This week’s Torah portion opens with the 5th Book of the Torah, in Hebrew, ‘D’varim’ (Words) also known as Mishneh Torah, (“the repetition of the Torah,”); in English, Deuteronomy is derived from the Latin meaning “The Second Law”.) In this parasha, Moses retells the story of Israel’s wilderness journey to reinforce crucial lessons in their spiritual walk with God that are no less relevant for us.
Moses ascended the mountain to see from afar the land promised by God to Israel as an eternal inheritance, and reflected upon many of the laws that would equip Israel when they entered into Canaan.
One change would be to centralise worship in Jerusalem that was eventually established under David and destroy paganism in the land. Sadly, God’s Torah became neglected over time and only became fully implemented under King Josiah several centuries later (2Kings 22:8-10).
When Moses shared his parting words to the Israelites, he communicated something beautiful about the character of God that went beyond Israel’s weaknesses and failings. In it all, God promised to carry them through because of His faithfulness and covenant promises:
“The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries His son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”
So too for us as believers – God’s tender loving care takes upon Himself our weaknesses and failings and carries us in His arms when we stumble and fall. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son the father broke every cultural norm of the day in a show of spontaneous forgiveness for his son who had abandoned Him as he saw him from afar returning from his self-imposed exile. When we confess our sins and return to Him in humility and contriteness of heart He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all sin. (1Jn.1:8)
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Devarim – Words. Deut 1:1 – 3:22. Isa. 1:1-27
by Raphael ben Levi
This Shabbat is one of the most significant of the Jewish calendar and is known as “The Sabbath of Vision”, named after the opening words of the Haftarah in Isa.1:1 and falls on the Shabbat which led to the destruction of the Jewish Temples on the 9th Av, (Tisha B’Av). As a balance, we must keep in mind that the history of the Jewish nation, is orchestrated by God who is always in full control and uses even our enemies to bring about His perfect will and eternal purposes.
So we bring this to mind on 9th Av. a day of intense introspection following a 3 week period from 17th Tammuz to 9th Av. When the number 3 is used in Scripture as a measurement of time, it represents God’s complete Sovereignty over all things.
Among the many tragedies that have occurred within Jewish history on 9th Av, the greatest was the destruction of both the 1st and 2nd Temples that led to exile. 100,000 Jews were slaughtered in the destruction of the 1st Temple in 586BC and the remainder were taken into exile for 70 years. But greater still, estimates of 2 million were slaughtered during the destruction of the 2nd Temple which led to nearly 2000 years of exile. Why so severe? Much suffering of the Jewish people throughout their history has not been due to their apostasy but through evil expressions of anti-Semitism that goes way beyond Divine judgement – crusades, pogroms, blood libels, mass exterminations. The Jewish people have been hounded from pillar to post, scapegoated and consistently trodden underfoot that has never been more evident than today throughout the world.
Let me link this to something else. On two occasions people demanded that Yeshua show them a sign that He was the Messiah and He replied, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, 46 years was this temple in building, and will You tear it up in three days? But he spoke of the temple of His body.” (Jn 2:18-22)
When Yeshua was on trial for insurrection, people falsely accused Him claiming: “We heard him say, I will destroy this Temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.” (Yeshua was prophesying spiritually about His own death and resurrection) (Mk 14:58)
We can see the huge implications of this in relation to 9th Av.
Hag.2:9 stated that: “The glory of this latter House will be greater than the former,”
Although Solomon’s Temple was superior in splendour to the 2nd Temple, and regarded as one of the 7 wonders of the world, the 2nd Temple far exceeded the 1st in glory. This is because the mystery of the 9th Av goes beyond our mourning over God’s judgment, or the evil perpetrated against her by the nations, to restoration and fullness as foretold by the prophet Haggai, as fulfilled by Yeshua.
Every true believer who embraces Yeshua as Saviour and Lord is a Temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor.6:19) who dwells within us – as it were , a temple restored that had been destroyed by the consequence of sin because the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life.
Now again Satan’s intent is to defile that temple, the redeemed of the Lord and once again steal, kill and destroy that which God has redeemed. This urges us to walk in intimacy with Him to avoid there ever being any further Tisha B’Av events in our lives.
Deep intercession is an integral feature of Tisha B’Av. In Rom.9:1-3 we see this reflected with Paul who bore the grief of Tisha B’Av in his heart: “I am speaking the truth in Messiah. I am not lying: my conscience (enlightened and prompted) by the Holy Spirit bearing witness with me that I have bitter grief and incessant anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off and banished from Messiah for the sake of my brethren instead of them, my natural kinsmen and my fellow countrymen.”
Paul makes an astounding statement when in deep travail that hypothetically he was willing to sacrifice even his own his salvation for those of his people who were unsaved, so strong was his identification with them. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!”
Tisha B’Av is also a warning to Israel’s enemies. Gen 12:3: “Those who curse you (Israel) will be cursed and those who bless you will be blessed.” The full impact of this statement Is lost in translation. The first word for “curses” – מְקַלֶּלְךָ (meka-lel-cha) has a root meaning, “to make light of something heavy.” The second word used in Gen.12:3 for “curse,” אָרר (a-ra) has a completely different root that means,“to utterly destroy” and is interestingly related to the word “Allah” the Islamic counterfeit god that also means “one who destroys.” So in effect God is saying ,“I will bless those who bless you, but those who disrespect you, I will utterly destroy.” May Allah, the false god beware! He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps and this false god who is seeking Israel and the Jewish people’s utter destruction will assuredly themselves be destroyed.
Tisha B’Av challenges us to take a stand against unrighteousness and mourn the evil that seeks to enslave us – because, there is no sin too deep, no person’s past too dark that is beyond the grace of God. He can transform the worst of sinners, unlimited to anyone who reaches out to the One who makes all things new.
And so the Spirit of God urges us to stand up and be counted as the remnant of the unashamed: “For I am not ashamed of the Good News, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who trusts—to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” [Rom.1:16]
Evil spiritual forces have been constantly at work seeking to undermine God’s eternal purposes that are intrinsically interwoven with the Jewish people. So we aren’t surprised whenever we are confronted with evil in its many varieties and forms. Rather we are alarmed when it originates from within the ranks of those claiming to be believers.
The consequences of sin leads to separation from God but His faithfulness has carried the Jewish people because as shared earlier Divine judgement is different from Divine covenant and His eternal purposes remain unchanged even within the lowest moments in Jewish history. As Scripture states, “He remains faithful even when we are faithless because he cannot deny Himself.” (2Tim.2:13)
Although there are consequences for sin that we do well to avoid, it doesn’t change the depth of love which God holds for us even when we disengage. What tender loving care is illustrated at Tisha B’Av for us as believers! God has taken our weaknesses and failings upon Himself on the crucifixion stake. He is the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep for the one that went astray. He is the prodigal father who breaks every cultural norm in his demonstration of love for the son who returned to him from exile, broken and wretched. God is so full of mercy and forgiveness that we see how the 3-week period we are currently in – ‘Bein Ha Metzarim’ is actually a transition point not an end point (Phil.1:6) because He will use even tragedy and disaster to bring restoration and renewal to our lives.
As I shared last Shabbat, the Israelites were provided with a photo album of memories for future generations to reflect upon and learn from the experiences of their forefathers whose mistakes could be avoided rather than repeated. And this is one reason why the Jewish people celebrate key events in Israel’s history – to remember and re-tell. And we as believers do likewise as we reflect upon past, present and future realities that are types and shadows fulfilled in Yeshua!
God is not just big—He is infinite. If He were only big, then those things that are small would be further from Him, and those things that are big would be closer. But to the Infinite, big and small, far and near are irrelevant terms. Nothing is too small for His concern; nothing escapes His attention; no place is too far that He cannot be found there. He is everywhere, and He is found wherever anyone will seek Him in every circumstance.
It is a wonderful thing that even during solemn periods in the Hebrew calendar, we find additional joyful events slotted in somewhere. So too at 9th Av. Orthodox Jews participate in what is known as a ‘siyum’ (completion) a ‘seudat mitzvah’—a celebratory meal as a reminder that even in life’s darkest moments there remains much for us still to celebrate and yet so much more for us as believers. And, several days following Tisha B’Av we celebrate Tu B’Av that is equivalent to a biblical Valentine’s Day. Tu B’Av is an obscure feast in the Hebrew calendar yet it is packed with relevance applied to our lives. It connects with Tisha B’Av most clearly teaching the importance of trusting in the promises of God rather than succumb to the fear of man.
According to Jewish tradition, each year from one Tisha B’Av to the next, those who had reached the age of 60 died – 15,000 annually – until the last person of that generation passed on a few days later at Tu B’Av. Finally, atonement was completed on this date.
Scripture, states that all major feasts will pale away following Yeshua’s second coming except for the feast of Sukkot (Zech.14:16-21). But again, in Jewish tradition the minor feast of Tu B’Av will also be squeezed in because it focuses on Divine love and the unity that God’s love brings. As Scripture states in 1Cor.13,13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Tu B’Av has been poetically described as a Divine melody that is nicely illustrated with the following chassidic story. “Once there lived a talented musician whose gift went unnoticed until one day he decided to play his instrument in the town square. Soon he gathered a great crowd around him, as everyone stood enthralled by his amazing talent. Before long, people began to move to the rhythm and steady flow of the music so that the town square became transformed into a place of celebration. Everyone was dancing and singing, quite oblivious to their surroundings, young and old, rich and poor. A deaf man happened to be passing by and could not understand what was going on. He just thought to himself that everyone was crazy and had too much to drink.”
As believers we dance to the melody of God’s love and if this makes us appear mad to those with less sensitive ears, should we celebrate any the less? As such should not every day be Tu B’Av for us in accordance with the words of the apostle Paul: “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. · …Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests known to God. And the peace of Gos that passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Messiah Yeshua.” (Phil. 4:4-8)
No matter how grim our circumstances or outlook may be, God is able to turn our mourning into dancing and our sackcloth into garments of joy!. (Ps. 30:11-12)
This is beautifully reflected in this week’s Haftarah where the Lord provides a pathway of redemption with the promise of a Redeemer who will cleanse us from all sin: “Come now, and let us reason together,”Says the Lord.“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isa.1:18} . That pathway has been carved from the rock of the One who is our solid rock – Yeshua the way, the truth and the life (Jn.14:6) who makes a way for us when there seems to be no way.
Moses understood that the greatest enemy facing the Israelites was whenever they were led by their own carnal desires to abandon God’s Torah and exchange it for the pagan culture of the surrounding nations. Even in modern times during the Holocaust, most of the German and Austrian Jewish casualties defined themselves as Jewish only second to their national identity and paid the price for it in the concentration camps. Abandoning Torah contains even more terrible consequences that go beyond this life into eternity.
I want to end with a challenge for each one of us. God has created us to be history makers. Although there are moments in our lives when one can do something that may appear the most insignificant choice ever, yet it could be that very moment God created us for that could change the course of history. Although I always have to be what I am in Yeshua there are moments I have to be not what I am in the sense when God calls us to go beyond what we believe are our limits in order to enter the realm of impossibility – because God delights to transform impossibilities into realities, failure into stepping stones, water into dry land, and hopelessness into new beginnings. He has created us to be history makers! All we need to do is make the choice to step out in faith and allow Him to enlarge our boundaries!
Who knows what God can do through us when we surrender your lives to Him in simple faith and obedience? God has called us to be history makers!
There is an old Jewish saying:“ Master of the world, I know that the Third Temple is not built with stones; it’s built with tears. So if all you need is just one more tear, please let it be my tear.” These words reflect what Yeshua has regained for us. He alone is qualified to redeem us and bear our sin upon His sinless body at a terrible price. The ‘Fellowship of His Sufferings’ (Phil.3:10) is akin to shedding His tears. Every tear brings His return a little closer. And as the sages would pray: “… if all you need is just one more tear, please let it be my tear.”
Our sages share a parable that nicely explains the meaning of this puzzling phrase. In the story, there were two friends whose souls were intertwined with deep brotherly love. Even though they lived far apart from one another, the love between them remained strong. In those days, one of them was falsely accused of a crime, convicted and sentenced to death. The ruler issued a proclamation that everyone in the land must attend this criminal’s execution. When his friend came to the execution, he recognised him and immediately cried out in anguish, “Leave that man alone! I was the person who committed the crime.”
The result was mayhem. The execution was stopped and the matter was brought before the ruler who summoned both men and asked them the truth of the matter. Only one of them could have committed the crime, so why was the other one willing to die in vain? The friend of the condemned man answered: “I know that my friend did not commit any crime. I know his character. He could not possibly have done it. Thus, I must conclude that this is nothing but a miscarriage of justice. My life depends on my friend’s life. It is better that I die and not see his death. In fact, if I have received such punishment as having to see my friend’s death, I must myself be deserving of death.” The other man replied in a similar fashion. When the ruler saw the great love between these two men, he let them both free and requested of them, “You are such great friends I would like you to take me into your circle with that amount of love. I also wish to become that kind of friend to you.”
As I reflect upon this story, I immediately connect with the One who laid down His life for me. But, there is a shifting when I measure this against my willingness to lay down my life for Him. This I believe is the true meaning of the “Fellowship of His Sufferings” that God will one day replace with immeasurable joy, fullness and abundance. The circle of life that begun in the Garden of Eden will then have reached completion!
