{"id":9152,"date":"2019-04-24T00:19:13","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T00:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/?p=9152"},"modified":"2019-04-26T00:03:14","modified_gmt":"2019-04-26T00:03:14","slug":"the-mitzvah-of-pikuach-nefesh-rescuing-a-life-and-servant-hood-parashat-shemini-shel-pesach-bits-of-torah-truths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/the-mitzvah-of-pikuach-nefesh-rescuing-a-life-and-servant-hood-parashat-shemini-shel-pesach-bits-of-torah-truths\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mitzvah of Pikuach Nefesh (\u05e4\u05d9\u05e7\u05d5\u05d7 \u05e0\u05e4\u05e9, Rescuing a Life) and Servant hood, \u05e4\u05e8\u05e9\u05ea \u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e9\u05dc \u05e4\u05e1\u05d7, Parashat Shemini shel Pesach, Bits of Torah Truths"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Vv3CNCJ9o7g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch Video Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reading for this week is from <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17<\/span><\/em> and speaks about being freed from slavery, being set free from debt, not charging interest, the Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. What these Scriptures are speaking to us is concerning servant hood, and committing our lives to the Lord. When we do this, He will provide everything that we need, clothing, food, drink, and will remove the anxiety and restlessness of life that is always pressing hard against us. This week\u2019s reading reminds us when we commit to serving the Lord, we gain all that we need along with countless blessings. This is what the Torah is alluding to in <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:13-18<\/span><\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:13-18<\/strong><br>15:13 \u2018When you set him free, you shall not send him away empty-handed. 15:14 \u2018You shall furnish him liberally from your flock and from your threshing floor and from your wine vat; you shall give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15:15 \u2018You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. 15:16 \u2018It shall come about if he says to you, \u2018I will not go out from you,\u2019 because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you; 15:17 then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also you shall do likewise to your maidservant. 15:18 \u2018It shall not seem hard to you when you set him free, for he has given you six years with double the service of a hired man; so the Lord your God will bless you in whatever you do. (NASB)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This text suggests that in order to receive a blessing from God we are to be a blessing to others. This is analogous to what Yeshua had done for us. He did not just set us free. He also gave us gifts. This is an important point, as <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Sforno on Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:18 Part 1<\/span><\/em> writes saying,<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> \u201c\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e7\u05e9\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e2\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u05da, to furnish him with some of your wealth upon his departure, seeing that he has served you faithfully and you will not become poor by doing so.\u201d<\/span><\/em> The idea is when we place our faith in Yeshua the Messiah, we do not do so as to become poor. When we share our wealth giving to the poor the Lord will bless us. The Lord makes us rich in many ways, most importantly in our relationship with Him. The Talmud describes these commandments (mitzvot) in the following way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote style=\"text-align:center\" class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>Talmud Bavli Kiddushin 38b:1<\/strong><\/p><p>\u05db\u05dc \u05de\u05e6\u05d5\u05d4 \u05e9\u05e0\u05e6\u05d8\u05d5\u05d5 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05e7\u05d5\u05d3\u05dd \u05db\u05e0\u05d9\u05e1\u05ea\u05df \u05dc\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05e0\u05d5\u05d4\u05d2\u05ea \u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05d7\u05d5\u05e6\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05dc\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8 \u05db\u05e0\u05d9\u05e1\u05ea\u05df \u05dc\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d0\u05d9\u05e0\u05d4 \u05e0\u05d5\u05d4\u05d2\u05ea \u05d0\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d1\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d7\u05d5\u05e5 \u05de\u05df \u05d4\u05e9\u05de\u05d8\u05ea \u05db\u05e1\u05e4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05e9\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05d7 \u05e2\u05d1\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d0\u05e2\u201d\u05e4 \u05e9\u05e0\u05e6\u05d8\u05d5\u05d5 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd \u05dc\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8 \u05db\u05e0\u05d9\u05e1\u05ea\u05df \u05dc\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05e0\u05d5\u05d4\u05d2\u05ea \u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d1\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05d7\u05d5\u05e6\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5&#8230;<br><\/p><p>Any mitzva that the Jewish people were commanded to perform before entering Eretz Yisrael, i.e., it was not linked to entry into the land, applies both in Eretz Yisrael and outside of Eretz Yisrael. Conversely, any mitzva that they were commanded to perform after they entered Eretz Yisrael applies only in Eretz Yisrael, except for the abrogation of monetary debts in the Sabbatical Year (see Deuteronomy 15:1\u20132), and the emancipation of slaves in the Jubilee Year (see Leviticus 25:39\u201341). Even though the Jews were commanded with regard to these mitzvot that they were to perform them only after their entry into Eretz Yisrael, these mitzvot apply both in Eretz Yisrael and outside of Eretz Yisrael.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea here is related to the mitzvot which apply only inside of the land of Israel, and those that are universal (inside and outside of the land). Those rules regarding the Shmittah year applies both inside and outside. The commands regarding taking care of the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the stranger, applies both inside and outside of the land. In fact, the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the stranger, to care for them, this is what these Scriptures speak about. (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Chizkuni on Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:1 Part 1<\/span><\/em>) This is about having compassion and love for one another, these are the basic principles that were being taught by Yeshua in the Apostolic Writings. The Torah states the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:18<\/strong><br>\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05d9\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05a3\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b6\u0597\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b7\u05dc\u05bc\u05b5\u05bd\u05d7\u05b2\u05da\u05b8\u0599 \u05d0\u05b9\u05ea\u05a4\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d7\u05b8\u05e4\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9\u0599 \u05de\u05b5\u05bd\u05e2\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05b8\u0594\u05da\u05b0 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u0597\u05d9 \u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d4\u0599 \u05e9\u05c2\u05b0\u05db\u05b7\u05a3\u05e8 \u05e9\u05c2\u05b8\u05db\u05b4\u0594\u05d9\u05e8 \u05e2\u05b2\u05d1\u05bd\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u0596 \u05e9\u05c1\u05b5\u05a3\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u0591\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b5\u05bd\u05e8\u05b7\u05db\u05b0\u05da\u05b8\u0599 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05a3\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u0594\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05db\u05b9\u0596\u05dc \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05a5\u05e8 \u05ea\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05c2\u05b6\u05bd\u05d4\u05c3 (\u05e4)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>15:18 When you do set him free, do not feel aggrieved; for in the six years he has given you double the service of a hired man. Moreover, the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The person made himself a bondservant, had made so much money for his master, that the master may feel grieved that he would loose this servant. Consider why Yeshua chose money (or possessions) as the alternative master to which most of us are drawn. <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cNo one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.\u201d<\/span><\/em> (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Matthew 6:24<\/span><\/em>) He understood that man\u2019s desire is to seek to acquire and hold on to things that make life more comfortable. It seems to make little difference whether one starts from a position of relative poverty or relative wealth; we all want more. To get more, we have to commit our time and energy to gaining more, this makes it impossible to simultaneously be a servant of God. Divided loyalty is a serious problem, and Moshe describes this as not feeling grieved for turning his servant loose in the shmittah year, do not be afraid, the Lord your God will bless you in all you do! This describes how the servant of God must be all in. This is expounded upon in the rabbinic commentaries such as what we find here written by Daat Zkenim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>Daat Zkenim on Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:18 Part 1<\/strong><br>\u05db\u05d9 \u05de\u05e9\u05e0\u05d4 \u05e9\u05db\u05e8 \u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05e8 \u05e2\u05d1\u05d3\u05da, \u201cfor he has worked for you twice as long as the wages that he received,\u201c a hired hand usually hires himself out for a period of three years. We know this from Isaiah 16,14: \u05d1\u05e9\u05dc\u05e9 \u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05db\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e9\u05db\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d5\u05e0\u05e7\u05dc\u05d4 \u05db\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3 \u05de\u05d5\u05d0\u05d1, \u201cin three years, fixed like the years of a hired labourer, the glory of Moav shall shrink;\u201d it follows that someone who has served his master for six years has actually served twice the length of a hired hand. The reason they hired such laborers for a period of three years was that if they had hired such a person for a term of a year or two years, sometimes the years are longer and sometimes they are shorter, depending it had more than one month of Adar. By making the term three years there could not be a dispute about how many days of labour this included.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Here Daat Zkenim comments on the one who hires himself as a laborer and he does so for three years. This is connected to the Shmittah in that the person is released on the seventh year and having worked twice as long indicating that his pay was half of what he had spent laboring. (Note how there is an interesting parallel to the life of Jacob.) This is the command given according to <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Vayikra \/ Leviticus 25:39 If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, you must not force him into slave labor. 25:40 Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 25:41 Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers. (BSB)<\/span><\/em> Hired servants were engaged by the day and paid at the close of the day. A servant hired by the priest was not regarded as one of the family, and was not allowed to eat of the holy things, whereas the slaves were considered a part of the family (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Vayikra \/ Leviticus 19:13, 22:10, Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:18, 24:14, Job 14:6, Malachi 3:5<\/span><\/em>). There is a change of status here in the difference between a slave and a hired servant. This is contrasted in the New Testament with the Shepherd who owned the sheep (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Matthew 20:1-8 workers in vineyard, Luke 15:17-19 prodigal son, John 10:12-13 good shepherd and sheep<\/span><\/em>). The servant who functions as a worker just as in the parable of the workers in the vineyard (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Matthew 20<\/span><\/em>) Yeshua likens to \u201cthe kingdom of heaven.\u201d<br>The verses we are looking at for this week are from <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:1-18<\/span><\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:1-18<\/strong><br>15:1 \u2018At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. 15:2 \u2018This is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord\u2019s remission has been proclaimed. 15:3 \u2018From a foreigner you may exact it, but your hand shall release whatever of yours is with your brother. 15:4 \u2018However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, 15:5 if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. 15:6 \u2018For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. 15:7 \u2018If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; 15:8 but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. 15:9 \u2018Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, \u2018The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,\u2019 and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you. 15:10 \u2018You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. 15:11 \u2018For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, \u2018You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.\u2019 15:12 \u2018If your kinsman, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, then he shall serve you six years, but in the seventh year you shall set him free. 15:13 \u2018When you set him free, you shall not send him away empty-handed. 15:14 \u2018You shall furnish him liberally from your flock and from your threshing floor and from your wine vat; you shall give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15:15 \u2018You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. 15:16 \u2018It shall come about if he says to you, \u2018I will not go out from you,\u2019 because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you; 15:17 then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also you shall do likewise to your maidservant. 15:18 \u2018It shall not seem hard to you when you set him free, for he has given you six years with double the service of a hired man; so the Lord your God will bless you in whatever you do. (NASB)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote style=\"text-align:right\" class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u05d0 \u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05bc\u05b5\u05e5 \u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05d1\u05b7\u05e2-\u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05ea\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05b9\u05d4 \u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d8\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4: \u05d1 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d6\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d3\u05bc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b7\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d8\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05d8 \u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05de\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b5\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d9\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05e2\u05b5\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0-\u05d9\u05b4\u05d2\u05bc\u05b9\u05e9\u05b9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05e8\u05b5\u05e2\u05b5\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc 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\u05d4\u05b7\u05d6\u05bc\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd: \u05d8\u05d6 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9-\u05d9\u05b9\u05d0\u05de\u05b7\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05d0\u05b5\u05e6\u05b5\u05d0 \u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d4\u05b5\u05d1\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d1\u05bc\u05b5\u05d9\u05ea\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9-\u05d8\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1 \u05dc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05e2\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0: \u05d9\u05d6 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05e7\u05b7\u05d7\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e6\u05b5\u05e2\u05b7 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b7\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d6\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05d3\u05bc\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05ea \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05e2\u05b6\u05d1\u05b6\u05d3 \u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05e3 \u05dc\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05de\u05b8\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05ea\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05b9\u05d4-\u05db\u05bc\u05b5\u05df: \u05d9\u05d7 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0-\u05d9\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b7\u05dc\u05bc\u05b5\u05d7\u05b2\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b9\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d7\u05b8\u05e4\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d4 \u05e9\u05b0\u05b9\u05db\u05b7\u05e8 \u05e9\u05b8\u05b9\u05db\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8 \u05e2\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05e9\u05c1\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b5\u05e8\u05b7\u05db\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05db\u05b9\u05dc \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05e8 \u05ea\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05b9\u05d4:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The Torah in the Tanach is often spoken of as the loving instruction and gift of God to his people as a guide for life, something to be cherished and enjoyed, as well as something to be obeyed under penalty of the punishment for disobedience. The wise person is said to live according to God\u2019s ways which are intended for life. This is the context of what we are finding here in the reading from <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:1-18<\/span><\/em>. When we walk in God\u2019s ways, we are ordering our lives in accordance with God\u2019s word and so we know God because we walk in His ways. The commands on the servant being freed from slavery, being set free from debt, not charging interest, the Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot all speak of these things. The rabbis in the Talmud speak about turning the servant away empty in the following way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>Talmud Bavli Kiddushin 17a:7<\/strong><br>The Gemara asks: What is the reasoning of Rabbi Meir? The Gemara explains: He derives a verbal analogy from \u201cempty\u201d stated with regard to the severance gift: \u201cYou shall not send him away empty\u201d (Deuteronomy 15:13), and \u201cempty\u201d stated with regard to a firstborn: \u201cAll the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem; and none shall appear before Me empty\u201d (Exodus 34:20). Just as there, in the case of the firstborn, one must give five sela, so too here, in the case of severance gifts, one must give five sela.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>Talmud Bavli Kiddushin 17a:8<\/strong><br>The Gemara asks: But one can say that he is obligated to give only five sela in total from all of the three types listed in the verse. The Gemara answers: If \u201cempty\u201d were written at the end of the verse, i.e., Deuteronomy 15:14, the halakha would be as you said. But now that \u201cempty\u201d is written before the verse, i.e., at the end of Deuteronomy 15:13, apply the phrase \u201cDo not send him away empty\u201d to \u201cflock,\u201d and apply \u201cempty\u201d to \u201cthreshing floor,\u201d and likewise apply \u201cempty\u201d to \u201cwinepress.\u201d Consequently, there must be five sela for each type.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The Gemara explains not letting a servant go away empty by comparing to the redemption of the first born son. (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Kiddushin 17a:7<\/span><\/em>) The Gemara also places limits on the amount of payment given to the servant who leaves. (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Kiddushin 17a:8<\/span><\/em>) What does God through Moses want us to see in these passages from <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15<\/span><\/em>? Our serving God should be as one who is redeemed, and the Lord God does not limit His blessing upon our lives. This is the message of the Passover, the Lord God through His mercy redeemed Israel and delivered her from the bondage of slavery to the land of sin (Egypt). The Lord God blesses us and empowers us so we can be a blessing to others. It is in this we are to be like the One whose image and likeness we bear, who uses His resources and power for others. We are to do likewise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The haftarah reading for the Torah portion is from <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Isaiah 11<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>Isaiah 11:1-9<\/strong><br>11:1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 11:2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 11:3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; 11:4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. 11:5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist. 11:6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. 11:7 Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 11:8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper\u2019s den. 11:9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea. (NASB)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The haftarah reading in the Rabbinic literature does not discuss the origin of the practice of reading publicly from the Prophets in a formal cycle. Traditions developed however on reading a particular passage from the prophets with each weekly Torah portion. The Babylonian Talmud (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Megillah 29b<\/span><\/em>) suggests that a haftarah should <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cresemble\u201d<\/span><\/em> the Torah reading of the day. This suggests that the haftarah may be linked to a theme or genre from the Torah reading. Because of this, we look to the haftarah reading for some clue about its intended function. It is interesting to try and understand what the Torah portion is about in the minds of the rabbis by their citing from <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Isaiah 11<\/span><\/em>. Here we have <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Isaiah 11<\/span><\/em> which speaks of the one who will come from the tribe of Jesse, who will be raised up by God in the spirit of wisdom and understanding. He will fear the Lord, and delight in that fear, he will not judge by sight or by his ears but will judge in righteousness. He will be fair, and he will strike the earth with the words of his mouth. It also states that righteousness and faithfulness will be bound around him. He will be faithful, and then Isaiah speaks a prophetic message that there will be peace between enemies (<em>wolf and lamb, child and cobra, etc<\/em>) and peace will reign because the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. These things are connected to the servant in the description here in the Torah. The Apostle Paul wrote that Yeshua took upon him the form of a servant (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Philippians 2:7<\/span><\/em>). The Servant of God exercises his function as a servant by humbling himself. <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Isaiah 42:1<\/span><\/em> states, <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cBehold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.\u201d (NASB)<\/span><\/em> Yeshua is called the servant of God in <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Acts 3:26 \u201cFor you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.\u201d<\/span><\/em> Notice how Yeshua functioned in his role as HaMoshiach (the anointed one) to lead and guide the people in God\u2019s ways, to turn men from their wicked ways. Part of His service was the lead us in the way we should go, walking according to God\u2019s word such that each of us would turn from our wicked ways. (i.e. the message of repentance) <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Matthew 20:28<\/span><\/em> states, <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cjust as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.\u201d (NASB)<\/span><\/em> This idea of giving his life as a servant is related to the preservation of human life takes precedence over all the other commandments in Judaism. This same principle can be found in the command Moshe gave us in <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 15:18 When you do set him free, do not feel aggrieved; for in the six years he has given you double the service of a hired man. Moreover, the LORD your God will bless you in all you do. (NASB)<\/span><\/em> Treating a brother as a hired servant as opposed to as a salve is analogous to saving a life, treating him as having value and worth. This builds self esteem which is very important. Both our words and our actions can destroy a persons self esteem which is analogous to the death of the soul. The Talmud emphasizes this principle of saving a life by citing the verse from <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Vayikra \/ Leviticus 18:5 \u201cYou shall therefore keep my statutes\u2026which if a man do, he shall live by them.\u201d<\/span><\/em> The rabbis add <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cThat he shall live by them, and not that he shall die by them.\u201d<\/span><\/em> (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Talmud Bavli Yoma 85b<\/span><\/em>) This is where it is derived that when a life is involved, all the Sabbath laws may be suspended to safeguard the health of the individual. This is the principle of being pikuach nefesh (\u05e4\u05d9\u05e7\u05d5\u05d7 \u05e0\u05e4\u05e9) doche Shabbat (rescuing a life in danger takes precedence over the Sabbath). Whenever two mitzvot come into conflict with each other, one is given precedence over the other. For example, this is understood in the case of brit milah on Shabbat, or any \u05e2\u05e9\u05d4 \u05d3\u05d5\u05d7\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d0 \u05ea\u05e2\u05e9\u05d4 (positive commandment that <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cpushes away\u201d<\/span><\/em> a negative one). In the Talmud when there is a discussion over two opposing commands, they usually discuss whether it is <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201c\u05d4\u05d5\u05ea\u05e8\u05d0\/hutrah\u201d<\/span><\/em> or <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201c\u05d3\u05d7\u05d5\u05d9\u05d4\/dichuya,\u201d<\/span><\/em> whether the mitzvah that gave way effectively ceases to exist (\u05d4\u05d5\u05ea\u05e8\u05d0), or if it\u2019s still there, but we are allowed to override it anyway (\u05d3\u05d7\u05d5\u05d9\u05d0). This is the context of the <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Talmud Bavli Yoma 85a-b<\/span><\/em>, and other sources, discuss when someone\u2019s life is in danger on the Shabbat, and the Shabbat laws have to be violated in order to save his life. The idea is we not only may but must violate Shabbat in order to save a life. The <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Shulhan Arukh, Orah Hayyim 328:2<\/span><\/em> states <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cIt is a religious precept to desecrate the Sabbath for any person afflicted with an illness that may prove dangerous; he who is zealous is praiseworthy while he who asks questions sheds blood.\u201d<\/span><\/em> Note also how this safeguarding the health of a person is emphasized in the fast on Yom Kippur <em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cA sick person is obliged to break the fast. Neither the patient nor those attending him need atone when performing such acts that are forbidden under normal circumstances.\u201d<\/span><\/em> This mitzvah of pikuach nefesh (\u05e4\u05d9\u05e7\u05d5\u05d7 \u05e0\u05e4\u05e9) is what Yeshua did on our behalf. He gave his life for our behalf. This principle of saving a life is as one who serves, who gives his life on behalf of another. This overrides the negative command. I have heard some argue that Yeshua did not function as per the Torah requirement to make atonement and so his sacrifice upon the cross was not sufficient. This principle of servant hood, and giving one\u2019s life for another is founded upon the mitzvah of saving a life. Yeshua obeyed a primary commandment from the Torah, a positive command of saving a life for each and every one of us. Within this context, it is acceptable to say that this overrides the negative command, and hanging there upon the cross, he bore our sins just as the Scriptures say. The Lord God of Israel our Father in heaven accepted this atoning sacrifice and validated it by raising Yeshua from the grave three days later. Yeshua presented to us true servant hood giving his life for those he loves. We are to do likewise. First and foremost, giving our lives to the Lord by accepting what Yeshua has done and then obeying God\u2019s Word. These things describe how the Torah and the Gospel Message go hand in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BTT_Parashat-Shemini_Shel_Pesach-2019.pdf\">BTT_Parashat Shemini_Shel_Pesach-2019<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BTT_Parashat-Shemini_Shel_Pesach-2019.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\" download>Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watch Video Here The reading for this week is from Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17 and speaks about being freed from slavery, being set free from debt, not charging interest, the Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. What these Scriptures are speaking to us is concerning servant hood, and committing our lives to the Lord. When we do [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9156,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9152","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bits-of-torah-truth","8":"category-weekly-parashah"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}