Ki Tetze “when you go out”
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Name and Readings-
Ki Tetze are the Hebrew words for “when you go out”, this is the name for the weekly Torah Portion reading for the Book of Deuteronomy starting in chapter 21 verse 10 and going through chapter 25 verse 19.
Prophets and New Testament-
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings come from the book of Isaiah in chapter 54 verse 1 through verse 10.
The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Matthew in chapter 24 verses 29 through 42.
Torah Portion Overview-
When reading this Torah portion we find something puzzling, or even shocking. We find that there are those who are excluded from joining with Israel and being adopted into the community!
Deuteronomy 23:1-8 (ESV)
“No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD. “No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD. “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the LORD forever, because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. But the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loved you. You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever. “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a sojourner in his land. Children born to them in the third generation may enter the assembly of the LORD.”
I have never known anyone who was harmed in the way mentioned in verse one, however, we must remember that it was a practice, during certain times in history, to make certain slaves eunuchs. Not only this but in warfare it is possible to be injured in such a way that this verse would apply to you. Were these laws about worship, that is, keeping those who were not whole out, or were the commands about the continued reproduction of Israel? If the issue were only about reproduction I would expect to see some provisions in the law differentiating between a man with one or two damaged testicles, for instance, and perhaps a man who already has children. However, the law does not distinguish at all. It is because of this that my current opinion is that this was about keeping them out of the tabernacle or temple. However we cannot know for certain.
Not only this, but the priests who were maimed or lame or handicapped could not serve at the tabernacle or temple. Some know that I have a close relative that has cerebral palsy. He is one of the strongest men I have ever known! The constant fight to do what we consider to be “easy” or “normal”, pain and fatigue that we rarely face, surgeries, he has faced so much adversity in his life! I have a lot of respect for his ability to fight and overcome! He is a true warrior! It has always hurt me that someone like him would be restricted from service in the tabernacle or temple.
Leviticus 21:17-23 (ESV)
“Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”
Why were these groups excluded? Why were they held back? The Hebrew word for “profane”, according to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew English Lexicon refers to pollution. Remember that many laws were about protecting sacred space and keeping it from being polluted. As an example, when a woman gives birth she has to be considered unclean for a certain amount of days. This is not because she has done something wrong, or that she is bad, or that she is less holy. Instead it is about her being in a state, because of childbirth, where she is “not in an ideal state”, or “outside of normal order” (because of the loss of blood and fluids). Remember that to the ancients they considered you to be “unclean” if you lost blood or semen. The uncleanness or pollution then is not about the spiritual state but the physical state. We can immediately see why these people would also be excluded. A person missing a testicle, for instance, would by their definition be outside of the norm (in this ancient way of thinking). These rules and regulations were about protecting sacred space, keeping it clean and in order. However, this was not to always remain this way! There was a promise that the lame would be healed.
Isaiah 35:1-8 (ESV)
“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.”
Notice here that the prophecy says that the blind, deaf, and mute shall be healed! This is exactly what Jesus did while He was here on earth! While He was here He spread the good news of His kingdom by healing many and casting out demons! Yeshua healed the lame, blind, mute, handicap, and lepers (also see Matthew 9:18-34, 12:22-32, 15:30-31, 20:29-34, 21:14, Luke 7:11-17, John 5:1-15, 9:1-7, 11:1-44, etc)! Indeed, it seems that this was the evidence that He used to show that He was the Messiah.
Matthew 11:4-5 (ESV)
“And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”
Do you remember how those with crushed testicles could not join with Israel? Well, it was prophesied that eunuchs, someone who had his testicles removed and was not “whole” would be accepted!
Isaiah 56:3-7 (ESV)
“Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” For thus says the LORD: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. “And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant-- these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
We can see them a shift. From outer temple to inner prayer! It was through Jesus Christ that this healing and change would come through the sending of the Holy Spirit. Those who were kept out are now to be accepted! The Holy Spirit dwells in us no matter our physical condition!! Salvation has come to all of us, and we are brought into God’s family.
Jesus healed some in the temple.
Matthew 21:14 (ESV)
“And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.”
The temple became a place of healing, where those who were blind saw the living God! Those who were deaf heard His voice! Those who couldn’t speak spoke of Him! This is what we look forward to! We look forward to healing but even more so we look forward to the day when we see Him, hear His voice, and speak His name!
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Deuteronomy 21:10 Marriage allowed of women taken in battle
Deuteronomy 21:15 Inheritance goes to the firstborn son not your favorite
Deuteronomy 21:18 The punishment of a wicked son
Deuteronomy 21:22 Hanged men not to remain on trees
Deuteronomy 22:1 Justice for unknown property
Deuteronomy 22:5 Law against cross dressing
Deuteronomy 22:6 Law about overconsumption, protection against injury on roofs, not mixing and tassels
Deuteronomy 22:13 Laws about false accusations of adultery, adultery, rape and incest
Deuteronomy 23:1 Restrictions from worship at the tabernacle/temple
Deuteronomy 23:9 Laws about war camp cleanliness
Deuteronomy 23:15 An escaped slave is free, no cult prostitutes, do not charge a brother interest, fulfill vows, and eating of neighbors grapes and grain
Deuteronomy 24:1 Divorce and return laws
Deuteronomy 24:5 Newly married man doesn’t serve, no livelihood in pledge, no kidnapping, and other laws about justice
Deuteronomy 25:5 Levirate Marriage
Deuteronomy 25:11 Justice laws and vengeance on Amalak
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Isaiah 54:1 The Lord will remember Israel and restore her
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Matthew 24:29 The return of Jesus
Bibliography
Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs, Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977), 320.
Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 295–297.
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