Va'Etchanan
This weeks Torah portion is titled "Va'Etchanan", which means "and I pleaded". In this parasha, Moshe (Moses) pleads with Yehovah on the behalf of Yisra'el (Israel) and also pleads with the b'nai Yisra'el (children of Israel) on the behelaf of Yehovah. It is in this set of scriptures or dare I say INSTRUCTIONS FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, that Yehovah sets out his mandates to his children, directing us that if we follow them, we shall live. In Devariym (Deuteronomy) 4:13, these "Words of the Covenant" are refered to as "The Ten Commandments". odd enough in the Hebrew, Eseret HaDevariym means "Ten of the Words". These commandments that Yehovah has given are NOT the ONLY commandments.
First we will direct our attention to Devariym 6. The words that follow, come right after the dictations of the second set of the tablets of stone. We will read from "The Scriptures 1998, ISR".
Deu 6:1 “And this is the command, the laws and right-rulings which יהוה your Elohim has commanded, to teach you to do in the land which you are passing over to possess,
Deu 6:2 so that you fear יהוה your Elohim, to guard all His laws and His commands which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days be prolonged.
Deu 6:3 “And you shall hear, O Yisra’ĕl, and shall guard to do, that it might be well with you, and that you increase greatly as יהוה Elohim of your fathers has spoken to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deu 6:4 “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!
Deu 6:5 “And you shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your might.
Deu 6:6 “And these Words which I am commanding you today shall be in your heart,
Deu 6:7 and you shall impress them upon your children, and shall speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up,
Deu 6:8 and shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Deu 6:9 “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Here, in verse 4-5 ironically enough is where the central theme and great statement of faith in all of Judaism is located, it is also what Mar (Master) Yeshua Mshikha (Messiah) refered to as the first and GREATEST commandment IN THE TORAH (law/teaching).
Deu 6:4 שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ אֶחָֽד׃
Deu 6:5 וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
Hear, give head to, listen oh Yisra'el, Yehovah OUR authority, Yehovah is ONE.
And you shall Love Yehovah your aurthority with all you heart, and with all your being, and with all your might.
If you note, the commandment is NOT to be "Perfect, blameless, and without sin; but rather, to love Yehovah with everything within us.
In the above verse, there are two tittles, a tittle, is a letter that has been tweaked by the scribes to stand out from the rest of the text. You see these two disfigurations in the words, Sh'ma and 'echad.
In the word Sh'ma, which means to hear, give heed to, listen; the letter ayin ע is enlargened. (o) is how the early semitic looks. If you see the early semitic, it's in the shape of an eye. The ayin means TO SEE. There are several lessons we can learn from this, first of all, FAITH, if you recalls does NOT come by SIGHT, but comes by HEARING, and hearing the word of Yehovah. Munster's Hebrew version of Hebrews has this to say about Faith.
Heb 11:1 Behold faith is the essense of things hoped for and a vision of the illuminated things that are not seen,
Based on this account, by giving HEED to what Yehovah has said, we will be able to SEE that which is unseen. Especially the hidden mysteries within the Scripture.
I beg to say that it is something else that the scribes are trying to teach. Here, the Ayin is ENLARGED within a word that means to HEAR. In english we have a phrase that goes something like this: "God gave us two eyes and two ears and only one mouth for a reason, so we can absorb more than we talk." When we ask for somebody to pay attention, in schools, the teacher would say "Eyes and Ears up front."
It is by this unusual marking, that Moshe is telling Yisra'el, that he wants our UNDIVIDED ATTENTION, for us to give him ALL EYES AND EARS.
The second is the dalet ד (d), which as you can see looks like an anceint tent door. The letter dalet means, supprise suprise, DOOR. Here, the sribes are calling to mind that there is ONLY ONE DOOR to enter into life. and that door is YEHOVAH OUR GOD. We see in the Brit Chadasha, that Yehovah dwelt in Mar Yeshua Mshikha, and through him, opened his own door for ALL to enter into life.
Put together the two letters spell the word עד (ad), which means WITNESS. Here, the scribes are calling to our attention, that this creed of faith stands as a witness to us, for us, and against us.
It stands as a witness for us, on our behalf, if we confess that Yehovah is indeed our authority, and him ALONE.
It stands as a witness to us that Yehovah IS OUR Authority, and that he is ONE, and that He alone is our Authrority.
It stands against us, if we stray from the creed, and follow other aurthorities. If we forget that Yehovah IS OUR AUTHORITY.
Many christians get upset with "The Ten commandments" being taken out of the schools and courts, but very seldem do they ever have it in their own homes. In verse 9, we are commanded to write these words of the covenants upon the doorposts of our house. in verse 8, we are commanded for ALL GENERATIONS, to teach them to our children and grandchildren.
When asked what is the first of the ten commandments, most people would respond, "thou shalt have no other gods before me." The Reality however is, that commandment is the SECOND commandment. The first is as follows:
Deu 5:6 ‘I am יהוה your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of bondage.
The commandment is not recognized by many, cause it is not clearly expressed. But the commandment is there. We are commandmend by Yehovah to BELIEVE IN HIM. To trust him, and to know that he is the elohiym that delivered us from Mitzrayim.
Deu 5:7 ‘You have no other mighty ones against My face.
This commandment is not a commandment of monotheism, as much as it is a commandment for Yisra'el to not serve any other elohiym. To not bring them in his face.
Deu 5:8 ‘You do not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth,
Deu 5:9 you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, יהוה your Elohim, am a jealous Ěl, visiting the crookedness of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Deu 5:10 but showing kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My commands.
This is part of the second commandment that started in verse seven. In this part of the command, we are forbidden to not make any image of anything in heaven, on earth, or in the waters, TO BOW DOWN TO THEM and serve them. ie. we are NOT to make any authorities to OURSELVES. This commandment however does NOT prohibit men from making sculptures, or having pictures, or having statutes. It is a prohibition of IDOLATRY.
Also note, that Yehovah DOES show grace (chesed) to those who LOVE HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. Grace is NOT a concept that didn't exist untill Mar Yeshua came along. Nor is it some grand new teaching started by Sha'ul. Grace has ALWAYS existed. and it's evident from THIS COMMANDMENT.
Deu 5:11 ‘You do not bring1 the Name of יהוה your Elohim to naught, for יהוה does not leave him unpunished who brings His Name to naught. Footnote: 1Or lift up, or take.
Here, the commandment is to not bring the name of Yehovah to naught, to desolation. This is NOT a command to not say "God damn", however, I would be careful what you ask G-d to damn, he may wind up granting your wish, give you an advise, DON'T damn your boss, job, or car. cause YOU NEED EM.
This commandment also is NOT a commandment to NOT use the divine name Yehovah as the rabbis claim. The claim of the rabbis is in direct conflict where Yehovah says, "This is my mentioned, or memorial, appalation to all generations" (Exodus 3:15).
This is NOT a commandment that we MUST USE the divine name either. Name in hebrew is the word shem. Shem means charachter, reputation, fame, renown. The phrase in Genesis 6 refering to the Nephalyim is "anshey shem", which means men of renown, or men with a name. the phrase "shem ra" means ill report, or evil name., shem can also mean memorial.
So what does this commandemnt mean? to answer, lets look at another commandment that is normally translated as "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor".
Deu 5:20 וְלֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵֽעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁוְא׃ ס
"And you shall not witness desolation against your neighbor". Here the word "Shav' is the same word that is translated vain in the commandment "Thous shalt not take the name of Yehovah your authority in vain". Here the concept is to not bear a testimony against somebody to destroy their reputation. In today's court system, one can be sued for doing this. The legal term for this act is called, "DEFEMATION OF CHARACTER". That means, one has said something or done something to defame, destroy, and ruined another man, or party's character, reputation, and name.
In light of this commandment, to take the name of Yehovah in "vain" or desolation, is to say something or do something that would defame, destroy, and ruin the character, reputation, fame, and name of Yehovah. When Yehovah got onto Yisra'el for their actions and sins (in particar idolatry), he said "through you, my name has been blasphemed among the nations". If we say we follow Yehovah, and we represent him, but yet we do something or say something that would leave the nations in disguss with the elohiym of Yisra'el, then we are defaming his Name and character.
Deu 5:12 ‘Guard the Sabbath day, to set it apart, as יהוה your Elohim commanded you.
Deu 5:13 ‘Six days you labour, and shall do all your work,
Deu 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath1 of יהוה your Elohim. You do not do any work – you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, so that your male servant and your female servant rest as you do. Footnote: 1See footnote at Ex. 20:10.
Deu 5:15 ‘And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Mitsrayim, and that יהוה your Elohim brought you out from there by a strong hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore יהוה your Elohim commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
Here, we are commanded to OBSERVE THE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH OF YEHOVAH. This is NOT the JEWISH sabbath, it is NOT man's sabbath. it is the SABBATH OF YEHOVAH. We are not commanded to keep a LUNAR SABABTH either, but rather the command is to keep THE SEVENTH DAY as the sabbath of Yehovah. What's interestingly important is the WHY.
Here Yehovah said that we are to keep the sabbath, so that we may rememeber that HE is our Savior, that HE is the one that DELIVERED US from the HOUSE OF SLAVERY. As believers in Mar Yeshua Mshikha, we can now say that we have have been delivered not only from the the physical place of Mitzrayim, but also from slavary and bondage of our own sin.
Also to note, Yehovah does NOT substract one WORD that goes out of his mouth, these commandments are PERPETUAL. Mar Yeshua said that we are to NOT THINK that he came to abolish the Torah or the Navi'im. Question, if Mar Yeshua said to NOT THINK it, WHY on earth do we have people to day, SPEAKING the VERY THING HE SAID NOT TO THINK? The answer is ROMAN TRADITION.
“The Pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ.”
Excerpt from, Decretal De Translat, Episcop. Cap.
“The Pope can modify divine law.”
Excerpt from, Prompta Bibliotheca, Papa, article 2
“The Catholic Church, after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath, or seventh day of the week, to the first, made the third commandment refer to Sun-Day as the day to be kept holy as the Lord’s Day.”
Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 4. p. 153
Question:
What are we commanded by the third commandment?
Answer:
By the third commandment we are commanded to worship God in a special manner on Sun-Day, the Lord’s Day.
Excerpt from, The Baltimore Catechism, No. 2 Revised 1941 by order of Francis J. Spellman
Question:
Which is the Sabbath Day?
Answer:
Saturday is the Sabbath Day.
Question:
Why do we observe Sun-Day instead of Saturday?
Answer:
We observe Sun-Day instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 336), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sun-Day.
Question:
When does a new day start?
Answer:
Originally the new day started in the evening, and went from evening to evening, but we changed the beginnings of each new day to begin at midnight, and proceed through 'til midnight of the following day. (ibid)
In the Council of Laodicea, held in C.E. 364, the following proclamation about Sabbath-keepers was made:
Because Christians ought not to Judaize, and to rest in the Sabbath, but to work in that day… Preferring in honor the Lord’s day (Sunday), if they desired to rest, they should do this as Christians (on Sunday). Wherefore if they shall be found to Judaize (keep Sabbaths), let them be accursed from Christ
(History of the Sabbath, p 270).
Sunday is our mark of authority… the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance (to Sunday) is proof of that fact.
(The Catholic Record, September 1, 1923).
Sunday is a Catholic institution, and its claims to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles. From the beginning to the end of Scripture there is not a single passage, which warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.
(Catholic Press, Sydney, August 25, 1900).
If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath Day. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church.
(Albert Smith, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, replying for the Cardinal in a letter dated February 10, 1920).
“He (the Pope) can pronounce sentences and judgments in contradiction to the rights of nations, to the law of God and man. He can free himself from the commands of the Apostles, he being their Superior, and from the rules of the Old Testament.”
Excerpt from, “The Decretal, de Translat. Episcop. Cap”
“The Pope’s will shall stand for reason. He can dispense above the law; and of wrong make right, by correcting and changing laws.”
Pope Nicholas, Dist. 96, quoted in, “Facts for the Times.” Pp. 55, 56 (1893)
“She (the Catholic Church) took the pagan Sun-Day and made it the Christian Sunday, thus the pagan Sunday, dedicated to Ba’al became the Christian Sunday sacred to Jesus”.
Excerpt from, “Catholic World”, March 1894, p.809
Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change (from Sabbath to Sun-Day) was her act, and the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power.”
Excerpt from, “Faith of our Fathers”, by Cardinal Gibbons
“The Bible says remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day. The Catholic Church says, NO! By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath Day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. And, lo, the entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.”
Excerpt from, “American Sentinal”, June, 1893, by Father Enright, the Vatican spokesperson.
Pope Pius 1566 commanded the Council of Trent, “It pleased the church of God that the religious celebration of the Sabbath Day should be transferred to the Lord’s Day, Sunday.”
Excerpt from, Chatechismus Romanus, 1867, Chap. 3
“The Christian Sabbath is therefore to this day the acknowledged offspring of the Catholic Church, as spouse of the Holy Ghost, without a word of remonstrance from the protestant world.”
Excerpt from, The Catholic Mirror, Sept. 23, 1893.
“Protestantism, in disregarding the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, has no good reasons for its Sunday theory, and ought logically to keep the Saturday as the Sabbath.”
Excerpt from, “American Catholic Quarterly Review,” Jan. 1883, by John Gilmary Shea
“Reason and common sense demand the acceptance of One or the other of these alternatives: Either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sun-Day.
Compromise is impossible.”
Excerpt from, “The Catholic Mirror,” Dec. 23, 1893.
Episcopal: Is there any command in the New Testament to change the day of weekly rest from Saturday to Sunday? None. (Manual of Christian Doctrine, p. 127)
We have made a change from the seventh day to the first day, from Saturday to Sunday, on the authority of the one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ. (Why we keep Sunday. P. 28)
Lutheran: The observance of the Lord’s Day (Sunday) is founded not on any command of God, but on the authority of the church. (from, “The Augsburg Confession”, found in: Catholic Sabbath Manual, Part 2, Section 10)
Presbyterian: A change of the day to be observed from the last day of the week to the first. There is no record, no express command authorizing this change. (N.L.Rice, The Christian Sabbath, p. 60)
Methodist: Take the matter of Sunday, there is no passage telling Christians to keep that day, or to transfer the Jewish Sabbath to that day. (H.F. Rall, Christian Advocate, July 2, 1942)
Congregationalists: It is quite clear that however rigidly or devoutly we spend Sunday, we are not keeping the Sabath. There is not a single sentence in the New Testament to suggest that we incur any penalty by violating the supposed sanctity of Sunday. (Dr. R.W. Dale, The Ten Commandments, pp. 100,101)
Anglican: Many people think that Sunday is the Sabbath, but neither in the New Testament nor in the early Church, is there anything to suggest that we have any right to transfer the observance of the seventh day of the week to the first. The Sabbath was and is Saturday and not Sunday. (Rev. Lionel Beere, Church and People, Sept. 1, 1947)
Baptists: There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath Day, but that Sabbath Day was not Sunday. There is no scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath Day institution from the seventh day to the first day of the week. (Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, Author of The Baptist Manual, New York Ministers Conference, Nov. 13, 1893)
“Reverend Philip Carrington Anglican Archbishop of Quebec sent local clergymen into a huddle today by saying outright that there was nothing to support Sunday being kept holy. Carrington definitely told a church meeting in this city of straight-laced Protestantism that tradition, not the Bible, had made Sunday the day of worship.”
(Toronto Daily Star, Oct. 26, 1949)
“Almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries (the Lord’s Supper) on the Sabbath of every week; yet, the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this.”
(Ecclesiastical History, Book 5, Ch. 22, NPNF Second Series, V2, p. 132)
“Sunday is founded not on Scripture, but on tradition, and is a distinctly Catholic institution.”
(Catholic Record, Sept. 17, 1893)
“The New Testament makes no explicit mention that the apostles changed the day of worship, but we know it from tradition.
(The New Revised Baltimore Catechism, 1949 p. 139)
“The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed…the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority.”
(Canon and Tradition, p. 263)
Did not Mar Yeshua Mshikha specifically warned against breaking the commandments of Yehovah by keeping traditoins? One of the most popular christian catch phrase is "WWJD?", "What Would Jesus Do?". This phrase was made popular and began by Charles M. Sheldon, an author that wrote a great book called "In His Steps". In his book, Shelden tells of a story how an entire town changed by a few people starting to ask themselves what Jesus would do prior to making any decisions. His book is based on the passage in one of Peter's epistles, where Peter exorts the believer to WALK AS HE (Yeshua) walked. To answer the question WWJD?, we should ask another question. WDJD?
What DID He do??? well, I can tell you what he DIDN'T DO. He did NOT go around calling himself by a 19th century name for starters. second, he did NOT disobey the commandments of Yehovah to keep tradition. He did NOT make up his own theology as he went along. He did NOT observe the feast days of the pagans. He did NOT call clean that which the Almighty called an ABOMINATION.
Put simple, Mar Yeshua Mshikha ONLY found what was written, said what was written, and DID what was written. If we are to be followers of Mshikha, we are to DO THE SAME.
Deu 5:16 ‘Respect your father and your mother, as יהוה your Elohim has commanded you, so that your days are prolonged, and so that it is well with you on the soil which יהוה your Elohim is giving you.
Here children are commanded to respect and to honor their parents. Actually, this goes beyond just young children, but to ALL HUMANS. we are to ALL repsect our parents. If adults don't respect their parents, how in the world are we to expect the children to respect theirs? Remember, children learn from their parents. If they see Adults do right, they to will learn to do right.
Deu 5:17 ‘You do not murder.
This is one of the most misquoted passages in all of the Bible. Most quote it as "Thou shalt not Kill". That is NOT what the passage says. It says DON'T MURDER. There is a WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. Murder is where one slays the life of another human (presumably an innocent human) with intent. Kill is a very broad term that could be applied to murder, man-slaughter, slaying of life on the battle feild, even taking the life of an ANIMAL for food. The Torah does NOT forbid pre-imptave strikes I might add, nor prohibit nations from going to war with eachother, to the contrary, we see several of times where Yehovah commands Yisra'el to go to war. This is going to hurt all the animal lovers, but the Torah does NOT forbid hunting animals either.
Deu 5:18 ‘You do not commit adultery.
In today's society, we have totally changed the meaning of the word adultry, and sometimes even confused it with fornication (and most even get that one wrong). Adultry is where a man lies with the WIFE of ANTOHER MAN. That is the TORAH definition of Adultry, even more so, it's not just about sex, but also where the adulterer and the Adulteress give their hearts to one to eachother. POLYGAMY isn't adultry. There is NO command in the Torah or the NT that prohibits a man from having more than one wife. However, it does limit it to a degree.
Deu 5:19 ‘You do not steal.
This commandment should be self explanitory. You shouldn't take any item that doesn't belong to you.
Deu 5:20 ‘You do not bear false witness against your neighbour.
I have already touched on this commandment earlier, but I want to revisit it for a second. Mar Yeshua closely connect this verse to verse 17 by saying "Whoever hates his brother without a cause is a murderer". The Reason why this is so, is because in order to really murder somebody, you have to hate them. One has to wish that their reputation and character is ruined. Also, when one ruins somebody else's reputation, and good name, it is as if you have tooken their life, you might as well pulled a trigger and shot them. Life and death are in the power of the tongue.
Deu 5:21 ‘You do not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor do you desire your neighbour’s house, his field, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, his ox, nor his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbour.’
This commandment happens to be the number one commandment that is broken. The reason being, in order to break the other nine, one would have to covet. especially break the last 3. One cannot murder, unless you covet their life, or something in their life. One cannot commit adultry, unless you first covet another man's wife; Mar Yeshua pointed that out when he said "Whoever looks at another woman to lust after her has commited adultry in his heart". If one wants to defame the character of another man, one has to covet their fame, and renown. In order to steal, one would have to covet that possesion first. This commandment is the fence around the other commandments per say.
The conclusion of all this is that we LOVE YEHOVAH AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.
With the love of the Master, Shalom
Matthew Mencel
First we will direct our attention to Devariym 6. The words that follow, come right after the dictations of the second set of the tablets of stone. We will read from "The Scriptures 1998, ISR".
Deu 6:1 “And this is the command, the laws and right-rulings which יהוה your Elohim has commanded, to teach you to do in the land which you are passing over to possess,
Deu 6:2 so that you fear יהוה your Elohim, to guard all His laws and His commands which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days be prolonged.
Deu 6:3 “And you shall hear, O Yisra’ĕl, and shall guard to do, that it might be well with you, and that you increase greatly as יהוה Elohim of your fathers has spoken to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deu 6:4 “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!
Deu 6:5 “And you shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your might.
Deu 6:6 “And these Words which I am commanding you today shall be in your heart,
Deu 6:7 and you shall impress them upon your children, and shall speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up,
Deu 6:8 and shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Deu 6:9 “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Here, in verse 4-5 ironically enough is where the central theme and great statement of faith in all of Judaism is located, it is also what Mar (Master) Yeshua Mshikha (Messiah) refered to as the first and GREATEST commandment IN THE TORAH (law/teaching).
Deu 6:4 שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ אֶחָֽד׃
Deu 6:5 וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
Hear, give head to, listen oh Yisra'el, Yehovah OUR authority, Yehovah is ONE.
And you shall Love Yehovah your aurthority with all you heart, and with all your being, and with all your might.
If you note, the commandment is NOT to be "Perfect, blameless, and without sin; but rather, to love Yehovah with everything within us.
In the above verse, there are two tittles, a tittle, is a letter that has been tweaked by the scribes to stand out from the rest of the text. You see these two disfigurations in the words, Sh'ma and 'echad.
In the word Sh'ma, which means to hear, give heed to, listen; the letter ayin ע is enlargened. (o) is how the early semitic looks. If you see the early semitic, it's in the shape of an eye. The ayin means TO SEE. There are several lessons we can learn from this, first of all, FAITH, if you recalls does NOT come by SIGHT, but comes by HEARING, and hearing the word of Yehovah. Munster's Hebrew version of Hebrews has this to say about Faith.
Heb 11:1 Behold faith is the essense of things hoped for and a vision of the illuminated things that are not seen,
Based on this account, by giving HEED to what Yehovah has said, we will be able to SEE that which is unseen. Especially the hidden mysteries within the Scripture.
I beg to say that it is something else that the scribes are trying to teach. Here, the Ayin is ENLARGED within a word that means to HEAR. In english we have a phrase that goes something like this: "God gave us two eyes and two ears and only one mouth for a reason, so we can absorb more than we talk." When we ask for somebody to pay attention, in schools, the teacher would say "Eyes and Ears up front."
It is by this unusual marking, that Moshe is telling Yisra'el, that he wants our UNDIVIDED ATTENTION, for us to give him ALL EYES AND EARS.
The second is the dalet ד (d), which as you can see looks like an anceint tent door. The letter dalet means, supprise suprise, DOOR. Here, the sribes are calling to mind that there is ONLY ONE DOOR to enter into life. and that door is YEHOVAH OUR GOD. We see in the Brit Chadasha, that Yehovah dwelt in Mar Yeshua Mshikha, and through him, opened his own door for ALL to enter into life.
Put together the two letters spell the word עד (ad), which means WITNESS. Here, the scribes are calling to our attention, that this creed of faith stands as a witness to us, for us, and against us.
It stands as a witness for us, on our behalf, if we confess that Yehovah is indeed our authority, and him ALONE.
It stands as a witness to us that Yehovah IS OUR Authority, and that he is ONE, and that He alone is our Authrority.
It stands against us, if we stray from the creed, and follow other aurthorities. If we forget that Yehovah IS OUR AUTHORITY.
Many christians get upset with "The Ten commandments" being taken out of the schools and courts, but very seldem do they ever have it in their own homes. In verse 9, we are commanded to write these words of the covenants upon the doorposts of our house. in verse 8, we are commanded for ALL GENERATIONS, to teach them to our children and grandchildren.
When asked what is the first of the ten commandments, most people would respond, "thou shalt have no other gods before me." The Reality however is, that commandment is the SECOND commandment. The first is as follows:
Deu 5:6 ‘I am יהוה your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of bondage.
The commandment is not recognized by many, cause it is not clearly expressed. But the commandment is there. We are commandmend by Yehovah to BELIEVE IN HIM. To trust him, and to know that he is the elohiym that delivered us from Mitzrayim.
Deu 5:7 ‘You have no other mighty ones against My face.
This commandment is not a commandment of monotheism, as much as it is a commandment for Yisra'el to not serve any other elohiym. To not bring them in his face.
Deu 5:8 ‘You do not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth,
Deu 5:9 you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, יהוה your Elohim, am a jealous Ěl, visiting the crookedness of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Deu 5:10 but showing kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My commands.
This is part of the second commandment that started in verse seven. In this part of the command, we are forbidden to not make any image of anything in heaven, on earth, or in the waters, TO BOW DOWN TO THEM and serve them. ie. we are NOT to make any authorities to OURSELVES. This commandment however does NOT prohibit men from making sculptures, or having pictures, or having statutes. It is a prohibition of IDOLATRY.
Also note, that Yehovah DOES show grace (chesed) to those who LOVE HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. Grace is NOT a concept that didn't exist untill Mar Yeshua came along. Nor is it some grand new teaching started by Sha'ul. Grace has ALWAYS existed. and it's evident from THIS COMMANDMENT.
Deu 5:11 ‘You do not bring1 the Name of יהוה your Elohim to naught, for יהוה does not leave him unpunished who brings His Name to naught. Footnote: 1Or lift up, or take.
Here, the commandment is to not bring the name of Yehovah to naught, to desolation. This is NOT a command to not say "God damn", however, I would be careful what you ask G-d to damn, he may wind up granting your wish, give you an advise, DON'T damn your boss, job, or car. cause YOU NEED EM.
This commandment also is NOT a commandment to NOT use the divine name Yehovah as the rabbis claim. The claim of the rabbis is in direct conflict where Yehovah says, "This is my mentioned, or memorial, appalation to all generations" (Exodus 3:15).
This is NOT a commandment that we MUST USE the divine name either. Name in hebrew is the word shem. Shem means charachter, reputation, fame, renown. The phrase in Genesis 6 refering to the Nephalyim is "anshey shem", which means men of renown, or men with a name. the phrase "shem ra" means ill report, or evil name., shem can also mean memorial.
So what does this commandemnt mean? to answer, lets look at another commandment that is normally translated as "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor".
Deu 5:20 וְלֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵֽעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁוְא׃ ס
"And you shall not witness desolation against your neighbor". Here the word "Shav' is the same word that is translated vain in the commandment "Thous shalt not take the name of Yehovah your authority in vain". Here the concept is to not bear a testimony against somebody to destroy their reputation. In today's court system, one can be sued for doing this. The legal term for this act is called, "DEFEMATION OF CHARACTER". That means, one has said something or done something to defame, destroy, and ruined another man, or party's character, reputation, and name.
In light of this commandment, to take the name of Yehovah in "vain" or desolation, is to say something or do something that would defame, destroy, and ruin the character, reputation, fame, and name of Yehovah. When Yehovah got onto Yisra'el for their actions and sins (in particar idolatry), he said "through you, my name has been blasphemed among the nations". If we say we follow Yehovah, and we represent him, but yet we do something or say something that would leave the nations in disguss with the elohiym of Yisra'el, then we are defaming his Name and character.
Deu 5:12 ‘Guard the Sabbath day, to set it apart, as יהוה your Elohim commanded you.
Deu 5:13 ‘Six days you labour, and shall do all your work,
Deu 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath1 of יהוה your Elohim. You do not do any work – you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, so that your male servant and your female servant rest as you do. Footnote: 1See footnote at Ex. 20:10.
Deu 5:15 ‘And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Mitsrayim, and that יהוה your Elohim brought you out from there by a strong hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore יהוה your Elohim commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
Here, we are commanded to OBSERVE THE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH OF YEHOVAH. This is NOT the JEWISH sabbath, it is NOT man's sabbath. it is the SABBATH OF YEHOVAH. We are not commanded to keep a LUNAR SABABTH either, but rather the command is to keep THE SEVENTH DAY as the sabbath of Yehovah. What's interestingly important is the WHY.
Here Yehovah said that we are to keep the sabbath, so that we may rememeber that HE is our Savior, that HE is the one that DELIVERED US from the HOUSE OF SLAVERY. As believers in Mar Yeshua Mshikha, we can now say that we have have been delivered not only from the the physical place of Mitzrayim, but also from slavary and bondage of our own sin.
Also to note, Yehovah does NOT substract one WORD that goes out of his mouth, these commandments are PERPETUAL. Mar Yeshua said that we are to NOT THINK that he came to abolish the Torah or the Navi'im. Question, if Mar Yeshua said to NOT THINK it, WHY on earth do we have people to day, SPEAKING the VERY THING HE SAID NOT TO THINK? The answer is ROMAN TRADITION.
“The Pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ.”
Excerpt from, Decretal De Translat, Episcop. Cap.
“The Pope can modify divine law.”
Excerpt from, Prompta Bibliotheca, Papa, article 2
“The Catholic Church, after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath, or seventh day of the week, to the first, made the third commandment refer to Sun-Day as the day to be kept holy as the Lord’s Day.”
Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 4. p. 153
Question:
What are we commanded by the third commandment?
Answer:
By the third commandment we are commanded to worship God in a special manner on Sun-Day, the Lord’s Day.
Excerpt from, The Baltimore Catechism, No. 2 Revised 1941 by order of Francis J. Spellman
Question:
Which is the Sabbath Day?
Answer:
Saturday is the Sabbath Day.
Question:
Why do we observe Sun-Day instead of Saturday?
Answer:
We observe Sun-Day instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 336), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sun-Day.
Question:
When does a new day start?
Answer:
Originally the new day started in the evening, and went from evening to evening, but we changed the beginnings of each new day to begin at midnight, and proceed through 'til midnight of the following day. (ibid)
In the Council of Laodicea, held in C.E. 364, the following proclamation about Sabbath-keepers was made:
Because Christians ought not to Judaize, and to rest in the Sabbath, but to work in that day… Preferring in honor the Lord’s day (Sunday), if they desired to rest, they should do this as Christians (on Sunday). Wherefore if they shall be found to Judaize (keep Sabbaths), let them be accursed from Christ
(History of the Sabbath, p 270).
Sunday is our mark of authority… the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance (to Sunday) is proof of that fact.
(The Catholic Record, September 1, 1923).
Sunday is a Catholic institution, and its claims to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles. From the beginning to the end of Scripture there is not a single passage, which warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.
(Catholic Press, Sydney, August 25, 1900).
If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath Day. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church.
(Albert Smith, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, replying for the Cardinal in a letter dated February 10, 1920).
“He (the Pope) can pronounce sentences and judgments in contradiction to the rights of nations, to the law of God and man. He can free himself from the commands of the Apostles, he being their Superior, and from the rules of the Old Testament.”
Excerpt from, “The Decretal, de Translat. Episcop. Cap”
“The Pope’s will shall stand for reason. He can dispense above the law; and of wrong make right, by correcting and changing laws.”
Pope Nicholas, Dist. 96, quoted in, “Facts for the Times.” Pp. 55, 56 (1893)
“She (the Catholic Church) took the pagan Sun-Day and made it the Christian Sunday, thus the pagan Sunday, dedicated to Ba’al became the Christian Sunday sacred to Jesus”.
Excerpt from, “Catholic World”, March 1894, p.809
Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change (from Sabbath to Sun-Day) was her act, and the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power.”
Excerpt from, “Faith of our Fathers”, by Cardinal Gibbons
“The Bible says remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day. The Catholic Church says, NO! By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath Day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. And, lo, the entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.”
Excerpt from, “American Sentinal”, June, 1893, by Father Enright, the Vatican spokesperson.
Pope Pius 1566 commanded the Council of Trent, “It pleased the church of God that the religious celebration of the Sabbath Day should be transferred to the Lord’s Day, Sunday.”
Excerpt from, Chatechismus Romanus, 1867, Chap. 3
“The Christian Sabbath is therefore to this day the acknowledged offspring of the Catholic Church, as spouse of the Holy Ghost, without a word of remonstrance from the protestant world.”
Excerpt from, The Catholic Mirror, Sept. 23, 1893.
“Protestantism, in disregarding the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, has no good reasons for its Sunday theory, and ought logically to keep the Saturday as the Sabbath.”
Excerpt from, “American Catholic Quarterly Review,” Jan. 1883, by John Gilmary Shea
“Reason and common sense demand the acceptance of One or the other of these alternatives: Either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sun-Day.
Compromise is impossible.”
Excerpt from, “The Catholic Mirror,” Dec. 23, 1893.
Episcopal: Is there any command in the New Testament to change the day of weekly rest from Saturday to Sunday? None. (Manual of Christian Doctrine, p. 127)
We have made a change from the seventh day to the first day, from Saturday to Sunday, on the authority of the one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ. (Why we keep Sunday. P. 28)
Lutheran: The observance of the Lord’s Day (Sunday) is founded not on any command of God, but on the authority of the church. (from, “The Augsburg Confession”, found in: Catholic Sabbath Manual, Part 2, Section 10)
Presbyterian: A change of the day to be observed from the last day of the week to the first. There is no record, no express command authorizing this change. (N.L.Rice, The Christian Sabbath, p. 60)
Methodist: Take the matter of Sunday, there is no passage telling Christians to keep that day, or to transfer the Jewish Sabbath to that day. (H.F. Rall, Christian Advocate, July 2, 1942)
Congregationalists: It is quite clear that however rigidly or devoutly we spend Sunday, we are not keeping the Sabath. There is not a single sentence in the New Testament to suggest that we incur any penalty by violating the supposed sanctity of Sunday. (Dr. R.W. Dale, The Ten Commandments, pp. 100,101)
Anglican: Many people think that Sunday is the Sabbath, but neither in the New Testament nor in the early Church, is there anything to suggest that we have any right to transfer the observance of the seventh day of the week to the first. The Sabbath was and is Saturday and not Sunday. (Rev. Lionel Beere, Church and People, Sept. 1, 1947)
Baptists: There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath Day, but that Sabbath Day was not Sunday. There is no scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath Day institution from the seventh day to the first day of the week. (Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, Author of The Baptist Manual, New York Ministers Conference, Nov. 13, 1893)
“Reverend Philip Carrington Anglican Archbishop of Quebec sent local clergymen into a huddle today by saying outright that there was nothing to support Sunday being kept holy. Carrington definitely told a church meeting in this city of straight-laced Protestantism that tradition, not the Bible, had made Sunday the day of worship.”
(Toronto Daily Star, Oct. 26, 1949)
“Almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries (the Lord’s Supper) on the Sabbath of every week; yet, the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this.”
(Ecclesiastical History, Book 5, Ch. 22, NPNF Second Series, V2, p. 132)
“Sunday is founded not on Scripture, but on tradition, and is a distinctly Catholic institution.”
(Catholic Record, Sept. 17, 1893)
“The New Testament makes no explicit mention that the apostles changed the day of worship, but we know it from tradition.
(The New Revised Baltimore Catechism, 1949 p. 139)
“The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed…the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority.”
(Canon and Tradition, p. 263)
Did not Mar Yeshua Mshikha specifically warned against breaking the commandments of Yehovah by keeping traditoins? One of the most popular christian catch phrase is "WWJD?", "What Would Jesus Do?". This phrase was made popular and began by Charles M. Sheldon, an author that wrote a great book called "In His Steps". In his book, Shelden tells of a story how an entire town changed by a few people starting to ask themselves what Jesus would do prior to making any decisions. His book is based on the passage in one of Peter's epistles, where Peter exorts the believer to WALK AS HE (Yeshua) walked. To answer the question WWJD?, we should ask another question. WDJD?
What DID He do??? well, I can tell you what he DIDN'T DO. He did NOT go around calling himself by a 19th century name for starters. second, he did NOT disobey the commandments of Yehovah to keep tradition. He did NOT make up his own theology as he went along. He did NOT observe the feast days of the pagans. He did NOT call clean that which the Almighty called an ABOMINATION.
Put simple, Mar Yeshua Mshikha ONLY found what was written, said what was written, and DID what was written. If we are to be followers of Mshikha, we are to DO THE SAME.
Deu 5:16 ‘Respect your father and your mother, as יהוה your Elohim has commanded you, so that your days are prolonged, and so that it is well with you on the soil which יהוה your Elohim is giving you.
Here children are commanded to respect and to honor their parents. Actually, this goes beyond just young children, but to ALL HUMANS. we are to ALL repsect our parents. If adults don't respect their parents, how in the world are we to expect the children to respect theirs? Remember, children learn from their parents. If they see Adults do right, they to will learn to do right.
Deu 5:17 ‘You do not murder.
This is one of the most misquoted passages in all of the Bible. Most quote it as "Thou shalt not Kill". That is NOT what the passage says. It says DON'T MURDER. There is a WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. Murder is where one slays the life of another human (presumably an innocent human) with intent. Kill is a very broad term that could be applied to murder, man-slaughter, slaying of life on the battle feild, even taking the life of an ANIMAL for food. The Torah does NOT forbid pre-imptave strikes I might add, nor prohibit nations from going to war with eachother, to the contrary, we see several of times where Yehovah commands Yisra'el to go to war. This is going to hurt all the animal lovers, but the Torah does NOT forbid hunting animals either.
Deu 5:18 ‘You do not commit adultery.
In today's society, we have totally changed the meaning of the word adultry, and sometimes even confused it with fornication (and most even get that one wrong). Adultry is where a man lies with the WIFE of ANTOHER MAN. That is the TORAH definition of Adultry, even more so, it's not just about sex, but also where the adulterer and the Adulteress give their hearts to one to eachother. POLYGAMY isn't adultry. There is NO command in the Torah or the NT that prohibits a man from having more than one wife. However, it does limit it to a degree.
Deu 5:19 ‘You do not steal.
This commandment should be self explanitory. You shouldn't take any item that doesn't belong to you.
Deu 5:20 ‘You do not bear false witness against your neighbour.
I have already touched on this commandment earlier, but I want to revisit it for a second. Mar Yeshua closely connect this verse to verse 17 by saying "Whoever hates his brother without a cause is a murderer". The Reason why this is so, is because in order to really murder somebody, you have to hate them. One has to wish that their reputation and character is ruined. Also, when one ruins somebody else's reputation, and good name, it is as if you have tooken their life, you might as well pulled a trigger and shot them. Life and death are in the power of the tongue.
Deu 5:21 ‘You do not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor do you desire your neighbour’s house, his field, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, his ox, nor his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbour.’
This commandment happens to be the number one commandment that is broken. The reason being, in order to break the other nine, one would have to covet. especially break the last 3. One cannot murder, unless you covet their life, or something in their life. One cannot commit adultry, unless you first covet another man's wife; Mar Yeshua pointed that out when he said "Whoever looks at another woman to lust after her has commited adultry in his heart". If one wants to defame the character of another man, one has to covet their fame, and renown. In order to steal, one would have to covet that possesion first. This commandment is the fence around the other commandments per say.
The conclusion of all this is that we LOVE YEHOVAH AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.
With the love of the Master, Shalom
Matthew Mencel