Ki Tavo - Day #7

Ki Tavo כִּי-תָבוֹא - When You Enter In  

Torah Portion:

Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8

Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22

Shabbat: Deuteronomy 29:1–8

29:1 These are the words of the covenant which Hashem commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant which He made with them in Horeb. 2 Moses called to all Israel, and said to them:

Your eyes have seen all that Hashem did in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land; 3 the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. 4 But Hashem has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day. 5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not grown old on you, and your sandals have not grown old on your feet. 6 You have not eaten bread, neither have you drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am Hashem your Elohim. 7 When you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, and we struck them. 8 We took their land, and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites.

Today’s Meditation:

In verse 6, we read that the Hebrew people had not eaten bread nor drunk wine for 40 years. I did a little research on this, and the manna, or bread, from heaven was not leavened bread. It may have been a seeded type of wafer. But think of this: no bread or wine for 40 years. Celebrating bread and wine at every meal has been a tradition ever since. He takes away, and He gives you back. He does this to show that He is Elohim. And the really great part is, really, He is the bread and the wine. He is everything we need to live.

Today’s Challenge:

In verse 5, we read, “I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not grown old on you, and your sandals have not grown old on your feet.” Isn’t that amazing? Hashem provided everything. Food, water, clothing, and sandals. And they never wore out. I have a son-in-law who has saved his clothing from 25 years ago. The fantastic thing is that it hasn’t worn out. But, in all fairness, neither has he worn them every day, as the Hebrew people did. Imagine wearing shoes for forty years and never, ever having them wear out. It truly is a miracle. My challenge today is to reflect on how Hashem has always provided for you. You have never been for want, right? It is time to thank Him and praise Him. He is the giver of everything. He is the giver of life. 

This Week’s Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22

60:1  “Arise, shine; for your light has come,

    and Hashem’s glory has risen on you.

2 For, behold, darkness will cover the earth,

    and thick darkness the peoples;

but Hashem will arise on you,

    and His glory shall be seen on you.

3 Nations will come to your light,

    and kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 “Lift up your eyes all around, and see:

    they all gather themselves together.

    They come to you.

Your sons will come from far away,

    and your daughters will be carried in arms.

5 Then you shall see and be radiant,

    and your heart will thrill and be enlarged;

because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you.

    The wealth of the nations will come to you.

6 A multitude of camels will cover you,

   the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah.

All from Sheba will come.

    They will bring gold and frankincense,

    and will proclaim the praises of Hashem.

7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you.

    The rams of Nebaioth will serve you.

They will be accepted as offerings on My altar;

    and I will beautify My glorious house.

8 “Who are these who fly as a cloud,

    and as the doves to their windows?

9 Surely the islands will wait for me,

    and the ships of Tarshish first,

to bring your sons from far away,

    their silver and their gold with them,

for the name of Hashem, your Elohim,

    and for the Holy One of Israel,

    because He has glorified you.

10 “Foreigners will build up your walls,

    and their kings will serve you:

for in My wrath I struck you,

    but in My favor I have had mercy on you.

11 Your gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive.

12 For that nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

13 “The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress tree, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious.

14 The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you;

    and all those who despised you will bow themselves down at the soles of your feet.

They will call you Hashem’s City,

    the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,

    so that no one passed through you,

I will make you an eternal excellency,

    a joy of many generations.

16 You will also drink the milk of the nations,

    and will nurse from royal breasts.

Then you will know that I, Hashem, am your Savior,

    your Redeemer,

    the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 For bronze I will bring gold;

    for iron, I will bring silver;

    for wood, bronze,

    and for stones, iron.

I will also make peace your governor,

    and righteousness your ruler.

18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land,

    nor desolation or destruction within your borders;

but you will call your walls Salvation,

    and your gates, Praise.

19 The sun will be no more your light by day;

    nor will the brightness of the moon give light to you,

but Hashem will be your everlasting light,

    and your Elohim will be your glory.

20 Your sun will not go down anymore,

    nor will your moon withdraw itself;

for Hashem will be your everlasting light,

    and the days of your mourning will end.

21 Then your people will all be righteous.

    They will inherit the land forever,

    the branch of My planting,

    the work of My hands,

    that I may be glorified.

22 The little one will become a thousand,

    and the small one a strong nation.

    I, Hashem, will do this quickly in its time.”

Today’s Haftarah Meditation:

In verse 19, we read, “The sun will be no more your light by day; nor will the brightness of the moon give light to you, but Hashem will be your everlasting light, and your Elohim will be your glory.” This is such an incredible prophecy. In the Olam Haba, the world to come, we will actually not need the sun or the moon—the glory of Hashem, His shekinah glory, will fill the earth. His Light will fill the world, and it will be wonderful. We have no idea what this would be like. I believe that being in the presence of His glory will lay us prostrate. We will not be able to stand; just lie flat. We currently see only part of it, but we will see the whole picture soon. And it will be totally amazing.

Today’s Haftarah Challenge:

In verse 5, we read how people will feel when they are brought back to Israel, to the land. Verse 5 reads, “Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and be enlarged, because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you. The wealth of the nations will come to you.” We will reflect His glorious light in our lives, in those days. We will be blessed with wealth from the nations. But, as I am reading this today, I think, “Why can’t we reflect His light today?” And we should. We are to be a light to the nations. My challenge is to start being that light today. Let us prepare for His Light to go forth throughout the world. Let us begin shining His light through all we do and say, and light the way for Hashem to come.

Ki Teitzei - Day #7

Ki Teitzei כִּי-תֵצֵא - When You Go Out  

Torah Portion: 

Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19

Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-10

Shabbat: Deuteronomy 24:14–25:19

24:14 You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the foreigners who are in your land within your gates. 15 In his day, you shall give him his wages, neither shall the sun go down on it; for he is poor and sets his heart on it; lest he cry against you to Hashem, and it be sin to you.

16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor shall the children be put to death for the fathers. Every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

17 You shall not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, nor take a widow’s clothing in pledge; 18 but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and Hashem your Elohim redeemed you there. Therefore, I command you to do this thing.

19 When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow, that  Hashem your Elohim may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

21 When you harvest your vineyard, you shall not glean it after yourselves. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow. 22 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore, I command you to do this thing.

25:1 If there is a controversy between men, and they come to judgment and the judges judge them, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. 2 It shall be, if the wicked man is worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down and to be beaten before his face, according to his wickedness, by number. 3 He may sentence him to no more than forty stripes. He shall not give more, lest if he should give more and beat him more than that many stripes, then your brother will be degraded in your sight.

4 You shall not muzzle the ox when he treads out the grain.

5 If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her, and take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother who is dead, that his name not be blotted out of Israel.

7 If the man doesn’t want to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders, and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to raise up to his brother a name in Israel. He will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.” 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him. If he stands and says, “I don’t want to take her,” 9 then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, and loose his sandal from off his foot, and spit in his face. She shall answer and say, “So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.” 10 His name shall be called in Israel, “The house of him who had his sandal removed.”

11 When men strive against each other, and the wife of one draws near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him who strikes him, and puts out her hand, and grabs him by his private parts, 12 then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity.

13 You shall not have in your bag diverse weights, one heavy and one light. 14 You shall not have in your house diverse measures, one large and one small. 15 You shall have a perfect and just weight. You shall have a perfect and just measure, that your days may be long in the land which Hashem your Elohim gives you. 16 For all who do such things, all who do unrighteously, are an abomination to Hashem your Elohim.

17 Remember what Amalek did to you by the way as you came out of Egypt; 18 how he met you by the way, and struck the rearmost of you, all who were feeble behind you, when you were faint and weary; and he didn’t fear Elohim. 19 Therefore, it shall be, when Hashem your Elohim has given you rest from all your enemies all around, in the land which Hashem your Elohim gives you for an inheritance to possess it, that you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under the sky. You shall not forget.

Today’s Meditation:

Why would someone carry diverse weights? In verse 25:13, we read, “You shall not have in your bag diverse weights, one heavy and one light.” The answer seems obvious. You would only have them cheat someone. And who would do that? Unfortunately, we all have cheated someone in our lives, intentionally or unintentionally. It can happen at the grocery store. It can happen when paying an employee for hours worked or not worked. At home, we can cheat our spouse with our home budget. It can happen anywhere. We need to make sure the weights we use in life are equal and fair. To not be equitable is an abomination to Hashem. That is enough reason right there.

Today’s Challenge:

In verse 25:4, we read, “You shall not muzzle the ox when he treads out the grain.” That is another curious commandment. Except when you contemplate what Hashem is really saying, it is incredible. He is making a commandment to allow your ox to take small breaks, bend his head down, and eat grain. So many times in the Torah, we see Hashem showing mercy to animals. They are His creation, just like mankind. 

My challenge to you today is to make sure you are treating animals kindly. If you see an animal (wild or domestic) in need of help, help it. If you are riding a horse and it looks stressed, give it a break. If you have a dog, don’t chain it up outside all day. Invest in an invisible fence. I learned you can install your own fence for under $300. So, don’t spend money going out to eat for a while, and help your dog run free. Let’s try to be kind to our animals. 

This Week’s Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-10

54:1 “Sing, barren, you who didn’t give birth;

    break out into singing, and cry aloud, you who didn’t travail with child:

    for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” says Hashem

2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,

    and let them stretch out the curtains of your habitations;

    don’t spare: lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.

3 For you will spread out on the right hand and on the left;

    and your offspring will possess the nations

    and settle in desolate cities.

4 “Don’t be afraid, for you will not be ashamed.

    Don’t be confounded, for you will not be disappointed.

For you will forget the shame of your youth.

    You will remember the reproach of your widowhood no more.

5 For your Maker is your husband; Hashem of Armies is His name.

    The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer.

    He will be called the Elohim of the whole earth.

6 For Hashem has called you as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,

    even a wife of youth, when she is cast off,” says your Elohim.

7 “For a small moment I have forsaken you,

    but I will gather you with great mercies.

8 In overflowing wrath, I hid My face from you for a moment,

    but with everlasting loving kindness I will have mercy on you,” says Hashem your Redeemer.

9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to me;

    for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah will no more go over the earth,

    so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.

10 For the mountains may depart,

    and the hills be removed;

but My loving kindness will not depart from you,

    and My covenant of peace will not be removed,”

    says Hashem, who has mercy on you.

Today’s Haftarah Meditation:

Isaiah writes about things to come. He always sees Hashem bringing His people back to the land for reconciliation. In verse 5, we read encouraging words, “For your Maker is your husband; Hashem of Armies is His name. The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called the Elohim of the whole earth.” We must remember these words if we ever get discouraged. There will be a time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, filled with the glory of Hashem. The Temple will be restored, and His Torah will go forth. Every knee will bow. And He will be Elohim over all the earth. This is what we have to look forward to.

Today’s Haftarah Challenge:

In verse 10, we have a comforting promise from Hashem: “My loving kindness will not depart from you, and My covenant of peace will not be removed.” What is this covenant of peace? I believe it is the ultimate shalom that can only come from the Father. It is the peace He gives us when everything around us is toppling down. His promise is that He will never leave us or forsake us. So if you are down and out or going through some hard times, remember these words. This is my challenge to you today. Lift your eyes up toward heaven and ask Hashem to pull you out of the pit of discouragement. If this is not you, then share it with someone in your life who is going through a difficult time. We all need hope. And it can only come from Him.