[00:00:00] Speaker A: What if you had a magical key that could unlock any door in the world? What would you use it on? This seems like something you might read about in a children's story or maybe a fantasy book, right? But what if I told you that there is a key to unlocking global redemption that most people are completely oblivious to? What would you do if you had this key? Would you be willing to use it? Now? What if I told you that I can give you this key? Does it sound too good to be true? If you want to know more about this key and the power that can be at your fingertips, then stick around for this week's five minute tour.
Shalom and welcome back. I'm Darren, and I'm excited to be with you again for another video on the weekly tour portion. Before I get into my five minute tour commentary, let's take a quick peek into our tour portion. This week, we're studying the portion of Shil Deuteronomy 1618 through 21 nine, and here are the three things you need to know about it. Number one, Torah of Justice, the divine legal system. Lest we forget, the Torah was given to a nation called Israel. It is both the constitution and the ethical guideline for a people who have been chosen by God. Our Torah portion places a strong emphasis on the establishment of a just and ethical judicial system. God commands the Israelites to appoint judges and officials in every city to ensure the proper administration of justice. These leaders are charged with maintaining fairness and integrity in their judgments. They must be impartial, avoiding favoritism or corruption, and must not accept bribes, which could distort their decisions. The appointment of judges is crucial for creating a just society where disputes are resolved according to gods laws. The verse justice, justice shall you pursue highlights the importance of constant vigilance and upholding righteousness and ensuring that the legal system reflects the values of fairness and truth that are essential for maintaining peace and order within the community. Two laws of kings ruling with humility in our current Torah portion, we learn about the laws regarding the establishment of a kingship in Israel. If the Israelites choose to appoint a king, he must be an Israelite chosen by God. The king is instructed to avoid accumulating excessive wealth, excessive horses, or excessive wives, which could lead him astray and cause him to forget his responsibilities. Instead, the king must write a copy of the Torah and keep it with him, reading it daily to ensure that he remains humble and obedient to gods laws. The goal of these regulations is to prevent the king from becoming corrupt or oppressive, emphasizing that even the highest leader is subject to divine law and must lead with righteousness and humility. Three laws of war rules of engagement shof team provides guidelines for ethical conduct during times of war. It introduces the concept of sending an envoy to offer terms of peace before engaging in battle. The portion also outlines regulations for taking captives, preserving the environment during the sieges, and ensuring fairness and compassion during wartime, a concept unheard of in the ancient world and rarely seen even today. This shows the value the Torah places on ethical behavior even in the midst of war. If you're looking for a place to learn, connect and grow, then Shalom Macon is the place. It doesn't matter where you are in the world. You can find a connection with Shalom Macon through our live services every Saturday and through our private social network we call Shalom at home. Check us out on YouTube and on our
[email protected], for more information. We look forward to connecting with you and seeing you this Shabbat this week's Torah commentary is called remembrance and redemption and comes from my book five minute Torah, volume one, as one exits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. The final site is a sign written in Hebrew and English. It's a profound quote from the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism in the 18th century. Forgetfulness leads to exile, while remembrance is the secret of redemption. What does this mean? Lets explore the implications. According to our Torah portion of this week, the king of Israel is commanded to write a copy of the Torah for himself as a reminder of his responsibilities as the leader of a holy nation bound to a covenant relationship with the creator of the universe. And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law approved by the levitical priests, and it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment either to the right hand or to the left. Deuteronomy 17 1820 the king of Israel represents the nation of Israel. Therefore, when the king is diligent to uphold the Torah, he's considered righteous and the nation is blessed. But when the king forgets the precepts of the Torah, he's deemed wicked, and the nation is therefore judged and led into exile. Since the king represents Israel, some of his responsibilities also represent those of individual citizens. Deuteronomy 30 119 says, now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. This is considered to be the very last in the enumeration of the 613 commandments and is interpreted to mean that every jewish person is obligated to in some way, often through contributing to the production of a new Torah scroll, write for himself a copy of the Torah. Just as the king is obligated to have his own copy of the Torah to study, so are his citizens as citizens of the kingdom. It would behv us to possess a copy of the Torah in the form of a hamash, a book that contains both the Hebrew and English of the Torah, along with commentary and study it daily. Through constant daily study, it will sink into our hearts in order that we may not turn aside from the commandment either to the right hand or to the left, but follow the Lord wholeheartedly. If we do this while clinging to our righteous messiah, we have the potential to become emissaries of the messianic era in our present broken world. Through this process, we can get a glimpse into the hope that the prophet Jeremiah says awaits us. Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. This is Jeremiah 31 31 and then verse 33 and 34. Until the time when the Torah is written on our hearts and a man will not have to teach his neighbor, we would do well to study it every day so that we may not turn aside from the commandment either to the right or to the left. We must study the Torah diligently every day to discern the good and perfect will of God in our lives and be faithful in all that he has called us to do. Indeed, forgetfulness leads to exile, but remembrance is the key to unlocking redemption. Will you help bring Tikkun or repair to the world by remembering what others have forgotten? I have given you the key. Will you use it? I've got a question for you. Why do you think Christianity teaches that followers of Yeshua already have the Torah written on our hearts, especially if many of the same teachers are actually opposed to any adherence to the Torah's instructions outside of a strict moral context? I would love to hear your thoughts. You can let me know what you think in the comments below. One last thing before you run off. I was talking to someone this week who told me some things that his pastor was recently teaching, things that continue to perpetuate the misunderstanding that Paul had divorced himself from Judaism and saw it as the old religion of legalism and works. It's nothing new, but it goes to show how the popular opinion of Paul and his teachings paints a bleak picture of the faith and practice of Yeshua and his disciples. Let's correct that perspective and shift that paradigm to a proper understanding of Paul. You can start by educating yourself and following along every week as we study through the book of Romans together in our series repaving the Romans Road. And don't forget to download our weekly study guides that will give you the tools you need to correct poor teachings like this. You can get started by using the link above or at the end of this video. I'll see you next week for another messianic insight into the eternal Torah of God. Blessings from Shalom Macon, the place where disciples of Yeshua learn, connect, and grow.
[00:09:00] Speaker B: Please visit our website, shalommakin.org, to learn more about us. Join our live services, access other teachings, sign up for our newsletter, join our private network that will connect you with our greater community from around the world, or contribute to the work of Shalom Macon. Thank you for watching and we look forward to connecting with you.
