[00:00:00] Speaker A: Why did the vast majority of Yeshua's followers see the Torah, God's law, in a negative light? Maybe it's due to themes like we have in our current Torah portion, themes that seem completely unrelatable to lives that are so far removed from our world and worldview. For instance, this week's Torah reading begins with the laws of slavery. Slavery? Are you joking? Why do we need laws about slavery? Is the Torah promoting slavery? And what's up with this whole eye for an eye thing? Didn't Yeshua overturn that in the sermon on the Mount? Well, if you've ever been confused by things like this, then you won't want to miss this week's five minute Torah.
This week, we are studying the portion of Mishpatim, exodus 21 one through 20 418. And here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one, holistic and inclusive. Civil, criminal, and religious law. This Torah portion is called Mishpatim for a reason. It begins with the Lord saying, now, these are the laws or judgments, the mishpatim that you shall set before them. Last week, we read about God giving the Torah to the children of Israel from atop Mount Sinai. This week, we begin to see some of the commandments that he gave to them. This week's Torah portion contains a whopping total of 53 commandments. That's nearly 10% of the Torah's 613 enumerated commandments. That's quite a lot for this little Torah portion and shows just how important it is in the scope of Torah study. But there's something we have to realize about the Torah. It's unlike any other system of law. The Torah applies to every aspect of life, not just religious or secular life. Why? Because it's an extension of God who views every human in a holistic manner and wants to rule over our entire being, not just what we do on the weekends. Number two, righteous slavery. The Torah's unique perspective. To most people, especially if you aren't familiar with the Torah, this may sound paradoxical at best and blasphemous at worst. Is there such a thing as righteous slavery? First, we need to understand that the Torah is addressing an issue that has been a central facet of human culture for thousands of years. But until the giving of the Torah, there were no laws to actually protect slaves. They were simply considered property and had no rights of their own. The Torah changed this, especially in regard to hebrew slaves, who could only be indebted for a maximum of six years. The Torah commanded humane treatment of slaves with regulations that prohibited abuse or cruelty. Exodus 21, verses 20 and 21 this acknowledgment of the inheritant dignity of all individuals, including slaves, was a significant ethical departure from the brutal treatment of slaves in other societies. The Torah's laws for slaves were far ahead of their time, showing God's concern for those in unfortunate circumstances. Number three shalosh regalim the three pilgrimage festivals included within the various laws of this Torah portion is the commandment for the shalosh regalim, the three pilgrimage festivals the Lord tells the children of Israel, three times in the year shall you keep a feast to me. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord. This is chapter 23, verses 14 and 17. The festivals listed here include Pesach or Passover, shavuot or Pentecost, and Sukote or tabernacles. However, they can easily be missed because they are called by other names. Here they are the feast of unleavened bread, which is Passover the feast of harvest, which is Pentecost, and the feast of in gathering, which is Sukkot. This passage is unique in that it uses a phrase here that only appears in one other passage in the Torah, and in the same context. The Lord tells Moses that all of the males shall appear before ha'adon Hashem, which can be translated something like the master, the Lord. The only other time this phrase appears in the entire Hebrew Bible is in the book of Isaiah.
[00:04:07] Speaker B: Have you started preparations for Passover? It may seem like a long way away, but it will be here before you realize it. Well, if you're looking for Passover resources, I've got a few things that could help. First, I've got a bundle of helpful tips and articles you can download for free to help you with your Passover preparations. You can get all of these great resources absolutely free by simply signing up for my mailing list using the link in the description box below. Just fill in your info, hit subscribe, and you'll be given a link to download my Passover resource kit. No spam, no double mailings. Just enjoy the resources included in this bundle. Next, I have an original song for Passover that you and your family can learn and sing together at the Passover table. It's called the Magid song, and it gives the basics of the Passover story with a catchy melody that you'll be humming for weeks after your seder. Just use the link below or at the end of this video to check it out. Last, you can pick up a copy of cup of Redemption, my messianic Passover Hagada to evaluate for your Seder. It has a 4.6 star rating and over 70 reviews on Amazon, so grab.
[00:05:13] Speaker A: Your copy and see if it's a.
[00:05:14] Speaker B: Fit for your family and your Passover table. The link is in the description box below.
[00:05:18] Speaker A: Before I get into the content, I have a very important announcement that I need to share with you at the end of this video, and if you don't stick around until the end, then you may be confused about something over the next several weeks. So be sure to hang around with me until the end of the video this week for a special announcement. Now let's get into the commentary. This week's Torah commentary is called an eye for an eye, literally, and comes from my book five minute Torah, volume two. Upon a cursory reading of the Torah, some of the laws seem not only a bit harsh, but also even barbaric at times. This week's Torah portion contains laws that seem to fall into that category and tend to make the modern reader uncomfortable. One of the passages is related to personal damages caused by physical violence. You shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. This is Exodus 21 25. It would seem from this passage that the Torah condones an extreme and retaliatory brand of justice. If two people get in a fight and one gouges out the other's eye, then the offender is to have his eye also gouged out as repayment for the offense. This passage is often used to contrast the harsh justice of the Torah to Yeshua's message of grace and mercy. You've heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil, but if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 538 39 from this passage, Yeshua appears to be telling his disciples that the Torah prescribed one method of dealing with offenses, but he is now prescribing a different one. Where the Torah endorsed strict retaliatory justice, Yeshua endorses mercy and grace. But is this really what Yeshua was teaching his disciples? Was the Torah's instruction of an eye for an eye, taken literally in Yeshua's day, the Talmud, although compiled centuries after the time of Yeshua, records how this principle has always been understood and practiced within Judaism. It says that a person should not entertain the thought that the biblical expression an eye for an eye is to be taken literally, the Talmud makes it clear that retaliatory justice was never imagined by the Torah. Rather than literally gouging out the eye of an offender, the courts would evaluate the value of the eye of the victim and order compensation for the amount determined. For more on this, see Babakama 83 b. The Torah itself makes this clear. The exodus passage we are discussing spells this out even before the eye for an eye expression is mentioned. It says, when men strive together and hit a pregnant woman so that her children come out but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. Exodus 21 22 the Mishnah, the authoritative and definitive Code of jewish law, describes the criteria the courts would use to determine the value of an eye or tooth, or any other injury sustained by the victim. It says, one who injures another is liable to pay compensation for that injury due to five types of indemnity. He must pay for damage, for pain, for medical costs, for loss of livelihood, and for humiliation. This is from the mission of Babakama. 81 so when Yeshua made this statement, you have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. What was he trying to say? Was Yeshua overriding the Torah? Not at all. As we've noted, the Torah makes provision for repayment of damages. These laws served a two fold purpose. First, they protected those who incurred damages at the hands of others. Second, and more importantly, they held accountable the person liable for the damages, the offender, the one who had to take personal responsibility for the harm to others. These laws were not created so victims could retaliate against offenders. The Tors legislation addresses the offender, instructing them how to compensate for the damage, and gives the court a basis of value by which it can define the compensation. On the other hand, when Yeshua said, if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him. The other also, he was addressing the appropriate response of the victim rather than the responsibility of the offender, which the Torah had already addressed. He made it clear that when we are wronged, when we incur damages, we are not to demand restitution. We are to treat others with the same mercy we would desire to receive if the tables were turned. Yeshua upheld Torah completely and instructed us how to live beyond the letter of the law to the greater spirit of holiness that the Torah embodies. It would honor our master if we remembered this principle. The next time someone wrongs us and we are tempted to demand our full legal rights. Well, thanks for hanging around for my big announcement. Here it is. Beginning next week, my five minute Torah videos will be moving to a new channel. The channel's not new, but it will be the new home for my five minute Torah and many other videos I'll be creating in the days ahead. Am I starting a new channel? No, but Amet Hat Torah will essentially be reducing down to a publishing outlet for my books, and the rest of Amet Hattorah will be integrating with Shalom Macon, my congregation and spiritual community here in Macon, Georgia. Let me tell you a little about Shalom Macon. If you're like many others around the world, you may not have a messianic congregation to attend and are hungry for fellowship. Shalom Macon is not only a place for Jews and Gentiles together physically, but it's a thriving online community as well. If you want to connect with a community of like minded messianic believers and an organization that will support your messianic walk with a growing number of messianic resources, then I encourage you to connect with Shalom Macon. The first way to connect is on our YouTube channel. You'll see a link at the end of this video. You can find a ton of teachings on the channel, and we live stream our services every Shabbat. We have a liturgical prayer and tour service at 09:00 a.m. Eastern and a contemporary service at 11:00 a.m. Eastern every Saturday. Although this channel won't be producing the weekly content anymore, you can still access new weekly five minute Torah videos and so much more on the Shalom Macon channel starting next week. The second way to connect is to head on over to our
[email protected], from there, you can learn all about Shalom Macon and find ways to connect with others from around the world. So go ahead and run on over to Shalom Macon and make sure you're subscribed so that you won't miss next week's five minute Torah. I'll see you there soon. Blessings from Amet Tatorah and Shalom Megan.
