- Devarim / Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17
- BaMidbar / Numbers 28:26-31
- Chavakkuk / Habakkuk 3:1-19
- Ma’asei Talmidim / Acts 2:1-21
This is a special Parasha because of Chag Shavuot (Feast of Weeks), which falls this year on Shabbat. Shavuot is one of the “Shelosh Regelim,” (three pilgrimage Feasts). All males were to appear before HaShem at the Bet HaMikdash (Temple) in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) on this Feast day.
Shavuot is a harvest feast and because of that Scripture tells us:
Devarim {16:10} You shall keep Shavuot to HaShem your G-D with a mincha (gift) offering of a freewill-offering of your hand, which you shall give, according as HaShem your G-D blesses you: {16:11} and you shall rejoice before HaShem your G-D, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your man-servant, and your maid-servant, and the Levite who is within your gates, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are in the midst of you, in the place which HaShem your G-D shall choose, to cause His name to dwell there.
To this day in Eretz Yisrael (the Land Of Israel), even without the Bet HaMikdash, this Feast is still celebrated as a harvest festival with baskets of summer fruits, vegetables and wheat and bread products being presented ceremonially before the L-rd. With the absence of a Bet HaMikdash (Temple), however, all males no longer need to appear before HaShem in Yerushalayim. However, you can be sure that when the Messianic Bet HaMikdash is erect by Yeshua HaMashiach (the Messiah), upon His return, the appearance of all males before HaShem will once again have its application.
While reading over this week’s Parasha another section of Scripture caught my eye. As of late, the L-rd has prompted me to teach against vegetarianism. I have in the past taught that being a vegetarian is unbiblical. I have also drawn attention to the fact that most idolatrous sects, including the New Age Religion and Hinduism, teach vegetarianism, which in my estimation should be proof enough that it is not from G-d. Of course, in the process of my teaching, I would be confronted by someone with the Scripture verses from Daniel 1:16 and Romim (Romans) 14:2-3. So I would like to address these two passages:
Daniel {1:16} So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.
To the non-Jew it would appear like Daniel and his friends were vegetarians, but that is no way near true – they were kosher! These young Jewish boys were taken from their home, where they never ate any un-kosher food, to a city and a palace where the people ate nothing but un-kosher food. Naturally, being G-d fearing men, they refused the un-kosher delicacies being provided them by their captors and chose to eat only vegetables. This was their only alternative to kosher! HaShem honoured their commitment to His kosher laws and in return prospered them physically, socially and politically. In reading on in the Book of Daniel you find that, once Daniel was elevated to a position of prominence in the pagan king’s court, he must have had the ability and authority to acquire kosher meat because he began to eat meat once again.
Romim {14:2} One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. {14:3} Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats, for God has welcomed him.
As with idolatrous religions today, there were people who practiced vegetarianism as part of their idolatrous religion during the time of Shaul (Paul). When these people first came to faith in Yeshua HaMashiach they had a hard time dropping their old habit of not eating meat. Shaul was telling the spiritually mature believers in Rome not to look down on the spiritual immature believers by holding them in contempt because they are weak in their faith and eating only vegetables. This passage of Scripture is not condoning vegetarianism, something which Shaul knew was unbiblical, but it was protecting the fragile faith of the new believers, something we should all consider.
When a smoker comes to faith and continues smoking we are not to look down on them and hold them in contempt, but rather we are to understand that they are still immature in their faith and once they are made stronger through continual growth in Yeshua they will be strengthened and eventually give up this unbiblical habit.
If you are still not convinced that vegetarianism is not from G-d, then here is a section of Scripture taken from this week’s Parash that gives unquestionable proof that HaShem wants His children to eat meat.
Devarim {15:19} All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock you shall sanctify to HaShem your G-D: you shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. {15:20} You shall eat it before HaShem your G-D year by year in the place which HaShem shall choose, you and your household. {15:21} If it have any blemish, as if it be lame or blind, any ill blemish whatever, you shall not offer it to HaShem your G-D. {15:22} You shall eat it within your gates: the tam’ei (ritually unclean) and the tahor (ritually clean) shall eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the hart. {15:23} Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground as water.
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