Torah: Devarim (Deuteronomy) 21:10 – 25:19; Haftarah: Yesha'yahu (Isaiah) 54:1-10
Mercy and Compassion
This Torah portion contains many teachings that may seem antiquated rules and regulations, but they are designed to build and form character because through them we learn mercy and compassion. In their practical approach they teach basic principles applicable for all ages, and they reveal the compassionate attribute of God.
The shortest verse in the Bible is in John 11:35: "Yeshua wept." Yeshua wept not because Lazarus was dead - He knew that He will resurrect Lazarus, or because Lazarus sisters' lack of faith - He knew about that too, He wept because He was having compassion for our human condition. When someone dies, we are crying for ourselves because we are left without that precious person. We are weak and full of emotions that control us despite our knowledge. We, in our sinful nature, think first of ourselves - we are born with a selfish tendency, but God teaches us to think otherwise. Torah teachings became commandments for our own good and became the standard for morality, the standard for what is good and honorable. Therefore, those who follow the principles of these commandments not only are honoring God and His Word, but also are learning to respect the fellow human being by acquiring mercy and compassion.
God has told us through the prophets what He expects from us: “He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8. And He also told us through His Son, Yeshua: “But you go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance," and “Asher, praiseworthy, are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Obeying God’s commandments and following His teachings give life and meaning to our lives.
Following are some of these teachings that became the standard of morality for our western civilization, but they are in grave danger of becoming overruled by our increased rejection of God's Word. Please read them carefully from your own Bible and meditate on their core meaning:
Family Laws:
- Marriage with a Captive of War (ch. 21:10-14): we still have wars and our soldiers, who are out there somewhere in a strange land, may experience emotions that may seem out of our own common sense, viewed from our comfortable couches, therefore, even though this kind of marriage is discouraged, God allows it under a thoughtful consideration and not under the natural impulse of the warrior. We can understand that only if we think about the situation of these soldiers and put their feelings above ours.
- The Right of the First-Born (ch. 21:15-17): stemming from the above commandment, or as a result of it, the first-born is to be honored as well as any other child regardless of our natural tendencies. We are not to favor children only from a “beloved” marriage. With the rampant divorce rate in our country this is as valid today as when it was given. Why should children suffer for our own foolishness? "Cinderella" is not a story that God is enjoying.
- The Disobedient Son (ch. 21:18-21): a son, or a daughter, who throws off the authority of his parents will do the same with God. Therefore, he/she must be restored to his family by the discipline of both parents - who share equal responsibility in this process. Again, this is something that we more and more do not see in our society because we have pushed God out of our lives. Children raised up without discipline are children who do not know right from wrong. But the discipline has to come from a loving parent who is constantly drawing wisdom from the word of God. "Fathers [and mothers], do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4.
- Holiness of Marriage (ch. 22:13-21): the union of a man and a woman must be undefiled. The sacredness of marriage is the pillar of society. With the crumbling of marriages, a society will follow suit and disappear only to be recorded in the pages of history, as many already have done.
- Adultery (ch. 22:22): there is to be no double standard of conjugal immorality; both parties to be punished and this evil behavior put away from society.
- Immorality (ch. 23:19-19): there shall be no harlot of the daughters of Israel. As with the above verses, Israel is to be a model of morality for the pagan nations surrounding it.
- Divorce (ch. 24:1-4): God hates divorce but allows it only because of our hardening of hearts.
- Levirate Marriage (ch. 25:5-10): this was the concept of preserving a name and property for one's deceased brother in the tribal structure of Israel - not encouraged today due to the increased population and to a different society structure, even though it is still practiced in some parts of the world.
- Flagrant Immodesty (ch. 25:11-12): even in extenuating circumstances is to be dealt without pity; to purge the evil behavior from Israel. Israel is to be a holy nation, and we too, as individual believers, are called to be holy because we serve a Holy God.
Laws of Kindness:
- The Exposed Corpse of a Criminal (ch. 21:22-23): the dignity of humanity must be respected even in a criminal. How we treat others is a reflection on our character. The infraction must be punished, but how we do it tells about our own humanity.
- Restoring lost Property (ch. 22:1-3): respect for one's property must be as if it is your own. Is there joy for profiting from someone else's loss? In our sinful nature we tend to rejoice in finding money or things that were lost, but how about the person who lost them? How does he or she feels?
- Injustice to the Stranger, Orphan and the Widow (ch. 24:17-21): care for the stranger, fatherless and widow shall have priority in our minds in every activity. “You shall not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the orphan; nor take a widow’s garment as a pledge. But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you there; therefore I command you to do this thing that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands: - When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not turn back to take it; it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow. - When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow. - When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow.” We must take care of the less fortunate from our midst. God allows them to exist in our society to stir our hearts to do good and thus, in turn, making us better people. "The object of religion is ethical training and the encouragement of good deeds, not to create good intentions." - to quote Jon Entine.
There is a commandment which at first reading it seems to be out of place. Chapter 25:4 reads, “You shall not muzzle the ox when he treads out the grain.” It comes in-between the number of lashes to be administered to the wicked and the Levirate Marriage, not related to either, so what is its meaning? In the Talmudic Judaism this passage is taken as speaking about the kindness to animals, and indeed if one displays cruelty to animals may also do the same towards humans, but why is it placed here? To really understand this passage, we have to understand the Hebrew frame of mind and its thinking, because according to the first century believers this is actually only an expression. For we read in the Messianic Judaism commentary, the Brit Chadashah, in 1 Corinthians 9:9: “For, in the Torah written by Moshe it says, “You shall not muzzle an ox treading grain.” Surely it is not for oxen that the LORD is concerned. Or does he not speak altogether for our sake, and is it not for us that the LORD says this? Yes, for us, because it was written that the one plowing ought to plow on in hope, and the one threshing ought to partake with hope. If we sowed spiritual things to you, is it too much if we reap in material things from you?”
It is indeed not about oxen, but about compassion. Today we can interpret it in two ways. First, as supporting the ones that labor for your soul, therefore, when you receive spiritual sustenance from your spiritual leaders, do not hold back your material wealth in supporting the persons who fed you spiritual manna. Second, if you have employees from which you receive physical sustenance, be kind to them and share in your wealth with them. Do not hold back their wages and be prompt and generous in paying for their work.
Another commandment seemingly out of place is at the end of the Parashah. After talking about honest weight measures and making sure that we understand that all who act corruptly are an abomination in God’s eyes, we read in chapter 25:17-19: “Remember what Amalek did to you by the way, when you came forth out of Egypt; How he met you by the way, and struck at your rear, all who were feeble behind you, when you were faint and weary; and he did not fear God. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around, in the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess, that you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget it.”
Seemingly unrelated, it describes how the ancient nation of Amalek attacked our ancestors in the desert. Not only was the attack unprovoked, but it came at a time when the people were faint and weary. So, we are commanded to remember the heinous deeds committed by Amalek, to remember that which Amalek did to us.
Throughout their entire existence as a Jewish nation the people of Israel have many memories of violence done to them. But these memories as victims of violence and persecution are a two-edged sword. We sometimes find many of our people who have accumulated emotions of hate and vengeance against whoever belongs to a nation or group which has hurt us. Feelings of rage and the desire for revenge are natural and understandable in moments of crisis, and one cannot be judged in his moment of anguish. But it seems that this mitzvah has a different meaning, because the Torah does not “command” us to feel that which is naturally felt. The Torah does not enjoin us to love our children, for example, we do that naturally. On the other hand, it does charge us to “love the stranger.” The Torah seems to command us to make every effort not to be contaminated by what Amalek stands for - hurting the weak and the helpless, because our God is a God of compassion and He asked us to live by His standards.
Our God asked us to “love our neighbor as ourselves” because the vengeance is His. But, even if our mind can understand the words, it cannot fully comprehend the magnitude of this commandment. How can we love our "neighbor" when our neighbor is intent on hurting us? Thus at least we have to remember not to be like Amalek. This passage comes as a conclusion of all the commandments discussed because our natural tendencies are to strike back at the accuser or at someone who wronged us. But Yeshua thought us in Matthew 5:39: "But I say to you, do not set yourself against the evil person, but whoever hits you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other cheek.” Someone hitting you on the right cheek is an idiom for insulting you and Yeshua is teaching us not respond in kind. God is teaching us to defend our lives and our values but to exercise restrain even in dealing with the enemy, because in a fallen world of sin it is easy to be contaminated by the violence and the immorality of the world and become just like it. Rise above it, “Be holy for I the LORD your God am Holy, kedoshim tihu ki kadosh ani YHVH Eloheichem” says our God.
Shabbat joy, peace, and blessings! Shabbat Shalom!
