Parashah 48: Shof'tim (Judges) Deuteronomy 16:18 through 21:9

Shabbat shalom, mishpocah!  As always, you can find a synopsis of our weekly Torah portion on our website.

This week’s treasure:

Parashah 48: Shof'tim (Judges) Deuteronomy 16:18 through 21:9

Haftarah reading: Isaiah 51:12 through 53:12.

B'rit Hadasha suggested reading: Matthew 5:38-42; 18:15-20; Acts 3:13-26; 7:35-53; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 1 Timothy 5:17-22; Hebrews 10:28-31.

Remember, we’re in the process of discussing Moses' "last will and testament."  It was what he said the day he departed from the Israelites as they were making their Exodus through the desert.

In this parashah we see YHWH handing down further instructions to His people that still apply to us today, yet are - unfortunately - ignored by most. (Remember, ALL who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are HIS people!) Please read the following very carefully:

Deuteronomy 16: 18 "You are to appoint judges and officers for all your gates [in the cities] ADONAI your God is giving you, tribe by tribe; and they are to judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You are not to distort justice or show favoritism, and you are not to accept a bribe, for a gift blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of even the upright. 20 Justice, only justice, you must pursue; so that you will live and inherit the land ADONAI your God is giving you.

It's a sad commentary on our society to see our current judicial system ignoring this! We've thrown God out and are judging by man's laws today....

"You are not to distort justice or show favoritism" .... Whose justice - man's or God's? "...you are not to accept a bribe...." How many of our "worldly" judges and leaders are guilty of this? How many votes have been "bought" by our political leaders, and how many people have bribed their favorite candidates with money? "The land" YHWH promised His people was, of course, Israel at that time. But the thing is, "Israel" consists of all believers in YHWH who are all supposed to obey HIS commands for all time - and "their land" must be free of all "other gods" and idols and pagan ways....How much of America (or the world, for that matter) is free of pagan ways and "other gods"?

To get started, imply click on the link above to read our synopsis, and then read all of the Torah, Haftarah and Brit Chadasha portions outlined in our article.