Parsha: KI TESTE (When you go out) DEUT 21:10 - 25:19

KI TESTE" (when you go out)

DEUT: 21:10 - 25:19                  ISAIAH 54:1-10                    1 COR 5:1-5

This Parasha contains many mitzvoth that are important, and if we went through them all, I would probably have to write about ten pages of midrash, But I have taken just a few to comment on:

Vs 10-13 of chap 25 talks about when soldiers went to war and brought back a woman to be his wife. Today, that is not a practice that soldiers do, at least not in the US Army, now quite a few soldiers do go overseas, and marry women from the countries where they are stationed, like in Korea, Germany, Panama, etc, but this is not a "wartime" situation. In ancient times, we would imagine that the Israelite armies would go a conquer/destroy a city, leaving said city in ruins, the men would be killed, yet the women and children would be left. Now, imagine how they would survive, in the ruins of their city? a hard if not almost impossible task, yet YHVH in His mercy takes into account the women and children. Going with a soldier of the conquering nation of Israel would be a lot better than to be left behind in the ruins of the conquered city,
The soldier would respect the woman, and allow her to mourn her family, he would provide for her needs, feed her, give her the shelter of his tent, and after 30 days, if he chose, he would then take her as his wife, the "Big Picture" as we could say, would be that the woman, would see the difference of her culture, her people, and the culture of Israel, and most important, the God of Israel, YHVH, hopefully, she would come to accept YHVH as HER God as well, just as Ruth, the Moabitess did. The change would be for the better, although in the beginning, the woman would probably not see this,

Chap 22:1-4 Talks about finding your neighbor's ox or sheep on your property, you will give them back to your neighbor. This commandment is also for today, pretty much is common sense, ANYTHING that you can identity as being someone else's property, if it can be identified (a wallet, purse, credit card, etc) it is YOUR responsibility to return it, that does NOT mean taking the money out of the wallet and then returning it, that just makes you a thief, you MUST return it intact, either drive to the person's home, or mail it to the person if the person lives in another city, the world philosophy is "Finders keepers, losers weepers" that is NOT godly philosophy, if you lost YOUR wallet, you would want someone to deliver it once again unto you.

Chap 22:10 "Do not plough with an ox and a donkey together" One would think , "Who in their right mind would do that?" But it is still a commandment of YHVH, a warning, at least to farmers, reason being, and ox is stronger than a donkey, and would put undo stress on the donkey and would slow down the ox, so that the work of farming the land would be hampered. This would be considered to be "unequally yoked" pair of animals. We can imagine today, what would happen if we tried to pull a mobile home with a 4 cylinder automobile, the car would be ripped apart. If we look at this in spiritual eyes, marriages can be like "oxen and donkeys yoked together" two very different people together, one saved who knows Yeshua, and one who isn't, the couple will be pulling in different directions, like a rope that gets tighter, and tighter, until it finally breaks. This could even be true in marriages with believers, the "field" being their life together, their "goal" to "serve the LORD" but one is a stronger believer, and the other very "weak" in the faith. Not to say that their lives together would end up in disaster, but there would be a lot of stress, struggles, together, when ploughing, we see a pair of "oxen" or "horses" because they both have the same strength, such should be today, a couple who growing spiritually together, together, the same goals of serving YHVH.

Chap 22:5 "A woman does not wear what pertains to a man, and a man does not wear what pertains to a woman," We see much controversy in this today, especially women wearing pants, when people say "Only men wear pants" But in Biblical times, men and women wore similar clothing, being "tunics" which were coverings of "one single piece of fabric" tied around the waist with a cloth or leather belt, and would reach to the ankles, or just below the knees. The difference of the "male and female tunics" would be the type of fabric and the design and/or color. Women wore "veils" and men did not, men often wore cloth head coverings similar to what Bedouins wear today. Today, in modern society, some jobs require "pants" for safety reasons, and women in the work place often have to wear pants for that reason

Chap 22:12 "Make tassels(Tzitzits) on the corners of the garment with which you cover yourselves" In ancient times, on top of the tunics, people would wear a piece of fabric similar to a "Mexican poncho" which was rectangular, on the four corners, one would make these "tassels" or "tzitziot" which would remind the wearer of the commandments of YHVH. Today, most clothing does not have 4 corners, with exception to certain shirts like "Guayaberas" popular in Central America and the Caribbean, these would require "tzitziot" if we are to fulfill this commandment, there are also "Tallit katans"  which are undershirts with the 4 corner tassels, which are wore under the regular shirt, some men tied "tiztzit" on their belt loops or on the belt itself, these "tzitizit" have 5 knots, and 4 "windings" the windings being of blue thread usually. the string is wound in series of 7, 8, 11, and 13 loops,   "7" being the "perfect number of YHVH,   "8" being (7 +8 - 15) Y=10, H=5 the first letters in the name YHVH,
11 = V (6) + H(5) = 11, and 13 being the "13 attributes of YHVH"   (Holiness, longsuffering, patient, forgiving, etc) . The 5 knots symbolize the first 5 books of the Torah. You can go to YouTube and look up, "how to tie Tzitzit" and there are different ways, I learned from one of those videos.

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ISAIAH 54:1-10

many women felt "ashamed" when they couldn't have children, that they couldn't fulfill the commandment "be fruitful and multiply" but YHVH is saying "NOT" to be ashamed, that HE is their husband, and even though they can not bear children, they can still be vessels of honor. And it is still true today, many women can not have children, yet they are still valuable in the eyes of YHVH and if they can do more for YHVH being single and without children, and if they marry, they can do still even more, as husband and wife team without children, many adopt children and minister to those adopted children in that way, which was my case, I was adopted by a family who could not have children.   They raised me as their own and taught me to honor YHVH.

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1 CORINTHIANS 5:1-5

Rav Shaul sends a letter of "reproof" to the church of Corinth, it was a very corrupt Greek city, and the local church suffered immorality among its believers. This happens today even, and when there is sin in churches and synagogues, gross sin, even adultery and fornication, the whole body suffers, and many times, there are consequences, the church/synagogue then has to apply "discipline" and expel such members unless they repent and show fruit of their repentence.

SHABBAT SHALOM V'SHAVUA TOV.......................Rabbi Ben Avraham

Thank you Jacob Ben Avraham for these writings! Nicely written! Are you the head of a messianic fellowship? I am part of a sabbath-keeping group in Bartlesville, Oklahoma - north Oklahoma.
I like how you apply the law.