B’chukkotai (By My Regulations) Vayikra/Leviticus 26:3-27:34
B’chukkotai(By My Regulations)Vayikra/Leviticus 26:3-27:34
Haftorah Reading: Jeremiah 16:19-17:14
Even though we are unable to meet today I want to send you some thoughts on this week’s Torah portion. I would like to concentrate on an extremely important section of this Torah portion. It begins with these words, “If you walk in my statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out” Leviticus 26:3. Isn’t that statement a bit redundant? What is the difference between 1. walking in My statutes and 2. keeping the commandments and 3. carrying them out? I might add this question also applies to Yeshua’s commandments in the Messianic Scriptures.
B’chukotai (By my statutes) Lev 26-27
Torah Portion: B’chukkotai(By My Statutes) (Leviticus) Vayikra 26-27
Haftorah Reading: Jeremiah 16:19-17:14
In this Torah portion we are immediately struck by the blessings for obeying G-d’s Word, followed by the curses for not following His Word. We are presented with verses that seem to say there is a physical reward for obedience and physical punishment for disobedience. Is that the point of what we read? Maybe on some level it is true however, we all know godly people who do not seem to enjoy the blessings mentioned and on the other hand, ungodly people who seem to flourish. So how are we to solve this riddle?
Chukat (Statute) Numbers 19
Weekly Torah Section: Chukat (Statute) Numbers 19:1-22:1, HafTorah Judges 11:1-33
In Judges we read about a crisis that had come upon the people of Gilead – a territory to the Northeast of what is the land of Israel today. The people or leaders of Gilead asked Jephthah, ( Ephtach in Hebrew), to save them from the Ammonite King who was demanding their surrender. Jephthah first tried diplomacy but that didn’t work. He then goes out and defeats the Ammonites but at a high cost. Before going into battle he made an oath or vow to G-d. What was that vow? Look in Judges 11:31. Why did he make such a vow? Did he not know what the Torah said? Yes in fact he recited the past history of the Jewish people to the King of Ammon. So he did know the Torah. He was not ignorant so why did he make this vow? Could it have been pride or arrogance? In Leviticus 27:4 it says that a female vowed to the L-rd could be redeemed for 30 shekels of silver donated to the sanctuary. So even after making the vow he could have redeemed his daughter for 30 shekels of silver.