Have you ever written a memory verse from the Bible? Many people find that physically writing out the text helps them to better internalize and understand its message. By slowing down to a deliberate pace, you can better absorb the concepts and themes of the text. The act of writing Scripture is the focus of the 17th positive commandment.
P17 – For each man to write a Torah scroll for himself, as Deuteronomy 31:19 states: “Write down this song.”
This command is particularly meaningful to me right now, as I’m currently in the midst of a year that I’ve chosen to practice this teaching. Each week I’ve been writing out the Torah portion by hand and, as you would expect, each week I find myself noticing details and nuances that I hadn’t seen before. Only through the practice of this command am I truly grasping its profound purpose. That said, even if writing out Torah portions seems foreign to the average Christian, the heart of this command is well understood within the faith.
With a simplistic surface reading of the text one could argue Moses gave this instruction with a specific focus toward Deuteronomy 33. This chapter is a song designed to remind Israel of their covenant with God in the latter days when they have wandered far from His teachings. The song prophetically outlines the entire journey of Israel from beginning to end. If you are of the opinion that the church has in any fashion replaced Israel, this song is one of dozens of references that prove that theological stance wrong.
In spite of the common surface reading, Judaism understands this as saying to write the whole five books of Moses. There are two main reasons:
- You cannot add to or take away from the words of Moses, so writing a single chapter is prohibited.
- The whole of Torah is a song and can be chanted when one knows how to properly read the texts that include the cantillation marks.
The sages expounded on this commandment with some interesting results. For instance, even if one’s ancestors passed a scroll down to them, the expectation was (and is) that every Jewish man will write for himself a copy[1]. This can get really complicated, but if a person is not equipped to write a kosher Torah scroll, they also have the option to commission a scroll through a trained scribe. (Yes, that does mean what I am writing this year is not a kosher copy.) Regardless, the expectation is that a new scroll will be produced for every Jewish man.
Echoes in the Apostolic Writings
There is no overt reference to this command in the Apostolic Writings. There are, however, several subtle references to the same concepts and expectations that Judaism draws from this command.
In the Song of Moses, the concern is that the nation would leave “The Way” they were commanded to walk (Deut. 31:29) and their subsequent restoration. John the Immerser appeared on the scene ahead of Yeshua to call the nation to return to that path. His message was simple: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Repentance, in Jewish thought (including that of the Apostles), is a call to return to the teachings God handed down through Moses. John came calling for the Jewish people to return and his wording is where P17 and the Gospels begin to intersect.
Matthew 3:8–9 (TLV)
8 Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance; 9 and do not think that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’! For I tell you that from these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
This echoes the Talmudic quote above that highlights the importance of personal participation and obedience to God’s commands, rather than relying solely on one’s ancestors or lineage. Even if a man’s ancestors/fathers (Avot/אבות) were to leave him a scroll, it was still his obligation to obey the command himself. Do not think Abraham’s faith alone is sufficient; a person is still obligated to participate and follow God themselves and to produce their own fruit of repentance as they return to the ways of God.
The smallest letter or serif
While addressing other concerns of the faith, Yeshua subtly referred to the practice of copying the Torah scroll. He said:
Matthew 5:18 (TLV)
18 Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass.
Jesus addresses two important aspects of a Torah scroll. One is the changing of a single letter which directly alludes to a famous story specific to copying a Torah scroll (I’ll address that in P18). The second is the serif which is sometimes translated as “little horn” and can be understood as the crowns adorning the letters of the Torah. Yeshua wasn’t just concerned with the letters, which is where we derive all intelligible meaning and understanding. Our Master took it a step further and also placed His divine protection around the crowns that decorate the letters which have absolutely no moral or instructive purpose as far as we currently know on this side of the veil.
The Jewish people are in union with Jesus on this point as they say a scribe “should be careful with the crowns and in their numbers.[2]” Some teachers of our faith too often wave a dismissive hand toward the words of Moses in light of the New Testament, but our Master protected it with His words. Not only is the Torah to be copied according to the P17 commandment, but Scribes must be diligent to ensure every small letter and crown receives proper care. Even the white spaces of the Torah are considered sacred and full of meaning which will be explained in the Kingdom era[3].
The great commission
Finally, I think the great commission should receive a mention with this particular command. Our Master Yeshua ended His ministry on earth with His final instructions to His disciples:
Mark 16:15 (TLV)
15 He told them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to every creature.
One of the primary methods used for spreading the Gospel in the modern church can be directly correlated to the proliferation of the Word of God. Bibles are printed and shared with every person willing to take one. “[This is] so that scrolls proliferate among us and we can lend them out to the one whose hand [will] not be able to purchase it.[4]” In this too, we join with the Jewish people in the Kingdom mission. One of our jobs as the disciples of Jesus is to perpetuate the faith to all nations. We are to take His word to the world and raise up more disciples in His name.
Without knowing it, Christianity attests to the application of this law within the Body of Messiah. While we may not be handwriting Torah scrolls, we are mass-printing Bibles. There are ministries that drop them by the pallet full in third-world countries and there are other ministries dedicated to the translation of the Bible into every language on earth. For this command, Christianity quickens the heartbeat of God as we spread the His Word to the ends of the earth. The proliferation of the Word is at the center of our faith.
Perhaps you, like me, started out thinking this law wasn’t present in the New Testament. How do you see it now?
Bonus Material
As far as I’m concerned, this post ended above. What follows is bonus material.
The Apostle John connected deeply with Scripture in ways we have yet to understand. He pulled from esoteric teachings which Christianity is only just beginning to consider comparing to John’s writings. With that in mind, I found it fascinating that John was the only one who so closely correlated the writing and witnessing piece of this command. I’ve underlined the same Greek words below (using the LXX for Deuteronomy). I don’t know what to do with this yet. Right now it’s something to chew on while I research it.
Deuteronomy 31:19 (LES)
19 And write the words of this song and teach it to the children of Israel and put it in their mouth, in order that this song may be to me a witness among the children of Israel, toward their face.
John 21:24 (ESV)
24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
Revelation 22:18 (ESV)
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book
[1] Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 21b.19
[3] Isaac, Rabbi Levi. White Letters: From R. Levi Isaac of Berditchev’s Views to Postmodern Hermeneutics