OrthJBC - Luke - 14

14:1  And it came to pass when he went into a bais of a certain one of the Rashei HaPerushim on Shabbos for betzi'at halechem, and they were watching him closely.

14:2  And--hinei--there in front of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was a certain ish suffering from dropsy.

14:3  And in reply, Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach spoke to the Ba'alei Torah and Perushim, saying, "Is it mutar (permissible) on Shabbos to administer refu'ah or not?"

14:4  But they kept silent. And having taken hold of him, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach granted him refu'ah and sent him away.

14:5  And to them Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, "Who of you having a ben or an ox fall into a well, and will not ofen ort (immediately) pull him out on Shabbos?"

14:6  And they were not able to make a reply against this.

14:7  And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach began speaking a mashal to the seudah invitees, when he noticed how they had been picking out the rashei hamoshavot (chief seats) at the tish, saying to them,

14:8  "When you are invited by someone to a Chassuna, you should not recline at tish in the rashei hamoshavot (chief seats), lest a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by him,

14:9  "and he who invited you both shall come and say to you, `Give place to this one,' and then in bushah you proceed to occupy the moshav shafel (low seat).

14:10  "But when you are invited, go and recline at tish in the moshav shafel, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, "Chaver, move up to a higher place; then you will have kavod in the sight of all who are with you at the tish.

14:11  "For everyone exalting himself shall be humbled, and the one humbling himself shall be exalted."

14:12  And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was speaking also to the one who him invited him, "When you prepare a seudah or a Melave Malkah, do not invite your chaverim or your achim or your krovey mishpokhot (relatives) or your sh'khenim ha'ashirim (rich neighbors), lest they also should invite you in return and repayment come to you.

14:13  "But when you prepare a seudah, invite the aniyim, the ba'alei hamum, the pisechim, the ivrim,

14:14  "and birkat Shomayim will befall you, because they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid in the Yom Tekumat haTzadikkim."

14:15  And when a certain one of those reclining at tish with Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach heard these things, he said to him, "Ashrey is he who will eat lechem in the Malchut Hashem!" [Yeshayah 25:6]

14:16  But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to him, "A certain man was preparing a big seudah, and he invited many;

14:17  "And at the dinner hour, he sent his eved to say to the seudah invitees, `Come, because everything is ready now.'

14:18  "But each began to come up with a ptur (excuse). The rishon said to him, `I bought a sadeh and I am compelled to go out and look at it. Please accept my ptur (excuse).

14:19  "And another said, `I have bought chamesh pair of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please accept my ptur (excuse).'

14:20  "And another said, `I took a wife and therefore I am not able to come.'

14:21  "And the eved returned and reported this to his Adon. Then the Ba'al Bayit became angry and said to his eved, `Go out quickly into the rehkovot and lanes of the shtetl and bring in here the aniyim and the ba'alei hamum, and the ivrim and the pisechim.'

14:22  "And the eved said, `Adoni, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.'

14:23  "And the Adon said to the eved, `Go out to the rehkovot and along the boundaries and urge them to come in, in order that my Beis may be filled.

14:24  `For I say to you that no one of those bnei Adam who were invited will taste my seudah.'" REBBE MELECH HAMOSHIACH'S TALMIDIM MUST PUT MOSHIACH ABOVE ALL (IF THEY "COME TO HIM" AS TALMIDIM AND THIS CAUSES FAMILY TO REJECT THEM, THEY MUST NOT CHOSE FAMILY OVER MOSHIACH. HOWEVER, HERE THERE IS USE OF RABBINIC HYPERBOLE AND NO LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF THE WORD "HATE" WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE BY THE JEWISH LISTENERS FAMILIAR WITH THIS FIGURE OF SPEECH); IN APPROACHING THE MATTER OF BEING MOSHIACH'S TALMID, A MENTALITY THAT IS OISGERECHENED (CALCULATED) AND SOBER IS NECESSARY; MOSHIACH IS TELLING THEM TO TRACHT OIS (THINK THROUGH) THE BIG DECISION OF BECOMING ONE OF HIS TALMIDIM

14:25  And large multitudes were accompanying him, and Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach turned and said to them,

14:26  "If someone comes to me, and does not hate his own abba and em (mother) and isha and yeladim and achim and achayot and in addition also his own life [in the Olam Hazeh], he is not able to be my talmid.

14:27  "Whoever does not carry his own aitz [of self-denial] and come after me [Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach] is not able to be my talmid.

14:28  "For who among you, wanting to build a migdal (tower), wlll not first sit down and figure out the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?

14:29  "Otherwise, having laid his yesod (foundation) and not being able to finish it, everyone seeing it may begin to ridicule him,

14:30  "saying, `This man began to build and was not able to finish.'

14:31  "Or what melech, going out to engage another melech in milkhamah (war), will not first sit down and consider if he is able with aseret alafim (ten thousand) to meet the one with esrim elef (twenty thousand) coming against him?

14:32  "Or else, while the other is noch (still) far away, he sends a delegation and seeks terms for shalom.

14:33  "So, then, none of you can become my talmid if you do not renounce all you possess.

14:34  "Therefore, melach (salt) is tov; but if even melach should become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?

14:35  "It is useless either for adamah or for the dung hill; they throw it away. The one who has ears to hear, shema!"