SHOFTIM_DEUTRONOMY XVI:18-XXI:9
The future conquest of the Promised Land required the structuring of command to govern the nation that was emerging. Years later, the prophet Shemuel would anoint the first king, Shaul, to begin the new stage of the monarchy. The figure of the king would serve to unify the 12 tribes and turn them into a nation. In this scheme of government, we find the person of the prophet as an integrating element. While in Egypt Pharaoh went to his magicians and sorcerers to confirm his actions or to interpret his dreams, as the book of Shemot attests, the Hebrew prophet represented the “conscience” of the collective, and had the power to admonish the king. and, in this manner, limit his unrestricted power. That is why we find the prohibition against all kinds of sorcery in our chapters.
The Tora mandates the selection of a king; however, the prophet Shemuel initially opposed this idea, claiming that the king would demand taxes and become an additional burden on the people. After all, the figure of the king somehow conflicted with the notion that God was the only king whose command was to be obeyed. On the other hand, the figure of the Navi, the prophet, is an integral part of Judaism’s teaching that every human leader is subject to evaluation and criticism.
This character never came into conflict with the Deity, because the prophet verbalized the moral imperative that the Tora commands. Just as the king had to come from the bosom of the people, a fact that in his time limited the authority of King Herod, who was an Ammonite, the prophet also had to be a son of the Hebrew people. He was an integral part of the fundamental leadership of the government. Although the prophet was the spokesman for God’s word, as manifested by the Gentile prophet Bil’am when King Balak asked him to slander and curse the Hebrew people, there is no doubt that each individual imprints his own style and each prophet leave a mark of his personality through his message.
The influence and respect exercised by the prophet also led to the betrayal of his vocation. The Tora warns that under certain circumstances false prophets may arise who will try to lead the people down the path of disobedience of the Mitzvot. The Tora emphasizes that divine instructions do not have a passing character and can serve as a test of the prophet’s authenticity when he points to a path other than that traced by God.
During the history of the Jewish people, some false prophets emerged who interpreted the Mitzvot as if they were a circumstantial code of ethics, which lacked absolute validity. Perhaps Shabetai Zvi – a character who described himself as Messiah provoked a period of tragedy for the people. By following his instructions, they stripped themselves of their goods in preparation for the revelation of this messenger of God, who would lead them back to the Promised Land. His leadership failed and he can be considered as one of the false prophets.
Why don’t contemporary prophets emerge? According to the Talmud, Chagai and Malachi conclude the period of the prophets. It is possible that this argument points to the fact that the Holy Scriptures, together with the explanations contained in the Talmud, constitute a complete and sufficient revelation that shows the right path, even in the present absence of prophecy.
MITZVAH: TORAH ORDINANCE IN THIS PARSHA
CONTAINS 14 POSITIVE MITSVOTS AND 27 PROHIBITIONS
- Deuteronomy 16:18 Appoint judges and officers in every Jewish community
- Deuteronomy 16:21 Do not plant a tree by the Altar
- Deuteronomy 16:22 Do not erect an idolatrous pillar
- Deuteronomy 17:1 Do not offer an animal with a blemish, even if it is a temporary strike
- Deuteronomy 17:10 Abide by what the Jewish Supreme Court dictates in every generation
- Deuteronomy 17:11 Do not disobey the word of the Jewish Supreme Court
- Deuteronomy 17:15 Naming a Jewish King
- Deuteronomy 17:15 Do not name a Jewish King who is not a native Israelite
- Deuteronomy 17:15 – A king should not accumulate more horses than he needs
- Deuteronomy 17:16 Do not reside in the Land of Egypt
- Deuteronomy 17:17 A king should not have too many wives
- Deuteronomy 17:17 A king should not accumulate excess gold and silver
- Deuteronomy 17:18 A king must write a Tora, in addition to the one that every Jew must write.
- Deuteronomy 18:1 The Levites are not to inherit land in the Land of Israel
- Deuteronomy 18:1 The Levites are not to partake of the spoils during the conquest of the Land of Israel
- Deuteronomy 18:3 To give the Kohen the shoulder, jaw and final stomach of an animal offering
- Deuteronomy 18:4 Separating Teruma from products
- Deuteronomy 18:4 To give the Kohanim the first shearing
- Deuteronomy 18:4 The Kohanim must serve in the Temple according to guards and in times of festivities they are to serve in unison.
- Deuteronomy 18:10 Do not practice divination
- Deuteronomy 18:10 Do not practice witchcraft
- Deuteronomy 18:10-11 Do not use amulets
- Deuteronomy 18:10-11 Do not consult a medium
- Deuteronomy 18:10-11 Do not consult a Yidon (magician)
- Deuteronomy 18:10-11 Do not attempt contact with a dead person
- Deuteronomy 18:15 Listen to every prophet of the generation unless he adds or reduces what is in the Tora
- Deuteronomy 18:20 Do not issue false prophecy
- Deuteronomy 18:20 Do not issue prophecy in the name of an idol
- Deuteronomy 18:22 Do not stop executing a false prophet and do not fear him
- Deuteronomy 19:3, 6, Preparing 6 Cities of Refuge
- Deuteronomy 19:13, 21 Having no mercy on the person who deals a mortal blow during a capital trial
- Deuteronomy 19:14 Do not falsely move your boundaries
- Deuteronomy 19:15 Do not judge based on the word of a single witness
- Deuteronomy 19:19 Asking the false witness what he tried to do to a victim with his testimony
- Deuteronomy 20:3; 7:21 Do not fear the enemy in battle
- Deuteronomy 20:5-7 Anointing a Kohen for war
- Deuteronomy 20:10 Behave in an Optional War according to the rules of the Tora
- Deuteronomy 20:16 Do not allow any of the 7 nations that inhabited the Land of Israel to live
- Deuteronomy 21:1 Do not destroy fruit trees during a siege, nor cause useless destruction
- Deuteronomy 21:1 Breaking the calf’s neck in the riverbed
- Deuteronomy 21:4 Neither ploughing nor sowing in the riverbed where the calf’s neck was broken
