Hear and Obey
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Please do NOT visit this
site on שַׁבָּת - Shabbat or on
the ‘מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts!
Please Note: On this page I will show the blessed four letter *“Memorial Name” of the
Almighty in Ivrit יְהוָה - YHVH, blessed
be His Sanctified Name, which we usually pronounce as “Adonai”
(LORD) or “HaSHEM” (The NAME). At all times please treat the
most blessed Name with Sanctity and when we even see the Name, יְהוָהwe should say, בָּרוּךְ
שֵׁם
קָדוֹשׁוֹ - Baruch Shem Kadosho -
Blessed be His Holy Name!
Important: The most blessed and
Sacred Name should ONLY be used during our daily תְּפִלָּה - Te’fee’lah (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה -Be’ra’chah (blessings) & during Torah
studies, but NEVER during a general worldly conversation!
Throughout this site I will
use any of the following three versions of the TaNaKh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), 3. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC).
Colour coded
details of the - TaNaKh: 1. Torah =
History & Law, 2. Nevi’im =
The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim
= all other Writings).
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Some minor alterations have been made relating to Names and Attributes having been corrected.
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Remember the following three truth’s from our beloved Tanakh!
“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 Elohim) which
I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2.
“This is My Name FOREVER, and this
is My Memorial to ALL Generations.” Shemot
- Exodus 3:15. (JPS).
“I am יְהוָה, that is My Name; and My glory will I not give to another”. Yeshayahu – Isaiah 42:8. (JPS).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens,
PhD.
“Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey the entire Torah My servant Moshe has given you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Torah depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
Introduction:
With this study we will first look at - Vayikra - Leviticus 22:31-33, that links words like ‘commandments’, ‘prohibition’, and ‘motive’ in three compact clauses:
“... keep My Commandments and do them; do not profane My Holy Name; I am יְהוָה - the LORD who sanctifies you and brought you out of Egypt to be your אֱלֹהִים (God)”.
The sequence makes obedience not merely a legal compliance but the
concrete means by which אֱלֹהִים
is publicly honoured and Israel’s identity is enacted.
Let us now
read Vayikra - Leviticus 22:31-33, more in a
close up manner. (JPS-1917):
First will be the Hebrew
verse, followed by the English
Translation:
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם,
מִצְוֺתַי,
וַעֲשִׂיתֶם,
אֹתָם: אֲנִי,
יְהוָה
31. “And ye shall keep My commandments, and do them: I am יְהוָה (the LORD).
וְלֹא
תְחַלְּלוּ,
אֶת-שֵׁם
קָדְשִׁי,
וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי,
בְּתוֹךְ
בְּנֵי
יִשְׂרָאֵל:
אֲנִי יְהוָה,
מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם
32. And ye shall not profane My Holy Name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am יְהוָה (the LORD) who hallow you,
הַמּוֹצִיא
אֶתְכֶם
מֵאֶרֶץ
מִצְרַיִם, לִהְיוֹת
לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים:
אֲנִי, יְהוָה
33. that brought you
out of the land of Egypt, to be your אֱלֹהִים God: I am יְהוָה (the
LORD)”.
Obligation: “Keep My commandments, and do them”, this stresses both knowledge/acceptance and embodied practice; ritual rules require action, not only assent.
Reputation: “Do not profane My Holy Name; but I will be sanctified among the children of Israel”, links Israel’s behaviour to אֱלֹהִים (God’s) public standing; the community’s conduct either reveals or conceals the holiness of אֱלֹהִים.
Motive: The final clause grounds the demand in divine action - אֱלֹהִים (God) sanctifies and redeems Israel, so obedience is framed as response to prior divine grace, not a work to earn favour.
Holiness is imputed and enacted: For אֱלֹהִים
is the agent who makes Israel holy, yet Israel’s conduct plays a role in
manifesting that holiness to the world.
The sanctity of אֱלֹהִים (God’s) Name is corporate and public; holiness
is a communal vocation with social consequences.
Covenant memory
(Exodus deliverance) functions as ethical leverage: recalling redemption
supplies the normative reason for fidelity.
Vayikra - Leviticus 22:31-33 reframes religious duty: keeping
commandments is not an isolated ritual task but the community’s means of
embodying and publicizing אֱלֹהִים (God’s) holiness. The verse calls for integrity in worship and life so
that אֱלֹהִים - God’s Name is honored among the people and
visible to the world.
“The Shema” command to
love אֱלֹהִים (God) and teach His words to one’s children, a central Torah
formulation linking obedience and continual mention of אֱלֹהִים (God’s) Name.
Davarim -
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (JPS-1917).
יִשְׂרָאֵל:
יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵינוּ,
יְהוָה אֶחָד
שְׁמַע
4 “Hear, O Israel: יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ (the LORD our God), יְהוָה (the LORD) is ONE”.
וְאָהַבְתָּ,
אֵת יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ,
בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ
וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ,
וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ
5 And thou shalt love יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ (the LORD thy God) with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
וְהָיוּ
הַדְּבָרִים
הָאֵלֶּה,
אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי
מְצַוְּךָ
הַיּוֹם-עַל-לְבָבֶךָ
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart;
וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם
לְבָנֶיךָ,
וְדִבַּרְתָּ
בָּם,
בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ
בְּבֵיתֶךָ
וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ
בַדֶּרֶךְ,
וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ
וּבְקוּמֶךָ
7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
וּקְשַׁרְתָּם
לְאוֹת,
עַל-יָדֶךָ;
וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת,
בֵּין
עֵינֶיךָ
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes.
וּכְתַבְתָּם
עַל-מְזֻזוֹת
בֵּיתֶךָ,
וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ
9 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.
Deuteronomy 6 is the central hortatory passage in the Davarim - Deuteronomy address that shapes Israel’s identity around covenantal fidelity. Its structure moves from imperative command to interiorisation to concrete domestic practice and finally to prophetic warning about forgetting. This chapter reveals ‘Theology’ (monotheism and covenant), ‘Ethics’ (obedience and love), ‘Pedagogy’ (transmission to children). Ritual markers such as (‘Mezuzah’, ‘Tefillin’), and social memory (remembering deliverance and avoiding assimilation).
Verses 1–3: Framing command, these statutes are given so that the people may live, multiply, and enter the land with long life.
Verses 4–5: The ‘Shema Israel’ and the call to love אֱלֹהִים – (God) the theological heart: absolute monotheism and wholehearted devotion.
Verses 6–9: Internalization and visible reminders placed these words on out hearts, teach them to children, and bind them, write them on the doorposts.
Verses 10–15: Warning against forgetting, prosperity can harden the heart; remember אֱלֹהִים – God who brought you out of Egypt.
Verses 16–19: Prohibition of testing and idolatry; and obedience as wisdom for the future generations.
Verses 20–25: Catechetical end, teach the next generation the reasons for the commandments and the story of redemption!
Verses 1–3: Statutes as life-giving
Devarim - Deuteronomy reframes the law: the commandments are not merely legal burdens but means of flourishing in the land. The verbs emphasize continuation: “Observe” and “do” so that you may live and increase. Covenant law is teleological, aimed at communal survival and blessing.
Verses 4–5: The Shema’ theology and devotion.
Deut 6:4 (Shema): “Hear, O Israel: יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ - the LORD our God, יְהוָה - the LORD is One.” This line functions as both a summons to attention and a compact confession of our complete monotheism. The verb “שְׁמַע” (Shema) demands cognitive assent and an embodied response.
Deut 6:5: Love אֱלֹהִים with all heart (לבב), soul (נפש), and might (מאד/מְאֹד). The triad expresses interiority (heart), life-force or personal identity (soul), and capacities or possessions (might - resources). Love here is active obedience and exclusive devotion of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of Hosts.
Verses 6–9: Interiorization, pedagogy, and material signs:
“These words that I command you today shall be upon your heart”, the law is to become internal moral formation, not only external compliance, we should be personally connected to our beloved faith!
The imperative is to teach “when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” makes Torah a constant conversation woven through our daily lives.
“Bind them as a sign upon your hand and let them be frontlets between your eyes”, this verse this points to embodied reminders tying thought and deed to covenantal truth.
“Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” being the basis for placing a mezuzah on our entrances and doors, etc, being very much a public declaration that you dwelling is shaped by Torah and obedient to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim!
Verses 10–15: Prosperity, gratitude, and danger of forgetting.
The text anticipates the ease of settling and material success, warning that prosperity may lead to spiritual amnesia. The antidote is remembrance: recall the hard bondage in Egypt and the divine act of redemption. Memory here is ethical formation, for gratitude unto אֱלֹהִים fuels obedience.
Verses 16–19: Testing and idolatry:
“You shall not put אֱלֹהֵיכֶם- יְהוָה- the LORD your God to the test”, echoes earlier wilderness motifs and forbids a presumptuous demand for signs. The following command not to go after other gods warns against syncretism and the moral consequences of imitation.
Verses 20–25:
A model for catechesis:
The chapter closes with an explicit model for how parents should teach and anticipate children asking “What mean these testimonies?” We sshould answer with the story of covenantal deliverance plus the linkage between אֱלֹהִים - God’s saving act and the duty to obey. Law and narrative are fused: memory of redemption legitimates law and shapes interpretation.
Theological core and relation to your study themes:
This chapter makes our law the practical program for repairing society; love, justice, and faithful living are the means by which the world is preserved and sanctified.
The chapter’s opening asserts the life-preserving aim of the commandments, obedience is not ceremonial but oriented to flourishing and survival.
The command to love אֱלֹהִים with whole personhood implies respect for human dignity, our devotion to יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים – the LORD God, manifests in ethical treatment of others.
While not named here, the orientation toward wholehearted devotion under girds charitable and just behavior expected of us the people of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim!
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In Conclusion, a Question to Deepen
the Conversation:
Which part of this Tanach study or possibly a
particular line or statement within it has touched you the most? And how
do you feel about spending more time studying our beloved Tanakh? I pray that
you are doing well as a faithful Hebrew, and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim willing you are
upholding as many as possible of our blessed Mitzvoth’s?
I am well aware that the modern world sadly
contains too many deviations as well as problems that seem to get in the way of our Hebrew
lifestyle. Yet worse than that, these days there are far too many enticements,
which can so easily throw many off track, and I know that has happened far too much.
Thus, if there are struggles that are taking place in your life, be it at this
or at any time, I am well aware that sadly it can often have a terrible and a
cruel effect upon your life?
Dear reader, please remember this, pray for
peace and solitude in your life, and then work on keeping as calm as possible
and learn to improve your life, for אֱלֹהִים, בָּרוּךְ
אֱלֹהִים - Bless Elohim, He is always there and
ready to help and guide you!
This site was originally set up for those who
needed to return to our blessed and wonderful faith, thus be wise and work on
your faith and pray at least three times a day, and always seek אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be
He, said the following via a number of our prophets...
“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD
of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. MEC).
And Remember ...
Enjoy your
Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!
אֲנִי יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה (the LORD your God); walk in My statutes,
and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall
be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - YaHVaH Elohim”. Yechezkel
- Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).
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“Hebraic Studies” motto
is as follows;
“The More
Torah, the More Life”,
For our Elohim is the One who gave us our ... Life!
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom (Peace)
of צְבָאוֹת-
יְהוָה(the LORD of hosts) be with you, and please always uphold our
blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat,
as well as the ‘מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Te’fee’lah’s (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and drinks, etc!
PLEASE NOTE:
If you need help I can email you special items to help you with whatever you
may need, etc! Just email me (using the link further below) and I will send it
to your email, without any follow up whatsoever, or any requests from me!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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