Readings
- Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17
- Isaiah 52:13–55:5 (traditional: Isaiah 54:11–55:5)
- John 7:37–52
Companion readings for Re’eh from the B’rit Chadashah (New Testament) from MessianicJudaism.net (also has through-the-Bible readings for prophets and B’rit Chadashah) and First Fruits of Zion:
- John 16:1–17:26 (First Fruits of Zion)
- 1Cor. 5:9-13; 1John 4:1-6 (Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern)
- John 7:37-52 (Parashiot From the Torah and Haftarah by Jeffrey E. Feinbe of Flame Foundation)
- Luke 24:33-49 (Chayyei Yeshua Three-Year Besora Reading Cycle by Mark Kinzer)
Patterns in Deuteronomy
Here’s a handy outline of the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) you can print out:
Hebrew hints
blessing: בְּרָכָה berakhah (H1293)
- בָּרַךְ barakh (H1288, H1263) vb. kneel, bless (Brown Driver Briggs lexicon)
- “with the antithetical meaning curse (W. Gesenius, Thesaurus Linguae Hebraeae) from the greeting in departing, saying adieu to, taking leave of; but rather a blessing overdone and so really a curse as in vulgar English as well as in the Shemitic cognates: 1Kings 21:10, 21:13, Job 1:5, 1:11, 2:5, 2:9, Psa. 10:3.” (BDB)
- E.g., the common Southern U.S. sugar-tongued insult “bless your heart.”
- “with the antithetical meaning curse (W. Gesenius, Thesaurus Linguae Hebraeae) from the greeting in departing, saying adieu to, taking leave of; but rather a blessing overdone and so really a curse as in vulgar English as well as in the Shemitic cognates: 1Kings 21:10, 21:13, Job 1:5, 1:11, 2:5, 2:9, Psa. 10:3.” (BDB)
- בֶּרֶךְ berekh (H1290) n.f. knee (BDB)
- Israel will be honored by Heaven and Earth if she listens (שמע) to the mitvot (commands) of the LORD in Devarim (Deuteronomy).
curse: קְלָלָה qelalah (H7045)
- קָלַל qālal (H7837), q. be slight, swift; ni. appear trifling; pi. curse; pu. be cursed; hi. treat with contempt (New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis)
- “The primary emphasis here is the absence (or reversal) of a blessed or rightful state and lowering to a lesser state. … Our word should be distinguished from אָלָה connoting oaths in general and curses as part of that larger category, from אָרַר (which describes the state of lifelessness (absence of blessing, Deut 27:16), from חָרַם which signifies devotion to destruction or sacred use, and קָבַב which has to do with actually uttering the curse on something (used mainly in the Balaam narrative and Job).”
- Israel will become lessened if she doesn’t heed Devarei Elohim (words of God).
cleave: דָּבַק dābhaq, דָּבֵק dāḇēq (H1692)
- “’to cling together, stick together’ (of various things or materials that are usually differentiated according to their substance).”1
- “The book of Deuteronomy has a certain preference for the root dbq to denote Israel’s relationships to God as these are characteristically described by various series of expressions. The word → עבד ʿābhadh, “to serve” (Dt. 10:20), along with → ירא yārēʾ, “to fear,” and nishbaʿ bishemo, “to swear by his name” (cf. Dt. 10:20; 13:5[4]), frequently appears at the head of these series. Dt. 11:22 adds → אהב ʾāhabh, “to love” (cf. Dt. 30:20). Dt. 13:5(4), however, moves on to verbs which denote observance of the law: keep (→ שׁמר shāmar) his commandments (mitsvah); walk (→ הלך hālakh) in all his ways; walk after Yahweh, listen to (obey, → שׁמע shāmaʿ) his voice (qol) (cf. Dt. 30:20).”2
- “Such admonitions and vetitives, which contain a series of synonyms and antonyms of dabhaq, remove man’s relationship to Yahweh from the realm of involuntary and unsubstantial connection and establish it on a wholly concrete decision to serve Yahweh and to reject other gods, i.e., on conscious action, which is the only appropriate response to the wholly practicable demand that man obey the divine law. Deuteronomy does not seek to bring about this obedience by imposing laws and injunctions on the people. Instead, it seeks to motivate the people to obey the law through persuasive sermons which to some extent employ stereotyped expressions.”3
- “cleave, cling, stick to, stick with, follow closely, catch, keep close to, join to, overtake.”4
- “דָּבַק also carries the sense of clinging to someone in affection and loyalty. Man is to cleave to his wife (Gen 2:24). Ruth clave to Naomi (Ruth 1:14). The men of Judah clave to David their king during Sheba’s rebellion (2 Sam 20:2). Shechem loved Dinah and clave to her (Gen 34:3) and Solomon clave in love to his wives (1 Kgs 11:2). Most importantly, the Israelites are to cleave to the Lord in affection and loyalty (Deut 10:20; 11:22; 13:4 [H 5]; 30:20; Josh 22:5; 23:8) if his blessing is to be theirs. In Jer 13:11 it is said that the Lord caused the Israelites to cleave to him, and Hezekiah is approved because he clave to the Lord. In these verses parallel words and phrases that describe this proper attitude to the Lord are: fear, serve, love, obey, swear by his name, walk in his ways, and keep his commandments.”5
Studies
The following are recorded studies and notes on passages from Re’eh by Hallel Fellowship teachers:
Unlock Heaven’s secret to true freedom (Deuteronomy 14–16)
The Torah reading רְאֵה Re’eh (“see,” Deut. 11:26–16:17) lays out a pivotal choice: blessing or curse, life or death. Will we cling to the world’s seductive but fleeting allures, or embrace God’s vision of true and lasting freedom? As each of us journeys from bondage to our past to the Promised Land, the LORD calls us to reflect His generous, restorative heart.
Through Torah instructions like debt release, tithe, Sabbath rest and the festivals of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles, the Creator invites us to loosen our grip on earthly treasures and find our true security in Him. This is no…
How to know whether it’s the Word of the LORD or fake news (Deuteronomy 11–13)
A sober warning amid the three tests for a prophet of God in Torah reading רְאֵה Re’eh (“see,” Deut. 11:26–16:17) is that a false one may foretell something that actually happens. This helps us understand an equally jarring admonition from Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ): “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matt. 7:21 NASB95).
In this study, we’ll look into Moshe’s explanations of three of the Ten Commandments: Follow no other gods, make no idols and respect…
‘Gods you have not known’: How the 3rd Commandment can save a world drowning in misinformation (Deuteronomy 12–13)
The Torah reading רְאֵה Re’eh (“see,” Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17) focuses on explaining the Second, Third and Fourth Commandments. Because of all the talk these days about misinformation, we’re going to focus on Heaven’s instructions for discerning truth from error and falsehood. And that’s drawn from Moshe’s elucidation on the Third Commandment, found in Deuteronomy 13:1–14:21.
And from that command we learn why it is so important to know Who the LORD is and why Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) came to “show us the Father.”
https://hallel.info/reeh-2022/
What does the Bible have to say about socialism and racism? (Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17)
Socialism and racism are big topics of today’s society. Does the Bible have anything to say about these issues? Torah reading ראה Re’eh (“see,” Deut. 11:26–16:17) gives us Heaven’s insights into these two important matters.
Deuteronomy 11–15: Get to know the LORD better by Heaven’s statutes and judgments
Torah reading רְאֵה Re’eh (“see,” Deut. 11:26–16:17) immediately starts out with Moses’s reminder that God wants to bless the legacy of Israel in the land He provided, but He expects them to act in a certain manner. As His representatives on earth, the descendants of Israel are to act like Him, not like people of the nations around them.
Yeshua (Jesus), the Word of God made flesh, gave His apostles and those who would follow them the same advice: If you want to know how Yeshua walked and how to imitate Him, then all these stories will help you understand Yeshua…
Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17: Learning to live a blessed life
Blessing and cursing are very important Biblical principles. There are two ways of life, either under God’s blessing or under His curse. Emphasized in the Torah reading כי רְאֵה Re’eh (“see,” Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17) is we want to live under His blessing.
We live under God’s blessing when we read and apply Torah. When we screw up, we still apply Torah to deal with our screwups. We are under God’s curse when we refuse to follow Torah. We all have experienced how bad life is when we refuse to obey God and walk in Torah. God can’t bless us when we are…
Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17: Dancing around whole-hearted devotion to the LORD
In the Book of Deuteronomy, God, through Moses, asks His people to give Him their unwavering devotion and praise. Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) teaches us to do the same.
In this study of the Torah reading רְאֵה Re’eh (“see,” Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17), the LORD wants us to see what’s intended by the Second, Third and Fourth of the Ten Commandments.
Deuteronomy 15-16: God teaches complete freedom via cycles of seven
Seven shows up repeatedly in Scripture. It appears first with the seventh day of creation, threads through God’s cycles of appointments with mankind, and foreshadows the timing of Messiah Yeshua’s arrival as the Word become flesh and culminates with many of the symbols of the Day of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 12:8-32: Be thoughtful with your tithe, offerings
Last week, we read Moses told the people over and over that they were to destroy all the places where the people of the land worshipped their gods. He told the people that after they destroy all the places the people of the land worship their gods, they were to be thoughtful about what place they use to make their offerings and kill their food animals. In the rest of chapter 12, Moses told Israel there will come a time when there will be only one place where the people will be allowed to present sacrificial animals to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 12:1-7: Destroy the places, names of false gods after entering the Land
God was giving Israel the Land to posses it, but He wouldn’t go in until they clean it up of the wicked pagan influences, starting with the false-worship places.
Deuteronomy 11: The LORD speaks to parents so they can teach their children about God
Moses specially addressed the adults of the community who are preparing to enter the Promised Land to teach their children God’s charge, commandments, judgements and statutes. There are two parts to sanctification: mind and heart. Once the mind is sanctified, the heart will follow. Once the mind and heart are sanctified, the person will not depart from God.
Deuteronomy 15: Shmitah teaches mercy and freedom
Instructions on the shvi’it (“seventh”), the year of shmitah (“release”) or sabbatical year, are part of a larger teaching in Deuteronomy 14–16 on the Fourth Commandment, to guard the seventh day of the week as a holy memorial. But these instructions on care for the poor and releasing debts during the shmitah show us how the various Shabbat memorials remind us of all God has released us from through Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ).
Deuteronomy 14: What does God have against certain types of meat?
These instructions of “clean” and “unclean” animals connect to a bigger lesson in Deuteronomy 13–14 on the Third Commandment, about blaspheming the Name of the LORD, or making the Name common. “Cleaning” what’s distant from God is the real lesson beyond clean/unclean in Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14 and Acts 10.
- Wallis. Botterweck, G. Johannes, Helmer Ringgren, and Heinz-Josef Fabry, eds. Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (TDOT). Revised; Accordance electronic edition, version 1.5. 15 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006. Paragraph 12,098. ↩︎
- Wallis. Botterweck, G. Johannes, Helmer Ringgren, and Heinz-TDOT, paragraph 12,105. ↩︎
- TDOT, paragraph 12,107. ↩︎
- Kalland, Earl S. Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke, eds. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT). Accordance electronic edition, version 2.8. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980. Paragraph 3,818. ↩︎
- TWOT, paragraph 3,825. ↩︎
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