Kedoshim: Stumbling Block or Salvation
Transcript(from the video captions)
So, let's pray. Avinu Shebashamayim, we bless and sanctify you in the heights of heaven and right here on earth. We thank you so much for your Torah that guides us daily. We thank you that you give us sound instruction, sound doctrine to move forward in and that you have our our our interest, our best interest in mind at all times. I pray for your Holy Spirit to move in this place according to your will and purpose. Oh God, for your kingdom. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And as you give us our daily manner, Lord, you forgive us for our trespasses and that you guide us in all things because yours is the power and the glory and the honor. And I thank you for that. We give you thanks and great praise in Yeshua's name. So, the rabbis tell us a story about a man that was clearing stones out of his field. He was doing hard work, necessary work, and he gathered heavy, sharp, troublesome, big stones and threw them over the fence of his property onto the public road. And a pious man saw him and rebuked him. And he said, "Fool, why are you throwing stones from a
property that is not yours into a property that is yours?" But the man kept throwing. And time passed. And then he had to sell his field. And after he sold his field, as he was walking on the same public road, he stumbled over the stones that he had thrown there. Then he understood. He made his own field easier to walk while making everybody else's harder. Now, this story is very familiar to us because the Torah knows about human nature and it speaks into that today. We may clear out our own comfort while cluttering somebody else's path. It could be an inadvertent, but it happens. We may protect our preferences, what we like to do, while damaging and degrading shared life together. We may claim personal freedom while another person stumbles over our action. And the Torah speaks into this today very clearly. You are not to curse the deaf, it says in Leviticus 19:14. But then, "Beliefnay ever lo titayn mikhshol." Or put a stumbling block before the blind. But you shall fear God, I am Adonai, he says. Now, the sages, most of them, interpreted this beyond the p'shat, the plain meaning, that the blind can mean somebody who
lacks understanding and Torah knowledge. Somebody that is ill-equipped, that doesn't know their right from hand from their left when it comes to to Torah knowledge. Our Messiah spoke about the child, if anybody were to put a stumbling block in front of a child. One who is spiritually vulnerable, one whose conscience is weak. And Torah teaches this, do not exploit such a person. This is kedusha, holiness, as the Torah portion introduces it today, what it's all about. Kedusha clears obstacles and creates shared access. It clears the obstacles in our lives and in the lives around us relationally. And it creates a clear access for all to enter in and onto the path of God. So, our Torah portion begins with this. Kedoshim tihyu ki kadosh ani Adonai Eloheichem. You are holy. You are to be holy. Because he says, "I am Adonai, your God, I am holy." There's the call. Hashem is kadosh. He is holy. He is separated from chaos, separated from falsehood, separated from exploitation, separated from violence, separated from death and from death's former reign on humanity. And Israel, and right here, Ashrei Shalom, all of
us, the Messianic community, are called to mirror kedusha in our lives and in the places where life happens, in the private life and in the public sphere, all of it. God says, "I'm empowering you. I am sending you. And I am going to be with you." And he's given us the ruach, the spirit, to move in that. Now, many imagine kedusha as something ascetic, something that is lofty and unattainable, or somebody who is perfectly pious, unachievable. But in reality, it's not about a distance from ordinary life. I know some went that way, but not by Yikra 19. See, it brings it down. It's not about renunciation or abstinence of daily pleasure or scrupulous observance of every single mitzvah. Not about that. Rather, Yikra brings it right here, to the sidewalks, to the public domain, in all of our human relationships, in everything we do, where we walk. That is where holiness is tested. On the highways and byways, in the marketplace, in your businesses, when you speak to your neighbor, how you treat the immigrant. This is where holiness comes, right here. Everywhere you walk, how you treat your mother and father,
how you honor the aged, how you pay a hired worker, how you conduct business, how you speak, how you treat the gerim, how you use power, and how you respond to another person's weaknesses. And that starts right here, right here in our circles. And the parashah today gives us this holy image. Do not harvest the edge of your field. Do not strip every corner bare. See, Hashem says you are to rather leave gleanings, leave access open, leave room for the poor and the immigrant in your midst that they may come in and glean what God has provided you. Come near. This is about coming near. This is about clearing the roadway. This is about removing stumbling blocks. In fact, Torah doesn't treat the field that we own as merely private space. It presents us with an opportunity to sanctify the field. That's holiness. The boundary marker remains because your name is on the deed, yet the edges themselves are rakhamim. They are left for mercy. They are opened up as a pathway for others to come in and see God through you. God is the creator and guard, guardian, of sacred boundaries, always. But that is all ordered towards mutual
blessing. God creates and orders and guards all of these sacred boundaries. But then, it's all for the sake of mutual blessing and shared space. Therefore, kedoshim, that is, you holy ones, do not occupy every inch of your field, but rather leave some open for the poor. And the apostles were always eager to do this. They left us an example. They are always generous. Kedusha always leaves room. Kedusha is not about escaping the world, of getting out of this place. No, it's about sanctifying the space around you so that others can see God. No ritual mitzvah overrides tzedakah umishpat, justice and righteousness, because Hashem is a God of justice and righteousness. There's no ritual mitzvah command that overrides that. No spirituality out there anywhere excuses the neglect of rachamim, of mercy. Because Hashem is a God of mercy and chesed, of grace. No mitzvah should be carried in a way that causes somebody else to stumble over it. It needs to be carried rightly with standards and awareness of who is around. Who is watching? Where are they at? I need to meet them where they are at. That's the heart of Hashem to us.
Kedushah begins by separating us from this chaotic world, but it proves itself in our relationships. That's where the proof is, right there, in how we treat each other. As the apostle to the nations, Rav Shaul, the Apostle Paul, was entrusted with building Messiah-centered communities. He teaches that kedushah itself is much more than personal observance, about I got to get mine and make sure I'm right before God. It's more than that. It's about whether my mitzvah that I'm carrying out builds up the community. In what I'm doing, does it build up those in my community? It's communal. It's relational in everything that we do. Kedushah may begin with being set apart, but then, when it's carried rightly, it actually binds us together in achdut, in unity. That's the part that some of us can be missing. Cuz we want to be right before God, but it's more than just being right. It's about being people-focused and relational in what we do. Our witness matters to the world. And Shaul brings us into Corinth. Corinth in Greece was a major commerce center, commercial crossroads. It was filled with pagan temples, with
civic feasts, with shared meals, where meat was often sold in the marketplace, and it passed through systems that were shaped by idolatry and pagan sacrifice. And after receiving the besorah and many of these Gentiles being transformed by the goodness of God, they began to see a revelation. They knew that idolatry was nothing, that it was meaningless. Why? Because Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. Because God is one. And Yeshua is master. He's Lord over all. And so any idol was just false. But still others had deeper roots when they came out of the pagan world, and their consciences were weaker, and they were tender. And Shaul says this to them in 1 Corinthians 8. Now, concerning food offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. See where he's bringing us into love. And he's talking right about the central axis of our Torah portion today. Love. Ve'ahavta, love your fellow, and love the ger, called the stranger or the immigrant or the so-called outsider. God's got his eyes on them. But watch out that this freedom of yours does not somehow become a stumbling
block to the weak. Shaul is bringing in our parashah. Therefore, if food causes my brother, and in the Greek it's my brother or sister, to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I may never cause my brother or sister to stumble. There's the principle. If the idolatrous connection was made explicit, it was made known, abstain. Otherwise, do not let this freedom become a stumbling block for those around you. It was all about where we are at. The issue is not just can I, cuz yes, there is freedom in this Torah of Mashiach. The issue is, does this build unity amongst my brothers and sisters in Messiah? That's Paul's focus. He's dealing with very diverse communities that are multinational. They're coming out of idolatry. And the principle is ve'ahavta lere'acha kamocha. Love your fellow, and that must govern the convictions we have and how we carry kedushah, holiness, into the world. That's the central. And this is how liberty, the freedom we have in Messiah, becomes achdut. It becomes unity together as we are walking together and considering my neighbor and all of those around us.
Now, let's go to Rome. Similar argument, different congregation. Believers in Rome had very different convictions about food and sacred days. Some keep this day, some keep that day, some keep no days. Some keep all the days. And Shaul knew that this matter could become very contentious. Sound familiar? It's very relevant today. There are already many active debates in Judaism about solar and lunar reckonings of calendar, sacred times, levels of observance, jockeying for the right interpretation on how to keep the Torah. And just as in our communities today, we can relate to this. Moedim, appointed times, observance could vary amongst the the many believers together. Even kashrut, eating kosher, those patterns could vary amongst the believers. Some abstain from foods cautiously. Others ate more freely in these communities, Gentile believers predominately. And into that world Shaul speaks right here in Romans 14:13. Therefore, let us not judge each other. Why? Because God in Messiah, the one at the right hand of God, are the judge, not us. Do not judge each other from now on, but rather decide this,
not to put a stumbling block or a trap in your brother's or sister's way. And in 14:17, for the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, but these three things, but righteousness, tzedakah, righteousness. Shaul had been talking about righteousness all the way through Romans, the book. And shalom. And that is not just a calming of your nervous system, but that is the true peace of God, removed from hostility. And simcha, joy, in the Ruach HaKodesh. He brings it right to the spirit. Everything is about righteousness and shalom and joy in the Holy Spirit that God has poured out and lavished on us and given us to walk in and to live in and to breathe in and to bring our kedushah to the world through and in through the Holy Spirit. The tish, the the table that we've talked about, becomes holy not when everyone gets their way, but when every everyone gra- gathers around a shared purpose. And that is the besorah of Yeshua, the good news of Messiah Yeshua, that brings us from stumbling block to salvation. Kedusha matures when our convictions that we have are carried in ways that build achdut, unity.
All the power and the force of the Messianic community if we could just come together as one people in unity. And in the power of the things that God is weighing as important in our lives and then see it through other people's eyes. But now we come to a deeper mystery in the Torah. It says as we've read, do not place a mikshol, a stumbling block before the blind. Yet Shaul once again uses that and brings this about the Yehudim, the Jewish people of the time. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. In Romans 9: 32, they stumbled over it. But he's actually echoing Isaiah here, the prophet. When Hashem himself becomes either a sanctuary or a stumbling stone depending on our response. Isaiah is bringing that in his context layered into the apostolic writings into our lives today. He's echoing Isaiah. And again, Shaul says this in 1 Corinthians 1:23, we proclaim Messiah crucified to Jewish people a stumbling block and mikshol, and to Gentiles foolishness. A stumbling block. Because the holy can be mistaken as folly. Sacrificial death can be mistaken as a failure. And the divine plan of God
can be mistaken as a scandal. And in this case, the ultimate scandal. But the holy one of Israel, he placed a costly cornerstone, a foundation that also became a rock of offense for those that stumbled over it. But the cornerstone, you see, it it sets the line of the whole structure. When we reject that line, we build crooked angles. For those of you that are draftsmen will can correct me later on that. But the cornerstone didn't move. It's always held the structure together.
But there's great irony here. You see, the one that that many perceived as an obstacle became the one that removed the deepest obstacles in our lives, all of them. Of a note, sin, iniquity, shame, guilt, distance, death, estrangement from the father, Avinu Avinu. What was far was brought near. He cleared the road. But yet others viewed him as rocks along the road or the ultimate stumbling block. Messiah's stake removed the barrier between humanity and Hashem. Cleared the way. It also broke down the hostility as it existed in that world and still can at times today right here, right now between Jew and Gentile in the world. Messiah removed it. Depending on how we respond to Messiah's execution stake that is ultimately followed by his resurrection. His victory. And in Romans 14:19, Shaul says this, so then let us pursue what makes for shalom and for the building up of one another. So this is all about edification, about building each other up. But let's not forget that the Torah portion also says rebuke as we had in our opening story. There are times when a healthy sometimes tough love
rebuke is in order. When we carry kedusha through the spirit, and this is the eternal spirit, we will build achdut instead of building barriers to entry before God. And we can't remove the scandal of Messiah's stake because we know it to be true. It is what holds us up. We stand on that firm, solid ground, the solid rock and our cornerstone. We can't remove that scandal of the execution stake, but we can remove the scandal of our conduct. We can remove that. And into that Amos speaks about it in a time when the northern house of Israel and Israel had wandered and strayed from God. Bayom hahu, akim et Sukkot David hanofalet. In that day I will raise up the fallen sukkah of David, God says. He'll raise up that tabernacle that had fallen because of iniquity. Hashem raises the fallen. He gathers those who are scattered. He says not even one pebble will fall to the ground. He restores the broken witness. But we have to respond to him. And Shaul echoes that here. He says, they did not stumble, as to fall, did they? Talking about Israel. May it never be. Because God is bringing us up out of
that. God raises those who have stumbled, but we have to respond. And we have to ensure that we're not creating stumbling blocks. The stumble is not the end. A life of kedusha, of true holiness, clears obstacles and creates shared access. It clears the way to God. So let's think about this for a moment as we close today. As this resonates in you and in me, and we think about what holiness really looks like. Some of you are probably thinking this is a little different than what you may have thought. Yeah, because it it's communal. And in a world that in a society that is at times very dysfunctional and disjointed and very individualized, we have to pay heed to what God is saying and the and the scriptures are telling us. And we can ask some questions about this now. Where has my kedusha, my holiness, become overtly personal rather than relational? I love my personal time, call it the closet time with God. That's If you're walking in this, he should be drawing you there. But this has to become relational. Let Let him show you that. Where have I confused being set apart with standing apart?
That's an important question. Yes, you are set apart, but don't forget what God has done. He's brought us the Ruach, the spirit, to bring us together as one. That takes action. That takes awareness on my part to see what God is doing, to see the power in the Messianic community of how of the potential to transform the world. Where have I prized being right over building trust? Yeah, it's good to be right for the sake of a Jewish argument, for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. But it's better to build trust in achdut and to be a good listener. And this one especially important for this week. Where can I clear the path for someone else to see God? This is where I have to really look at my own life and we all have clutter, we all have stuff. But when it comes to Messiah's execution stake and his resurrection and his pouring out of the spirit and that he is sitting at the right hand of God in power and authority always answering every prayer. Not maybe right then. Not maybe the way you desire to be answered but always faithful. He'll answer this prayer right now. Remove every stumbling block from my
witness today. Clear the way. Here's another one. Where can I leave room around the edges? And I know some of your edges are a little tight. But that's okay. That's okay. That might be the place where God is going to open it up. The supernatural place. We've all been there. We don't always ride on the highs. But we have to leave the the corners of our field and our possessions open for those that need to hear the besorah. The good news.
And where can I yield preference for the sake of shalom and achdut? That's important. Where can I yield preference for the sake of community? Two different things that come together that are equally important. But let's not do one and neglect the other. And then finally how can I help build achdut through the ruach, through the spirit of God? Because the spirit of God is everything. He's all in all. God's spirit being poured out on you will raise up everything that has fallen in your life. His way. And not the highway.
If kedusha of holiness never reaches another person, then it is not yet matured. And I want to be especially careful for people that are newer, that are just starting to walk in this. But you can you can plant that one. Put it in the parking lot. For everybody else we must walk in relational kedusha, holiness. What began and begins as separation from all chaos actually comes together in unity and achdut in the spirit of God. That Messiah has given us freely as a gift by his hand, his grace. And through the ruach, he empowers us to carry it for the good of others. So others can see and experience Hashem through us. A life of kedusha clears obstacles, every one of them. And creates shared access for all to see and experience God's salvation from stumbling block to true eternal salvation. Let's pray. Avinu sheba shamayim Our Father in heaven, your word is pure and good and we sanctify you in this place right here, right now. We bless your name. Your name is indeed blessed. We thank you for mutual blessing. We thank you for your perfect alignment. We thank you for the costly cornerstone that you have set in
place for us. Now I pray in every way that you would help our hearts, open our hearts to respond. Open up your heart to respond to the goodness of God today, to to to experience the spirit in your lives relationally as you touch others that God brings into your midst. In Yeshua's name I pray. Amen. Shabbat shalom everybody.