1. Beshalach
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2. Beshalach

3. Beshalach Beshalach = “When he let go” Exodus 13:17 – 17:16
The 16th Torah Portion Reading
4rd reading in the Book of Exodus
Exodus 13:17 – 17:16
Haftarah: Judges 4:4 - 5:31
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-48
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt [Exod. 13:17].

4. Exodus Chapter 13:17 The Israelites go out of Egypt and carry Joseph’s
bones with them
Lord went before them
by day in a pillar of cloud
by night in a pillar of fire
The Israelites had just come out of slavery, and they were not prepared for warfare. The Israelites coming out of Egyptian slavery had no weapons to fight with; so God graciously took them through the wilderness. It was a longer route to the land, but it would spare any warfare. They would not have to face an enemy until they entered the land. Some people say, "But God could have delivered them by some miracle." This is true, but this is a bad attitude. Some Christians think that God should perform a miracle for them every minute. They feel that they have the right to command the Lord to intervene for them if they are sick or in trouble. It is not a question of His ability; He certainly can do it. Rather, it is a question of the way God wants to do it. He is following a plan. And when it is necessary, God will perform a miracle for us -- but only to accomplish His will and way in our lives.
Pillar of cloud and fire were like the GPS, it was a divine guidance.

5. Exodus Chapter 14 God instructs the Israelites in their journey
The Israelites murmur
God instructs Moses
The Israelites pass through
the Red Sea
The Red Sea is ahead of the Israelites, and the hosts of Egypt are behind them. These poor defenseless people are caught between the Devil and the deep blue sea. From a natural viewpoint, the Israelites are in a bad spot.
The Israelites, when they were in the land of Egypt, cried out for deliverance. God provided the opportunity for them to leave; but the minute they were in danger, they wanted to return to Egypt.
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever [Exod. 14:13]. Salvation is of the Lord.

6. Exodus Chapter 15 Moses’ Song The people want water, But the waters
at Marah are bitter
They are singing lustily now. This is the same crowd, that only a few hours before on the other side of the Red Sea were moaning, crying out that they wanted to go back to Egypt and saying, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?“
We are told in 1Corinthians 10:11 that, "...all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."
God uses this experience to teach us a very important truth. "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1Cor. 10:1-2).
What does it mean that the Israelites were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea? It means that they were identified. The primary meaning of baptism is identification. The ritual of baptism is the baptism of water, and I believe it is important. It sets forth the real baptism which is of the Holy Spirit and identifies us with Christ and puts us in Christ. Now how were the Israelites baptized unto Moses? They complained on one side of the sea, and when they crossed to the other side, they sang the song of Moses. They were identified with Moses. They were delivered through him.
"By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned" (Heb. 11:29). It was "by faith" that the Israelites crossed the sea. Whose faith was it? It was not the faith of the children of Israel because they did not have any until they crossed over the sea. They were identified with Moses. It was Moses' faith.
This is what happens when you trust the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. He is the One who takes us out of the Egyptian bondage and the Egyptian darkness of this world. He leads us across the Red Sea. It is His deliverance and His salvation and His redemption. He brings us to the place where we can lift a song of redemption unto Him. Then we are joined to Him. We are baptized into Christ.

7. Exodus Chapter 16 Israelites come to Sin Lord provides manna
An omer of it is preserved
It has been only about two and one-half months since the Israelites left Egypt. They started murmuring when they came to the Red Sea. When they crossed the sea, they sang the song of Moses, the song of redemption. But it was not long before they began to murmur again and to sing the Desert Blues. We would call them a bunch of gripers. They wanted to be delivered from the slavery of Egypt, but after they journeyed into the wilderness, they ran short of water and food and began to complain. They remembered the fleshpots of Egypt and longed for them. There are many people who have been saved out of sin, then wanted to go back to the old life. Many of us have had that temptation.
The manna was to be gathered every morning. Each man was to gather it. This was to be a personal experience. The manna speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life. The Gospel of John, chapter 6, confirms this: "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:32-35).
The Sabbath Day was given to Israel before the formal giving of the Law.

8. Exodus Chapter 17 People murmur for water at Rephidim
Moses smites the rock
Amalek is overcome when
the rod of God is held up in
mosses' hands
This is the first mention of the "rock" and the "water" that came out of the rock. What does the rock represent? We are not left to guesswork or our own speculation or our own wisdom. The Holy Spirit of God explains it in 1Corinthians 10:1-4.

9. Numbers 20:8-12
8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. 12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
It is because many years before this (as recorded in the seventeenth chapter of Exodus) the rock was smitten and water came forth. The rock is Jesus. The rock is to be smitten only once! Some men teach that his error was in smiting the rock twice. He should not have smitten it at all, friend. It had already been smitten. The rock is a type of Christ (1Cor. 10:4). Christ suffered once for sins, never the second time. He died once. God was teaching this to them in a type, and Moses should have protected and guarded the type by obeying God. God told him very clearly that he was to speak to the rock. That was all he needed to do. But Moses failed to obey God. The importance of this act of disobedience was that the rock pictures Christ.

10. 1 Corinthians 10:1-5
1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

11. Christ’s Major Discourses
1) Sermon on the Mount Mt 5-7
– The Manifesto of the Kingdom
2) Mystery Parables Discourse Mt 13
– The direction for the Kingdom of heaven
3) Olivet Discourse Mt 24-25
– Prophetic, (yet distinct from Luke 21)
4) Upper Room Farewell Address Jn 14-17
– New relationships in view of Christ’s death,
resurrection, ascension, and intercession.
 Matthew 5 is one of Jesus’s 4 major discourses

12. Matthew 5:1-2
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Don’t know which mountain. The posture of teachers in the East was to sit. Sitting was a synonymous term for teaching among the rabbis.
Although one would stand to read Scripture publicly, Jewish teachers would sit to expound it, often with disciples sitting at their feet.
A rabbi sitting down is the equivalent of a pastor stepping up to a pulp it. When the Master sat down, His disciples gathered around Him to learn.
We need not necessarily understand the term “disciples” to be speaking particularly of the Twelve, since Matthew does not have the choosing of the Twelve until later.
“Disciple” may at times denote those who simply were following Yeshua and accepting His teaching. In this case, “disciple” may be a sub-group of the larger “crowds.” However people most likely believe, this sermon is for the believers. Today this message would be for the true believers of the church.
To “open one’s mouth” is a Hebraic way of noting a solemn discourse, or a proclamation particularly germane to the events at hand.

13. Chiastic Arrangement
Those poor in spirit —> kingdom of heaven
Those who mourn —> comforted
Those who are gentle —> inherit the earth
Those who hunger & thirst after righteousness —> satisfied
Those who show mercy —> shown mercy
Those pure in heart —> see God
Those who are peacemakers —> called sons of God
Those persecuted for righteousness —> kingdom of heaven
Those persecuted as disciples of Yeshua —> great reward in heaven
From the structure we may suggest that all of these categories flow from the fountain of showing mercy (the central point of the chiasm), and this accords with the overall emphasis of our Master’s teaching and example, in which the showing of mercy takes a preeminent position.
chiasmus (chiázō, "to shape like the letter Χ") is the figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point; that is, the clauses display inverted parallelism. Chiasmus was particularly popular both in Greek and in Latin literature, where it was used to articulate balance or order within a text.
(a type of antithesis) in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first with the parts reversed.
Chiastic arrangement major emphasis is placed upon “showing mercy,”

14. Matthew 5:3-5
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Ashrei are those who mourn." What does ashrei mean? Various translations render it as "fortunate,“ "joyful," "blessed," or even "happy." The Hebrew implies something closer to "deeply contented." The DHE renders ashrei as "0, the gladness of." The Master says, "0, the gladness of the poor in spirit."The seeming contradiction emphasizes the central point, "Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." That is to say, "Their hope is in the Messianic Era." Such men and women cannot base their happiness or sense of contentment on temporal circumstances. Instead they must rely on God, and because they rely on God, they find inner peace.
The opposite of ashrei is the Hebrew oy ("N), which most English translations offer as "woe." Yeshua makes several oy statements in tandem with His ash rei statements:
To be "poor in spirit" refers not to a spiritual poverty instead Yeshua is "referring to the human attitude of state of mind." The poor in spirit might be men of wealth, but they conduct themselves with the lowly attitude of the poor. They do not rely upon their riches or live according to the extravagances of the affluent. A rich man who is poor in spirit does not conduct himself with the haughtiness and pride that his wealth affords but instead lives modestly, humbly, and uses his wealth for the kingdom.
The Hebrew word for earth is eretz, means land and specifically to the holy land the land of Israel.
One who is poor in spirit and humble of heart or has a meek spirit and does not think great things of himself. On the other hand, one who imagines himself to be rich in spirit will imagine great things of himself. .” The Lord taught by way of example that the glory of human ambition must be left behind when he said, “The Lord your God shall you adore and him only shall you serve.”
The mourning discussed here does not concern the common natural law of the dead but rather your own sins and vices and others sins and vices.
Our attitude toward sin, a true sorrow for sin. This is sincere sorrow for sin, our sin and the sins of others.
The poor in spirit are referred to in Zephaniah 3:12. Micah is an example of those who mourn and are comforted (see ch. 7)
Those who mourn their own sins are indeed blessed, but blessed in a less wonderful way than those who mourn the sins of others.

15. Matthew 5:6-9
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
One who hungers and thirsts for righteousness is one who yearns for the reversal of the social and moral injustices perpetrated upon the people of God. As the Jewish people groaned under Roman tyranny, they hungered and thirsted for the day that God would vindicate them and usher in His kingdom on earth. Yeshua assured His disciples that their yearning for God's righteous vindication would one day be satiated.
Why does Yeshua say that the pure in heart will see God? According to the Torah's laws of ritual purity, only the Levitically pure may enter into the holy Temple where God dwells. Levitical purity is a prerequisite to entering God's presence. Psalm 24 brings that ritual-purity symbolism into the moral sphere:
The DHE translates "peacemakers"as "those who pursue peace" on the basis of Psalm 34:14: "Seek peace and pursue it.“
Here our attitude toward God is expressed; we receive His righteousness by faith because we ask for it.
• A true Christian has an appetite for spiritual things. “shall be saturated.”
• Ask people what they desire and you will know what they are like.
• Character is what you are when no one is looking.
[hunger and thirst after] An idiom for a strong desire - even for survival
Chromatius:
He taught that we must seek after righteousness with earnest desire, not with fainthearted energy. Indeed, he calls those persons blessed who in their search for righteousness virtually burn with passionate longing in their hunger and thirst. For if each one of us really hungers and thirsts for righteousness with eager desire, we can do nothing else but think and seek after righteousness.
Peacemakers (eirenopoios) are those who work for reconciliation; who seek to bring about peace where it is lacking. The word (used only here in the Apostolic Scriptures) is not found in the Lxx. It is a compound word made up of the word for peace (eirene) and the verb “to do or make” (poieo)
Hillel said: “Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace, and pursuing peace, loving your fellow creatures and bringing them near to the Torah.” (Avot 1.12)
Cyril of Alexandria:
The peacemaker is the one who demonstrates the harmony of the Scriptures, where others see only a contradiction: the Old with the New, the law with the prophets, Gospel with Gospel. Accordingly, having imitated the Son of God, “he shall be called a son,” having by his work grasped of the “spirit of adoption.”

16. Matthew 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
John 15:19 “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
When we are punished by the world for our beliefs in Christ James says count it all joy –
The change to the second person (“blessed are you”) from the third person (“blessed are they,” i.e., poor in spirit, etc.) is curious and numbers of explanations have been offered. But it seems very probable to me that the previous beatitudes were directed to general followers who had gathered to hear our Master’s teaching, while this final beatitude is directed specifically to His disciples or those who do the Master’s teaching.
A probable warning for things to come.

17. Matthew 5:13-14
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
"The point is that it would be bizarre and unnatural for salt to lose its saltiness: if other foodstuffs are or become bland, they can be salted into palatability, but this won't work for the salt itselt1” Yeshua played on the absurdity of the idea that salt could lose its flavor.
Hegg: The metaphor of the salt in Matthew also contains a general sense of judgment, for those who are the talmidim of Yeshua function as salt, but all others are “thrown out and trampled under foot by men,” which envisions the final judgment in which the unrighteous are condemned.
This being the distinctive title which our Lord appropriates to Himself (Jn 8:12; 9:5; and see Jn 1:4, 9; 3:19)—a title expressly said to be unsuitable even to the highest of all the prophets (Jn 1:8)—it must be applied here by our Lord to His disciples only as they shine with His light upon the world, in virtue of His Spirit dwelling in them, and the same mind being in them which was also in Christ Jesus in a specific since. In a broad since to us.

18. Matthew 5:15-16
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
[candle] Greek: luchnos (GSN-3088), oil lamp. Wax candles as we know them were unknown in Biblical times.
Hegg: This second metaphor strengthens the idea that the salt metaphor was intended to evoke Israel’s chosen mission as God’s witness upon the earth. For the prophets regularly speak of Israel as a “light:” The rabbinic literature also uses the metaphor of “light” for teachers of the truth as well as for Israel as a worshipping nation:
• Light speaks of the outward testimony of good works that points to God.
• Our good works must accompany our dedicated lives as we let our lights shine.

19. Matthew 5:15-16

20. Matthew 5:17-18
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
In Mattpew5:17-19, the Master responded to critics attempting to discredit Him. Because Yeshua healed the sick and infirm on the Sabbath, some among the Pharisees believed that He was not keeping the Torah properly. Any prophet or would-be Messiah who broke the Torah and taught others to do so as well disqualified himself.
This long section is all on one theme, and it is important that its parts should not be interpreted in isolation from each other.
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil—Not to subvert, abrogate, or annul, but to establish the law and the prophets—to unfold them, to embody them in living form, and to enshrine them in the reverence, affection, and character of men, am I come.
To make their meaning full. The Hebrew word “Torah,” literally “teaching, doctrine,” is rendered in both the Septuagint and the New Testament by the Greek word “nomos,” which means “law.” The Torah is the teaching of God, To say that The Torah has been done away with is saying that the Teachings of God have been done away with.
Yeshua’s “fulfilling” the Torah is thought to mean that it is unnecessary for people to fulfill it now. But there is no logic to the proposition that Yeshua’s obeying the Torah does away with our need to obey it. In fact, Sha’ul (Paul), whose object in his letter to the Romans is to foster “the obedience that comes from trusting” in Yeshua, teaches that such trusting does not abolish Torah but confirms it (Ro 1:5, 3:31).
Vs 18 The opening “For” (gar) connects this verse to the former as giving further support for the claim that Yeshua did not come to subvert the Torah.
This section presents the heart of Jesus’ message, for it demonstrates His relationship to the Law of God. Jesus was not presenting a rival system to the Law of Moses and the words of the Prophets, but a true fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets—in contrast with the Pharisees’ traditions. “The Law and the Prophets” refer to the entire Old Testament .
The Torah says, "You shall not listen to the words of that prophet · ... He has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God ... to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk" (Deuteronomy 13:3-5). IfYeshua's opponents could prove Him to be a Torah-breaker, they could discredit His ministry and His claims. If they could prove that He intended to abolish or annul the Torah, they could dismiss Him as a heretic. To answer their charges, the Master declared the validity of the Torah and the Prophets and the whole Tanach.
The Torah is God's unchanging revelation and standard of law until the end of time-until heaven and earth pass away, and "it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail" (Luke 16:17).
In this context, "fulfill" does not mean to add to the Torah, replace the old Torah with a new higher law, replace the Torah with a new law of love, or even to fulfill the prophetic content of the Torah. Instead, fulfill must be understood as the opposite of abolish.

21. Matthew 5:17-18
A "jot" is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and a "tittle" the smallest ornament placed upon certain Hebrew letters. It is like us saying dotting your (i)’s and crossing your (t)’s

22. Matthew 5:19-20
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Yeshua frequently collided with the Pharisees regarding matters of interpretation, and He soundly denounced the hypocrisy practiced by some in their ranks. In this case, however, He was not referring to the Pharisees as examples of hypocrisy or impiety. Instead, He held them up as the highest model of righteousness.
Sermon on the Mount builds fences around the commandments. A "fence" is an additional stringency meant to safeguard a commandment of Torah. The rabbis told their disciples to "make a fence for the Torah.” The Pharisees and teachers of Torah to whom Yeshua referred were in the business of building fences around commandments. Yeshua says that the disciples' standard of righteousness needs to be higher than that of the Pharisees. In other words, Yeshua's disciples must have higher fences around the commandments than the Pharisees. He gives specific examples by fencing the prohibition of murder with a prohibition against anger, slander, and insult. He fences the prohibition against adultery with a prohibition against lust.
The laws and commandments of the new covenant are just as binding as those in the old covenant (James 2:10). There are 613 Commandments in the Old Testament. There are over 1,050 commands in the new covenant, plus many other teachings not expressed in the form of commands.

23. Matthew 5:21-22
21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
English translations aggravate the sense of antithesis by translating Yeshua as saying, "But I say to you." In Hebrew, the conjunction does not indicate antithesis. A better translation might be, "You have heard that it was said ... and I say to you ... " This form of rabbinic address "is never used to introduce a contradiction to the Torah, but rather the opposite, its elucidation ... 'You have heard' or 'It is said' followed by 'And I say to you' are a complementary pair of technical expressions from the basic vocabulary of rabbinic rhetoric.
The Torah says, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13), but the Master says that anger, hatred, insult, and public humiliation are tantamount to murder. He warned His disciples that murder begins with anger in the heart.
The sages regarded publicly shaming or embarrassing a person as a grievous sin. In the no-longer extant Gospel of the Hebrews, Yeshua says that one of the most serious sins a man can commit is that of vexing his brother. And in the Gospel which is according to the Hebrews which the Nazarenes are accustomed to read, among the worst crimes is set he who has distressed the spirit of his brother.
This is a direct commentary on the sixth commandment (which is actually against "murder," and not "killing"). Note that when He says, But I say unto you, He is not cancelling the commandment, as murder is still sin and will bring judgment. Rather, He is showing that in addition to following the letter of the commandments, one should go beyond the minimum requirements as we grow in our relationship with God.
“Without a cause” is not included in some manuscripts
[Raca] Would you ever call someone raca - An Aramaic word of utmost contempt and scorn, such as "scoundrel" or "wicked rascal." “empty-headed one”;
There seems to be a difference between Raca or emptied headed one, and a fool.
Yeshua makes a connection between murder in verse 21, and "speaking evil" of someone in verse 22. This was not a "new teaching," but had been greatly overlooked by that time. Such "evil speaking" is called speaking "Lashon Hara" (Evil Tongue) against a person, and is equated with murder throughout Jewish literature. The book of "James“ it also speaks of the subject of "the tongue" to great length. Yeshua is reminding the people that "character assassination" is as bad a "physical assassination" in God's sight. This is the higher level of Torah that He taught -- All part of His greater command to "Love one another.“

24. Matthew 5:23-24
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Notice that, contrary to many theological assumptions, Yeshua presumed that His disciples would continue to offer sacrifices at the Temple.
"a place of sacrifice" or "a place to meet with God." Christians should have such a place.
“Yom-Kippur [the Day of Atonement] atones for a person’s transgressions against God, but it does not atone for his transgressions against his fellow-man until he appeases him.”
Judaism stressed reconciliation between individuals; God would not accept an outward offering if one had oppressed or mistreated one’s neighbor and did not make it right. In the Old Testament God accepted only sacrifices offered with a pure heart both toward God and toward ones neighbor.
As believers we have salvation from God, but we are still called to forgive others and ask forgiveness when we've wronged them.

25. Matthew 5:25-26
25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Opponent at law. Under Roman law an adversary could force his opponent to go before the judge (Matthew 18:28-30). If he would settle on the way to the judge he would not be tried in court (Luke 12:58-59).
If the judge rules, you must comply, A compromise may be a better result for both parties.

26. Matthew 5:27-28
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Sinful imagination leads to desire; desire to intent; intent to pursuit; pursuit to deed. This is to have you know how difficult it is for a person to turn back from one to the other. (Kalla Rabbati II, 6)
In no sense should the Master's words be taken literally to imply that a man should maim himself. Rabbi Yeshua employed rabbinic hyperbole typical of the sages to express the severity of the sin. Adultery of the heart does spiritual damage to a man's soul on the same caliber as if he had physically maimed himself.
[Thou shalt not commit adultery] Exodus 20:14; Deut. 5:18.
While actual adultery is far worse than inward lustful fantasies, the inner desires can quickly lead to this forbidden sin.
It becomes a state of the heart and is as deadly as the act itself
The believer should have “the mind of the Messiah” (1C 2:15) and is not to nurture and cherish improper sexual feelings, desires, urges and lusts. If he does, then, for reasons explained at Ya 1:12–15, he will succumb to the temptations they raise, give sexual fantasizing undue control in his life and finally engage in wrong sexual behavior such as adultery, fornication or homosexuality.
Here Yeshua is supporting two existing teachings of the Pharisees:
Babylonian Talmud, Kallah, Ch. 1 - One who gazes lustfully upon the small finger of a married woman, it is as if he has committed adultery with her.
Babylonian Talmud, Niddah 13b - Better that one's belly burst than one should go down to the pit of destruction.

27. Matthew 5:29-30
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Going back to the last verse and expanding, Giving the reason why one should get rid of the offending member. Would it not be more profitable to do this literally than to have all members cast into eternal hell? Jesus is simply emphasizing the terribleness of eternal hell. There is a better method than this provided by the gospel. If one will become a new creature in Christ by the new birth this problem of sinful members will be solved
[hell] Used three times here a reference to eternal hell or Gahanna, which is the eternal outer darkness.
Shoal or Hades is a temporary place.

28. Matthew 5:31-32
31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Put away here means divorce and was so understood by the Jews. If the divorce was granted for fornication, a sin God looked upon as most serious, the putting away was legal, Christian, and sanctioned by Christ. It made the contract null and void as before marriage (cp. Deut. 24:1-4).
A legal document dissolving the marriage bonds.
[fornication] Fornication in the Bible means: adultery of married or single people

29. Matthew 5:33-37
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Leviticus 19:12 says, "You shall not swear falsely by My name," and Numbers 30:3[2] says, "If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himselfwith a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.“
Because people commonly used circumlocutions for God's name such as vowing by heaven, vowing by earth or even vowing by Jerusalem, they felt less bound to their vow.
His disciples are to be a people of such immense integrity that our simple 'yes' is equivalent to an oath taken in the name of God. We are to be a people of such integrity, that no further verification is needed from us other than a 'yes' or a 'no.‘
Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 49b - A righteous yes is a Yes; a righteous no is No.
Do not break your oath (or: “Do not swear falsely,” or: “Do not perjure yourself”).
It may be better not to swear at all , than even to swear with good intentions and not be able to keep it.
Most people in Jewish Palestine had black or dark hair, unless they were older, in which case their hair was turning white; verse 36 would have been heard as referring to God’s control over aging. Jesus’ rule here is stricter than the letter of the law but in accord with its spirit (Deut 23:21–23; Eccles 5:5).
McGee said When a man says to me, “I’d swear on a stack of Bibles a mile high,” that is the fellow I do not believe because I think the lie he’s telling is a mile high.

30. Matthew 5:38-39
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the also.
the Torah's eye-for-eye laws create axiomatic limits for restitution and damages imposed by formal courts oflaw. Eye-for-eye is a biblical
expression for fair and equitable punishment. Torah -law courts did not actually poke out eyes and knock out teeth. Rather the court of law ascribed a penalty or punishment considered to be of equal value (usually monetary) to the offence committed.
"Eye-for-eye" means "let the punishment fit the crime." The Torah imposes the eye-for-eye rule as a standard for liability in a court oflaw.
where the context of eye for eye, etc. shows that God was not commanding revenge, but controlling and limiting it. Retribution and punishment must be commensurate with the crime;
The following citation of the Mishna is given at length in order to show that rabbinic thinking on the matter of legal damages goes far beyond the simple lex talionis (Latin, “law of retaliation,” i.e., eye for eye):
“If someone wounds his fellow, he becomes liable to compensate the injured party for five different aspects of the injury: damage, pain, healing, loss of time from work, and insult.
This is one of the most commonly misunderstood concepts in Judaism. Ask most people and they will say that this has something to do with "retaliation in the Old Testament" versus "love and forgiveness in the New Testament." This is incorrect - Judaism has never interpreted the verse in this fashion. The Torah command regarding "eye for eye" had to do with providing for limited liability in matters of legal compensation. Here Yeshua is teaching to go beyond the minimum required of you, especially when you have wronged someone.
Three Christian Principles:
1. Do not retaliate (Matthew 5:39; Romans 12:14).
2. Do more than required (Matthew 5:40-41).
3. Be kind and generous (Matthew 5:42).

31. Matthew 5:40-42
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
A reference to the custom of forced service in transport by a king's courier who could demand the service of others to carry out the king's business. To refuse was an unpardonable offense to the king.
What one can afford with justice to the family and personal obligations (1 Tim. 5:8; Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:6-8; 1 John 3:17).

32. Matthew 5:43-44
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
The disciples took Yeshua's words literally and prayed for their persecutors. Thanks to those prayers, their most fierce pursuer, Paul of Tarsus, later became a believLeviticus 19:18 told our fathers to “love your neighbor as yourself.” While in Psalm 139:21–22 the writer commends himself for hating God’s enemies, nowhere does the Tanakh teach that you should hate your enemy.
Four commands in Matthew 5:44:
1. Love your enemies.
2. Bless them that curse you.
3. Do good to those that hate you.
4. Pray for your persecutors.
the command is not to have good feelings about your enemies, but to want and do good for them, and, more specifically, to pray for those who persecute you. It is realistic enough to have been flattered by imitation in a well-known medieval Jewish work: “Pray for your enemy that he serve God.” (Orchot Tzaddikim15c)
Paul instructed the believers in Rome to show love for their enemies:
Many people wonder who their friends are, and say with friends like that who needs enemas.

33. Matthew 5:45-46
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
[publicans] Tax-gatherers. They were despised by the Jews, so any reference to being less than this class was the lowest thing that could be said of anyone religious. They were classed with sinners.

34. Matthew 5:47-48
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
The original Hebrew, behind the Greek word translated into English as "perfect" (teleios, ) might be the Hebrew word tamim (tJ'On). Tamim
can be understood as "perfect," but it also has the connotation of complete, balanced, innocent, or unblemished.
[perfect] Greek: teleios (GSN-5046), complete in conformity to God's laws.
In his longest recorded sermon, Jesus began by describing the traits he was looking for in his followers. He called those who lived out those traits blessed because God had something special in store for them. Each beatitude is an almost direct contradiction of society’s typical way of life. In the last beatitude, Jesus even points out that a serious effort to develop these traits is bound to create opposition. The best example of each trait is found in Jesus himself. If our goal is to become like him, the Beatitudes will challenge the way we live each day.
 Scripture is a reflection of God himself as he has made his will and character known to his people. As Christians seek to live in conformity to Scripture, they are in fact pursuing the very perfection of God. This verse provides the conclusion and summary to the antithesis section (vv. 21–48), showing that all of the Law and the Prophets find their perfect (Gk. teleios) fulfillment in the perfection of the Father, which is what all Jesus' disciples are called to pursue. We are suppose to be noticeably different in this world.

35. Sermon on the Mount We teach our children that there are rules
God teaches His children that there are rules

36. Beshalach
A Study of Beshalach

37. Torah Club Written Commentary $25.00 Group Commentary $15.00
Written & Audio $45.00