KiTetze is named
from the first words of the portion, and it begins with a statement that
presupposes Yehovah fulfills His promise Israel will triumph over her enemies.
Honor Even for Captives
We are
given instructions about what to do if a soldier sees a woman among the
captives that he desires. The procedure for taking a captive as a wife shows
again Elohim’s loving nature. A female captured after the defeat of her people
is among the most powerless individuals. Akin to a widow or an orphan.
Even a woman in
this lowly position is accorded honor and civility. She is taken in and allowed
to grieve for a month before she can be taken as a wife. Israel is to be a
light to the nations. This process is one more way that they are set apart from
the ways of the nations around them.
Rights of the Firstborn
Following the
verses of the captive woman are the instructions of the inheritance of the
firstborn son. It has not been uncommon through history for fathers to
eliminate sons as potential competitors, especially if they are from an
unfavored wife. Israel is to honor the rights of the firstborn.
Rebellion is as the Sin of Adultery
Just as we have
seen in the last two portions, we come to an instruction that seems harsh by
our standards;
“If a man has a stubborn and
rebellious son who will not listen to his father's voice, or his mother's
voice; even though they discipline him, will not listen to them,” the parents
take the son to the elders in the gate and tell them not only is he stubborn
and rebellious he is also a glutton and a drunkard. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)
If you are unfamiliar with the city setup in ancient Israel, the
elders in the gate were the administrators of the city. They would hear cases
and make decisions as they sat in the gate.
We saw this established in portion Shoftim two weeks ago; “You shall
appoint judges (shoftim) and officers
(shotrim) for yourself in all your
gates which Yehovah your Elohim gives you, tribe by tribe. And they shall judge
the people with righteous judgment.” (Deuteronomy 16:18)
Looking
at the English explanation of what the son had done, it seems somewhat a
trivial matter to have the death penalty attached. But there are two things to
consider;
- During this time, children were expected to obey their parents and honor them. The family expected it, the community expected it. This is a type and shadow of our relationship with Yehovah; He says if you love me keep my commandments.Conversely, if we don’t keep His commandments, we demonstrate we don’t love Him. In Romans 6:23 Paul points out that the wages of sin is death. Sin is violation of Elohim’s commandments, and in turn not loving and obeying Him. This instruction shows us the fatal consequences of rebellion against Elohim.
- The Hebrew here paints a bleaker picture of the son’s character. Stubborn –Sarar, to turn away, revolt, and has the overtones of immorality. Rebellion – Marah, bitter, the same name given to the waters in the desert in Exodus 15:23. Glutton – Zalal, shake, this isn’t someone who overeats; it’s someone who eats so much they are sick. Drunkard – Saba, again, not just someone who drinks, but who is habitually drunk.
Even
thought the son is all of these, added to them is the problem that even though
his parents discipline him, he won’t shema, listen and obey them. If we
consider that in this time discipline was actually disciplinarian, not empty
threats and impotent consequences we get a picture of a person who is out of
control and unwilling to return to community standards of decency.
There are
other places where Elohim warns Israel to “Put the evil away.” Evil has a
tendency to infect the community. If a son such as described here is allowed to
roam freely, he may become an example of what other children can get away with
if he is not punished. We saw this occur in the U.S. rebellious children became
a rebellious generation, and we are still suffering the consequences of the
immoral and ungodly influences today.
Since
we have become so lax, and rebellion so rampant, this instruction appears
extreme. But in a Torah observant community surrounded by hostile nations who
would like nothing more than eradicate you, it is imperative to maintain moral
standards. Losing Elohim’s protection because of immoral behavior would mean
the annihilation of Israel. Better that one man die than the nation perish.
Am I My Brother's Keeper?
In
verses 22:1-4 we are given instructions that form a basis for community
involvement. We shouldn’t turn our backs on our neighbors who are in need. If a
neighbor loses something, and we find it, we need to make the effort to take
care of it until the owner can find it and reclaim it. There is a rabbinical
story of a traveler who accidentally left his walking stick at and inn. He
returned several years later to find it still in the place he had left it. It
had been dusted along with the other furniture, but never moved. What a
wonderful place to live that another’s property is as carefully looked after as
our own.
A Woman in a Man's Kelee
Verse
22:5 has caused many interesting discussions, often leading to conclusions not
supported by the text, so I would like to spend some time exploring what it
means, let’s look at it in its entirety;
“The woman shall not wear that which
pertains to a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that
do so are abomination unto Yehovah your Elohim.”
First,
I am going to add in the Hebrew text behind several of the words, and return it
to the Hebrew order. For those of you familiar with some Hebrew, you may notice
right away that things are not what they appear to be in the English.
Shall not wear (hayah, H1961, exist, come upon) that which
pertains (kelee, H 3627 implement, weapon, vessel) to a man (geber, H1397 see
also H1368, valiant man, warrior) upon a woman, neither shall a man (geber) put
on a woman's garment (simlaw, H8071, raiment, covering): for all that do so are
abomination unto Yehovah your Elohim.
Notice the word
for garment. The common term for garment is beged and is used 270 times for
clothing, this word, simlaw is used only 29 times and primarily when there is
something special about the clothing or the function.
The Hebrew word
translated as man is not the most common ish (used over 1,000 times), or even
the less common adam (used over 500 times), the Hebrew here is geber (used only
64 times and listed in Strong’s as the same as gibbor H1368 mighty, powerful). “That
which pertains” kelee is used over 300 times and never refers to clothing, but
rather to equipment, weapons and instruments. Esau’s weapons were kelee. The
vessels in the tabernacle were kelee.
Taking this
verse back into context of the time, the clothing was what we would call
unisex. It consisted generally of a nondescript sheath type covering and an
over garment. However, there seems to have been additional identifiable
clothing and equipment items that were distinctive between men and women. It
was these gender distinguishing articles that men and women were not to wear
interchangeably.
Similarly, much
of the clothing today is difficult to distinguish whether it is designed for a
man or woman. But other items are not. Pants and shirts can be either a man’s
or woman’s clothing similar to the common clothing of ancient times.
A dress is
not a man’s clothing. Distinctively feminine articles are not a man’s clothing.
In contrast, the argument could be made that battle gear should not be placed
on a woman. Items that are distinctively masculine should not come upon a
woman. I suspect that by the use of the term kelee in the Torah and TaNaKh a
man’s military equipment should not be carried by a woman as her own.
Going back to
the Hebrew language and the context of the times, this verse is not a simple
instruction telling men and women not to wear similar non distinctive clothing.
But rather to avoid those items that distinctively identify one gender or the
other by their appearance or function.
These Least Commandments?
In
verse 22:6-7 we have what the rabbis call the least of the commandments. Yeshua
referred to the least of the commandments in Matthew 5:19 when he said “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the
kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
It is difficult to determine when this began to be considered the
least of the commandments, but it is possible that Yeshua was referring to it
when he spoke as recorded in Matthew. If the status of this instruction was
established as least prior to Yeshua’s time, when he referred to the least, his
hearers would have an immediate frame of reference and none of them would be
confused as to which commandment he was referring to.
Framing this commandment as least puts all other instructions into
a position of greater importance. Yeshua’s hearers could not argue that some
other commandment could be broken with impunity if breaking this, the least of
all commandments brought with it the proscribed penalty.
The Fruit From the Flower
In verse 22:12 the instruction to wear tzitzit is repeated. They
are to be put onto to the four corners of the covering, kesuth, with which you
cover, kasah, yourself. In Hebrew, we see that the word for cover is the root
word for the word for covering. Again, this is not one of the common words used
for clothing items, and appears to apply to a specific type of covering. This
distinction may be part of the reason that the tallit was conceived to carry
the tzitzit after the four cornered garments were longer in use.
This verse also contains information about the fringes. The Hebrew
word used here is gedelim, twisted, and indicates the fringes on the garment
are to be twisted together. Adding this to the instructions given in Shemot
(Numbers) 15:38-39 about the blue thread, and it appears that a blue thread is
to be twisted into the tzitzit.
In Shemot, we are told the reason for wearing the fringes, so that
when we look on them we will remember the commandments and keep them and do
them. This idea ties in with what we were studying earlier about one of the
signs of loving Elohim is keeping His commandments.
The Hebrew word tzits, the root word of tzitzit, has as one of its
meaning, a flower. Considering the concrete nature of Hebrew, we ask, what is
the purpose of a flower? The answer is that it is what precedes the fruit which
contains the seed. When we look on the tzitzit (flowers), we are to produce works
of keeping the commandments (fruit) and when others see our good works of
keeping the commandments, the word (torah, seed) of Elohim is planted in them
and they glorify our Father in Heaven.
The Law says...What do you Say?
In 22:22 the instruction of what to do when a man commits adultery
with a married woman.
“If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then
they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the
woman: so shall thou put away evil from Israel.”
It was to this verse that the men who brought the woman taken in
adultery to Yeshua in John chapter 8 referred when they said, Moshe said in the
law she is to be stoned, what do you say. If we look at verse 22:22 it requires
that both the man and the woman die. Yet when the woman is brought to Yeshua,
there is no man brought as the second party even though the witnesses claimed
she was taken in the very act. Yeshua told them, “let he that is without sin
cast a stone first.”
Could it be that one or more of the group that brought her before
Yeshua was the partner in sin? That Yeshua was actually calling them on
their involvement saying let the one of you who has not committed this sin with
this woman cast a stone first.
A point of confusion has resulted from Yeshua’s encounter
with the adulterous woman. The idea that Yeshua forgave her of her sin. There
is no indication he forgave her. What he says in the encounter is “Where are
your accusers? Has no man condemned you?” Then he said “Neither do I condemn
you, go and sin no more.” Nowhere does it say that he forgave her, he simply
chose not to condemn her.
Taken in context, the last thing Yeshua instructs is to the one
without sin cast the stone first. When he looks up, the men are gone and he
asks “Has no man condemned you?” tying “condemned” to the stoning. A pardon is
not the same thing as forgiveness.
Keep Your Vows
Skipping down to verse23:21-24 we come to a matter that is too
often trivialized in our day, the issue of vows. The Torah tells us that we do
not need to make vows. And it is not sin not to make a vow. But if we do make
one, Elohim expects us to fulfill our vow.
This should be a caution to us in two ways. To be careful what we
say, as Yeshua said we will have to give an account for every idle word we
speak, and to do what we vow we are going to do. It is especially important
that we not make unwise vows that would cause distress to us or anyone else.
Be Perfect Even as your Father
One last area I want to cover today is Devarim 24:17:
“You shall not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the
fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge: But you shall remember that you
were a bondman in Egypt, and Yehovah your Elohim redeemed you from there:
therefore I command you to do this thing.”
The instruction to deal justly and fairly with strangers, orphans
and widows is consistent with Elohim’s character and the instructions he has
already given us earlier in the Torah. But it is interesting that He follows
the instruction with His reason, “you were in bondage in Egypt and I redeemed
you.”
Elsewhere in the Scriptures we are urged to be like our Father, as
He is merciful, we should be merciful, and as he is just, we are to be just.
Strangers, orphans and widows as we discussed earlier are the least powerful,
just as those in bondage are. If He showed Israel compassion and redeemed them,
so Israel should show compassion to those who are powerless. But taken in
context with earlier instructions, we are not to pervert justice for the
powerless any more than we are to pervert it against them. As we saw last
portion, justice, justice we are to pursue.
I would enjoy hearing your insights into the portion, or any
feedback you would like to give to me or other readers. Please share them
through the comment section below. Shalom v’shavua tov.
