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Parashat-Shoftim-Compressed.Pdf Parashat Shoftim THIS WEEK’S TORAH PORTION DEUTERONOMY 16:18-21:9 תרפש וש טפ י ם / Parashat Shoftim In this week’s guide… Rabbi Jason’s COMMENTARY discusses what may be the most significant Messianic prophecy in the entire Torah: the coming prophet who would be greater than Moses. For those of us who are passionate about the coming together of “old and new,” this Moses-Messiah connection is absolutely crucial! Rabbi Jason doesn’t just consider the similarities in the lives of these two men, but explores the subtle details in the original Hebrew that show how for all their similarity, Moses and Messiah are profoundly distinct. Be blessed as you study!....................... .........................1 Our NEW TESTAMENT TIE-IN connects three major “dots” in this week’s reading. Dot #1 is a remarkable text which foretells Israel’s request for a king (more the 400 years in the future!) and prescribes limits on those kings. Dots #2 and #3 are a surprise. Here’s what we do discover: there is no one like Yeshua! He truly is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, and…the King of kings! Oh, and while He always exceeds our expectations (Eph 3:20), we remain largely predictable........ .........................2 In BY THE NUMBERS Rabbi Jason expands our understanding of the word commonly translated “blameless” in our English Bibles. The numerical value of this word, along with other key words and phrases, challenges us to live in the freedom and possibility that we have access to through the great grace of Yeshua. You will be stirred to receive and release forgiveness, which has value in itself, but also moves us toward a life of deeper devotion to the Lord.......................................................... ........................4 ______________________________________________________________________ OVERVIEW One of the great challenges we humans have always faced is how to organize ourselves socially. At the bedrock of any peaceful, thriving society is justice, and justice requires clear expectations in order to operate. This is why our speed limits are posted. Shoftim is Hebrew for “judges,” as the portion begins by expounding requirements for the civil leadership provided by judges and officers. Regulations for priests and kings are also described. A highlight in Shoftim is Moses’ prophecy that “God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst” (xviii.15). FUSION GLOBAL WITH RABBI JASON תרפש וש טפ םי / Weekly Torah Portion – Parashat Shoftim Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 COMMENTARY by Rabbi Jason Sobel otice how the last lines of Deuteronomy 34 begin: “There has not risen again a prophet in Israel like Moses.” Why was the writer concerned that no prophet had yet to arise? What is the deeper meaning Nbehind these words? This passage refers to one of the most important messianic prophecies found in the entire Torah: “I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will speak to them all that I command him” (Deut. 18:18). God told the children of Israel that He would raise up a prophet who would be like Moses. Moses was a type—a prototype—of the Messiah. The Messiah would be a prophet like Moses in (1) His unique relationship and communication with God and (2) the signs and wonders He performed. Deuteronomy 18 and 34, when read together, unlock one of the most critical purposes of the Torah—to point to the prophet like Moses, the second Moses, the Messiah, who would bring a greater exodus. How a book finishes is one of the most significant indicators of its purpose and message. This passage was expressing the people’s longing for the promised Messiah-like Moses to come. The Hebrew letter mem offers another connection between Moses and the Messiah. It is written one way when it occurs at the beginning of a word (called the open mem due to the small opening in the lower-left corner of the letter) or anywhere inside a word. But,it is written a different way (sometimes called the closed mem) when it is the last letter of a word. The rabbis teach that the letter mem can represent a woman’s womb. begins—מעֶהֵ / In Hebrew, one of the biblical terms for “womb”—me’eh with the open mem (Ruth 1:11). The open mem represents an open womb—a woman’s ability to conceive in a usual way. The use of the closed mem in Isaiah 9:6 alludes to the fact that the Messiah would be conceived miraculously through a woman with a closed womb, one who should not naturally be able to bear a child. This phenomenon refers to the virgin spoken of in Isaiah 7:14. These two variants of the letter mem in Jewish tradition also point to the two great redeemers. The open mem points to Moses, who came as the first redeemer and a type of the Messiah (Deut. 18:18). The closed, or final, mem is symbolic of the second Redeemer, the Messiah, who will come at the end of history and bring the final redemption. Another reason the final mem is used in the middle of the phrase in Isaiah 9:6 in the word is that the Messiah, the One born of a virgin, will complete the work of salvation (םלרבה / increase” (leMarbeh“ as the second Redeemer at the end of time. 1 God’s appearing to Moses in a burning thorn bush was an eternal promise that the Lord would forever be with His people in their pain and suffering until the ending of the curse and the exile. Yeshua embodied this truth more than anyone and continually calls us to follow His example.The world needs people who will hear the Lord’s call and bring His message of salvation and healing to a hurting and dying world. All of us should follow Moses’ example and strive to be humble, for humility is necessary for godliness and is a prerequisite for Spirit-empowered leadership. Jesus demonstrated even greater humility than Moses. Yeshua, speaking to the mother of John and James, said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). Yeshua showed us at the cross, how far a humble man will go to serve God and people. Paul later wrote that Yeshua would empty Himself for us. Humble people give of themselves. In Matthew 23, Jesus told a group of Pharisees and scribes, “But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (vv. 11– 12). He was telling them that God will honor humility. He was teaching from His gift of humility. Jesus’ sacrificial humility was one of the proofs that He was the prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:18) that Israel had been eagerly awaiting. What does it mean to have humility like that of Jesus and Moses? Specifically, it means: 1. Not thinking too highly of yourself (Rom. 12:3) 2. Not thinking you are especially deserving of praise and honor (1 John 2:15–17) 3. Esteeming others as greater than yourself (Phil. 2:3) 4. Bearing insults (Prov. 12:16) 5. Not desiring positions of authority and fleeing honor (1 Pet 5:5) 6. Showing honor to all people (Rom. 12:10) Moses and Messiah Jesus embodied the essence of humility in thought, word, and deed. They consistently put others’ needs and honor before their own. NEW TESTAMENT TIE-IN There is an unusual, yet explicitly prophetic passage in this week’s Torah portion: “When you come to the land that Adonai your God is giving you, possess it and dwell in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations around me’” (Deut 17:14). Now compare that with the infamous episode that played out several centuries later under the Prophet Samuel’s leadership: “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Behold, you have grown old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us—like all the nations’” (1 Sam 8:4-5). Three primary restrictions were placed on Israel’s kings by this passage in the Torah: 1. He must not acquire many horses for himself (v. 16) 2. He must not acquire many wives for himself (v. 17) 3. He must not acquire excessive silver and gold for himself (v. 17) 2 While David is rightly considered Israel’s greatest king, primarily due to the covenant the Lord made with him (see 2 Samuel 7), his son Solomon—the “son of David”—is highly esteemed. There are at least two reasons for this, aside from his reputation as the wisest man who ever lived. First, under Solomon’s reign, the First Temple was built in Jerusalem, a true wonder of the ancient world. Second, unlike David’s rule, Israel enjoyed the heights of its prosperity. Consider this description: “Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea; they ate and drank and were happy. Solomon was sovereign over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life…and he had peace on all sides. During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all of them under their vines and fig trees” (1 Kings 4:20-25/NRSV).
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