Scroll to Scroll: Todays Parsha #50: Ki Tavo (When you enter)

PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS ANSWERS TO LAST WEEKS STUDY QUESTIONS (Ki Teze): 1) Is there a difference in meaning between the GEDILIM mentioned here and the TZIT-TZIT? GEDILIM means twisted threads and is also derived from ancient Aramaic that refers to a cord or rope. The threads though, once twisted become TZIT-TZIT or a TASSEL or a lock. GEDILIM describes the raw material and TZIT-TZIT describes the finished product along with the TEKHELET, or blue thread. 2) How are these terms carried over into the Aramaic NT? 5 And they do all their deeds that they might be seen by the sons of 210 211 men. For they widen their Tefillin and lengthen the Tekhelet of their robes.

The words Tefillin and Tekhelet are carried over intact. However as Paul Younan rightly points out 211) The "ribbon of blue" of the "tzitzit" (fringes), as commanded in Num. 15:38. "Tekhelet" can also refer to tzitzit, or even the whole prayer shawl/talit. (PY) 3) One of the biggest mistranslation errors in the Greek NT is revealed where in this Torah portion? (If you have a valid answer other than the one I have in mind trust me I am grateful for another proverbial arrow in my quiver!) My answer is Deuteronomy 23:1: 'A man whose testicles have been crushed or whose male member has been cut off must not be admitted to the assembly of Yahweh. (Deuteronomy 23:1 NJB) But Acts 8:27 in the Greek reads.

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So he set off on his journey. Now an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia; he was her chief treasurer. (Acts 8:27 NJB)

The Greek word NJB uses as PILGRIMAGE actually means to prostrate, worship, bow down, so this means the EUNUCH went to the Templethats the only place you COULD worship in Jerusalem! But a EUNUCH was not allowed to do this at all, and Isaiah tells us this also
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No foreigner adhering to Yahweh should say, 'Yahweh will utterly exclude 4 me from his people.' No eunuch should say, 'Look, I am a dried-up tree.' For Yahweh says this: To the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths and choose to do 5 my good pleasure and cling to my covenant, I shall give them in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; 6 I shall give them an everlasting name that will never be effaced. As for foreigners who adhere to Yahweh to serve him, to love Yahweh's name and become his servants, all who observe the Sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to 7 my covenant: these I shall lead to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples. (Isaiah 56:3-7 NJB) The confusion came from mistranslating one Aramaic word 96) The Aramaic word "mhymna" can mean either "believer" or "eunuch." Greek versions mistranslate this as "eunuch" instead of the more contextually correct "believer." (PY) 4) If you know the answer to #3, what other detail in this passage of Scripture helps better explain why the mistranslation occurred? Simply because the Ethiopians have a very ancient form of Judaism. They were most likely taught the faith around 650 BCE by kohenim that escaped Jerusalem under the tyrannical reign of Manasseh. In the 1980s Israel recognized the Ethiopians as having the oldest and ONLY form of Judaism that has survived intact from the time of the Second Temple at least. In the first century, these believers would have made the Pharisees look liberal by comparison, hence believer is very appropriate. 5) We all know that Yshua comments on Deuteronomy 24:1-4 which reads:
Suppose a man has taken a wife and consummated the marriage; but she has not pleased him and he has found some impropriety of which to accuse her; he has therefore made out a writ of divorce for her and handed it to her and then dismissed her from his house; she leaves his home and goes away to become the wife of another man. Then suppose this second man who has married her takes a dislike to
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her and makes out a writ of divorce for her and hands it to her and dismisses her from his house or if this other man who took her as his wife dies, her first husband, who has repudiated her, may not take her back as his wife now that she has been made unclean in this way. For that is detestable in Yahweh's eyes and you must not bring guilt on the country which Yahweh your God is giving you as your heritage. (Deuteronomy 24:1-4 NJB) However, my question is about the OTHER place in the NT this issue is raised. In this case I am going for something very specific that is the direct cause of the death of a major NT figure. Who is this person and why did this rule cause his/her death?
The answer is Yochanan the Immerser, because Herod Antipas had married his brother Phillips wife Herodias while Phillip was still alive. This rule in the Torah said that Herod was sinning, and if he followed the Immersers advice, he would have to send Herodias away and her first husband Phillip would be forbidden from taking her back, leaving her destitute and a soiled woman that no one would touch. That is the real reason that Herodias demanded the Immersers death, so that Herod would not put her out of the house. Josephus though tells us that later Herodias scheming got the royal couple into major trouble with the Emperor Caligula, a man not exactly known for being merciful.

AND NOW FOR THIS WEEKS PORTION 1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents: Ki Tavo means when you enter and begins with a variety of agricultural regulations that take effect once Israel has entered Canaan. Other regulations, th such as that of tithing, are further instituted in the 26 chapter. 26 also contains a veiled rebuke from Moshe to the previous generation as he points out how good the land was, just as YHWH commanded but this was not accepted as fact by Israel. As 27 opens, the Israelites will then hurl blessings from Mount Gerizim and curses from Ebal, as we spoke at length about earlier. The curses are, for the most part a re-statement of the prohibitions in the Ten Commandments. The blessings for obedience then follow suit in chapter 28 and a very extensive category of curses for disobedience follows for the rest of that chapter. Chapter 29 begins with Moshe on a hopeful note, restating how YHWH has been with them all even while being chastised, to get ready for this great moment of entering the Promised Land. 2) Parsha (English-Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8. This week we will read the entire portion.) 3) Play by Play commentary where appropriate. 4) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:
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NUACH (26:4) = set it down, place. However, others think the basket is to be WAVED based on this same word. Bibleort.org explains:
Some say that at this point the basket is placed before the altar, and then it is put down a second time as mentioned in Deuteronomy 26:10 (Sifri; Midrash HaGadol; Rash, Bikkurim 3:6; Abarbanel). Others translate 'place' here as 'wave' (Sukkah 47b) and render the verse, 'The priest shall take the basket ... and wave it before the altar ...' (cf. Tosafoth, Makkoth 18b, s.v. U'Man). Or, 'The priest shall then wave the basket from your hand, and before placing it before the altar ... (26:5) you shall make the following declaration (Tosefoth Yom Tov, Bikkurim 3:6; cf. Yad, Bikkurim 3:12). Or, 'Before the priest takes the basket from your hand and places it before the altar ...

(26:5) you shall make the following declaration' (Shenoth Eliahu, Bikkurim 3:6). My personal opinion is that the word is PLACE after all. NUACH suggests NOACH (comfort, peace, serenity, like Noah) and therefore a settled place where it can peacefully rest. ABAD ARAMMI (26:5) = wandering Aramean. The word ABAD also can mean lost or perishing or by extension, destroyed. Some have posited that because Yshua used this exact same word in Matthew 10:6 and elsewhere for the tribes of Israel that the tribes were DESTROYED. However, this makes no sense because Yshua says he IS SENT TO THEM (in the PRESENT tense) and it makes no sense for him to be sent to those who no longer exist because they are forever extinct.
Yaakov certainly was not DESTROYED in this verse of the Torah! Other rabbis would suggest the father or ancestor being mentioned was Abraham and not Jacob because Abraham was born in Ur and he also went down to Egypt for a time. However, I still believe Jacob is being referenced here.

MORAH (26:8) = terror. However, some argue that visions is the better and more accurate rendering. We get terror in the sense that the visions are awe-inspiring, showing the absolute power of YHWH, and therefore terrifying as the Israelites were when YHWH first spoke to them and they only wanted to hear Moshe speak instead. I think terror is just fine. VESAMACHTA VECHOL HA-TOV ASHER NATAN LECHA YAHWEH ELOHEYCHA ULEVEYTECHA ATA VE-HA-LEVI VE-HA-GER ASHER BIKIRBECHA (26:11) = and rejoice all of you in the good that Yahweh your Elohim has given you in your midst (whether) you are a Levite or a proselyte. The rabbis teach that if the proselyte (or ger) mentioned here is circumcised then he can make this statement just as much as a Levite can, since he has gone from being only a descendant of Noah to being a spiritual descendant of Abraham. AVEN (26:14) =mourning. However, this word can refer to distress, strife and other general travails in life. The wider message is that no matter what life throws at you, you
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are still meant to keep the Torah. SHMAYIM (26:15) = heaven, possibly from the word SHAM (there) and so heaven is what, by definition, is not already here. Others think it derives from SHAMAM or unimaginable, but I have no firm ruling on which is right, if any. HAYOM HAZEH (26:18) = this (the) day. The only time reference we have is 1 Shevat (1:3), so this reinforces the idea that all of Deuteronomy is the last day of Moshes life, THIS DAY, and since he will be gone THIS DAY, the Israelites will enter the covenant immediately after hearing Moshe speak and immediately after Moshe is done speaking he will go up to Mount Nebo and die. Also see 26:16. ELYON (26:19) = in the highest. This is maybe the only timeat least that I am aware ofthat this attribute of YHWH as enshrined in a title (El Elyon)is applied to men. AVANIM GADOLOT (27:2) = great stones. Similar to the 12 stones erected by Moshe. Some authorities (Abarbanel) think these represent a kind of giant mezuzah for the Land. BAER HATEV (27:8) = clear script. From Bibleort.org: clear script (Ibn Ezra; Septuagint); cf. Habakkuk 2:2. Ba'er Hetiv in Hebrew. Or, 'in clear language' (Targum; Radak, Sherashim; cf. 1:5), indicating that the Torah was written on the stones in 70 languages (Sotah 32b; Targum Yonathan; Rashi). Some say that the stones were plastered, inscribed, replastered and then inscribed again (Malbim). AL HAR GRIZIM (27:12) = on (or near) Mount Gerizim. If the text said BEHAR GRIZIM, it would definitely mean on or by as in at the base of the mountain. AL HAR GRIZIM is a more broad term that can refer to that or simply being in close (visual?) proximity of the mountain. KOL RAM (27:14) = loud voice, but literally, great exalted voice. RAM is exalted as it is in Abrams name (exalted father). ARUR LOKEACH SHOCHAD LEHKOT NEFESH DAM NAKI VEAMAR KOL HAAM AMAYN (27:25) = cursed is he is accepts gifts/bribes to strike down an innocent man and all the people say Amen. This is a prophecy about Yshua. Yehudah the traitor got 30 pieces of silver to hand Yshua over and he got struck down or killed. ARUR ASHER LO-YAKIM ET-DIVREY HA-TORAH HA-ZOT LA-ASOT OLAM VEAMAR KOL HA-AM AMEN (27:26) = cursed is he who doesnt keep all the words in this Torah and the people will say Amen. So this is a command to keep the whole Torah to avoid a curse, not to become cursed for keeping, as Christianity often teaches. QUM (27:26) = confirm, but literally, uphold, establish. This same word, in another conjugation can mean to resurrect or literally, to stand up again. It is also used by the apostle Paul in Romans 3:31, to QYAMINA or establish the Torah
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31 Do, we then nullify Torah by faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish Torah.

VEHOTIRCHA YAHWAY LETOVAH (28:11) = YHWH will give you good things, or great surplus. The verbal form of TOV though indicates will allow you to survive well. LEROSH VELO LEZANAV (28:13) = literally, a head and not a tail. Idiomatically, a leader and never a follower. MERAH (28:20) = frustration or attrition, whereby ones strength is drained slowly over a long period of time. MEHUMA (28:20) = confusion, but also can mean restlessness or not being able to focus. MEGERETH (28:20) = frustration, or guilt feelings. AZ PANIM (28:50) = Literally, fierce faced, meaning haughty, arrogant. VENEEMANIM (28:60) = and will be relentless. However, the literal reading is and will be faithful, which is to say YHWHs punishments are as reliable and trustworthy as His blessings are. VEHESHIVCHA YAHWEH ELOHIM MITZRAYIM BAONYOT (28:68) = And Yahweh Elohim will bring you back to Egypt in ships. This is the majority readinghowever it is possible the phrase ONYOT (Oni) means pain, such as when Rachel wanted to name her son Ben-Oni, son of my pain. So an alternate reading is bring you back to Egypt in your pains/misery, which may in fact make a little more sense since the Israelites generally did not use ships, except for one reference to the tribe of Dan in Judges. Torah Question of the Week: What detail about the role of evil is in this portion that seems at odds with other descriptions of evil but really isnt? END PART 1

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PART 2: THE HAFTORAH Torah Question of the Week: What detail about the role of evil is in this portion that seems at odds with other descriptions of evil but really isnt? In other sections of Scripture, evil is put under the dominion of Satan to tempt and to administer. Here though YHWH says He will visit curses on Israel for their disobedience. In Isaiah He says I form the light and create the darkness, I bring prosperity and disaster (paraphrasing). In the book of Job Satan does cause evil but only with YHWHs express permission at every step of the way. These things are not contradictory. The only difference is that Satan later on decides he doesnt need to check in with YHWH for permission but nevertheless he is still subject to what YHWH allows him to do. 1) Haftorah portion (English- Isaiah 60:1-22) and discuss common themes with the Torah portion.

Kumi ori ki va orech uchevod Yahweh alayich zarach.

2) Our linguistic commentary QUMI ORI (60:1) = rise, shine. Alternate meanings from the roots: MY RESURRECTION, MY LIGHT. KASEH (60:2) cover. The darkness is total and shrouds the earth. Therefore this word cannot be usedas some think it is in Psalm 81:3to refer to a full moon. It is instead a DARK or COVERED moon, which tells us the definition of a new moon in ancient Israel and it wasnt the waxing crescent. SABIB (60:4) = round about. The motion of lifting up your eyes here is the same description of the camps below Sinai when the Ten Commandments are being given. They camped AROUND the base of the mountain. DOR VDOR (60:15) = generation to generation. DOR is more broad though as a cycle of time. It can mean a century100 yearsas when Abraham is told his people will return to Canaan from Egypt after 4 dor, interpreted clearly as 400 years. DOR also points to indefinite periods of time from one redemption period to another. This is the context of this line and the following one. ELEPH (60:22) = clan, but literally one thousand indicating how numerous Israel is meant to be if the smallest ONLY add up to that number. 3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English). Matthew 13:1-23 (all the way through with applicable footnotes.)
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Matthew 13:2 Both traditional Jewish and Christian folklore teaches that very few Jews accepted Yshua as Mashiyach, which is an absolute falsehood. Both Scriptural and historical records indicate that multitudes of Jews favored Yshuas message and what he offered, over the traditional religions of the day. A survey of Jews in America in the 1990s showed that 1 in 6 Jews believed Jesus to either be the Mashiyach or a good Jew who embarrassed the establishment. Matthew 13:11 Mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven is the spiritual nature of Mashiyach revealed throughout the Tanakh and NT, it relates to the spiritual man more than a consciousness of knowing about Heaven or salvation. In Proverbs it is revealed; For the obstinate are an abomination to YHWH: but His secret (sod) is with the righteous (Pro_3:32), the secret is the power of spiritual life within the Kingdom of Heaven. Have you heard the mystery (sod) of Elohim? (Job_15:8) The mystery of Elohim denotes the nature of Mashiyach and righteousness within the inner man. Surely Elohim YHWH will do nothing, but that He reveals His secret (sod) to His servants the prophets (Amo_3:7); YHWH reveals future events from the spiritual to natural worlds with those who pursue righteousness. The mystery unfolds when one realizes that; I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create calamity: I YHWH do all these things (Isa_45:7). The word sod is also repeatedly used by Paul through its Aramaic synonym and cognate araza (e.g. 1Co_15:51). It is the highest level of interpretation of Scripture (PaRDeS). The word pardes literally means paradise or orchard; the latter harking back to the primordial Garden of Eden. But it also is an acrostic, meaning this word is derived from the first letters of each word in a phrase. In this case PRDS comes from pshat (plain meanings of Scripture), remez (hints of deeper meanings in words of a scriptural passage), drash (comparisons of places in Scripture where the word/concept is used) and, of course, sod. The idea is that if you can find and enter (apply) all the levels of meaning in Scripture you can attain Paradise. The believer understands that cerebral knowledge is nothing without applied faith as manifested through obedience and good works. By entering into Mashiyach and observing Torah the new spiritual man differentiates the things of the Kingdom of Heaven from the religious masks that obscure the hidden spirituality of Mashiyach. Most importantly however is the absolute command that these steps be taken one at a time and in their proper order. If we skip a step or downplay intermediate steps in our studies, the end result will be confusion and error. This is why the Rabbis limited the study of the mystical traditions to those 40 years old and older, and even then, they were required to have special rabbinic training from a very young age to qualify.
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Such also explains this warning from the Jewish historian Philo (ca. 20 BCE to 50 CE) who wrote: The sacred and mystic statements about the one uncreated Being, and about his powers, ought to be kept secret; since it does not belong to everyone to keep the deposit of divine mysteries properly.(Sacrifices of Abel and Cain, 1:60-C.D. Yonge translation). Please see footnotes Rom_12:2; Rom_16:24, 1Co_2:14, Col_2:2; Col_4:12. 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. (YHWH hopes that all of will bear fruit and do many wonderful faith based deeds for the Kingdom. He has invested in us, literally, having bought us for a dear price, which is the price of His Son Yshua dying for us.)

6) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion (Dispersion p. 767-770excerpts only). STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK FOR THIS PORTION: 1) What is the difference between the phrase land of Canaan and land flowing with milk and honey? 2) Where did we encounter the family line of Islams founder this week? 3) If you know the answer to #2, how does YHWH feel about this lineage? 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? 5) How does the Parable of the Sower contain a clue about the giving of the Ten Commandments and the events that followed? Torah Thought for the Week: We Have Met the Enemy, and He is Us! Much of this current portion deals with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. When we look at the long history of Israel, we see a people fraught with conflict and heartbreak. As our studies progress, the usual suspects emerge from the mists of history. We remember Balaam and Balaak, Dathan and Korah, Haman and Hitler. Our hearts of course always reside with Israel because the promises YHWH made to themsee Romans 11are irrevocable. Thats the good news. However, the not-so-good news is that the greatest enemy of Israel often goes unnoticed and is never called into account. How can this be, you ask? The answer is
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simple: We have met Israels greatest enemy, and he is us! Now, I dont mean that we intend these bad things to happen to Israelthat we are secretly plotting behind her back. Heaven forbid! Rather, all of us, as members of Israel can, if we are not careful, become her greatest enemy. How is this possible? Lets read what the Scripture says: 'But if you do not obey the voice of Yahweh your God, and do not keep and observe all his commandments and laws which I am laying down for you today then all these curses will befall and overtake you. 'You will be accursed in the town and accursed in the countryside; accursed, your basket and your kneading trough; accursed, the offspring of your body, the yield of your soil, the young of your cattle and the increase of your flock. You will be accursed in coming home, and accursed in going out. 'Yahweh will send a curse on you, a spell, an imprecation on all your labors until you have been destroyed and quickly perish, because of your perverse behavior, for having deserted me. Yahweh will fasten the plague on you, until it has exterminated you from the country which you are about to enter and make your own. Yahweh will strike you down with consumption, fever, inflammation, burning fever, drought, wind-blast, mildew, and these will pursue you to your ruin. The heavens above you will be brass, the earth beneath you iron. Your country's rain Yahweh will turn into dust and sand; it will fall on you from the heavens until you perish. Yahweh will have you defeated by your enemies; you will advance on them from one direction and flee from them in seven; and you will be a terrifying object-lesson to all the kingdoms of the world. Your carcass will be carrion for all wild birds and all wild animals, with no one to scare them away. 'Yahweh will strike you down with Egyptian ulcers, with swellings in the groin, with scurvy and the itch, for which you will find no cure. Yahweh will strike you down with madness, blindness, distraction of mind, until you grope your way at noon like a blind man groping in the dark, and your steps will lead you nowhere. 'You will never be anything but exploited and plundered, with no one to save you. Get engaged to a woman, another man will have her; build a house, you will not live in it; plant a vineyard, you will not gather its first-fruits. Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes and you will eat none of it; your donkey will be carried off in front of you and not be returned to you; your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will come to your help. Your sons and daughters will be handed over to another people, and every day you will wear your eyes out watching for them, while your hands are powerless. (Deuteronomy 28:15-32 NJB) This is just a partial list, but I think the point is clear enough. If Israel obeys YHWH will make them prosper. If not, these and many other curses listed here and elsewhere will attach themselves to Israel. Take the Shabbat for example. YHWH specifically says if we keep it, we will ride the heights of the land and prosper and have rest from our enemies. If we break it, the opposite applies. I have been in the Old City on Friday nights and can tell you, the Shabbat is not universally kept. And outside the city, the country at large doesnt rest at all.
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Now why would this be the case? I think part of it is the old saw we keep hearing in the Torah. Israel keeps saying they want to be like every other people, but YHWH keeps saying they are Set-Apart and meant to teach the rest of the world by example. As long as Israel wants to be part of the current world system and denies her role as changing that system, YHWH says there will be the exact problems we are seeing there today. In short, Israels problems and Israels solutions reside in her peoples own hearts. They can stop these disasters at any time. Their enemies mean NOTHING. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Neo Nazis, all the anti-semites in all of history do not have even a fraction of a percentage point of power over Israel that Israel herself has over her destiny. Thats where we come in. Whether we are Jewish or not, whether we live in the Land or not, we present that grass is greener on the other side to Israel and in our own way convince many there that they need to be like us, rather than us striving to be like them! As a result, Israels blessings get removedYHWH said soand we become co-dependent enablers of HER ENEMIES! Again, I know none of us intends for this to be true. But the old adage born through the pain of the Holocaust still applies: Evil prospers only when good people do NOTHING. Thats right. You dont even have to do anything. All you have to do is accept things as they are, talk about moral relativism or secular humanism. All you have to do is do things to be popular and well liked. Embrace the status quo and tell everyone that all moral choices are equally valid. Tell them there is no standard of right and wrong but only what feels good to us and is pleasing in our eyes. Then just walk around the planet from wherever you live and show Israel they can keep being secular too. Hey, no problemdo what you like!it doesnt matter either way in the end. Then Israel will still fail at Shabbat and her enemies will be invited inunder YHWHs CONTROLand havoc results. Dont blame Israels official enemies either. They at least have been straight with us about their intentions and objectives. They have said plainly they want to wipe the Jewish state off the map and force every Jew either into exile or into the grave. You cant blame them for being honestnot when we live in a democracy wherein theory at leastall people can speak their minds regardless as to the reprehensibility of their content. No, I cant blame terrorists for advocating violence. I can only do my part to prevent or mitigate the damage. With fatwas religious rulings advocating our deaths raining down upon from so many places, should we really be surprised when th something like a September 11 happens again? I dont think so. Yshua warned us all NOT to be lukewarm, or he will vomit us out of his mouth. Do not then stand on the sidelines and let all things happen. Show in YOUR WALK to YHWH that you love Torah and the Jewish people. You want to support Israel? Show them you keep Shabbat and the Great feasts. You want to stymie her enemiesstop eating that pork and avoiding circumcision. You want to play your small but important
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part in the Second Coming of Messiah? Show the bridegroom through YOUR ACTIONS that the bride is ready so Yshua can come back SOON. Its not just your soul and your share in eternal life on the line here. When you do what YHWH commands the life you save could very well be THEIRS. Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week! Next week we will be exploring Nitzavim, or Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20. Our Haftorah portion will be Isaiah 61:1-63:9 and our Renewed Covenant portion will be Romans 9:30-10:13. Stay tuned!

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