Welcome to my Hebrew reading & language series.

Exodus 22:17-26

We went from restitution if someone has you caring for their donkey and it gets injured or dies. That was last week. It was was timid compared to this week's more grievous sins requiring death. Some of the mitsvote (commandments) make compassion a must - or else.

I am still keeping a tally of general sins that had started with the ten commandments. I am also counting each strict requirement or set thereof on the detailed edges of every situation. Let's see how our portion starts out below.

I make no comment on the first two contentious ones.

• Don't let a witch live.
• Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.
• Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than YHVH alone, shall be devoted to destruction.
• Do not wrong foreigners or oppress them because you were once foreigners in Mitsraim (Egypt).
• You will not mistreat a widow or the fatherless child.

Then comes a warning that includes "Walking a mile in their shoes (permanently)." If you choose to ignore that last one, see below.

"Because if you do, I will kill you with the sword and your wives and children will be widows and fatherless."

If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors, don't be like a bank, don't charge them interest. If you take someone's cloak as a pledge (collateral?), return it to him before sundown. We need to see the word "poor" above. If he is poor, he will be cold at night unless you return his "only " cloak. I am assuming that interest and holding collateral would be okay if someone has a lot of possessions and clothing.

So let's say you go out and lend a poor man some money and keep his only blanket or cloak overnight. God says, "And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate."

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Counting the rules past 'ten'.
Our General list is up to 47.
And our Strict list is at 114.

Today's Reading

English

"You shall not permit a sorceress to live."

"Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death."

"Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than YHVH alone, shall be devoted to destruction."

"You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless."

"If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate."

Hebrew

Next week, "that goes to the dogs."

Info on each letter starting at the beginning

If you are just starting, my lessons are all here starting at Alef, adding vowels (the dots and lines) as we go. I explain the meaning of each letter and its numerical value. Just go to my blog and scroll to the bottom or click here.

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Thanks for reading.

Shabbat Shalom