Parasha Ki Tetze

Born in Troyes France in 1040, Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitchak was raised by his father as a student of the Torah. At the meager age of twenty-five he founded his first academy in France. He amazingly lived through the time of the first crusades and supported his schools of Torah through his vineyards and winemaking business.

Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitchak’s name was shortened to the acronym RASHI at his school where he taught what is considered the most fundamental commentaries on the Torah. His teachings explained individual words in each Torah portion, as his concern was that every single word in the Tanakh needed explanation and elaboration. His students wrote down his lectures and recorded his answers to their questions. These writings were soon to become the first Hebrew book ever to be printed. Rashi also dissected the Talmud into annotations that allowed all to understand the difficult words of the Jewish Sages. “His main objective was to explain the straightforward meaning of the texts, drawing on homiletical interpretations, Rabbinic literature, Aramaic translations, details of Torah law, and the entire Talmud,” says one source.

The teachings of Rashi have been studied by millions for hundreds of years. Some of his insights are simply amazing. Rashi is considered to be one of the greatest rabbinical thinkers of all time. In a commentary this week’s Torah parasha, Rashi expounded on the rebellious son, moral responsibilities, and violations of marriage laws. In reference to Devarim 25:1-3, Rashi taught some powerful principles. The Torah reads, “If there be a controversy between men, and they come to mishpat, that the shophtim may shophet them; then they shall justify the tzadik, and condemn the wicked. And it shall be, if the wicked man is worthy to be beaten, that the shophet shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. Forty stripes he may give him, and not more: lest, if he should continue to beat him above these with many stripes, then your brother should be degraded before you,” Restoration Scripture Version.

What Rashi saw

Rashi said to this, “One might think that all those convicted by the court must be flogged. Therefore, Scripture teaches us, “and it shall be, if the guilty one has incurred the penalty of lashes…” (verse 2). From here, we see that sometimes a convicted party is given lashes, and sometimes he is not. Who receives lashes is derived from the context, as follows: Some negative commandments are mitigated by positive commandments which relate to the same matter, for example, the law of sending away the mother bird (Deut. 22:6-7). Scripture (22:6) states the negative commandment: “you shall not take the mother upon the young,” and immediately, Scripture (22:7) continues to state the positive commandment of: “You shall send away the mother.” Here, the negative commandment is mitigated by the positive commandment. How so? If someone transgressed the negative commandment and took the mother bird from upon her young, he may clear himself of the punishment he has just incurred, by fulfilling the positive commandment of sending the mother bird away from the nest. This is an example of “a negative commandment mitigated by a positive commandment.” (see Mishnah Mak. 17a) Now, in our context, immediately after describing the procedure of flogging in court, the next verse (4) continues with the negative commandment of: “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is threshing,” a negative commandment which is not mitigated by a positive one. Therefore, from the very context of these verses, we learn that only for transgressing a “negative commandment, which is not mitigated by a positive commandment,” is one punished by lashes- see Mak. 13b. From here the Rabbis said: “They must give him two thirds [of his lashes] behind him [i.e., on his back], and one third in front of him [i.e., on his chest” the number of forty,” but not quite a full quota of forty, but the number that leads up to the full total of forty, i. e.,“forty-minus-one.” All day that is, throughout the entire procedure], Scripture calls him, “wicked,” but, once he has been flogged, behold, he is “your brother.” What insight Rashi brings to the Torah!

What Rashi did not see

Yet, in all of his wisdom and all of his learning, Rashi missed one vital point in our parasha. Devarim 25:1-3 are prophetic verses concerning the Moshiach ben Dawid. For whatever reasons Rashi could not see Yahshua in our reading. Let’s not make the same mistake.

Hidden within parasha Ki Tetse are more verses that prove that Yahshua is the prophesied Messiah of the Bible. Much can be learned with just a little study into this pasuk about Yahshua and his flogging.

The Torah refers to the punishment of flogging for various serious offenses. The Sages limited this harsh punishment to only 39 lashes, that is, one minus the total of 40 allowed by Devarim 25:3. It is no secret that Yahshua was flogged by part of the vicious torture he endured as part of His crucifixion. Flogging or “scourging” involved whipping with thirteen strikes on the chest and twenty-six on the back. Often the victim died from the beating that was done to tear open the skin with metal-laced whips.

“Then Pilate took Yahshua and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face. Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” When Yahshua came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of Elohim,” Yochannan 19:1-7.

A few years ago, Medical Doctor David Terasaka did an in-depth study into the crucifixion of Yahshua. He found out that, “a flogging consisted of 39 lashes with a whip made up of multiple leather straps, 18-24 inches long that had small metal balls woven into them. There were also pieces of sharp metal, bone or glass attached to these straps. Apparently the number 39 was a standard number of lashes, (Jewish mercy was 40 minus one). After repeated blows the metal balls would bruise and eventually open the victim’s skin. The pieces of metal and bone would be imbedded into the skin and then rip outward as the whip was recoiled. The lashes would target the entire back, buttocks and the back of the legs of the victim. Some recorded accounts of flogging describe the victim’s spine being exposed, and the red meat of the muscles being shredded, and go into a state of ‘uncontrollable quivering or trembling’. Sometimes the bowels (organs) would be opened up and most often blood vessels and veins would be severed. This led to tremendous blood loss and dehydration. This condition, known as hypovolemic shock, leads to the following bodily reactions: The heartbeat will become rapid in order to try and pump more blood throughout the blood-starved body. Of course it pumps in vain. Blood pressure drops drastically. The kidneys shut down so to save fluids for a now fluid starved system. Due to the loss of fluids the victim will thirst, can faint, and go into shock. Lastly the heartbeat becomes erratic and eventually can go into cardiac arrest. Many died simply from the flogging.”

When He offered Himself as a sacrifice Yahshua took upon the Torah violations of the whole world. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of Elohim, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and YHWH hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased YHWH to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of YHWH shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities,” Yesha’yahu 53:3-11.

By his stripes we are repaired!

Many groups use the verse “by his stripes we are healed,” to claim supernatural healings. But, within proper context it is clear that with the flogging Yahshua endured, more was accomplished than just a supernatural doctor’s visit. The stripes upon Yahshua restored mankind to Elohim. The issue of this pasuk is not just physical healing but spiritual healing. Through his death, Moshiach paid the penalty for sin. Yahshua’s beating and his bloodshed repaired the breach between man and YHWH.

Infact, the word “healed” used in Yesha’yahu is the same word used elsewhere in the Scriptures interpreted as “repaired” like in I Kings 18:30, and “be made whole” in Yermi’yahu 19:11. The scripture from Kings is speaking of “repairing” the altar, and the scripture from Jeremiah is speaking of destroying a piece of pottery so that it cannot “be made whole” again. These are the exact words used to describe Yisra’el’s restoration through Moshiach, being reconciled to YHWH through the stripes, chastisement, wounds, and bruises that Yahshua suffered. Colossians 1:22, “yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”

The breaking of negative commandments led to Yahshua’s flogging. Yet it wasn’t His sin that did this. It was ours. “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins, and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls,” 1 Kefa 2:23-25.

When you look at this week’s Torah parasha don’t miss the fact that Yahshua bore your punishment. He paid the price for your sins. Yahshua was beaten and bruised as an offering for our breaking of Torah. In Levitical law an offering had to be made to atone for sin. Yahshua is that offering.

Our portion says that “Cursed is anyone hung on a tree” in Devarim 21:22-23. Yet Romans 5:8 declares, “Elohim demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Yahshua died for us.” Galatians 3:13 makes it clear that “Yahshua has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” In his comments on this verse from Devarim Rashi wrote, “hanging person is an insult of Elohim. It is a degradation of the King, for man is made in the likeness of His image, and Israel are His sons. This can be compared to two twin brothers who resembled each other. One became a king, while one became ensnared in banditry, and was hung. Whoever would see him hanging would say, ‘The king is hanging!’’ Perhaps Rashi did see Yahshua in the Torah afterall!

Yahshua gave His life for you. He shed His very life’s blood so that you could be restored to Elohim.

Have you fully received Yahshua's gift of salvation?

*for all things biblical go to www.emetministries.com