Parashat Shoftim / פרשת שופטים
- Fri, 17 August 2018 = 6th of Elul, 5778
- ו׳ בֶּאֱלוּל תשע״ח
CLICK THIS LINK ABOVE FOR THE PESUKIM FOR TODAY
One of the most infamous pesukim of the entire Bible, found within the Torah is from today's 17 pesukim... "An Eye for an Eye"... is probably one of the most recognizable phrases of the entire Scripture across human history. To most this phrase is equivalent to "vengeance". Most think that this means whatever injustice someone commits against you, then the victim should have the right to do the same right back to the perpetrator. But is this really what "an eye for an eye" means?
Dr. David Stern comments on the Brit Chadasha's quote of this pesuk in Matthew 5...
Stern says, "38 Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21, where the context of eye for eye, etc. shows that God was not commanding revenge, but controlling and limiting it. Retribution and punishment must be commensurate with the crime; contrast Cain and Lamech's extraction of multiplied vengeance at Genesis 4:24.
The following citation of the Mishna is given at length in order to show that rabbinic thinking on the matter of legal damages goes far beyond the simple lex talionis (Latin, "law of retaliation," i.e., eye for eye): "If someone wounds his fellow, he becomes liable to compensate the injured party for five different aspects of the injury: damage, pain, healing, loss of time from work, and insult.
"In the case of damage, here is an example of how restitution is determined. Suppose someone blinded someone else's eye, cut off his hand or broke his leg. They value the injured person as if he were a slave for sale in the market, and they appraise his value before the injury and now.
"Here is an example of determining the compensation for pain. Suppose someone burns another with a skewer or nail, even if only on his fingernail, where it doesn't actually produce a wound. They determine how much a man of his position would be willing to be paid to suffer that amount of pain.
"For healing the indemnity is determined in this way. If someone hit another person, he must pay all the expenses of healing him. If he develops ulcers, then if they come about in consequence of the blow, he is liable; but if not, he is not liable. If the wound heals, reopens, heals and reopens again, he is liable for all the expenses. But once it has healed thoroughly, he does not remain liable to pay the expenses of healing him.
"The value of time lost is estimated in this way. They consider what he would earn if he were a watchman over a cucumber field [a job requiring no special skills], for he has already been paid for the loss of his hand or foot. [In practice, this means they determine what kind of work he will be fit for when he fully recovers and evaluate the time lost by this standard.]
"For insult the compensation is determined entirely in accordance with the social status of both the one who caused the indignity and the one who suffered it. If someone insults a person who is naked, blind or asleep, he is liable. But if a sleeping person causes an insult, he is not liable. Someone who falls from a roof and causes injury and insult at the same time is liable for the injury but not for the insult,... because one should not be held responsible for an indignity one did not intend to cause." (Bava Kama 8:1)"
This commentary is based on the pesukim from Matthew 5:38-42 which Yeshua says the following:
שְׁמַעְתֶּם כִּי נֶאֱמַר עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן שֵׁן תַּחַת שֵׁן׃[39] וַאֲנִי אֹמֵר לָכֶם אַל־תִּתְקוֹמֲמוּ לָרָשָׁע וְהַמַּכֶּה אוֹתְךָ עַל־הַלְּחִי הַיְמָנִית הַטֵּה־לוֹ גַּם אֶת־הָאַחֶרֶת׃[40] וַאֲשֶׁר יַחְפֹּץ לָרִיב עִמְּךָ וְלָקַחַת אֶת־כֻּתָּנְתֶּךָ תֵּן־לוֹ גַּם אֶת־הַמְּעִיל׃[41] וְהָאֹנֵס אוֹתְךָ לָלֶכֶת עִמּוֹ דֶּרֶךְ מִיל לֵךְ אִתּוֹ שְׁנָיִם׃[42] הַשׁאֵל מֵאִתְּךָ תֵּן־לוֹ וְהַבָּא לִלְוֹת מִמְּךָ אַל־תָּשֵׁב פָּנָיו׃
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evildoer. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other. 40 And the one wanting to sue you and to take your shirt, let him also have your coat. 41 Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Many of our Jewish "pre-believing" family interpret Yeshua's words in the 5th chapter of Matisyahu as being an abrogation or at the very least a reduction of Torah - NOTHING COULD BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUE MEANING!
In context looking at the entire 5th chapter, Yeshua's discourse and teaching is "ELEVATING" the Torah to a Higher Level - NOT REDUCING IT!!!
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and Torah scholars, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven!
Here He's even giving us the proper exegesis of his teachings! Don't think that I'm abolishing Torah, He says! He's NOT... look what He says at the end of the chapter:
Matthew 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than anyone else? Even the pagans do that, don’t they? 48 Therefore be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
An eye for an eye - is not a endorsement for human vengeance. There are two ways to observe and live out Torah...
1. You can observe Torah the way the rabbins tell you and trust in your own effort and will power to stay faithful to ALL THE WORDS OF TORAH. And observe the "minimum requirements" to the exact detail and "letter of the law"...
OR...
2. You can observe Torah the way Yeshua of Nazareth taught us, a more "PERFECT WAY", in which our righteousness (tzedakah) will exceed the rabbins, and go BEYOND THE LETTER OF THE LAW AND LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR BEYOND THE LIMITATIONS OF THE TORAH! This is the way Yeshua showed His talmidim.
If you are one of His talmidim, you really don't have a choice. We are not approaching the Torah from a "religious" expression and observance. We approach Torah from a whole different viewpoint as Born Again Jews and Messianic believers who've been grafted in from among the Nations. We walk the way Yeshua walked, we walk and live Torah the way He walked and lived out Torah.
We love above and beyond the boundaries of Torah, and we follow the Torah of Messiah!
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you fulfill the Torah of Messiah.
Amen & Shabbat Shalom...
R' Eric
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