Devarim / Deut. 16:18-21:9
Shoftim means Judges
It is no coincidence that this parashat falls in the 6th month called by its arcadian name ELUL.
Remember that the months were called by numbers except one, AVIV, as were the days of the week except one, the seventh day, SHABBAT.
And in Arcadian language, ELUL means, according to the concept, “harvest,” “purification,” and “atonement.”
The Jew used these letters and identified it with the acrostic of Song of Songs 6:3:
“Ani ledodi, dedodi li”
“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.”
And this reminds us that the Autumn Festivals, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot are approaching.
From the 1st day of the month of ELUL, until the 10th of the 7th month (Tishrí), there are 40 days that Judaism has declared the days of doing Teshuvah or return to the ways of HaShem.
A period of mourning, reflection, introspection, and repentance.
It is 3,492 years since Moses climbed Mount Sinai and spent 40 days and 40 nights interceding for the people of Israel and the sin of the Golden Calf.
Judaism says that there HaShem revealed the 13 attributes of mercy to Moses.
I would like to explain in a few words the differences between:
Talmudic Rabbinic Judaism v/s Rabbinic Judaism Netzarita.
Friends can have differences and remain friends.
And that thing that separates us, is not a thing, s a person. YESHUA.
“Yeshua’s faith unites us. Faith in Yeshua, like Mashiach, makes us different from the rest of Judaism. We can’t hide that and we’re not going to negotiate that. That reality is what makes us different.”
And that’s why we exist.
It is not Moses, it is Yeshua.
It is not the Torah, it is Yeshua.
It’s not Judaism, it’s Yeshua.
It is not Rabbinism, it is Yeshua as suffering Mashiach.
They claim that Yeshua does not qualify as Mashiach.
And we insist that Yeshua will soon reveal Himself to us in our day as Mashiach ben David.
They say we are wrong.
And we say that they are the ones who are wrong.
And the only thing we agree on is that we disagree on Yeshua’s role.
It is in this world that we are living.
That’s the way things are.
Judaism Rabbinic Talmudic v/s Rabbinic Judaism Netzarita.
What makes the difference?
It’s not Moses.
It is not the Torah.
Much less is HaShem (Shema Yisrael Adonay Eloheinu Adonay Ejad).
It is not Judaism.
It is not Rabbinism.
It is not Maimonides.
It is not Rashi.
Yeshua is the difference.
And it is precisely when we arrive at the month of ELUL that this difference is most remarkable, and it is my duty to underline it.
So that no one starts to say things, and to confess things, without full awareness of what we are saying and what we are confessing.
And here is the “davar”, the matter.
When the month of ELUL comes, Judaism says that we have to pray the 13 attributes of mercy revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai to ask HaShem for forgiveness for our sins, thus forgiving the sin of the Golden Calf.
If we analyze these statements, we can say that most things are true.
For example:
It is true that Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights at the summit of Mount Sinai.
It is true that, during those 40 days, he pleaded and prayed to HaShem on behalf of the people of Israel, who had sinned in relation to the Golden Calf.
It is true that those 40 days were revealed the 13 attributes of mercy to Moses.
But the interpretation that this revelation that was given to Moses is a means of “atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf” is NOT true, or not true.
That’s not true.
It is not theologically correct to say that this revelation of the 13 attributes of mercy was revealed to Moses as a means of atonement in relation to the sin of the Golden Calf.
And I’m going to explain why.
Shemot / Ex. 34:6-7
“Then Adonai (YHVH) passed, before him, and proclaimed: Adonai, Adonai (YHVH, YHVH), Elohim (God), compassionate and gracious, slow to wrath and abundant n mercy and faithfulness and he who keeps mercy to thousands…”
“He who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin, and who shall not regard the guilty as innocent; he who punishes the iniquity of the parents upon the children and upon the children of the children up to the third and fourth generations.”
Here are the 13 attributes:
01 HaShem = The Eternal, acting from compassion.
02 HaShem, HaShem = Repetition of the attribute of compassion.
03 EL = Singular of Elohim, the Powerful, who acted with justice.
04 Rajum = Merciful.
05 Vejanun = Gracious.
06 Erej Apaim = Slow for anger.
07 Verab chesed = and generous to act with kindness.
08 Ve-Emet = You are true and reliable.
09 Noter jesed La Alafim = And you maintain His goodness for a thousand generations.
10 Nose Avon = Forgive our infidelities.
11 Vafesha = Our sins of death.
12 Vejata Ah = Our detours from the straight path.
13 Venape = And Absolves.
In Talmudic rabbinic Judaism he teaches that, if HaShem is invoked these 13 tributes of mercy revealed to Moses at Mount Sinai, HaShem will forgive all the sins of the world as he forgave the sin of the Golden Calf.
The Talmudic code Rosh Hashanah 17a reads as follows:
“Rabbi Yohanan said, (speaking of shemot’s text), teaches that God wrapped himself (with the talit), as someone who leads the prayer service, and showed Moses the way to pray. He said, “Whenever the Israelites sin, let them do this service before me, and I will forgive you.”
That’s what Talmudic rabbinic Judaism teaches.
That is, every time a son of Israel sins and gathers and confesses those 13 attributes of mercy given by Moses, HaShem will forgive all the sins of the people.
The question is, will that be true?
Is it true that when one sins, he confesses those 13 attributes given to Moses at Mount Sinai and HaShem, on the merits of those 13 attributes, forgives the people?
To understand this, we must know that there are different types of sin in the Torah.
There are some sins, mentioned in the Torah, that have NO atonement in the Law of Moses.
Did they listen to me?
They have NO atonement in the Law of Moses.
“These sins, which have NO forgiveness, no justification, no atonement in the Law of Moses, are characterized as of the type “peshah” (peshaim in plural), the sins of death, punishable by “karet“, “capital punishment.”
For example:
Murder = Murder has no atonement in the Law of Moses. Capital punishment.
Bestiality = Having sexual intercourse with animals. He has no atonement in the Law of Moses. Capital punishment.
Idolatry = He has no atonement in the Law of Moses. Capital punishment.
A person who commits this type of sin categorized as pesha or peshaim, has NO atonement in the Law of Moses.
How then can we atone for those sins, which are precisely those that prevent us from entering the world to come?
The Hebrew Bible contemplates only one way and one, to atone for these sins.
Where is it located?
Yeshayáhu / Isa. 59:20
“And a ‘goel‘/’redeemer‘ will come to Tzion and to those in Ya’akov who repent of ‘peshah‘/intentional iniquities,” HaShem declares.”
Paraphrasing the text says:
That a goel will come, a redeemer to Tzion and to those who in Ya’akov / Yisrael, make teshuvah of the sins of peshah, the sins that have NO atonement in the Law of Moses, sentenced to capital punishment / karet, will reach atonement, declares Adonai Tu Elohim.
That is the promise of HaShem, through that goel / redeemer.
Now, it is interesting how in Yeshayahu 53:5 speaking of the suffering servant of HaShem, we find a very important statement.
Yeshayáhu 53:5
“But He was wounded by our transgressions, crushed by “peshaenu” / “our iniquities” (the sins that have NO forgiveness in the Law of Moses). The punishment, for our peace, fell upon Him, and by His wounds we have been healed.”
Wonderful is He!
What does this mean?
That the Highest God has set out to resolve, what the Law of Moses does NOT resolve, by means of a “goel”/Redeemer, that he would come as Tzion, in favor of those who repent/teshuvah, of sins that have NO forgiveness, that have NO atonement in the Law of Moses.
Conclusion
Praying or confessing only, Hashem’s 13 attributes of mercy, will NOT forgive you all your sins.
Only through the “goel”/Redeemer of Yisrael and the King of the Universe, can you have forgiveness of sins that have NO forgiveness in the Law of Moses.
Yeshua our savior.
Now, I conclude with the reading of Matittiyahu 8:1-3
“And when he (Yeshua) came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and prostrated himself before him, saying, Adon, if you will, you can cleanse me. 3 And Yeshua stretching out his hand, he touched him, saying, I want to; be clean. And he was instantly cleansed of his leprosy.”
“Adon, if you want, you can clean me up.”
This is said by a person who is sick of the soul and the body, that is, spiritually and physically.
A person who knows that he has lost the right to both conditions.
Maybe there’s someone here or in your house listening to this message today.
And maybe you are thinking that for you there is NO forgiveness from God.
I want to tell you, you have a “goel” /Redeemer that is knocking on the door of your heart TODAY.
TODAY is the day of your salvation.
It’s not tomorrow, it’s TODAY.
YESHUA is His NAME!
Shabbat Shalom Mishpochah!