"Stranger and Sojourner" Parashat Hashevua Devarim; Year 5763;by CMY

[Mevaser]

"Stranger and Sojourner" Parashat Hashevua Devarim; Year 5763;by CMY
http://www.cmy.on.ca/toraportions200...im/devarim.htm (Online version)
Congregation Melech Yisrael, Toronto, Canada
Shabbat 4th Av 5763, August 2, 2003
http://www.cmy.on.ca / cmy@ca.inter.net

This week's Reading list:
* Devarim / Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
* Yesha'yahu / Isaiah 1:1-27
* Timoteos alef / 1 Timothy 3:1-7

We are now entering the final book of the Torah, Devarim. Devarim means 'words,' from the root daber (speak). The title we know this book by is Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is a transliteration of the Greek, which means Second Law. In fact many foreign language translations title Devarim, 'The Second Law of Moshe' (Moses). The logic in calling this book Deuteronomy I suppose is that its content is primarily a repeat of what we have already been told in the previous four books of the Torah. I say primarily, because there are also many new mitzvot (commands) as well, given to us in Devarim. However none are found in this the first Parasha of the book.

Why was this book necessary in the first place? Well other than the fact that it contains some new commands, it represents our human nature. We tend to forget things and unless we learn from history we are bound to repeat it. Due to the fact that our memories are so short, we tend get caught up in our own little worlds and we sometimes loose sight of who we are, who G-d is, what He has done for us and what He expects from us.

As we begin Parasha Devarim, Moshe is at the end of his journey and of course bnei Yisrael (children of Yisrael) had been his charge for the last forty plus years. He saw parents die off in the wilderness, while watching their children grow up and take over. He was a redeemer to them, a father, a governor, a teacher and a judge to this fledgling nation. That is why I believe as Moshe was penning this book he was suffering from separation anxiety. Moshe was writing his memoirs, and in them he was including his final warnings and reminders to this nation, which he has been carrying.

What struck me about Parasha Devarim this year is that of all the things Moshe could have written about in his opening first paragraph, he chose to mention how we are to judge righteously.

Devarim {1:10} HaSHEM your G-D has multiplied you, and, behold, you are this day as the stars of the sky for multitude. {1:11} HaSHEM, the G-D of your avot (fathers), make you a thousand times as many as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you! {1:12} How can I myself alone bear your encumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? {1:13} Take wise men of understanding and well known according to your matot (tribes), and I will make them heads over you. {1:14} You answered me, and said, The thing which you have spoken is good [for us] to do. {1:15} So I took the heads of your matot, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, according to your matot. {1:16} I charged your shoftim (judges) at that time, saying, Hear [the causes] between your brothers, and judge righteously between an ish (man) and his brother, and the sojourner who is with him. {1:17} You shall not show partiality in mishpat (judgement); you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the mishpat is G-D's: and the cause that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it. {1:18} I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.

Justice seems to be one of Moshe's major concerns at this time and that is probably because it is one of G-d's as well. Throughout their travels, bnei Yisrael had experienced HaShem's justice, on themselves and most recently on their enemies. Here they are now about to enter the land and once again Moshe reminds the people to be just. Not only is he telling them to judge righteously between a man and his brother, but he is also telling them to righteously judge the sojourner who is with them. There is to be no partiality in mishpat, one law, one judgement, one justice for both the natural born and the sojourner who dwells among them.

There are two types of aliens spoken about in Torah. The type mentioned in our Parasha hashavua (weekly reading) are called a Ger (sojourner). The other type is called a Nechar (stranger - heathen - foreign). Both types are foreigners, that is non-Jews but they are definitely classified differently by G-d and thus by Torah.

A Nechar is a temporary inhabitant; as such they are just passing through. A Nechar could be a visitor, a traveller, a temporary foreign worker or perhaps a merchant who came to do business among the people. Whatever the case however, they do not settle down and become part of bnei Yisrael, they do not claim citizenship, they do not embrace the G-d of Yisrael or His Torah and as such they have no inheritance in the land, no rights as citizens or resident aliens.

A Ger on the other hand can be described as a resident alien. Torah most often calls them sojourners but they have also been referred to as foreigners. The difference however between Gerim (plural for Ger) and Necharim (plural for Nechar) is that a Ger has chosen to settled down among bnei Yisrael, make their home with G-d's people, embrace the G-d of Yisrael and observe His Torah. As such we are being told once again in Parasha Devarim that they are to enjoy all the rights and privileges of a natural born ben Yisrael (son of Israel), they are to receive the exact same justice and judgement.

What I would like us to see in all of this is that for those who chose to embrace the G-d of Yisrael and settle down among them there was only one law, one judgement, one justice, one Torah, all for one and one for all, sort of speak. How then did a Nechar become a Ger? Simply by accepting the G-d of Yisrael and choosing to follow His commandments, which of course would include the substitutional sacrificial system and all its implications, part of which incorporated an acceptable sacrificial lamb dying for their sin. Without the sacrifice there was no forgiveness of sin, therefore there could be no drawing near to the G-d of Yisrael, no switch from a Nechar to a Ger.

Now let us look at this principle in a more modern sense. How does a gentile pagan become a believer and child of G-d today? The answer is by receiving the G-d of Yisrael into their hearts and into their lives. However if they do not come to G-d through the acceptable korban (sacrifice) they cannot draw near to Him and the switch cannot take place. Yeshua we know is that acceptable korban both for the Jew and the non-Jew alike. Upon acceptance of Yeshua as your attonement for sin the switch from gentile pagan to believer takes place.

Whether you like it or not, whether you are willing to accept it or not, according to the Bible world history revolves around Yisrael. The goyim (those of the nations other than Israel) are therefore basically Necharim living and existing as visitors or travellers in an Yisrael focused world. Therefore how do these Necharim become Gerim? Simply by accepting the G-d of Yisrael through His korban Yeshua. Who is Yeshua? He is the Messiah, G-d in the flesh (Yeshayahu / Isaiah 63:5) that came to earth to pay His imposed penalty of death on man, for sin. The just became the justifier.

Therefore when Yeshua said: Yocanan (John) {14.15} If you love Me, keep My commandments.

What commandments was He talking about after all the Brit Chadasha did not exist then? Yeshua Himself told us what commandments He was talking about: Mattityahu (Matthew) {5.18} For truly I say unto you, Until heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Torah, till all be fulfilled.

The last time I looked, the heavens and the earth are still intact, so Torah must still be valid as per Yeshua. In Sefer Hitgalut (book of Revelation) HaShem promised us to be part of a new heaven and a new earth but that is in the future but that is after the 1000 year reign of Mashiach Yeshua. Torah therefore is still G-d's valued manual for a redeemed community.

If you were once a ger and have received Yeshua as you kapora (atonement): Ephesians {2.19} Now therefore you are no longer Necharim and Strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints (the redeemed of Yisrael), and of the household of G-d;

In other words you who were once Necharim have become Gerim through Mashiach Yeshua and are therefore subject to the same justice, same judgement, same Torah as the natural born children!

*****************************
Baruch HaShem
Rabbi Jack (Yaacov) Farber


Hallelujah to our L-rd, our Teacher, our Rabbi, "YESHUA" King Messiah for ever and ever!!!
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Shalom Shalom....

[Fear_nam_Beanntan]

But if we are still bound to the letter of the Torah, why did God remove the Kosher dietary restrictions in the vision He gave to Peter?

[Mevaser]

Shalom

Let me set the record straight.

Peter was a Jew, die as a Jew, and lived his whole life as a Torah abiding Jew.

Second: The vision Peter had was about people, just read a few more verses ahead:

acts 10:34 Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I perceive that God doesn't show favoritism; 10:35 but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.

Third: G-d says that He is a G-d who does not change. So if your god says that he came to change, then perhaps you may be looking at the wrong god (satan, which in hebrew means the contrary to G-d).

It all depends who you worship and follow. Yeshua said, if you love me you do my commandments.

We love Mashiach / Messiah, thus we do Torah.

Shalom

[Fear_nam_Beanntan]

I can assure you I do not serve Satan, nor do I believe that God changes. I think He always meant for Kosher to be temporary. Oh well, to each his own.

Romans 14:14
As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.