Korach
Leviticus
6:8 – 8:36
This week’s portion is=
by Rabbi Barney Kasdan
Support
Your Local Messianic Shul=
P=
arashat Korach
is a notoriously famous section that records the rebellion as some priests
against the leadership of Moses.
Not surprisingly, this does not turn out well for the rebels. Subsequent to this sad episode, th=
ere is
a renewed call to support God's appointed leadership and religious structure
for Israel. While we would expect an exhortati=
on for
biblical submission and respect, some might be surprised at the focus of the
latter section of the parasha which deals with =
the
practical reality of the tithe. It
is unfortunate that the concept of tithing sounds so g=
oyishe
and churchy today. The fact is
that, like so many other practices, the gentile church adapted the tithe
concept from the Torah and the original Jewish customs of first century
Judaism. In the contemporary =
Jewish
community, we have long forgotten this mitzvah since the destruction of the=
Temple in 70 CE.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> However, every religious community=
seems
to agree that there is a fundamental need and requirement to support your l=
ocal
congregation. Of course, the =
modern
Jewish adaptation is not the tithe but synagogue dues and membership. Nonetheless, there are some vital =
truths
to be learned as we reflect of the ancient Torah practice.
In this parasha (specifically Bemidbar/Numbers
18:21-29) we see several valuable lessons for our own spiritual walk
today. "And to the sons =
of
Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in
return for their service.." (18:21). In ess=
ence,
the tithe gift was to express our gratitude to God. As our people understood the bless=
ings
from our Heavenly Father, the natural response would be to give something b=
ack
in return. Note that this is =
vastly
different from the pagan religions of the day that had sacrifices to appease
the wrath of their fickle gods. In
contrast, Israel
was commanded to give a tithe sacrifice as a response to God's goodness. The Hebrew word is informative reg=
arding
the essence of the tithe concept.
"Ma'aser" is from the word for=
ten/eser as is also reflected in the English
"tithe/tenth". It is
clear, therefore, the amount that the Torah speaks of. By definition, this gift to the te=
mple
and priests is ten percent of a person's income. It is technically a contradiction =
in
terms to say one can "tithe" five percent or two percent. While that may be a commendable gi=
ft to
God, it is not a tithe. The <=
span
class=3DSpellE>parasha actually uses two different terms in this
regard: =
ma'aser
(v.21) and terumah (v.28). This indicates that there are vari=
ous
gifts and offerings of varying amounts besides the ten percent tithe.<=
/o:p>
A broader
study of this concept reveals even more important detail. The rabbis noted =
that
there are essentially three different tithes in the Torah. The first, spoken here in the parasha, is what was called the "Rishon/first"
tithe. This was given to the
Levites for the Temple
upkeep as well as for their own financial provision. Remember, the Levites had no land =
or
occupational income beyond the tithes of the other 12 tribes. Beyond this =
Temple tithe was an "Oni/poor"
tithe for benevolence assistance for the stranger, orphan and widow given on
every third and sixth year (Deut.26:12).&n=
bsp;
This was the biblical version of the safety net reflected in our mod=
ern
Social Security.
Hopefully, our
synagogues likewise have a benevolence fund to share with those in need. There was a final tithe called the
"Sheni/second"
o=
ffering that was to be spe=
nt
in Israel
on the first, second, fourth and fifth year. While it was given as a sacrifice,=
the
Sheni was a beautiful picture of Jews rejoicing together in Israel.=
That is why it is still a great mi=
tzvah
to take trips to Isr=
ael
and spend your money freely to bless the land. The recent UMJC Shavuot Prayer Off=
ering
fits this paradigm nicely as our community could send a love gift to bless =
Israel =
and
specifically the messianic Jewish community in the Land. When all is added up, the Torah
observant Jew of biblical times gave about 24 percent of their income to HaShem for these purposes and this does not even incl=
ude
additional terumot/offerings beyond the various
tithes. It is interesting tha=
t some
believers struggle with the idea of ten percent when that would be quite a
discount.
With all t=
hese
details, please don't miss the simple yet profound principle of the
mitzvah. We give gifts back t=
o God
to express our gratitude for all He has done for us. We love because He first loved us =
(I Yochanan/John 4:19).=
Yet how practical our God is!
While expressing of love for Him through our tithing, the biblical
Jewish community would also provide for the ongoing development and maintanance of essential structures for our religious
life. The application of Parashat Koach is quite v=
ital in
our day. True, there have bee=
n some
adaptations in details since the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash
yet the principles can guide us today.&nbs=
p;
Some may object that this part of the Torah is impossible to keep. I would suggest that, while the
specifics of tithing are no longer in force, it is the only biblical princi=
ple
for modern Messianic Jews (and Christians) today. Many modern messianic synagogues d=
o not
charge membership dues out of respect for the freedom of the New Covenant.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> From my knowledge, most do n=
ot
pass a plate on shabbes for an offering either.=
Many find a suitable option with <=
span
class=3DGramE>a offering box at shul for=
our
modern tithe and offerings. W=
e are
a synagogue movement which means we also have the practical expenses of run=
ning
a shul.
If we are to be successful in our vision for a great Yeshua-movement
among our people, we believers above all will need to remember and observe =
the
principles of Parashat Kor=
ach. What a joy to give to God in respo=
nse to
His gifts to us! It is an ext=
ra
blessing that we can use our ma'aser not only t=
o give
praise to HaShem but to practically provide for=
our
local messianic shul. If we believe in the vision of Mes=
sianic
Judaism, we will naturally need to sacrifice to help build this new communi=
ty
in our local cities. When we
understand the prophetic promises of the Tenach
regarding our people, it should certainly be our blessing and privilege to =
give
for such an eternal cause. Ma=
y we
find a deeper joy and purpose as we support our local messianic synagogue. God
loves a cheerful giver (II Corinthians 9:7). Shabbat Shalom!<=
/p>
7-1-06
<=
o:p>