Parashat Ki Teitzei / פרשת כי־תצא
- Thu, 23 August 2018 = 12th of Elul, 5778
- י״ב בֶּאֱלוּל תשע״ח
Deuteronomy 23:25-24:4 (6 p'sukim)
Deuteronomy 23:25-24:4 Tree of Life Version (TLV)
25 “When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes; but you are not to put any in your basket. 26 When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand; but you are not to swing a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.
24 “Suppose a man takes a wife and marries her. Now if she doesn’t find favor in his eyes because he has found something indecent in her, he is to write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her and send her out from his house. 2 When she leaves his house, she may go and become another man’s wife. 3 Now suppose the second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, and he hands it to her and she leaves his house—or suppose the second husband who took her to be his wife dies. 4 Then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled—for that would be detestable before Adonai. You are not to bring guilt on the land that Adonai your God is giving you as an inheritance.
25 כִּ֤י תָבֹא֙ בְּכֶ֣רֶם רֵעֶ֔ךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ֧ עֲנָבִ֛ים כְּנַפְשְׁךָ֖ שָׂבְעֶ֑ךָ וְאֶֽל־כֶּלְיְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תִתֵּֽן׃ ס
26 כִּ֤י תָבֹא֙ בְּקָמַ֣ת רֵעֶ֔ךָ וְקָטַפְתָּ֥ מְלִילֹ֖ת בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וְחֶרְמֵשׁ֙ לֹ֣א תָנִ֔יף עַ֖ל קָמַ֥ת רֵעֶֽךָ׃ ס
24 כִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִ֛ישׁ אִשָּׁ֖ה וּבְעָלָ֑הּ וְהָיָ֞ה אִם־לֹ֧א תִמְצָא־חֵ֣ן בְּעֵינָ֗יו כִּי־מָ֤צָא בָהּ֙ עֶרְוַ֣ת דָּבָ֔ר וְכָ֨תַב לָ֜הּ סֵ֤פֶר כְּרִיתֻת֙ וְנָתַ֣ן בְּיָדָ֔הּ וְשִׁלְּחָ֖הּ מִבֵּיתֽוֹ׃
2 וְיָצְאָ֖ה מִבֵּית֑וֹ וְהָלְכָ֖ה וְהָיְתָ֥ה לְאִישׁ־אַחֵֽר׃
3 וּשְׂנֵאָהּ֮ הָאִ֣ישׁ הָאַחֲרוֹן֒ וְכָ֨תַב לָ֜הּ סֵ֤פֶר כְּרִיתֻת֙ וְנָתַ֣ן בְּיָדָ֔הּ וְשִׁלְּחָ֖הּ מִבֵּית֑וֹ א֣וֹ כִ֤י יָמוּת֙ הָאִ֣ישׁ הָאַחֲר֔וֹן אֲשֶׁר־לְקָחָ֥הּ ל֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃
4 לֹא־יוּכַ֣ל בַּעְלָ֣הּ הָרִאשׁ֣וֹן אֲשֶֽׁר־שִׁ֠לְּחָהּ לָשׁ֨וּב לְקַחְתָּ֜הּ לִהְי֧וֹת ל֣וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֗ה אַחֲרֵי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֻטַּמָּ֔אָה כִּֽי־תוֹעֵבָ֥ה הִ֖וא לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וְלֹ֤א תַחֲטִיא֙ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָֽה׃ ס
These pesukim have a "mystical" connection to each other. Juxtaposition is important (always) but especially here. At first glance one may not see any relationship between the regulations regarding eating your neighbor's standing grain, and divorce and remarriage of a wife; but I can assure you they are not random topics that have been slapped on parchment beside each other for no reason! There is a hidden meaning a "Sod" (סוֹד), an esoteric meaning, in these pesukim.
There is a traditional zemirot, "song" that is chanted on Friday nights in our homes when we light the candles and welcome the Shabbat, called L'cha Dodi, based on the teaching of the Talmud in Shabbat 119a. The chorus and first verse is this:
לְכָה דוֹדִי לִקְרַאת כַּלָּה. פְּנֵי שַׁבָּת נְקַבְּלָה:
שָׁמוֹר וְזָכוֹר בְּדִבּוּר אֶחָד, הִשְמִיעָֽנוּ אֵל הַמְּיֻחָד.
ה' אֶחָד וּשְמוֹ אֶחָד. לְשֵׁם וּלְתִפְאֶֽרֶת וְלִתְהִלָּה:
לְכָה דוֹדִי לִקְרַאת כַּלָּה. פְּנֵי שַׁבָּת נְקַבְּלָה
"Come, my Beloved, to meet the bride; let us welcome the presence of the Sabbath.
"Observe" and "Remember the Sabbath day," the only God caused us to hear in a single utterance: the Lord is One, and his name is One to his renown and his glory and his praise.
Come, my Beloved, to meet the bride; let us welcome the presence of the Sabbath."
The Sabbath itself is symbolized as a "Bride" and when we receive God's Shabbat, like a "bride-groom/husband" we (Israel), are receiving our "bride". God gave Shabbat to the people of Israel in Exodus 31. We clearly see in our pesukim that like the Sabbath, a bride can be rejected and despised, and sometimes husbands send their wives off with a "get", (divorce certificate), so it has been with Shabbat.
All the nations have sent the Shabbat away as a rejected bride. No other nation receives Shabbat besides Israel, God's people. The remnant of this nation, Born Again believers from the natural branches and the wild olive branches have accepted and received the true Lord of the Shabbat, Yeshua Hamashiach, of whom the physical 7th Day represents and foreshadows.
Knowing this true fact, we can begin to see the connection between these pesukim, those that speak of plucking from the standing grain, and receiving your Sabbath Bride.... in this passage Brit Chadasha:
Luke 6 Tree of Life Version (TLV)
Shabbat in the Grain Fields
6 Now during Shabbat*, Yeshua was passing through grain fields; and His disciples were picking and eating heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not permitted on Shabbat?”
3 Then answering them, Yeshua said, “Haven’t you read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him? 4 How he entered into the house of God, took and ate the showbread which only the kohanim are permitted to eat, and even gave it to those with him?” 5 He said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of Shabbat.”
NOTE: The original Greek word for "Shabbat" in pesuk 1 of Luke 6, is σάββατον (Sabbaton), equivelent to שַׁבָּתוֹן (Shabbaton), which can mean more than one Sabbath or a "Second Sabbath". This word is used instead of just the single שַׁבָּת "Shabbat". Which is why the KJV interprets this as: "And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn..."
Interpreting it this way, we have to ask, "which Sabbath is Luke referring to"? Gill has a fantastic answer to this:
"And it came to pass on the second sabbath day after the first,.... Or "second first sabbath", concerning which interpreters are greatly divided. Some think, that it was either the seventh day of the feast of unleavened bread, or the eighth day of the feast of tabernacles. Others, that it was the sabbath which fell that year on the day of Pentecost; and that as there were three grand festivals among the Jews, the feasts of passover, Pentecost, and tabernacles; so when the sabbath day fell on the feast of the passover, it was called the first prime sabbath, when on the feast of Pentecost, it was called the second prime sabbath, and when on the feast of tabernacles, the third prime sabbath. Others have been of opinion, that as the Jews had two beginnings of their year, the one on civil accounts in Tisri, the other on ecclesiastical accounts in Nisan; so the first sabbath in Tisri was called the first first sabbath, and that in Nisan, which was this, the second first sabbath: but what seems most likely is, that this sabbath was, as it may be rendered, "the first sabbath after the second"; that is, the first sabbath after the second day of the passover, when the sheaf of the firstfruits was offered, and harvest might be begun; which suits well with ears of corn being ripe at this time, which the disciples rubbed. So the Jews reckoned the seven weeks from thence to Pentecost by sabbaths; the first after the second day they called the second first, or the first after the second day; the second they called the second second; and the third was named the second third; and so on, the second fourth, the second fifth, the second sixth, and second seventh, which brought on Pentecost, when the harvest was ended. So in the Jewish liturgies, there are collects for the first sabbath after the passover, and for the second sabbath after the passover, and so on to the sabbath before Pentecost. The eastern versions, Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic, not knowing what should be meant by it, have only rendered it, "on the sabbath day", as in Mat_. 12:1."
Therefore, what is happening here with Yeshua and His talmidim, is that the Pharisees, (representing those who've rejected the "Bride-groom" (Yeshua), are challenging Him and His students for plucking the ears in the field on the physical "Shabbat". However, our Torah portion says:
"you are not to swing a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain." Deut. 23:26
The Talmidim had received their "Shabbat Bride"! He was standing right there with them in the flesh! They were NOT "harvesting" or working and violating Shabbat, eating the standing grain with your hands are NOT a violation of Torah Law!
And Yeshua, like a bride that has been given a certificate of divorce by all those who REJECT HIM; He is received by others some from the House of Israel, and others from the Nations, who are the Bride of the Bridegroom. And as the Torah today clearly states:
4 Then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled—for that would be detestable before Adonai.
Yeshua indeed is Lord of the Shabbat, and may all Israel receive their true Shabbat!
Amen.
