confident in what we have never tried.

Illegitimate: one born of any marriage forbidden by Torah which can never be made legal (as opposed to mere fornication as in 22:29), i.e., the result of adultery, incest, a Levite marrying outside his tribe, or marriage to a pagan. What is illegitimate is actually the union that produced the child. This command is directed specifically to those seeking entrance into Israel, but since it is forbidden for a man to take his son's wife (Lev. 18:15), the offspring of Yehudah and Tamar could not be full members of the congregation for ten generations. Yet the royal line was promised to Yehudah. Thus there could be no legal king from Yehudah until the tenth generation; before that, but only until that time (for David was the tenth generation), the king could come from another tribe, as was the case with Sha'ul. LXX, "born of a harlot". But on a deeper level, all of His people have been in illegal relationships. The illegitimate births outnumber the legitimate in that “Mother Israel” continues to lie with Rome and teach the doctrines that “he” gave her. (Hos. 2:5) Her children even call themselves by a different name—Christian. These must be purged out of Israel, or we cannot go home. We can do something about it. We can wed Israel back to our father YHWH as a husband. When we learn to walk as a nation, we can have a bride fit to marry Him again, and can again be called children of the Most High. (Hos. 2:16-23; 3:5)

This may apply only to men, since Ruth was called a Moavitess, but Ruth 1:22 also says she "returned" to Beyth Lehem, suggesting that she may have been the descendant of an exiled Israelite rather than a true Moavitess. Perpetually: This is different from the prohibition in v. 2, though Ammonites and Moavites were indeed born of incest. (Gen. 19) They were conceived because of Lot’s fear, his daughters’ lack of understanding (as they thought they were the only women left on earth), and drunkenness. Much of Christianity is conceived on fear, lack of accurate understanding, and drunkenness on the Babylonian system. Is there still within us anything conceived by these things?

Bread and water: not just physical sustenance, because they are symbolic of the message of community ("we who are many are one bread", 1 Cor. 10:17) and truth (the water of the Word). He expected both from them, not even just one or the other. In contrast, Melchitzedek did bring these things to Avram. (Gen. 14) Note the order. We might think it a greater offense for someone to try to curse us, but YHWH places the greater blame on them for not showing hospitality to their relatives.

As our Father, He only allows negative things to touch us if they will help us, not because an enemy wants to perpetrate them. He may spank His children, but no one else may.

Ask for: Aramaic, "advocate for". We do not need to be at peace with those who are only out for themselves and do not offer instruction or community to Israel.

Sojourner: or guest. We need not become best friends with these people, but do need to provide them with bread and water when they come down the road, for the Egyptians represent the Church at large, who did provide most of us with refuge in a time of need, and the Edomites symbolize the masses who are led around and enslaved by the Church but are actually kindred with Israel, for Israel will one day take possession of a remnant of them (Amos 9).

They can sojourn with Israel before that, but would not have the same rights as a native Israelite until that they have become full enough of Torah and community to be considered. Compare this with an illegitimate child, Ammonite, or Moavite above.

The same rules that apply in the camp of all Israel also apply in a war camp. Enemies: not just those who hate us, but those who oppose our following YHWH in any way, even if they simply want to spare us the pain of dying to self. Members of our own families are the most likely to be inadvertently hostile to His will in this way. (Luqa 14:25) Enemies within Israel might be people of other sects, with whom we disagree about major ideas, but who are our brothers nonetheless. We may not do evil things to them (Mat. 5:44), yet we must recognize that they could steal something YHWH has entrusted to us, and not be naïve. Every evil thing: literally word. This includes covetousness of beautiful plunder you may see when you are conquering a city that YHWH has said to devote to destruction: look what happened to the whole nation because Akhan did not so guard himself. (Y'hoshua 7:1ff) The call of Yom Truah (the day of trumpet-blasts) is to attack, but it also means to defend our gates--which include any entry the enemy could gain into the camp of Israel through weak spots in we cause through allowing our own personal "gates"--eyes, ears, lips, or sexual organs--to go undefended.

Accident: i.e., emission. Ritual impurity is a picture of selfishness, which is harmful to the others inside the camp. Indeed, it is the fact that we do not have a camp today. Even if we are in the very midst of the camp, if we do not make a conscious decision to be about the camp instead of self, we are really still outside.

Evening means a new day (Gen. 1:5) We must not bring our selfishness into it. Deal with it before today ends. Wash yourself by getting into the Word (Eph. 5:26), and get rid of your selfishness by making it right with whomever you have hurt.

13. "And you shall have a spike among your equipment, and when you sit down out [there], you shall dig with it and turn around and cover up what comes out of you,

Spike among your equipment: or "on your implement"; LXX, "spade" or "trowel on your belt". What comes out of you: LXX, "your nuisance".

Behind you: i.e., in support of you. Keep the camp set apart. He does not want to foul His feet with anything that should not be there.

Turn over: Hirsch, "extradite". The Aramaic interprets this to refer to slaves from other nations who come as refugees to Israel. We have escaped from Pharaoh, and YHWH has harbored us, as 24:18, 22 repeat for us--so we need to remember to do to others what has been done for us.

Most pleasing to him: or "best for him". This is why Paul persuaded Onesimos with reasoning to go back to his master, Filemon; it was thus his choice. Expel: or oppress. An Israelite slave would need to return to his own tribe when the time for his release comes.

Sodomite: or male cult prostitute; both it and "prostitute" here literally read "holy person", i.e., one dedicated wholly to worship in pagan temples, which involved sexual rituals. The rampart sex of today is actually offered to pagan elohim, whether its purveyors know it or not. The LXX calls the second merely a "fornicator", but adds another meaning, an "idolatress", for the two concepts are linked in Hebrew. There are to be no sexual rites involved in Israelite worship. (1 Cor. 11:6)

Sale price of a dog: interpreted in Aramaic as "the exchange for a dog", i.e., an animal that was acceptable for sacrifice which a dog had been traded for. This may be why Y'shua insisted that he could not give the children's food to dogs. (Mat. 15:26) Scripture generally casts dogs in a negative light, as meaning those outside Israel, are and often associated with swine. Is our culture's fascination with dogs a part of the spirit of lawlessness? They are useful in certain contexts, but are not to be treated as members of the family as humans are. Here, "dog" is probably another allusion to the male cult prostitute of v. 17.

Interest: literally, a bite. Y’shua raised the standard by saying we should not even expect to get the principal back (Luqa 6:35), though an honorable person will, of course, repay what he borrows.

21. "When you make a vow to YHWH your Elohim, you shall not delay to pay it, because YHWH your Elohim will indeed require it from you, and it would be a sin among you.

A vow: We are commanded to swear by YHWH’s name. The form is usually, “As YHWH lives…” Matthew 23 does not contradict this in the Hebrew text. Y’shua was just saying we should not find loopholes that allow us to take an oath we do not plan to keep. Do not delay: This links us to the command to bring the firstfruits offering on time, instead of letting a kid grow up on its mother's milk first. (Ex. 23:19; 34:26) A kid will nurse for years if not deliberately weaned away, and this is against the spirit of bringing what one owes to YHWH as quickly as possible. Do not “drag your feet”!

Y'shua built on this when he told those who were making a distinction between vows sworn to YHWH and vows sworn by the altar, etc., that it was best not to swear at all, if it meant one's ordinary word was to be cheapened thereby. Vows are an added, optional way to express one's love and appreciation for YHWH, and should never be degraded into something one feels obligated to do in order to keep up with his neighbors and thus be respectable to men.

Guard that which has gone forth from your lips: LXX, "Observe the words that proceed from between your lips".

Usually if one is in another's vineyard, unless he is passing through and satisfying his hunger, he would be there to help his neighbor with the harvest. The principle is the same as in 25:4--the worker deserves to share in the fruit of his work. That you are eating of his blessing speaks well of him. There is a certain fellowship and comraderie involved in sharing food together, but one should not take his neighbor's food out of this context, or it becomes a form of looking to something other than YHWH for one's security as well as thinking more of oneself than of community. It turns his giving into your taking. If your family needs some of it, they need to come to where you came to eat it! Figuratively, we should not claim another’s fruitfulness as our own, such as by plagiarizing a teaching that was given to him by YHWH.

Thus what Y'shua's disciples were doing (Luk. 6:1) was lawful, and he did not consider this to be work unworthy of the Sabbath. Standing grain is a picture of the assembly. We may eat freely of what is provided there, but not use it for personal gain. This includes stealing “sheep” from someone else’s congregation. If we do, YHWH will take His sickle to us!

CHAPTER 24

To "take a wife and marry her" is not redundant. The first stage is the betrothal, which normally takes place a year or two before they actually live together. The betrothal is not mere engagement; it takes a bill of divorce to break it. However, it is not as serious as a divorce after the consummation. (v. 2, 3; Yirm. 2:2ff) Something indecent: an uncoveredness, from the word for naked, and in Torah to uncover someone’s nakedness is an idiom for having sexual relations with them, so this is really allowing one to divorce a wife that he finds is not a virgin after all. Y’shua upholds this view as the only legitimate reason for divorce (as well as one additional reason that will be seen below) in a day when this “indecency” was interpreted according to one’s own eye—i.e., however one wished to interpret it, even if the indecency was simply that she burned his dinner. (Mat. 5:31ff; 19:1-12) But if she was unfaithful while betrothed to this man, should she not have been stoned? (22:21, 24) Because though there be damning evidence and she might even have confessed to it, if there YHWH does not provide two witnesses, it indicates that He has chosen in this case to have mercy, for she is not officially established to be an adulterer in the eyes of the nation. And the phrase “finds no favor” indicates that there is room for mercy here, for the root word for the term “favor” means “bending over” (i.e., “backwards”, as we say in English). One’s eye is the window on his heart, so if he wants to divorce for less of an offense than adultery, it shows that his eye is on self, for YHWH “bent over backwards” for backsliding Israel on countless occasions before she went too far and took on other lovers. (Yirmeyahu 3:1ff) Forgiveness is therefore an option in this case. Alternately, the term for indecent can mean " empty"—i.e, in affection, or in hands--bringing nothing to the marriage, but only expecting to receive. Since the term for adultery can also mean idolatry, a spouse refusing follow YHWH is another allowable cause for divorce, as per the precedent in Ezra 10:18ff, where priests were required to put away the foreign wives they had taken from the inhabitants of the Land after the exile. If the women had become Israelites, this might not have been an issue, but apparently they still clung to their pagan ways.

3. "But if the latter husband despises her and writes her a document of divorce, places it in her hand, and sends her out of his house--or if the latter husband, who took her into his household, dies--

4. "her first husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she is defiled, because that is a disgusting thing to YHWH; you must not bring guilt upon the Land which YHWH your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance.

There is special significance to the requirement that both stages of marriage have taken place before it becomes wrong to remarry the same woman, because YHWH Himself divorced Israel (Yirm. 3:8), but it was in the betrothal stage, not after the consummation. Also, as Hoshea 2:2ff shows us, there is a difference between whoring with other men and committing to them in marriage. Israel never married another, but kept flitting from one to another, worshipping anything and everything. Hoshea was told to marry such a woman, and so this is allowable. YHWH can therefore take Israel back again, and He will! (Hoshea 1:10)

YHWH set this exemption in place to give the couple a full year to concentrate on solidifying their relationship—learning to “bend over backwards” in showing one another favor and mercy. (See note on v. 1.) This is how to avoid the hardness of heart toward one another that leads to divorce for lesser reasons than YHWH prefers. (Mat. 19:8) Be joyful: This may also indicate ensuring that she conceives a child. Compare 20:7. This tells us that Y'shua, who will come back to earth as a warrior (Rev. 19:11ff), must take his bride at least a year prior to this—or do the dirty work before taking His bride!

In ancient times, bread constituted up to 90% of people’s diet. No one can grind grain if he has only one of the two millstones, so what will he eat? If all he owned was an upper millstone, then take no collateral at all. This is blasphemous to the reigning financial system, which only goes to show that it, too, is an idol.

Places him in bondage: or "ties him up". Sells him: One who places lust for money above his brother is not fit to live. No wonder Yoseyf's brothers were so terrified when he revealed his identity. (Gen. 45:3ff)

There is a connection here with verse 7, because leprosy was a plague sent on those who coveted another's goods or position (as Miryam did, v. 9, cf. Numbers 12:10). There is a connection to v. 7: Yoseyf's brothers were jealous of his status, and that is why they kidnapped him. He was not the firstborn, literally, but he was the firstfruit (same word in Hebrew)--the first of Yaaqov's sons to show signs of actually bearing fruit, which is one reason his second son was named "doubly fruitful"--the firstborn receives a double portion (21:17). The requirements for determining whether or not one has leprosy also have a prophetic connection to events of the last days of this age that will determine whether a person will share in the Messianic Kingdom or not.

What He did was to strike her with leprosy because she was jealous of another’s relationship with YHWH. This coveting of another’s position was also the cause for Uzziah’s and Gehazi’s leprosy (2 Kings 5:27; 15:5). It is a spiritually-induced condition, not a physically-contagious one.

11. "You must wait outside, and the man to whom you are lending shall bring the item securing the pledge out to you.

You have no right to “lord it over him”, going inside to see what else he owns, saying that it all belongs to you because you have lent to him. This would also prevent one from going in to find out that the borrower’s cupboards are not bare after all. One might thus judge the loan to be unnecessary, since he has enough already. But what if he wanted to borrow in order to aid a friend in need? Y’shua says not to refuse one who wants to borrow from you (Mat. 5:42)—provided it is in your power to do so. (Prov. 3:27)

13. "You must be sure to return the article to him by the time the sun goes down, so he may lie down in his own outer garment, and bless you; this shall constitute justice for you in the presence of YHWH your Elohim.

Outer garment: usually a square with a hole or slit cut in the middle for one's head, but it doubled as a blanket.

15. "You shall give him his wage on its [proper] day, and do not let the sun go down on it, because he is impoverished and he pins his expectation on it. Otherwise he may cry out to YHWH against you, and it would constitute guilt for you.

Proper day: the same day, in ancient context where one was paid immediately since most lived from hand to mouth, but, in any case, on the day it is expected or promised. Rather than being known as “a land that devours its inhabitants” (Num. 13:32), He wants the word to go out to the lands these sojourners come from that this is a Land that is generous, and that even strangers never had their pay withheld.

We cannot be punished for wages our parents failed to pay. (v. 15) Compare Y’hezq’el 18:20, whose context includes many of the issues listed here (especially in vv. 17-18). It is the soul that sins that will die. We are held accountable for our own choices. Keep Torah and you will live, period. But if your son does not, he cannot rest on your laurels. But if the next generation repents (in overall lifestyle, not counting the inevitable slip-ups), they will again live. How then could Y’shua die in our place? He died not so we could get away with our sins, but so we could get away from them. (Gal. 1:3; 1 Kefa 2:21-24; 1 Yochanan 1:9ff) He took responsibility for us whose parents had gone astray, redeeming us back with His very blood, so that we could again take responsibility for our own actions and live to do what is right.

18. "keeping in mind that you [yourself] were a slave in Egypt, and YHWH your Elohim rescued you from there; that is why I am ordering you to act in this manner.

It is not so much because this is the moral thing to do as because it is what YHWH did for us, and He wants justice to be a hallmark of His Land. Our treatment of the weak is a testimony to His treatment of Israel.

Boaz made a special effort to obey this command (Ruth 2:16), as his antitype Y'shua did (see note on v. 22). They both did more than was required. While we were still sinners--not even interested in becoming part of the Israelite covenant we had left--Messiah died for us, then sent messengers out to search and bring us back. But the fact of their doing so made it the new standard. Again, He wants it to be said that His Land provides for those who live in it. It is better not to “marry” YHWH if we are not willing to bend over backwards for others among His people.

Beat: Aramaic, "shake".

22. "remembering that you [yourself] were a slave in Egypt; that is why I am ordering you to act in this manner.

Considering the imagery of the omer gleaned in the field, olive tree, and the vineyard, compare the statement by the Gentile woman who impressed Y'shua with her faith: "even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the master's table". (Mat. 15:27) A slave: and also a sojourner. (v. 19) Our job is to remember this so that we do not fall for the traps that would lead us back into slavery. (Gal. 5:1)

CHAPTER 25

A dispute: over something not directly covered in the Torah. This is why they come to the judge, asking him to find the deeper principle, but he must arrive at a verdict that clearly determines guilt or innocence, so that one party is declared right and the other wrong. What a revolutionary concept for modern man! Yet once what is laid out in Torah is recognized, there is no room for middle ground between black and white.

Worthy of blows: literally, "a son of beating". In his presence: in the public eye, much like the stocks used outside court houses in the colonial New World--another deterrent to crime. It is not an alternative to stoning where that is the sentence Torah indicates. In eastern countries, it is still common for those caught in wrongdoing to be beaten on their feet with a cane.

Up to forty: the usual practice came to be that only 39 blows were administered in case they should lose count. (2 Corinthians 11:24). This was done to Paul five times (2 Cor. 11:24), but it did not change his resolve, since 40 is the number of transition and change. Adding an extra--making it 41, which symbolizes continuing to punish someone after he repents--humiliates him and breaks his spirit. Disgraced: lightly esteemed, degraded, dishonored, seen as vile. Revenge is not the point of the chastisement; learning is. The Hebrew word for “teach” means to prod or goad, and the old adage holds true: “No pain, no gain.” Once he has taken his stripes, the matter is settled, and he is to no longer be held in contempt by his community. He has done the honorable thing by submitting to the judges and to his punishment. If he were to get away with the wrongdoing, his guilt and disgrace would remain. His actions are no longer to be held against him. His stripes serve as occasion to give witness to what he has learned, for now he is an expert on what not to do in that particular situation. The bruises given to Y’shua healed us (Isa. 53:5)—not in terms of individualistic salvation, but since the rod and stripes were the specific sentence for the sins of the royal line of David (Psalm 89:32) in order to restore the eternal nature of the throne which sat vacant from the Babylonian captivity on, this is the treatment Y’shua received. (Yochanan 19:1) as the King of the Jews—a title that always had belonged to David’s line. (Yoch. 18:33)

The theme of disgracing another continues here. Pharaoh did just this by requiring his slaves to provide their own straw for brickmaking. King Shlomo went "back to Egypt" by relying on horses, and his son Rehav'am tried to bring the nation back to Egypt through enslaving them again, which caused the nation to split. Sha'ul (Paul) says this verse really refers to making sure a servant of the Body is being adequately provided for. (1 Corinthians 9:9 ff) In context here, it refers to the one judging his brothers. (Psalm 141:5 makes a similar connection between legal rulings and plowing.) He is a servant to all, so he is to be given special privileges, much like the Levites. Those who rule well are worthy of double honor. (1 Tim. 5:17) They have a right to have their food source come directly from the work they are doing, as the ox would feed from what was at his feet as he ground at the mill. Because so many accused him of being "in it for the money", Paul thought it best not to take advantage of this right, but this does not mean those he taught should take advantage of his refusal to pressure them into doing what was right either. Treading grain is one form of threshing--separating the wheat from the chaff, which is the work of the pastor (Eph. 4): calling others to holiness--getting out of their system the remainder of the "world" from which they have been separated by the evangelist. If those they judge learn from their rulings, they will have fewer and fewer rulings to make. But as in v. 3, those who judge are warned not to go beyond what is written. (1 Cor. 4:6)

This is another form of being "set apart", called the law of levirate ["brother-in-law"] marriage. Strange: or "foreign". But being without a son to carry on one's line is as much a disgrace in Israel as vv. 3-4. Rachel, who after being barren, then having her womb opened, still lost her sons to assimilation with the Gentiles, is told to stop weeping, for her sons will return. (Yeshayahu 49:20ff; 54:1-10; Yirmiyahu 31:15ff). The fratrilineal aspects of Israelite society show up here in that the redeemer is either a brother, a father’s brother, or his father’s brother’s son.

Establish: confirm, validate, rise up on; i.e., carry it on and let his lineage "take root". Name: or renown. This continuation of one's seed is why the descendants can also repent for their ancestors, for in a very real way they ARE them (the same genetic line). Note that if the father does not leave seed, his wife's seed, if mingled with one from the same father as her husband, counts as his own, for the genetic similarity is as close as it can be. The firstborn is the “beginning of one’s strength” (Gen. ); Y’shua completely exhausted His first coming for the sake of the lost sheep of the Northern Kingdom. (Mat. 15:24)

8. "Then the elders of his city shall summon him and threaten him, but if he persists in saying, ‘I do not agree to take her',

9. "then his brother's wife shall approach him in the sight of the elders, remove his shoe from his foot, spit in his face, and testify, saying, ‘This is what will be done to the man who will not build up his brother's house.'

Remove (or loose) his shoe: This was carried out by Ruth toward the kinsman who was nearer than Boaz, and is an awesome picture of how haSatan refuses to let the house of Israel (who were defiled, having forsaken their covenant) ruin his inheritance, while Y'shua did accept the task of leaving the faithful sons and going after the "lost sheep of the House of Israel". But remember Yochanan the Immerser's statement that he was not worthy to loosen the sandal-thong of the One who came after him. In the context of calling himself "the friend of the bridegroom", rather than the one on whom the attention was to focus, he strengthened the imagery of Y'shua being the One who did fulfill the Torah's intent of building up/re-establishing the house (or temple) of his brother, the northern Kingdom (since Y'shua was from the still-established house of Yehudah), while they were "dead" to the covenant, in exile, and far from "worthy" of this honor.

This shows the importance of a man’s memory being kept alive through his progeny and of his widow being cared for. One can refuse and will not be punished per se, but this will bring shame on his entire household from that time onward.

12. "then you shall chop off her hand; your eye shall not have any compassion on her.

She was trying to prevent the man from having descendants, thus obliterating his name forever. (See v. 6.) It is not so much due to the vulgarity of touching him; placing one's hand on another's genitals (as in the vow of Avraham's servant, Gen. 24:2) showed the utmost in trust, and this woman is breaching the trust that there has to be among the fellow members of the nation of Israel. One who does that must bear severe consequences. Fruitfulness is the hallmark of Israel, as seen in verses 5-10. Removing the hand that would try to destroy it is an apt picture.

Weight: literally, "a stone and a stone, great and small". LXX, "diverse weights"; Aram., "alternate weights".

The idea is not something like we have today in the transition from English weights to metric. Rather, there were two similar measuring vessels, both of which were called, for example, an "eyfah". The merchant would select the slightly-bigger one when buying, so he could weigh out a larger amount of a product to his advantage, and select the slightly-smaller one when selling, so he would still have the advantage. There must be justice at every level in Israel for us to be able to remain as tenants on YHWH's Land:

There is not meant to be one weight used to measure out merchandise to the poor, and a different one when selling to the rich who can afford more. Yaaqov (James) carries this concept over to showing respect to newcomers to our congregations. We need to see each for what he is worth, not according to how they appear or what they have. And we are not to rule in favor of the poor just because they are poor, for they may still be in the wrong. The “golden rule” (Mat. 17:12) assures such equal weights and measures. The two houses of Israel must be judged by the same standard, whether for better or for worse. Both need rebuke in many areas, and neither is to be given more weight than the other, except in the specific areas each has been specially gifted, and this too is only so each can be a servant to the rest. Both have the same responsibility to obey the Torah and the same authority to teach it once they know it well. Paul was corrected for giving the Northern Kingdom too low a standard, and the elders ruled that though obedience to the whole body of Torah was not necessary before one could come in the door, they still had to go to where the Torah was taught each Sabbath and keep learning little by little. (Acts 15:20) Some Jews today, too, say that non-Jews are not required to do as much as they, and even forbid non-Jews from keeping the Sabbath! And those coming into Torah should not judge the Rabbis by a lower standard than they judge pastors. Most of the Temple complex is in Yehudah's tribal territory, but part of it is on Binyamin's land, giving claim to it to both northern and southern kingdoms, as well as to both Rachel's and Leah's children. Disobedience to this command may have been one of the reasons Y'shua overturned the tables of the moneychangers there.

Stench: We need to regain the recognition that YHWH does indeed recoil in disgust from some people.

Amaleq—the “valley-dweller”—represents the opposite of those with a Kingdom calling, for it emanates from the highest of mountains. (Yeshayahu 2:2)

He: Amaleq is referred to as singular, since “valley-dwellers” are about themselves, not their brothers. Having no community, it will end up a kingdom divided against itself and therefore we will be able to conquer it. All the feeble: Attacking someone when he is already weakened rouses the justice in YHWH, and He sets His face against this kind of action forever. The connection to the previous verses is seen in one taking advantage of those who are trustingly ignorant of the deceitful technique that is resulting in their loss of a just price. But in a community, the strong will uphold the weak. Those who enter in wholeheartedly will be energized by the community’s dynamics. It is those who deliberately distance themselves from community and hang back—choosing to walk at their own pace instead of keeping up with Moshe’s—who become an easy target, setting ourselves up as bait for this attack. “He who despises the Word will be destroyed.” (Prov. 13:13ff) Amaleq is a picture of the one who does not want to be taught. Respecting: or fearing. If we fear anything else, we by definition do not fear YHWH, and are one with Amaleq (whose philosophy is that everything happens by chance), whether we want to be or not. There is an unrecognized unity between any who are not occupied with the Kingdom, for all the tares are gathered together and bundled first, even before the wheat is gathered. (Mat. 13:30) Note that it is “messengers” (13:49) who will do the separating. This word can be translated “angels”, but not in every case. By this very proclamation we could be beginning to bring about that reaping.

Don't forget to not remember them! It is so important that he almost sounds contradictory. But by no means let the duty to fight Amaleq in every generation be forgotten. He actually perpetuates their name by mere virtue of this reminder, but it is in order to ultimately blot it out completely. (Compare Psalm 92:7) King Agag and Haman were both descendants of Amaleq (Esau's son), and when King Sha'ul spared the former, it allowed the latter to be born, but thankfully Mordechai obeyed. Note the contrast: though the punishment for some is to die childless (Lev. 20:20-21), YHWH makes provision for an Israelite's line to be carried on by a roundabout way so his name (as part of Israel, even if not in good standing) is not blotted out. But Amaleq is the one whose name is to be obliterated. YHWH did not say He would do it. King Sha’ul did not carry out his part in doing this, so Shmu’el had to, but apparently the Amaleqite king had enough time to procreate before being slain, and Haman was able to exist as a result. Hitler probably came from this genetic strain at some point. But we all have some Amaleq in us, for we all have some valleys to walk through. The point is to avoid staying there so we do not give Amaleq the strength.