Parashot
Behar and Bechukotai
Leviticus 25:1-27:34
By:
Dani'el Rendelman
Bonjour
madam!
Shalom alecheim!
Have you ever tried to learn
a second language? Did you excel in your Spanish course in
school or did you struggle
through the new dialect?
Most people speak only their
native tongue and find it
extremely difficult to master
the words of another people. New phrases, different dialects, funny
word order, various gender
endings, and tongue twisting
pronunciations make learning
another language quite hard.
Perhaps what is most challenging
about becoming bilingual
is the fact that to really
be bilingual you can’t just
learn how new words are
spoken. To correctly speak French or Russian you
must also learn about the
culture of the people. Culture and language go hand in hand.
You see, actions
that are proper in Britain
might insult a person in
the Middle East. Phrases have different meanings all across
the world.
A Southern breakfast
delicacy called “grits”
is despised by Americans
who live in the North.
Worldwide, societies
and traditions are very
different.
And little variations
can create a great divide.
Learning the Bible is no different
than learning a different
language.
A person cannot simply
understand the message or
methods of the Scriptures
without first having some
knowledge of the society
to whom and by whom the
Bible was written.
To the average Joe in 2004
life is all about super
fast computers, convenience
stores, and risqué entertainment. The average Joe in 204 BCE had never even
heard of an ATM nor even
conceived of the technilogical
advancements of our time.
Life during Bible
times was extremely diverse
compared to life today.
And just as problems
arise between a person who
only speaks English and
a person who only speaks
Spanish, troubles come up
when a person tries to interpret
3,000year old manuscripts
with a modernized mindset.
In the double reading Torah
portions for this week,
we are once again reminded
of how much in life has
changed.
The sidrah speaks
of an agricultural rest
for The Land, rules on having
indentured servants, and
the year of jubilee.
Also discussed are
ancestral and purchased
fields, blessings for obedience,
and how to redeem a household.
Frankly, these issues
are not the most pressing
subjects facing people today.
Yet they were important
thousands of years ago and
they are important in this
century. Mankind has grown away from the agriculturally
based life of long ago.
But mankind has not
grown away from its dependence
upon Almighty Yahweh and
His Word.
Friend, it just might be easier
to learn another modern
language than it is to grasp
the culture and themes of
the scriptures. Humankind is so separated from how life
used to be that we have
forgotten how life should
be. To help solve this problem the Rabbi Sha’ul
(Paul) has written that
we should, “In view of Yahweh’s
mercies, present yourself
to Elohim as a sacrifice,
living and set apart for
Elohim. This will please Elohim: it is the acceptable
temple worship for you.
In other words, do
not let yourselves be conformed
to the patterns of the olam
hazeh (this world).
Instead, keep letting
yourselves be transformed
by the renewing of your
minds, so that you will
know what Elohim wants and
will agree that what He
wants is good, satisfying,
and able to succeed,” Romans
12:1-2
In
this verse Rabbi Sha’ul
exhorts the reader to not
be pressed like cookie dough
by a cookie cutter into
the pattern of this evil
world. Believers should instead be transformed
from what they used to be
to what they should be. This happens by making the mind and thoughts
focused on the things of
Torah.
Yahweh
is merciful, Sha’ul writes,
and in view of His wonderful
mercies mankind should react
through obedient surrender
to the mind of Moshiach. “You have the mind of Moshiach,” says
1 Corinthians 2:16.
What was Yahshua’s
mind thinking on?
Well, if Yahshua
is the “word made flesh”
then it is no doubt that
his being was infact focused
on the Torah and Torah itself. “Whatever is
true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—if
anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about
such things,” Philippians
4:8.
Having the thoughts of Messiah and on Messiah is not easy.
Today the world has
grown cold; life has grown
away from the Light of Torah.
Everywhere you look
there are reminders of this
fallen state.
From billboards to
magazines at a grocery store,
the last thing this culture
promotes is a Torah-based
lifestyle.
What believers need is a culture shock.
We need a culture
change.
We need a return
to the culture and life
of the Torah.
“Here is what Yahweh
says: ‘stand at the crossroads
and look; ask about the
ancient paths, which one
is the good way? Take it and you will find rest for your
souls,’” Yermi’yahu (Jeremiah)
6:16.
The latest spiritual
“how to” books and methods
will not produce lasting
differences.
What does alter the
life and eternal life of
a person is a return to
the “ancient paths.” Revisiting the Torah and a Hebraic mind
set on things above produces
rest, fulfillment, and shalom. “Set your minds on things above, not on
earthly things,” Colossians
3:2.
Do you agree that if you were to try to speak Portuguese
without knowing about the
Portuguese people that you
would soon become frustrated?
Aren’t language and
culture connected? Then stop trying to figure out the Bible
without knowing about Biblical
culture.
This week’s Torah
portion as well as most
of the Bible doesn’t make
much sense without a Hebraic
mindest.
Here are a few ideas
to help you know more about
YOUR culture and heritage:
1) Question what
you have been taught. Do this even if you think what you know
is absolutely correct.
Question, seek, ask
and “study to show yourself
approved.” Find real answers in the Bible and reject
any teaching contrary to
the word.
2) Accept the
Bible, from Genesis to Revelation
as instructions for living.
Don’t forsake any
part of the Scriptures as
being “done away with.” Dividing the Bible only divides the truth.
3) Learn about
church history. There are reasons to why the church does
what it does.
When you look up
issues in Encyclopedias
and web sites you will be
amazed. Research into the holidays of Christmas,
Halloween and Easter will
reveal their evil practices
and pagan roots. A small examination into church teachings
on the rapture, the trinity,
or replacement theology
will expose more falsehoods.
Be careful!
4) Learn about
Judaism.
The Jewish people
have kept the Torah of Yahweh
for thousands of years.
They have hashed
out the difficult verses
and debated the “smallest”
of issues. Learning how to be a Jew will teach you
how to be a believer in
Messiah.
But, be on guard
as you do this.
Judaism as a whole
does not accept Yahshua
as Messiah. Also, there are some sects of Judaism
that are full of unbiblical,
pagan, and New Age beliefs.
5) Be open to
the truth about life, the
faith, and historical facts.
Don’t be misled or
deceived.
To help you with
this use the following web
sites for research and learning:
