P52

Ex 23:14-15
14 "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year:
NKJV
Ex 23:17
17 Three times in the year all your males shall appear before Yahweh-Elohim.
NKJV

Along with others, I interpret this to mean that (a) in the New Covenant and (b) in the Diaspora, this means that there should be gatherings of the set-apart husband/fathers along with their families to celebrate these 3 moedim as a fellowship, that the moed tithe should be used to finance these moedim (including travel to places of temporary gathering), the 'House of Yahweh' being the Congregation of Yahweh wherever it may be found in disapora.

The Churches of God had a very workable system in this regard and used to make the Festival of Tabernacles their main annual conference period too. I think this is sound.

P76

Lev 12:6-8
6'When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 Then he shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female. 8 And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons--one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.' "
NKJV

I cite this as an example of different kinds of offerings merely to point out that if an animal offering was required under the Old Covenant for cleansing that a parallel prayer would be required under the New, invoking the Blood of Messiah, to cleanse whatever needs to be cleansed, something obviously to be done by the family priest (husband) who, in the case of his wife, provides a covering himself. If not, then the original Old Covenant precent makes no sense at all. Or would the eternal sacrifice of the Son provide a perpetual washing required only once at the profession of faith? In view of the annual requirement of the moedim, this seems unlikely to me because (and especially in this example), this is not a 'routine' matter but concerns irregular childbirth.

Clearly a great deal of prayerful meditation needs to go into the application of these mitzvot under Yah'shua.

P78

Lev 27:30-33
30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is Yahweh's. It is holy to Yahweh. 31 If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD. 33 He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.' "
NKJV

This is one area where quite an important ruling is needed unless one views this as being superceeded by the original tithing system that obtained in the days of Abraham. Does, then, the Shemitta cycle still obtain? I would think so - for we still have our poor and we still have the festivals to provide for. Does this mean that all montary increase should be tithed at 12%?

P80

Ex 22:29
The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me
NKJV

This is an interesting one. Anciently the eldest son received the inheritance and had the responsibility of looking after his mother, step-mother(s) and siblings after the death of his father, and was therefore ordained to do this in addition to being consecrated (in this context) to be set-apart to Yahweh. We know from numerous examples (the fall of Reuben and the ascendancy of Joseph, and the ascendency of the secondborn Ephraim over the firstborn Manasseh) that this is also conditioned by spiritual factors and revelation. I do believe firstborn sonship is a vital part of the restoration of Messianic Yisrael. Unfortunately, the laws of some lands (like Sweden) mitigate against this, forcing fathers to divide inheritance equally between all sons and daughters.

To the end of the firstborn appointment, special training should be given by father to firstborn son to fulfil his duties. Sometimes they may be consecrated prophets (as was Samuel).

There is a lot to consider in this commandment.

CS replies:

Re p 78
What is meant by "increase?" Does it mean the profit above and beyond basic needs? Or does it mean gross, or does it mean net? When Avraham tithed to Melechtzadik it was on the spoil of the battle (that which was well above and beyond his and his family's basic needs.)

This is a question I have agonised over for three decades. You'll find a whole series of articles on this subject here:

http://nccg.org/tithing.html

The problem with the "profit above and beyong basic needs" is that is makes tithing entirely subjective, however "fair" it might sound. One man's want becomes another man's need. Another problem is the fact that the state steals what is due to Yahweh. Yet we are commanded to pay taxes, righteous and unrighteous, whatever those taxes may be used for.

The basic Torah rule is that whatever your increase in wealth a tenth of gross is owed to Yahweh. However, some argue that the State is acting in the place of Yahweh when it taxes but Yah'shua says pay to Caesar what is Caesar's, and pay to Yahweh what is Yahweh's. Yahweh claims 10% of your gross income.

A point that is open to debate, IMO, is whether we actually follow the Shemittah cycle outside a Theoacratic Government which does not tax unjudtly.

CS replies:

Add to that we are all Melechtzadikian priests and priestesses now with Yahushua the high priest. Did Lewites pay tithes to themselves? If they didn't, why would the current order of priests and priestesses?