September 14, 2024: Parashah Torah Portion Ki Teitzei - "When You Go Out"

Shabbat: September 13th, 2024 at sunset until September 14th, 2024 at sunset.

Scriptures:

Torah Portion: Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19

Haftarah (Prophets): Isaiah 54:1-10

Brit Hadashah (New Covenant): Matthew 5:27-30; 1Corinthians 5:1-5

Restore Israel Team: Elihana Elia, Dr. Hadassah Elia & Devorah Silva

In this week’s portion, Moses returns to the immediate concern of life in the promised land by providing further laws to be enforced regarding civil life in Israel. In fact, Jewish tradition identifies no less than 74 of the Torah’s 613 commandments in this portion (more than any other), covering a wide assortment of rules related to ethical warfare, family life, burial of the deceased, property laws, the humane treatment of animals, fair labor practices, and honest economic transactions.

However, the part that is of particular interest, especially for me, Elihana, is found towards the end of the Parashah, and that is remembering Amalek, because this was my Bat Mitzvah portion. We read in Deuteronomy 25:17-19:

17 “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, 18 how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. 19 Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget." Deuteronomy 25:17-19

The parashah ends with the people being instructed to remember the deeds of Amalek who attacked the Jews when they were weak.

It's important to note that though, yes, we are called to forgive everyone, however we are not always called to forget what was done to us, so that we don't fall into the same trap, into the same issues again.

ADONAI instructs us that we must "blot out the remembrance of Amalek from the earth." To this day, a sofer (scribe) of the Torah, will test his quill by writing the word "Amalek" and then crossing out the word with one bold stroke and then vigorously scraping both the stroke and the offending name from the parchment:

The perpetual enemy of God is called "Amalek" (עמָלק), a name that begins with Ayin (symbolizing the eye) and whose value (in gematria) is 240 -- the same value for safek (ספק), the Hebrew word for doubt.

Amalek therefore suggests "the eye of doubt," or even "the severed eye" (the Hebrew verb מלקָ [Malak] means "to chop" or "sever" in reference to the "eye" of Ayin).

In other words, unbelief is a spiritual blindness that makes it impossible to see the path of blessing....

Unlike the doubtful Amalek, we walk in emunah (faith) with ayin ha-tovah ("the good eye") of trust. As it says in Matthew 6:22-23:

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matthew 6:22-23

Therefore, we must be wholehearted in our devotion to the truth of YESHUA that sets us free! "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36

YESHUA is the RIGHT HAND, the RIGHT ARM of the FATHER, who delivers us from all evil! He is the One who goes before us and fights for us!

"What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

And in the future, when we face Amalek in the war of Armageddon - Gog and Magog, based on the prophesies in Ezekiel 38, Isaiah 59:19-20 and Zechariah 12, we can rest assured that YESHUA will come! He will come, He will fight for us and He will reign, forever!

That's what the message of this song that I wrote "HE WILL COME", is all about!

"So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him." Isaiah 59:19-20

"15Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:

“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! 16The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;

the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!

17I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.” Psalm 118:15-17