(Deuteronomy 14)
Chapter 14 of Devarim deals with two big themes:
a. nutritional diet
b. tithing
But before it gets into those two themes, the
chapter begins with the following instruction:
(Deut. 14:1) You are the
sons of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any
baldness on your foreheads for the dead.
FOR THE
DEAD
In Biblical times, people used to lance their skin
as a sign of mourning, when a loved one died. The definition of “lance” is to
make a cut or an incision in the flesh as a way of healing; and in this case,
it refers to an emotional healing because of the death of someone close to the
person. When the skin is cut, blood comes out, which was believed to function
as food for the dead. Likewise, people used to pull their hair out or to shave
their heads as a sign of mourning. Although this was traditional among gentile
nations, the Lord instructed His People not to do the same, because…
(Deut. 14:2) For you are a
people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen
you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are
on the face of the earth.
Instead of these pagan customs, the Israelites
used to express their mourning in three ways:
1. Tearing their clothes (Gen. 37:34)
2. Dressing in sackcloth, which was a thick fabric
made out of goat hair which itched when it was in contact with the skin (Joel
1:13, 2 Samuel 3:31)
3. Putting ashes or dust on their heads (Joshua
7:6)
FORBIDDEN
MEAT
Something that was also very common (and still is)
among gentile nations is eating all types of animal meats, but it is not the
same for the People of God. In Torah, the Lord teaches that eating some animals
is considered an “abomination” (Heb. Toveva).
It is not that the animals themselves are abominable, because God created them,
but what is abominable is eating them because they were not created for that.
In Devarim chapter 14 we are taught which animals
we are allowed to eat and which we are not:
(Deut. 14:3-5) You shall not
eat any abomination. (4) These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the
sheep, the goat, (5) the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat,
the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.
Then, the Bible teaches us how to recognize these
allowed animals:
Chews the cud + split hoof
(Deut. 14:6) Every animal
that parts the hoof and has the hoof cloven in two and chews the cud, among the
animals, you may eat.
The animals that just chew the cud or that just
have a split hoof are the ones that are forbidden:
(Deut. 14:7-8) Yet of those
that chew the cud or have the hoof cloven you shall not eat these: the camel,
the hare, and the rock badger, because they chew the cud but do not part the
hoof, are unclean for you. (8) And the pig, because it parts the hoof but does
not chew the cud, is unclean for you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their
carcasses you shall not touch.
Although not mentioned directly, it is understood
that any other land animal that does not chew the cud or have split hoofs are
also not allowed. Among those would be reptiles, which are directly mentioned
in Leviticus…
(Leviticus
11:43-44) You shall not make yourselves
detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile
yourselves with them, and become unclean through them. (44) For I am
the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for
I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls
on the ground.
When
it comes to fish, the ones that are allowed are those who have: fins + scales
(Deut.
14:9) Of all that are in the waters you
may eat these: whatever has fins and scales you may eat.
With that understanding, it is clear that it is
forbidden to eat all the aquatic animals that don’t have any fins or scales:
(Deut. 14:10) And whatever
does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.
About birds, the following is instructed:
(Deut. 14:11) You may eat all
clean birds.
Among the clean birds are: the chicken, the doves,
the quail, the duck.
Next it makes a list of the forbidden birds, most
of which are birds of prey.
(Deut. 14:12-18) But
these are the ones that you shall not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture,
the black vulture, (13) the kite, the falcon of any kind; (14) every raven
of any kind; (15) the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of
any kind; (16) the little owl and the short-eared owl, the barn
owl (17) and the tawny owl, the carrion vulture and the cormorant, (18) the stork, the heron of any kind; the hoopoe
and the bat.
It also gives instructions about insects:
(Deut. 14:19) And all winged
insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.
Among the ones that are allowed are the
grasshopper and the locust.
Even among the animals that we are allowed to eat,
the Bible points out that they should not be eaten if they were found dead on
the road or in the field.
(Deut. 14:21) You shall not
eat anything that has died naturally. You may give it to the sojourner who is
within your towns, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For
you are a people holy to the LORD your God…
Besides the hygienic aspects, this instruction is
probably related with the visits to the Temple, since the Israelites could not
enter if they had recently been in contact with corpses. But the prohibition
does not apply to the foreigners because they were not allowed to go into the
Temple.
The last instruction about what is forbidden to
eat is found in the end of verse 21: “You shall not
boil a young goat in its mother’s milk”. Traditionally, the rabbis
interpreted this mandate as the forbiddance of mixing meat and dairy products.
However, there is another, more direct explanation, which is linked to a pagan
tradition: in ancient times, the Canaanites used to boil a goat in the milk of
its mother, which they would then eat and the milk would be poured on the
fields as a fertility ritual. This is the clearest explanation of this mandate.
Although we cannot fully understand the reasons
for all of these food prohibitions, without a doubt there is a divine reason.
What the Bible makes clear is that it has to do with sanctity…
(Leviticus 20:25-26) You
shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird
from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or
by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to
hold unclean. (26) You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am
holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
Note: Some believe that God
“changed” his Law in the time of the apostles, based on the vision that Peter
had in Acts 10. But if we read the whole text it is made clear that the vision
had the purpose of teaching Peter that God had opened a door to the gentiles.
The believing gentiles (like Cornelius) should not be considered “impure”.
(Acts 10:28-29) And
he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate
with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should
not call any person common or unclean. (29) So when I was sent for, I came
without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
(Acts 10:34-35) So
Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, (35)
but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable
to him.
TITHING
The second main theme in this chapter is about
tithing:
(Deut. 14:22, NASB) You
shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the
field every year.
“Surely” means: without fail; that you have to do
it.
In Hebrew the verb “tithe” is written two times,
which implies that it is something firm and determinant.
By definition, the “Tithe” is the tenth part of
something. In this chapter it refers to the tenth part of the harvest of the
field, since that was the main source of production for the Israelites in
Biblical times.
In the Bible, there is mention of two main
tithings:
1. FIRST
TITHE (Heb. Maaser Rishon)
Out of all the agricultural or livestock
production, the Israelites had to set apart ten percent (tithe= 10%) to
dedicate it to God.
(Leviticus 27:30) Every
tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the
trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD.
The tithe was presented in the form of a product. If
it happened that the one offering the tithe wanted to keep the product and pay
for it in coins, he could do it, but he had to pay for a redeeming fee.
(Leviticus 27:31-32) If
a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. (32)
And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under
the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the LORD.
The Israelites had to give the tithe to the
Levites…
(Numbers 18:21) To
the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return
for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting
(Numbers 18:24) For
the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to
the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have
said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel.
The Israelites used to present the tithe during a
feast, when they would go up to Jerusalem to celebrate.
(Deut. 16:16-17) Three
times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at
the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast
of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before
the LORD empty-handed. (17) Every man shall give as he is able,
according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.
Traditionally, the Israelites would bring the
First Tithe to Jerusalem during the Feast of Weeks (after the harvest of barley
and wheat, Deut. 16:10), and bring the Second Tithe in the context of the Feast
of Tabernacles (in the time of the harvest of the last fruits).
2. SECOND
TITHE (Heb. Maaser Sheni)
This tithe is peculiar in that it was not
presented to the Levites, but it was set apart for certain family and social
purposes, which are defined in this chapter (Devarim 14).
a. 2nd
Tithe “Maaser Sheni”: to celebrate the feast in Jerusalem with all the
family
b. 2nd
Tithe “Maaser Ani”: for the Levites, foreigners, widows and orphans to
celebrate locally
This tithe would be assigned according to the year
in question, following a seven year cycle. In Israel the agricultural
production would be divided in periods of seven years. The seventh year was for
the land to rest (Heb. Shmita),
therefore there were no tithes. But in the other six years, the Second Tithe
would be managed in the following way:
|
Year
|
Tithe
|
To Celebrate:
|
|
1
|
Maaser
Sheni
|
In Jerusalem
|
|
2
|
Maaser
Sheni
|
In Jerusalem
|
|
3
|
Maaser Ani
|
Locally, sharing
with others
|
|
4
|
Maaser
Sheni
|
In Jerusalem
|
|
5
|
Maaser
Sheni
|
In Jerusalem
|
|
6
|
Maaser Ani
|
Locally, sharing
with others
|
|
7
|
Shmita
|
Year of rest for
the land
|
Now that we know how this second tithe was
assigned each time, let’s read what it says about each one…
a. MAASER
SHENI (to celebrate in Jerusalem)
The main purpose of this tithe was to set money
apart to celebrate with the family in Jerusalem.
(Deut. 14:23) And before
the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name
dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your
oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear
the LORD your God always.
As we’ve already seen, Jerusalem is “the place
that God chose to make his name dwell there”. That is where they needed to take
this “Second Tithe”. Once in Jerusalem, they would use the fruits and the
animals to make a banquet and enjoy it along with the family, before God.
(Deut. 12:5-7) But you shall
seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your
tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall
go, (6) and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your
sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow
offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your
flock. (7) And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and
you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which
the LORD your God has blessed you.
For those who lived far away from Jerusalem, if it
was hard for them to transport the tithe of the harvest and of the livestock,
the Torah contemplates another option:
(Deut. 14:24-26) And
if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe,
when the LORD your God blesses you, because the place is too far from
you, which the LORD your God chooses, to set his name
there, (25) then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in
your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God
chooses (26) and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or
wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there
before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.
Traditionally, the celebration with the second
tithe was done in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles (Heb. Sukkoth). And this was not only done in
the past, but it will also be done in the future; Zechariah prophesied that in
the Millennium the nations will have the obligation of going to Jerusalem to
worship the Lord (Zech. 14:16-17).
Besides celebrating with the second tithe along with
the family, they also had to invite the Levites, since they were dedicated to
God and therefore didn’t have any agricultural goods to celebrate with.
(Deut. 14:27) And you shall
not neglect the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or
inheritance with you.
b.
MAASERANI (to share in the local
community)
Every three years, this second tithe had to be set
apart to share it locally with certain special people:
(Deut. 14:28-29) At
the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce
in the same year and lay it up within your towns. (29) And the Levite,
because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the
fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be
filled, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your
hands that you do.
Every three years, the tithe was set apart for
those who generally would not work the land, and therefore didn’t not enjoy of
its fruit. Among them were the Levites, the widows, the orphans and the
foreigners (these last ones were because they couldn’t own land).
(Deut. 26:12) When you have
finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the
year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and
the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled
This second tithe was not meant for the
celebration in Jerusalem, but to help the Levites, foreigners, widows and
orphans to celebrate every three years, in their own communities.
More lessons
on Deuteronomy: DEVARIM (Deut.)
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