One of the nice things about doing a Torah commentary is that you don’t have to be an expert in weight-loss or the benefits of Fenphedra; all you need to know about is the Bible. Which is a huge task in and of itself.
Here’s more from my Shof’tim commentary. Or listen to it!
The closing verses of chapter 17 contain instructions for how Isra’el is to appoint a king, if they decide they desire to have a king rule over them as their neighboring nations do, and basic principals for how that king is to conduct himself in office. The most important requirement is found at the end of the chapter.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20
“When he has come to occupy the throne of his kingdom, he is to write a copy of this Torah for himself in a scroll, from the one the cohanim and L’vi’im use. It is to remain with him, and he is to read in it every day, as long as he lives; so that he will learn to fear ADONAI his God and keep all the words of this Torah and these laws and obey them; so that he will not think he is better than his kinsmen; and so that he will not turn aside either to the right or to the left from ADONAI’s mitzvah.
Chapter 18 concerns regulations for the priests and how they are to live. It also contains a very important passage that we’ll come back to shortly.
Chapter 19 covers how to deal with accidental deaths as opposed to murders, and the setting up of sanctuary cities, which we recently heard a very good commentary about. It also covers how to deal with witnesses who lie in their testimony to the judges of Isra’el. This is the passage that recommends such a liar should be punished in the same manner as the crime the accused was charged with, had he been found guilty. It is the passage Yeshua is referring to when He says, in Matthew 5:38-39:
Matthew 5:38-39
“You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too!
Chapter 20 instructs the people on how to conduct war against their neighbors, by always offering first terms of peace, in order to prevent the unnecessary shedding of innocent blood. And the first part of chapter 21 concludes Shof’tim with instructions on how to deal justice out in the case of a murder victim where there are no witnesses and the case is likely to remain unsolved.
Shof’tim commentary, part 3
Monday, September 8th, 2008
One of the nice things about doing a Torah commentary is that you don’t have to be an expert in weight-loss or the benefits of Fenphedra; all you need to know about is the Bible. Which is a huge task in and of itself.
Here’s more from my Shof’tim commentary. Or listen to it!
The closing verses of chapter 17 contain instructions for how Isra’el is to appoint a king, if they decide they desire to have a king rule over them as their neighboring nations do, and basic principals for how that king is to conduct himself in office. The most important requirement is found at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 18 concerns regulations for the priests and how they are to live. It also contains a very important passage that we’ll come back to shortly.
Chapter 19 covers how to deal with accidental deaths as opposed to murders, and the setting up of sanctuary cities, which we recently heard a very good commentary about. It also covers how to deal with witnesses who lie in their testimony to the judges of Isra’el. This is the passage that recommends such a liar should be punished in the same manner as the crime the accused was charged with, had he been found guilty. It is the passage Yeshua is referring to when He says, in Matthew 5:38-39:
Chapter 20 instructs the people on how to conduct war against their neighbors, by always offering first terms of peace, in order to prevent the unnecessary shedding of innocent blood. And the first part of chapter 21 concludes Shof’tim with instructions on how to deal justice out in the case of a murder victim where there are no witnesses and the case is likely to remain unsolved.
Tags: commentary, Fenphedra, Shof'tim
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