To choose G-d, is to choose life. You should fear G-d, if ever there is a wicked and corrupt thought in your heart; for G-d will not excuse your evil deeds, and you will bring a curse upon yourself. You should be very careful to act according to G-d, never to stray from His Laws, that you should live and be Blessed with a good life.
Most people think with impunity and act carelessly, saying G-d will not harm them and their Judge is not Present. These people hate the Laws of G-d, for they are bothered by them and see the Word of G-d as a complication in their lives. They act casually with G-d, saying His Laws are unfair and unjust, and He is too tough on us. They tell themselves it won't matter if the Laws of G-d are abrogated, and His Judgement is not revered, for they mock G-d and nullify His Laws, that they might do whatever they want. It is thus that corruption is brought into the world and injustice bears its curse. For when people bring themselves to question G-d, and they don't revere the Authority of the Almighty, then in their rebelliousness they do what they want and are led by the decadence of their thoughts.
When people know G-d, to follow His Laws, they elevate themselves to a level of righteousness, that they should live in Uprightness. Matters are no longer seen with impunity, for these people See through the Eyes of G-d, and life becomes Holy. Just as they revere G-d, they act with reverence to one another, and just as they fear G-d, they wouldn't dare harm each other. They live with honor, for in G-d they find Comfort, and they act with courage, for in G-d is their Strength. The Torah is not a religion that obligates us with meaningless customs, it is a way of life, a government, that Judges us with Justice. Those who are without G-d, lead themselves into Lawlessness, but the Torah brings us close to G-d, that we should live with Confidence.
Not to make gods: "Hashem Said to Moses, 'So shall you say to the children of Israel, "You have seen that I Have Spoken to you from heaven. You shall not make [images of what is] with Me; gods of silver and gods of gold shall you not make for yourselves."'" (Exodus 20:19-20). "Hashem Spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you were hearing the sound of Words, but you were not seeing a likeness, only a sound." (Deuteronomy 4:12). "You shall greatly beware for your souls, for you did not see any likeness on the day Hashem Spoke to you at Chorev, from the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make yourselves a carved image, a likeness of any shape..." (Deuteronomy 4:15-16). G-d is not material; He Is Beyond the physical world. Like the spirit that is within us, He Is Beyond the dust of His Creations. To see dust as a representation of G-d, or even as gods, is a rejection of G-d and the spirit that is within us. People who see themselves as dust and bow down to physical things, have lowered themselves to a level of worthlessness and act without a purpose. If dust is all they're worth, then they'll remain only as the dust of death.
Beware of idolatry: "Beware for yourselves lest you forget the Covenant of Hashem, your G-d, that He Has Sealed with you, and you make yourselves a carved image... For Hashem, your Judge--He Is a consuming fire, a jealous G-d. ...[In exile] you will serve gods, the handiwork of man, of wood and stone, which do not see, and do not hear, and do not eat, and do not smell. From there you will seek Hashem, your G-d, and you will find Him, if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have befallen you, at the end of days, you will return unto Hashem, your G-d, and hearken to His Voice." (Deuteronomy 4:23,24,28-30). It is then that we will know G-d and live according to His Laws, and will have been Redeemed from the dust of our flesh to live according to the Spirit of our Judge, and the spirit that is within us. Don't be deceived by desires nor sated by pleasures, for only when we live according to G-d are we worthy of His Spirit; only then will we deserve the life we are Given.
Don't offer to gods: "One who brings offerings to the gods shall be destroyed--only to Hashem alone!" (Exodus 22:19). You shall not offer and devote yourself to anyone other than G-d. Just as it is Forbidden to serve the gods of others, it is Forbidden to serve other judges and other laws. Only Hashem is our Judge, and we will submit ourselves to none other than G-d. We will be loyal and faithful only to G-d, as we will serve our Judge, the only King and Ruler above us, and live only according to His Laws.
Not to be rebellious: "You shall not revile G-d, and you shall not curse a leader among your people." (Exodus 22:27). "You shall not test Hashem, your Judge, as you tested Him at Massah. You shall surely observe the Commandments of Hashem, your Judge, and His Testimonies and His Decrees that he Commanded you. You shall do what is fair and good in the Eyes of Hashem, so that it will be good for you, and you shall come and posses the good Land that Hashem Swore to your forefathers, to thrust away all your enemies from before you, as Hashem Spoke." (Deuteronomy 6:16-19). When Israel is Ruled according to G-d, to rebel against the government and the leaders of Israel, is a rebellion against G-d. It is Forbidden to hate G-d and curse the Judgement of His Laws, as this is an act of rebellion. Likewise, it is Forbidden to test and thus question the Authority of G-d, as this too is an act of rebellion. A person might question in order to understand and ascertain truth, in the pursuit of Justice, but if Judgement is executed Justly, according to the Laws of G-d, then it is considered an act of rebellion against G-d should someone reject the course of His Laws.
Don't seal a covenant and live like others: "Be vigilant lest you seal a covenant with the inhabitant of the Land to which you come, lest it be a snare among you. Rather you shall break apart their altars, smash their pillars, and cut down its sacred trees. For you shall not prostrate yourselves to an alien judge, for the very Name of Hashem is 'Jealous One,' He Is A Jealous G-d. Lest you seal a covenant with the inhabitant of the Land and stray after their gods, slaughter to their gods, and he invite you and you eat from his slaughter. And you take their daughters for your sons, and their daughters stray after their gods and entice your sons to stray after their gods!" (Exodus 34:12-16). "You will devour all the peoples that Hashem, your G-d, Will Deliver to you; your eye shall not pity them; you shall not worship their gods, for it is a snare for you." (Deuteronomy 7:16). It is Forbidden to seal a covenant or sign a treaty with the inhabitants of the Land Promised to us, "lest it be a snare among us," that we should pity them, to live amongst them and become like them. Their ways will not be tolerated, for only according to G-d can we live. All that is sacred to them will be destroyed, for only G-d Will Reign Supreme and His Sanctuary will we revere. We will devour our enemies, that no memory will be left of them amongst us, lest we become like them and become Banned like them, that we should suffer the curse of our rebelliousness.
Offer only in Temple: "And to them you shall say: Any man of the House of Israel and of the proselyte who shall dwell among you who will offer up a burnt-offering or a feast-offering, and he will not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to perform its service to Hashem--that man shall be cut off from the midst of his people." (Leviticus 17:8-9). You serve G-d only in His Sanctuary and offer to Him only in His Temple, when it will be built. To congregate and serve G-d in prayer, in order to elevate yourself spiritually, is acceptable outside of the Temple, just as one should read Torah wherever he may be, and live according to G-d in all he may do. However, you should know that your loyalties are to G-d, to His Temple, and to His Laws. There is a central representation of Authority, and this is embodied by the Temple of G-d, and practiced by the government of Israel, once the government rules according to the Torah. To lead yourself in other congregations, and say this is a representation of G-d, is tantamount to rebellion, since the Rule of G-d is centralized in Jerusalem and Judgement will be passed only through the government of Israel.
Be Holy: "Hashem Spoke to Moses, Saying: Speak to the entire assembly of the children of Israel and say to them: You shall be Holy, for Holy Am I, Hashem, your Judge. Every man: Your mother and father shall you revere and My Sabbaths shall you observe--I Am Hashem, your Judge. Do not turn to the idols, and molten gods shall you not make for yourselves--I Am Hashem, your Judge." (Leviticus 19:1-4). "You are children to Hashem, your G-d--you shall not cut yourselves and you shall not make a bald spot between your eyes for a dead person. For you are a holy people to Hashem, your Judge, and Hashem Has Chosen you for Himself to be a treasured people, from among all the peoples on the face of the earth." (Deuteronomy 14:1-2). Therefore we are obligated to be Holy before Hashem, our Judge, to perform His Commandments, to walk in His Ways, and to separate ourselves from others according to all that Hashem has Decreed for us. Those amongst us who lower themselves to act corruptly and separate themselves from G-d, must be separated from us, for they would lower us in the Eyes of G-d.
Blasphemer put to death: "The son of an Israelite woman went out--and he was the son of an egyptian man--among the children of Israel; they fought in the camp, the son of the Israelite woman and an Israelite man. The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name and blasphemed--so they brought him to Moses... They placed him under guard to clarify for themselves through Hashem. Hashem Spoke to Moses, Saying: Remove the blasphemer to the outside of the camp, and all those who heard shall lean their hands upon his head: The entire assembly shall stone him. And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying: Any man who will blaspheme his Judge shall bear his sin; and one who pronounces blasphemously the Name of Hashem shall be put to death, the entire assembly shall surely stone him; proselyte and native alike, when he blasphemes the Name, he shall be put to death." (Leviticus 24:10-16). When a person curses G-d and pronounces The Name in order to speak against His Judge, this is an act of rebellion and an attack against G-d. Just as one who strikes his fellow, to kill him with guile, so is this; as it is an upheaval before Hashem and a curse upon all who listen and do nothing in defense of their Judge, themselves, and their way of life. If a person is rebellious and seeks to denounce G-d, then this is a big sin, and could cause much harm in Israel. Therefore, it cannot be tolerated. Only you should use much caution when executing judgement, that a person not be killed unless his act is deserving of death.
Be wary of false prophets: "The entire Word that I command you, that shall you observe to do; you shall not add to it and you shall not subtract from it. If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or a dreamer of a dream, and he will produce to you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes about, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us follow gods of others that you did not know and we shall worship them!'--do not hearken to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of a dream, for Hashem, your Judge, is testing you to know whether you love Hashem, your Judge, with all your heart and with all your soul. Hashem, your Judge, shall you follow and Him shall you fear; His Commandments shall you observe and to His Voice shall you hearken; Him shall you serve and to Him shall you cleave. And that prophet and that dreamer of a dream shall be put to death, for he had spoken perversion against Hashem, your G-d--Who Takes you out of the land of egypt, and Who Redeems you from the house of slavery--to make you stray from the Path on which Hashem, your Judge, has Commanded you to go; and you shall destroy the evil from your midst." (Deuteronomy 13:1-6). Only that which G-d Commanded us, which is in the Torah; only that is the Word of G-d, which cannot be subtracted or added to. Anything else is merely the thoughts of man, and has nothing to do with G-d. If a person should try to lead Israel away from G-d, that His people should act freely and do whatever they want, even saying, "this is the will of G-d"--this is an act of rebellion, and is punishable by death.
Kill an enticer of gods: "If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is like your own spirit, will entice you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and worship the gods of others'--that you did not know, you or your forefathers, from the gods of the peoples that are all around you, those near to you or those far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth--you shall not accede to him and not hearken to him; your eye shall not take pity on him, you shall not be compassionate nor conceal him. Rather, you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be the first against him to kill him, and the hand of the entire people afterwards. You shall pelt him with stones and he shall die, for he sought to make you stray from near Hashem, your G-d, Who Takes you out of egypt, from the house of slavery. All Israel shall hear and fear, and they shall not again do such an evil thing in your midst." (Deuteronomy 13:7-12).
Destroy wayward city: "If, in one of your cities that Hashem, your G-d, Gives you in which to dwell, you hear, saying, 'Lawless men have emerged from your midst, and they have caused the dwellers of their city to go astray, saying, "Let us go and worship the gods of others, that you have not known"'--you shall seek out and investigate, and inquire well, and behold! it is true, the word is correct, this abomination was committed in your midst. You shall surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword; lay it waste and everything that is in it, and its animals, with the edge of the sword. You shall gather together all its booty to the midst of its open square, and you shall burn in fire completely the city and all its booty to Hashem, your Judge, and it shall be an eternal heap, it shall not be rebuilt. No part of the banned property may adhere to your hand, so that Hashem will turn back from His burning wrath; and He Will Give you Mercy and Be Merciful to you and multiply you, as He Swore to your forefathers, when you hearken to the Voice of Hashem, your Judge, to observe His Commandments that I command you today, to do what is Right in the Eyes of Hashem, your Judge." (Deuteronomy 13:13-19).
Kill idolater: "If there will be found among you in one of your cities, which Hashem, your Judge, Gives you, a man or woman who commits what is evil in the Eyes of Hashem, your Judge, to violate His Covenant, and he will go and serve other judges and prostrate himself to them, or to the sun or to the moon or to any host of heaven, which I have not commanded, and it will be told to you and you will hear; then you shall investigate well, and behold! it is true, the testimony is correct--this abomination was done in Israel--then you shall remove that man or woman who did this evil thing, to your gates--the man or the woman--and you shall pelt them with stones, so that they will die. By the testimony of two witnesses or three witnesses shall the condemned person be put to death; he shall not be put to death by the testimony of a single witness. The hand of the witnesses shall be upon him first to put him to death, and the hand of the entire people afterward, and you shall destroy the evil from your midst." (Deuteronomy 17:2-7). "...And the man that will act with willfulness, not listening to the Kohen who stands there to serve Hashem, your Judge, or to the judge, that man shall die, and you shall destroy the evil from among Israel. The entire nation shall listen and fear, and they shall not act willfully any more." (Deuteronomy 17:12-13). If a person sins, then he will be punished according to his crime. But if people are Lawless and defy G-d, refusing to live according to His Laws, then they will die--for their sin is that of rebellion.
No pagan customs and beliefs: "You shall not eat over the blood; you shall not indulge in sorcery and you shall not believe in lucky times. You shall not round off the edge of your scalp and you shall not destroy the edge of your beard. You shall not make a cut in your flesh for the dead, and a tattoo shall you not place upon yourselves--I Am Hashem." (Leviticus 19:26-28).
No sorcery: "When you come to the Land that Hashem, your G-d, Gives you, you shall not learn to act according to the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you one who causes his son or daughter to pass through the fire, one who practices divinations, an astrologer, one who reads omens, a sorcerer; or an animal charmer, one who inquires of ov or yidoni, or one who consults the dead. For anyone who does these is an abomination of Hashem, and because of these abominations Hashem, your Judge, Banishes [the nations] from before you. You shall be wholehearted with Hashem, your Judge. For these nations that you are possessing--they hearken to astrologers and diviners; but as for you--not so has Hashem, your G-d, Given for you. A prophet from your midst, from your brethren, like me, shall Hashem, your G-d, Establish for you--to him shall you hearken..." (Deuteronomy 18:9-15).
Don't turn to sorcery and harlotry: "Do not profane your daughter to make her a harlot, lest the Land become lewd, and the Land become filled with depravity. My Sabbaths shall you observe and My Sanctuary shall you revere--I Am Hashem. Do not turn to [the sorcery of] the ovot and yidonim; do not seek to be contaminated through them--I Am Hashem, your G-d." (Leviticus 19:29-31). The ovot and yidonim claimed to foretell the future through magical practices. Harlotry is a practice that cheapens people and degrades society. Both are degrading and pervert the sanctity of spirits. Like a drug, they lead people towards falsehoods and a false sense of reality, that entices them away from G-d and into a life of darkness.
Kill sorcerers: "You shall be Holy for Me, for I Hashem Am Holy; and I Have Separated you from the peoples to be Mine. Any man or woman in whom there shall be the sorcery of ov or yidoni, they shall be put to death; they shall pelt them with stones, their blood is upon themselves." (Leviticus 20:26-27). |
Laws of Israel 
For Israelis Ab...
(1) Posts