09/03/2026
Nitzavim-Vayelech
They Forsook the Torah
Did God tell Israel, “Forget about keeping the Torah, just believe in Jesus”?
As Moses prophetically looked toward the future generations of Israel, he saw the first and second exiles. He saw that a time will come when the nations will ask why God has treated His people in this manner. Those that ask are answered, “Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 29:25) They forsook obedience to the Torah.
Let’s consider the gravity of Moses’ warning. God gave Israel the Torah. They enter into a covenant whereby they promise to keep the Torah. Moses warns them that if they break that covenant and transgress the Torah then desolation, exile, curse, and captivity will befall them. In later generations, a long string of prophets came to Israel with the same message, always entreating Israel to return to Torah and walk in covenant faithfulness. For the 1,400 years from Sinai until the days of the Messiah, God continuously called Israel to observe Torah and punished them with exile, destruction, and the horror of His curses when they did not. At a certain time, he exiled His people, destroyed His own Temple, and laid waste His land because Israel did not keep the Torah. After 70 years of exile, He returned the remnant of Judah to the land with admonitions and warnings to keep His Torah and walk faithfully in His covenant.
Read More: https://ffoz.org/torahportions/commentary/they-forsook-the-torah
