Law of Inheritance

J4

We are to receive inheritance according to established law and to that which is approved by God.

Category: Justice

Type: Positive

Form: Explicit

Source dataset: Old Testament

Uniqueness: Unique

Classical commandment: Yes

New Covenant Literal Application

Applies to Person Categories: Everyone

Literal Application: mandated

More explanation about New Covenant Literal Application

The New Covenant Literal Application Code (NCLA) is an interpretive guide used by the authors to indicate which person categories a mitzvah applies to, and at what level of literal compliance.

It combines person categories such as Jewish, K'rov Yisrael, and Gentile, together with male/female distinctions and an application level such as mandated, recommended, optional, or prohibited.

This code reflects the authors' interpretive opinion and is provided for prayerful consideration. On this page, the technical code is summarized into plain language to help new readers understand it more easily.

Read the full explanation from the source

Bible references

Key NT Scriptures

Luke 15:11-13

Key OT Scriptures

Deuteronomy 21:15-17
Ezekiel 46:16-18
Joshua 1:6
Numbers 27:1-11
Numbers 36:6-9

Supportive NT Scriptures

Acts 20:32
Colossians 1:11-12
Colossians 3:23-24
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Ephesians 1:11-14
Ephesians 3:5-6
Ephesians 5:5-7
Galatians 3:18-21
Galatians 3:29
Hebrews 1:2
Hebrews 9:13-17
Matthew 5:5
1 Peter 1:3-4
Romans 4:13-17
Romans 8:16-17
Titus 3:4-7

Supportive OT Scriptures

Joshua 14:9
1 Kings 9:2-9
Proverbs 13:22
Proverbs 22:6
Psalms 37:11
Psalms 37:29

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Commentary

Rabbi Michael Rudolph

There are three kinds of inheritance referred to in Scripture; they are (1) financial inheritance (money, personal property and land), (2) royal inheritance (e.g. kingship passing from father to son), and (3) moral inheritance (i.e. non-tangible assets such as character traits and ethical values. In addition, there are two mechanisms that govern inheritance - (1) last wills and testaments, and (2) statutes of intestacy (i.e. rules that govern inheritance in the absence of a last will and testament). All of these date back to the time of Moses and before but, because today we live under secular governments (not the theocracy of ancient Israel), today's laws of inheritance are what govern. Financial inheritance under Moses and today are the same in that they were and are controlled by statute, albeit statutes that are different. The system of financial inheritance under and prior to Moses was what we call "primogeniture". It is where all the financial assets of a deceased person are inherited by the person's firstborn or eldest son (sometimes firstborn daughters inherited as well), who then become the family's patriarch and is expected to use his inheritance to care for his siblings and their families. Primogeniture still exists in places, but has been largely eliminated in the western world where it has been replaced by laws of intestacy and "last wills and testaments." Wills that are duly made and executed govern (within limits) and, in the absence of a will, a person's financial assets usually go to his spouse and children according to a statutorily defined plan. Royal inheritance, where it exists in kingdoms today, is similar to how it was at times in the past, in that it normally goes to the firstborn child (sometimes the firstborn son) by law. In that way it is similar to primogeniture in that the firstborn has responsibility to provide for his siblings as kings have responsibility to provide for their subjects. King David was succeeded by his son Solomon in what is sometimes referred to as the Davidic Dynasty, and the kingship passed from father to son) until the Babylonian exile in 586 BCE. Moral inheritance is different from the other two in that through it, moral, ethical, and religious values are conveyed through God's influence rather than through law, but the result of conveyance is just as real. Within the Jewish community (and some other communities) there exists what is sometimes referred to as a zava'ah or "ethical will", which is a document designed to pass wisdom and ethical and moral values from one generation to the next. The idea of the ethical will is inspired by Genesis 49:1-33 , where Jacob prophesies over, and seeks to convey blessings to, his gathered sons.

Classical commentators

Maimonides, Meir, and HaChinuch, wrote only one mitzvah each on inheritance. They were on financial inheritance, supported by Numbers 27:8-9 and Deuteronomy 21:17 .

Classical sources

Maimonides

Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, 12th century) organized all 613 Torah commandments into a structured list. These linked items show where this Law of Messiah commandment overlaps with that classical framework.

Meir of Rothenburg

Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg (13th century, Germany) was a leading Talmudic authority. These reference numbers link this commandment to his halachic rulings.

MP73

Source and License

Based on The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective by Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster.

Volume 1 & 2 | Volume 3

License: CC BY-ND 4.0 (Attribution required, NoDerivatives). CC BY-ND 4.0

Disclaimer: the original content is authored by Rabbi Michael Rudolph and Rabbi Daniel Juster; additional notes or implementation details on this website are not part of their original work and do not represent their views.

Record source: The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective - Volume 1 & 2

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