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Scroll to Scroll Double Portion!

Todays Parsha #51: Nitzavim (you stand) and #52 Vayelech

Special Teaching, Moedim/Tishri 2014 Schedule
For more information, please see the 2014 Calendar under Other Resources and then
Calendar Tab. This schedule will be in the Notes throughout the Set-Apart season.
(Bonus Audio, Video and Written Teachings Will be Available for the Following):

Nitzvaim-Vayelech Parashot Sunset Fri Sept 19-Sunset Sat Sept 20
Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanna Sunset Wed Sept 24-Sunset Thu Sept 25
Fast of Gedaliah/Haazinu/Shabbat Shuvah Sunset Fri Sept 26-Sunset Sat Sept 27
Yom Kippur (25 hour fast thru Shabbat) Sunset Fri Oct 3-Sunset Sat Oct 4
Sukkot (1
st
day) Sunset Wed Oct 8-Sunset Thu Oct 9
Sukkot (2
nd
day) Sunset Thu Oct 9-Sunset Fri Oct 10
Shabbat Middle of Sukkot/Chol HaMoed Sunset Fri Oct 10-Sunset Sat Oct 11
Shemini Etzeret/Simchat Torah Sunset Wed Oct 15-Sunset Thu Oct 16
(Those outside of Israel have Shemini Etzeret and Simchat Torah on the same day.
Includes last parsha, #54, VeZot Ha-Berachah, or The Blessing of the Tribes)

Return to First Parsha, Bereshit Sunset Fri Oct 17-Sunset Sat Oct 18

PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEKS STUDY QUESTIONS (Ki Tavo):

1) What is the difference between the phrase land of Canaan and land flowing
with milk and honey?

The difference is that Canaan encompasses 7 nations but milk and honey
only flows through 6 of them: Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Hivites,
Perizities, and Jebusites. The Girgashites are excluded in the milk and
honey description which may mean milk and honey did NOT flow through
Girgashite territory. Other authorities believe that the Girgashites got
absorbed by one of the other six nations, but if so, there is no evidence of this
in the Torah text.

2) Where did we encounter the family line of Islams founder this week?

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Lift up your eyes and look around: all are assembling and coming towards
you, your sons coming from far away and your daughters being carried on
the hip.
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At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart will throb and dilate,
since the riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to
you;
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camels in throngs will fill your streets, the young camels of Midian
and Ephah; everyone in Saba will come, bringing gold and incense and
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proclaiming Yahweh's praises.
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All the flocks of Kedar will gather inside
you, the rams of Nebaioth will be at your service as acceptable victims on my
altar, and I shall glorify my glorious house. (Isaiah 60:4-7 NJB)

According to Muslim belief, Mohammed came from the tribe of Kedar.

3) If you know the answer to #2, how does YHWH feel about this lineage?

Kedar is a cursed tribe and it is also doomed

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For this is what the Lord has told me, 'In one year's time as a hired worker
reckons it, all the glory of Kedar will be finished
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and, of the valiant
archers, the Kedarites, hardly any will be left, for Yahweh, God of Israel, has
spoken.' (Isaiah 21:16-17 NJB)

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To Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which were conquered by
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Yahweh says this: Up! March on Kedar,
destroy the sons of the east!
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Let their tents and their flocks be captured,
their tent-cloths and all their gear; let their camels be seized and the shout go
up, 'Terror on every side!' (Jeremiah 49:28-29 NJB)

4) Wild card question (not necessarily from this portion): One of Moshes direct
descendants may have gone into paganism but this was partially covered up by
the Masoretic scribes who compiled the traditional text. Where is this clue and
how do we understand this cover ups reasoning?

The answer is here in Judges 18

They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who
was born in Israel; however, the name of the city formerly was Laish. The
sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of
Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of
the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. So they set up for
themselves Micah's graven image which he had made, all the time that the
house of God was at Shiloh. (Judges 18:29-31 NAU)

JPS says

Here Manasseh has a suspended nun ( ) indicating an earlier reading
Moses; c.f. Exodus 2:22.

And Stone Tanakh also explains this well

The letter N of Manasseh is suspended above the line. This implies that the
remaining letters are to be read as an independent wordMoses. The
Talmud therefore identifies the Jonathan of our verse as the son of Gershom,
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the son of Moses (Exodus 2:21-22) but out of respect for Moses a letter was
added to mask his name.- The Stone Edition Tanakh, p. 632

5) How does the Parable of the Sower contain a clue about the giving of the Ten
Commandments and the events that followed?

22 And that which was sown into a thorny place is he that hears the word and
the cares of this world and the deception of riches choke the word, and it
becomes without fruit.

This reference to a THORNY place is a reference to Mount Sinai, for Sinai
means thorny in Hebrew. The word, or the SEED fell at Sinai and the cares of
the world choked the Israelites, causing that generation to die.

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AND NOW FOR THIS WEEKS PORTION

1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:

Nitzvaim means you stand and it begins with more warnings for the price of
disobedience. This is literally the beginning of the end of Israelite wandering and
Moshes own life, so it is critical that every opportunity be taken to explain
Israels responsibilities to them. This is an abnormally short portion, and this year
it is combined with Vayelech.

2) Parsha (English-Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20.) This week we will read the entire
portion.

3) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.

4) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:

ATEM NITZAVIM HA YOM (29:9) = you are standing today. Another
word/root is TZAV which means to command; lay a charge upon, so as the
Israelites stand they also receive their charges. Also the fact they are standing
before YHWH has some rabbis believe they were literally standing near the Ark.

VE GERECHA ASHER BE KEREV MACHANEYCHA (29:10) = from the
proselyte/alien who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water. The
implication is some of the workers or artisans were perhaps of other races,
referencing the EREV RAB (mixed multitude) that came out of Egypt and
attached to Israel (Exodus 12:38-40).

ALAH (29:11) = oath but more accurately CURSE. The acceptance of the
covenant includes penalties for breaking it. It may be shocking to some that when
a Biblical speaker hears the phrase from Islam about ALLAH, this meaning could
easily come to mind. However, to be fair, AL/EL is the general Semitic
designation for god, going from Akkadian on forward into Hebrew and
Aramaic and Arabic. Islamic use of ALLAH is probably borne more directly from
their Aramaic dialects accenting of Hebrew ELOAH, which would be ALAHA.
Arabic has a tendency to drop the final AH sounds from proper nouns and names.
As a result, Aramaic word for lightNOHRAbecomes NOHR in Arabic.
Similarly, ALAHA, which the Arabians would have heard about in Aramaic by
the Aramaic Christians who were in their country 300 years before Mohammed
was even born, would have had its final AH dropped also. The end result is that
ALAHA (Eloah) becomes ALLAH in Arabic. While there is no direct linkage
between this Hebrew word to CURSE and Islams ALLAH it remains a
significant fact that YHWH is not called upon even once in their scriptures.

Another way to look at the dynamics within this word is to suggest that when one
keeps the OATH, one avoids the CURSE for breaking it.
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ASHER EYNEYNU POH IMANU HA YOM (29:14) = who are not with us
today. That is to say, future generations who are just as redeemed from bondage
as the first generations after the Exodus were. This is why in the Hagaddah, the
traditional rabbinic telling of the Passover story, there is a line that says, And if
the Mighty One, blessed be He, had not redeemed our ancestors from Egypt, we
too might still be there. When YHWH redeems it is for all times. When man
redeems it is always temporary.

WORMWOOD (29:17) = from Bible.ort.org:
Laanah in Hebrew; aklam in Arabic (Saadia; Ibn Janach), exenjos in Old Spanish
(Radak, Sherashim). Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is an herb yielding a
bitter, dark green oil. A paradigm of bitterness, and hence translated merely as
'bitterness' (pikra) by the Septuagint. Linkage to Revelation and the star
Wormwood is pretty obvious (AGR).

HITH BAREKH (29:18) = rationalize but literally bless himself. This becomes
a stunning rebuke not just for folks then but for many believers today. Many
people ask YHWH for blessings but the Hebrew people are unique and always
bless YHWH FIRST and then ask. As this text clearly says, those who bless
themselves are headed for trouble!

LI KI BISHRIUT LIBI (29:18) = even if I do as I see fit but literally, according
to the vision of my heart.

ET SHAVUCHA VERICHAMECHA (30:3) = bring back your remnants, can
also read bring back your captives. In a sense, those who are in exile are in
captivity.

IM YIHIYEH NIDACHACHA BIKTSEH HASHAMAYIM MISHAM
YEKABETSA YAHWEH ELOHEYCHA UMISHAM YIKACHECHA (30:4) =
even if your exile extends to the furthest reach of the heavens, Yahweh your
Elohim will gather you up from there and He will take you back. As Yeshayahu
explains in his 50
th
chapter, Abba YHWH asks WHERE is your certificate of
divorce that I abandoned you with? and this is a QUESTION, not a statement.
Because Abba YHWH did exile Israel (to use the metaphor of a bad marriage, He
put the wife out of the house for adultery with other gods) but He never gave her a
WRIT of divorce to end the marriage. As a result, Abba YHWH, as the One who
was cheated on had the discretion to decide to keep the marriage going, so that
when He had forgiven Israel, He could bring her back instantly back into the
house.

MUL (30:6) = remove, but more accurately, YHWH will CIRCUMCISE your
hearts.

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VEHOTIRCHA (30:9) = and you will prosper, but also can mean will let you
live.

LO BASHAMAYIM HI (30:12) = It is not in heaven! This is a battle cry the
rabbis give in support of the Oral Law. More details in the Torah Thought for the
Week.

VENIDACHTA (30:17) = drawn away is the usual rendering, but this implies a
kind of passive seduction of going to false gods. Instead, the other meanings
suggest English terms like force, push out, expel.

HA-IDOTI VAHEM HA-YOM ET-HA-SHAMAYIM VEET HA-ERETZ
(30:19) = I call before you this day the heavens and the earth as witnesses against
you. Since Abba YHWH will say in the next few words this is a matter of life and
death, 2 witnesses are required to put anyone to death, even if Abba YHWH is
one of the Witnesses bringing the charge. The heavens and the earthat least in
some metaphoric sensemust agree with Abba YHWH on this matter in much
the same way the 2 angels sent to Sodom had to sign off before destruction
came there. The fact is, in some rare cases, a 3
rd
witness can contradict the other
2 witnesses and force an additional witness to be found to decide the matter. But
in almost all cases, 2 witnesses is just fine in capital cases.

Torah Question of the Week:
What ancient Jewish prayer is suggested by the opening words of this Torah
portion?

END PART 1

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PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
What ancient Jewish prayer is suggested by the opening words of this Torah
portion?

The title is YOU STAND, and Nitzavim suggested a STANDING PRAYER as the
Israelites are literally before the presence of YHWH. Today we call the standing
prayer, which is said on Yom Kippur and other key times of the year AMIDAH (to
stand).

1) Haftorah portion (English- Isaiah 61:10-63:9) and discuss common themes with
the Torah portion.

2) Our linguistic commentary

Please note the use throughout this portion of YASHA, YESHA and similar
phrases all from the root meaning salvation, to deliver. This is the same root as
Yshuas name. Take notice of 62:1 in Hebrew.

TZIMCHA (61:11) = branch or sprouts. The same word used prophetically in
Jeremiah 23:5-6 regarding Yshua. Noting also this is a sound-alike for SIMCHA
(joy).

TIPHERET (62:3) = beauty, but particularly, the kind of beauty that brings
harmony. In mystical thought (Isa 62:3 WTT) this term is an attribute of
YHWH that unifies masculine and feminine aspects in a harmonious heart.

TZANIPH (62:3) = turban or diadem. Compare with the imagery of high priest
Yehoshua ben Yehozadak in Zechariah 6:12.

NISHBA YAHWEH BIMINO UVIZROA UZO (62:8) = Yahweh has sworn by
His right (hand) and His strong arm. YAMIN means right. When Benjamin
was named as BIN-YAMIN the literal meaning was son of my right hand.
However it has always been understood as also meaning son of my strength
since the right hand is usually the strong hand for people (I am left handed).
Rachel originally wanted to name her son Ben Oni or son of my pain. Jacob
though did not want the child to go through life feeling guilty of causing his
mother pain and death in childbirth. So Jacob reasoned Rachel poured the last of
her strength into giving him life. In any case the proximity of these two terms of
right and strength shows in part why the two concepts became associated
with one another.

IMRU LEVAT-TSIYON HINEY YISHECH BA HINEH SCHARO ITO
IFEULATO LEFANA (62:11) = Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold your
salvation comes and behold his reward is with him and his recompense is before
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him. These words are quoted fairly closely by Yshua at the end Revelation and
apply to him! In Aramaic Revelation 22:13 Yshuas declaration reads:

HA ATEH ANA MEKHDA (behold, come I suddenly/quickly)
WAGRI AMI (and my reward [is] with me)
WETEL LKOLNASH (to recompense all men/everyone)
AYKH AVADEH (according to their deeds)

BEAPI (63:3) = by my anger but literally nostril as a kind of nasty snort.

BECHAMATI (63:3) = wrath, but literally my heat.

NITZCHAM (63:3) = juice of grapes, used euphemistically as an image of
bloodshed. However, the same exact root can mean eternity, perpetuity.

USHNAT GEULI BAAH (63:4) = year of my redemption has come. The sense
of redemption, whether with Boaz to Ruth or YHWH buying Israel for a dear
price, is always reflected in the word GAAL, as it is here. This sense of
transferring ownership back most squarely though applies to the Jubilee so I
believe this year of redemption is a synonym for a Jubilee or Yovel year. But
notice that it is MY YEAR, implying that YHWHs schedule for redemption is
different than what man supposed it to be. The point seems even stronger when
we read the next two lines in that context. Remember YHWH is speaking here,
not Isaiah! See GAAL also in 63:9.

Also read the next line AFTER the portion ends, and they grieved Him in His
Ruach ha Kodesh! What a line to leave out (63:10)!

3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English). Romans 9:30-10:13 (all the way through
with applicable footnotes.)

Romans 9:32

55) When the Israelites followed Moshe and were obedient to YHWH by faith,
they won their battles, but when they rebelled they lost and suffered great
casualties. In our day when Jews seek YHWH by faith, they find Mashiyach, but
they stumble when they focus not on faith but "works of Torah" according to
religious authorities and traditions. Mashiyach is the greatest "stumbling stone"
to man's religions but let's not pick on Jews only, because this applies equally to
every other soul who regards their own religious traditions as more authoritative
than YHWH and His Mashiyach.

Romans 10:8

58) Rom_10:6-8 is a wonderful Midrash on Deu_30:11-14 which reads: For this
Torah which I am laying down for you today is neither obscure for you nor
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beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, Who will go
up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we can hear and practice it?
Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, Who will cross the seas
for us and bring it back to us, so that we can hear and do it? No, the word is
very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to put into
practice. A common traditional saying among rabbis is derived from this verse,
haTorah lo baShamayim hi (the Torah is not in heaven) which is used as their
justification to twist the written Torah into subjugation under their oral traditions.
Instead Rav Shaul teaches, who will ascend to heaven and bring Mashiyach
down? and who will go down and raise Mashiyach from the dead? Paul is
elegantly expressing Yshua as the Living Torah through the very power of Torah
itself. He purposefully and literally interchanges Yshua with Torah in this quote
and on very good authority. Yshua said, I am the Living Bread who has
descended from Heaven Joh_6:51.

Romans 10:12

60) The first time in this epistle where YHWH (MarYah) is used instead of
Elohim/Eloah. This verse indicates the ONENESS of the Malchut Elohim. ONE
YHWH, One Kingship and One People. This is a continuum; NOT a drastic
change in Covenant, but a renewal of YHWH's people unto Himself.

Romans 10:13

61) MarYah, as opposed to the Greek kurios, can only refer to YHWH, giving
Aramaic a huge interpretive advantage. It is a critical fact, as is pointed out here,
that Rav Shaul specifically tells believers to call on the name of YHWH, which is
certainly not at all represented by the name "Jesus." Joh_17:11 tells us that the
name of Y'shua is of the name YHWH. Before Rav Shaul came to believe,
Y'shua had already ascended to the Right Hand of YHWH (Rev_19:13). Prayer
was being offered unto YHWH in the name of Y'shua. Y'shua stated that his
mission was to bring glory to His Father YHWH. Y'shua's name (YHWH is
salvation) is accomplishing the salvation of YHWH. It was also prophetic that
the Gentiles would come to know the Name of YHWH, according to Jer_16:19-
21 : "O YHWH, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of
affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto you from the ends of the earth and shall
say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no
profit. Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? Therefore,
behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand
and my might; and they shall know that my name is YHWH." And, of course, this
is to be done according to the Perfect work of Mashiyach!






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4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will read):

5) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (Even today
people can get confused about something as simple as the Oneness of YHWH and
how that manifests through His Son. The answer though has always been to root
ourselves in proper Hebrew and Aramaic terms that dont change rather than
English ones that do.)

6) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion
(See NT Misconception #8: End of the Torah, p. 803).

STUDY QUESTIONS ARE AT THE END OF VAYELECH

Torah Thought for the Week (Nitzvaim):
The Wrong Battle Cry: Lo Bashamayim Hi

In the Talmud, Tractate Baba Metzia says the following:

R. Eliezer declared that a certain oven made out of separate coils of clay is not
susceptible to ritual defilement, while the sages declared that it was.

To prove his case, R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument, but the
Sages did not accept any of them. Finally, he said to them If the Halakhah
(religious law) is in accordance with me, let this carob tree prove it! Sure
enough, the carob tree immediately uprooted itself and moved from its place. No
proof can be brought from a carob tree, the sages retorted.

R. Eliezer then said to them If the Halakhah agrees with me, let the channel of
water prove it! Sure enough, the channel of water flowed backward. No proof
can be brought from a channel of water, they rejoined.

Again he urged, If the Halakhah agrees with me, let the walls of the house of
study prove it! Sure enough, the walls tilted as if to fall. But R. Joshua rebuked
the walls, saying, When disciples of the wise are engaged in a halakhic dispute,
what right have you to interfere? Hence, in deference to R. Joshua they did not
fall and in deference to R. Eliezer they did not resume their upright position; they
are still standing aslant to this day.
Again, R. Eliezer then said to the Sages, If the Halakhah agrees with me, let it be
proved from heaven. Sure enough, a divine voice (a Bat Kol) cried out, Why do
you dispute with R. Eliezer, with whom the Halakhah always agrees? R. Joshua
stood up and protested: Lo Bashamayim Hi The Torah is not in heaven! (Deut.
30:12). We pay no attention to a divine voice because long ago at Mount Sinai
You, God, wrote in your Torah, After the majority must one incline. (Ex. 23:2)

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The phrase LO BASHAMAYIM HI obviously comes from this Torah portion,
Deuteronomy 30:12, and it is in my opinion the most Rabbinically TWISTED statement
of them all. The original context, clear in both Hebrew and English is that the Torah is
NOT hard!

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'For this Law which I am laying down for you today is neither obscure for you
nor beyond your reach.
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It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, "Who
will go up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we can hear and
practice it?"
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Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, "Who will
cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we can hear and practice it?"
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No, the word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for
you to put into practice. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14 NJB)

Who are the people that are hearing this instruction? Surely not just the priests and
leaders but ALL of Israel! The Torah is therefore NEAR all of Israel to hear it and do it.
Now this is not to say they dont obey the rulings of priests and elders in certain areas.
Rather, the Torah as a general model is NOT HARD. The concepts and goals of it are
easy to discern when a person of course grows up in that culture of priests and other
leaders to build the overall infrastructure.

But thats not what the Rabbis are saying. Instead, they are saying almost the opposite
that they alone have authority to interpret Torah away not just from the people but away
even from YHWH Himself Who clearly disagreed with them. And they say back to
YHWH, We dont listen to the divine voice!

The other justification is after the majority you shall incline. However Exodus 23:2
DOES NOT READ THIS WAY!

You must not carry false rumors; you shall not join hands with the guilty to act as
a malicious witness:
2
You shall neither side with the mighty to do wrong -- you
shall not give perverse testimony in a dispute so as to pervert it in favor of the
mighty --
3
nor shall you show deference to a poor man in his dispute. (Exodus
23:1-3 JPS 1985)

1985 and 199 JPS water things down a little bit, opting for side with the mighty to do
wrong when really the word is CROWD. Actually the 1917 JPS, KJV-style language
style aside, has a way more accurate reading

Thou shalt not utter a false report; put not thy hand with the wicked to be an
unrighteous witness.
2
Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt
thou bear witness in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to pervert justice;
3
neither
shalt thou favor a poor man in his cause. (Exodus 23:1-3 JPS 1917)

So instead of inclining after the majority the real reading is NOT to incline after the
majority to do an evil act. Check most other translations, Jewish and Christian, and they
agree. BTW that includes the Stone Tanakhthe one version you would think would
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back up the Mishnah quote here. The reason this reading is confirmed is the Hebrew is
so amazingly clear going word for word:

LO (do not) TIHYEH (incline/follow) AKHRI (after) RABIIM (crowds/multitudes)
LERAOT (to evil).

Therefore, both Torah lines are being misread, and thats putting it nicely. The Rabbis
have turned LO BAHSMAYIM HI from a cry of independence that the common person
can broadly at least understand the Torah into a dictatorship where only the Rabbis have
the right answerseven if that means telling Abba YHWH to literally take a hike.

And when YHWH spoke clearly and plainly through His Son Yshua, they didnt hear
that voice either. I say these things for a simple reason: To show clearly why the Oral
Law as a WHOLE is a power grab. This is not the say the Rabbis dont do a lot of great
work and get a lot of stuff right in the overall system because they do. But it is the
locking down of all dissent and debate that is wrongso many believers came out of the
church for this same behaviorthey dont need to substitute one system of manmade
rules for another.

Nor is this an isolated case in the Talmud. The same tractate allegedly has YHWH
rejoicing and laughing, My children have defeated me! I dont think so. Instead
YHWHs own son said the opposite

Mat 11:28 Come to me all who labor and bear burdens, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Bear my yoke
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upon you and learn from me. That I am tranquil and I
am meek, and in my heart you will find tranquility in your souls.
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Mat 11:30 For my yoke is pleasant and my burden
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is light."

And when the Pharisees try to do otherwise, make that power grab AWAY from Written
Torah which they do have authority to use if they dont put in Oral Law, Yshua says
this:

Mat 23:13 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees! Hypocrites! For you shut up the
Kingdom of Heaven before the sons of men. For you are not entering yourselves, and
those who would enter you do not allow to enter.

Mat 23:14 "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees! Hypocrites! For you consume the
houses of widows, and that for a pretense you lengthen your prayers. Because of this
you will receive a greater judgment.

Mat 23:15 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees! Hypocrites! For you traverse sea and
land that you might make one proselyte, and when he has become one, you make him
double the son of Gehenna that you are yourselves.
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Strong words, no doubt. But that didnt mean all Pharisees were wrong or badonly that
they should have stuck to rulings on the WRITTEN TORAH, which when they properly
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understand, Yshua says in Mark 12, You are NOT FAR from the Kingdom of YHWH.
That is because that Pharisees did the Written Torah which brought him near---theres no
other way to view it.

But I think the best lesson on this Yshua left for Rav Shaul to finish up, as he explains
that since Yshua is the Torah made flesh we should read Deuteronomy 30 just a little bit
differently than the rabbis of the Mishnah

Rom 10:4 For Mashiyach is the goal
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of Torah for righteousness to everyone that
believes in him.
Rom 10:5 For Moshe describes the righteousness which is by Torah, this way:
Whoever will do these things will live by them.
Rom 10:6 But the righteousness which is by faith, says thus: "You will not say in
your heart, 'Who ascends to heaven and brings Mashiyach down?'
Rom 10:7 Or, 'Who descends to the abyss of Sheol and brings up Mashiyach from
the house of the dead?'"
Rom 10:8 But what says it? "The thing is near to your mouth and to your heart":
that is, the Word of Faith which we declare.
Rom 10:9 And if you will confess
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with your mouth our Master Y'shua, and will
believe with your heart that Elohim has raised him from the dead, you will live.
Rom 10:10 For the heart that believes in him is made righteous; and the mouth
that confess him is restored to life.
Rom 10:11 For the Scripture says: "Everyone that believes in him will not be
ashamed."
Rom 10:12 And in this, it discriminates neither Jews nor Gentiles. For there is
one, Master YHWH,
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over them all, who is abundantly generous towards every
one that calls on him.
Rom 10:13 For everyone that will call on the name of Master YHWH,
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will have
life.

I quoted part of this Scripture a few weeks back but in a different context. Nevertheless,
the point stands. Yshua is the GOAL of Torah and he HAS come down from heaven
and he HAS risen up from the dead, so that we dont have to think about how WE can do
these things. And he came back to bring that Torah NEAR to us once more!

That is the real lesson behind LO BASHAMAYIM HI. It is not that the Father made the
Torah so hard as to put it far away from us but that He sent His Son Yshua to show us
how to properly UNDERSTAND IT, as Yshua told his disciples

Luk 24:44 And he said to them, "These are the words that I spoke with you while I
was with you, that it was necessary that all things that were written in the Torah
of Moshe and in the prophets and in the Psalms
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concerning me be fulfilled."
Luk 24:45 Then he opened their mind to understand the Scriptures.
Luk 24:46 And he said to them that, "Thus it is written and thus it was right that the
Mashiyach suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.
So it was written. So it shall be done!
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Scroll to Scroll:

Todays Parsha #52: Vayelech (and he went/walked)


PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS


AND NOW FOR THIS WEEKS PORTION

5) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:

Vayelech means, and he went out/walked referring of course to Moshe. The
portion begins in a time of transition, where Joshua is brought forward as the next
leader and final instructions to Israel are given. The portion ends with Moshe
recording the words to a song, but those words are not given until the following
portion, Haazinu. Tradition says that everything from this point on to the end of
Deuteronomy is the same day, the day of Moshes death, excepting of course the
funeral and mourning details that tradition says were penned by Joshua.

6) Parsha (English-Deuteronomy 31:1-30.) This week we will read the entire
portion.

7) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.

8) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:

VAYELECH (31:1) = literally, and he WALKED out, suggesting that Moshe
went to the leaders rather than assembling them to him.

VAYOMER ALEHEM BEN-MEAH VEESRIM SHANAH ANOCHI HA
YOM (31:2) = and he said to them, I am 120 years old today. Moshe is in fact
exactly 120 years old this day, the day of his death.

YAHWEH ELOHEYCHA HU OVER LEFANEYCHA (31:3) = Yahweh your
Elohim will cross over before you. ABAR means to cross over, and from this we
get the word for Hebrew, those from across. Since Moshe cannot make the
journey, YHWH does so by crossing over those who are named cross-over
people.

CHIZKU VEIMTZU (31:6) = be strong and brave or strong and be strengthened.
The double root exploitation is an amplifier of the strengthening YHWH will give
Joshua and, by extension, all of Israel. Same in 31:7, CHAZAK VEEMATS.

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VAYICHTOV MOSHE ET-TORAH HAZOT (31:9) = Moshe then wrote this
Torah. Some say this was all the instructions up to this passage. Others argue it
was all the Torah just prior to Moshes death.

HANOSEIM ET-ARON (31:9) = those who carried the ark, as opposed to
those who were simply in charge of the ark. This may indicate the original
packing of the Ark, the instructions for which were given in Numbers 4:5.

VEHSMAERU LAASOT ET-KOL DIVREY HA-TORAH HAZOT (31:12) =
and guarding and keeping and carefully doing all the words of this Torah. all the
words may indicate a fixed text up until this time. Others may argue for various
snippets of Deuteronomy being intended here but there is no certain opinion on
what these instructions actually were from there. I am inclined to believe all the
words of the Torah were read at this point at the end of each 7
th
year, either on the
1
st
or 2
nd
day of Sukkot, and this is why also we recycle on the 1 year cycle back
to Genesis 1 on the Shabbat after Sukkot.

TZAVAH (31:14) = literally, lay a charge upon him. In more laymans
language YHWH is commissioning Joshua for service as Israels leader.

HISTARTI PANEY (31:17) = hide My face, or to remove divine protection from
Israel due to their disobedience.

SHIRAH (31:19) = song. Since this song would have melodies for the text that
begins in 32:1, this may be the first record of a cantoring tradition for what will
become the received Torah text. Obviously YHWH is explaining to Moshe the
need for music as a memory device.

VAYEHI KECHALOT MOSHE LICHTOV ET-DIVREY HA-TORAH HA-ZOT
AL-SEFER AD TUMAM (31:24) = and Moshe finished writing the words of this
Torah in a scroll to the very end. There is no consensus on what this precisely
means. My opinion at the moment, subject to change should better evidence
come along, is that at this moment, Moshe began writing everything from 31:24
until 34:4, at which point Joshua pens the last 7 lines that happen after Moshes
death. Others argue that chapters 32 and 33 had already been completed before
this moment, but they give no account as to why the order of them would have
been altered or by whom such alteration came.

VESAMTEM OTO MITSOD ARON (31:26) = and place (the Torah scroll) to the
side of the ark. From Bibleort.org: On a shelf attached to the ark (Bava Bathra
14b; Rashi). Others say that it was inside the ark, to the side of the tablets (Bava
Bathra 14a). According to the first opinion, the Torah was later placed on the
chest of gold sent by the Philistines, which was placed near the ark (Ibid.; see 1
Samuel 6:8).

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HAKHELIU ELAY (31:28) = gather to me, meaning assemble quietly to me,
without blowing the shofar. The initial meeting is with the elders only. When the
shofar is sounded, the instructions will then be imparted to the rest of Israel.

BACHARIT HA YAMIM (31:29) = eventually, but literally in the end of
days. Perhaps this may also be a clue about our future?

Torah Question of the Week:
What is the meaning of the phrase, I can no longer come and go?

END PART 1

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PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
What is the meaning of the phrase, I can no longer come and go?

LO-UCHAL OD LATSET VELAVO (31:2) = I can no longer come or go.
This is not a physical impediment due to Moshes age as elsewhere we are
told his natural strength held true to the very end. Rather this may indicate
that Moshe cannot lead them as before because they are going over to
Canaan where as he cannot do so.

7) Haftorah portion (English- Isaiah 55:6-56:8) and discuss common themes with the
Torah portion.

8) Our linguistic commentary

(dirshu) DARASH (55:6) = seek, but more accurately, to learn of and investigate
regarding YHWH while He may be near.

VEYASHOV EL-YAHWEH (55:7) = and let him return to YHWH. This is why,
this idea of returning, links this portion to the time around the Shabbat Shubah,
the Shabbat of Returning which is in this case the following Shabbat.

LO YASHUV ELAY REYKHAM KI IM ASAH (55:11) = it (My Word) will not
return to Me ineffective (without working, empty handed). It is no coincidence
that 55:10 talks about rain and now we have an image of the Word returning with
effect. At one level this is due to the rejuvenating aspects of rain and snow. On
another level though it reminds us how the dove returned with a branch in its
mouth to let Noah know the floods had receded.

KOH AMAR YAHWEH SHIMRU MISHPAT VAASU TZEDAKAH KI-
KROVAH YESHUA-TI LAVO VETSIDKATI LEHIGALOT (56:1) = So says
Yahweh, guard justice and perform fairness, for My Salvation is close at hand and
My righteousness will reveal itself. Two key words are SALVATION
(YESHUA) and REVEAL (GELA/GALOT = Galilee)!

BEN ADAM (56:2) = the son of Man. Having just prophesied Yshua above,
Isaiah refers to his title of Son of Man. It is clear that this phrase is separate
from just a regular man in the Hebrew.

KI VEYTI BEYT TEFILLAH YIKARE LECHOL HA-AMIM (56:7) = My
House, a House of Prayer it will be called, for all the nations. Now we move on to
a quote from the actual Son of Man, as he says this when driving out the
moneychangers.

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9) Renewed Covenant portion: (English). Matthew 28:16-20 (all the way through
with applicable footnotes.)

Matthew 28:19

299) Aramaic has name singular which does not support the traditional
trinity theology. Ruach haKodesh is a title for YHWH, see Isa_63:1-11;
Psa_51:1-11. The Son has his Fathers Name within him and the Father keeps
His people in His Name; Joh_17:11. As a result, imagine three branches of the
same tree rather than three separate trees. Each branch is united by the
Name/Title of the One Divine Personality that is YHWH Elohim. This linkage is
established in Shemot/Exo_23:20-22 where a Messenger, unlike any other
angel can forgive sin because YHWH says, for My Name is in Him. All
other angels have EL in their name but Yshuas Name is above the angels,
hence Yah/YHWH is in Yshuas name (Mat_1:21, Heb_1:1-5). Nazarenes have
from the very beginning taught salvation in the Name of YHWH. See Immerser
in Appendix.

Matthew 28:20

300) Or end of the age, as Aramaic alma means both. The exact meanings apply
to the Greek word aion used here, making this one of the few times where an
original Aramaic word is perfectly matched with the Greek.

10) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will read):

BSHEM AWA WBARA WRUKHA DQUDSHA: NAME (singular!) of the
Father and the Son and the Ruach Ha Kodesh. (Read footnote 276). Also please
note that while in the Hebrew letters the BEYT is aspirated which in Hebrew
would give a V sound, the Aramaic dictates a W. Also the 6
th
letter is WAW
rather than VAV in Aramaic pronunciation. This is one of the few times the
pointing leads to an unexpected pronunciation. One must still understand each
dialect of Hebrew and Aramaic on their own rules and merit.

11) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (Exactly what I
said last week: It is important to have a good understanding of the Oneness of
YHWH and not seek after neo-pagan traditions or bad English terminology.)

12) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion
(Immerser, p. 865-867).

STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK

Please note: These questions relate to Nitzvaim, not Vayelech.

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1) In this short Torah portion is a little line that totally blows of the water the false
Christian teaching of Dispensationalismor the idea that there was ONLY an
Age of Law in the Tanakh and ONLY an Age of Grace in the NT. Where is that
line?

2) The Rabbis have started the Haftorah portion at 61:10 rather than 61:1, perhaps
because Yshua read from 61:1 in Luke 4. However, while they may have
avoided quoting from Yshua, they ran right smack dab into quoting someone else
who is fairly important to Yshua as well! Who is this person and where is the
quote?

3) How is a detail in this Torah portion directly linked to one of the greatest miracles
in Exodus?

Torah Thought for the Week (Vayelech):
People Get Ready

When you meet folks who have come out of the church as often as I have, you will soon
find that there are a bunch of extremes to deal with. Many of course are angry at having
been lied tothey will characterize it that way so I dont have toothers are depressed
leaving their family and friends behind and are like Lots wife pining away at what they
no longer do to varying degrees.

While these folks are all committed to Torah and keeping a proper Hebrew Roots
lifestyle, I have noticed that many of our own leaders seem ill-equipped to help these
folks as they are transitioning.

So, when I moved to Georgia, I was curious as to what folks missed back in church that
they dont have currently in HR worship, and many told me, they missed the music.

At first, I found that a bit odd. I mean we have a number of talented HR artists like Paul
Wilbur, Ted Pearce, Marty Goetz and a few others I could name. But apparently, except
for Kadosh and about a dozen other songs, people felt there was a richness in their old
hymnal tradition that was eluding them over here.

Okay, I thought, maybe we could adopt some of those songs too. So when I and others
began putting a band together in Georgia, we looked at some Gospel and Contemporary
Christian stuff that we could tweak.

I started with Amazing Grace and had noted that in recent years many folks were
playing it to the tune of House of the Rising Sun by the Animals. I decided to take it a
step further and put in the last one third of Stairway to Heaven from the bridge, to the
lead to the end, with new words of course. The result was The Amazing House of
Graces Stairway to Heaven, with an extra little bit of another Led Zeppelin song, Babe
Im Gonna Leave Younow re-named Babe, Im Gonna Leave Here, about Yshuas
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return. Folks who have heard us do it live have told me they like it a lot, but the reality is
we are still tweaking it.

Then, looking at Contemporary Christian stuff, it was clearly a mixed bag because what
we were going to sing had to line up with HR theology and have proper Names in it, so
that took a while to sort through. Ironically one of the songs we adapted ended up being
one I was scheduling a parody of. This group Jesus Culture (I know, but its their
name, not mine to change) did a song called I Love your Presence that I wanted to turn
into a sequel of Scary Mithras as I Love Your Presentsmeaning gifts of course.
But ultimately I just adapted the original and moved on.

Now why am I telling you all this about music? Because, as I was getting ready to write
this a very old Christian hymn popped into my head unexpectedly. But I didnt pick this
one up from a church service but from 1980s MTV, because the song People Get
Ready got covered by Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart and it became a pop hit at that time.
Its a short and simple song that also is appropriate for this time of year, and it went like
this

People get ready, there's a train comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
You don't need no ticket you just thank the Lord

Well I certainly wish we would not carry our baggage into the Days of Awe, but when we
remember what this time of year is for, we kind of have to. Its our baggage we need
to repent of, our excuses that we will need to get rid of, in order to get to the real
destinations important stop of Yom Kippur.

But before we get there, we kind of earn our way through faith as the song says but also
through good Torah observant fruits. Even as we celebrate Yom Teruah and look
forward to Sukkot, we know theres serious work to get done, and that work can only be
completed with a mature faith submitting to the will of Abba YHWH at this most
important time of year.

You may not need a ticket as the song says, but I wouldnt call it a free ride exactly
either. Next part of the song is

People get ready, there's a train to Jordan
Picking up passengers coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board them
There's hope for all among those loved the most

Well as long as we are all going to Jordan, how about a stop in Jerusalem first? Thats the
place to be if we have the means to get there. Faith surely is the keyto knowing how to
set up proper spiritual works.

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These works, like fruits, take time, effort and planning to set up well. All fruit starts as a
seed planted in the right soil at the right time of year and nurtured over a proper interval
of time. If we sow well, we will reap well, and there is nothing accidental about it. But
yes, where there is Abba YHWHs love there is always hope going along for the ride
so to speak. Next

There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner whom would hurt all mankind
Just to save his own
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there is no hiding place against the kingdoms throne

Yes do have pity on those who could be lostbut dont just sit there when you can do
something and help that person. As we get through these special days of repentance,
every good deed we do has a special force that accrues to our righteousness that, as
Jewish tradition teaches, could make the difference between being written in the Book of
Life and being destroyed. Actually that idea is not all rabbinic

(Rev 20:11) And I saw a great white throne and Him who sits upon it; from
whose presence the earth and heaven fled away, and this their place was not
found. (Rev 20:12) And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the
throne; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is (the
book) of life. And the dead were judged from the things written in the books,
according to their deeds. (Rev 20:13) And the sea gave up the dead in it; and
death and Sheol gave up the dead in them. And they were judged, each one
according to his deeds. (Rev 20:14) And death and Sheol were cast into the lake
of fire. This is the second death, (namely,) this lake of fire. (Rev 20:15) And if
anyone was not found enrolled in the book of life, he was cast into this lake of
fire. (Revelation 20:11-15-AENT)

Or as Yshua said

(Mat 10:28) And do not have fear of those who kill the body, but are not able to
kill the soul. Rather, have fear
115
more so of Him who is able to destroy the soul
and the body in Gehenna.

Indeed, this possibility is why all of us should heed the call of that old song, People Get
Ready, but the question is, what do we get ready for? Is it just some free and pleasant
train ride? Is it a disaster beyond all human understanding? A so-called rapture where
believers are beamed off the planet?

Well, all any of us can really say with any degree of reliability is, it depends on your faith
walk and relationship with Mashiyach Yshua and Abba YHWH doesnt it? Where are
you at as we come to the time of the Days of Awe, the first 10 days of Tishri?

Wherever that may be, people get ready, a train is coming, and where it will take you is
up to you. And while this song will simply repeat the beginning verse, for each individual
person, the song does not remain the same.
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Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week!

Next Wednesday evening is Yom Teruah (sunset on Sept 24) so the Rosh Hashanna
Special will be up at that time. We will special features and readings from Genesis 2:1-
24, Numbers 29:1-6, 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10, Jeremiah 31:12-20 and Matthew 1:1-21. Please
bear in mind that from sunset Sept 24 to sunset Sept 25 that this is a High Shabbat. No
work of any kind is allowed! Relax! Thats an order from On High!

Next Shabbat, Friday evening of Sept 26, we will have special teachings on the Fast of
Gedaliah along with the Haazinu portion which is Deuteronomy 32:1-52. Our Haftorah
will be altered however because this is also Shabbat Shuvah, or the Shabbat of Returning,
the one in between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur. In that case, we will be reading from
Hosea 14:2-10, Micah 7:18-20 and Joel 2:15-17. Our Renewed Covenant reading for
Shabbat Shuvah will be Hebrews 4:1-8! Stay tuned!