Parashat Ki Teitzei / פרשת כי־תצא
- Sat, 25 August 2018 = 14th of Elul, 5778
- י״ד בֶּאֱלוּל תשע״ח
CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO READ THE PESUKIM FOR TODAY
In chapter 25, pesukim 5-12, we find some very strange and bizzare regulations and a ritual that is carried out whenever two brothers dwell together, and one of them dies, leaving his widow childless. The Torah says that the surviving brother must marry his widowed sister-in-law and perform what is called Yibum (Levirate Marriage), in order to produce a child that will be considered the child of the deceased and carry on the family lineage and property. For a great explanation of how Yibum is observed or not observed today, see this article by Ari Klein: (CLICK HERE).
In order to comprehend this strange practice and rituals, you need to view the context of this entire passage. Notice how justice pertaining to orphans, widows and the poor are thematically laid out in this entire portion...
The "Widow" is mentioned no less than 7 times in our pesukim today. 24:17, 19, 20, 23, (twice in 25:7), and again in pesuk 9 of ch. 25. However, with all that the Torah affords as duties to, and rights thereof for the widow, most of the time when we find them in Scripture, they seem to always be poor and unprovided for...
- In I Kings 17, God tells Elijah to go to a widow and ask her for a meal: 12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
- The prophet Isaiah rebukes Judah for forgetting the widow... Isaiah 1:23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
- Ezekiel says the same thing: Ezekiel 22:7 Tree of Life Version (TLV) 7 Father and mother have been treated with contempt; the outsider has been oppressed in your midst; the orphan and the widow have been mistreated in you.
- The Psalms speak of this same type of neglect: Psalm 94:6 Tree of Life Version (TLV) 6 They slay the widow and the outsider, and murder the fatherless.
- In the Book of Ruth, Naomi and Ruth both were widows that had no hope until they arrived back in Israel where the first kinsman redeemer did not want to marry Ruth at all!
Without an heir, a childless widow was often left to herself with no options other to live on the street. (there was no Social Security or Welfare State), all they had were the commandments of the Torah to provide for them., but if those commandments went forgotten, there was no one, no assistance.
While most examples in the Scriptures depict widows being left to themselves and these commandments going "unheeded", we know of One, who had compassion on these widows...
Luke 7:11 The next day Yeshua traveled to a town called Nain, and coming along with Him were His disciples and a large crowd. 12 Just as He came near the town gate, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, a widow. A considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then He came up and touched the coffin, and the pallbearers came to a standstill. He said, “Young man! I tell you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began speaking, and Yeshua gave him to his mother.
The purpose of all of these strange rituals of Yibum Levirate Marriage was to teach the people of Israel the same compassion God has on all of us! Just as childless widows are completely helpless - we who are all spiritually bankrupt, devoid of any and all righteousness of our own are completely helpless and dependent on Adonai to be our Husband and provide for us!!!
The problem is, the leaders of our people throughout our history never really learned these lessons and that is why throughout the Scriptures most all of the widows were all completely neglected. This part of Torah largely went unnoticed and unheeded.
And because of this ignorance, widows suffered and Adonai was displeased with our people, and when in His compassion He sent us our Bridegroom, our leaders tried to use Yibum as a way to discredit and trip up Yeshua in his understanding of Torah:
Matthew 22:23 On that day, Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Yeshua and questioned Him, saying, 24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If someone dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his widow and father children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died; and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. 26 In the same way also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 So in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”
29 But answering, Yeshua said to them, “You’ve gone astray, because you don’t understand the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living!” 33 When the crowds heard this, they were astounded at His teaching.
Truly, there is NO ONE, who knows Torah or who has kept the Torah PERFECTLY - as did Yeshua of Nazareth. He is the ONE who was with the Father in the Beginning, He is the Living Torah, who was made flesh and dwelt among us! He is the embodiment of the Torah! He is our Messiah, He is the Son of God, He is our Bridegroom who comes to us and takes us "Widows" as His Bride when everyone else has left us to die. He is our Redeemer!
Amen. Shabbat Shalom
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