Shavuot, aka Pentecost, is connected historically and ceremonially to the annual memorials of Pesakh (Passover) and Matzot (Unleavened Bread) by the 50 days in between. 

God’s instructions for Shavuot are connected to a harvest, but we can glean deeper meaning from its thematic linkage to Pesakh, to the giving of the Ten Commandments at Sinai and to the widespread outpouring of the Spirit on the 120 believers of Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ):

* Pesakh: Be freed from bondage. (Justification)* Matzot: Be purged of the mindset from the former life. (Sanctification)* Shavuot: Learn what it means to be be adopted into the family of the Bondage-Breaker, live it out and offer the invitation to others. (Sanctification)

The message of freedom from the past, contentment in the present and strength for the future is for the whole world — not just Israel.

Pentecost/Shavuot is one of the three annual pilgrimage festivals in the Torah. The people were commanded to attend and come together for this festival.

Shavuot: Many names, one khag

* חַג הַקָּצִיר בִּכּוּרֵי מַעֲשֶׂיךָ khag ha-qatsir bikkurey ma’aseykha (Feast of the Harvest of the Firstfruits of Your Labor; Ex. 23:16)* חַג שָׁבֻעֹת khag shavu’ot (Feast of Shavu’ot; Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:9–10) * shavuah = “week,” “seven”Related to shavah, to make an oath. Thus, seven is seen to communicate completeness or assurance: days of creation.בִּכּוּרֵי קְצִיר חִטִּים bikkurey qatsir khittim (Feast of the Firstfruits of the Wheat; Ex. 34:22; Num. 28:26)* πεντηκοστή pentecoste (50th day, i.e., Pentecost; Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1Cor. 16:8–9)* יּוֹם הבִּכּוּרֵים yom ha-bikkurim (Day of the Firstfruits in rabbinical literature; cf. m.Bikkurim 3:2–3) 

Why 50 days?

Shavuot is held at the end of seven “weeks” plus one day (Leviticus 23).

The Yobel (Jubilee) year is held on the 50th year of the communal count, the year after seven cycles of Shemitah (release) years (Num. 25:10).

Shavuot follows seven sevens of days from the release from Egypt.

The Yobel comes after seven sevens of mini-releases (Shemitah).

Both Shavuot and the Yobel show us that there is a new beginning for God’s people after a complete release from bondage, if we are completely devoted to the one who has given us true freedom. 

No wonder Yeshua at the beginning of His public work quoted from a prophetic Yobel passage (“year of the LORD’s favor,” Isaiah 61).

The apocryphal Book of Jubilees and writings of Philo put special meaning on the number 50. The 50th year and the 50th day focus on the same theme. 

“The fiftieth year (Year of Jubilee) and the fiftieth day (Pentecost Day) have essentially the same character, namely, a time of liberty, remission of sin, and a new beginning. Like the Jubilee, Pentecost celebrates the hope of a new beginning.”Samuele Bacchiocchi, God’s Festivals in Scripture and History. Part I: The Spring Festivals, Biblical Perspectives, Berrien Spirngs, Mich.: 2001. p. 175

Shavu’ot primer

Pesach focuses on the barley harvest but the time of Shauvot is the time of the wheat harvest. The Bikkurey Qatsir Khittim name of the holy day has its roots in the Hebrew word חִטָּה khittah (H2406). That word comes from חָנַט khanat (H2590) “to spice, make spicy, embalm,” “to put forth, to bring about ripeness.”

Wheat is more valuable than barley. Wheat flour is what the priests used for the  “fine flour” in the minkhah offerings in the Tabernacle.

Birth and “the walking dead,” aka lepers. The two couldn’t be more different different. The first brings life into the world, and the latter is a mark of life that is headed out of the world. Yet in human body’s sometimes gross processes of fostering the new, we see similarities with the indeed gross processes that unravel the body, making it waste away.

The Torah readings תזריע Tazria (“she will conceive,” Leviticus 12–13) and מְּצֹרָע Metzora (“leper,” Leviticus 14–15) weave a thread of Heaven’s wisdom between the realms of life and death, showing us in stark imagery how Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) indeed is making this happen: “The last enemy that will be abolished is death” (1Corinthians 15:26–27 NASB).

Overview of Tazria-Metzora

* Lessons from human reproduction

* Birth

* Cycles and emissions

* S’eit, sapachat, & baheret (lepers)

* Examples

* Moses demonstrates Who gives leprosy

* Miriam acts presumptuously

* Uzziah acts presumptuously

* Naaman and Gehazi switch places

* Lepers of Samaria save the city

* Leper worships Messiah

* Cleansing

* Baptism

Lessons from human reproduction

Lev. 12:2-5: Note that the first week for males and the first two weeks for females are separated out from the balance of the purification time period. It is common to combine all the time specified into one continuous value (40 days and 80 days respectively). The Torah separates the time this way in order to show how to apply instructions in Leviticus 15.

Lev 15:20-23: Applies for first week or two weeks after birth (male versus female).

Lev 12:4: Remaining time period, she is to continue to not touch sacred things or enter the Sanctuary.

Lev. 15:24: However, not everything she touches in unclean anymore (unlike the first week or two weeks). She is still not to know her husband during the remaining time period.

Lev. 12:6-8: Why a sin offering and atonement? Anything connected to an unusual (uncommon or infrequent) blood flow is attached to a loss of blood (life is in the blood). The Torah appears to connect child birth to this uncommon category (unlike menstrual cycles which are considered common).

Lev. 15:28-30: We see similar offerings for abnormal discharges (male or female) as we do for childbirth. Therefore it may be reasonable to believe that unusual blood flow (miscarriages, disease/infections, extended menstrual cycles) are viewed similarly to giving birth.

Lev. 15:31-33: It is clear from the text, that menstrual and seminal flows are separate from the abnormal discharges. The cleansing process for seminal or menstrual flows is indicated by washing the clothing/bedding and body in water and they remain unclean until evening.

Lessons from ‘lepers’

Leviticus 13-14 discuss “leprosy” and cleansing the “leper.” The specific disease descriptions given are difficult to reconcile with most modern known diseases. Therefore, I will discuss the nature of how the disease was used by Yehovah in different examples.

Ex. 4:6-7: Yehovah shows Moses (and later the Israelites) who has power over life/death giving and healing leprosy. In this example, we see that Yehovah can decide when and where to use leprosy (a very fearful disease). It is important to note that Pharaoh was the one to receive this death (...

The concept of ritual impurity is confusing to the gentile mindset. The Torah says that if one is “ritually impure” one can’t participate in the work of worship that happens in God’s house. It seems like God is punishing us for things that are beyond our control.

However, it is not a sin to be ritually impure, and God isn’t out to punish us for things outside our control. Everything God says in the Torah is there to teach us lessons about Himself — and about ourselves in the process.

In the Torah reading שמיני Shemini (“eighth,” Lev. 9:1–11:47), discover the things Heaven says make one fit and unfit to enter God’s Presence. Some of those things are out of our control living in a world under the curse since Eden, so Heaven has to transform us. Focus on what’s in our control.

Heaven is taking each of us and humanity on a journey to a new beginning: from bondage to rest.

What does Shemini mean?

The title for the Parashat Shemini comes from the consecration of the priesthood “on the eighth day” (Lev. 9:1). Eight in Hebrew is שְׁמֹנֶה shemoneh (H8083); eighth is שְׁמִינִי E(H8066). It could be related to the verb שמן shaman, which means fat, plenty. So, shemoneh and shemini communicate something has reached fullness and is going beyond.

What does it mean to be clean or unclean?

Words behind clean and unclean:

* clean = טָהוֹר tahor (H2889): fit to approach the Presence.* unclean = טָמֵא tamé (H2931): unfit to approach the Presence* abhorrent = שֶׁקֶץ sheqetz (H8263), detestable thing

Being tahor doesn’t make one holy — set apart by God — but it does keep one holy. Tahor doesn’t block one’s entry toward the Presence.

Being tamé doesn’t make one sinful or wicked but it does blocks entry toward the Presence. However, if one tries to enter God’s Presence while in a state of tamé, this is a sinful and wicked thing to do.

Yeshua illustrated the pervasive problem of tamé and the presumption of approaching God while internally tamé in the parable of the wedding garment and confrontation over paying Roman taxes (Matt. 22:2–21).

There is a lesson to all of us to “make a distinction between the unclean and the clean” (Lev. 11:47)

All of us are called to learn to discriminate between the things that block us from access to God and those that help with access.

Characteristics of tahor food

The first practical application of the distinction between tahor and tamé is in regard to food.

* Land creatures

* Required: Having a cloven or divided hoof and chewing the cud (Lev. 11:3; Deut. 14:6).

* Examples of tahor: Bovines (cattle, bison), sheep, goats, deer family (deer, elk, gazelle, caribou/reindeer, antelope), moose.

* Examples of tamé (in modern times, called treif, which means “torn”): Swine, camels, rabbits, frogs, bears, canines, cats, horse family (horses, donkeys, zebras), elephants, rodents.

* Seafood

* Required: Having both fins and scales (Lev. 11:9; Deut. 14:9).

* Flying animals

* There are no required characteristics, just examples of tamé winged animals (Lev. 11:13-19; Deut. 14:11-18): vulture, osprey, kite, falcon, raven, ostrich, night-hawk, sea-mew, hawk, little owl, cormorant, great owl, horned owl, pelican, carrion-vulture, stork, heron, hoopoe and bat.

* Commentators have noticed that most of these are birds of prey (including fish).

There are a lot of symbols in the Bible that God blended together for the redemption of the first-born of the womb, not only of human beings but also donkeys. They all point to the first and only born of Heaven: Yeshua the Mashiakh (Jesus the Christ).

The first part of this two-part Bible study on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread looks into two major lessons from four types leaven. This second part focuses on important lesson of redemption of the first-born.

The “strangest” order regarding the redemption of the first born is in regard to the redemption of donkeys.

Donkeys are the only unclean animal that require redemption. The Torah says that either a lamb or a goat is to be brought in place of the donkey or the donkey’s neck is to be broken.

There is no command in Torah to redeem the first born of camels, or any other kind of service animal with a blood offering. Donkeys are the exception.

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.”” (Exodus 13:1–2 NASB)

Why does this only apply to males and not females? Why bother to sanctify anyone?

Numbers 8:5-19 explains the significance of the first born of all the men of Israel and how He transferred some of their status to the tribe of Levi as a whole.

God had purchased the first born sons of Israel when He redeemed all the people of Israel from Egypt by killing Egypt’s first born sons. These first born sons of all the tribes were to be set aside to serve as priests to God.

But in Numbers 8, God says that He has chosen the tribe of Levi for that role, rather than the first born sons of all of Israel for that sacred duty.

God’s instruction in Exodus 13 to sanctify the first born of all the tribes of Israel is still in effect. Numbers 8 didn’t over rule that edict.

God bought the first born; He paid the price for them.

I can understand how God made a 1-to-1 swap between the first born of all of Israel and the Levites. It also makes sense that God would refuse to accept an offering of any unclean animal such as pigs, but this donkey instruction doesn’t make sense on the surface reading.

““Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. “But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. “And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. ‘It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ “So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”” (Exodus 13:11–16 NASB)

God didn’t just kill the first born sons of the people of Egypt, He killed the first born of all their livestock as well. Hence,

What is the big deal about unleavened bread during Passover time? If it was only about the practicality of eating on the go during Israel’s exodus from slavery in Mitzraim (Egypt), why does matzah show up in the offerings of God’s House, the teachings of Yeshua the Mashiakh (Jesus the Christ) and in apostle Paul’s writings to early believers?

The apostle Paul tells us in 1Corinthians that the unleavened bread of the Passover represents sincerity and truth. What does leavened bread symbolize? The Tanak warns us that we are not to be like leavened bread which represents sexual degeneracy, spiritual arrogance, abuse of power and syncretism. When we read the Scriptures, we presume that God simply says what He means and means what He says but as we learn today, He can even use sarcasm to make His point known and teach us lessons on how to live a righteous life.

The first part of this two-part Bible study on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread looks into two major lessons from four types leaven. The second part looks into the lessons behind the first-born in the Bible, particularly what the donkey represents.

4 types of leaven

* sexual degeneracy

* spiritual arrogance

* abuse of power

* syncretism

2 lessons of unleavened bread

* Our conduct matters to God. We are called to live by every word that comes from God’s mouth. His word is our food.

* The law of God = unleavened bread = sincerity and truth.

Degeneracy: Bread of haste vs. bread of leisure

One obvious point is that unleavened bread is bread made in haste. This is not like regular bread, which is made from sourdough or leavened with yeast. Bread made with sourdough or yeast takes time to mix all together and to carefully set aside until they are ready for baking.

As we study through the redemption of the first born, we will see that first born sons are redeemed but the first born of clean animals are brought to the Temple but the most unusual reception of all is the redemption of the first born of donkeys, which are not a clean animal. Donkeys are a valuable service animal but they are unclean, yet as we read in today’s torah portion, they are to be redeemed.

Donkeys play a significant role in both the Tanak and the New Testament.

When the children of Israel left the land of Egypt, we are told that they fled quickly but they were also driven out by the Egyptians quickly. This is why they mixed their flour and water quickly but they didn’t have time to let the bread properly set and rise before baking it for food.

“The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We will all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders.” (Exodus 12:33–34 NASB)

So we have the Egyptians urging the children of Israel to get out of their land quickly, because they’re afraid.

So there is a separation being created here. Israel is driven out of and separated out from Egyptian society. And although they would normally eat leavened bread, they are not able to do so as they are being driven out of Egypt.

The children of Israel are leaving the physical leaven of Egypt behind.

However, they are also leaving behind the spiritual leaven of...

Why does the New Testament have such a large discussion about the Israel’s high priest and the offerings of the Tabernacle (Hebrews 4–14) in connection with Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ)? In the Torah reading ויקרא Vayikra/Vayiqra (“and He called”), covering Lev. 1:1–6:7, we have the “what” and “why” the various qorbanot (“offerings” aka “sacrifices”) in the Tabernacle services that were revealed to all the children of Israel. In the next Torah reading, God reveals to the Levites and priests how the sacrifices are to be processed and presented to HaShem (the Name).

Heaven has communicated this through the Torah, Prophets and Writings: Actions matter; obedience matters; animal offerings don’t. We were designed to be close to God, in communion with Him. Obviously, the Fall made that much more difficult, but that desire is still innate within us. And this is where we learn how to come closer to HaShem.

God doesn’t think the way men do. We think one way He thinks differently, we have to accept that and just try to understand what He is revealing to us about Himself in this process.

There are arm-chair biblical archaeology students who will say that the offerings described in Leviticus are no different than the offerings made by pagan religions to their so-called gods, but nothing could be further from the truth.

The pagans sacrificed to the gods to appease them, to placate them, to buy them off. Pagan didn’t want to have a friendship or relationship with their gods. They simply wanted to placate their gods so they would get what they wanted and for the gods to otherwise leave them alone.

The offerings God asks of His children are not to appease Him but to draw closer to Him in relationship.  It is our actions that “appease” God, not animal sacrifices. The sacrifices were not valuable to God. God wanted His people’s heart, not their animals.

5 qorbanot in Leviticus

NAMEREFERENCEELEMENTSSIGNIFICANCEBurnt OfferingLev 1; 6:8-13Bull, ram, male goat, male dove, or young pigeon without blemish. (Always male animals, but species of animal varied according to individual’s economic status.)Voluntary. Signifies propitiation for sin and complete surrender, devotion, and commitment to God.Grain Offering, also called Meal orTribute OfferingLev 2; 6:14-23Flour, bread, or grain made with olive oil and salt (always unleavened); or incense.Voluntary. Signifies thanksgiving for firstfruits.Sin OfferingLev 4:1-5:13; 6:24-30; 12:6-8Male or female animal without blemish-as follows: bull for high priest and congregation; male goat for king; female goat or lamb for common person; dove or pigeon for slightly poor; tenth of an ephah of flour for the very poor.Mandatory. Made by one who had sinned unintentionally or was unclean in order to attain purification.Guilt OfferingLev 5:14-6:7; 7:1-6; 14:12-18Ram or lamb without blemishMandatory. Made by a person who had either deprived another of his rights or had desecrated something holy.’Peace Offering, also called Fellowship Offering, includes:

 

(1) Thank Offering

(2) Vow Offering

(3) Freewill Offering

Lev 3; 7:11-36Any animal without blemish.(Species of animal varied according to individual’s economic status.)Voluntary. Symbolizes fellowship with God.

 

(1) Signifies thankfulness for a specificblessing;

(2) offers a ritual expression of a vow; and

(3) symbolizes general thankfulness (to be brought to one of three required religious services).

“Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”James 5:13–15 NASB

Sickness is nothing new in Earth’s history. How were these instructions from Messiah Yeshua’s apostle Ya’akov (James) for anointing the sick with oil an expansion of the Torah method for consecration of Israel’s priesthood and leaders? What is the connection between prayer, trust (faith) in God, forgiveness of sin and healing of physical conditions?

This Bible study of the Torah reading כי תשא Ki Tisa (“when you take,” Ex. 30:11–34:35) explores how anointing with oil points to the “covering” of the Messiah (“Anointed One” in Hebrew) on a person who will lead people or who needs healing. Taking away physical and spiritual diseases was a big part of the anticipated (Isaiah 53 and 61) and fulfilled role of the Messiah.

Daniel teaches the Torah reading Ki Tisa from his home during Hallel Fellowship Shabbat services via Zoom videoconference on March 14, 2020. California earlier that week had encouraged against holding large meetings to stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Another topic covered in this study is how ancient Israel’s half-sheqel (shekel) contribution for the Tabernacle (Exodus 30) stood in for a direct census of the people. What was the problem of tabulating each person? Why was it such a big deal when King David did it (2Samuel 24; 1Chronicles 21)?

A comparison of the Israel new sheqel alongside a U.S. nickel, during Hallel Fellowship Shabbat services Zoom videoconference on March 14, 2020.

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution.” (Exodus 25:1–2 NASB)

Are we offering the Creator of Heaven and Earth — and by extension, those around us — the best of our time and resources? After Heaven gave the best to Earth to remove from memory sin, transgression and iniquity, in the birth, death and resurrection of the Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ).

The meaning behind the name for Torah reading תרומה Terumah is “a set aside” or “raised up” portion, aka a “heave offering.” It’s to set aside the best of best for God. Offerings and tithe are not the same thing. All of what was given for the Tabernacle were free-will offerings. The tithe was designated for the upkeep of the priestly families, not for the tabernacle itself.

In Hosea 14, God gives Hosea an example to the Northern Tribes of Israel of how to repent of their sins when they can no longer make offerings to Him.

“Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity And receive us graciously, That we may present the fruit of our lips.

“Assyria will not save us, We will not ride on horses; Nor will we say again, ‘Our god,’ To the work of our hands; For in You the orphan finds mercy.”

I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from them.

I will be like the dew to Israel; He will blossom like the lily, And he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon.

His shoots will sprout, And his beauty will be like the olive tree And his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.

Those who live in his shadow Will again raise grain, And they will blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.” (Hosea 14:1–7 NASB)

One interpretation is that the prayers of the exiles are a substitute for the animal offerings they can no longer present to Him. We use our best words, our most eloquent words and offer them to God. Our sincere words that come from the heart become the offering.

What means something to God is not the object itself as God owns everything on the earth, whether it’s pretty or ugly, functional or nonfunctional. What God wants is the heart behind the gift. It’s the desire to give that God appreciates.

Does Heaven have the mercy seat covered?

The words used to described what the Tabernacle was to look like can’t show us perfectly what the Tabernacle looked like. That is why God repeatedly states, “as it was shown to you in the mountain, so they shall make it.”

Moses designed and built the Tabernacle based on what God showed him. The heavenly Tabernacle does not have physical items, such as wood, animal skins, etc., so the earthy tabernacle mimics what God showed Moses in heaven. The earthly Tabernacle was a replica of what Moses saw in heaven.

Even though God says He wants to dwell with His people, He can’t dwell in close proximity to mankind because His perfect purity would kill us if we came into direct contact with Him. Flesh and blood can’t inherit the Kingdom of God.

What’s inside the ark includes God’s testimony in the 10 Commandments. One’s testimony lasts as long as one is alive. Our testimony only lasts as long as we are alive, but since God is eternal, His testimony is also eternal.

The ark was made primarily to house God’s words. When God says He is dwelling among the people, what is actually dwelling with His people is His Word. God cannot be confined into a mere box, even a finely decorated one.

“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.” (Exodus 25:17 NASB)

The word “mercy seat” is the second worst English translation of the Hebrew ...

Does the Torah promote vigilantism (taking the law into your own hands)? Some years ago, those who were against Torah would ask facetious questions like, “If I see my neighbor mowing the lawn on the Shabbat, do I have permission to kill him?” This ridiculous line of argument even ended up as an episode plot for a popular show (“The Midterms,” The West Wing, October 2000). 

Are these judgments ignorant and obsolete? For example, in this section of the Torah refers to daughter literally as their father’s silver. Are daughter just the property of their fathers freely passed around and bought and sold?

We just read the “Big 10,” the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). Torah reading מִּשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (“judgments,” Ex. 21:1–24:18) covers case law results from the Ten Commandments. It covers how to live them out in a world of idolatry (yes, it’s even a modern problem), cruelty, oppression, selfishness, disrespect for authority, apathy and envy.

The mispatim in Exodus 21–24 also are further expanded upon in the rest of Exodus and most of Leviticus. They are also brought up again in Deuteronomy for “born again” Israel, the second post-exodus generation.

The Ten Commandment tablets were most often referred to as the “Tablets of the Testimony” (Ex. 31:18; 32:15; 34:29). These laws help us discern God’s righteousness and wisdom.

When we go other the haftarah (parallel passage to the Torah reading) in Jeremiah, we will see how the three-fifths clause of the US Constitution was the “poison pill” inserted into the Constitution to bring about the eventual abolition of the abhorrent practice. Frederick Douglass saw the wisdom of the Constitution’s 3/5th’s clause and how it would tear down the institution of chattel slavery in the United States by acknowleding the inherent humanity of the African slaves while at the same time denying their captors the use the humanity of their slaves to vote against their interests.

So, what do these instructions mean to me today?

“These are the מִּשְׁפָּטִים mishpatim”:

* This phrase starts the “Book of the Covenant” (Ex. 24:7), which runs from Exodus 21–23.* God’s directions are often referred to as מִצְוֹתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְחֻקֹּתָיו mitsvateiv umishpateiv v’khuqoteiv (Deut. 8:11, His commands, His statutes and His ordinances).* The word משפט mishpat can be understood to mean judgment, decision or case.

When compared with U.S. law, we can see this pattern of three:

* U.S. Constitution* U.S. Code (created by Congress)* U.S. Supreme Court case law

We see in our own secular case law that they often contradict each other and bad case law has to be overturned by good case law.

We go over this every year so that we can learn from the Torah and build upon it, not to twist it or take away from it. If we expect our legislators to treat the US constitution with respect, how much more do we expect the Apostles, the prophets and Messiah Himself to treat the Torah with respect?

Here are some examples of case law in Torah, how they apply the literal word of Torah to situations that don’t fit the letter.

* Moshe (Moses) settled the משפט — case — on Zelophehad’s daughters’ inheritance (Num. 27:5).* Yehoshua (Joshua) took over משפט before Eleazar the priest and Urim from Moshe (Num 27:21).* Shlomo (Solomon) builds a אוּלָם הַמִּשְׁפָּט ulam ha-mishpat (hall of justice), i.e., a courthouse.

How do we live by every word of the Torah? God is the God of actions, not merely abstract ideas. We live by the Torah when we practice it in our day to day lives, just as a basketball player consciously practices his dribbles and his 3-point shots for hours at a time. This study from the Torah reading יתרו Yitro (Jethro, Exodus 18:1–20:23) focuses on the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).

One thing to keep in mind, the events of Exodus 18 occurred after the events of Exodus 19. We don’t know why God wanted the chapters to be transposed chronologically, but it’s evident from the text that is what we see. 

The last time we interact with Zipporah was when they were going to Egypt and she had to circumcise one of her sons. 

“Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away…” (Exodus 18:2 NASB)

The word in Hebrew translated as “sent away” or “dismissed” — שָׁלַח shalach (H7971) — also is used to mean divorce. We don’t know for certain if he divorced her but it’s strongly implied. However, whether he simply sent her back to her father’s house because of the dangers in Egypt or literally divorced her, we aren’t certain. 

The events of Mt. Sinai and the giving of the 10 Commandments are associated with God’s appointed time for Israel called Shavuot (Pentecost). 

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, ‘Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them.’” (Exodus 19:21–22 NASB)

God hadn’t selected the priests yet so who is He talking to? He hadn’t set aside the family of Aaron as priests yet. In most cultures of the Ancient Near East, the first born of the family were also the priest of their families. These first born priests may be who God is referencing at this point. 

10 ‘headlines’ of behavior with eternal consequence

The 10 Commandments are “headlines” in a matter of speaking, as there are other rules in the Torah that elaborate on how to keep each of the 10 Commandments. 

1st word: ‘I am the LORD Who took you out of Egypt’

We can relate to someone we can see and touch. The God who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, who performed profound miracles. God is also the God who made the aurora borealis, but I live on Earth, not up there. We know and understand our lived experience much more than we understand things that we can’t directly experience. 

God is the God of actions, not merely abstract ideas. The Apostles point out the same thing. They struggled with explaining to Greeks the Hebrew concept of God. The cultures are very different. Hebrews experience God, not think about Him while Greeks think about God but don’t experience Him. The Greek gods were not beings you wanted to experience. 

2nd word: Idol conversation for today

God tells us we aren’t to seek to experience or interact with gods other than Himself. It’s a matter of discernment for us to learn what spirits are of God and which are not. 

“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20:5–6 NASB)

How does ‘to the third and fourth generation’ compare with Ezekiel 18:1-29?