This week’s Torah portion is a call for God’s people to come out of the World, to not be influenced by the wickedness, immorality, and ungodliness of this generation, and this present age, and these things are revealed to us beginning in Vayikra / Leviticus 18:1-5, א וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָֹה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: ב דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אֲנִי יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: ג כְּמַעֲשֵֹה אֶרֶץ-מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁבְתֶּם-בָּהּ לֹא תַעֲשֹוּ וּכְמַעֲשֵֹה אֶרֶץ-כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה לֹא תַעֲשֹוּ וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶם לֹא תֵלֵכוּ: ד אֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי תַּעֲשֹוּ וְאֶת-חֻקֹּתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ לָלֶכֶת בָּהֶם אֲנִי יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: ה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת-חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶֹה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם אֲנִי יְהוָֹה: 18:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18:2 ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your God. 18:3 ‘You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. 18:4 ‘You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the Lord your God. 18:5 ‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord. (NASB) Notice how the Lord God commands Moshe to tell the people specifically, כְּמַעֲשֵֹה אֶרֶץ-מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁבְתֶּם-בָּהּ לֹא תַעֲשֹוּ וּכְמַעֲשֵֹה אֶרֶץ-כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה לֹא תַעֲשֹוּ וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶם לֹא תֵלֵכוּ “You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes.” This idea of וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶם לֹא תֵלֵכוּ not walking in their statutes is an everlasting command that is just as relevant for us today as it was in the day that Moshe wrote this down! The reason God gave this command was to explain to us what Yeshua taught us according to Mark 7. It is not necessarily a sin to contract ritual impurity as Yeshua pointed out in Mark 7, the weightier matter is the impurities that come from the heart. Note, what Yeshua said doesn’t do away with the issue of ritual impurity if the temple existed today, one would need to follow what the Torah states otherwise one would be sinning before God. The point of our being made clean in the heavenly regions in the blood of the Messiah is that now we are called as His people to walk in that sanctification and so we should be asking ourselves now how do I walk/live in that sanctification? We do so according to the Torah! Note how this actually parallels following / walking in the footsteps of Yeshua. (Matthew 16:24, 1 Peter 2:21) It is unfortunate today however to observe how Christians have adopted a secular human world-view and are living their lives in a way that parallels the way of the world as if it was commanded וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶם תֵלֵכוּ “you are to walk in their statutes” as if the negative particle לֹא was missing. Examples of this are those who embrace the doctrine of demons such as “critical theory,” promoting and embracing LGBTQ lifestyles, liberal ideologies, and the “woke” gospel instead of the Gospel that is given us according to the Scriptures. What happens when one accepts these things, they worship idols instead of worshiping God, idols such as those in the form of celebrities, sports, politicians, and long for material wealth. Note if your heart longs for material things as opposed for the presence of God, this may be an indicator of having adopted these worldly things against what God had commanded (כְּמַעֲשֵֹה אֶרֶץ-מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁבְתֶּם-בָּהּ לֹא תַעֲשֹוּ וּכְמַעֲשֵֹה אֶרֶץ-כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה לֹא תַעֲשֹוּ וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶם לֹא תֵלֵכוּ). The idolatry of material things and what we had just mentioned will lead to not having the power of God in our lives. Note also how these things causes one to seek comfort in fleeting pleasure over suffering and courage, the two things that are absolutely a part of the unapologetic and authentic life of faith. The time for lukewarm faith is over. We who are saved are able to see what is coming in this world based upon the Scriptures, and so we need to raise up and proclaim the word of the Lord and the name of Yeshua the Messiah as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We have to be deterministic in our establishing the nuclear family, and raising our children to know and love the Lord and reading our bible every day! Men and women of faith are the ones who have been the builders and the pioneers in this world throughout history.
Notice something the rabbis draw out concerning these Scriptures. Rabi Araham Ibn Ezra states on Vayikra / Leviticus 18:3 saying, “the Scriptural command, After the doings of the land of Egypt … shall ye not do, is a reference to [the practice of sacrificing to] the demons mentioned above [in 17:7]; and after the doings of the land of Canaan … shall ye not do is an allusion to the forbidden sexual relationships, in which the Canaanites were very bad and sinful, as He stated at the end of this section, For all these abominations have the men of the Land done.” We note what Vayikra / Leviticus 17:7 states, וְלֹא־יִזְבְּח֥וּ עוֹד֙ אֶת־זִבְחֵיהֶ֔ם לַשְּׂעִירִ֕ם אֲשֶׁ֛ר הֵ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַחֲרֵיהֶ֑ם חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֛ם תִּֽהְיֶה־זֹּ֥את לָהֶ֖ם לְדֹרֹתָֽם׃ here Moshe uses the negative particle saying וְלֹא־יִזְבְּח֥וּ you are not to sacrifice any more to the goat-idols / goat-demons after which they followed This is to be an everlasting statute from generation to generation (חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֛ם תִּֽהְיֶה־זֹּ֥את לָהֶ֖ם לְדֹרֹתָֽם) Notice how the rabbis connect demonic activity to sexual sin! We have discussed this previously, how sexual sin is a modern day manifestation of demonic activity, thus those involved in LGBTQ and pornography need deliverance! In the opinion of Ibn Ezra, the Egyptians were enslaved to carnality in all forms of forbidden relations, with men-men, and women-women, with mothers, fathers, siblings, even with cattle (animals). This is obvious form the statement “there were also sodomites in the land which were there from the beginning until now.” (1 Kings 14:24) These things testify to the ways of the world as described in the Egyptian and Canaanite communities and what happens if these practices remain in the midst of the communities, and are accepted / tolerated by the communities. These things are what God commands not to have a part in, but yet today thousands of believers are embracing these things and bringing them into their homes through television! These things are what is known as the abomination of the nations that God hates and calls His people out from!
The Scriptures we are looking at for this week are found in Vayikra / Leviticus 18.
ספר ויקרא פרק יח
א וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָֹה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: ב דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אֲנִי יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: ג כְּמַעֲשֵֹה אֶרֶץ-מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁבְתֶּם-בָּהּ לֹא תַעֲשֹוּ וּכְמַעֲשֵֹה אֶרֶץ-כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה לֹא תַעֲשֹוּ וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶם לֹא תֵלֵכוּ: ד אֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי תַּעֲשֹוּ וְאֶת-חֻקֹּתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ לָלֶכֶת בָּהֶם אֲנִי יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: ה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת-חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶֹה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם אֲנִי יְהוָֹה: ס [ששי] ו אִישׁ אִישׁ אֶל-כָּל-שְׁאֵר בְּשָֹרוֹ לֹא תִקְרְבוּ לְגַלּוֹת עֶרְוָה אֲנִי יְהוָֹה: ס ז עֶרְוַת אָבִיךָ וְעֶרְוַת אִמְּךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה אִמְּךָ הִוא לֹא תְגַלֶּה עֶרְוָתָהּ: ס ח עֶרְוַת אֵשֶׁת-אָבִיךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה עֶרְוַת אָבִיךָ הִוא: ס ט עֶרְוַת אֲחוֹתְךָ בַת-אָבִיךָ אוֹ בַת-אִמֶּךָ מוֹלֶדֶת בַּיִת אוֹ מוֹלֶדֶת חוּץ לֹא תְגַלֶּה עֶרְוָתָן: ס י עֶרְוַת בַּת-בִּנְךָ אוֹ בַת-בִּתְּךָ לֹא תְגַלֶּה עֶרְוָתָן כִּי עֶרְוָתְךָ הֵנָּה: ס יא עֶרְוַת בַּת-אֵשֶׁת אָבִיךָ מוֹלֶדֶת אָבִיךָ אֲחוֹתְךָ הִוא לֹא תְגַלֶּה עֶרְוָתָהּ: ס יב עֶרְוַת אֲחוֹת-אָבִיךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה שְׁאֵר אָבִיךָ הִוא: ס יג עֶרְוַת אֲחוֹת-אִמְּךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה כִּי-שְׁאֵר אִמְּךָ הִוא: ס יד עֶרְוַת אֲחִי-אָבִיךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה אֶל-אִשְׁתּוֹ לֹא תִקְרָב דֹּדָתְךָ הִוא: ס טו עֶרְוַת כַּלָּתְךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה אֵשֶׁת בִּנְךָ הִוא לֹא תְגַלֶּה עֶרְוָתָהּ: ס טז עֶרְוַת אֵשֶׁת-אָחִיךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה עֶרְוַת אָחִיךָ הִוא: ס יז עֶרְוַת אִשָּׁה וּבִתָּהּ לֹא תְגַלֵּה אֶת-בַּת-בְּנָהּ וְאֶת-בַּת-בִּתָּהּ לֹא תִקַּח לְגַלּוֹת עֶרְוָתָהּ שַׁאֲרָה הֵנָּה זִמָּה הִוא: יח וְאִשָּׁה אֶל-אֲחֹתָהּ לֹא תִקָּח לִצְרֹר לְגַלּוֹת עֶרְוָתָהּ עָלֶיהָ בְּחַיֶּיהָ: יט וְאֶל-אִשָּׁה בְּנִדַּת טֻמְאָתָהּ לֹא תִקְרַב לְגַלּוֹת עֶרְוָתָהּ: כ וְאֶל-אֵשֶׁת עֲמִיתְךָ לֹא-תִתֵּן שְׁכָבְתְּךָ לְזָרַע לְטָמְאָה-בָהּ: כא וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ לֹא-תִתֵּן לְהַעֲבִיר לַמֹּלֶךְ וְלֹא תְחַלֵּל אֶת-שֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲנִי יְהוָֹה: [שביעי] [רביעי כשהן מחוברין] כב וְאֶת-זָכָר לֹא תִשְׁכַּב מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה תּוֹעֵבָה הִוא: כג וּבְכָל-בְּהֵמָה לֹא-תִתֵּן שְׁכָבְתְּךָ לְטָמְאָה-בָהּ וְאִשָּׁה לֹא-תַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי בְהֵמָה לְרִבְעָהּ תֶּבֶל הוּא: כד אַל-תִּטַּמְּאוּ בְּכָל-אֵלֶּה כִּי בְכָל-אֵלֶּה נִטְמְאוּ הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר-אֲנִי מְשַׁלֵּחַ מִפְּנֵיכֶם: כה וַתִּטְמָא הָאָרֶץ וָאֶפְקֹד עֲוֹנָהּ עָלֶיהָ וַתָּקִא הָאָרֶץ אֶת-ישְׁבֶיהָ: כו וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אַתֶּם אֶת-חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי וְלֹא תַעֲשֹוּ מִכֹּל הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵלֶּה הָאֶזְרָח וְהַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתוֹכֲכֶם: כז כִּי אֶת-כָּל-הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵל עָשֹוּ אַנְשֵׁי-הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵיכֶם וַתִּטְמָא הָאָרֶץ: [מפטיר] כח וְלֹא-תָקִיא הָאָרֶץ אֶתְכֶם בְּטַמַּאֲכֶם אֹתָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר קָאָה אֶת-הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵיכֶם: כט כִּי כָּל-אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶֹה מִכֹּל הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵלֶּה וְנִכְרְתוּ הַנְּפָשׁוֹת הָעֹשֹת מִקֶּרֶב עַמָּם: ל וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת-מִשְׁמַרְתִּי לְבִלְתִּי עֲשֹוֹת מֵחֻקּוֹת הַתּוֹעֵבֹת אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשֹוּ לִפְנֵיכֶם וְלֹא תִטַּמְּאוּ בָּהֶם אֲנִי יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם:
Vayikra / Leviticus 18:1-30
18:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18:2 ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your God. 18:3 ‘You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. 18:4 ‘You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the Lord your God. 18:5 ‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord. 18:6 ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the Lord. 18:7 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness. 18:8 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. 18:9 ‘The nakedness of your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover. 18:10 ‘The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for their nakedness is yours. 18:11 ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, born to your father, she is your sister, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 18:12 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s blood relative. 18:13 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s blood relative. 18:14 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother; you shall not approach his wife, she is your aunt. 18:15 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 18:16 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. 18:17 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are blood relatives. It is lewdness. 18:18 ‘You shall not marry a woman in addition to her sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness. 18:19 ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her menstrual impurity. 18:20 ‘You shall not have intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, to be defiled with her. 18:21 ‘You shall not give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. 18:22 ‘You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. 18:23 ‘Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. 18:24 ‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 18:25 ‘For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. 18:26 ‘But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you 18:27 (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); 18:28 so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you. 18:29 ‘For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people. 18:30 ‘Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the Lord your God.’‘ (NASB)
After reading through what exactly the nations have done, is it surprising the Lord is driving them out of the Land? In fact, we read these things the land itself will drive us out if we do not walk in God’s ways! Moshe continues saying the following at the end of chapter 18, Vayikra / Leviticus 18:24-30, כד אַל-תִּטַּמְּאוּ בְּכָל-אֵלֶּה כִּי בְכָל-אֵלֶּה נִטְמְאוּ הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר-אֲנִי מְשַׁלֵּחַ מִפְּנֵיכֶם: כה וַתִּטְמָא הָאָרֶץ וָאֶפְקֹד עֲוֹנָהּ עָלֶיהָ וַתָּקִא הָאָרֶץ אֶת-ישְׁבֶיהָ: כו וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אַתֶּם אֶת-חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי וְלֹא תַעֲשֹוּ מִכֹּל הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵלֶּה הָאֶזְרָח וְהַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתוֹכֲכֶם: כז כִּי אֶת-כָּל-הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵל עָשֹוּ אַנְשֵׁי-הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵיכֶם וַתִּטְמָא הָאָרֶץ: כח וְלֹא-תָקִיא הָאָרֶץ אֶתְכֶם בְּטַמַּאֲכֶם אֹתָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר קָאָה אֶת-הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵיכֶם: כט כִּי כָּל-אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶֹה מִכֹּל הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵלֶּה וְנִכְרְתוּ הַנְּפָשׁוֹת הָעֹשֹת מִקֶּרֶב עַמָּם: ל וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת-מִשְׁמַרְתִּי לְבִלְתִּי עֲשֹוֹת מֵחֻקּוֹת הַתּוֹעֵבֹת אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשֹוּ לִפְנֵיכֶם וְלֹא תִטַּמְּאוּ בָּהֶם אֲנִי יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: 18:24 ‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 18:25 ‘For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. 18:26 ‘But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you 18:27 (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); 18:28 so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you. 18:29 ‘For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people. 18:30 ‘Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the Lord your God.’‘ (NASB) We note how God tells us to אַל-תִּטַּמְּאוּ בְּכָל-אֵלֶּה using the negative particle אַל and תִּטַּמְּאוּ referring to purity (unclean) saying that we are not to defile ourselves by any of these things. The Lord warns us of the kind of bondage that one can fall into if we embrace the way of the nations. (Vayikra / Leviticus 18:28 CSB If you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the nations that were before you.) We note how the Lord God commands specifically saying, כו וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אַתֶּם אֶת-חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי וְלֹא תַעֲשֹוּ מִכֹּל הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵלֶּה הָאֶזְרָח וְהַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתוֹכֲכֶם: “But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you.” This speaks to living among those who promote these kinds of lifestyles. The warning is that if we live among them, we will become like them. This is the very definition of “to come out from this world” and “to not walk in the ways of the world,” etc. Again, God says that we become defiled by these things when walking in the abominations of the nations.
Rashi’s commentary states the following
Rashi on Vayikra / Leviticus 18:3 Part 1
כמעשה ארץ מצרים AFTER THE DEEDS OF THE LAND OF EGYPT… [SHALL YE NOT DO] — This tells us that the deeds of the Egyptians and the Canaanites were more corrupt than those of all other nations, and that the district of Egypt in which the Israelites had resided (אשר ישבתם בה) was even more corrupt than all the rest of Egypt (Sifra, Acharei Mot, Section 8 3).
Rashi on Vayikra / Leviticus 18:3 Part 3
ובחקתיהם לא תלכו NEITHER SHALL YE WALK IN THEIR ORDINANCES — What has Scripture left unsaid when it spoke of the deeds of the Egyptians and Canaanites that it felt compelled to add ובחקתיהם לא תלכו But by these latter words it refers to their social customs — things which have assumed for them the character of a law as, for instance, the frequenting of theaters and race-courses. Rabbi Meir, however, said: These (חקתיהם) refer to the “ways of the Amorites” (superstitious practices) which our Rabbis have enumerated (Shabbat 67a; Sifra, Acharei Mot, Section 8 8; cf. also Tosefta Shabbat 7).
Rashi claims the reason Egypt and Canaan were singled out was due to these nations being more corrupt than the other nations. It is my opinion that these two nations are the relevant ones as Israel having been delivered from Egypt, they know what the Egyptians are capable of, and they are coming into the land of Canaan, which God says is guilty of the same sins. Rashi goes on to say that it is not just the sins of the nations that is a danger, but their customs are also dangerous so as to draw us away from truth and life in God’s Word as Moshe wrote saying, ה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת-חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶֹה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם אֲנִי יְהוָֹה: “So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.” Here is a parallel to what Paul wrote when he said in Romans 10:5 For Moses writes of the righteousness that is based on the Law, that the person who performs them will live by them. (NASB) This describes the way a man will live if he orders his life according to God’s Word, or the way a man will live if he orders his life according to the world. The one who adopts the world ideologies the Scriptures reveal to us: “he will live by them.” The dangers of tradition are drawn out in the Talmud Bavli Bava Kamma 83a.
Talmud Bavli Bava Kamma 83a:3
The Sages say in response: The household of Rabban Gamliel is different, as they held close ties with the government. Since knowledge of Greek wisdom was crucial for the members of this family, the Sages exempted them from the general decree, as it is taught in a baraita: With regard to one who cuts his hair in the fashion of komi, a certain haircut favored by the Romans, this is considered one of the ways of the Amorites, i.e., a gentile practice prohibited by the Torah (Leviticus 18:3). Despite this, the Sages permitted Avtolmos bar Reuven to cut his hair in the fashion of komi, because he had close ties with the government. Like-wise, they permitted the members of the household of Rabban Gamliel to discuss matters of Greek wisdom, because they had close ties with the government.
Here the issue of the customs of the nations is in their religious service. Here the Sages use the illustration of tolerance on the style of hair cut that one has, specifically, getting a hair cut that is in the fashion of komi, one that is favored by the Romans and the Amorites. The hair style plays a part in the religious practice of the culture, similarly to what we see going on in the Egyptian religion. This idea of tolerance leads to compromising the Word of God in our lives. This is exactly what is going on today in our culture in the adoption of demonic ideologies! These demonic ideologies such as “critical theory” are filled with selfish desires, individualism, lust, greed, ungodliness, and lies about history and people of different races. Through television and movies, the news papers, and elsewhere, the enemy is trying to condition us to be lukewarm in our approach to the Scriptures and our relationship with God. If our children are not raised to have a biblical world view, the Enemy will most certainly see to it that they are raised to accept their demonic secular humanism world view. We have to also live out our faith before our children so they will know what it is like to live a godly life in this world. We are called out from the nations, we serve the Creator of the Universe, and so this is a call to sever the connections that we have to this world, repent, turn from sin, and walk in God’s ways of holiness, justice, and truth! This is the basic founding principle in the Torah, coupled to repentance and seeking God and His anointed one, and this is also the basic principle taught by Yeshua the Messiah! Our Father in heaven, Yeshua His Messiah, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives can and does set us free from these things and the Lord God Almighty is powerful to set us free from all forms of bondage! All we have to do is be whole hearted in our approach, in all our ways seek God’s help because without the help of the Lord there is no hope!
