Devarim - Yeshua in the Torah (Messianic Judaism)

Devarim, meaning “Words,” is the Hebrew name of the fifth book of the Torah. This book is mostly Moshe’s recounting of the Torah, the repetition. That’s where its Greek name, “Deuteronomy”, comes from. Deuteronomy means “repetition.” Deuteronomy is basically a pep-talk, from Moshe to the people of Israel. In the pep-talk, Moshe recounts the story of the ten spies, the mistake that the people of Israel made that caused them to be exiled for forty years in the desert. The sages interpret Moshe’s recounting as a rebuke, but not a selfish one. Moshe didn’t rebuke the people because he hated them and wanted to point out their worst mistake yet, he rebuked them because he cared about them. Moshe is the one who put his life on the line multiple times just to save the people of Israel. First from the Egyptians, second from God, and third from themselves! In Proverbs 27:6 it says, “Wounds from a friend are received as well-meant, but an enemy’s kisses are insincere.” Moshe cared about the people of Israel just as a parent cares for his children. Some people within Christianity believe that when John the Immerser and the Messiah rebuked the Jews, and more so the Pharisees, it was out of hatred. It wasn’t out of hatred though, John the Immerser and the Messiah were both Jewish! Both of them believed in Judaism! The reason why they were so harsh is because they were taking after Moshe, and were showing the Jews their mistakes so they could see them, correct them, and learn from them.

Moshe told the people of Israel to fear no man. This means to not show favoritism to people because of their power. The Torah believes in justice for all, everyone gets the same punishment regardless of situation. The Torah doesn’t believe that the oppressed should get a lesser judgement and the empowered should get a stricter one. James, the Brother of Yeshua, thought this too.

Yeshua was impartial too. He would converse with sages and great officials, and then he would converse with the lame and the poor. He received each individual equally. In Mathew 22:16 it states, “They sent him some of their talmidim (disciples) and some members of Herod’s party. They said, “Rabbi, we know that you tell the truth and really teach what God’s way is. You aren’t concerned with what other people think about you, since you pay no attention to a person’s status.” Yeshua didn’t fear man either, as is evident in the fact that he drove the merchants from the temple court, unfearful of any punishments he could have received. As he says in Mathew 10:28, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are powerless to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gei-Hinnom.” A common belief in Christianity is that the New Testament “crossed” out the Tanakh. This simply isn’t true! The new testament isn’t even new. It is a spiritual revelation of the written Torah of Moshe. The Torah can be likened to the physical body, and the New Testament can be likened to the soul. Both of them are needed. When Yeshua taught his talmidim (disciples), he taught them from the Torah. All of his teachings are quotes from the Torah, insights on the Torah, and explanations of the Torah.

The beginning of this Parsha starts with, “These are the words Moshe spoke-” As if it were the beginning of a great declaration, like the beginning of an epic saga. The Lubavitcher Rabbi said that these words imply that every time you study Torah it should be new and exciting. No matter how many times you’ve been through the text, there’s always something new to learn. Rashi says, “Turn it over, turn it over again, for everything is within it. Look into it and become grey haired and old in it.” If the Torah is really from God, the God who knows the past and the future, then the Torah should be relevant at all times, no matter the circumstance. Deuteronomy is Moshe’s pep-talk, in which he rebukes the people of Israel, but not out of hatred, out of care. Yeshua and John did the same with the people of Israel in their day. Showing favoritism is wrong, Moshe believed it, Yeshua believed it, and God believed it. The New Testament does not cross out the old. Yeshua taught from the Torah. The Torah is always relevant, no matter our circumstance.

Devarim (דברים) is the the fifth and final book of the Five Books of Moshe, as well as the title of the first Torah portion in this book. Devarim can be translated as words, things, matters, or ideas. In English, this book is called Deuteronomy. The Hebrew title for the book comes from the opening phrase of the book: "These are the words (devarim) which Moshe spoke to all Israel across the Yarden in the wilderness" (Deuteronomy 1:1). One ancient name for the book of Devarim is Mishnah HaTorah (משנה תורה), which means "repetition of the Torah." This is derived from the Greek Septuagint name Deuteronomos, which means "second law." As always, we commence the reading of the book of Devarim, the last of the Five Books of Moshe, on the Shabbat preceding the fast of Tisha B'Av (9th Av) commemorating the destruction of the Holy Temple. Tisha B'Av is a call to Teshuvah (repentance), setting us on course for the season of Teshuvah during the months of Av and especially Elul, in preparation for the coming New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and the Days of Awe. Our study of DEVARIM will continue for the whole of this period, until we conclude the annual cycle of the Torah reading at the end of the festival of Sukkot, on Simchat Torah. The themes of Devarim are appropriate for this period. The Book of Devarim is the Torah's "mouth", summarizing all that has gone before in the "main body" of the Torah. Devarim calls to the inner ear of the soul of Israel to hear the essential message of the Torah. Each of the twelve months of the year is integrally connected with one of the twelve tribes and one of the twelve basic human faculties according to the Kabbalistic book, Sefer Yetzirah. The month of Av corresponds to the Tribe of Shimon and the faculty of hearing (see Genesis 29:33). It is significant that the phrase "SHEMA YISRAEL! Hear, O Israel" recurs in four key passages in the book of DEVARIM. The message is that we must "Hear the words of the wise!" (Proverbs 22:17). "These are the words (DEVARIM) which Moshe spoke." (Deut. 1:1) -- "SOF DAVAR, the last word, after everything has been heard: fear Hashem" (Kohelet 12:13). The opening verse of our parshah of Devarim appears on the surface to give the location in which Moshe delivered his discourse. However, since the various locations mentioned in the verse are all somewhat different, they are construed by the Aramaic Targum and biblical commentators as being a series of allusions to the various sins of the past and the lessons that were to be learned from them (see Rashi on Deut. 1:1). It is with this veiled reproof to the nation that Moshe began his final task as leader: to forge the thousands and thousands of Israel -- who were "like the stars of the heavens for a multitude" (Deut. 1:10) -- into a single, unified, purposeful nation that would be worthy of entering the land promised to Abraham and inheriting it for eternity. Thus it is that the book of Deuteronomy begins with reproof but ends with blessing -- "And this is the blessing which Moshe, the man of Hashem, blessed the Children of Israel before his death. Happy are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by HaShem? . Your enemies will waste away for you, and you will tread upon their high places" (Deut. ch. 33 v. 1 & v. 29). Throughout Devarim, Moshe repeatedly addresses the people by the name of Israel. Not only does the name Israel carry the connotation of victory, "for you have struggled with Hashem and with men, and you have prevailed" (Gen. 32:28). The letters of the name Israel also include the word YASHAR, "straight", "upright". This is even more explicit in the other biblical name for Israel - YESHURUN (Deut. 32:15; 33:26). The names Israel and Yeshurun indicate that when the people are united and purposeful under the sole, unchallenged leadership of Moshe, the archetypal Tzaddik, they are the epitome of order and rectification. Since the issue of leadership is so crucial, it is the first raised by Moshe in his discourses, after recounting how Hashem had told him to leave Mount Sinai and begin the journey to the Land of Israel. It was far from easy to lead a people as fractious and argumentative as this. In order for Moshe' leadership to permeate to all levels of the people, it was necessary to establish a hierarchical system of "captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, captains of fifties and captains of tens, and police". The verses in our parshah defining the necessary qualities of the people's leaders and judges and explaining how they are to adjudicate (Deut. 1:13-17) constitute the main foundation of the Torah laws of judges and judicial procedure. These deserve particular attention today, when the absence of leadership of true integrity and caliber is the bane of all our lives.

Aliyah Summary In the first aliyah, the Israelites are gathered at the eastern bank of the Jordan River, on the verge of entering the land of Kena'an, and Moshe' death is imminent. This is the setting for Moshe' final statements to the nation he lovingly tended for four decades. After delivering a veiled rebuke to Israel for their many past misdeeds, Moshe revisits the period, some 39 years earlier, before the Israelites left Mount Sinai at Hashem's leading, with the intention of immediately invading and entering Kena'an. At that time, Moshe expressed to Israel his inability to single-handedly bear the burden of leadership, because "Hashem, has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens in abundance." In the second aliyah, after the Israelites consented to the idea, Moshe appointed a hierarchy of judges to preside over the nation. Moshe recalls instructing them the basics of judicial integrity. Moshe then recounts how Israel traveled through the desert and quickly reached Kadesh Barnea, on the southern border of the Holy Land. In the third aliyah, at that time the Israelites approached Moshe and demanded the right to send out scouts to reconnoiter the land. Moshe recounts the tragic episode in detail, how the scouts delivered a frightening report, claiming that the land was unconquerable. Despite Moshe' protests, the Israelites adopted the scouts' attitude and decided not to enter Kena'an. This caused Hashem to bar that entire generation from entering the Promised Land. In the fourth aliyah, Moshe continues to remind how Hashem instructed the Israelites to reverse course and head back to the desert. Realizing their dreadful error, a group of Israelites proceeded to advance toward Kena’an — despite Moshe' objections. Lacking divine protection, they were immediately attacked and massacred by the Emorites. At this point, the Israelites heeded Hashem's command, and headed back to the Sinai Desert. In the fifth aliyah, Moshe fast-forwards 38 years. The generation which left Egypt had perished. Now their children were ready to enter Kena'an. But first Hashem instructs the Israelites regarding three nations whose land was off-limits for them: Seir (Edom), Moab and Amon. These lands were the rightful inheritance of the descendants of Esau and Lot. Instead, the Israelites circled these lands and approached the land of Sichon, king of the Emorites, and requested passageway through his land. Sichon refused the Israelites' request. In the sixth aliyah, Moshe recalls how Sichon led his nation in battle against the Israelites. The Israelites were victorious and took possession of his land. When the Bashanites then attacked, they meet a similar fate. The lands of the Emorites and the Bashanites were given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. In the seventh aliyah, Moshe delineates the borders of the lands allotted to the aforementioned tribes. He then repeats the instructions he gave to these tribes to cross the Jordan together with their brethren and participate in the battle against the Canaanites before returning to their land on the eastern bank of the Jordan. Yehoshua, who will lead the nation into Israel, is enjoined not to be fearful of the battles which he will face, because "it is Hashem, your God, who is fighting for you." The Promise is Earned

Hashem promises Avraham and his descendants the land of Israel, yet Hashem still required an active role from Israel to not only conquer the land but also to abide by his Torah in order to stay in the land. So it is with all gifts given to us from heaven. Hashem gives us our lives, but we must take care to live according to His ways. Ecclesiastes 12:13 states "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." He gives us our children yet we must raise them up to love Hashem and teach them His Torah, which is what the V'ahavta prayer is about in Devarim 6:5-7 "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." When we give Tzedakah to the poor according to Torah, we are also acknowledging that Hashem gives us everything we need, and when we rest on Shabbat we acknowledge Him as Creator of the Universe we live in and the Giver of the precious gifts of our lives and our time. Romans 3:24 states that salvation is a free gift - yet, at the same time, Philippians 2:12 says to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Hashem is God of All Devarim 2:4-5 states, "You are about to pass through the boundary of your kinsmen, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and they will be afraid of you. Be very careful. You shall not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land not so much as a foot step, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for an inheritance." Hashem brings the Israelites through the domains of the descendants of Esau, Moab, and Ammon. What do they all have in common? Esau was Jacob’s brother. Moab and Ammon are descended from Abraham’s brother, Lot. As the Israelites enter the land, they must first encounter their “cousin” peoples, so that they can remember their past and where they have come from. Although Israel was Hashem's chosen nation, it did not entitle them to conquer or mistreat others however they saw fit. Just as Hashem gave Israel the land of Canaan, he also gives each nation their land

Fear of God Means Courage

Having the fear of God actually means that one has courage - the courage to do good in the face of adversity, to stand up for what's right in spite of persecution. You know that even if something bad befalls you, Hashem is with you because you are walking with Him, because you are walking in His ways, His Torah. Romans 8:28 says, "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." When you fear God, you realize that you are actually fearless, because to fear God means to be in the love of God, because you can be confident that your actions were done only to please Him. This is why 1st John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." Moshe, the Mouth of God Devarim has a special name, "Mishneh Torah" meaning “the repetition of the Torah” (not to be confused with Rambam's codification of Jewish law by the same name). Rav Yitzchak Ginsburgh says, "Its style is different from that of the preceding four books - up to this point the Torah related everything as a narrative in grammar this is speaking in the third person “God spoke to Moses, saying…” All the narration is such that “someone” tells us that God said so and so to Moses this “someone” is, of course, God Himself, as explained in Chassidic teachings. But here, suddenly, in the book of Devarim [Deuteronomy]...Here, Moses speaks for himself, he says, he speaks in the first person in this book and yet, it is an integral part of the Pentateuch, the Torah of God. And all that is said within is a revelation of God’s essence. It is all God. So how do the sages explain this phenomenon, that it is Moses speaking here? They say that “the “Divine Presence speaks out of Moses’ throat.” [He says,] “I will give you grass [in your field for your cattle…”]. There are many verses like this one, which Moses says, but, at the same time, it is God saying it. So what is going on, who is speaking? Is it Moses or is it God? So the sages teach that in the Book of Deuteronomy they are one and the same, Moses is opening his mouth to speak, but it is the Divine Presence, God, that is speaking out of his throat. This is what typifies the unique and wondrous character of this book of the Pentateuch, the Book of Deuteronomy, beginning with parashat Devarim." Yeshua is a "prophet like unto Moshe," as stated in Deuteronomy 18:15. In faith, just as we believe Moshe's words were Hashem's words, so too were Yeshua's words. Yeshua stated:

Yeshua clearly distinguishes between himself and the Father in these 3 verses. Yet he, just like Moshe, speaks Hashem's words.