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41 – Parashat Va’etchanan (וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן) – “And I Pleaded” – January 4th thru January 10th

Devariym (Deuteronomy) 3:23 – 7:11

Devariym (Deuteronomy) 3:23 – 3:29

  • 23. And I pleaded with El-Yahuah at that time, saying,
  • 24. O Adonai Yahuah, Thou hast begun to shew Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy mighty hand: for what el (elohiym) is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy might?
  • 25. I pray Thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Yardan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.
  • 26. But Yahuah was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and Yahuah said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter.
  • 27. Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Yardan.
  • 28. But charge Yahusha, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.
  • 29. So we abode in the valley over against Beyt Pe’or.

Devariym (Deuteronomy) 4

  1. Now therefore hearken, O Yashar’el, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which Yahuah Elohai of your fathers giveth you.
  2. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may guard the commandments of Yahuah Elohaykem which I command you.
  3. Your eyes have seen את what Yahuah did because of Ba’al Pe’or: for all the men that followed Ba’al Pe’or, Yahuah Elohayka hath destroyed them from among you.
  4. But ye that did cleave unto Yahuah Elohaykem are alive every one of you this day.
  5. Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as Yahuah Elohai commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.
  6. Guard therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear את all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
  7. For what nation is there so great, who hath Elohiym so nigh unto them, as Yahuah Elohaynu is in all things that we call upon Him for?
  8. And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this Torah, which I set before you this day?
  9. Only take heed to thyself, and guard thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;
  10. Specially the day that thou stoodest before Yahuah Elohayka in Chorev, when Yahuah said unto me, Gather Me the people together, and I will make them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.
  11. And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.
  12. And Yahuah spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.
  13. And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even Ten Devariym; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone.
  14. And Yahuah commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.
  15. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that Yahuah spake unto you in Chorev out of the midst of the fire:
  16. Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
  17. The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,
  18. The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
  19. And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which Yahuah Elohayka hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
  20. But Yahuah hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Mitsrayim, to be unto Him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.
  21. Furthermore Yahuah was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Yardan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which Yahuah Elohayka giveth thee for an inheritance:
  22. But I must die in this land, I must not go over Yardan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land.
  23. Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of Yahuah Elohaykem, which He made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which Yahuah Elohayka hath forbidden thee.
  24. For Yahuah Elohayka is a consuming fire, even a jealous El.
  25. When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of Yahuah Elohayka, to provoke Him to anger:
  26. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Yardan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
  27. And Yahuah shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither Yahuah shall lead you.
  28. And there ye shall serve elohiym, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
  29. But if from thence thou shalt seek Yahuah Elohayka, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
  30. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to Yahuah Elohayka, and shalt be obedient unto His voice;
  31. (For Yahuah Elohayka is a merciful El;) He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He sware unto them.
  32. For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that Elohiym created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?
  33. Did ever people hear the voice of Elohiym speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?
  34. Or hath Elohiym assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Yahuah Elohaykem did for you in Mitsrayim before your eyes?
  35. Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that Yahuah He is Elohiym; there is none else beside Him.
  36. Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee: and upon earth He shewed thee His great fire; and thou heardest His words out of the midst of the fire.
  37. And because He loved thy fathers, therefore He chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in His sight with His mighty power out of Mitsrayim;
  38. To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.
  39. Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that Yahuah He is Elohiym in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
  40. Thou shalt guard therefore His statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which Yahuah Elohayka giveth thee, for ever.
  41. Then Mosheh severed three cities on this side Yardan toward the sunrising;
  42. That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:
  43. Namely, Betser in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Re’uveniym; and Ra’moth in Gil’ad, of the Gadiym; and Golan in Bashan, of the Menashshiym.
  44. And this is the Torah which Mosheh set before the children of Yashar’el:
  45. These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Mosheh spake unto the children of Yashar’el, after they came forth out of Mitsrayim.
  46. On this side Yardan, in the valley over against Beyt Pe’or, in the land of Siychon king of the Emoriym, who dwelt at Chesbon, whom Mosheh and the children of Yashar’el smote, after they were come forth out of Mitsrayim:
  47. And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Emoriym, which were on this side Yardan toward the sunrising;
  48. From Aro’er, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto Mount Siy’on, which is Chermon,
  49. And all the plain on this side Yardan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.

Devariym (Deuteronomy) 5

  1. And Mosheh called all Yashar’el, and said unto them, Hear, O Yashar’el, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and guard, and do them.
  2. Yahuah Elohaynu cut a covenant with us in Chorev.
  3. Yahuah made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.
  4. Yahuah talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
  5. (I stood between Yahuah and you at that time, to shew you the word of Yahuah: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
  6. I am Yahuah Elohayka, which brought thee out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage.
  7. Thou shalt have none other elohiym before Me.
  8. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
  9. Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I Yahuah Elohayka am a jealous El, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me,
  10. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and guard My commandments.
  11. Thou shalt not take the name of Yahuah Elohayka in vain: את for Yahuah will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
  12. Guard the Shabbath day to sanctify it, as Yahuah Elohayka hath commanded thee.
  13. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
  14. But the seventh day is the Shabbath of Yahuah Elohayka: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
  15. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Mitsrayim, and that Yahuah Elohayka brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore Yahuah Elohayka commanded thee to keep the Shabbath day.
  16. Honour thy father and thy mother, as Yahuah Elohayka hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which Yahuah Elohayka giveth thee.
  17. Thou shalt not kill.
  18. Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
  19. Neither shalt thou steal.
  20. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
  21. Neither shalt thou lust after thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
  22. These words Yahuah spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and He added no more. And He wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
  23. And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;
  24. And ye said, Behold, Yahuah Elohaynu hath shewed us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that Elohiym doth talk with man, and He liveth.
  25. Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of Yahuah Elohaynu any more, then we shall die.
  26. For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living Elohiym speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?
  27. Go thou near, and hear את all that Yahuah Elohaynu shall say: and speak thou unto us את all that Yahuah Elohaynu shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.
  28. And Yahuah heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and Yahuah said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken.
  29. O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear Me, and guard all My commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
  30. Go say to them, Get you into your tents again.
  31. But as for thee, stand thou here by Me, and I will speak unto thee את all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.
  32. Ye shall observe to do therefore as Yahuah Elohaykem hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
  33. Ye shall walk in all the ways which Yahuah Elohaykem hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

Devariym (Deuteronomy) 6

  1. Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which Yahuah Elohaykem commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
  2. That thou mightest fear Yahuah Elohayka, to guard all His statutes and His commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
  3. Hear therefore, O Yashar’el, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as Yahuah Elohai of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
  4. Hear, O Yashar’el: Yahuah Elohaynu, Yahuah is One:
  5. And thou shalt love את Yahuah Elohayka with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
  6. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
  7. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
  8. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
  9. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
  10. And it shall be, when Yahuah Elohayka shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Avraham, to Yitschaq, and to Ya’aqov, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
  11. And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
  12. Then beware lest thou forget Yahuah, which brought thee forth out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage.
  13. Thou shalt fear Yahuah Elohayka, and serve Him, and shalt swear by His name.
  14. Ye shall not go after other elohiym, of the elohiym of the people which are round about you;
  15. (For Yahuah Elohayka is a jealous El among you) lest the anger of Yahuah Elohayka be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
  16. Ye shall not tempt Yahuah Elohaykem, as ye tempted Him in Massah.
  17. Ye shall diligently guard the commandments of Yahuah Elohaykem, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He hath commanded thee.
  18. And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of Yahuah: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which Yahuah sware unto thy fathers.
  19. To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as Yahuah hath spoken.
  20. And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Yahuah Elohaynu hath commanded you?
  21. Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Mitsrayim; and Yahuah brought us out of Mitsrayim with a mighty hand:
  22. And Yahuah shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Mitsrayim, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:
  23. And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He sware unto our fathers.
  24. And Yahuah commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Yahuah Elohaynu, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.
  25. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before Yahuah Elohaynu, as He hath commanded us.

Devariym (Deuteronomy) 7

  1. When Yahuah Elohayka shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Chittiym, and the Girgashiym, and the Emoriym, and the Kena’aniym, and the Perizziym, and the Chivviym, and the Yevusiym, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
  2. And when Yahuah Elohayka shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt cut no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
  3. Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
  4. For they will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other elohiym: so will the anger of Yahuah be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
  5. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their graven images with fire.
  6. For thou art an set-apart people unto Yahuah Elohayka: Yahuah Elohayka hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
  7. Yahuah did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
  8. But because Yahuah loved you, and because He would guard the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers, hath Yahuah brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Mitsrayim.
  9. Know therefore that Yahuah Elohayka, He is Elohiym, the faithful El, which guards covenant and mercy with them that love Him and guard His commandments to a thousand generations;
  10. And repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them: He will not be slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face.
  11. Thou shalt therefore guard the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.

Haftarah Va’etchanan (וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן) – “And I Pleaded”

Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 10:1-16

  1. Hear ye the Word which Yahuah speaketh unto you, O house of Yashar’el:
  2. Thus saith Yahuah, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
  3. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
  4. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
  5. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
  6. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Yahuah; Thou art great, and Thy name is great in might.
  7. Who would not fear Thee, O King of nations? for to Thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto Thee.
  8. But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.
  9. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshiysh, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
  10. But Yahuah is the true Elohiym, He is the living Elohiym, and an Everlasting King: at His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide His indignation.
  11. Thus shall ye say unto them, The elohiym that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.
  12. He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion.
  13. When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures.
  14. Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
  15. They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
  16. The portion of Ya’aqov is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Yashar’el is the rod of His inheritance: Yahuah Tseva’oth is His name.

Brit Ha’dasha Va’etchanan (וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן) – “And I Pleaded”

Ma’asiym (Acts) 17:22-31 & Romaiym (Romans) 1:18-32

Ma’asiym (Acts) 17:22-31

  • 22. Then Pa’al stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
  • 23. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the unknown Elohiym. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you.
  • 24. Elohiym that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Yahuah of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
  • 25. Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
  • 26. And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
  • 27. That they should seek Yahuah, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us:
  • 28. For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.
  • 29. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of Elohiym, we ought not to think that Elohiym is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
  • 30. And the times of this ignorance Elohiym winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
  • 31. Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.

Romaiym (Romans) 1:18-32

  • 18. For the wrath of Elohiym is revealed from heaven against all wickedness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
  • 19. Because that which may be known of Elohiym is manifest in them; for Elohiym hath shewed it unto them.
  • 20. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and divinity; so that they are without excuse:
  • 21. Because that, when they knew Elohiym, they glorified Him not as Elohiym, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
  • 22. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
  • 23. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible Elohiym into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
  • 24. Wherefore Elohiym also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
  • 25. Who changed the Truth of Elohiym into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amein.
  • 26. For this cause Elohiym gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
  • 27. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
  • 28. And even as they did not like to retain Elohiym in their knowledge, Elohiym gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
  • 29. Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
  • 30. Backbiters, haters of Elohiym, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
  • 31. Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
  • 32. Who knowing the judgment of Elohiym, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.