Re’eh “See”
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-
Re’eh is the Hebrew word for “see”, this is the name for the weekly Torah Portion reading for the Book of Deuteronomy starting in chapter 11 verse 26 and going through chapter 16 verse 17.
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 11 through chapter 55 verse 5.
The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of John in chapter 6 with verses 35 through 51.
Torah Portion Overview-
This Torah portion we get the commands of the three pilgrimage feasts, the feasts where Israel is commanded to go to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast; Passover/Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The feast of Passover, as we know, is a celebration of freedom and relationship. In it we remember our fathers who were enslaved and the freedom from that slavery with a feast! We take great joy in celebrating this day. The first Passover is found in Exodus 12 and consisted of the following commands.
First Passover commands:
The month of Passover is the first month (verses 1-2).
Take a lamb on the 10th day into your house for your family (verses 3-4).
Lamb without blemish from sheep or goats (verse 5).
Keep lamb until 14th day (verse 6).
Everyone kills their own lamb at twilight (verse 6).
Blood on the doorposts (verse 7).
Eat at night (verse 8).
None of the lamb is left until morning (verse 10).
If any left burn remainder with fire (verse 10).
Lamb is to be roasted on fire, not raw or boiled (verse 8-9).
Eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (verse 8).
Eat with belt on, sandals on, and staff in hand (verse 11).
Eat in haste (verse 11).
Memorial Feast commands:
Memorial feast on this day to the Lord (verse 14).
Eat unleavened bread 7 days (verse 15, 19-20).
On first day remove the leaven (verse 15).
If anyone eats leaven from the first to seventh day is cut off from Israel (verse 15, 19).
First day holy assembly (verse 16).
Seventh day holy assembly (verse 16).
No work but may prepare food (verse 16).
Keep Feast of Unleavened Bread (verse 17).
First month 14th day at evening until the 21st day at evening (verse 18).
Deuteronomy 16 gives a retelling of the Passover commandments.
Observe the month of Aviv because Yahweh brought Israel out at night (verse 1).
Sacrifice shall be from the flock or herd and must be sacrificed at the place He makes His name dwell (verse 2).
Eat no leavened bread with it (verse 3).
Eat unleavened bread seven days (verse 3).
Remember when you came out of Egypt (verse 3).
No leaven in any territory (verse 4).
No flesh of sacrifice from evening of first day sacrifice remain all night until the morning (verse 4).
May not sacrifice in your towns but only at place where He puts His name (verse 5-6).
Offer Passover sacrifice there in evening at sunset, when you came out of Egypt (verse 6).
Cook and eat at the place where He puts His name (verse 7).
In morning return to tents (verse 7).
Six [more?] days eat unleavened bread (verse 8).
Solemn assembly on seventh day (verse 8).
Do no work (verse 8).
There are some who believe that the law (Torah) has never changed and cannot change. However, a close examination of these commandments will show several changes.
(Addition) Verse 2 refers to the sacrifices being from the flock or herd. This is clarified in Numbers 28:19-23 and shows that festival offerings were added at some point. Obviously there were no such sacrifices during the first Passover. We do not know when they were added, however Exodus 12 does not mention them. It is of note that this sacrifice was to only be done at the place where He puts His name, that is, the tabernacle/temple in Jerusalem. From this we believe that these sacrifice commands were possibly not practiced until the temple.
(Change) Sacrifices are now to be done at the place where He puts His name, the tabernacle/temple, instead of their homes (verses 5-6).
(Change?) It seems that verse 6 changes the sacrifice from the day before they came out of Egypt to the day they left Egypt, from the 14th to the 15th. See also Numbers 33:3. Although this is not clear, it would explain the possible confusion around which day the Passover is to be celebrated. Why did Jesus celebrate the Passover the day before the Jewish leadership (Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12, 14, 16, Luke 22:7-8, 11, 13, 15, and compare with John 18:28, 39, 19:14)? To be clear, I don’t think Jesus was confused at all, but I am making the point that He did keep the Passover on the day before the Jewish authorities.
(Addition) Cook and eat at the place where He puts His name and then return in the morning to your tents, the place they were staying for the pilgrimage feast (verse 7).
There is a question of the use of “basal” (cook or boil) in Deuteronomy 16:7 which was prohibited in Exodus 12:8-9. I do not see a way that this verse in Deuteronomy can be speaking of the other sacrifices as it appears to speak directly of the Passover sacrifice “but at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt. And you shall cook it and eat it at the place that the LORD your God will choose. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents” (Deuteronomy 16:6-7, ESV). Because of the command to cook over fire, I do not believe this is an example of an evolved command but instead a command with missing information. It is my belief that there was an explanation for these “conflicting” commands that we are missing. I do not believe this is an actual contradiction.
Verse 8 seems to be confusing when it says to eat unleavened bread for six days. I take that to mean, in the context of the verses, six more days and I don’t see this as a change in the law or a contradiction.
Also see Leviticus 23:5-8, Numbers 9:1-5 and 28:16-18, 25.
Some might reply that yes, the law did change with some Passover regulations, however that was by design. They may argue that the Passover was always intended to be celebrated differently than the first Passover. And in that, I would agree! In fact, that is exactly the point I am trying to make. God Himself does not lie or change. Period. But mankind does change, and so do our circumstances. What is to be done when the worship of Yahweh is centralized around a new temple? Would not the worship also centralize around this temple? Would not the system change, if necessary?
It makes sense that when the temple was completed some sacrifices were added. Either way, this points to a planned changing of the law, as we have previously stated. As the worship of Israel changed with the creation of a temple so too did their sacrifices. They no longer offered their own Passover lambs, instead, the sacrifice was handled at the temple. This change makes sense and would help strengthen the people’s need for the temple and conjoin the feasts with the temple in an even stronger way. It is my belief that a God who knows everything, the beginning to the end, would thus have a law that can change and adjust as needed. As circumstances changed, so too, the law changed.
But what does this have to do with us? Why would I make this point? Because the worship changed after the destruction of the temple! We no longer have a temple to offer sacrifices at. We no longer have priests. This was all done according to the plan of God. The Almighty knew that the temple would be destroyed. We know this because Jesus prophesied that it would happen.
Matthew 24:1-2 (ESV)
“Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
In previous posts we have already pointed out that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:15-16, Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Peter 2:5) here on earth. Yes there is a heavenly temple (Revelation 11:19, 14:17) but here on earth we are the temple! Christ is our great High Priest in heaven (Hebrews 2:17, 3:1, 4:14). We are a holy priesthood that offers spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5, 9, Romans 15:16). Thus, of necessity, there was a change in the law! We no longer go to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts and offer sacrifices. Instead we look to Jesus as our Passover lamb!
1 Corinthians 5:7-8 (ESV)
“Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Christ is the lamb of God who has taken away our sins!
John 1:29 (ESV)
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
We do keep Passover, but we don’t focus on our past slavery in Egypt but instead on our slavery to sin! We don’t focus on the salvation from the death of the firstborn, but instead focus on our salvation from eternal judgement! Christ is our focus as we celebrate and keep the feast. Therefore, as we keep the feasts, let us focus on Him.
Luke 22:19 (ESV)
“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Deuteronomy 11:26 The blessing and curse of the law to be proclaimed
Deuteronomy 12:1 Destroy idolatry but worship Yahweh at His chosen place
Deuteronomy 13:1 False prophets or close relative, even a city that leads to idolatry, put to death
Deuteronomy 14:1 Do not shave head for the dead
Deuteronomy 14:3 Clean and unclean animals
Deuteronomy 14:22 Tithe laws
Deuteronomy 15:1 The Sabbath of years
Deuteronomy 15:7 Caring for the poor
Deuteronomy 15:12 Law of the bond slave
Deuteronomy 15:19 Firstborn of flock and herd belongs to the Lord
Deuteronomy 16:1 The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread laws
Deuteronomy 16:9 Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot) laws
Deuteronomy 16:13 Feast of Booths/Tabernacles (Sukkot) laws
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Isaiah 54:11 The Lord protects His servants
Isaiah 55:1 Come you thirsty, God will make a covenant with you
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
John 6:35 Jesus is the Bread of Life which came down from heaven and water for those who are thirsty
Bibliography
Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 216–218.
Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 241–244.
J. G. McConville, Law and Theology in Deuteronomy, vol. 33 of Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984), 99–110.
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