Pesukim פסוקים are the "verses" of Scripture divided into Parashaot (Portions) read in the synagogue each week. On Monday's & Thursdays there are 3 divisions of the week's Parasha read and on Shabbat all 6 are read including a Maftir (added), which makes up the final Pesukim (verses) of the Parasha totalling (7) Aliyot each week. Rabbi Eric will give a short d'rash on each of the daily Pesukim that make up the week's Parasha for a good daily dose of Torah. For more explanation on how the Torah is read and divided daily and weekly in the Synagogue see the following links:
The Daily Pesuk for THURSDAY, June 7th, 2018 / 24, Sivan 5778
Parashat Sh'lach / פרשת שלח־לך
Numbers 15:8-16 (9 p'sukim)
8 “Whenever you are to prepare a young bull for a burnt offering, a special vow offering, or a fellowship offering to Adonai, 9 bring with the young bull a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil. 10 You are to also offer as the drink offering half a hin of wine as a fire offering, a pleasing aroma to Adonai. 11 This is to be done for each bull or ram, for each young goat or lamb. 12 Do this for each one, for as many as you prepare.
13 “Everyone native-born is to do these things like so when bringing a fire offering as a pleasant aroma to Adonai. 14 Whenever an outsider resides with you, or whoever is among you for your generations to come, and he is to present a fire offering as a fragrant aroma to Adonai, as you do, he must do exactly the same as you are doing.
15 “The community will have the same rule for you as well as for the resident outsider. It will be a lasting statute throughout your generations. As for you, so for the outsider will it be before Adonai. 16 The same Torah and the same regulations will apply to both you and the outsider residing among you.”
8 וְכִֽי־תַעֲשֶׂ֥ה בֶן־בָּקָ֖ר עֹלָ֣ה אוֹ־זָ֑בַח לְפַלֵּא־נֶ֥דֶר אֽוֹ־שְׁלָמִ֖ים לַֽיהוָֽה׃
9 וְהִקְרִ֤יב עַל־בֶּן־הַבָּקָר֙ מִנְחָ֔ה סֹ֖לֶת שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה עֶשְׂרֹנִ֑ים בָּל֥וּל בַּשֶּׁ֖מֶן חֲצִ֥י הַהִֽין׃
10 וְיַ֛יִן תַּקְרִ֥יב לַנֶּ֖סֶךְ חֲצִ֣י הַהִ֑ין אִשֵּׁ֥ה רֵֽיחַ־נִיחֹ֖חַ לַיהוָֽה׃
11 כָּ֣כָה יֵעָשֶׂ֗ה לַשּׁוֹר֙ הָֽאֶחָ֔ד א֖וֹ לָאַ֣יִל הָאֶחָ֑ד אֽוֹ־לַשֶּׂ֥ה בַכְּבָשִׂ֖ים א֥וֹ בָעִזִּֽים׃
12 כַּמִּסְפָּ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֣ר תַּעֲשׂ֑וּ כָּ֛כָה תַּעֲשׂ֥וּ לָאֶחָ֖ד כְּמִסְפָּרָֽם׃
13 כָּל־הָאֶזְרָ֥ח יַעֲשֶׂה־כָּ֖כָה אֶת־אֵ֑לֶּה לְהַקְרִ֛יב אִשֵּׁ֥ה רֵֽיחַ־נִיחֹ֖חַ לַֽיהוָֽה׃
14 וְכִֽי־יָגוּר֩ אִתְּכֶ֨ם גֵּ֜ר א֤וֹ אֲשֶֽׁר־בְּתֽוֹכְכֶם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וְעָשָׂ֛ה אִשֵּׁ֥ה רֵֽיחַ־נִיחֹ֖חַ לַיהוָ֑ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשׂ֖וּ כֵּ֥ן יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃
15 הַקָּהָ֕ל חֻקָּ֥ה אַחַ֛ת לָכֶ֖ם וְלַגֵּ֣ר הַגָּ֑ר חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם כָּכֶ֛ם כַּגֵּ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
16 תּוֹרָ֥ה אַחַ֛ת וּמִשְׁפָּ֥ט אֶחָ֖ד יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם וְלַגֵּ֖ר הַגָּ֥ר אִתְּכֶֽם׃
Have you ever wondered why there has always been a division between the Jew and the Non-Jew? Where did the "Wall" come from? Why did it take a Divine Vision of eating non-Kosher animals to give Shaliach Shimon Kefa (Apostle Peter), the order to go and visit Cornelius, (a non-Jewish Roman soldier), and to enter a non-Jewish home? (Acts 10) Additionally, why was Shaliach Shaul (Paul) so hard on Shimon when he relapsed back into the Halachah (Jewish law), separating Jews from Gentiles? (Gal. 2). Well there are reasons and it has alot to do with this portion from our Parasha Hashuvah today.
The pesukim for today seem very clear, yet at the same time other Scriptures forbid eating and drinking food and drink that has been sacrificed to idols. So the issues surrounding slaughtering and eating and drinking are not always so clear and dry.
There is an interesting debate in the Talmud regarding the sacrifices in the Temple coming from non-Jews. Even though our Torah here says we are to do the same, some rabbis say that a Gentile's offering can only be an "Olah" Offering (Burnt Offering), and go completely in smoke and not be eaten as other offerings. Additionally, some rabbis say that while Gentiles can offer the Burnt Offering they may NOT be permitted to offer the accompanying "accessory offering" (i.e. wine libations). Here is an example over the debate about wine libations...
(Menachot 73b):
מאן תנא להא דתנו רבנן (במדבר טו, יג) אזרח אזרח מביא נסכים ואין העובד כוכבים מביא נסכים יכול לא תהא עולתו טעונה נסכים תלמוד לאמר ככה מני לא ר' יוסי הגלילי ולא רבי עקיבא
The Gemara asks: Who is the tanna who taught that which the Sages taught in a baraita: The verse states with regard to libations: “All who are home born shall do these things after this manner” (Numbers 15:13), which teaches that those who are home born, i.e., Jews, can bring libations as a separate offering, but a gentile cannot bring such libations. One might have thought that a gentile’s burnt offering should not require the standard accompanying libations. Therefore, the verse states: “So it shall be done for one bull” (Numbers 15:11), which indicates that every offering requires libations. Whose opinion is this? It is not that of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili and not that of Rabbi Akiva.
When it comes to Wine - this issue has had severe ramifications to the fellowship between Jews and Non-Jews. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia:
"Wine consecrated to use in idolatrous worship and therefore absolutely forbidden to a Jew. In a broader sense "nesek," or "yayin nesek," denotes wine made and used by Gentiles as well as wine made by and for Jews but which has been touched by a Gentile. There are, therefore, three kinds of wine which are subject to special regulations. Wine consecrated to the worship of idols, like everything else associated with idolatry, is regarded as absolutely defiling and as rendering persons and vessels unclean; if a quantity of such wine no larger than an olive be kept in the tent of an Israelite or be carried by him, it is sufficient to render him unclean. It is prohibited therefore even to carry or handle such wine in the capacity of a porter ('Ab. Zarah 30b; Shulḥan 'Aruk, Yoreh De'ah, 132-133). On mixing such wine with lawful wine, and on the consequences of such an act, see Yoreh De'ah, 134.
The ordinary wine of the heathen is generally termed "setam yenam." This also is forbidden, even when it is not known to have been consecrated to idolatry, in order to avoid even the suspicion of contact with actual nesek, although according to others it was prohibited with the purpose of preventing any social relations with Gentiles which might lead to intermarriage ('Ab. Zarah 36b; comp. Tos. Yom-Ṭob on 'Ab. Zarah ii. 3). This wine, in the quantity of a quarter of a "log," renders unclean any food or drink with which it has been brought in contact ('Ab. Zarah 31a; Yoreh De'ah, 123, 1; 133, 1)."
This explains why "Kosher Wine" is such a BIG DEAL to our people. Do you know what makes wine Kosher? Other than it is made exclusively by Jews... NOTHING. The procedure for making the wine is EXACTLY THE SAME. The grapes are crushed and the juice fermented in the same way. The ONLY difference is that Kosher Wine is made by Jewish people only. That's it.
These rabbinic regulations (not found in Scripture), are the basis of what separates Jews from non-Jews. The Halachah which was meant to protect Jews from idolatry actually became the vehicle that prevents them from being a "Light to the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:6). This is typically what happens when we try to "add fences" to Hashem's perfect Torah. And this is the difference between Rabbinic Judaism and Messianic Judaism - our authority comes ultimately from the Scriptures, not the rabbis. We respect the traditions and many times we keep them so long as they don't violate Scripture, as our Messiah taught us...
Mattityahu 23:23 Then Yeshua spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying, “The Torah scholars and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. 3 So whatever they tell you, do and observe. But don’t do what they do; for what they say, they do not do.
Don't misunderstand, eating food dedicated to idol worship is still a serious violation of Torah... Even non-Jews in the New Covenant are commanded to avoid such things:
Acts 21:25 Tree of Life Version (TLV)
25 “As for Gentiles who have believed, however, we have written by letter what we decided—for them to abstain from what is offered to idols
Furthermore, Yeshua will judge those who practice such things...
Revelation 2:14 Tree of Life Version (TLV)
14 “But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who was teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before Bnei-Yisrael, to eat food sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
Revelation 2:20 Tree of Life Version (TLV)
20 “But this I have against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel,[a] who calls herself a prophetess—yet she is teaching and deceiving My servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
The problem here is not about us eating food sacrificed to idols, the problem here is our application of Torah (unadulterated), and remaining Or Hagoyim (Light to the Gentiles)...
As Messianic believers (both Jew and non-Jew), we are ONE in our faith and practice. No longer are we separated by the Halachah of "men"... as Shaliach Shaul taught us...
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, keep in mind that once you—Gentiles in the flesh—were called “uncircumcision” by those called “circumcision” (which is performed on flesh by hand). 12 At that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Messiah Yeshua, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. 14 For He is our shalom, the One who made the two into one and broke down the middle wall of separation. Within His flesh He made powerless the hostility— 15 the law code of mitzvot contained in regulations. He did this in order to create within Himself one new man from the two groups, making shalom, 16 and to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross—by which He put the hostility to death. 17 And He came and proclaimed shalom to you who were far away and shalom to those who were near— 18 for through Him we both have access to the Father by the same Ruach. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household. 20 You have been built on the foundation made up of the emissaries and prophets, with Messiah Yeshua Himself being the cornerstone. 21 In Him the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple for the Lord. 22 In Him, you also are being built together into God’s dwelling place[d] in the Ruach.
NOTE: "The Wall of Separation" is NOT the TORAH. It is the regulations and law code "Halachah" of some of Israel's rabbis who wanted to keep Jews separated from Gentiles (for fear of idolatry). While the intentions were well and good, the focus should've been on letting Israel be an influence on the non-Jews, rather than the other way around.
NOTE: The "Hostility" is NOT the TORAH. It is the Antisemitism of non-Jews who, because of the separation, feel treated "inferior" and left out of God's Covenant plans and purposes. And the fear of non-Jews on the part of Jews to stay clear and mistrusting of them - This hostility is what Yeshua came and destroyed.
We can be one with believers together in this New Covenant and we can hold fast to the Torah together and the same way without "requiring non-Jews" to live like Jews in order to be saved (Acts 15 & 21).
L'hirtraot,
R' Eric
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