Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17 - 1 Samuel 20:18-42 - Luke 24:13-32

This week's edition of The Set Table contains:

Questions and Commentary on Shabbat Re'eh
Chayyei Yeshua - A Devotional Commentary on the Besora Reading
In Summary
Looking Ahead

Questions & Commentary on Parashat Re'eh

1. What amount was Israel supposed to tithe? How much are we responsible to tithe? Is their any limit on this amount? What is the connection between tithing and tzedaka (charity to the poor)? What should our attitude be in regard to giving? How is this passage connected to Matthew 6:22-23?

Rabbi Jonathan Kaplan

Traditional halakhic explanations of the tithes described in Torah have articulated a system of three obligatory tithes. Numbers 18:21-32 refers to the first tithe which consists of a tenth of one's produce which is given to the Levites who then give a tithe of their receipts to the priests. During the seven-year sabbatical cycle, there are two additional tithes. In the first, second, fourth, and fifth years, Israelites are to make a second tithe of a tenth of the remaining ninety percent. This tithe is to be set aside for their use in sacred feasts or converted to money to be used in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 14:21-27; Leviticus 27:30-31). In the third and sixth years they are to take a third tithe that is also known as the tithe for the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).

Medieval commentators rightly inquire about the relationship of this system of tithes to the preceding matter in our parasha about kashrut. For instance Rashi (followed by Ibn Ezra and others) ponders, "What is the reason this matter (the matter of the tithe) is beside this matter (the matter of a kid being boiled in its mother's milk; Deuteronomy 14:21)?" Equally compelling is the relationship of the section on the tithes to the material following it in the parasha on the giving of charity to the poor. One way to articulate the flow of material in this section is as follows:

14:22-27 The Second Tithe (Ma‘aser Sheni)

14:28-29 The Poor Person's Tithe (Ma‘aser 'Oni)

15:1-6   The Release of Debts

15:7-8   Charity

In this schema the giving of regular tithes, whether as a dedicated gift to ourselves and to the poor, leads to the radical economic practice of canceling debts every seven years. Such regular cancellation of debts does not do away with the problem of poverty but rather recognizes that "the poor are always in the land." Poverty is not a reality which society can escape but one we can address head on.  The practice of tithing cultivates in us the awareness of others, especially the poor. The command to tithe to the poor in the third and sixth year leads us logically "to be openhanded . . . to the poor and needy in your land" (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).

Yeshua reminds us that how we look upon our neighbors reflects who we are as people. He states this Torah teaching

The eye is the lamp the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Matthew 6:22-23

Indeed how we look upon our neighbor or if we are openhanded to the poor tells whether we are full of darkness or light.

2. What role does the Tzaddik play in the acquisition of Torah blessing as described in this week's parasha and understood through the teachings of Shaul (Paul)?

Tim Layne

This week's parasha emphasizes the blessings of Torah as conditional upon the fulfillment of mitzvot ("commandments") and warns of a potential curse promised to Israel if the nation would turn aside from Jewish law.

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28; NASB

Inasmuch as this principal extends not only to the nation but to individuals as well, Paul criticizes those who would attempt to rely on their religious observance as an evidence of personal righteousness. He writes;

Certainly all who depend on the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, "A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the book of the law."

Galatians 3:10; ISV

Since all have sinned and continue to fall short of God's glory . . .

Romans 3:23; ISV

Paul stresses that, while the nation has fallen short, our King-Messiah remains a complete Tzaddik, a wholly righteous individual who has become a conduit of divine blessing for his people Israel and all those who would attach themselves to him. On a personal level, the process of attachment to the Tzaddik involves a self-nullification, which is expressed in terms of death. This self-nullification becomes a participation in the martyrdom of the Tzaddik, and by extension, his resurrection as well. It is in this way Paul writes, "I no longer live, but the Messiah lives in me" (Galatians 2:20; ISV).

Paul teaches that Chasidei Yeshua (followers of Messiah) are like the dead who can neither transgress nor perform mitzvot (Romans 7:1). In this way we relinquish any merit derived from the performance of the commandments and recognize our righteousness and deeds of Torah as truly not our own but belonging to and an expression of our resurrected Messiah in us. We find our blessing in and through him who redeemed us from the Torah's curse (Galalatians 3:13). Every mitzva has become an opportunity to express and magnify Yeshua's life and holiness in this world. It is in our unification with the Tzaddik who lives through us that we now encounter the Torah's promise and blessing.

David Nichol

Luke 24:13-32 - Learning from the Master Himself!

Our passage contains an interesting story that appears as part of a series of mini-stories that take place as Yeshua's talmidim begin to realize that he has not remained dead.  These stories have special relevance in these weeks of consolation following Tisha be'Av, when we are reminded of God's comfort for his people.

In the aftermath of Yeshua's arrest, trial, and execution, two of the talmidim are traveling from Jerusalem to a town called Emmaus. Apparently, what had happened to Yeshua during Pesach was the talk of the town, for when a stranger approaches them and asks what they are talking about, they express surprise that he is unaware of the events (see Luke 24:18-21).

This stranger must have surprised them even more when he showed them from Tanakh how it was "necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory" (26, emphasis added).  No doubt they were most surprised of all when, after they invited him to stay with them for the night rather than travel on, this stranger turned out to be Yeshua himself! 

What can we learn from these most fortunate of disciples? It is notable that one of these men is obscure enough not to be mentioned elsewhere in the Besorot, and the other unnamed altogether. Why did they merit to be taught by the resurrected Messiah himself, rather than Yochanan or Shimon Kefa? 

Indeed, there are lessons we can learn from these otherwise undistinguished talmidei Yeshua. First of all, when a stranger on the road began to teach them the role of the Messiah from Tanakh, they did not dismiss him or rebuke him. It would have been plausible, as they were the ones who had known and followed Yeshua, and this traveler was clearly "out of the loop." To the contrary, their "hearts were burning within" them (32), and they accepted his teaching. They understood the importance of mentorship and had the humility and wisdom to accept teaching, even from a random person on the road.

Second, they followed the example of Abraham, Lot, and Rebekah in showing hospitality. When angels came as strangers to Abraham, a wealthy man, he showed them great respect and personally attended to their needs (Genesis 18:2-5). Lot would wait at the gate of Sodom to intercept travelers and provide a safe place for them to stay (Genesis 19:1), and Rebekah eagerly gave water to Abraham's servant, even watering his camels (Genesis 24:15-20). Had Cleopas and his companion not strongly urged this stranger to stay with them for the night, they might never have known his true identity.  Perhaps he did appear to others among his scattered followers, but they failed to care enough about a stranger's food and shelter, and so never knew! Perhaps having the eyes to see and recognize Yeshua for who he is requires an ability to see the needs of others and a willingness to offer comfort.

Thus, by humbly seeking teaching wherever it was found and sharing bread and shelter with a stranger, these two men merited learning from the master himself.

NEXT WEEK'S READINGS - PARASHAT SHOFETIM