Shoftim - 4th Portion

Join me as we learn homage for Wednesday, the fourth Torah reading of parashat Shoftim, chapter 18, verse six. Yesterday we began by telling about the laws that the gifts that the coin was entitled to and that the Israelite had to give to the coin. Today we continue with the divisions that the priests would have, where they would get those gifts and where they would live. The chiyuv ya Levi, verse six. Vi chiyuv ya Levi me achas charecha. If however the Levi would come and he wishes to come from one of your cities. Mi kol Yisrael, from all of Israel. Asher hu gar sham that he lives there. Uva b'chol avas nafsho l'makom asher yivchar bo, and he will come whenever his soul desires to the place that God chooses to the side of the holy temple. What is this referring to? Rashi explains. This is referring to a coin. Yochal b'ven Levi vadai. You may think that this is talking about a Levi itself. How could some divert the verses talking about? Talmud learns. B'sheras, that's why it says the word afterwards, the next verse starts, b'sheras that he will serve. Meaning that he will bring sacrifices, that it's talking about a coin. Yotzei Levi'im she'einam l'sheras, this excludes Levites that they're not the ones to serve in the holy temple, that's not their job. Their job is to be on the perimeter, to protect, to sing and so on. B'chol avas nafsho b'sheras. Ba l'lamed al hakoin, this is talking about a coin, that if a coin wants to bring his own sacrifice. Bo makriv korbanos nidvaso b'fi umishmarto l'vado. This tells us that if a coin desires to bring a sacrifice, he does not have to wait until the two shifts to bring the sacrifice, he can on his own bring his own sacrifice. Davar acher, this is another teaching it's telling us as well. L'lamed al hakoin im ba b'yom ha'regel, this is telling of us about the kohanim that they come during the holidays. She'makrivin b'mishmar that they will then bring sacrifices all at the same time and according to their shift. D'ivdinan b'korbanos avos machamas regel. Meaning that there was a regular shift that went according to the 24 shifts according to their time. Those that came during the holiday, they would be the ones to be responsible to bring the the sacrifices that were bought brought because of the holiday. For example, Musaf Regalim, the additional sacrifices for the holiday. The Af al pi shenayim shulchan lechem, even though this today is not their shift to be working, still and all, they were the ones that brought the sacrifices that were part of the holiday. And this is what the Torah is telling us that there is the shift that does the regular common sacrifice that were brought for that day. And then the Kohanim that were not from that shift would do the extra sacrifices that were brought because of the holiday. As we see in verse 8, chelek kechelek kechelek, they may um they must they can eat equal por- must eat equal portions. Levad mim korban olah olis, which were sold by the heads. Rashi explains, what does this mean? Chelek kechelek kechelek melamed, shekol chelkim be'odesh, shechelkim be'odesh. This teaches us that all the Kohanim that were part of that shift when it came on the holidays, on the festivals, they would split up the hides that would come because of the holidays. V'siv'u v'siv'u ah basar se'idei chatos, so too when it came to the meat of eating the goats that were brought as a sin offering. Yochal, I would think that when it came to the holidays after the korban olah u'shlamim acharei haregalim kemo temidim u'shlamim u'shlamim u'shlamim u'shlamim that they should be equal also when it comes to the things that came because of the holiday. For example, the extra sacrifices that were because of the holiday. Tamud leimar levad mim korban olah olis, besides those that were sold by the heads, meaning besides those things that our forefathers, meaning as well that that they added in the times of King David and Samuel, she'oz nikpu mishmaros, which then they set shifts according to is for generations to come. And it's made that if kemachlokes al al zeh, like they all agreed, when you sell something, you agree that's yours and that's mine. Teil atah shabbat ra, you take your week, v'ani atah shabbat ani I And therefore, this also came during the festivals concerning the sacrifices that were not about the festivals. Meaning, one of the big differences of opinion when it came about, especially that could have been arguments that were hides that were for every animal. In fact, the Talmud tells us that many Kohanim were very wealthy because they were able to have all these hides of the sacrifices that they brought. Who gets the hides of that animal as well as the meat from the sin offerings? So, the regular sacrifices, this is what we're talking about during the time of the festivals, those that all Kohanim were equal about. However, when it came to certain Once the shifts were put in place, that's what the Torah tells us. Once the shifts were put in place, then when it came to whatever shift that was, you got that hide, you got that animal, whatever it was from your shift. However, when it came then to extra animals, that's when there was the division amongst all of them equally. Verse 9. Now, the Torah tells us about the difference between divination and prophecy, as we'll see. Verse 9. Ki atah bo el ha'aretz, as you're going to come to the land asher Hashem Elokecha noteen lach, that God is going to give you, lo tislumad miglaseiha ketai'vos ha'goyim, you may not learn and not study the abominations of those nations and to act like them. Rashi, lo tislumad aval lo temaid, lehavin ulehoide'a. However, the rabbis have to learn and understand to know and to apply it into Jewish law. Kelomar, lehavin ma'aseihem kemo kol Kohanim, you can learn from their actions and to realize how terrible they are. Ulehoide'a es levanachem to teach your children or students, leisas kach vekach, do not do so and so, she'zochri kagoyim, to know that this is the way of the non-Jews. Verse 10. Lo yimatzei vecha ma'avir beno uveito, there must not be among you anyone who passes his son or daughter baseich ba'eish, through the fire. Kosem kesamim, a stick diviner, one who consults any of these stick diviners. Me'onen omen anahash, a diviner of times, like knowing when to good time, or an illusionist. Menachesh umekhashef. Or a diviner who interprets omens, or a sorcerer. Rashi. And Rashi takes up with the tells us explains what each one of these are. Ma'avir beneiha va'eish, he have a passing through your children. That was the what we would call the Molech in the book Leviticus in the Torah readings of Acharei Mot and Kedoshim tells us about one shouldn't take his children and pass them through to Molech. And what would they would do is was wasn't that they actually burned them in the fire. two bonfires in both places and take the children in between the two bonfires. Not that they literally killed their children, but we're talking about over here that they passed them through to made their fires that were made for idolatry. Eizo kaisam, what does it mean a kaisam kasamim? The terminology over here, which is a stick diviner. So, Rashi explains as follows. Oichez beshmakli, eizo kaisam, what does it mean a kaisam? A diviner. Oichez beshmakli, a person who holds a stick. V'eimen eizo alech, should I go? Im lo alech, or shouldn't I go? He has his stick and he would it says in the Torah that the fellow would have his stick and he would look at his stick and say, "Should I go or should I not go?" And his stick would so to speak give him this divinity of of prophecy of how we should go. Me'onen. The word me'onen over here we call a diviner of times. So, Rabbi Akiva explains as follows. And Rabbi Akiva eimer, eilu neisayin, it's they're the ones that give it say "Oh, this is a good time, that's not a good time." She'eimer im ein a plain is yafeh lastil, this now is a good season to start. V'chakhamim eilu oichez einaim, according to the the rabbis, they explain that the word me'onen is an illusionist. Menachesh, which is Menachesh means that he looks at different things events that happen and based on those events he decide what will happen. So for example Rashi says people know if his bread falls out of his mouth while he's eating he says oh it's a bad sign maybe today is going to be a bad day for me. What we have seen is a deer running across of him my claim to be out there or stick falls from him and he uses events that happen in his life and he says this is a bad day this is a good day whatever maybe. Verse 11 the Hebrew cover a snake or scorpion diviner Shale Dave a diviner who uses his armpit the only or the word of only is as well that uses a bone or he has a diviner communicates with the dead the dead one that communicates with the dead Rashi let's see the Rashi tells us exactly what each one of the takes it apart. The word is a type of magician who brings together different types of animals or scorpions and scorpions to or other animals and brings them to one place through magic. Show your lives this is a type of magic where a person uses his armpit to be able to tell you the future. My list of mace and he's able to bring up the dead but base of his armpit and therefore you can hear through his armpit the voices of people who have passed on. The only The only is a a person who uses a bone of an animal called you doer. Take people in his mouth when he putting this bone from this animal called you doer in his mouth he articulates and speaks and says prophecies through it. The dead shall be some and seeking to the dead my love be safe initial be all guys if a person takes and asks from the head he takes the skull of a dead body and through magic speaks to the skull and the skull responds to him. Verse 12, "Ki save as a sham call say love." Because for God, this is an abomination all of these kinds of things. So, we call it a say love and call it a sham because of all these abominations, God was driving out the present occupants of the land of Israel before you because they practice these kind types of divinations. And therefore, the Torah Moshe concludes to the Jewish people, "Tamim ti amasham be wholehearted with God your God." What does this mean, tamim ti am? Rashi says, "Tamim ti amasham am." Oh, it makes missed the Rashi call I say love. I say call I love it doesn't say these that do all these things. Ella call I say love all those that do these. Call me a sham even if one of person does it, it's considered abomination. Tamim ti amasham meaning is be tamim is go sincerely with God. You should be complete and wholesome with God. Who said call I and look forward that I recognize that everything is dependent on God. Really suck it out I see this. Do not try to figure out what the future may bring. I call my Shiva call me miss anything that God brings upon you ex- accept wholesomely and sincerely. For us then, ti am when you throw your dependence on God, when you recognize and appreciate that everything comes from God, then God will be good with you and you'll be able to recognize and see that God is with you and you are part of God and completely dependent on God's ways. This concludes the fourth Torah reading of parsha shofetim.