Parashat Qedoshim

(Leviticus 19:1 - 20:27)

2. "Speak to the whole congregation of the descendants of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall be holy [qedoshim], because I, YHWH your Elohim, am holy.'

Whole congregation: Normally, Moshe just taught Aharon and the tribal elders, and the instructions funneled through them to the rest of the people. But this message is so important that the whole nation must gather to hear it so they cannot use the excuse that they have not heard it. YHWH may not trust it to trickle down effectively in this case. "Holy" simply means "set apart" and "separate" from all that is not Israel, or in a category of its own. This more than anything else makes Israel hated by so many and loved by others who are in tune with YHWH. What YHWH uses to make Israel separate is the Torah, so another definition we could give to “holy” is “defined by the Torah”. As seen at the end of this verse, it also defines for us who YHWH is—how He wants us to know Him. It defines the nature of the relationships we are to have with one another—not just negatively, as seen in the last chapter, but positively, as seen in this one. Wherever our actions conflict with it, we are in sin. Sin means “missing the target”. When we begin, we can only see the big picture and it seems like we have hit the “bull’s eye” if we have rid ourselves of the obvious, big sins. But as we mature and move closer to YHWH, our vision is more refined and we can see the target better. Then we realize how far from the “bull’s eye” we really are. Holiness means constantly separating ourselves from more and more habits, attitudes, and thought patterns, because as we walk further upward, the bar keeps being raised. The definition of “sin” tightens its focus to meaning anything that disagrees with the instructions Moshe brought down from the mountain, then anything that disrupts the life of the community. The scope of our relationships narrows as we study more. Earlier we separated ourselves from those who were clearly a bad influence to anyone; now we may have to separate ourselves from association with others who may have seemed harmless before, but whom we now realize “just don’t get it”. How could we describe a computer or even a television to someone who lived in the Dark Ages? As our knowledge increases, we become more and more of a mystery to those whose categories are defined by other standards. Yet the more we walk in the Torah, the less foreign and the more natural and beautiful it will be to us. But a wall of separation not only sets us apart from what is outside; it sets us apart unto what is inside. We are separated from sin but unto YHWH’s instructions, from serving security unto generosity, from fearful negativity that drains our brothers’ courage unto joyful service to YHWH as He commands, and from the world at large to Israel in particular. Each time it says "you" here, it is plural. As strange as it sounds, it is impossible to be truly separate in isolation! The spiritual gifts YHWH has given to us cannot fully function unless the whole Body is present. All must be in place before true holiness as YHWH intends it can exist. This is why, in Jewish tradition, a quorum of ten is needed in order to pray the prayer of sanctification of YHWH’s Name. We are not holy for the sake of separateness in itself, nor are we truly separate until we are all together in our set-apartness. More important than being separated from all other loyalties, we are separated unto YHWH and His flock; without that element, it is just an exercise in self-righteous pride. We screen out the rest so we can concentrate our commitment on Him and His Kingdom’s priorities. The Torah is the eyeglasses that define it more sharply for us. We must be generous, but not as our own hearts define it, but as YHWH does. The Hebrew words will show us: For example, the word for “thank” means “to stretch out one’s hands”. It means demonstrating our thankfulness by our actions, not just our words. What follows is a description of how one must live if he wishes to remain in YHWH’s Land and a part of His people—in short, what it means to be Israel. Otherwise, it is Israel from which we will end up being separated. (Deut. 28:47ff) The world will take us hostage if we do not strengthen one another with gladness of heart. Maturing as a Body is a weeding process that sifts out and throws away more than we keep. We must define what is outside, and leave it there. Loyalty to things, people, or ideas on the outside—even biological relatives--will separate us from our true brothers as Yahshua defined them. (Mat. 12:48ff) But we are always surrounded by the world; the Land of Israel is at the crossroads of three continents, so strangers are constantly passing through its midst. How do we remain set apart? We carry the walls with us. If we remain defined by the Torah, we remain holy, no matter where we are. Of course, to be defined by Torah, we must know it. Then we will know that this is what we take care of first, while that is not. Our jobs are usually out in the world, but when someone in the community has a need, that becomes our priority. Those outside are acquaintances, not friends in the truest sense, though there are levels of separation. We share the same planet with billions of people, but we can only be intimate with a few. YHWH has some degree of attachment to everything He has created, but He is not close to all things or all people. The Torah even defines what being close to Him should mean to us. He chose Israel, and specifically Yerushalayim, in a way in which He never chose Washington, D.C. or Rome, yet many of the places with which He has had intimacy, we have turned over to His enemies. While we have a responsibility to the whole world, the channel by which we do so has a much narrower scope. Rabbi Noson Weisz summarizes this chapter by saying that we have to be detached from the natural urges spoken of in the last chapter, not to do away with them completely, for then there would be no next generation to pass the responsibility on to, but so that we can give them a meaning that will outlast the time when we as individuals no longer participate in them. This requires making choices and setting definite boundaries so that while we partake in the natural world, we can make it a tool toward a deeper life that can bring the world to its fullest potential by joining body to spirit and setting apart unto YHWH more aspects of life on earth.

Stand in awe of: or, simply, fear. A child begins his understanding of the authority structure in Israel through the respect for his parents. Sixteen times in this passage He repeats, "I am YHWH your Elohim." The point seems to be not just, "Do it because I said so”, but, “In the obeying you will come to know Me as I am." Why the juxtaposition of honor for parents and Sabbath-keeping? Because apart from your parents, you would not have been able to enter this world, and apart from the Sabbath, the commandment which is a "sign", you would never be able to enter even the most basic aspects of YHWH's cycle of appointed times. This is also a message to parents to teach a child to fear not keeping the Sabbath, and the best way is to teach them to guard it. Of course, if one’s parents are still pagan, they are never to be respected above YHWH's commands; we can never have the deepest intimacy with those who do not keep the Torah. We do not really have parents outside of it, except biologically. (Mat. 12:48ff) We need to separate ourselves unto our Hebrew heritage, not from it, and honor our more ancient parents who are more worthy of honor—Avraham, Yaaqov, Moshe, David, etc. We honor our parents by keeping the Sabbath, even if they do not, because by thus being people of integrity we cast them in the best possible light, since we are the fruit by which they are known. Mother and father: Why in that order? Our first mother took the first step away from holiness, then our father followed, by failing to guard the one thing that was set apart. They tore down a wall YHWH had set up. The real sin was listening to the serpent’s logic instead of simply obeying YHWH’s command. Indeed He did not want them to know right and wrong by experience or be burdened with such responsibility so quickly; He wanted to take care of us, as a parent does. He only wanted us to know what is right, and remain separate from everything else. So this is a warning as well as a command. The serpent can reason with us the same way about the Sabbath as it did about the fruit of that tree. Our most ancient parents’ loss of Paradise warns us to be fearful of failing to guard the Sabbath in the same way. We could blame our violation on how others have victimized us, or on our employers not allowing us to keep the Sabbath, or on the work we had no other time to get done. But continuing to make excuses is why we have not gotten back to the other side of the wall. The Sabbath is the one remaining time in this age of our fallenness during which we can deeply partake of Eden. It is the door that enables us to begin our return. It is a time that is elevated above time and in it we are separate from all that is outside. It is the only time each wbeek when we can be sure we are where YHWH is. We need to see it not as a yoke of iron, but as a golden necklace (or it will become the yoke for us yet be no less binding on us). If we see ourselves as citizens of the world at large instead, we will nail the door shut and completely lose our connection back to Eden. This chapter gives us a tremendous head-start; other nations were left to learn by trial and error, and they are still trying and erring even more than they used to. It can work if we keep all of these elements in balance.

Idols: Heb., elilim. The word stems from the word for "not", and means a thing of nought, an image, or something worthless, insufficient, and ultimately not even truly existing--an illusion that cannot deliver what you expect, which is exactly the technique that worked for the serpent in the Garden. Anything outside of YHWH is such vanity. How do we find out what this encompasses? Not by trusting our deceitful hearts, but by being deeply familiar with what is genuine, and that is defined through His instruction (Torah). The best defense against counterfeits is to know the real thing intimately. To receive the life that comes from YHWH’s path, we must turn our eyes from worthless things. (Psalm 119:37) It is best not to even consider things that have no Kingdom profit. Anything we submit to that is not defined by the Torah is an idol, whether a physical object, an idea, or a commitment.

Pleasure: This is about recognizing YHWH’s greatness and delighting in who He is, not about enjoying the killing. To Gentile logic, sacrifice is at best a pragmatic necessity, but hardly a pleasure. It takes training to find delight in giving our wealth and livelihood, but as we become His friends and learn His way of seeing things, we will become more and more generous as He is. When it is done only for self, it robs YHWH of His joy as well.

Must be burned: Once it is offered, the gift belongs to YHWH, and we have no say in what is done with it. The ideal is to invite enough people to share in the praise to YHWH that we have none left over even until the second day. We are permitted to partake again if necessary, but not for long enough to begin to think of it as our own again. We cannot worry about whether any of it is wasted, because it is about YHWH, not about us. We have no right to stay in the place that is His, not ours, unless we bring another animal. The privilege of His mercy is not to be profaned into a right that everyone deserves. This truth is understood best in the season of the Counting of the Measure between Passover and Shavuoth: A picture used both in the Torah and by Yahshua is of a woman making bread with three measures [se'im] of flour. (Gen. 18:6; Matt. 13:33; Luk. 13:21) Se'im is a masculine plural of a feminine word, se'ah, which indicates that a marriage has taken place. The rebuilding of the original Adam includes this theme twice: first, a single bride is formed of two peoples--the House of Yehudah and the House of Israel which was scattered. The letter and the spirit are joined back into one, symbolized by Shavuoth, YHWH's wedding day, which consummates the 7-week count, which is both the day on which the Torah was given at Sinai and the day on which the spirit of being set-apart was poured out through Yehudah but onto all nations. Then this bride is joined to her Head, Yahshua, the third but most important component of the restoration of YHWH's image. But on Shavuoth, though three measures have been used, only two loaves are made from them and waved as a wave offering (since they are leavened and cannot be burned on the altar). Since the two houses are to become one and together appoint one Head (Hoshea 1:11), continuing to think of what are now two entities as three desecrates the picture, just like eating the peace offering on the third day, since it represents this reconciliation of mankind with YHWH. His presence is between two cheruvim, yet they are joined together and are really a single piece, as Adam was before his separation from Chavvah (Eve). The separation took place only so there could be a conscious rejoining. Yahshua will wed the reunited whole house of Israel, not the two separately. What YHWH is beginning to rejoin, let no man put asunder.

An abomination: or "like refuse". We must do things in season; doing them at the wrong time--a "love that comes too late"--leaves an abhorrent taste in His mouth, as when the Israelites tried to go conquer Kanaan after YHWH had already pronounced their sentence on them. At one point Yahshua said his work would be finished on the third day (Luk. 13:32); now is the time to gather with him, because a time is coming when it will no longer be the right time to harvest. It will be time to sort and winnow and sift, and that time is already upon us. Continuing to come back to partake of it would make the Tabernacle seem more like a soup kitchen than a holy place, and the focus would shift from the offering to the eating, and this is not what the Kingdom is really about. (Rom. 14:17) The Temple is a place where YHWH is to be revealed, not our private barbecue grill! This would ruin the picture of sharing with the rest of Israel.

Bear his consequences: or, retain his twistedness. I.e., he will not get back to Eden. Person: literally, soul. If a person gets "out of season"--out of step with YHWH's appointed times, especially if they are deliberately changed as they were by the self-appointed "head" of the Church, Constantine, then we bring a curse on ourselves and our children. Cut off: Misusing what is holy turns the knife of the slaughtering back against us. Most things that we hold onto for too long we come to think of as our own, and thus they are profaned; they become about self rather than about YHWH. This is why YHWH wants us to give spontaneously—when the thought first occurs to us; if we wait, we will come up with reasons to do less than we first intended.

By rabbinic tradition, one was considered to have an "evil eye" (be stingy) if he did not leave at least 40% of his crop for the needy when he had the means to do so. (This was after the regular tithes.) So it is an issue of generosity vs. selfishness. How much of his hard labor was one willing to donate? It also requires faith: once he leaves it ungleaned, he also loses control over who will glean it. He cannot choose those who deserve to receive it; he has to leave that to YHWH's sovereign justice. If we worry about the part that is left behind, we will not carry out the things that we ARE responsible to do--serve each other and become a community, a Temple for Him to fill. Was this part of Qayin’s sin—offering to YHWH the parts of his harvest that were not really his anyway? (We see plenty of evidence that the standards codified in the Torah were known in earlier generations, even all the way back to Adam. If Qayin could sin, he must have had some previous instruction.) Yahshua said when one’s eye is sound (as opposed to evil), his whole body would be full of light. When our eye is clear (which Prov. 22:9 associates with giving bread to the poor), we can see clearly that the whole Land is really His, and we are only put in charge of it; it is a privilege to partake of any of it. The Hebrew word for joy also means “full of brightness”. YHWH said if we did not serve Him with joy, we would end up serving oppressive enemies. (Deut. 28:47) Discouragement is the opposite of joy, and keeps us from ascending further. Removing one another’s joy and courage is sin! “Fear not” and “be strong” are His commands. It takes strength to strengthen others, and that includes disciplining those who will not exercise self-discipline. And what strengthens anyone more than a peace offering in which we tell about what YHWH has done?

Of course, the poor have to go there for themselves and glean; it is not brought to them already cooked. This preserves their dignity too. I am YHWH: i.e., "This is what I am like; get to know Me better by doing this." Sojourner: YHWH wants those who pass through His Land to understand whose Land they are in, and how generous He is. In what other land is there food without price so even passers-by will not starve? They will ask why things are so different here than anywhere else, and we can tell them that it is because He is the true and supreme Elohim. Then never again will they give a bad report about the Land like the ten spies would do, showing that it does not consume its inhabitants as they thought it would. The antidote is given before the poison. This also recalls the contrast of how the Edomites and Emorites treated Israel when Moshe asked to simply pass through the Land and not even eat any of the grain. (Num. 20:17; 21:22) The oppressed too often become the oppressors when given the freedom to do so. The Maccabees became the Hasmoneans who forced Edomites (Idumeans) to convert to Judaism, and Herod was the result. YHWH intends to bring Israel to great heights of power, but we must not abuse it. So just as YHWH told Israel to treat slaves well because they had experienced in Egypt how slaves should not be treated, He gave them a taste of the opposite treatment to drive home the point that generosity is a requirement for anyone who will live in His Land (Prov. 22:9), for it is intended to be an unmixed representation of what He is like. Not that He provides for the lazy, for they must pick the grain themselves, but He is concerned for the disadvantaged and is zealous for the reputation of His Land.

Steal: We can steal things less tangible than possessions—time, authority, joy, courage, or credit. This applies to more than physical possessions. We can steal someone’s reputation through gossip, or take advantage of a kindness once given and make a person feel obligated to do more for us than we deserve. We can steal someone’s courage or his joy. Lie to: or, trick. These are all really different forms of the same thing, because deceit is a form of stealing. The liar steals his own reputation. Although these commands very directly impact our neighbor's welfare, to fail to carry them out damages the character of the doer even more than the recipient of the deeds.

Oath: The word is rooted in a term meaning “completeness”. We must therefore not declare that we will complete something, and then not do so. The phrase could read, “Do not complete a sham in YHWH’s Name.” I.e., do not call something His work if it is only your own agenda. This is a widespread sin today. Many use YHWH as an excuse to do what they just want to do. Prosperity teachers pick up on the Scripture laws of sowing and reaping, but why is it always their ministry into which one must sow in order to reap his hundredfold? And it can be just as much of a scam to promise someone the Kingdom if they just “say the prayer”, when you do not know their motives or if you want them in the door so they can tithe to your congregation! Do not try to put an appearance of authority on what is only an opinion (or worse, what is a farce) by adding His apparent endorsement. Yahshua went further and said not to swear falsely by anything, for if our word is normally true, why do we need to risk our integrity to add weight to what should already be sufficient reason to trust what we say? Profane the Name...YHWH: Literally, pierce, weaken, or wound. This can include using it lightly, but also "weakening" its impact by substituting the names of pagan gods out of supposed respect for His true name, because this only causes greater confusion about who He is. We honor a name by bringing it glory, not shame. Who would have ever known who Nun was if it were not for Yehoshua, his son? Yet he is always called "Yehoshua ben Nun", thus honoring his father because he became great in the eyes of YHWH. (In the same way, those who honor YHWH's Son also honor YHWH.) Because we have YHWH’s Name on us, anything in which we are not complete puts a stain on His Name. His reputation before men is bound up with ours.

Defraud: or extort from, take advantage of. LXX, "injure". In a hand-to-mouth agricultural economy, workers must be paid immediately so they can buy food for the next day--or that very evening. Thus to withhold this is to take the very bread from his family's mouths. (Compare Proverbs 3:27.) Robbery is evidence that a man sees himself as separate from the whole community and more deserving than others. And paying someone his due also includes respect, thanks, and the fulfillment of any promise we make. Of course the concept also extends to paying YHWH what He is due: our tithes, our firstfruits, our firstborn.

Here is another example of YHWH’s looking out for the disadvantaged. Treat...as of little importance: make fun of, or curse. YHWH is not fond of cruelty and making sport of those who can do nothing to strengthen themselves, especially if it is to make ourselves look better. If he cannot hear it, why does it matter? Because words have a real effect even if they are not heard by their object. Words are alive, and we are truly capable of blessing and cursing, so we must be careful what we say. This could also include speaking about someone "behind his back", since he, too, is deaf to what we are saying. Blind: In a broader sense, we are not to make things harder for those who are unable to hear or see. (It may be a different story for those who choose not to see.) We used to be deaf and blind spiritually (Romans 11:25), and still are in many ways. We all have “attention deficit disorder”, and the remedy is not medication, but discipline so we can be blind to what is useless. What we cannot hear still affects us. The deaf also have an advantage over us in that they do not have to hear so many useless words, and the blind have fewer distractions from the job at hand. So we should not take advantage of them, but rather honor them.

We must not give special immunity to either the poor because he "deserves a break" (see Prov.6:30f), nor the rich and powerful because of his ability to pay you. The case is to be judged strictly on the merits of what the person actually did. Sometimes there may be a need for more witnesses to establish better credibility, but all must be held to the same standard. If a man’s word can convict a poor man, he should be able to convict a rich man as well. But one is never to be fined simply because he can afford it. Our own special interests are never to be protected through the court system; there is to be no other influence than the facts. But this is also a command to judge; Paul asks why we can't judge one another, and why he had to do it for the Corinthians. Though Yahshua says that if we judge, we will be judged by the same measure, this is not meant to stop us from judging, but to learn to do it correctly, judging ourselves first; right judgment is an act of righteousness. Yes, get the plank out of your eye, but do not ignore the speck in your brother's eye. To do so is to say he is not important enough to lay our comfort on the line for. Neighbor: When Israel is functioning properly, someone in another household would not judge you unless the head of your household felt he could not render a decision, and even then only he would appeal to those at the next level up; you would not go “over his head”. Even Yahshua asked someone why he had come to him to judge a matter outside his jurisdiction. (Luke 12:14, 57)

Talebearer: slanderer—spreading information whether true or not for the purpose of diminishing another. Fellow: literally, one from the same flock, under the same shepherd. There is a definite connection between these two injunctions: one who allows gossip to spread or receives it without protest is like one who watches his friend being attacked and does not try to intervene. The rabbis teach that if you bring blood to his face unjustly, it is as bad as spilling his blood. Nothing "kills" faster than words. Gossip is a form of murder. Yaaqov (James) says the tongue has the power of life and death, and compares it to a spark that kindles a wildfire. We are our brothers' keepers. We can make amends for robbery, but we can never make full restitution for gossip, because the proverbial feathers have already been scattered to the wind and are irretrievable. We can never undo it completely, so avoid it from the start.

Here YHWH tells us how to feel, no matter whether it suits our personality or not. This removes the power the emotion has to mislead us. Your brother: YHWH never commands us not to hate His enemies, such as Amaleq. In your heart: the sins in the list are growing less and less tangible. No one knows about the hate in your heart but yourself. But it is already a sin. (Matt. 5:22) Again, the text equates hating a brother with allowing him to remain in sin and not warning him. This goes against conventional ideas that love never offends someone and always wants him to feel nice. But Proverbs 13:24 says, "He who spares the rod hates his son." Failing to warn our fellows of impending danger means their blood is upon us, not them. (Ezk. 33:2-6) Withholding an occasion to repent is the best way to prove we do not love someone. Rebuking a fool gives him an occasion to learn. (Prov. 9:7ff) Put up with sin: or bear sin because of him--i.e., share in his guilt by not rebuking him. We need to bring correction rather than holding it in, which results in bitterness toward him, and rather than gossiping about his wrong. Go face to face, and be sure you have your facts together first. If they will not listen, we can “weaken their position” through prayer. We need to keep the slate clean between brothers, or we will never get to where we need to go. Sin will remain in the household if we do not specifically remove it. All these commands are given in regard to someone who is in your same "flock". Both justice and mercy mean a lot more closer to home. You are more responsible for those nearest you than for those in the larger congregation. (1 Corinthians 5:12) YHWH will deal with those outside.

Obviously, this precludes “family feuds”. Children: i.e., those less able to receive harsh correction, or those who do not know any better. A neighbor is one on our own level; here we are told not to bear a grudge against those less mature than ourselves, and not to take it personally if they do not receive our correction. Instead, pray for YHWH to teach them in the most effective way, even if that means bringing trouble on them. Remove your covering over them if they won’t respond to the “easy way”, so they will need what you offered. Or bring someone who may be better at explaining the particulars. As you love: Feelings must be kept in check as well as actions. It is much easier to forgive someone you like, and reprove someone you don't, but this is never the way to divide our actions.

Sow your field: i.e., the same area of the farm; it does not mean you cannot grow more than one crop, but they are not to be mixed. These are all different ways of depicting the same principle. Things must be kept distinct, so we can tell which are the crop and which are weeds. This includes mixtures like "YHWH our God"--one acceptable name combined with one that is not--or mixing paganism into biblical faith, which is where most of the church is today. At best Christianity is a mixture of YHWH’s word and human morality. The last prohibition symbolizes a life of purity unmixed with sin. It hearkens back to the story of Qayin and Hevel (Abel): linen comes from the earth; wool comes from a being with life coursing through it that can shed blood and picture redemption (which comes from heaven). There is a place for each, but the two are not to be mixed. But this was also a holy blend used in some of the priestly garments (Ex. 28:6; 39:29); it was reserved exclusively for the sanctuary, not for the lay person. However, some garments found in Dead Sea caves from c. 135 C.E. had white tassels of linen and blue tassels of wool woven together. Thus the tassels which every Israelite is to wear on the extremities of his garments (Num. 15) were of this mixture, symbolizing that they are a "kingdom of priests". (Ex. 19:6) Livestock symbolize our security and wealth. Livestock symbolize our security. Seed represents our descendants. We must not let our children assimilate with the rest of the world. The Torah forbids intermarriage—not with other races, but with those who do not keep the Torah. We are not to mix YHWH’s peace that passes understanding with security of the type the world gives. Seed represents the Sons of the Kingdom (Mat. 13:38), which are not to be sown among the sons of the evil one in unequal yokes, for how would the children of such mixed marriages be taught to serve YHWH? And garments represent our works; we must not mix kingdom works with earthly ones that only benefit self by using YHWH’s reputation as a way to make a livelihood for ourselves, whether excessive, honest, or not. Our works are to have only one motivation.

This would be another example of mixed seed if she were beyond the betrothal stage, but instead it tells us that those who are bound to Torah should not be intimate with those who have not bound themselves to Torah, thinking they are “free” from it (which truly is bondage). Nor must we mix ourselves with things that would enslave us or be intimate with people who are enslaved to any other system.

22. "‘and the cohen shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before YHWH for his sin which he has committed, and it will be forgiven him from his sin which he has committed.

This is not a capital crime like adultery, but he has still done something he had no right to do. In Israel, a slave who belongs to another house is not to be treated as a slave by outsiders. Within the household, too, the slave is like another member of the family, and is a slave only to the head of the house. This also shows that one who is not part of a household in Israel has no protection in such a circumstance.

24. "‘And in the fourth year, all of its fruit is set apart for the praise of YHWH.

Fourth year: The minor festival of "Tu B’Shvat", or more accurately, “Yah B’Shvat” (so-called because of the pronunciation of the acronym for ‘15th’ of the month), was established to have a date by which to count the age of trees for this purpose. For the praise of YHWH: or for those who praise YHWH, i.e., the Levites. It is only consumed by those who are directly serving Him. If Israel does not provide for the priests and Levites, they cannot fulfill their special unique duties in the fullest way, because they would have to sustain their families by other means, and that would cause all of Israel to lack part of what is necessary for YHWH’s economy to function properly.

The fruit of a tree is indeed bitter or lacks robustness the first few years. If eaten before its time, it will be of no profit to us, and may actually harm us. The firstfruits of the edible yield belong to YHWH, but He requires all this so that the tree may become as fruitful and effective as possible for our sakes. Is He only speaking of literal fruit? A tree is a picture of a person. (Psalm 1:3, etc.) Metaphorically this extends to injunctions such as Paul's that a novice should not be a congregational leader (1 Tim. 3:6), but must wait until he has been nurtured to maturity and worked through the transition into his new life. The word there for “novice” (neophyte) literally means “one newly-planted”—just like these trees! He is likely to become puffed up and brag about how special he is if allowed to teach too soon, and then it would be only about self, not YHWH. Before he is pruned (before he is able to praise YHWH properly and is mature enough to teach), his fruit may be genuine, but it is not to be partaken of, because it lacks a well-rounded perspective that only time and study can bring. The revelation given to him in his patience is what will feed us all. On the other hand, it also shows that by a certain time we should all have something to teach others. Fifth: when one is "full of the five books of Moshe", and well-trained in this foundation, he can become a teacher who can feed others.

Sorcery: enchantment or fortune-telling: nakhash--the same word as the "serpent" in the Garden. But its root meaning is "whisperer", as the snake makes a hissing sound. People pay more attention to a whisper than even to a shout. It makes us feel like insiders in the club of the few who are “in the know”. It can be done with false innocence “I don’t want to say anything, but did you notice…?” “I just don’t know if it is right that…” If they said it loudly enough, they know the mature would expose them. These "whisperers" incant their secret formulas, which may or may not be genuine; the point is not whether it works or not, but that they are forbidden. It is obtaining information through the wrong channels. YHWH has a chain of command in Israel, and what we do must be above board. If you have a question, ask it in front of the proper authorities, not behind their backs. Go to the Levite to gain general knowledge of Torah; go to the high priest for a specific answer. If it is meant to be revealed, YHWH will reveal it; otherwise, it is off limits to individuals, for it belongs to all Israel, not just because we are interested; more often than not, that has no purpose beyond self-edification. Whispering also reminds us of gossip; here it is juxtaposed with not eating blood: we suck the life out of someone when he is diminished in someone else's eyes, and that is what "whispering" about him does--even when it is not overt; Yahshua says that hating someone in our hearts also curses him in a similar way. "Observe times": This clearly cannot refer to the times and seasons that YHWH has set up as signs, but rather it means considering certain times auspicious or "lucky", following horoscopes, doing magic, etc. The term can also include conjuring, producing rain-clouds by magic, etc.--in short, divination. LXX, "divine by inspection of birds", i.e., their entrails, much like today's "palm-reading".

Round: or "strike off"; Aramaic, "cut around"; LXX, "make a round cutting of the hair"--possibly like the type of artificial bald spot monks later made based on the superstition that wearing a certain type of cap over it would protect them or make them more spiritual. Mar: the appearance; LXX, "disfigure". Corner: edge, extremity, or side part. First of all, this assumes a man has a beard and is not to shave it (the exceptions being the Nazir, who completes a vow, and those declared clean after having leprosy, where hygiene may be one of the reasons to shave the hair). A man should not risk being mistaken for a woman. Y’hezq’el/Ezekiel used the cutting of the beard to signify Israel being cut off (Y’hzq. 5), and we certainly do not wish to participate in that picture, but rather in its reversal now that the curse of exile has run its course. But what is the picture He is intending by this? It is part of "writing His laws on our gates". Our eyes, ears, and mouth--all the openings of our bodies, really--are like gates to our fortress, which we must guard. Not cutting the hair around them symbolizes the fact that we need to screen or filter what goes in and what comes out. Many pagan "holy" men also had distinctive hairstyles (1 Cor. 11:7, 14) which marred the particular way by which YHWH has decided each man will look best. He wants to avoid any association with this sort of disfigurement. While there is some ambiguity to the command, the extremity would seem to be the ends, not the part close to the face. The uncut beard is a symbol of being an Israelite; Y'chezq'el/Ezekiel chapter 5 uses the cutting off of the beard to symbolize the destruction of the house of Israel, so we do not wish to participate in this picture by shaping our beards according to Gentile standards, and obscuring our Israelite identity at the very time YHWH is bringing it back to light. If a beard is thereby unruly, it reflects the fact that we are not the ones in control; YHWH is.

Cuttings in your flesh: reminiscent of the 450 prophets of Ba'al with which Eliyahu contended. The dead: literally, the soul. This probably relates to ancestor worship and its association with bringing the strength of the ancestor into one’s body. Tattoos: related to the term for writing, so it probably involves some words. We already have a Messiah who is marked and pierced; why do WE need to be marked and pierced? We cannot take his place. Also, pagans frequently tattooed the names of their gods on themselves, and YHWH would not be associated with this disfugurement either. Our actions are how we bear His Name, and we must not bear it in vain. A third mourning ritual was shaving one’s head, but that is not forbidden, and there seems to be evidence for the righteous having done so at times. (2 Kings 223 in the context of v. 12)

Lewdness: or mischievous plotting. Pagan cult prostitutes were male more often than female. Putting one’s very body in the service of money quickly spreads from the sexual realm to any other kind of compromise for the sake of wealth. So this means not only that a father should never be his daughter’s “pimp”, but also that he must not train her to interact so intimately with the commerce system. Not that she cannot have a job if she is not too busy at home, but that she should not be sold out to its thought patterns. Remember, she will raise your grandchildren, and they will absorb her ways. Again YHWH is concerned for the reputation of His Land, and it is tied to the reputation of His people. A landslide can start with just one small dislodged rock, and once started it cannot be stopped. Evil is the same way: once you start something it can fill up very quickly. Fathers therefore have a duty to make sure that not just their sons but their daughters as well are Torah-observant, which is why there are bat mitzvahs as well as bar mitzvahs.

The only time one could see inside the court nearest to His sanctuary and thus catch a glimpse of the Temple itself was when the doors were open, and this was only on Sabbaths and on the festivals (prescribed times), which were considered sabbaths in an even stronger sense. This may be one reason this command, which also appeared in verse 3, is repeated.This is the closest we can approach to His presence, for on Sunday He turns his back and begins to go back to work. He dwells closer to our communities then; our “orbit” is much closer then. So we must be in fear concerning the attitudes we bring into our congregational gatherings.

Necromancer: one who contacts the dead, or has a familiar spirit--i.e., who is possessed by a spirit that impersonates a dead relative. The Hebrew term is the same as a water bottle made from a sewn-up animal skin. Soothsayers: better translated "knowers"--i.e., clairvoyants. This does not mean that everything they do is fraudulent; in fact, as Paul found out, they can be irritatingly truthful. (Acts 16:17) But YHWH has not authorized knowledge to be passed on in this way. King Sha’ul turned.to them for something more because he did not trust YHWH. In short, those who consult them are seeking information about tomorrow, and that is forbidden. YHWH will tell us whatever we need to know in advance.

Grey-haired: from the term for "aged" or "mature". Elderly: literally, "bearded", not necessarily having anything to do with age, though for one raised up in Israel from his youth, it should. Elohim: probably, "judges", in this context. He works in the earth through His servants, so honoring them is like honoring Him. They are very close to His heart. We are to show appreciation for the wisdom He has granted them and fear Him for whom He has appointed. These are the people responsible for what we have now.

34. "‘as the native among you [is treated], so shall be the alien who resides with you. Moreover, you shall love him as [you love] yourself, since you [yourselves] were aliens in the land of Egypt. I am YHWH your Elohim.

The sojourner is to be treated as part of the same "flock", since the same thing is required in regard to him as to one's "neighbor" (v. 18). The sojourner in Israel was either seeking asylum or seeking to know the Elohim of Israel, because Israelite society was too demanding for someone "just along for the ride".

The context is that many would use slightly-differing weights which were both called by the same unit of measure, to their own advantage in commerce. All the weights that are called an "ephah" need to actually weigh the same:

Eyfah: a unit of dry measure that represents a whole congregation since it is ten omers, so in a secondary sense it pictures a righteous congregation. Hin: a liquid measure. We also cannot forbid someone else from using the same rules of argument or appeal that we permit ourselves to use. We need to hold ourselves to the same standard of what we hold others to. The only difference is the measure or proportion each can tolerate, and this increases as we are trained. One should not be a leader if he cannot tolerate criticism. Eyfah and hin are the two measures used for offerings that could be brought to the Temple. We would be stealing from Him if we had the wrong measure and brought too little. YHWH weighed Pharaoh’s heart, and it was found wanting; that is why YHWH brought Israel out.

Not just perform them according to the letter, jumping through hoops so that YHWH can be entertained, but look at them first. Scrutinize them. Look deeply into them and ask for their real meaning. Then carry that out. These are two separate commands. Do these, and you will know who YHWH is. The recipe for Israel being holy is to follow all of these commands in the proper balance. The main point of them all was justice and concern for one’s neighbor. Israel is not able to function as an entity independent from the world unless we help one another to stay disconnected from what would take us back into slavery. We are our brother’s keeper.

CHAPTER 20

2. "In addition, to the descendants of Israel you must say, ‘Any man of the sons of Israel or of the sojourners who are living in Israel, who gives any of his seed to the Molekh shall certainly be put to death; the people of the Land must pelt him with stones.

Still in the context of being set apart, we now come to the penalty phase for those who do not remain set apart. There is an undercurrent of YHWH getting us to deal with the fact that our ways conflict with His. This chapter delineates the consequences for certain actions, mainly those forbidden in 18:6-23. We need to examine our reactions as well as our actions. While in some cases, we need to ask ourselves whether someone else’s action is worth reacting against, YHWH has already specified that these situations call for a reaction. Pelt him: actual means “pile up stones (over someone)”. Stones: The word means building materials, hence, not small stones, but ones large enough to make a stable house from. The actual practice was to throw the person off a cliff and then finish killing him by crushing him with these stones, thrown down on top of him after he was stunned enough to be unable to run away. The result would be a pile of stones that resembled a memorial altar like many seen throughout the Torah thus far, so that all of Israel would be reminded of the seriousness of this offense. It is also the responsibility of the whole community to make sure a person does not do this in the first place, and to care for those who do keep His commands. It would also resemble the ruins of a house (such as one taken to an unclean place because the leprosy in it did not go away). This is because turning our children over to the ways of our pagan neighbors does cause the House of Israel to fall, as it did for the Northern Kingdom. But there is hope: by returning to the obedience to YHWH’s direct commands even when we would do otherwise if the decision was left to us, we can rebuild the house. The same penalty is required of those who are just visiting Israel, for all are held to the same standard that no paganism is permissible in His Land. Generally sojourners are with Israel for the sake of learning with the intent of becoming part of Israel. Often those who hold back from full commitment that contribute to the fall of the house. Though we cannot carry out such commands in their completeness while in exile under other governments, we need to take them as far as possible, so that they are not lost to us, for even Yehudah, which has preserved more remembrances of Torah commands than anyone, has in recent centuries been afraid to tread in this aspect of what holiness means. But it too will one day need to be restored. That there are indeed difficulties in doing so challenges us to find a way to overcome them. This part of Torah, also, is about freedom, not bondage. We need to embrace all of it, because this is the rule book by which the Messiah will govern his Kingdom. If we are too understanding of how people got to the point at which they sinned, justice will not be done. Even if they did it because their parents did the same thing to them, the cycle must stop and someone must take responsibility for it. Not that we should ever enjoy or get used to or become comfortable with capital punishment, but it must be carried out by the whole community; we cannot just leave it to the leaders. If you do not have the stomach to obey YHWH’s clear orders, you may end up being next. We simply do not have the right to disagree. “People of the Land” is an idiom for the locals; those who are closest to the person who committed such an offense are those most responsible to “cast the first stone”. (Deut. 13:9)

Molekh: “The one that rules.” Tradition says the idol was actually called the Melekh (king), but that Moshe substituted the vowels from bosheth (which means a shameful thing). The practice described here consisted of burning one’s children for the sake of guaranteeing a decent harvest. Why did they not simply ask? Baal worship later carried on this tradition of fire-worship, as evidences of its spread have been found as far away as North America. It continued in Ireland until Patrick put an end to it. Names such as the Baal Hills in Yorkshire, England, exist to this day to mark the presence at one time of such practices. Evidence of sacrifice to Molokh (another name for Molekh) has been found in Scotland, and only 100 years ago people there still gathered on May Day (called Beltone, from another name for Baal) and threw their children across the fire to one another in commemoration of this ancient practice!

Conceal their eyes: refusing to acknowledge that a capital offense has taken place. While we are permitted to sympathize or to mourn the loss, the execution must be carried out. Putting up with evil deeds is indirectly participating in them, for it hinders righteous judgment and thus prevents His house from being set in order. It disrupts the chain of command YHWH has set up for Israel, stopping up the flow He intended. Letting people off the hook can be based just as often on laziness, fear, or ignorance as on true compassion and mercy. If it goes against His clear command, we know it is wrong, even if it feels right.

If “that man” means the same man as in verse 2, this means that if we carry out his order, only the offender is YHWH’s enemy, and the rest of his family survives; if we fail, and He has to personally makes sure it gets done, all those associated with him will also incur his wrath. If “that man” is the one who fails to hold the feet of his neighbor to the fire, then this verse is saying that those who ignore His command out of a false sense of mercy are counted just as guilty and complicit in the same crime. If YHWH does not turn a blind eye, neither may we. No matter how logical they may seem, training our children to make room for such prevailing opinions that oppose YHWH’s direct command is actually another form of turning them over to the generic “molekh”—i.e., the one that rules. In our day, politically correct tolerance is such a ruling philosophy. We are where we are today because our kings failed to hold our ancestors’ feet to the fire (Yirmeyahu 6:29).

It is human nature to want to know what is ahead and around the corner so that we can have the upper hand when it comes, but we are not even promised tomorrow; we have not even finished carrying out the orders He has given, so why are we concerned to take on the responsibility that He has not yet given? Tomorrow belongs to Him, not to you, and He counts it tantamount to prostitution when we seek information about from another source when He has not chosen to reveal it. These information sources are unauthorized. Going to another spiritual advisor when YHWH has put you under a different authority is making light of one’s spiritual parents. (See v. 9.) Seeking an inside track on tomorrow from another source than YHWH is turning our children over to Molekh. YHWH sees it as nothing less serious than sleeping around “ on Him. This is a capital offense, as verse 27 clarifies, almost as an afterthought. This was one of the reasons for King Sha’ul’s early death (1 Chron. 10:13), though there was no one human above him to carry out the sentence. Being cut off from Israel is worse than mere physical death. One’s existence is a living death after this.

This clearly does not occur by magic. Once He has washed us in the water of the word, we must continue to wash ourselves. We in particular, who have seen the results of not being set apart, must be especially committed to being set apart from what is outside, and on the positive side, set apart unto the corporate judgment of Israel. This chapter really sets us apart, for it shows that we are committed to holiness even when it does not mean “all smiles”. There are two sides to the coin, proving it is not a counterfeit.

He sets us apart, but we must enter the open door He gives us or what He does for us will still lack results. His orders are not a smorgasbord from which we can pick and choose; we must “eat” all that He “puts on our plate” in order to be strong in every area, for He knows what is best for us, even when it does not all “taste” pleasant. In this context, walking through the door means setting ourselves apart unto not only self-discipline, but judgment by the entire community of Israel. We have been bought; we are only able to surrender to Him or to an enemy. There is no option of serving self.

Any man: Shows that this command is not speaking about young children who have not yet learned to obey. Treats with contempt: despises, curses, or takes lightly. Certainly be executed: literally, "be killed dead". Father and mother in a Hebrew context extend beyond the immediate family. The terms include anyone in authority over us (YHWH called King Shlomoh a father to Israel), and certainly our righteous ancestors. Blood...upon him: i.e., he and no one else will be held responsible for his death, because he did not take seriously enough those whom YHWH has set over us. No blood guilt is attached to killing him, and his family has no right to take vengeance on him, because he asked for this. That this is the sentence is meant to fill us with the fear of YHWH (of not being in His presence or in His favor) as a deterrent, like a warning shot fired in the air, and tradition says this sentence was never carried out, possibly because some parents were too slack to care, while other lived such exemplary lives that their children would not take them lightly. The reason one would not fear YHWH is because he did not start by fearing his parents. (19:2) This is still in the context of turning them over to Molekh—i.e., spoiling them by letting them be the rulers.

The rulers of Rome decided to take YHWH’s bride for themselves, so there must be some type of death to pay for this.

Lies: i.e., has sexual relations. Both: since his seed is now in her along with another man’s. This was the sin of Re’uven. When the woman taken in adultery was brought to Yahshua for judgment, her partner was not, in violation of this command. The Corinthian man who was doing this was outside the Land of Israel, and the local Body had no jurisdiction to execute him, so Paul said to hand him over to haSatan for the destruction of his flesh--the next best thing that could be done.

This was Yehudah's sin, though unwittingly, and though her husbands had died, so Tamat was really just one of his household. But he was ready to burn her as a prostitute. Confusion: The same person would thus be both their child's father and his grandfather. And it would not be clear which was the father. How could the child not be confused? But the word signifies a shameful mixture or a scrambling of the natural and divine order. It destroys the picture YHWH intended to reveal about His own nature when He created a marriage of one man with one woman.

Abominable: abhorrent, detestable, disgusting—a far worse offense than merely sinning (missing the target), no matter how glorified it is in society today. So excusing it by saying that we have our sins, too, is not using the same measure in YHWH’s eyes, for most are not sins unto death. The male body is not equipped to receive semen; this foreign substance, like a cancer, totally confuses the immune system and can cause it to stop functioning altogether.

With fire: a punishment otherwise accorded only to a priest’s own daughter. (21:9) This is the only time a male is burned. We are responsible to keep the camp clean so that YHWH will want to walk within it. We do not get to define what kinds of things are the “excrement” He does not want to have lying around the camp; He has defined it here.

Note the progression of deeper and deeper admixture or confusion of the intended order. These sins are deviating further and further from the right way. The animal must be killed because it contains the mixed seed, nor can the reminder of this heinous offense be left in the camp, but the man who does this has also therefore murdered an animal as well.

Spread out: or squat, lie down, specifically for the purpose of copulation. It is doubtful whether the animal would ever initiate such an act; it takes a perverted human to come up with such an idea. But just in case, it is specified clearly that this outcome is for cases in which the woman was the one who seduced the animal, not an attack over which she had no control. The “beast” is a term used for the whole unified world system of the latter days, and sure enough we find a woman riding it. (Rev. 17:3-7) So this is not just speaking of a sordid physical act, but any form of intimacy with things that are not the Kingdom of YHWH.

Takes: for the purpose of sexual relations or marriage. Has seen: a deliberate gaze, not an accidental one, and by a grown man, not a young child. A brother's special duty is to defend and guard his sister's purity; instead, he has literally made defenseless her most vulnerable part. Thus his actions are diametrically opposed to his intended position. Tamar's full brother avenged her half-brother who had so violated her. (2 Shmu’el 13) Though this is not the main point here, if merely marrying one’s cousin intensifies the likelihood of genetic defect, how much more would a brother mixing DNA with his own sister’s?

Emptied out: or uncovered. Her fountain: This may only mean he is liable if he realizes too late that her flow is present, but such an act might bring more of a flow more quickly. But this is a form of death, and he is not to participate in it. They are cut off from the Temple for seven days (15:24), and thus are not permitted to be part of the corporate worship.

Near kin: or "remnant"; bare: or defenseless. The penalty is not specified; it is up to the local authorities. A half-sheqel tax is paid so that one will not be held guilty when he must kill enemies, but when the sin is against a kinsman, what will the consequences be?

This could mean their own children will die before they do. This highlights the value of the child in Israel.

Childless: literally "stripped". The punishment fits the crime. This is another form of being cut off, because then one has no posterity. Off-limits: the same word as for a woman in the monthly time she is off-limits even to her husband. But in this case, she is not always off-limits, and at that time the complete reverse is true. If a man dies childless for reasons in which he bears no guilt, it is his brother's DUTY to take his wife and try to give his brother children, so he will NOT be without descendants. The impurity lies in doing so while his brother is still alive, because he is mixing the seed of two different men within her. And mixture is the core meaning of "impure". A brother and an uncle are one’s nearest kinsmen, because they are the avengers of one’s blood and his redeemers if he is ever in danger of losing his inheritance. So such a betrayal of the closest of relationships hurts the entire nation, and this kind of breach cannot be fixed; they “bear their sin”—that is, they cannot be forgiven, so there will be some serious consequence which is not specified. This is one reason Yahshua adds a fence to keep us one step further from this type of sin. He tells us to not even let our thoughts go there. (Mat. 5:28)

Guard: I.e., not let them be forgotten, and keep careful track of them. This is one reason He told this to the entire congregation. Vomit you out: Aramaic, "eject you"; LXX, "be aggrieved with you". Instead of spoiling the Land, we should “cultivate” it by our righteous deeds.

Statutes: Even if their ways of doing things make sense, they are not set apart to YHWH. Sending away: the same word as for "divorcing". Sick: disgusted or repulsed. I.e., “Don’t you dare do this to Me again on My own Land!”

Take possession of: YHWH says He will destroy those who destroy the Land (Rev. 11:18; compare 1 Cor. 3:16ff; 6:19ff.). He has His people participate in His cleansing of the Land. This way they also have a stake in it, and will be the more motivated to care for it properly. He trains them in the “house rules” before they enter so that the Land can be pure from the time they take over. He is now training us again while we are still outside the Land so that when we go back in, we will not defile it. Distinguished: divided you out from, and set you alone in the separate place both as individuals and as part of a whole people, but mixed with no one else.

He reminds us of another aspect of being set apart, which He detailed earlier. Since He has already set us apart, we must set apart (judge) what is to become part of us and what is not. He has built the house; now move into it. How do we define what actions are selfless and which are selfish? If He has already made the distinction (as outlined in this chapter), then we must make the same. The Torah may not state every specific, but it does lay the foundation for them all.

Thus you shall become holy: It was too big a jump from the beginning of this passage to this point, but the parts in between were the steps to holiness. He starts with where we are, and takes us through the varying degrees of selfishness which we must address in order to be able to love our neighbor as ourselves, because though these ways are not foreign to His Land, we are foreign to it, and we need to become intimate with His ways again by remembering them and restoring them. This fits well with the fifty days during which we "count the measure" until we arrive at maturity (Ephesians 4:7-13). The focus all along is to become like Him.

Here YHWH speaks of the people in the second person, so it seems He has gone back to speaking only to YHWH at this point. A familiar spirit: or one who contacts a departed relative's "ghost"; wizard: or "knower". They are responsible for their own deaths; the community is not. If we do the right thing by killing them, we are not guilty, no matter what our misinformed conscience, your mother, or the United Nations may say. Be executed: LXX, "die the death".