Re'ei - 2nd Portion

Join me as we learn Chumash for the second Torah reading of parshas Re'eh, Monday. Yesterday we learned in the Chumash about where Moshe tells the Jewish people about the future of the blessings and the curses that will be given on the different mountains and the choices that God gives us in life, but as well he continues to tell them about as they enter into the land of Israel and the way to be secure there is to eradicate the idolatry that's there. As well as it reminds them that now different people have an opportunities to bring sacrifices at different places. However, once they enter the land of Israel, they will be obligated to bring it only by the place that God commands in the Holy Temple in the Beis Hamikdash in Jerusalem. Today we continue with those obligations, reminders, as well as more laws pertaining the sacrifices and anytime meat may be eaten. Chapter 12, verse 11. Regarding the restrictions of where sacrifices are allowed to be brought. And then there will be the place where God chooses that place where God chooses to rest his place there. There you will bring all the sacrifices that I command you. Your ascent offerings, your sacrifices which is peace offerings, your peace offerings, your first fruit and the donations of your hand. And all the things that you choose to vow to give and make a vow to bring that you will make a vow to offer up to our God. Rashi [snorts] verse 11 The place that you're going to build for yourself the the holy temple, which will be the place that I choose in Jerusalem. So too we find in the book of Samuel when it says concerning King David when the king was sitting settled happily in this place and God and and he was and resting from all the enemies around him. So the king said to Nathan the prophet How is it that I'm sitting in a beautiful place of a palace? However, the ark of the covenant is only sitting in a temporary dwelling and therefore we have to build a house for God. Shabbat of you First in the first verses where he talks about your sent offerings, which we mentioned in the ready previously in the verses 5 through 6. That's talking about the temporary dwellings, for example, the tabernacle that was in Shiloh. Over here it's referring to the ultimate Therefore the Torah splits it up and differently and does not include the period of Shiloh and the period of Jerusalem because leading after being to the zoo because there was a time in between the two of them where there was no place where people were able to bring sacrifices. And at that time personal altars were allowed to be used. Cuz once Shiloh was destroyed and they came to Nob. And over there the Mishkan the tabernacle stood for 13 years. And then Nob was destroyed and it came to Gibeon and over there it stood for another 44 years. Then for those uh 57 years the private altars were allowed to be used until they finally came to Jerusalem and over there the holy temple was built and from the when the holy temple was built then private altars were not allowed anymore and they were considered prohibited. Mifchar nidrei-nidrechem, what does it mean the choice of your vows? Malachi teaches us that when a person makes a vow to bring a sacrifice, he should bring the best of his animals when he to fulfill his vow. Verse 12. Us'machtem lifnei Hashem, you must rejoice before God, lifnei Hashem Elo-kechem, before God your God, atem u'vanechem, and your sons, u'venotechem, and your daughters, va'avdechem, and your servants, va'amatechem, and your maidservants, va'Levi asher bish'arecha, and the Levi that's in your gateways. Ki ein lo chelek u'nachalah it'chem, because he does not have his own inheritance with you, um which to be able to raise his crops. So, therefore, you have to be able to rejoice with the Levi and bring it to the Levi. Verse 13. U'shamarta lacha, however, you must be careful, take heed, pen talin lacha b'chol makom asher tir'eh, that you may take your sent offerings to any place and any site you may see fit. U'shamarta lacha, the word u'shamarta lacha leeta leisas l'davar, this comes to add a a negative commandment that not only does a person not follow a positive commandment by bringing the sacrifices in the right place, but if a person were to bring the sacrifices not in the Holy Temple, he would be abrogating a negative commandment as well. B'chol makom asher tir'eh, asher yaleh lib'cha, that wherever you find fit, that you decide that you want to bring it there. However, the Torah is telling us that there will be instances that a prophet will have a specific time and place that he will be able to bring a sacrifice outside the Holy Temple. For example, Elijah on Mount Carmel when he was fighting against the prophets of the Baal to prove who is correct with the story of Jezebel and Ahab, and at that point he was able to bring a sacrifice to Mount Carmel, but that was only a temporary ruling and only specific for that time and place. Verse 14. Ki im b'makom asher yivchar Hashem, only in the place that God chooses by amongst one of your tribes. Some tally that's going to be the place where you bring your ascent offerings for some and that's what you will do all that I command you. Rashi one of your tribes the was in the area in the portion of Benjamin which was the base of English which was rebuilt in Jerusalem. However, before we said however in the previous verse in verse 5 it said it's going to be in a place which all tribes have access to how is that possible because when David bought the area to the threshing place where they used to thresh the wheat which belonged to a fellow by the name of the which eventually that place was the Mount Moriah where the holy temple was built on go collected money from all the tribes. We call however still the actual place was in the individual tribe of Benjamin but who paid for it was all the tribes and therefore all the tribes participated in the building and the purchasing of the land where the holy temple was built on. Verse 15. However if you as much as you desire you can slaughter you can eat as much as you want as you want according to God's blessing to give you all your gateways at home attire the ritual [snorts] impure and the ritual pure can be eaten together just as you may eat pieces of the species of the gazelle and the deer. Meaning of here is we see Rashi will explain to us of what it means how the permission to eat meat. The Torah doesn't say clearly what it's really talking about which kind of meat is it referring to. Is it really talking about just regular meat when a person wants to eat meat? To allow them to eat it. Meaning that even though they go into the land of Israel they're allowed to eat meat and they will not have to bring all the other parts onto the altar. Already says later on in verse 20 then when God will expand your territory. >> [snorts] >> I want to eat meat. So what is he telling us over here? What kind of meat is he referring to? So what is this verse telling us about? Is it telling us is this referring to animals that have a blemish that therefore he's telling you that you have to redeem them from the holiness and therefore you can eat them where you want. I would say you then the Torah should have told me that I should redeem it. A moon over on a on a when it when it comes to a blemish that a blemish is going to eventually be healed. Therefore the verse uses the terminology rock. What does rock tell me? Means to accept it's an exception meaning it's talking about blemishes which cause the animal to be considered unfit only those animals can a person actually redeem. However a animal who has a blemish but that blemish is going to heal itself that you have to wait until the blemish is healed and not redeem it. Tizba achalta El achatem giza vechalev el achila al yedei zevicha. Meaning that we're talking about holy animals animals which were redeemed because of a blemish. Therefore the only thing that you're allowed to have from it is to shear its wool and to eat its meat. And the only time that one is allowed to eat the meat is through slaughtering in itself. Meaning we do not have the permission to have it sharing its wool and and the milking it because it's considered a holy animal. Over here, the Torah is only giving us the permission to eat from its meat. And eat from its meat through slaughtering it first. Why does he have to tell me about the ritually impure and the ritually unpure? Because we're talking about animals that became holy. And previously in the book of Leviticus, we learned that any person which is impure shouldn't come in contact with such meat. Therefore, he has to tell us in this case, being that it was already redeemed and it was something though was meant to be a sacrifice, but now it was redeemed. Impure and pure can eat from the same plate. I will shame a carbon be him. It's just like a gazelle and a deer which you cannot bring a sacrifice and therefore there's no worrying concern about a person eating it only in purity. So too, he tells us in this case that once the animal was redeemed, the person can eat it as he wishes. But same way like the gazelle and the camel, but same way like those animals, the gazelle and the deer, one cannot bring in this as a sacrifice. So therefore, there are no um gifts that you have to give to the cohen. So too, in this case as well, this type of animal being that it was redeemed though was considered once holy at this point, he does not have to give the gifts that are cohen which was usually given from a regular animal. Verse 16. However, however, at the same time you must not consume the blood. A lot of this dish come by him. You must pour it, spill it on the ground like water. Rashi, Rashi lays it out for you. Even though that this is not considered a sacrifice, that you don't have to sprinkle the blood on the altar like all other sacrifices, still and all, like the new, you're not allowed to consume the blood. What should you do with it? You should spill it like water. I'm going to tell you to kiss it. Tell you that you don't have to cover the blood. Because when it comes to a animal of a wild animal of a bird, which over there we know we have the obligation that the blood has to be covered. Over here, this one is an exception that you do not have to cover the blood. As well, another explanation of what this means is it's telling us that the same way water which goes on plants and vegetation, it would now make it susceptible to becoming impure. So too, if the blood were now to go on vegetation, it would make them susceptible to becoming impure. Verse 17. You are not permitted to consume in your cities the tithing of your grain or of your wine from your oil and the firstborn of your cattle of your sheep and all the vows that you will take upon yourself and donations and trumase anything you have elevated the first fruits that you've elevated by your hand. Rashi The same way we learned previously that there was a positive commandment you have to bring all these things to the holy temple. Now we're adding a negative commandment to one who does not do it also abrogates a negative commandment besides not following the positive commandment. What does it mean you cannot? Let me show you explains as follows. Technically you could. But I will but you're not allowed. We find the same terminology in the book of Yeshua. The people of Jerusalem that the were settled in Jerusalem the people of Judah were not able to conquer them. Not that it means they were not able to. They weren't they were not allowed to. They were able to conquer them. They were not allowed. Why were they not allowed at the time? because Avraham made a covenant with them that he would not conquer the Jebusites for multiple generations. And when they come into the land of Israel, so therefore they did not and they were not allowed to conquer the Jebusites, but they were able to if they should. The Jebusites doesn't mean actually the Jebusites. They were Hittites who came from the family of Heth who Avraham purchased the Cave of the Patriarchs from them. The city of Jebus because the city that they lived in were Jebusites Jebus, therefore they called them Jebusites. This is the way it's explained in Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer. That's why we find in the book of Samuel where it says that you after the Jebusites rebelled, then the Jewish people were able to conquer them and only then were they able to take them and therefore tells them the first thing they have to do was take off the Shalom. They took away the big statues that they wrote the oath that Abraham made at the time that he would not conquer them. And the first thing they did was remove those oaths so people shouldn't think that they went against them. And what happened was that because they they attacked the Jewish people, the Jewish people now had the right to be able to take them away. However, first they removed them to show that no longer does the covenant apply. This is only a warning to the Kohanim that the firstborn that is given to them as a sacrifice and and this is because it's not needed for the Israelites because they were not allowed to eat the firstborn regardless. What does it mean the elevated by your hand? This is the referring to the first fruit which a person would elevate by saying he's dedicating these first fruits to bring to the Holy Temple and give to the Kohanim. Verse 18. Where should you do these? Not in your own place, before God in the place that God chooses it. You your sons, your daughters, your servants, your maidservants, the Levite that's in your gateways, and you will rejoice before God, your God, all that he has given to you. In all your endeavors. Before God. It has to be eaten within the wall of Jerusalem. In all ways. Meaning, what does it mean? Why does it come over here? Why is he telling us about the Levite? Because technically, wasn't the Levite allowed to eat whatever he wants, wherever he wants? So, he's telling us, if you don't have now to give from his portion, tell him I said "no". If you don't have enough, that means you already gave tithe, and now you have left over of the let's say the second tithe, which it was usually given to the poor, you can give that to the Levite because the Levite generally was also could qualify as a poor person. And if you don't have the tithe that you usually give to the poor, as we invite him to give from your peace offering that he should be able to enjoy from it as well. Verse 19. Guard yourself. Take heed. That you should not forsake the Levite all your days that you dwell upon the land. Again, as we mentioned previously, that every time the Torah gives us an obligation of a positive commandment, is it attaches a negative commandment to it as well. When it comes, however, that's only when you're in the land of Israel. When you're in the exile, Jason and however, when you're not in the land of Israel, the Levite does not take any more precedence over any other poor Israelite. Verse 20. God will then expand your territory. Um because I desire to eat meat. And according to all your desires, you may eat meat according to as you wish. Rashi the Torah is telling us the proper behaviors of how a person should behave. A person should only desire to eat meat only when he has the ability to eat it. Meaning therefore the Torah says when you will be expansive, when you will have that material wealth that you'll be able to afford it, then you can desire to eat it. As long as you desire you can eat meat. This is talking about the permission to eat meat wherever you are. And this was given to them once they entered the land of Israel. Interestingly enough that while the Jewish people were in the desert, they were not allowed to eat meat. Only meat that was brought as a sacrifice. And the part of the sacrifice that any person was allowed to eat meat. However, once they came into the land of Israel, they were allowed to eat meat as any time they wished to be able to slaughter it and have it as they wish. Verse 21. If the place that God desires to to put his place on it would maybe on a quite of distance from you. And therefore you're going to bring and you may slaughter your cattle that you have. That God gave you commanded you eat it in your gateways, in your area, in your cities as much as according to your desire. You're not able to come every single day and just be and bring a peace offering because now, while they were in their desert, if a person wanted to eat meat, he came to all the temple, it was right nearby, brought a peace offering, and ate the meat that was obliged for him to eat. However, the Torah is telling us that if you're going to be in a distant place and you're not going to be able to come every single day and bring a peace offering, you'll want to eat over here, we're telling us the laws about slaughtering cuz the actual law of slaughtering, we don't see it clearly where what the law of slaughtering is. We have it when it comes to the laws pertaining to the Holy Temple of how they would slaughter the animals. And therefore, it tells us, "Hey, how do you slaughter?" And the number of ways to slaughter and we slaughter and the details of what it means to slaughter was given by Moshe Mount Sinai. These are considered the oral law. However, we see clearly here in the Torah that tells us biblically that we have a commandment to slaughter. The particulars of slaughtering, that is in the oral law. That's why a blessing is made when slaughtering an animal as it's a mitzvah to slaughter the animal. Uh from when it comes to the to be able to eat the animal. Verse 22. But as we mentioned before, if it was considered an animal that was consecrated and made holy, then you have an obligation. And now it became blemished, you have an obligation to um redeem it. However, you may eat it just like you eat a gazelle and the deer are eaten ritually impure and the ritually pure are allowed to eat it together. Verse 22, Rashi. You don't have the obligation that you need to be pure to be able to eat it. E, so when you may ask, "Why is it compared to the wild animals?" just like when it comes to a deer and a gazelle, their milk is permissible. Meaning, when it comes, why does it say you may say also so to any animal that it's fat and it um should be permissible? Just like by a deer and a gazelle its fats are permissible. To tell us therefore the word ah, the word ah comes to exclude to say that they're not all the same. The only way that's the same is to say you're allowed to eat it while it's um you're allowed to eat it while you're impure. However, the fats of it is and this is a correction. Sorry what I said before was milk is helban means the fats of it is the uh certain fats of the animal is uh is prohibited. And therefore so too in this animal the fats would be prohibited to be eaten. Verse 23. But you must be strong and not consume the blood. Because [snorts] the blood is the life force and therefore you should not eat the life force of the animal together with the meat. With its flesh. Why does he have to say hazak, be strong? The very fact that it says strong Rashi tells us that the lome you learn that before the giving of the Torah the Jewish people found it were very they were was very common and it was considered a delicacy to have to consume blood. The Torah therefore the Torah has to tell us hazak you have to be strong about it. Though you may be accustomed to having blood, you should not eat it. Rabbi Yehuda Rabbi Yehuda says this is the words of Rabbi Yehuda. Rabbi Shimon ben Nanasia Rabbi Shimon ben Nanasia says the opposite. The Torah actually over here is coming to warn you and tell you how much a person has to be careful about the mitzvahs. Meaning if a person if by blood which everybody is detested by it and it's so easy for for to be careful not to consume blood, The Torah tells you who it has come by it. the Torah to tell you have to be strong to keep to that warning and to keep to that law. How much more so to the other how much more so to other commandments which are difficult to accomplish because since the evil inclination says and you're tempted by it and it's not something that you're detesting and naturally disgusted by. Over here the Torah tells you have to be strong. How much more so to the other as well. This is a warning. This is a commandment that one is not allowed to eat the flesh of the the life force of a flesh meaning that even though you may have cut it from the animal but if the animal is still alive you're not allowed to eat from it which is also one of the laws as well. Verse 24 you should not eat it. You should pour it on the floor. It should be spilled like water. This is also including to the blood that is consumed within the limbs of the animal that at many times just by opening the animal itself it does not it does not it does not come out. So therefore the Torah is telling us that if you have blood that may be still inside the consumed that means it was it became part of the animal different parts of the limbs and so on also is a prohibited. You should not eat it. Good for you. For you and your children afterwards you'll do what's right in God's eyes. As we mentioned this includes the blood that's in the limbs. The mind of the heart This what is this coming to tell us? That even if somebody say the amount what we learn from here is nothing of the reward that is given to the commandments. If blood which as we mentioned previously, a person is detested and disgusted by it, and God gives us a blessing for you and your children and generations to come, how much more so when it comes to other prohibitions like thievery or promiscuity where a person desires them and he refrains from doing it, how much more so the good blessing comes from it. Verse 26. You must still take However, you must take the animals which were dedicated for holiness under the vows. You must have them and come and place them in the place where God will choose. That means there are certain animals that you still have to bring to the holy temple. Even though you're going to be allowed to slaughter animals and eat regular meat to eat the holy ones, the ones that were dedicated for holiness and eat them in the place without bringing it to the holy temple. Make sure to bring it to the holy temple. As he continues in verse 27. And you must then offer up your ascent offerings, the blood and the flesh. On the altar of your God, the altar of your God, and then the blood of your offerings you will pour on the altar of and the flesh you will eat. If there are ascent offerings, then the blood you'll have to take the flesh and blood and put it on the altar. But they're peace offerings, first the blood has to be poured on the side of the altar. And afterwards can the eat the meat be eaten. When the rabbis continue to explain from this verse It's coming to tell us that even some holy animals that may be outside the land of Israel That you have to bring them to the place and all and bring them as this offering. It's telling us the not only about the things that a person made holy, but even those that come because of holiness. For example, if you exchange one animal unto another or a child, let's say a fetus a animal that was born from another animal, also have to be brought to the holy temple. 28 Shomer Shomer v'Shamita Shomer v'Shamita. You must be careful. You must adhere and listen. It's called all the things that I command you today. That it should be good and all of and to your children. For continuing generations when you do what is proper good and proper in the eyes of God. Rashi Shomer v'Shamita Shomer means to safeguard. How are you going to do that? By learning. You have to make sure that it's always with you. That you don't forget it. As we learn in the book of Proverbs beautiful as you keep it in your belly. If you if you studied. Now you have the ability that you will hear it and you will observe it appropriately. That means if something cannot be learned, then there's no way that you're going to be able to keep to keep it. And then do it properly. All the things that we mentioned that an easy mitzvah should be done just as important as a strict mitzvah as well. The good and that which is upright and proper. Good in the eyes of good in the eyes of heaven and proper in the eyes of proper in the eyes of humans. This concludes the Torah reading second Torah reading of Parshas Re'eh.