Parashah 30 Kedoshim

Leviticus 19:1 – 20:27

By Dr. K. Blad ©

Second edition 2013-14 (5774

Prohibited all lucrative reproduction    

Aliyahs from the Torah:

1. 19:1-14
2. 19:15-22
3. 19:23-32
4. 19:33-36
5. 20:1-7
6. 20:8-22
7. 20:23-27
8. Maftir: 20:25-27

Haftarah: Amos 9:7-15 (A); Ezekiel 20:2-20 (S)

Kedosim

It means “saints”.

Comments

First aliyah, 19:1-14

19:2   “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel and say to them: “You will be holy because I, HaShem your God, am holy.” (LBLA revised) – According to the Midrash, [1] this text shows that when Moshe transmitted the Torah to the people of Israel he did not usually gather the entire congregation at once. As a general rule Moshe first met with his brother Aharon and deeply transmitted to him everything he had received from HaShem. Aharon then sat down at Moshe’s right hand. Then Aaron’s two sons, Elazar and Ithamar, came, and Moshe repeated the teachings to them according to his level of understanding. They then sat near his father Aharon and his uncle Moshe. Then the same passage from the Torah was repeated to the elders of Israel according to their level of understanding and finally Moshe repeated the entire teaching to all the men of the town. This was the normal procedure for transmitting the Torah to the people. Moshe therefore heard the same lesson five times,

But on this occasion Moshe receives the order to summon the entire assembly, including the women and children. The reason for doing this was because this section contains a lot of laws that have to do with all the people and, according to Rashi, because most of the essential laws of the Torah depend on this Parashah. For example, in this section is the general law of loving your neighbor as yourself. You can also find commandments very similar to the ten words that were spoken before all the people at Sinai. [2] In total there are 51 commandments in this short Parsha.

This verse also teaches us that holiness is not only for the priests and Levites, but for the entire congregation of the children of Israel. Holiness consists in being separated from the customs that are practiced by the peoples that are far from HaShem and dedicating oneself to Him in obedience to his commandments.

19:3   “ A man should revere his mother and his father. And you will keep my Sabbaths; I am HaShem your God.” (HNV revised) – The Hebrew word that has been translated as “reverence” is yaré , [3] and it means “fear”, “reverence”. There is a difference between this commandment and the one in Exodus 20:12 where it is written:

“ Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land that HaShem your God is giving you.” (LBLA revised)

The Hebrew word that has been translated as “honor” is kavad , [4] which means “to be heavy”, “to be rich”, “to have honor”, ​​“to be a burden”. In Exodus 20 it is written that we should honor our father and mother, and in Leviticus 19 it is written that we should fear our mother and father. It is not the same to honor than to fear. Honoring parents is not only about showing them respect but also giving them the material goods they need and meeting all their needs when they are in trouble, as it is written in Matthew 15:3-6:

“And he answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? Because God said: “HONOR your FATHER AND your MOTHER,” and: “WHOEVER SPEAKS EVIL OF his FATHER OR his MOTHER, LET HIM DIE.” But you say: “Whoever says to his father or his mother: ‘All that is mine is an offering to God with which you could be helped,’ will no longer need to honor his father or his mother.” And so you invalidated the word of God because of your tradition.” (LBLA)

Here we see that honoring parents has to do with financial aid. Honoring parents also implies obeying them in the Lord, as it is written in Ephesians 6:1-3:

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT WILL GO WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY HAVE A LONG LIFE ON EARTH.” (LBLA)

In the text of Exodus the father appears first and then the mother in reference to honor, but in the text of Leviticus the mother appears first and then the father in reference to fear or reverence. Why does the mother appear first and then the father in this text? Should one fear the mother more than the father?

We will give two explanations for this. As a general rule, it is easier to fear, in the sense of respect and reverence, the father, because of her masculine nature, than the mother. The child tends to take advantage of the sweetness and soft character of the mother. It is easier to disrespect the mother than the father. This is why the Torah puts the mother first, so that we do not stop showing respect to our mothers, but respect both parents equally.

However, looking at the context we see that there is a scale of reverence, mother, father and HaShem. It is an inverted scale of authority. According to this order, the child learns during the development of his life who is above him. He first learns to fear his mother, who spends the most time with him during his first years of life. Then the boy learns to revere his father and finally he learns to revere HaShem.

This text teaches us that one way to show respect to HaShem is to keep the Sabbath. The Jew who does not keep the Sabbath does not fear HaShem. The non-Jew who fears HaShem keeps the Sabbath according to the level he chooses for his life.

Respecting parents implies, among other things, that a child cannot contradict their words. He also cannot say: “What my father says is correct.” If parents have chairs reserved for them, a child should not sit in them.

The Hebrew text literally says: “A man…” This teaches us that the married man is more committed to his parents than the married woman. A married woman is not obliged to obey her parents when her husband says otherwise. At the time of her wedding, the woman goes from being under the authority of her father to being under the authority of her husband, as it is written in 1 Corinthians 11:3:

“But I want you to know that the head of every man is the Messiah, and the head of the (married) woman is the man (to whom she is married) , and the head of the Messiah is God.” (LBLA revised)

19:4   “Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molten gods; I am HaShem your God.” (HNV revised) – The root of the word that has been translated as “return” is paná , [5] and it means “to face”, “to turn to”, “to look towards”. This implies that it is forbidden to look with curiosity and wonder at idols and statues. According to Rambam, [6] in practice it also means that it is prohibited to read any book, listen to lectures, or engage in cults, religions, or philosophies that are foreign to the Torah.

This text also teaches us that it is forbidden to make tourist trips to contemplate the ruins of the Mayan temples in Central America, the pyramids in Egypt, the Notre Dam church in Paris, the Buddhist temples in Asia and the Bahai temple in Haifa or any other place in pagan worship. When a person admires or gazes in awe at the buildings and images of pagan gods, he is guilty of breaking this commandment.

“and do not make for yourselves molten gods” – It is forbidden to make idols, even for non-Jews. This includes a ban on trading in idolatrous statues, Catholic saints, crucifixes, Buddhas, and other objects of pagan worship. It is also forbidden for an Israelite to profit financially from the idolatry of the Gentiles.

19:10 “ Neither shall you search your vineyard, nor gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you will leave it for the poor and for the stranger. I am HaShem your God ” (HNV revised) – The Torah teaches that the poor should be treated favorably. HaShem has a very sensitive heart to the needs of the weak and orders us to help those in need in a practical and economic way.

19:11 “ You shall not steal, nor deceive, nor lie to one another.” (HNV revised) – This theft has to do with material objects. Since there is more than one commandment prohibiting theft, it is understood that the two are talking about two different things. The first commandment against theft is found in the ten words, as it is written in Exodus 20:15:

” You shall not steal.” (LBLA)

As the voluntary violation of most of the commandments that are in the ten words brings the death penalty, it is also interpreted that the theft that is being talked about there is not the theft of things, but of people, with other words of kidnapping. Kidnapping is a capital crime, as it is written in Exodus 21:16:

“ Whoever kidnaps a person, whether he sells him or finds him in his possession, will surely die.” (LBLA)

So, Leviticus 19 talks about the theft of objects. Taking anything that belongs to another person is prohibited. Yaakov lived with his mother-in-law for 20 years and when he left there he could testify that he had taken absolutely nothing that belonged to Lavan, as it is written in Genesis 31:37:

“ Although you have searched all my belongings, what have you found of all the belongings in your house? Put it before my relatives and your relatives so that they can judge between the two of us.” (LBLA)  

This very careful attitude that our father Yaakov had of not taking anything from the house of Lavan, not even a teaspoon or a sewing needle, is a good example for all of us.

As HaShem is giving time to each person, time is something that each one has to manage correctly and not waste. Therefore it is forbidden to take a person’s time without their permission. So-and-so approaches Mengano, who is a very busy man, and asks him for five minutes to talk. Mengano agrees and is willing to give him five minutes of his precious time, but Fulano does not respect the five minutes but keeps talking and talking, without being aware that he is not only perverting his own word, but actually stealing Mengano’s time. .

Another way to steal is to be late for an appointment. The one who arrives late is stealing the precious time of the people who are waiting for him. If one is late and does not fulfill his commitment to arrive at a certain time, he has not only corrupted his word, but has also stolen the time of others.

Another way to steal is to work negligently. If the boss has hired a worker to work, that worker is worthy of his wages if he works. But if he is negligent in his work, or takes breaks without permission, he is stealing from his employer. How then does he have a conscience to charge for time that he has not worked, or for a job that has been done in a bad way? A holy man works the same when the boss is present as when he is not. If someone needs a boss to watch over him so that he works well and does not take unnecessary breaks in his work, he is a thief. A true Israelite is one in whom there is no guile, as it is written in John 1:47:

” Yeshúa saw Nathanael coming and said of him: Here is a true Israelite in whom there is no guile.” (LBLA revised)

In this scripture the commandment not to steal is written in the plural. This teaches us that anyone who knows about a theft and says nothing is also guilty. The one who does not speak becomes a fellow of whom he sinned.

19:12 “ And ye shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God; I am HaShem.” (HNV revised) – The context speaks of money. When a person steals, he tends to hide his crime by deceiving others, cf. v. 11. If he does not repent he tends to lie. It can be a trusted deposit or something borrowed that the person denies having received. It is possible that he will also falsely swear by HaShem’s name in front of a court of law, beit din , saying that he did not appropriate the property of the other. It is a serious crime to swear something by HaShem’s name that is not true.

Rashi points out that when this text says: “you shall not swear falsely by my name” it is referring to any of the names of God, since in Exodus 20:7 it only refers to the sacred Name, YHWH.

This scripture teaches us that it is permissible to swear by HaShem’s name. The prohibition is only against the act of falsely swearing by His Name. How then can we understand the text of Matthew 5:33-37 where the Messiah is teaching us about not swearing, as it is written:

“ You have also heard that it was said to the ancestors: “YOU SHALL NOT SWEAR FALSELY, BUT KEEP YOUR OATHS TO HASHEM.” (HNV revised) But I say to you, do not swear at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING: Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. Rather, let it be your speech: “Yes, yes” or “No, no”; and what is more of this, comes from evil .” (LBLA revised) ?

Reading this text gives us the impression that Yeshúa forbids swearing. In such a case his teaching would go against the Torah which allows swearing, cf. Genesis 21:31; 24:9; Numbers 30:2. The Hebrew manuscript of Matthew, called DuTillet , can shed light on this question. There it is written: “do not swear by anything ”, in Hebrew shum davar . So Yeshúa does not forbid the oath itself, but an oath that is made for things. The context of Matthew 5 confirms this interpretation, where it speaks of the fact that one cannot swear by heaven, earth, Jerusalem or the head, which are things. But it is allowed to take an oath in the name of HaShem, as long as it is not done in vain, without fulfilling it.

19:13 “ You shall not defraud your neighbor, nor steal from him. A laborer’s wages are not to stay with you overnight until morning.” (HNV revised) – The Torah continues to talk about money. Here are three prohibitions on taking or withholding another’s money. The first involves not taking advantage of a favorable position to retain the other’s money. For example, if someone owes money to another, he will not be able to keep it by making excuses, or using tricks to continue to keep it.

The second prohibition implies not to steal in public with violence, in contrast to verse 11 where it is referring to stealing that is done in secret.

The third prohibition implies not delaying the payment of a worker, longer than agreed. That crime is considered as if the soul of the worker was taken.

Seeing so many prohibitions against theft, we understand the seriousness of this sin in HaShem’s eyes. Theft produces a curse for those who practice it, as it is written in Zechariah 5:1-4:

“ I raised my eyes again and looked, and behold a scroll that was flying. And he said to me: What do you see? And I replied: I see a scroll that flies; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits. Then he said to me: This is the curse that goes out on the face of the whole earth; surely everyone who steals will be destroyed according to what is written on the one side, and everyone who swears will be destroyed according to what is written on the other side. I will make her go out – declares HaShem of armies – and she will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who falsely swears by my name; and he will spend the night inside his house and consume it together with its wood and its stones.” (LBLA revised)

19:14 “ You shall not curse the deaf, nor cause a stumbling block before the blind, but fear your God; I am HaShem.” (LBLA revised) – There is a relationship between not mistreating the handicapped, the deaf and the blind, and the fear of HaShem. On the one hand, it means that by mistreating the weak, you are mistreating HaShem who created them. On the other hand, it has to do with an attitude of contempt in the heart that only HaShem knows. It is forbidden to belittle the weak at heart, take advantage of him, mock him or tease him. That is why he says “and you will fear your God”. HaShem sees the secret attitude of each one’s heart. And if someone fears HaShem he will not think badly of those who suffer some damage.

If we interpret this text on the allegorical, remez level , we learn that putting a stumbling block before a blind man can also mean giving bad advice to the ignorant. The fear of God is an antidote to this crime. He who knows that HaShem knows his thoughts is not going to take advantage of an ignorant man for his own benefit or to harm him.

Second Aliyah, 19:15-22

19:15 “ You shall not do injustice in the judgment; you will not favor the poor or honor the great, but with justice you will judge your neighbor.” (NASB) – This text is not speaking to any citizen in Israel, but to the judges. The citizen does not have the right to judge his neighbor, as it is written in Matthew 7: 1-6:

“ Do not judge so that you will not be judged. Because with the judgment with which you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, and do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when the log is in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn and tear you to pieces.” (LBLA)

The text of Leviticus 19:15 teaches us that the Torah was written, in the first place, for the judges of Israel. A judge cannot favor a poor man out of compassion if he has committed a crime. The social state cannot change justice. In the same way it is forbidden for a judge to honor a man who is great, in the sense of rich. If he changes his conduct or his sentence before a rich man because he has money or because he might have the power to harm him, he is a wicked judge. That attitude is also prohibited among citizens. If we honor a rich person only because of his economic status, and do not give the same honor to the one who is poor, we commit sin and make respect of persons, as it is written in James (James) 2: 1-9:

“My brothers, do not have your faith in our glorious Lord Yeshúa HaMashiach with an attitude of favoritism. Because if a man with a gold ring and dressed in luxurious clothes enters your synagogue, and a poor man in dirty clothes also enters, and you give special attention to the one who wears luxurious clothes, and say: You sit here, in a good place; and to the poor you say: You stand there, or sit by my dais; Have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and have you become judges with evil thoughts? My beloved brothers, listen: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He promised to those who love him? But you have despised the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you to court? Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called? If you truly fulfill the real Torah according to the Scripture: YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF, you do well. But if you show favoritism, you commit sin and are found guilty by the Torah as transgressors.” (LBLA revised)

“ with justice you shall judge your neighbor ” – This can be understood in various ways. First at the peshat level , simple, as we have mentioned before, so that a judge cannot take into account the economic status of the defendant when passing sentence. This sentence would serve to reaffirm what was said above.

The second way of interpreting this text is that the defendant must be considered innocent until proven otherwise by evidence and witnesses.

A third way of understanding would be that, in the case of doubt about a person’s conduct, their conduct should be interpreted in the most benevolent way, for not knowing exactly the reasons and motives behind that doubtful behavior that resembles a sinful conduct.

Never judge a person without having been in their situation. He who is benevolent in his way of treating his neighbor will receive a more merciful judgment before the tribunal of the Messiah.

19:16 “ You shall not gossip among your people; you will not stand still before the blood of your neighbor; I am HaShem.” (HNV revised) – The gossip is the one who hears a bad report from another and passes it on to a third party and then goes to the one who was slandered and reveals what was said about him. Even if what has been passed down is true, it is considered gossip, in Hebrew rehilut , and is forbidden by the Torah.

The root of the Hebrew word that has been translated as “you shall stand still” is amad , [7] and it means “to stand”, “to stand still”. So the meaning of this sentence is that you cannot stay still in the face of the danger of death of a human being, Jewish or not, if one has the possibility of saving him. Human life is so valuable that it is permissible to break almost every other commandment to save a single soul. However, in the event that your own life is in danger, there is no obligation to help the other.

This also implies that it is forbidden to remain silent if one can testify on behalf of another to save him from conviction before the beit din .

19:17 “ You shall not hate your countryman in your heart; you shall certainly rebuke your neighbor, and you shall bear no sin on his account.” (HNV) – Hatred in secret is forbidden. There are people that we don’t like without there being a logical reason to explain why. We just don’t like them. In those cases it is important not to leave room for that deceitful feeling of the heart, but to make a decision to love our neighbor even though we do not like him. HaShem is testing us with these people to see if we are willing to love without having favorable feelings towards our neighbor. Love is not simply an emotion, it is a decision to be kind to others, even without them giving me something beneficial in return.

The commandment to rebuke your neighbor is one of the most difficult. Nobody likes to reprimand or be reprimanded. The flesh within us is very proud and does not accept a correction, especially if it comes from one who is equal or inferior to us. However, it is important to take this commandment seriously to watch over the well-being of our brothers in faith. A mature and spiritual person appreciates a rebuke given at the right time because he knows that she can easily err even though she is mature. Therefore, he appreciates correction in order to improve his behavior and avoid mistakes that cause harm to HaShem’s name, himself and others.

There are some general indications that help us to fulfill this commandment correctly: [8]

1. He who sees another break a direct rule of the Torah must correct him, even if he knows that the other does not accept the rebuke.
2. If the sin committed by the other is not a direct prohibition of the Torah and the one who sees it is sure that he will not accept the rebuke, he should not correct him.
3. If the person who sees the other committing an offense does not know whether the other will listen to him or not, he should reprimand him even if he commits an offense that is not against a direct Torah law.
4. The commandment to rebuke another only applies when the other is a person who wishes to keep the Torah. It does not apply to a wicked person or one who openly despises the Torah, cf. Proverbs 9:8.
5. If the beit din is in a position to punish someone who breaks a prohibition, he is obliged to do so.
6. He who is obliged to correct another must do so until the transgressor is about to insult or hit him, cf. 1 Samuel 20:32-33.

“ and you shall bear no sin because of him ” – This text teaches us several things. First, if you rebuke your neighbor, you do not sin. Second, if you do not rebuke your neighbor, you will bear sin because of him, as it is written in Ezekiel 3:18-19:

“ When I say to the wicked: “You will certainly die”, if you do not warn him, if you do not speak to warn the wicked from his evil way so that he may live, that wicked man will die for his iniquity, but I will require his blood at your hand. But if you have warned the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness and from his wicked way, he will die for his wickedness, but you will have spared your life.” (LBLA)

In Matthew 18:15-17 it is written:

“ And if your brother sins, go and rebuke him alone; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, he takes with you one or two more, so that EVERY WORD MAY BE CONFIRMED BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell the congregation; and if he also refuses to listen to the congregation, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector.” (LBLA)

These texts show us that we have a responsibility to correct each other so that we do not bear sin for each other, as it is also written in Hebrews 3:12-13:

“ Be careful, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, to turn away from the living God. Before exhort each other every day, while it is still said: Today; lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (LBLA)

However, in order not to bear sin because of the reproof towards the other, it is important to consider several things. First, the rebuke should not be made in public, so as not to embarrass the one who sins, as the Master Yeshúa teaches us, “go and rebuke him alone”. However, there are cases when leaders have to be corrected in public by other leaders so that their sin does not set a bad example for the people, cf. 1 Timothy 5:19-20.

Second, we must guard our voice and words so that the rebuke does not harm the transgressor, cf. 2 Timothy 2:24-26.

If a person does not heed the first warning, one should find two or three witnesses to correct him more heavily. If he still does not want to repent, the case must be taken to the court of law, the beit din , here translated as “congregation” in the text of Matthew 18:17. If the transgressor refuses to heed the sentence of the beit din , he will be considered a gentile and a collaborator with an invading people, in other words, he is no longer a member of the congregation of the children of Israel.

In Matthew 7:3-6 it is written:

“ And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, and do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when the log is in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn and tear you to pieces .” (LBLA)

In order to correct another person correctly, one must be careful not to be guilty of the same crime. If someone is breaking a commandment without having done teshuva, repentance, he has a bad conscience that gives him a feeling of guilt. The feeling of guilt can be based on a reality, that one lives in sin, or on a lie, that one does not live in sin. In both cases the guilt tends to look for errors and sins in others. As one feels accused by his own conscience, by himself or by others, it is easy to project that feeling onto other people and point out and blame the mistakes of others. He who feels accused accuses others. There is also a tendency to seek self-justification in the sins of others who live a worse life than oneself. Both of these reactions, accusation and self-justification, are symptoms of a sick soul that has not experienced forgiveness for its sins.

However, the one who has first dealt with his own beam is not only in a position to correct his neighbor, but is obliged to do so when conditions are favourable. Yeshúa teaches us that after removing the log from one’s own eye, we must help the brother to be freed from his speck. But if the other is not a brother, but a dog or a pig, it is not worth throwing these holy pearls at him, because he would trample them underfoot and hurt us.

In the Talmud [9] it is written: “It is better to make a person recognize the truth for himself than to drive him into it with a hundred lashes.”

Whoever does not correct the misbehavior of their children commits a serious crime.

19:18 “ You shall not take revenge, nor bear a grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am HaShem.” (HNV revised) – Revenge involves returning the same bad deeds to someone who has done them. Resentment is not the same as revenge. Resentment is a feeling that someone has against another for having done something wrong.

Here is the second most important commandment in the entire Torah, as written in Mark 12:28-31:

“ When one of the scribes approached, he heard them argue, and recognizing that he had answered them well, he asked him: Which commandment is the most important of all? Yeshúa replied: The most important is: “LISTEN, ISRAEL; HASHEM OUR GOD, HASHEM IS ONE; AND YOU WILL LOVE HASHEM YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. ” The second is this: “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” There is no other commandment greater than these.” (LBLA revised)

In Yeshua’s time there was a discussion about who the Torah was referring to when it spoke of the neighbor. In Leviticus 19:18 it seems that the expression “your neighbor” only refers to “the sons of your people”, that is, it is limited to mean only the Israelites. But verse 34 shows us that the expression “the neighbor” is not limited to mean only the children of Israel but also foreigners, as it is written:

“ The foreigner who resides with you will be to you as one born among you, and you will love him as yourself, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt; I am HaShem your God. ” (LBLA revised)

However, love has to be shown first to those closest to you. He who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the stranger whom he has not seen. Love begins with those close to us and extends to all men, as it is written in 2 Peter 1:5, 7:

“ For this reason also, working with all diligence, add… to piety, brotherhood, and to brotherhood, love.” (LBLA)

In Luke 10:25-37 we find our Master’s answer to the discussion about who is a neighbor to a Jew, as it is written:

“ And behold, a certain interpreter of the Torah stood up, and to put him to the test he said: Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And he said to him: What is written in the Torah? What do you read in it?Answering he said, YOU SHALL LOVE HASHEM YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR OF HIM AS YOURSELF. Then he said to him: You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE. But wanting to justify himself, he said to Yeshua: And who is my neighbor? Answering Yeshúa, he said: A certain man was going down from Yerushalayim to Yerijó, and fell into the hands of robbers, who after stripping him and beating him, left, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side of the road. Similarly, also a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, he passed by on the other side of the road. But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and approaching, he bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and putting him on his own horse, he took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day, taking out two denarii, he gave them to the innkeeper, and said: “Take care of it, and everything else you spend, when I return I will pay you.” Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the one who fell into the hands of the robbers? And he said: The one who had mercy on him. And Yeshua said to him: Go and do the same.” (LBLA revised) And Yeshúa said to him: Go and do the same.” (LBLA revised) And Yeshúa said to him: Go and do the same.” (LBLA revised)

The Samaritans were hostile to the Jews, cf. John 4:9. This text teaches us that we must love all the other peoples of the earth. Your neighbor is that person in front of you, it doesn’t matter if he is from your town or a foreigner. Love should not be limited only to those who treat us well, as it is written in Romans 5:6-10:

“ Because while we were still weak, in due time the Messiah died for the wicked. Because there will hardly be anyone who dies for a just man, although perhaps someone will dare to die for the good one. But God demonstrates his love for us, in that while we were still sinners, the Messiah died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we will be saved through his life.” (LBLA revised)

Here we see that God’s love includes the weak, ungodly, sinners and enemies, and is manifested in that he gave his Son for all of them, as it is written in John 3:16:  

” For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” (LBLA)

Here it is not written that God loved only that part of the people of Israel that obeyed him, but that he loved the whole world. This includes both those who did not obey him within the people of Israel and those who are not of the Jewish people in the world.

The Torah teaches us about the love we should have towards the children of our own people, and towards the foreigner who lives among us, because these are the people towards whom we can immediately express our love. I can’t show love to the one I don’t know. Those closest to me are the ones who can receive my love, and I have a responsibility to strive to show love to them in the same way that I am doing to myself. If I love my neighbor I do not deceive him or take advantage of him; I am careful with his goods as if they were my own, and even more careful than mine; I do not harm him with my words, but I speak to him with respect and speak well of him; I do not keep my joy to myself, but share it with him and rejoice at his prosperity as if it were my own;

This scripture also teaches us that we should love ourselves. You cannot love others if you do not love yourself. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, neither more nor less. You cannot love your neighbor more than yourself, but only to the same extent. He who does not love himself is incapable of loving his neighbor. Love yourself, forgive yourself, speak well of yourself, take care of yourself, and do the same with your neighbor.

In Romans 8:32-35 it is written:

“ He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him grant us all things? Who will accuse God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? The Messiah Yeshúa is the one who died, yes, even more, the one who was resurrected, the one who is also at the right hand of God, the one who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of the Messiah? Tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ” (LBLA revised)

This scripture teaches us that Yeshua was delivered for ALL of us. The love of the Father, which is manifested through Yeshúa HaMashiach , is for each and every one of us in particular.

“Who will accuse God’s chosen ones?” – If you have been chosen by God to be the object of his love, who are you that you are accusing yourself? What right do you have to treat yourself badly if HaShem has forbidden the adversary to accuse you when you have repented of your sins? Romans 8:33 speaks against the adversary, who is the accuser of the brothers. If God, as the Supreme Judge, has justified you, declared you innocent, there is no accuser who can accuse you, because the final sentence has been passed. So who has given you the right to continue accusing yourself of your mistakes even after you have repented of them? If the adversary cannot accuse you, how dare you? Stop accusing yourself!

“Who is he who condemns?” – Refers to the Judge, who has the authority to convict, give a judicial sentence of conviction. As you have believed in Yeshúa’s atoning death, HaShem cannot condemn you. He cannot pronounce a condemnatory sentence against you because he has already judged you innocent based on your repentance and trust in the grace of the Eternal manifested in the redemptive work of Yeshúa. Then you dare to pass sentences of guilt against yourself? Stop using words like: “I’m useless”, “I’m not worth it”, “I’m not good for that”, “I’m so bad”, “I’m always wrong”, “I have a bad memory”, etc.! Those words do not agree with what the Just Judge has sentenced about you. He has declared you innocent and free of guilt. So don’t blame yourself or give room for feelings of accusation and self-condemnation. You shouldn’t even think badly of yourself. Love yourself, and receive the love that the Father has given you through his Son, and you will be able to love your neighbor as yourself.

Love of neighbor depends on how much we have understood of the love that the Father has for us, as it is written in 1 John 4:8:

“ He who does not love has not known God; because God is love.” (LBLA)

He who does not love himself does not know God. The source of our love is God. The more we know God, the more we will be able to love ourselves and our neighbor, as it is written in 1 John 4:19:

“ We love, because He first loved us.” (LBLA)

Our love depends on how much love we have received from HaShem. In other words, if we cultivate our relationship with Him, we will be able to receive his love, and thus be able to love our neighbor in the same way as we have been loved by the Father.

19:19 “ My statutes ye shall keep. You will not mate two different kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor put on a garment with a mixture of two kinds of material.” (NASB) – The Hebrew word that has been translated as “my statutes” is jukotai . It comes from juk which implies a commandment that does not have a clear and logical explanation. The prohibitions of the mixtures of animals, seeds and different types of material in the same clothes, are part of the chukot , statutes without explanation. This text teaches us that it is forbidden, among other things, to mix horses with donkeys to produce mules or mules.

The commandment not to sow two kinds of seed only applies in the land of Israel. The Misha tractate Kilayim deals with all the laws that have to do with different types of seed and specifies the distances allowed for sowing and planting.

When speaking of two kinds of material in clothing, it only refers to linen with wool, according to Deuteronomy 22:11, where we find the same commandment limited to linen and wool. An exception to this prohibition is the clothing of the high priest and the clothing worn by tsitsit which may contain a mixture of wool and linen. The reason is that those garments were instructed directly from HaShem.

19:20 “ If a man sleeps with a woman who is a hired servant of another man, but who has not been (fully) redeemed or given her freedom, there will be an inquiry; she will not put them to death, because she was not free of it.” (LBLA revised) – The Torah continues to speak of prohibited mixtures and in this case it has to do with a type of adultery. According to Rashi, this woman is a non-Hebrew woman, half slave and half free, appointed to marry a Hebrew servant, cf. the commentary on Exodus 21:4. Since she had not been fully redeemed she had not completed her kiddushin , the first step of the marriage covenant. For this reason this act is not considered adultery, and there will be no death penalty, only whipping.

19:21 “ And he shall bring HaShem his guilt offering to the entrance of the tent of meeting; he will bring a ram as a guilt offering.” (HNV revised) – This is one of the crimes that requires a guilt offering, asham .

19:22 “ And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, before HaShem, for the sin he has committed; and the sin that he has committed will be forgiven him.” (HNV revised) – Sin itself has no forgiveness, but it is the sinner who obtains forgiveness if there is repentance and bloodshed. The sinner is freed from sin, but sin is condemned in the death of animals, which serve as a shadow of Yeshúa HaMashiach ‘s death , which is the reality that casts that shadow.

Third aliyah, 19:23-32

19:23 “ When you enter the land and plant all kinds of fruit trees, their fruit is forbidden to you. For three years it will be forbidden to you; it will not be eaten.” (LBLA) – The root of the Hebrew word that has been translated as “forbidden” is arel [10] which means “obstruct”, “block”, “close”, “be uncircumcised”, cf. Exodus 6:12 “uncircumcised lips.” The Hebrew text literally says “and you will block its obstruction”, ve-araltem arlató , that is, the fruit of that tree you have to prohibit because it is blocked, or forbidden. It is not allowed to profit from the fruits of the trees during the first three years after planting. Even if it’s a commandment juk , the Torah offers a little explanation in verse 25: “so that their yield may increase for you.” (NASB) This commandment only applies within the land of Israel.

19:24 ” But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy to you, a praise offering to HaShem.” (Revised LBLA) – By gezera shavá , similarity of expressions, it is understood that this fruit should be treated in the same way as the second tithe, cf. 27:30. This means that only the owner and his family and those invited by him will be able to eat this fruit in the city of Yerushalayim. If he cannot take it there, he will have to sell it and spend the money in Yerushalayim on peace offerings and food. Today the fruits of the fourth year are redeemed with coins.

19:26a “ You shall not eat on the blood ” – The Talmud [11] shows how the expression “on the blood” can be interpreted in many ways:

• Do not eat the meat of an animal with its blood.
• Do not eat a dead animal while it still has signs of life, (with movements etc.).
• Not eating a sacrifice while its blood is still in the container to be sprinkled on the altar.
• Not eating the food that is normally offered to relatives who are in mourning, if the deceased has been executed by the Sanhedrin .
• The judges of the Sanhedrin have to fast during the day of the execution of the one sentenced by them.
• Do not eat gluttonously or obtain food by stealing and thus be executed as a “rebellious son”, cf. Deuteronomy 21:18-21.
• Do not eat before having prayed the morning prayer that maintains life (blood).

19:26b “ neither be diviners nor diviners.” (LBLA revised) – The first word, in Hebrew nachash , [12] has to do with guessing the future through certain events that occur, for example when a black cat crosses the street or when a mirror breaks. This commandment forbids superstition. Lavan practiced this sin, cf. Genesis 30:27 “I knew by divination.”

However, this practice is not the same as when a person obtains a revelation through the ruach hakodesh (spirit of prophecy) with the help of certain signs, cf. Genesis 24:14; Judges 6:37; 1 Samuel 14:9-10. This type of revelation is a form of lower prophecy, called nevuá ketana .

The second word, in Hebrew anan , [13] is related to oná , “season”, and has to do with the belief that certain days or hours bring good or bad luck for certain activities.

19:27 ” You shall not cut the ends of your hair in a circle, and you shall not damage the end of your beard.” (HNV revised) – According to Rashi, it is forbidden to equalize the temples with the area of ​​the skull behind the ears so that the circumference of the skull is peripherally rounded. The head has two parts, the face and the skull, which meet at the two temples. According to Gur Ariyé, the point of union between the face, along with the beard, and the skull, is what the Torah calls peat roshchem., “the corner of your heads”. The prohibition applies to cutting the sideburns in their entirety, that is, the hair from either temple, so that the head is hairless from the area behind the ear to the forehead. This commandment only applies to Jewish men. The tradition of letting the “pelles” grow does not come from the Hasidic Jews. The fact that Yemenite Jews wore long furs in their homeland is evidence that this tradition dates back to at least the time of the first temple.

The beard has five ends, two on each cheek, the two are at the top next to the head, and one on the shawl. According to Rambam, [14] the ban on cutting the edges of the beard only applies to shaving with a razor.

These commandments are given so that the Hebrew people will be different from other nations and especially so that they will not have the same appearance as the idolaters who used to shave their sideburns and trim the edges of their beards. The context speaks of not practicing divination and omens.

19:28 “ You shall not cut your body for a dead person, nor shall you make tattoos on yourselves; I am HaShem.” (HNV revised) – According to Rashi, the Amorites, in Hebrew emorim , cf. Genesis 14:7, they used to scratch their flesh as a sign of mourning when someone died.

Tattooing is prohibited.

19:29 “ You shall not degrade your daughter by causing her to become a prostitute, lest the land be given over to prostitution and be filled with corruption.” (LBLA) – It refers to a father allowing his unmarried daughter to have sexual relations with a man without first having made a marriage agreement with him.

19:30 “ You shall keep my Sabbaths and you shall hold my sanctuary in reverence; I am HaShem.” (LBLA revised) – The Sabbath is a sanctuary in time, in the same way as the temple is a place set aside for HaShem in space.

Rashi says that it was not allowed to enter the temple with a cane, with a belt of money, with shoes or with dust on the feet.

When one approaches the western wall of the temple, one should do so with reverence. At the time of leaving you should not turn your back to the wall right away, but walk a few steps back and then leave. One must also behave with respect in a synagogue or a house of studies that are like miniature temples.

19:31 “ You shall not become mediums or spiritualists, nor seek them to be contaminated by them. I am HaShem your God.” (HNV revised) – The Torah forbids all practices of spiritism and necromancy. The Hebrew word that has been translated as “medium” is ov , [15] which has to do with a person who calls the spirits of the dead, supposedly, so that they speak through his armpit. The Hebrew word that has been translated as “spiritualist” is “yidoní”, [16] that it has to do with a person who puts a bone of an animal, in Hebrew “yadua”, inside his mouth so that he speaks. Because of the name of this bone, the one who practices this is called Yidoní. Whoever practices any of these crimes will defile himself and HaShem will hate him.

19:32 “ Before gray hair you will stand; you will honor the elder, and your God you will fear; I am HaShem ” (HNV revised) – The Hebrew word that has been translated as “gray hair” is seivá , [17] which means “old man”, “gray-haired”. Refers to a man over 70 years of age.

The Hebrew word that has been translated as “old man” is zakén , [18] which means “old man”, “bearded man”. In this context it refers to one who holds a position of leadership within Israel. A man who has gained wisdom through Torah is also called a zaken . They deserve more respect than others. The way to show them respect is to stand before them, address them with respect, do not call them by their personal name without putting a title before them, do not contradict their words, etc.

An elder who teaches well must receive double honor, that is, not only receive these honors, but also be financially remunerated, as it is written in 1 Timothy 5:17:

“ The elders who govern well are considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work in preaching and teaching (of the Torah) .” (LBLA revised)

Fourth aliyah, 19:33-36

19:33 “ When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him.” (LBLA) – It is forbidden to mistreat a resident or a convert. Rashi points out that here it refers to a verbal outrage.

19:34 “ The foreigner who resides with you will be to you as one born among you, and you will love him as yourself, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt; I am HaShem your God.” (HNV revised) – Love for the resident must be the same as love for the Jew. HaShem is no respecter of persons. He loves everyone and for this reason he reaffirms this commandment with the words: “I am HaShem your God”, so that the love for the resident foreigner is for God’s sake. Israel was chosen to transmit HaShem’s love and salvation to the Gentiles.

Fifth aliyah, 20:1-7

20:3 “ I will set my face against that man and cut him off from his people, because he has given Molech one of his sons, thus polluting my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.” (HNV revised) – He who hands over his son to a pagan god profanes HaShem’s Name. HaShem wants our offspring to be for him, cf. Malachi 2:15. That is your purpose with the marriage. By giving one of your children to a demon, you are going against the total purpose of the creation of man and thus the Holy Name is profaned.

20:6 “ As for the person who goes to mediums or spiritualists, to prostitute himself after them, I will also set my face against that person and cut him off from among his people.” (LBLA) – Idolatry and occultism are considered as spiritual prostitution. It is the same as when a married woman unites with another man, thus violating the marriage covenant. The sin of adultery, both physical and spiritual, is deadly.

Sixth aliyah, 20:8-22

20:21 “ If anyone takes his brother’s wife, it is an abhorrent thing; he has discovered the nakedness of his brother. They will be childless.” (LBLA) – Yochanan ben Zecharya corrected Herod for having committed this crime and for this rebuke he was killed, cf. Matthew 14:3-11.

20:22 ” Keep therefore all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them, lest the land into which I bring you to dwell may vomit you out.” (NASB) – The Torah was first given to be kept in the Land of Israel. That is why there are commandments that do not apply outside the earth. Some commandments cannot be fulfilled in countries far from the land of Israel because there are very different natural and geological conditions there. For example, in summer you cannot see the stars if you are beyond the polar circles, because then the sun does not go down during the night. What time does Shabbat start in northern Sweden in summer, when the sun doesn’t go down? The commandment to live in huts on SukkotIt cannot be fulfilled in Sweden because at that time you can die of cold.

Those who live in the land of Israel are obliged to fulfill the commandments of the Torah so that the land does not vomit them out.

Seventh aliyah, 20:23-27

20:23 “ Furthermore, do not walk in the customs of the nation that I will drive out before you; because they did all these things, I hated them.” (NASB) – The peoples of the nations who were in the land of Israel before the coming of the children of Israel did all these immoral and hidden things. This is the reason they were expelled from the land of Israel.

20:26 “ You shall be holy to me, because I, HaShem, am holy, and I have set you apart from the peoples so that you may be mine.” (LBLA revised) – Holiness has to do with the relationship with HaShem and the distance from the customs of the Gentile nations.

20:27 “ If there is a medium or spiritualist among them, male or female, they must surely die; they will be stoned; His blood fault be on them.” (LBLA) – It seems contradictory that in the previous text, cf. 20:6, it only speaks of the penalty of caret , spiritual cutting, when here it speaks of the physical death penalty. Rashi says that when there are witnesses who warned before the transgression, the culprit is stoned. But if there was an intentional act without prior warning, he only receives the penalty of caret . Transgression that is committed unintentionally can be atoned for with a sin offering. Capital punishment is only applied if these three conditions are met:

• The commandment was intentionally transgressed.
• There were two or three witnesses who saw the act.
• There were two or three previous warnings about the seriousness of sin and its consequences.

If any of the last two are missing, the penalty of caret is applied , and if the transgressor did not sin intentionally, no punishment is applied to him, but he must only offer an offering of chatat to atone for his error.

Commandments 212–262 of the 613 are found in this parashah :

1. Command to fear father and mother, Leviticus 19:3.
2. Prohibition of turning to an idol in thought or word, Leviticus 19:4.
3. Prohibition of making an idol for oneself or for another, Leviticus 19:4.
4. Prohibition of eating the meat remains of an offering, Leviticus 19:6-8.
5. Precept to leave for the poor the corner of a cultivated field [ peá ], without harvesting it, Leviticus 19:10.
6. Prohibition of harvesting a field to its corners [ peah ], Leviticus 19:9.
7. Precept to leave the ears that fall [ léket ] to the poor at harvest time, Leviticus 19:10.
8. Prohibition of gathering the ears that fall [ léket ] at harvest time, Leviticus 19:9.
9. Precept to leave to the poor a part of the vineyard without harvesting, Leviticus 19:10.
10. Prohibition of harvesting all the fruit of the vineyard, Leviticus 19:10.
11. Precept to leave to the poor the grapes that fall [ péret ] at harvest time, Leviticus 19:10.
12. Prohibition of picking the grapes that fell [ péret ] at harvest time, Leviticus 19:10.
13. The prohibition of stealing, Leviticus 19:11.
14. Prohibition of denying its owner any object that is in our possession, Leviticus 19:11.
15. Prohibition of swearing on false testimony concerning an object of value, Leviticus 19:11.
16. False swearing prohibited, Leviticus 19:12.
17. Prohibition of retaining any object belonging to another person, Leviticus 19:13.
18. The prohibition of assault [robbing with violence], Leviticus 19:13.
19. Prohibition of withholding a worker’s pay, Leviticus 19:13.
20. Prohibition of cursing a Jew, whether male or female, Leviticus 19:14.
21. Prohibition of giving harmful advice to another, causing him to err, Leviticus 19:14.
22. Prohibition for a judge to pervert judgment, Leviticus 19:15.
23. Prohibition for a judge to honor a prominent person during a trial, Leviticus 19:15.
24. Command the judge to judge correctly, Leviticus 19:15.
25. Prohibition of speaking ill of a Jew, Leviticus 19:16.
26. Prohibition of not helping a Jew when he is in danger, Leviticus 19:16.
27. Prohibition of hating a Jewish brother, Leviticus 19:17.
28. The command to admonish a Jew when he acts wrongly, Leviticus 19:17.
29. Prohibition of shaming a Jew, Leviticus 19:1 7.
30. Prohibition of taking revenge, Leviticus 19:18.
31. Prohibition of holding grudges, Leviticus 19:18.
32. Precept to love your neighbor, Leviticus 19:18.
33. Prohibition of crossing two animals of different species, Leviticus 19:19.
34. Prohibition of sowing two kinds of seeds together, Leviticus 19:19.
35. Prohibition of eating of the fruits of a tree the first three years, Leviticus 19:23.
36. Precept relative to the fruit of a tree in the fourth year, Leviticus 19:23-24.
37. Prohibition of eating or drinking in the manner of a glutton or a drunkard, Leviticus 19:26.
38. Prohibition of heeding omens, Leviticus 19:26.
39. Prohibition of making divinatory forecasts, Leviticus 19:26.
40. Prohibition of shaving the extremities of the hair of the head, Leviticus 19:27.
41. Prohibition of shaving the ends of the beard, Leviticus 19:27.
42. Prohibition of getting tattoos, Leviticus 19:28.
43. Commandment to fear the sanctuary, Leviticus 19:24.
44. Prohibition of practicing spiritism of ov [medium], Leviticus 19:31.
45. Prohibition of practicing spiritism of yidoní [medium], Leviticus 19:31.
46. Precept to honor the Wise, Leviticus 19:32.
47. Prohibition of cheating with any kind of measure, Leviticus 19:35.
48. Precept that the scales, weights and measures are correct, Leviticus 19:36.
49. Prohibition of cursing father or mother, Leviticus 20:9.
50. Precept for the Court of Justice [ beit din ] to burn a deserving person, Leviticus 20:14.
51. Prohibition of following the customs of the emorim [Gentiles], Leviticus 20:23.