Deuteronomy-Chapter-14
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Please Note: Some
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of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been
corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye
shall NOT ADD
TO THE WORD which I command
you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT,
that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy
4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
In this chapter, the Torah moves from the external threats of
idolatry (Chapter 13) to the internal life of the Israelite. The central theme
is Distinction. Because
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Let us now read Deuteronomy Chapter 14: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah) - with Explanations under the verses.
The Prohibition of Pagan style Mourning:
Verse 1: “Ye are the children of
יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloheichem
(God): ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your
eyes for the dead.
Explanation: The relationship
between אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) and
Verse 2: For thou art a holy people unto יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha, and יְהוָה - the LORD hath chosen thee to be a treasure unto Himself, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.
Explanation: This is the
theological “why”. Holiness (Kedushah) implies being
set apart.
The Dietary Laws (Kashrut).
Verse 3: Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.
Explanation: The word To’evah (abomination) suggests that certain foods are spiritually incompatible with the soul of a holy person.
Verse 4: These are the beasts
which ye may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,
Verse 5: the hart, and the gazelle, and the
roebuck, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the
antelope, and the mountain-sheep.
Explanation: The Torah lists ten specific species of land animals that are permitted. These are all herbivores, notably excluding predators.
Verse 6: And every beast that parteth the hoof, and hath the hoof wholly cloven in two, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that thereof ye may eat.
Explanation: This provides the two physical signs for land animals: they must have fully split hooves and they must be ruminants (chew the cud). Both signs must be present.
Verse 7: Nevertheless these ye
shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that have the hoof cloven
in two: the camel, and the hare, and the rock-badger, because they chew the cud
but part not the hoof, they are unclean unto you;
Verse 8: and the swine, because it parteth the hoof but cheweth not
the cud, it is unclean unto you; of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their
carcasses ye shall not touch.
Explanation: These verses highlight animals that possess only one of the two signs. The pig is singled out because it is the only animal with split hooves that does not chew its cud, making it a “deceptive” animal in the eyes of the Sages.
Verse 9: These ye may eat of all
that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales may ye eat;
Verse 10: and whatsoever hath not fins and scales
ye shall not eat; it is unclean unto you.
Explanation: The signs for aquatic life are simple: fins and scales. This excludes all shellfish, crustaceans, and bottom-feeders like catfish.
Verse 11: Of all clean birds ye
may eat.
Verse 12: But these are they of which ye shall
not eat: the eagle, and the bearded vulture, and the ospray;
Verse 13: and the glede,
and the falcon, and the kite after its kinds;
Verse 14: and every raven after its kinds;
Verse 15: and the ostrich, and the night-hawk,
and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kinds;
Verse 16: the little owl, and the great owl, and
the horned owl;
Verse 17: and the pelican, and the carrion-vulture,
and the cormorant;
Verse 18: and the stork, and the heron after its
kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.
Explanation: Unlike land animals, the Torah does not give “signs” for birds; instead, it lists 20 forbidden species. Almost all are birds of prey or scavengers, reinforcing the idea that a holy people should not ingest "cruelty" or “death”.
Verse 19: And all winged
swarming things are unclean unto you; they shall not be eaten.
Verse 20: Of all clean winged things ye may eat.
Explanation: This prohibits most insects, with the exception of specific types of locusts (though the identification of clean" insects was later lost to many traditions).
Verse 21: Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself; thou mayest give it unto the stranger that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner; for thou art a holy people unto יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.
Explanation: An animal that dies on its own (nevelah) is forbidden. The final clause the prohibition of cooking a goat in its mother's milk is the Torah root of the separation of meat and dairy in Jewish life, preventing a cruel mixing of the source of life (milk) with the result of death (meat).
Tithing and Social Welfare:
Verse 22: Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which
cometh forth of the field year by year.
Explanation: This refers to Ma’aser Sheni (the Second Tithe). After the first tithe was
given to the Levite, the farmer set aside a second 10% to be eaten in
Verse 23: And thou shalt eat before יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha, in the place which He shall choose to set His name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha always.
Explanation: The purpose of this
tithe was educational. By bringing the family to
Verse 24: And if the way be too
long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it,
Verse 25: then shalt
thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thy hand, and shalt go unto the place which יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha shall choose;
Verse 26: and thou shalt
bestow the money for whatsoever thy soul desireth,
for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy
soul asketh of thee; and thou shalt
eat there before יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha, and thou shalt
rejoice, thou and thy household.
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim provides a
practical solution for those living far away. They can sell the produce and buy
food for a feast in
Verse 27: And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee.
Explanation: Because the Levites were dedicated to religious service and had no land, the community was responsible for their survival.
Verse 28: At the end of every
three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase in that year, and shalt
lay it up within thy gates;
Verse 29: and the Levite... and the stranger, and
the fatherless, and the widow... shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied;
that יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which
thou doest.
Explanation: Every third and
sixth year of the seven-year cycle, the “Second Tithe” became the “Poor Tithe” (Ma'aser Ani). Instead of eating
it in
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My Closing Message:
Chapter 14 teaches us that holiness is not found in a vacuum;
it is found in the kitchen, the marketplace, and the funeral home. By
controlling our appetite and being mindful of our mourning, we affirm our
dignity as “children of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim”. Furthermore, the tithing laws remind
us that the ultimate goal of holiness is kindness. We do not eat alone; we eat
with the ‘Levite’, the ‘orphan’, and the ‘widow’. Our personal holiness is only
complete when it fuels our communal generosity.
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