Greetings in the name of His & Her Imperial Majesties Qedamawi Haile Sellassie I & Itege Menen Asfaw,

I welcome you all to a new regeneration of cycle Torah readings!  This is another one of the many interpretations of the Scriptures from the light of Ras Tafari by, I, Lidj Yefdi (pronounced Lij Yef-dee).

I assure you that if you are patient with me, come with a willing mind and heart(ready to learn), you will receive more than what you might have asked for, in seeking the perspective of a Ras Tafarian’s I-sight (eyesight) if those who actually open up their Bibles to read in a Jewish/Hebrew cycle of readings, & thoroughly discern, have come to seek insight) into the study of the Scriptures.  So,with this Hebrew Shabbot (or Shabbat) we move into the opening of the Torah portion with Shoftim – שֹׁפְטִים, on the 5th – ה, & on the 6th – ו, of the month of Elūl – אֱלוּל, in the year of 5781. (the Hebrew Calendar corresponds to a Lunar cycle of the Moon)  From an Ethiopic-Christian perspective and calculation, where the current year is 2013/7513; these readings from the Scriptures would align to what is known (in the same sense) as Färájoch(n) – ፈራጆች(ን).  This would calculate as the 7th – ፯, & the 8th – ፰, of the month of Nähâsæy – ነሐሴ.  The Ethiopic calendar is solar (with its correspondence to the Sun) aligns to this Sabbath (or Senbet – ሰንበት) in the Ethiopian language of Amharic, which is currently one of the languages of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church(the other language being Ge’ez-(ግእዝ).

Readings:

Deuteronomy 16:18- 21:9

Isaiah 51:12- 52:12

John 1: 19-27

Acts 3: 22-23

https://www.betalef.org/2019/09/05/the-unexamined-life-shoftim/

This Sabbath study portion; Shoftim – שֹׁפְטִים , (in the Hebrew language, has equivalences to: magistrates[officers] or judges); chieftains, 

(in the Amharic language, the equivalent is plurally: Ferájjoch – ፈራጆች; which more than likely could be derived from words like: Ferajj – ፈራጅ [considered as a police officer, or jailer; of the sort, from a modern sense]; also Tefárajj – ተፋራጅ; which could also be considered as a ‘judge,’ ‘chieftain,’ or ‘magistrate‘ from the modern sense; in the Amharic language its equivalent put to a phrase would align in ways something like; …“one who brings justice.”)

So, this Torah portion is at the point where Moses now instructs the children of Israel to set up judges and officers, throughout all of the tribes, whom should utilize just judgments in certain affairs.

[Deut. 16: 18-22]

In all of the gates that are in the possessions of the children of Israel, no blemished, or defiled thing should be offered as sacrifice/offering to God/G-d.  Neither, were the children of Israel to go after(worship and/or praise) any other gods in place of the God/G-d, they knew which was taught from their lineage; YHWH.  They also were instructed to put evil away from among them.

[Deut. 17: 1-13]

A king/ruler was also to be appointed over the children of Israel.  One, whom would not give himself utterly to seek after wealth & riches, or many women to wife(or simply put; marry/mate), so that his heart be turned away from God/G-d; his laws, ordinances, statutes and commandments.  While upon the throne, the king was to write a copy the LAW, (set before the priests; wherein he was to read & learn, all the days of his life so that the days of his life be prolonged.  The king was to keep the all the commandments, like anyone else, & not think of himself, as being above any of his brethren, aside from his appointment by God.

[Deut. 17: 14-20]

Within the land, the tribe of Levi (Lewi), were to have no inheritance with the children of Israel.  For God, was their portion of the inheritance,  Offerings to God, would partaken on behalf of God, by the priests of the Levites; from among the sacrifices/offerings, would be the “priest’s due.”

[Deut. 18: 1-8]

Idolatry & the abominations, were not to be found among the children of Israel, for they were to inherit all nations.

[Deut. 18: 9-14]

God also said to Israel, that he would raise up a Prophet from among them.  The words of his mouth would be of him, and they should take heed.  For, at the mountain of Horeb, they feared the power, the voice and great fire of God, so much that they asked to not see it again, lest they perish.

(see; Deut. 1: 6, Deut. 4: 10, & Deut. 5: 1-21_ God spoke to Israel at Horeb)

(God is a consuming fire: Deut. 4 :24, Heb. 12: 29)

The only for the children of Israel to know if the Prophet was of God, would be for them to verify by a testing of his word.  The testing would come in a criteria that would fit, as follows: 1. his/her, spoken words of prophecy coming to pass(or fulfillment; actualization), 2. he/she, would come in the NAME of God, & 3. if the prophecies followed along the guidelines of the LAW (Torah).

(could also be seen as the coming of the MesHIHa/Messiah)

[Deut. 18: 15-22]

The cities of refuge from within the gates of Israel’s inheritance were to also be set up.  Especially, in the plight of the case of the slayer.  When God was to cut out the wicked nations these cities were to set, to ensure that just judgment were rendered.

[Deut. 19: 1-21]

The Law regarding Warfare, was for the children of Israel to fear not, even if their enemies were greater in number or strength; for God would be with them.  The priests were to encourage them, & men who set up houses, or married rather recently not having consecrated their homes or wives, should return or in the extreme, not go off to warfare, for their seeds were to be procured.(as spoken by the officers of Israel)  Israel was to show peace to those who would show themselves peaceful, & go to war against those who would make war with them.  But, they were to utterly destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Hivites, Perizzites and the Jebusites, as God commanded them.

[Deut. 20]

An Inquest or judiciary inquiry, in the case of death, of unknown/unaccounted corpse, for one slain in the field; would become the responsibility of the Priesthood to minister for the children of Israel, for they were chosen by God to work in service of Israel.

[Deut. 21:1-9]

** NOTES FOR FURTHER STUDY: **

– the Hebraic Sanhedrin, & the Beth-Din (Bet Din = [House of Judgment]) : Hebrew/Jewish Court Systems; Tribal Court/Tribunal (Black’s Law Dict.) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_din

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3582308/jewish/What-Is-a-Beit-Din.htm

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/beth-din

 http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/BetDin.html

https://www.famous-trials.com/jesustrial/1054-sanhedrin#:~:text=Sanhedrin%20comes%20from%20the%20Greek,experts)%2C%20and%20lay%20elders

https://www.haaretz.com/1.4761130

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-sanhedrin

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sanhedrin

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4892/kjv/tr/0-1/

https://web.archive.org/web/20051020130904/http://www.gibsoncondo.com/~david/convert/history.html

TRIBUNAL

https://www.nolo.com/dictionary/tribunal-term.html

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ar&u=https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25D9%2582%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B6%25D9%258A&prev=search&pto=aue

TRIBUNAL

– Kingdom of Ethiopia {Abyssinia by Ottoman/Muslim empire & other outsiders_also modern connotations adopted by modern Ethiopians} (የኢትዮጵያ ንጉሠ ነገሥት መንግሥተ) kings list : http://www.friesian.com/ethiopia.htm : http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19750322&id=S-sgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7XEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2528,3614199

–Fəthá Nägäst {Fetha Nagast[Law of the Kings]} http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/biography/01thelawofkings.pdf ; http://www.cap-press.com/pdf/1888.pdf

https://www.thetorah.com/article/judges-who-are-magistrates-who-were-the-shoftim