Shoftim - 5th Portion

Join me as we learn Chumash for the fifth Torah reading for Thursday parshat Shoftim. We are now in chapter 18 verse 14. Yesterday we begin to discuss the difference between divination and prophecy. Yesterday we spoke about the importance of recognizing what is false prophets. Divination as we're going to see continue that today what a false prophet is, but also that a Jew must recognize he must be wholesome with God following God's ways and not look to know the future. Today we continue to look what is the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet. And God Moshe tells the Jewish people how to detect the difference between the two of them as well as the laws pertaining to the cities of refuge. Verse 14. Because these nations that you will be conquering they listen to illusionists and stick diviners. But after all you came but you are not so. Not so but you are not so not so God has not abandoned you and therefore do you do not follow these methods of divining. Rashi God did not give you that ability or that opportunity that you should be able to listen to these individuals that are diviners or stick diviners or these magic because God gave the divine presence and the ability to prophets and on the Urim and Thummim that you should know what to do. So then where did the Jewish people depend on? No of the maker you're going to have a prophet from amongst you. Come on in like me you God will give you God will give you a lot of this morning to him you should listen. Rashi What does this mean? Not that it can be at the level Just like I am amongst you and a brother with you, you will be another prophet that will take my place. And so too there's going to go from generation to generation there will be a prophet. Verse 16. As as you as you all have asked and everything you have asked to God at Mount Horeb. On the day that you assembled there saying at that time as we learned in the previous Torah reading we can no longer listen to the voice of God because this humongous fire we cannot tolerate seeing it any longer because if not we will die. We will not die rather because of this intensity we are asking that you communicate with God alone and then tell us. As he continues to say and God said to me they have done well and they have spoke what they have spoken. Therefore 18 I will make a prophet from them. As God says that there will be I will authorize a prophet from them amongst their brothers. Like you and I will put my words in his mouth he will speak to them everything that I will command them. To tell them. Verse 19. There will be the one who does not listen to the words I shall to this individual who speaks in my name. I will exact punishment from him. Verse 20. But only the prophet who intentionally says something in my name that I did not tell him that I did not command him to say. speaks in the name of another God who makes and that prophet will be put to death. Rashi, I will say this to the prophet. I told it to his friend, meaning I said to another prophet, even though it was said to another prophet, but he wasn't told to him. He cannot come along and say that he heard in the name of God. I will say you dabble in the name of other gods, I feel it's given as a law, even if he says the right thing, even if it's according to Jewish law, it's also allowed to do something wrong. Even if he says what is prohibited and said what is permitted, still null because he said in the name of other gods, therefore it's considered and he's liable to death penalty. Who makes and he'll be put to death. Any time that the Torah just says put to death, it's referring to strangulation. Rashi continues, there are three things that are mentioned in this verse that they're liable to death penalty by man. Number one, one who says prophecy of something he didn't hear. Was not said to him, but it was said to somebody else. That was prophesied in the name of idolatry. However, a person who withholds his prophecy, meaning he doesn't say what God told him to say. Or somebody that goes against what the prophet says. Or a prophet that goes against his own words, that is punished by heavenly death. Because the word says and I will exact punishment from him, not the business here. Verse 21. You may ask yourself, you may say to yourself, how am I how am I to know I shall what God did not speak? Rashi, the heat of the sun. I see the not the way you're going to say in the future because you know the son of will come before the destruction of the temple. And he's going to come along with the false prophecy. And he's going to say he will And he's going to say here the vessels of God that are settling in bubble from now now Jeremiah the prophet is going to say the opposite and is going to talk about the great destruction that's going to come. concerning the rest of the vessels that did not go to you can you bubble leave God they can end up in Babylon and together with Ezekiel. So who you going to listen to? How am I to know that Hananiah is the false prophet and that Jeremiah is the righteous prophet? Therefore the Torah continues. Actually you dabble in the same as him. The the prophet that will speak in the name of God will never and it does not happen and it doesn't come. Who had over actually do be a sham that's the thing that God did not say. The only way he spoke in his own maliciously. This prophet said that on his own so good men who do not You must not be afraid of him. Rashi I'll show you dabble in over the double that also will tell you this thing is going to happen to you and you see that it doesn't happen. Who are the lead be a sham this is the thing that God didn't say but how do you say in his liable of death? The end you going to say to me snappy I'll see this this is only way I can figure out if he talks about in the future. How do you say but what happens if somebody comes along and says for all my as you can so and so God told me to tell you this and he and I'm telling you how do I know that I shouldn't follow? Maybe now the Torah changed so to speak. For all my so therefore they tell us find it out they already told about this in chapter 13 in the previous Torah readings he's coming to tell you go astray from any of the you should not listen to him unless you know that he's guaranteed to be a true prophet. For example, She could go in a Leo, the Har Carmel. They only Elijah by Mount Carmel. He was coming to tell them to bring sacrifices on Mount Carmel, which was against the Torah because you're only allowed to bring a sacrifice on the Holy Temple. But because he already knew, he already had credit so to speak by the Jewish people that he was a right prophet, he was a righteous person. So therefore, they followed what he said. You see you could bump up the shots and eat some of them. They leave this Israel north to get them away from the idolatry of Baal. Everything is according to the time and the situation that's needed. Like therefore it says you have to listen to him. You can listen to. Meaning somebody already built a credit and you know that you can listen because his prophecies are true. Then when he comes to tell you something that may not be in the Torah, you can listen to him. But somebody generally just comes out of the blue and says go away from the ways of the Torah. He's a person you not allowed to listen to. He should be put to death. Like so you remember don't be afraid of him. Don't be worried to learn to say that he is guilty and he is somebody who is not doing the right thing and therefore don't be afraid to punish him. Now in chapter 19, the Torah begins by telling us the laws pertaining to the three cities of refuge that will be in this part of the land of Israel. When God will cut off the nations whose land God is going to be giving you. As I had some of their land. You will settle there. You will you will conquer them. You shall have them. You will settle in their cities and tell them in their homes. Verse two. Surely you have to have you should separate three cities that God is giving you to possess. Verse three. Talking about that. You should prepare for yourself the way. The shield lashed us to go out to come. And you will divide the length into your cities in thirds. In three. Uh I shall God your God is going to give you to us inheritance. The whole year long the summer called it said so it will be convenient for every unintentional murderer to flee there. To one of those three cities. Rashi, talking about that. To make paved roads and there were signs clearly indicating where the city of refuge was going. That means when you came to a fork in the road there had to be a clear design defining and deciding clearly where it's going. The she lashed us the full article meaning that these three cities of refuge should be in equal distance on the land of Israel. She had me kill us the full idea of saying that you should make sure my holiday she has been in a and she had that you should have the same amount of equally space from the first city of refuge to the next city of refuge. The hand of me actually is and from the second to the third from the list of the whole of saying that you should and so forth from the third to the other side. So if you take the land of Israel, split it into thirds and every third should be another city. The um >> [clears throat] >> Verse four. Who is the individual who's going to go to the city of refuge? Verse four. The sad variety say this is the case of an unintentional murder that will run there the whole year and he will be able to live there. So he can able to live actually got Israel believe that it will kill his friend without knowledge. The whole year and all the way and he does not hate him with mail show shame not the day before and not the three days earlier. Not yesterday not three days before. >> [snorts] >> Rashi. The Verse five. I shall have Israel by year. Where is a man goes with his fellow into the forest left of eating to chop wood for needs for you to be guys and and his hand swings the axe. Litra eats the cut the tree. The national average of an eight. And the iron goes flying off the handle of the wood. Which is wood and master of the way you. And therefore reaches his fellow the Mason kills him because of it. Who young luck is out of his head he's the guy that should be running away to one of these cities for and he'll be able to live there. Rashi the Nitra Yadi have a guy that when he's coming to chop the use the axe to chop the wound. Guma the somebody lost the Yadi was slip out of his hands and happen markets like a garden. A late to take the steel and knock it on the wood. He jumped to a bunker. Where is the same terminology as the we find when the Jewish people were carrying the ark and it slipped out of their hands. Not even The national average of an eight. What does this mean that the iron slipped out of the wood? Yesh me to say no way there's some rabbis that explain this and I was on my cousin. That the actual iron came out of the handle of the wood that while it was sitting it down. The yesh may may some say That what actually had to hit the individual wasn't the iron. That means because he hit the piece of wood with such great force. The wood when chopping it fell on somebody else. So the question is what actually hit the individual? Was it the wood that hit the person or was it the metal that hit the person? One opinion is that when it says the national average of because it says that the metal went flying off. So therefore the metal is what goes fell off the handle. And hit the individual and killed him. Or is it because he hit the actual wood so the wood went flying. That he was chopping and that's what killed the individual. Verse six. Can you give me a lot of my credit say yes. Lest the lest the blood of anger pursue the killer. Key A camera baby. Because while his heart is hot he's angry he's upset. He see he'll catch up to him here by Derek. Because he You overtake him on the way because it's a long way. V co nefesh and he's going to kill him the lawyer mishpat movis and he doesn't have any uh he's not the although he doesn't deserve any death. Why? Kilo say no way he doesn't hate him. It makes no sense it was no past hatred there was no grudge that therefore this person was killed. Verse six. Pinyer dig Marashi says therefore I say why am I telling you to make such a smooth way split it into thirds is because that they should be able to get there. O de miklot ramim to make sure that there's a way that he can get to the city of refuge that he should not be killed for no reason. Verse seven. Therefore I tell you that you should designate three cities for cities of refuge. Verse eight. If God were going to expand your boundary if God is going to expand your forefathers then give you all the land which is concluding as we mentioned previously the Canaanites the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites then and you will have to make more to give the land of the Canaanites Kenizzites and Kadmonites. Verse nine. What are you going to do then? I'm sorry when will God give you that? Providing that you are going to safeguard all the commandments and do them that I command you today to love God for the God of to go in his ways then if you will merit to that great opportunity which is in the time of the coming of Mashiach three more cities are the three that you already have which will be nine three on the other side of the Jordan three on the side of land of Israel and three in the extra added areas that will be there. Rashi explains You have nine three on the side of the Jordan three Canan, three the land of Canan, Shalish Lavoy, and three in the time of the coming of Messiah when this promise will come that God will expand the land to the land of the Canaanite, Kenizzite, and Kadmonite that we will also have that expanded area. There's a big discussion of why we're going to need the cities of refuge if in the time of the coming of Messiah will be a time of peace and and there won't be a need for a city of refuge technically. And the Reb explains as we know that the two eras in the time of the coming of Messiah in the first era as we know it's Olam K'Hergylo will be a place the world will be in its accordance with its natural way of the way it is today that people live and die and so on. And just the sovereignty of the Jewish people will be different so therefore we'll have a need for the extra cities of refuge. In the second era of the coming of Messiah will be the resurrection and technically yes we will not need the extra cities of refuge. Verse 10. So that innocent blood should not be shed among in your land. That God has given to you as inheritance for and then this will be a guilty blood, collectively guilty of having shed blood. Rashi. No Rashi. Verse 11. But however if a man hates his fellow and he's waiting for him like he ambushes him for come over and he comes upon him he go and he kills him for Mason he dies and he runs to the one of these cities. Rashi here he hates his fellow. I you they say not say because he hates him above all he did it out of way because he hates him now he comes to ambush him. From here the sages tell us over a mitzvah a person first does a small abrogation. Say for example a mitzvah chamurah the end of the result is that you'll do a larger abrogation. First he he first he went against what it says in the Torah not hate your fellow. Say for example he comes then to drawing shedding blood. Okay therefore it says first you hate the guy you say what's the big deal I I like him. But what happens then? She's If he commits murder, the Torah could have just said, "If a guy ambushes him and then he kills him." Therefore, the Torah is telling us first what happened. It starts with hate. It seems like a seemingly insignificant thing. That insignificant builds and builds and builds until it becomes an ambush until it becomes that he kills him. Verse 12. Therefore, the elders of the city must send emissaries and they will take him from there. They'll put him into the deliver him to the hands of the blood avenger and he may and he will and he may die. All right. 13. Do not have any pity on him. You must eradicate the those who shed blood, innocent blood, from the Jewish people and it will be good and it will be well for you. And it will be good and it will be well for you. Rashi, the guy's already killed just because I take him now he's going to be killed and bring him back alive. person? Then we just have two Jews. The Torah says, "No. This guy did something wrong. He's liable of capital punishment." And the other the blood avenger has the right to be able to put him to death. This concludes the fifth Torah reading of Parshas Shoftim.