Your Daily Pesuk Sept. 16, 2018

Parashat Ha'Azinu / פרשת האזינו

• Sun, 16 September 2018 = 7th of Tishrei, 5779
• ז׳ בְּתִשְׁרֵי תשע״ט

Deuteronomy 32:1-6 (6 p'sukim)

32 “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak!

Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

2 May my teaching trickle like rain,

my speech distill like dew—

    like gentle rain on new grass,

    like showers on tender plants.

3 For I will proclaim Adonai’s Name,

ascribe greatness to our God!

4 The Rock—blameless is His work.

Indeed, all His ways are just.

God of faithfulness without iniquity,

    righteous and upright is He.

5 Did it corrupt Him? No!

The blemish is His children’s—

a generation crooked and twisted.

6 Is this how you pay back Adonai,

O foolish, unwise people?

Isn’t He your Father who ransomed you?[a]

He made you and established you.

32 הַאֲזִ֥ינוּ הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וַאֲדַבֵּ֑רָה וְתִשְׁמַ֥ע הָאָ֖רֶץ אִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃

2 יַעֲרֹ֤ף כַּמָּטָר֙ לִקְחִ֔י תִּזַּ֥ל כַּטַּ֖ל אִמְרָתִ֑י כִּשְׂעִירִ֣ם עֲלֵי־דֶ֔שֶׁא וְכִרְבִיבִ֖ים עֲלֵי־עֵֽשֶׂב׃

3 כִּ֛י שֵׁ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה אֶקְרָ֑א הָב֥וּ גֹ֖דֶל לֵאלֹהֵֽינוּ׃

4 הַצּוּר֙ תָּמִ֣ים פָּעֳל֔וֹ כִּ֥י כָל־דְּרָכָ֖יו מִשְׁפָּ֑ט אֵ֤ל אֱמוּנָה֙ וְאֵ֣ין עָ֔וֶל צַדִּ֥יק וְיָשָׁ֖ר הֽוּא׃

5 שִׁחֵ֥ת ל֛וֹ לֹ֖א בָּנָ֣יו מוּמָ֑ם דּ֥וֹר עִקֵּ֖שׁ וּפְתַלְתֹּֽל׃

6 הֲ־לַיְהוָה֙ תִּגְמְלוּ־זֹ֔את עַ֥ם נָבָ֖ל וְלֹ֣א חָכָ֑ם הֲלוֹא־הוּא֙ אָבִ֣יךָ קָּנֶ֔ךָ ה֥וּא עָֽשְׂךָ֖ וַֽיְכֹנְנֶֽךָ׃

Pesuk 6 mentions that our Father has redeemed Israel.  How did He redeem our ancestors?  The Passover Seder reminds us with the Second Cup, the "Cup of Plagues" that Adonai poured out plagues upon the Egyptians, our captors.  The last and final plague was a retribution for Pharaoh's decree to murder the first born males of the Hebrew slaves, (when Moshe was saved).  Pharaoh's son would have been the next Pharoah, and each Pharaoh was worshipped as a "god".  Our God punished each and every idol that was worshipped in Egypt demonstrating that He is the Only God and there is none other!

The B'nei Yisrael were redeemed by the blood of the first born sons of Egypt.  They were purchased by God through blood.  Which is why we diminish our cups during the seder and splash the wine onto our napkins or plates, which is a symbol of splashed blood, also the lambs that were slaughted and the blood was applied to the doorposts.  The wooden doorposts (mezuzaot), where the mezuzah is nailed (which contains the Shema), is pierced onto that stake where also this first Pesach lamb's blood was applied.

So it is in the Brit Chadasha with us today, we all, Jew and non-Jew have been purchased and redeemed, ransomed by the Blood of the Lamb!

Matthew 20:25 But Yeshua called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones play the tyrant over them. 26 It shall not be this way among you. But whoever wants to be great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

And this is in accord with the teachings of our Shaliachim, and Rav Shaul:

1 Timothy 2:4 He desires all men to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth.  5 For there is one God and there is one Mediator between God and men—a human, Messiah Yeshua, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony at the proper time. 

Amen, may all Israel be saved!  Shavuah Tov!