Parsha Kedoshim – Apostolic Readings, Links, and Videos

Readings

• Leviticus 19-20
  • Ephesians 4:17-32
  • Colossians 4:1-6
  • 1 Peter 1:13-2:1
  • 2 John 1:4-11

Additional Reading

• Soil from Stone
• American Torah

Videos Related to Parsha Kedoshim

• Love Your Enemy, Proverbs 25:21-22 – There are truly wicked people in the world, but most people who do evil actually believe they’re doing good. They are deceived and interpret the world through warped lenses. It’s good to hold people accountable and to protect the innocent, but vengeance will only compound the evil that’s done to you, distorting your own vision in the process.
• Avoiding Potential Stumbling Blocks – In Joshua 18, Joshua sent men to survey the land before assigning lots to the remaining tribes. He did something that showed great foresight as a political leader.
• Social Justice vs God’s Justice – Universities, entertainers, and HR departments relentlessly push the ideas of social justice. There are daily riots and political demonstrations in favor of social justice. Black Lives Matter riots, gay pride parades, women’s rights marches….Everyone is talking about justice, but does anyone know what it is?
• A Deceitful Heart Sees a Deceitful World, Proverbs 17:20 – We interpret the world through the lens of our own heart. If you have deceit, anger, or hatred in your heart, then that’s what you’re going to see in the people around you.
• Beware the Walkers! – Be wary of people who talk about other people’s business too much. You can be sure that they are talking about your business when you’re not around too.
• BIG Problems in the Hebrew Roots Movement – The Hebrew Roots Movement has some big problems that we need to address ASAP. Satan can take a vacation because we’re doing his job for him!
• Matthew 5:21-24 and Yeshua on Harboring Anger against a Brother – Although there is no punishment prescribed in Torah for nursing anger or casting unjust insults against a brother, God commands us not to hate or curse a brother. The judgment for such offenses comes not from man, but from God.
• Matthew 7:12 – Is the Golden Rule Really Universal? – Yeshua (aka Jesus) often spoke in broad generalities when he really meant his words to be understood more narrowly. Clearly it’s not always right to do to others as we would have them do to us, because not everyone likes my taste in music or literature. Some people don’t take kindly to random acts of kindness. Fortunately, he narrowed it down for us in the very same verse…
• There’s Only One Law – Romans 7:7 – Paul plainly and strongly asserts that we are not to continue in sin once we have been saved by grace. We are not beneath the Law, but we are to live in agreement with it, because the Law tells us what sin is. Not just the ten commandments, but the whole Law, because as James explains, the Law is indivisible. If you break a commandment in Leviticus 19, it is just as much a sin as breaking a commandment in Exodus 20.
• Systemic Injustice in Our Weights and Measures – Unjust weights and measures are everywhere in modern society. They’re in our finances, our race relations, our politics. But mostly, they’re in our own hearts.
• Parents Just Don’t Understand! – Why did Solomon have so much to say about parenting and marriage? Because he had so much experience! Age and experience gives perspective, knowledge, and wisdom. Pay attention to your elders. They’re not completely ignorant.
• Matthew 7:1 – When Is It OK to Judge? – “Judge not, that you be not judged.” We’ve all seen this verse quoted a thousand times to say that nobody has a right to point out anyone else’s sins. But this interpretation is contradicted by numerous other passages in the Bible, like Leviticus 19:17, Ezekiel 3:18-20, and 1 Timothy 5:20. So what did Yeshua really mean when he said, “Judge not”? The answer is easy if you open your Bible and read it in context. Right after he said that, he explained what it means, and it’s not what most people on Facebook think.
• Four Lessons from Herod and Herodias in Matthew 14:1-12 – Herod had taken his brother’s wife, Herodias, contrary to God’s commandments in Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21. John the Baptist called him out for it, so Herod put him in prison. Herodias then got her daughter to ask Herod to behead John. There are four lessons I’d like to draw from this story…