Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue
Parashah#47: Re’eh (See) D’varim (Deuteronomy) 11:26-16:17
Haftarah: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 54:11-55:5
B’rit Chadashah: 1 Yochanan (1 John) 4:1-6
Most casual readers who do not take time to research the Hebrew roots of G-d’s Torah which is the primary language in which it was written will miss the pandimensional meaning of this parashah, starting with the word “Re’eh.”
There are 126 verses in this parashah which also equal the same value for the word pliyah in Gematria meaning “wonderment.” Reflecting back to Genesis 18:14 we see a form of pliyah in the question that is translated literally in the Septuagint as ““Shall anything be impossible with the L-rd?” The word “impossible” is also translated as “a wonder.”
The word pliyah or wonderment is all about delving deeper than what is physically seen with the eye; in the context of learning to understand G-d’s Torah, looking beyond and trusting in G-d even when it defies human nature and human logic.
G-d brings the “conversation” down to a personal level when He uses the word “Anochi” which is translated as “I or Me.” Accordingly, we must understand that G-d’s instructions are to be taken on a personal level and/or collective level depending on the command/instruction. G-d’s instructions/Torah applied to the Israelite nation at the time this narrative was written and today for those who want to learn about G-d and follow His ways. Recall that the Israelites were chosen by G-d to set the example of right living for the rest of the world to follow despite persecution even through exile and more recently the Holocaust. When G-d’s instructions are given on a personal level, G-d informs us that we have the ability to understand His Word beyond the “obvious.” If we continue to ask, seek, and knock, as Yahshua taught (Matt. 7:7-8):
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” This passage emphasizes the importance of heartfelt prayer and the assurance that G-d will respond. Keep in mind that to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12”48). We are accountable to G-d for all that we think, say, and do and must be on guard against that which is sin according to G-d’s Torah/instructions. Through asking, seeking, and knocking, we learn to “see” (Re’eh) the difference between good and evil with the new nature made available through Yahshua’s sacrifice that enables true believers to resist evil and make right choices. This is the crux of free will, freedom of choice. Blessings and curses are the result of either choosing correctly between the clean and unclean and that which is set apart versus that which is profane.
So what is so special about geographic Israel that there have been wars and conflicts over possession of Jerusalem and the Land throughout history that continue today? Israel and Jerusalem speifically is the most precious and spiritually powerful place to YHVH/Yahshua. As the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land (Israel), G-d informed them that they must be holy lest the Land would eventually expel them. Although Israel is the Land G-d will live among His people again, to this day wars and conflicts have ravaged the Land because the real conflict has always been between “religion” which lacks a respect for the sanctity of life and tolerates sin to some degree. Religion does not teach people that there is a cost for spiritual freedom, that the cost of sin required a perfect sacrifice that only Yahshua could fulfill. Religion does not teach the perpetuity of G-d’s instructions and requirements for those who want to learn and follow, “see” how G-d wants us to live among men and worship Him. This divergence in “religion” versus spirituality stems from the differences in the destinies of the son of promise which was Yitz’chak and Yishma’el. G-d said of Yishma’el: “He will be a wild donkey of a man, with his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, living his life at odds with all his kinsmen” (Gen. 16:14). G-d later told Avraham that “Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you are to call him Yitz’chak (laughter) my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. But as for Yishma’el, I have heard you (Hagar). I have blessed him. I will make him fruitful and give him many descendants. He will father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Yitz’chak (Gen. 17:19-21). Most Arabs and others of the Muslim religion believe that Yishma’el was the son of promise, the son that G-d told Avraham to sacrifice rather than Yitz’chak. They also believe that Yishma’el is a prophet and an ancestor of Muhammad. This belief is based on the majority of traditions and interpretations that are derived from the order of events in the Quran, indicating that the promise of Yitz’chak’s birth occurred after the sacrifice story, leading to the conclusion that Yishma’el was the son mentioned. This vast difference in theology and rightful ownership of Jerusalem and biblical Israel which has yet to be fully occupied by G-d’s people cannot be resolved with sanctions, peace talks, or anything short of G-d’s intervention. G-d’s plan for Israel and mankind will be fulfilled when Yahshua returns as He promised (Rev. 22:12;20).
Spirituality, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of religion in that it embraces the sanctity of life, teaches the difference between the clean and unclean, the set-apart and the profane.
The people of the nations who were in Israel were driven out because they rejected a spiritually driven lifestyle and chose to cling to their religion. They were and are responsible for bringing the curses upon themselves and their children. YHVH used this example of his justice as a physical witness to the Israelites that they too will be driven out of the Land should they defile themselves through assimilation and other profane practices. The word Israelite in this context may also be understood at the personal level. Again, we are all accountable for our life choices and we will be judged when we stand before Yahshua, the True Judge (Rev. 20:12).
Deuteronomy 12:8 emphasizes that the Israelites were not to act as they did in the wilderness, where everyone did what seemed right in their own eyes. This admonition is just as applicable to those who want to be included in those who will be blessed with an eternity in G-d’s Presence. We are called to follow G-d’s Torah/Commands/instructions and worship Him according to His instructions, His designated times, His Way.
Haftarah: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 44:11-45:5
This is the third of seven “prophecies of comfort” read between the Fast of the Ninth of Av and Yom T’ruah. In this Haftarah, YHVH comforts Israel by telling them of the benefits those who follow His Instructions/Torah will reap. He tells them that B’nai Yisra’el’s moral influence in the world will be so great that the nations of whom B’nai Yisra’el has never heard of will flock to them. This passage makes it clear that Israel will have fully repented by this time.
B’rit Chadashah: 1 Yochanan (1 John) 4:1-6
Verse 1 provides a staunch warning for us. Being removed from the spiritual realm for so many years and now in the process of rediscovering it leaves us with the challenge of discerning which spirits are from YHVH. It is crucial to remember that not every inner voice or feeling is from G-d. Some are merely our own feelings superimposed on our longings. Others are truly from the spiritual realm, but unfortunately are from HaSatan and his demons.
By the same logic, not every religious leader or teacher is from YHVH. We are instructed to test the spirits. We must compare what is being taught or spoken is consistent with G-d’s Torah. During the time of this narrative, there was the heresy of the Docetists who taught that Yahshua did not come physically but was a spirit that appeared to be human. They considered flesh too inferior a lifeform for such as exalted figure as the Son of YHVH. This doctrine exists today in “theosophy” and in Eastern religions. On a wider scale, Yahshua’s identity is often portrayed by the church to an exclusion of His humanity.
Yahshua warned us of the existence of false prophets and teachers (preachers) so it should not surprise us to find that when we compare teachings, sermons, services to G-d’s Torah that we find they are not true people of G-d. But the only way we can discern the spirits is to “re’eh” absorb G-d’s Torah into our hearts and minds so that we can make a valid and reliable comparison. We are told that the world listens to these false prophets and teachers and that we should not be surprised to see success of mega-churches and such. People who are of the world, with their own demonic influences desire to get confirmation of such beliefs and behaviors and support those who will “scratch” their “itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3): “ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say whet their itching ears want to hear.”
Yochanan recognized this category of people, and his advice was to ignore their message and not be preoccupied with trying to win them over. Rather, we should take as our guideline that whoever knows YHVH listens to us; whomever is not from YHVH does not listen to us and we should take peace in that truth.
Those who choose to learn sound doctrine by delving into G-d’s Torah and ferreting out the deeper meaning of His instructions/law will be given the spiritual insight and desire to choose the lifestyle that honors G-d, provides entry into the Land, and places them in the position as those who will be included as the bride of Yahshua (Rev. 19:7).
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Tamah Davis-Hart