|
Heshvan 6, 5764 / November 1, 2003
Heshvan 6, 5767 / October 28, 2006
Heshvan 6, 5770 / October 24, 2009
Heshvan 11, 5773 / October 27, 2012
Heshvan 4, 5776 / October 17, 2015
Pesal Lecha
/ Carve for Yourself
SCRIPTURES should be read first
“At
that time” (v.10:1) refers to the seventh ascent by Moses, on Av 29, 2448.
It was the third forty-day ascent. [Sequence of Events in the Old Testament,
pg.55]
________________
Last week’s portion started with
“Sh’ma” – (v.9:1) “listen”. . .
“to the statutes and the judgments (least and greatest commandments)
which I am teaching you to perform, in order that you may live and go in and
take possession of the land which Yahweh”. The text
concerned preparation
for entering the Promised Land – entering the eternal Sabbath, relating to the
Fourth Commandment.
In today’s portion,
(v.11:1) we see the body of the Sh’ma: “You
shall therefore love Yahweh your God” . . . “and always keep His charge – His
statutes, His judgments (least and
greatest commandments), and His commandments (Mitzvot – all
commandments).” The text concerns obedience to authority under God
(v.10:8), relating to the Fifth Commandment:
[Note: The Sh’ma is
Deuteronomy 6:4-9.] Deuteronomy 11:13-21 is the second portion of the Sh’ma,
which is to be recited every morning and night.
We may clearly see here
that to “love Yahweh your God” means living by all of His instruction. “Sh’ma”
means listen, as in “Hear and obey.” And we are promised great reward for such
obedience (v.11:13-14).
As this text repeatedly
exhorts obedience, and tells of the blessings that will result, so also does the
Psalm: (v.1) “How
blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in His ways.”
We see
(v.10:1) the Commandments written on new tablets, replacing the old ones – which
were broken, compared to (v.6) the priesthood being conferred upon Eleazar,
replacing Aaron – who died.
Moses
relates making a wooden ark: it would serve until the golden ark was made for
the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:10-22). It housed the new tablets, as well as broken
pieces of the old ones.
In
Colossians (v.3:1-14), we who formerly lived in broken commandments, are now to
live in observed commandments. We are to consider ourselves dead to sin, and
live anew in Messiah Yeshua. As the commandments – from statutes to judgments –
were to show us how to love God and our neighbor, so Paul gives details about
how we should fulfill the Sh’ma: giving up “immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry”,
and “putting aside all
anger, wrath, malice, slander,
and abusive speech from your mouth”,
we should “put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a
complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And
beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”
(V.11:2) “And know this day
that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen
the discipline of Yahweh your God . . .”
Hebrews 12:5-13 “And you have
forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not
regard lightly the discipline of Yahweh, nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
for those whom Yahweh loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He
receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with
sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are
without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are
illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to
discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the
Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed
best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His
holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful;
yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful
fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the
knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb
which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.”
Readings:
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who chose us from among all peoples by
giving us Your Torah.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
Reader 1*
Amen.
10:1
“At that time Yahweh said to me, 'Cut out for yourself two
tablets of stone like the former ones, and come up to Me on
the mountain, and make an ark of wood for yourself. 2
I will write on the tablets the words that were on the
former tablets which you shattered, and you shall put them
in the ark.' 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood
and cut out two tablets of stone like the former ones, and
went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand.
4 He wrote on the tablets, like the former
writing, the Ten Commandments which Yahweh had spoken to you
on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the
assembly; and Yahweh gave them to me. 5 Then I
turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets
in the ark which I had made; and there they are, as Yahweh
commanded me.”
Reader 2* Amen.
6
(Now the sons of Israel set out from Beerot Bene-Yaakan to Moserah. There Aaron
died and there he was buried and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his
place. 7 From there they set out to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to
Jotbatah, a land of brooks of water. 8 At that time Yahweh set apart
the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before
Yahweh to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day. 9
Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; Yahweh
is his inheritance, just as Yahweh your God spoke to him.) 10 “I,
moreover, stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights like the first
time, and Yahweh listened to me that time also; Yahweh was not willing to
destroy you. 11 Then Yahweh said to me, 'Arise, proceed on your
journey ahead of the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I
swore to their fathers to give them.' 12 Now, Israel, what does
Yahweh your God require from you, but to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all
His ways and love Him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with
all your soul, 13 and to keep Yahweh's commandments and His
statutes which I am commanding you today for
your good?”
Reader 3* Amen.
14
“Behold, to Yahweh your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and
all that is in it. 15 Yet on your fathers did Yahweh set His
affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you
above all peoples, as it is this day. 16 So circumcise your heart,
and stiffen your neck no longer. 17 For Yahweh your God is the God of
gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does
not show partiality nor take a bribe. 18 He executes justice for the
orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and
clothing. 19 So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in
the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear Yahweh your God; you shall serve
Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. 21 He is your
praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you
which your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy
persons in all, and now Yahweh your God has made you as numerous as the stars of
heaven.
Reader 4* Amen.
11:1
“You shall therefore love Yahweh your God, and always keep His charge, His
statutes, His
ordinances, and His commandments. 2 Know this day that I am
not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the
discipline of Yahweh your God – His greatness, His mighty hand and His
outstretched arm, 3 and His signs and His works which He did in the
midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land; 4
and what He did to Egypt's army, to its horses and its chariots, when He made
the water of the Red Sea to engulf them while they were pursuing you, and Yahweh
completely destroyed them; 5 and what He did to you in the wilderness
until you came to this place; 6 and what He did to Dathan and Abiram,
the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and
swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that
followed them, among all Israel – 7 but your own eyes have seen all
the great work of Yahweh which He did.”
Reader 5* Amen.
8
“You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so
that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about
to cross to possess it; 9 so that you may prolong your days on the
land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give to them and to their
descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land,
into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from
which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it with your foot like
a vegetable garden. 11 But the land into which you are about to cross
to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of
heaven, 12 a land for which Yahweh your God cares; the eyes of Yahweh
your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.”
Reader 6* Amen.
13
“It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am
commanding you today, to love Yahweh your God and to serve Him with all your
heart and all your soul, 14 that He will give the rain for your land
in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and
your new wine and your oil. 15 He will give grass in your fields for
your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16 Beware that your
hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and
worship them. 17 Or the anger of Yahweh will be kindled against you,
and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground
will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which
Yahweh is giving you.”
Reader 7* Amen.
18
“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul;
and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on
your forehead. 19 You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them
when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie
down and when you rise up. 20 You shall write them on the doorposts
of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of
your sons may be multiplied on the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to
give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth. 22 For if
you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to
love Yahweh your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, 23
then Yahweh will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will
dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. 24 Every place on
which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; your border will be from the
wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the
western sea. 25 No man will be able to stand before you; Yahweh your
God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you
set foot, as He has spoken to you.”
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who in giving us Yeshua, the Living
Torah, has planted everlasting life in our midst.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
______________________
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who selected good prophets, delighting
in their words which were spoken truthfully.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, Who chose the
Torah, Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,
and the prophets of truth and
righteousness."
1
Kings 13:1-32
Reader 8* Amen.
1
Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of Yahweh,
while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. 2 He cried
against the altar by the word of Yahweh, and said, “O altar, altar, thus says
Yahweh, 'Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and
on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on
you, and human bones shall be burned on you.'” 3 Then he gave a sign
the same day, saying, “This is the sign which Yahweh has spoken, 'Behold, the
altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.'”
Reader 9* Amen.
4
Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the
altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize
him.” But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could
not draw it back to himself. 5 The altar also was split apart and the
ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God
had given by the word of Yahweh. 6 The king said to the man of God,
“Please entreat Yahweh your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored
to me.” So the man of God entreated Yahweh, and the king's hand was restored to
him, and it became as it was before. 7 Then the king said to the man
of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
8 But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half
your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this
place. 9 For so it was commanded me by the word of Yahweh, saying,
'You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you
came.'” 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way which
he came to Bethel.
Reader 10* Amen.
11
Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the
deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had
spoken to the king, these also they related to their father. 12 Their
father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way which
the man of God who came from Judah had gone. 13 Then he said to his
sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode
away on it. 14 So he went after the man of God and found him sitting
under an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
And he said, “I am.” 15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and
eat bread.” 16 He said, “I cannot return with you, nor go with you,
nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 For a
command came to me by the word of Yahweh, 'You shall eat no bread, nor drink
water there; do not return by going the way which you came.'”
Reader 11* Amen.
18
He said to him, “I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the
word of Yahweh, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat
bread and drink water.'” But he lied to him. 19 So he went back with
him, and ate bread in his house and drank water. 20 Now it came
about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of Yahweh came to
the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried to the man of
God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says Yahweh, 'Because you have disobeyed
the command of Yahweh, and have not observed the commandment which Yahweh your
God commanded you, 22 but have returned and eaten bread and drunk
water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”;
your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.'”
Reader 12* Amen.
23
It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled
the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 Now
when he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was
thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was
standing beside the body. 25 And behold, men passed by and saw the
body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and
told it in the city where the old prophet lived. 26 Now when the
prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of
God, who disobeyed the command of Yahweh; therefore Yahweh has given him to the
lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of Yahweh which
He spoke to him.”
Reader 13* Amen.
27
Then he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled
it. 28 He went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey
and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn
the donkey. 29 So the prophet took up the body of the man of God and
laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came to the city of the old
prophet to mourn and to bury him. 30 He laid his body in his own
grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!” 31
After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, "When I die, bury me in
the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.
32 “For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of
Yahweh against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places
which are in the cities of Samaria.”
Psalm 128
(To be sung.) A Song of Ascents.
1
How blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in His ways. 2
When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy and it will be
well with you. 3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your
house, your children like olive plants around your table. 4 Behold,
for thus shall the man be blessed who fears Yahweh. 5 Yahweh bless
you from Zion, and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your
life. 6 Indeed, may you see your children's children. Peace be upon
Israel!
Colossians
3:1 – 4:6
Reader 14* Amen.
3:1
Therefore if you have been raised up with Messiah, keep seeking the things
above, where Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your
mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For
you have died and your life is hidden with Messiah in God. 4 When
Messiah, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him
in glory. 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as
dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to
idolatry. 6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God
will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and in them you also once
walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them
all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with
its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being
renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him –
11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew,
circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but
Messiah is all, and in all.
Reader 15* Amen.
12
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing
with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against
anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond
all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15
Let the peace of Messiah rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in
one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Messiah richly dwell
within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Yeshua,
giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Reader 16* Amen.
18
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19
Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. 20
Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing
to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that
they will not lose heart. 22 Slaves, in all things obey those who are
your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please
men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you
do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is
the Lord Messiah whom you serve. 25 For he who does wrong will
receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without
partiality.
Reader 17* Amen.
4:1
Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a
Master in heaven. 2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it
with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us
as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak
forth the mystery of Messiah, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4
that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. 5 Conduct
yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.
6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt,
so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
"Blessed are You, Yahweh
our God, King of the Universe,
Rock of Ages, righteous
throughout all generations.
You are the faithful God,
promising and then performing, speaking and then fulfilling,
for all Your words are true
and righteous.
Faithful are You, Yahweh
our God, and faithful are Your words,
for no word of Yours shall
remain unfulfilled;
You are a faithful and
merciful God and King.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our
God, Who are faithful in fulfilling all Your words."
|