Torah For Today

Ra’ey

Deut. 11:26 - 16:17

<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> These days, getting to Beth Messiah is a real challenge. I’m not referring to being t= ired in the morning or not feeling like coming to services. I am referring to al= l of the construction in the area! Many of the roads are being dug up and changed. While it may seem like the roads= are in disarray, the fact is that the day will soon come when it will all be finished and the traffic will flow smoothly. This week our Torah portion is abo= ut tearing down in order to build up. The portion begins the section of Deuteronomy devoted to statues and judgments which the Lord conveyed to Mos= es at Mount Sinai. Remember that the first three chap= ters are devoted to a short history of the Jewish people so that they would know= and appreciate how they arrived at the present situation. Chapters 4-11 explain= the attitude that one should have in serving the Lord and finally chapters 12 to the end of the book are the stature and judgments that they people are to l= ive by in the land which they are about to enter. Back in chapter six we learn that = we are to be absolutely loyal to God. When we declare the Shema - “Hear O Israel! The Lord our God= the Lord is One” we are saying that we are loyal to God; we will serve no other. Chapter 12 helps= us understand how we are to be loyal to God. The beginning of this week’s portion emphasizes the monogamous relationship that we are to have with God= and it emphasizes that there is a specific place of worship. We often take these commands= for granted because it is obvious that there is to be no “real” idolatry and that we have a “correct” place of worship. However, in the days when these words were first uttered, these truths were unique to the Jewish people. Without realizing it,= in our own culture today it is becoming more and more unusual to worship witho= ut idolatry!.

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T= he portion begins by commanding the Israelites to tear down pagan alters. It is interesting to note that God= is telling them not only to stay away from foreign practices but also to be pro-active in destroying pagan worship practices. What does this mean to us today? Obviously, we are not called to destroy all places of worship that we fi= nd to be offensive to the Word of God. However, there are two ways in which we should “tear down̶= 1; pagan alters. One way is in our interaction with people who do not know the Messiah and entertain religious practices that are wrong. Much idolatry is found in the idea= s that people hold rather than in actual statures and alters. We need to be prepar= ed to challenge “pagan “ ideas and conc= epts. The second way we “tear down” pagan alters” is to ask ourselves the question, “what do I need to destroy in my own life that is offensive to God?” I do think that a= ny of us on this side of heaven can say that we are always “idolatry free”. An idol is somet= hing that controls us. Sometimes our careers, spouses, hobbies, and other intere= sts can become an idol if we are not careful.&= nbsp; When God called Jeremiah as a prophet, he was told that he would pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant (Jer. 1:10). From time to time we all need to t= ake a personal inventory of our lives to see what needs to be rooted out. For som= e it is confession of sins; for others it is a needful lifestyle change. In 1 Cor. 5:7 we read that we shou= ld clean out the old leaven and be a new lump. In order to be what we really a= re in the Lord, we must first “tear down, destroy and overthrow”. = Then we can build and plant. Whether we are trying to tear down “pagan alters” in our lives or in the lives of others, may God give us wisdom and discernm= ent in our journey. Shabbat shalom!<= /o:p>

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