- Chapter 16: יו
- Chapter 17 יז
- Chapter 18 יח
- 6-8] Divided into shifts, or "watches"
- Chapter 19: יט
- Chapter 20: כּ
- Chapter 21: כּא
Chapter 16: יו
18-20] Judges and Shotrim
יח: שֹֽׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָֽׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק:
יט: לא־תַטֶּ֣ה מִשְׁפָּ֔ט לֹ֥א תַכִּ֖יר פָּנִ֑ים וְלֹֽא־תִקַּ֣ח שֹׁ֔חַד כִּ֣י הַשֹּׁ֗חַד יְעַוֵּר֙ עֵינֵ֣י חֲכָמִ֔ים וִֽיסַלֵּ֖ף דִּבְרֵ֥י צַדִּיקִֽם:
כ: צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָֽרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ:
18: You shall set up judges and law enforcement officials for yourself in all your cities that the Lord, your God, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people [with] righteous judgment.
19: You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show favouritism, and you shall not take a bribe, for bribery blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts just words.
20: Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may live and possess the land the Lord, your God, is giving you.
n18-20] Establishment of just courts Establish standing courts in every city, with a Sanhedrin for each tribe. In addition to judges, appoint officers, who would enforce the decisions of the judges, and would enforce standards of honest in the markets and streets, and summon common violaters to the court. These commandments are directed to the leaders of the nation(s), because their conduct has a powerful influence of the rest of the people, for good or bad (Sforno).
In addition, the decisions of the Sanhedrin must be obeyed for the Sages have been granted by G-d the power to interpret the Torah laws on a day-to-day basis. If there were to be a breakdown of respect for their interpretation, the downfall of the nation could not be far behind; such a breakdown would lead to anarchy with the Torah becoming fragmented into many Torahs (Ramban to 17:11).
n18] וְשָֽׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק—They shall judge... with righteous judgement. The mere appointment of personages to staff the courts is not sufficient; they must be qualified and righteous, so that they will judge honestly and correctly (Rashi). If the community has a hand in appointing unqualified judges, G-d holds them all responsible for the resultant perversions of judgement. [see below, regarding kings]
n19] לֹ֥א תַכִּ֖יר פָּנִ֑ים— Do not respect anyone's presence. ...treat everyone equally. If a judge shows more respect to one litigant, the other feels at a disadvantage. (Rashi)
n19] לֹֽא־תִקַּ֣ח שֹׁ֔חַד—Bribe Even if he accepts a bribe without obligation, it is impossible for a judge not to be swayed. His wisdom will be blinded and his attempts to speak justly will be perverted. (Rashi)
n20] צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף— Righteous righteousness shall you pursue. It is not enough to seek righteousness; it must be done through honest means; Torah does not condone the pursuit of a holy end through improper means.
21] No idolatrous tree - no tree - near the Altar of HaShem.
22] No pillar, which G-d hates.
**כא:** לֹֽא־תִטַּ֥ע לְךָ֛ אֲשֵׁרָ֖ה כָּל־עֵ֑ץ אֵ֗צֶל מִזְבַּ֛ח יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּֽךְ: **כב:** וְלֹֽא־תָקִ֥ים לְךָ֖ מַצֵּבָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׂנֵ֖א יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ:21: You shall not plant for yourself an _asherah_, [or] any tree, near the altar of the Lord, your God. 22: And you shall not set up for yourself a monument, which the Lord, your God hates.
n21-22] Forbidden trees and pillars אֲשֵׁרָ֖ה—idolatrous tree. A tree that is meant for worship, and any kind of tree near the Temple Altar, because it was custom of idolators to their temples to attract worshipers (Ramban) ...the Torah places it emphasis on what takes place inside the courts and synagogues, not on the beauty of the exteriors.
It is also forbidden to set up a pillar i.e. a single stone for any sort of worship—even for the worship of the true G-d. He hates stones since they had become associate with idol worship. For His service, G-d has specified an altar made of stones or earth (Exodus 20:21-22).
Chapter 17 יז
1] Blemish or any bad thing.
א: לֹֽא־תִזְבַּח֩ לַֽיהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ שׁ֣וֹר וָשֶׂ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִֽהְיֶ֥ה בוֹ֙ מ֔וּם כֹּ֖ל דָּבָ֣ר רָ֑ע כִּ֧י תֽוֹעֲבַ֛ת יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ הֽוּא:1: You shall not sacrifice to the Lord, your God, an ox or a sheep that has in it a blemish or any bad thing, for that is an abomination to the Lord, your God.
n1] כֹּ֖ל דָּבָ֣ר רָ֑ע—Any bad thing. The flow of the passages is: (a) The importance of proper justice ; (b) the intergrity of the Temple and the places of worship must be preserved, for a perversion of justice will lead to the disgrace of holy places in the guise of beautification; which will lead to (c) invalid animals being used as offerings, and stolen funds being used to purchase offerings. What is worse, the transgressors will insist that everything they have done is right and proper, because they did it for the sake of G-d's glory. Such are the wages of disregard for the righteous administration of justice.
2] What is evil?
ב: אִ֣ישׁ אֽוֹ־אִשָּׁ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַֽעֲשֶׂ֧ה אֶת־הָרַ֛ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה־אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לַֽעֲבֹ֥ר בְּרִיתֽוֹ:2: ...a man or woman who does evil in the eyes of the Lord, your God, to transgress His covenant,
n2] אֶת־הָרַ֛ע ... לַֽעֲבֹ֥ר בְּרִיתֽוֹ֬—What is evil ... to violate the covenant. Idol worship is the evil, the ultimate violation of G-d's covenant, for it constitutes a denial of His very existence. No obligation or threat can ever justify idolatory.
n3] אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־צִוִּֽיתִי—which I have not commanded you to worship (Rashi), even though they are my handiwork (Ibn Ezra). Sforno comments that this term refutes a common claim of idol worshippers, that the heavenly bodies have independent powers, since G-d commanded them to assume control over such matters as fertility, rainfall, health, and so on. In response to such erroneous beliefs, G-d says that He has not commanded them at all; rather He created certain spiritual or natural forces to serve particular functions, but they have no freedom or power to choose what they will or will not do.
n5] The idol has no power to save its worshippers, even in its own locale.
6] Witnesses
ו: עַל־פִּ֣י | שְׁנַ֣יִם עֵדִ֗ים א֛וֹ שְׁלשָׁ֥ה עֵדִ֖ים יוּמַ֣ת הַמֵּ֑ת לֹ֣א יוּמַ֔ת עַל־פִּ֖י עֵ֥ד אֶחָֽד:6: By the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall the one liable to death be put to death; he shall not be put to death by the mouth of one witness.
7] Destroy evil
ז: יַ֣ד הָֽעֵדִ֞ים תִּֽהְיֶה־בּ֤וֹ בָרִֽאשֹׁנָה֙ לַֽהֲמִית֔וֹ וְיַ֥ד כָּל־הָעָ֖ם בָּאַֽחֲרֹנָ֑ה וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ:7: ...and you shall abolish evil from among you.
n7] בִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ—And you shall destroy the evil from your midst The death penalty is not revenge against a criminal; it is intended to purge the national psyche of an evil that can infect others if left unchecked. (R' Zalman Sorotzkin)
8] Judgement
n8-13] זקן ממרא—The Rebellious Elder. It is inevitable that there will be differences of opinion on how to interpret the Written Torah and apply it to new situations. But if every point of view were to have equal legitimacy, disputes would multiply, resulting in many version of the Torah, each competing with the others. Therefore, the Torah provided for the Great Sanhedrin, which had the authority to resolve all disputes and whose decisions would be binding even on outstanding scholars, for a Jew must have faith that G-d guides the decisions of His devout servants (Ramban).
ח: כִּ֣י יִפָּלֵא֩ מִמְּךָ֨ דָבָ֜ר לַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט בֵּֽין־דָּ֨ם | לְדָ֜ם בֵּֽין־דִּ֣ין לְדִ֗ין וּבֵ֥ין נֶ֨גַע֙ לָנֶ֔גַע דִּבְרֵ֥י רִיבֹ֖ת בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ וְקַמְתָּ֣ וְעָלִ֔יתָ אֶל־הַ֨מָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְחַ֛ר יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בּֽוֹ:8: If a matter eludes you in judgment, between blood and blood, between judgment and judgment, or between lesion and lesion, words of dispute in your cities, then you shall rise and go up to the place the Lord, your God, chooses.
9] Judges
ט: וּבָאתָ֗ אֶל־הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ הַֽלְוִיִּ֔ם וְאֶל־הַ֨שֹּׁפֵ֔ט אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִֽהְיֶ֖ה בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֑ם וְדָֽרַשְׁתָּ֙ וְהִגִּ֣ידוּ לְךָ֔ אֵ֖ת דְּבַ֥ר הַמִּשְׁפָּֽט:9: And you shall come to the Levitic Kohanim and to the judge who will be in those days, and you shall inquire, and they will tell you the words of judgment.
n9] אֶל־הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ הַֽלְוִיִּ֔ם וְאֶל־הַ֨שֹּׁפֵ֔ט—To the Kohanim, the Levites and to the judge. In Judaism one cannot separate the "ceremonial" from the "legal".
n9] אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִֽהְיֶ֖ה בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֑ם&mdashWho will be in those days. God provides us with the leaders who are suited to the needs of the time.
11] Absolute obedience.
י: וְעָשִׂ֗יתָ עַל־פִּ֤י הַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יַגִּ֣ידוּ לְךָ֔ מִן־הַמָּק֣וֹם הַה֔וּא אֲשֶׁ֖ר יִבְחַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֑ה וְשָֽׁמַרְתָּ֣ לַֽעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר יוֹרֽוּךָ:יא: עַל־פִּ֨י הַתּוֹרָ֜ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר יוֹר֗וּךָ וְעַל־הַמִּשְׁפָּ֛ט אֲשֶׁר־יֹֽאמְר֥וּ לְךָ֖ תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֑ה לֹ֣א תָס֗וּר מִן־הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־יַגִּ֥ידוּ לְךָ֖ יָמִ֥ין וּשְׂמֹֽאל:
יב: וְהָאִ֞ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יַֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה בְזָד֗וֹן לְבִלְתִּ֨י שְׁמֹ֤עַ אֶל־הַכֹּהֵן֙ הָֽעֹמֵ֞ד לְשָׁ֤רֶת שָׁם֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ א֖וֹ אֶל־הַשֹּׁפֵ֑ט וּמֵת֙ הָאִ֣ישׁ הַה֔וּא וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל:
יג: וְכָל־הָעָ֖ם יִשְׁמְע֣וּ וְיִרָ֑אוּ וְלֹ֥א יְזִיד֖וּן עֽוֹד:
10: And you shall do according to the word they tell you, from the place the Lord will choose, and you shall observe to do according to all they instruct you.
11: According to the law they instruct you and according to the judgment they say to you, you shall do; you shall not divert from the word they tell you, either right or left.
12: And the man who acts intentionally, not obeying the kohen who stands there to serve the Lord, your God, or to the judge that man shall die, and you shall abolish evil from Israel.
13: And all the people shall listen and fear, and they shall no longer act wantonly.
14-20] King. Good advice.
יד: כִּֽי־תָבֹ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֔ךְ וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֣בְתָּה בָּ֑הּ וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֗ אָשִׂ֤ימָה עָלַי֙ מֶ֔לֶךְ כְּכָל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר סְבִֽיבֹתָֽי:14: When you come to the land the Lord, your God, is giving you, and you possess it and live therein, and you say, "I will set a king over myself, like all the nations around me,"
טו: שׂ֣וֹם תָּשִׂ֤ים עָלֶ֨יךָ֙ מֶ֔לֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְחַ֛ר יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בּ֑וֹ מִקֶּ֣רֶב אַחֶ֗יךָ תָּשִׂ֤ים עָלֶ֨יךָ֙ מֶ֔לֶךְ לֹ֣א תוּכַ֗ל לָתֵ֤ת עָלֶ֨יךָ֙ אִ֣ישׁ נָכְרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־אָחִ֖יךָ הֽוּא:15: you shall set a king over you, one whom the Lord, your God, chooses; from among your brothers, you shall set a king over yourself; you shall not appoint a foreigner over yourself, one who is not your brother.
טז: רַק֘ לֹֽא־יַרְבֶּה־לּ֣וֹ סוּסִים֒ וְלֹֽא־יָשִׁ֤יב אֶת־הָעָם֙ מִצְרַ֔יְמָה לְמַ֖עַן הַרְבּ֣וֹת ס֑וּס וַֽיהֹוָה֙ אָמַ֣ר לָכֶ֔ם לֹ֣א תֹֽסִפ֗וּן לָשׁ֛וּב בַּדֶּ֥רֶךְ הַזֶּ֖ה עֽוֹד:16: Only, he may not acquire many horses for himself, so that he will not bring the people back to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, for the Lord said to you, "You shall not return that way any more."
יז: וְלֹ֤א יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ֙ נָשִׁ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יָס֖וּר לְבָב֑וֹ וְכֶ֣סֶף וְזָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א יַרְבֶּה־לּ֖וֹ מְאֹֽד:17: And he shall not take many wives for himself, and his heart must not turn away, and he shall not acquire much silver and gold for himself.
יח: וְהָיָ֣ה כְשִׁבְתּ֔וֹ עַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֣א מַמְלַכְתּ֑וֹ וְכָ֨תַב ל֜וֹ אֶת־מִשְׁנֵ֨ה הַתּוֹרָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ עַל־סֵ֔פֶר מִלִּפְנֵ֖י הַכֹּֽהֲנִ֥ים הַֽלְוִיִּֽם:18: And it will be, when he sits upon his royal throne, that he shall write for himself two copies of this Torah on a scroll from [that Torah which is] before the Levitic kohanim.
יט: וְהָֽיְתָ֣ה עִמּ֔וֹ וְקָ֥רָא ב֖וֹ כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑יו לְמַ֣עַן יִלְמַ֗ד לְיִרְאָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔יו לִ֠שְׁמֹ֠ר אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֞י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּ֛את וְאֶת־הַֽחֻקִּ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לַֽעֲשׂתָֽם:19: And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord, his God, to keep all the words of this Torah and these statutes, to perform them,
כ: לְבִלְתִּ֤י רֽוּם־לְבָבוֹ֙ מֵֽאֶחָ֔יו וּלְבִלְתִּ֛י ס֥וּר מִן־הַמִּצְוָ֖ה יָמִ֣ין וּשְׂמֹ֑אול לְמַ֩עַן֩ יַֽאֲרִ֨יךְ יָמִ֧ים עַל־מַמְלַכְתּ֛וֹ ה֥וּא וּבָנָ֖יו בְּקֶ֥רֶב יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:20: so that his heart will not be haughty over his brothers, and so that he will not turn away from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, in order that he may prolong [his] days in his kingdom, he and his sons, among Israel.
n14-20] A king in Israel. Israel as a nation had three commandments once it was established in its Land:
(a) to request a king;
(b) eliminate the offspring of Amalek
(c) to build the Temple (Sanhedrin 20b)
Thus kingship is a desirable condition. However, ...they should have asked for a king who would lead them, inspire them, and set an example of selfless and wholehearted service of G-d. Instead they said they wanted a king merely to imitate their neighbours.
Is it G-d's goal for Israel that it be no different from any other nation, which aspires only for glory, wealth and conquest?
n16-17] רק—Only. Despite the desirability of having a king, it is essential that his values and conduct be Jewish, not an imitation of the surrounding nations (Ramban) Self-aggrandisement is typical of monarchs. They demonstrate their greatness by the number of their steeds, the size of their harems, and the bulging of their treasures. Not so a Jewish king. Because his glory was the glory of his nation, he was required to maintain the dignity of his office, but he had to curb his appetites and make an example of moderation and obedience to the Torah.
n19] וְקָ֥רָא ב֖וֹ כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑יו לְמַ֣עַן יִלְמַ֗ד לְיִרְאָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔יו לִ֠שְׁמֹ֠ר אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֞י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה—It shall be with him, ... and he shall read from it... Its contents and values should be with king all the days of his life. (Rashi). Thus he should read from it, and acknowledge the significance of it, and learn how to react to the events all the days of his life (Chatam Sofer).
Chapter 18 יח
אלֹא: ־יִֽ֠הְיֶ֠ה לַכֹּֽהֲנִ֨ים הַֽלְוִיִּ֜ם כָּל־שֵׁ֧בֶט לֵוִ֛י חֵ֥לֶק וְנַֽחֲלָ֖ה עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אִשֵּׁ֧י יְהֹוָ֛ה וְנַֽחֲלָת֖וֹ יֹֽאכֵלֽוּן: ב: וְנַֽחֲלָ֥ה לֹא־יִֽהְיֶה־לּ֖וֹ בְּקֶ֣רֶב אֶחָ֑יו יְהֹוָה֙ ה֣וּא נַֽחֲלָת֔וֹ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּר־לֽוֹ:1: There shall not be for the Kohanim, the Levites, the entire tribe of Levi, a portion nor an inheritance with Israel; the Lord's fire offerings and His inheritance they shall eat.
2: He shall have no inheritance among his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, as He spoke to him. בוְנַֽחֲלָ֥ה לֹא־יִֽהְיֶה־לּ֖וֹ
n1-8] Priestly gifts. The Torah continues with the privileges and duties of the leaders... the king, who is the temporal leader, but must be under the ultimate authority of the Torah and its Giver... the Kohanim, are the teachers of Torah [in addition to their duties at the Temple]. The Kohanim are not given a portion of land so that they can devote themselves primarily to spiritual activities. The Torah provides them their livlihood by assigning them gifts from the people.
1] Cities of the Levites
n1] חלק לנחלה—A portion The cities of the Levites were not considered an inheritance. They merely provided them with a place to live and a minimal amount of farmland, but were not a continuous province.
3] Levites due.
n3 הַזְּרֹ֥עַ וְהַלְּחָיַ֖יִם וְהַקֵּבָֽה—The foreleg, the jaw and the mawThe Kohanim received these parts from every animal that is slaughtered.
5] Minister in the Name of HaShem
ה: כִּ֣י ב֗וֹ בָּחַ֛ר יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ מִכָּל־שְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ לַֽעֲמֹ֨ד לְשָׁרֵ֧ת בְּשֵֽׁם־יְהֹוָ֛ה ה֥וּא וּבָנָ֖יו כָּל־הַיָּמִֽים:5: For the Lord, your God, has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand and serve in the name of the Lord, he and his sons, all the days.
{NOTE: I know this refers to the service at the Temple, however there were more Levites (and Kohanim) than was needed for the services at the Temple. In addition, we do not have the Temple any more. It made sense, especially in the spreading of the duties of teaching the Law, as was expressed in Jithro and the subsequent parasha in Deut, that the Levites would be spread amongst the people in their cities.}
6-8] Divided into shifts, or "watches"
ו: וְכִֽי־יָבֹ֨א הַלֵּוִ֜י מֵֽאַחַ֤ד שְׁעָרֶ֨יךָ֙ מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא גָּ֣ר שָׁ֑ם וּבָא֙ בְּכָל־אַוַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֔וֹ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה: ז: וְשֵׁרֵ֕ת בְּשֵׁ֖ם יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו כְּכָל־אֶחָיו֙ הַֽלְוִיִּ֔ם הָעֹֽמְדִ֥ים שָׁ֖ם לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה:6: And if a Levite comes from one of your cities out of all Israel where he sojourns, he may come whenever his soul desires, to the place the Lord will choose,
7: and he may serve in the name of the Lord, his God, just like all his Levite brothers, who stand there before the Lord.
n6-8 Moses divided the Kohanim into eight "watches [משׂמרות], or groups who would take turns performing the Tabernacle service. David and Samuel later increased the number of watches to twenty-four. Each Kohen would be "on duty" for about two week of the year. R' Hirsch explains why the Kohanim are referred to in this passage and elsewhere, as Levites. In the Wilderness the Kohanim were clustered near the Tabernacle and had minimal contact with the nation as a whole.l In Eretz Yisrael however, they would be scattered throughout the country, coming to Jerusalem only when their respective shifts performed the service. The rest of the year, however, the Kohanim share the Levite duty to guide the rest of the nation in the way of the Torah, but formal teaching and by personal example.
9-22] Prophecy - Act not according to abominations of the nations
n9-13] Prophecy It is human nature to want to know the future adn to utilise whatever means to successfully pursue that end. The Torah forbids us to copy the practices used by the nations to foretell events. To G-d, these practices are abominable... Jews are to have faith that G-d would give us whatever knowledge they needed and then we are to act upon it, with faith and loyalty.
The passage lists nine forms of sorcery. See Exodus 22:17; Leviticus 18:21; 19:26,31 and 20:2-7,27.
Some of the nine forms of sorcery can be used for healing and guidance. However, what is to prevent someone who learns such a form to not be tempted to use it for prophecy?}
n14-22] God sends His prophets to Israel Jews do not need to fear that these prohibitions against learning the future makes them inferior to their neighbours. God reassured us that He will send us prophets.
19] Prophet: speak in the name of G-d.
n19] אָֽנֹכִ֖י אֶדְר֥שׁ מֵֽעִמּֽוֹ—I will exact from him. G-d will impose the Heavenly death penalty for three sins:
(a) One who refuses to obey a prophet
(b) a prophet who does not act in accordance with his own prophecy
(c) a prophet who suppresses a prophecy that G-d commanded him to communicate
(Rashi)
{NOTE: There are many prophets in the world today, nearly all of whom are not acting in accordance with their own prophecies. That is an interesting dividing line between the people that are predicting things that are happening in the world today. The hypocracy of the vaccine pushers, the conflicting actions of many of the climate-change doomsayers, etc.}
22] If it occurs as he said, he is a prophet.
n21-22] Once he has proven himself a prophet, he need not prove himself every time he speaks... How to tell if the prophet is a fraud? If the supposed prophet predicts a certain event, and it does not come about, he is proven false.
{NOTE: Did Moshe Rabeinu ever prophesize? Does a leader need to be a prophet?}
Chapter 19: יט
21] Eye for an eye
n21] עין בעין—An eye for an eyeRefers to monetry compensation.
{NOTE: Ayin b'ayin, can also refer to seeing "eye to eye", as in agreeing or in harmony with one another.}
Chapter 20: כּ
Do not fear your enemies, because it is G-d Who fights for us.
Those unfit for battle are exempt from service.
Offer peace to our foes before the battle begins.
Do not destroy productive trees during a siege.
1] Battle. Do not fear for the Lord, your G-d, is with you.
n1-4] משׁוח מלחמה/The Kohen anointed for battle. His task is to proclaim the commandment that we must not lose heart, but trust in the salvation of the One for Whom we are about to fight(Sotah 42a). If we deal fairly with one another, we will not need to fear hostile enemies. (Rashi)
5-9] Relieve soldiers: house, vineyard, betrothed, fearful.
n5-9] Those unqualified to fight. Anyone not suited for combat should leave the field, lest his fear or lack of enthusiasm erode the moral of his comrades.
10-18] Offer peace - or annihilate males.
Except for the people on the land: Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hittite, Jebusite.
19-20] Do not destroy fruit trees
n19-20] Preservation of fruit trees. The Torah demans that we remian conscious of the need to maintain our regard for the general welfare and cleave to our love of goodness. If people try to remain good even at times that call forth their basest instincts, ...they will be able to perfect their character steadily (Chinuch).
n19] כִּ֤י הָֽאָדָם֙ עֵ֣ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֔הIs the tree of the field a man...? In war it is permitted to attack the soldiers of the enemy, butz a tree is not a soldier: why should Jews feel the need to deprive anyone of the tree's fruit? (Rashi)
Chapter 21: כּא
5] Kohanim serve HaShem (lovely phrase)
ה: וְנִגְּשׁ֣וּ הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֘ בְּנֵ֣י לֵוִי֒ כִּ֣י בָ֗ם בָּחַ֞ר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ לְשָׁ֣רְת֔וֹ וּלְבָרֵ֖ךְ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהֹוָ֑ה וְעַל־פִּיהֶ֥ם יִֽהְיֶ֖ה כָּל־רִ֥יב וְכָל־נָֽגַע:5: And the kohanim, the sons of Levi, shall approach, for the Lord, your God, has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the Name of the Lord, and by their mouth shall every controversy and every lesion be [judged].
9] Remove innocent blood from your midst
טוְאַתָּ֗ה תְּבַעֵ֛ר הַדָּ֥ם הַנָּקִ֖י מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ כִּי־תַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה הַיָּשָׁ֖ר בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה:9: And you shall abolish the [shedding of] innocent blood from among you, for you shall do what is proper in the eyes of the Lord.