6/08/2013

Parashat 8 Portion 33- Beresheet/Gen 35:9-36:43 -Haftorah: Yesh 43:1-7 – Matt 11:25-30


Blessing for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.” 

(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you have selected us from among all the peoples,
and have given us your Torah. Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)  



Last week our focus was on a set apart community that YHVH will once again restore so that the nations can bring esteem to YHVH.
This week the focus is more on individual leadership and the price that one is required to pay in order for a set apart community to stay together and achieve its goal and destiny to bring the nations back to the Torah of YHVH.

Gen 35:9  And Elohim appeared to Yaʽaqoḇ again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.

Only the blessing of YHVH on leaders will be sufficient for them to bring YHVH’s people back into the land and into their destiny and calling.

This verse says Yakov came from Paddan Aram, however we know from the context that Yakov actually came from Shechem. Why does the writer not mention this fact?

Shechem was not meant to be Yakov’s destination, it was meant to only be a transition for him reaching his destiny in Beit-El, what would later be called Yerushalayim.
Perhaps one of the greatest dangers that face the true seekers after the truth is the danger of seeking a comfort zone and becoming satisfied with past revelation/manna and not seeking our “fresh daily bread” from YHVH.
The cure to spiritual stagnation is a heart set on pilgrimage. This journey is not always comfortable as we realize that to reach our destination we must shake off some old ideas and embrace ancient truths that have been mostly neglected and rejected by most believers.
This is a dangerous journey and there are often casualties along the way.

Psa 84:5  Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Your Highways are in their heart (Your pilgrim highways (to Tzion) are in their hearts).
Psa 84:6  Passing through the valley of weeping, They make it a fountain; The Teacher also covers it with blessings.
Psa 84:7  They go from strength to strength, Appearing before Elohim in Tsiyon.

Background history to Paddan Aram:

Paddan Aram means table of Aram.

Gen 10:22  The sons of Shĕm: Ěylam, and Asshur, and Arpaḵshaḏ, and Luḏ, and Aram.

It was in the tents of Shem that YHVH would choose to dwell.

Gen 9:27  “Let Elohim enlarge Yepheth, and He shall dwell in the tents of Shĕm. And let Kenaʽan become his servant.”

Paddan Aram was the first place Avram stopped over when he came out of Babylon.

Gen 11:31  And Teraḥ took his son Aḇram and his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Aḇram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Kenaʽan. And they came to Ḥaran(also known as Paddan Aram) and dwelt there.

Later Avraham would send his head servant to Paddam Aram to find a wife for Yitzchak (Beresheet 24:10)

Later Yitzchak would send his own son Yakov on a journey to the same place to find a wife.

Gen 28:5  So Yitsḥaq sent Yaʽaqoḇ away, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laḇan son of Bethu’ĕl the Aramean, the brother of Riḇqah, the mother of Yaʽaqoḇ and Ěsaw.

Yehudah/Judah comes from Paddan Aram.

Gen 46:15  These were the sons of Lĕ’ah, whom she bore to Yaʽaqoḇ in Paddan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the beings, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.

Before the Yisraelites could enter the land of Yisrael they needed to confess before a priest the following:

Deu 26:5  “And you shall answer and say before יהוה your Elohim, ‘My father was a perishing Aramean, and he went down to Mitsrayim and sojourned there with few men. And there he became a nation, great, mighty, and numerous.

The Hebrew word for “perishing” is “abad” and can also mean lost.

Why would this be so? Perhaps the answer is that as long as Yisrael is not in the land they are in danger of being lost. Yisrael in the diaspora is merely a time of preparation for their return.

It is also significant that we remember that the language our Master spoke while on earth was Aramaic.

Lesson to be learned:

Paddan Aram can be very deceiving – we might speak the right language and pride ourselves for having crossed the Euphrates from Babylon- we are born again, but we have not yet crossed the Yarden (Jordan) river. Spiritually Paddan Aram is very very far away from Yerushalyim and only a relative few survive the journey. Paddan has a spiritual appearance but it is a defiled spirituality that it has taken over from Babylon and refined to have an acceptable outward appearance. In Paddan Aram you will hear the same old stories again and again because the leaders want to do everything in their power to keep you in Paddan Aram.

One of the best things we can do for ourselves is remind ourselves as often as we can where we have come from and where we are going and that we never want to return back to Paddan Aram.

Gen 35:10  And Elohim said to him, “Your name is Yaʽaqoḇ, your name is no longer called Yaʽaqoḇ, but Yisra’ĕl is your name.” So He called his name Yisra’ĕl. (Footnote  Beresheet/Gen 32:28 - Yisra’ĕl means “to strive with Ěl, to overcome with Ěl, (then) to rule with Ěl”)

The remnant that overcome will receive new names from YHVH.

Rev 2:17  “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I shall give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I shall give him a white stone, and on the stone a renewed Name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’

Rev 3:12  “He who overcomes, I shall make him a supporting post in the Dwelling Place of My Elohim, and he shall by no means go out. And I shall write on him the Name of My Elohim and the name of the city of My Elohim, the renewed Yerushalayim, which comes down out of the heaven from My Elohim, and My renewed Name.

Gen 35:11  And Elohim said to him, “I am Ěl Shaddai. Bear fruit and increase, a nation and a company of nations shall be from you, and sovereigns come from your body.
Gen 35:12  “And the land which I gave Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq I give to you. And to your seed after you I give this land.”

This is the reward for His chosen leaders and people.

Gen 35:13  And Elohim went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him.
Gen 35:14  And Yaʽaqoḇ set up a standing column in the place where He had spoken with him, a monument of stone. And he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it.

Once again Yakov finds himself at Beit-El (28:18,19) This time Yakov not only pours out oil but also a “drink offering” The Hebrew word is “nasach” and this is the only place in Beresheet that this word is used.
We are reminded of the price that one would have to pay to bring the people of YHVH back in a proper relationship with Him.

We are reminded of our Master who emptied himself out for us.

Php 2:5  For, let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah יהושע,
Php 2:6  who, being in the form of Elohim, did not regard equality with Elohim a matter to be grasped,
Php 2:7  but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and came to be in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8  And having been found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, death even of a stake.
Php 2:9  Elohim, therefore, has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name,


Gen 35:15  And Yaʽaqoḇ called the name of the place where Elohim spoke with him, Bĕyth Ěl.
Gen 35:16  Then they set out from Bĕyth Ěl. And it came to be, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, that Raḥĕl began to give birth, and had great difficulty giving birth.
Gen 35:17  And it came to be, as she was having great difficulty giving birth, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for it is another son for you.”
Gen 35:18  And it came to be, as her life was going out – for she died – that she called his name Ben-Oni. But his father called him Binyamin.
Gen 35:19  So Raḥĕl died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, that is Bĕyth Leḥem.
Gen 35:20  And Yaʽaqoḇ set a standing column on her grave, which is the monument of Raḥĕl’s grave to this day.

‘Rachel's tomb is the third holiest site in Judaism.  Jews have made pilgrimage to the tomb since ancient times, and it has become one of the cornerstones of Jewish-Israeli identity.”- Wiki

Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 31:15: "There is a voice in Ramah; a lamentation; a very bitter cry; Rachel is weeping over her children; she refuses to be comforted about her children because they are not."

What will Yirmeyahu/ Jeremiah say here?  He pictures the misery. The ten tribes–the dominion of Ephraim–have been transported. Ephraim is the foremost tribe. All ten tribes are named after him and Ephraim is a son of Yosef/Joseph. Furthermore, Yosef is a son of Rachel. Consequently, Rachel's children are those being transported.

Mat 2:17 Then was filled what was spoken by Yirmeyahu the prophet, saying,
Mat 2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and weeping, and great mourning – Raḥĕl weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they were no more.”

This is where king Herod came to kill all infant boys under age 2 years in Ramah which is a village close to Bethlehem – Herod descendant of Esav/Esau.
Rachel embodies the spirit and heart of a true leader intercessor who is greatly disturbed and broken-hearted because of what has become of the common wealth of Yisrael.

Gen 35:21  And Yisra’ĕl set out and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Ěḏer (Migdal Edar).

This is possibly the very birth place of Messiah the perfect model of spiritual leadership.
           According to Edersheim in The Life And Times Of Jesus The Messiah, in Book 2, Chapter 6, states, "This Migdal Edar was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks that pastured on the barren sheep ground beyond Bethlehem, but it lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage from the Mishnah (Shekelim 7:4) leads to the conclusion that the flocks which pastured there were destined for Temple sacrifices..."
           In addition, Migdal Edar is also mentioned by the Targums and is translated “The Anointed One of the flock of Israel”.  Thus, Targum Yonatan, cited by Rabbi Munk, paraphrases Genesis 35:23 and Micah 4:8, "He spread his tent beyond Migdal Edar, the place where King Messiah will reveal Himself at the end of days." What are we to make of all of this information from the writings of the rabbis? First, we know that Migdal Edar was the watchtower that guarded the Temple flocks that were being raised to serve as sacrificial animals in the Temple. These were not just any flock and herd. The shepherds who kept them were men who were specifically trained for this royal task. They were educated in what an animal, that was to be sacrificed, had to be and it was their job to make sure that none of the animals were hurt, damaged, or blemished.” These lambs were apparently wrapped in "swaddling cloths" to protect them from injury and also used to wrap the Lord Jesus.
           Thus, with the establishment of Temple worship in Jerusalem, the fields outside of Bethlehem became the place where a special group of shepherds raised the lambs that were sacrificed in the Temple. Being themselves under special Rabbinical care, they would strictly maintain a ceremonially clean stable for a birthing place. The Tower of the Flock was used for birthing ewes, and the surround fields were where these shepherds grazed their flocks. These shepherds customarily kept their flocks outdoors twenty-four hours a day every day of the year, but brought the ewes in to deliver their lambs where they could be carefully cared for. It was to this place that Joseph took Mary. It was in this special stable at “Migdal Edar” that Christ was born! How do we know? The Micah 4:8 tells us so!

Mic 4:8  “And you, O tower of the flock (Migdal Edar), stronghold of the daughter of Tsiyon, it shall come to you, the former rule shall come, the reign of the daughter of Yerushalayim.” End of quote.


We now come to the record of the two genealogies of Yakov and Esav. What must have been going on in Yakov’s mind when he went through the names? Each name carried a history and often the history was a sad history.
We do well to remind ourselves that we may claim Yakov as our father, but our uncle is Esav and Esav’s children are our cousins whether we like it or not.

The greatest challenge a leader faces is his own as well as his family’s brokenness. How the leader deals with these challenges will determine whether in the eyes of YHVH he has succeeded or failed.

In our haftarah reading we read:

Yeshayahu/Isa 43:1  But now, thus said יהוה, your Creator, O Yaʽaqoḇ, and He who formed you, O Yisra’ĕl, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name, you are Mine.
Isa 43:2  “When you pass through the waters, I am with you; and through rivers, they do not overflow you. When you walk through fire, you are not scorched, and a flame does not burn you.
Isa 43:3  “For I am יהוה your Elohim, the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, your Saviour; I gave Mitsrayim for your ransom, Kush and Seḇa in your place.
Isa 43:4  “Since you were precious in My eyes, you have been esteemed, and I have loved you. And I give men in your place, and peoples for your life.
Isa 43:5  “Do not fear, for I am with you. I shall bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west.
Isa 43:6  “I shall say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth –
Isa 43:7  all those who are called by My Name, whom I have created, formed, even made for My esteem.”
Isa 43:8  He shall bring out a blind people who have eyes, and deaf ones who have ears.

Note vs 8 EVEN THOSE WHO DON’T DESERVE TO BE PART OF YISRAEL WILL BE PART OF YISRAEL.

Gen 35:22  And it came to be, when Yisra’ĕl dwelt in that land, that Re’uḇĕn went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Yisra’ĕl heard about it. Now the sons of Yaʽaqoḇ were twelve:
Gen 35:23  the sons of Lĕ’ah were Re’uḇĕn, Yaʽaqoḇ’s first-born, and Shimʽon, and Lĕwi, and Yehuḏah, and Yissasḵar, and Zeḇulun;
Gen 35:24  the sons of Raḥĕl were Yosĕph and Binyamin;
Gen 35:25  the sons of Bilhah, Raḥĕl’s female servant, were Dan and Naphtali;
Gen 35:26  and the sons of Zilpah, Lĕ’ah’s female servant, were Gaḏ and Ashĕr. These were the sons of Yaʽaqoḇ who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
Gen 35:27  And Yaʽaqoḇ came to his father Yitsḥaq at Mamrĕ, or Qiryath Arba, that is Ḥeḇron, where Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq had dwelt.
Gen 35:28  And the days of Yitsḥaq were one hundred and eighty years.
Gen 35:29  So Yitsḥaq breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, aged and satisfied of days. And his sons Ěsaw and Yaʽaqoḇ buried him.

Gen 36:1  And this is the genealogy of Ěsaw, who is Eḏom.
Gen 36:2  Ěsaw took his wives from the daughters of Kenaʽan: Aḏah the daughter of Ělon the Ḥittite, and Oholiḇamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Tsiḇʽon the Ḥiwwite;
Gen 36:3  and Basemath, Yishmaʽĕl’s daughter, sister of Neḇayoth.
Gen 36:4  And Aḏah bore Eliphaz to Ěsaw, and Basemath bore Reʽuw’ĕl.
Gen 36:5  And Oholiḇamah bore Yeʽush, and Yaʽlam, and Qoraḥ. These were the sons of Ěsaw who were born to him in the land of Kenaʽan.

The sages and commentators derive from the genealogy of Esav that the family was permeated with gross immorality, especially incest.
Vs 2 implies that Oholibamah was the daughter of two fathers, Anah and Tsiv’on/Zibeon, an obvious impossibility. Furthermore, verse 24 describes Anah as Gibeon’s son. Consequently, our verse implies that Tsiv’on/Zibeon cohabitated with his own daughter in law, Anah’s wife and Oholibamah was the product of their adultery. Thus she and all her offspring were illegitimate.

Gen 36:6  And Ěsaw took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the beings of his household, and his herds and all his beasts, and all his possessions which he had gained in the land of Kenaʽan, and went to a land away from the presence of his brother Yaʽaqoḇ.
Gen 36:7  For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their sojournings could not support them because of their herds.
Gen 36:8  So Ěsaw dwelt in Mount Sĕʽir. Ěsaw is Eḏom.
Gen 36:9  And this is the genealogy of Ěsaw the father of the Eḏomites in Mount Sĕʽir.
Gen 36:10  These were the names of Ěsaw’s sons: Eliphaz son of Aḏah, wife of Ěsaw, and Reʽuw’ĕl son of Basemath, wife of Ěsaw.
Gen 36:11  And the sons of Eliphaz were Tĕman, Omar, Tsepho, and Gatam, and Qenaz.
Gen 36:12  And Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Ěsaw’s son, and she bore Amalĕq to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Aḏah, Ěsaw’s wife.
Gen 36:13  These were the sons of Reʽuw’ĕl: Naḥath and Zeraḥ, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Ěsaw’s wife.
Gen 36:14  These were the sons of Oholiḇamah, Ěsaw’s wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Tsiḇʽon. And she bore to Ěsaw: Yeʽush, and Yaʽlam, and Qoraḥ.
Gen 36:15  These were the chiefs of the sons of Ěsaw. The sons of Eliphaz, the first-born son of Ěsaw, were Chief Tĕman, Chief Omar, Chief Tsepho, Chief Qenaz,
Gen 36:16  Chief Qoraḥ, Chief Gatam, Chief Amalĕq. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Eḏom. They were the sons of Aḏah.
Gen 36:17  And these were the sons of Reʽuw’ĕl, Ěsaw’s son: Chief Naḥath, Chief Zeraḥ, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reʽuw’ĕl in the land of Eḏom. These were the sons of Basemath, Ěsaw’s wife.
Gen 36:18  And these were the sons of Oholiḇamah, Ěsaw’s wife: Chief Yeʽush, Chief Yaʽlam, and Chief Qoraḥ. These were the chiefs descending from Oholiḇamah, Ěsaw’s wife, the daughter of Anah.
Gen 36:19  These were the sons of Ěsaw, who is Eḏom, and these were their chiefs.
Gen 36:20  These were the sons of Sĕʽir the Ḥorite who inhabited the land: Lotan, and Shoḇal, and Tsiḇʽon, and Anah,
Gen 36:21  and Dishon, and Ětser, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Ḥorites, the sons of Sĕʽir, in the land of Eḏom.
Gen 36:22  And the sons of Lotan were Ḥori and Hĕmam. Lotan’s sister was Timna.
Gen 36:23  And these were the sons of Shoḇal: Alwan, and Manaḥath, and Ěyḇal, Shepho, and Onam.
Gen 36:24  And these were the sons of Tsiḇʽon: both Ayah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the water in the wilderness as he fed the donkeys of his father Tsiḇʽon.

The Hebrew word for “hot springs” is “yem” (3222). This word can also mean “mules”

In the context this must be considered a possible translation for the word “yem.”

In reality a mule is born as a result of a horse (mare) cross breeding with a donkey. NO MALE MULE HAS EVER SIRED A FOAL - makes you think doesn’t it?
Anah himself was illegitimate, for in verse 20 he is called Tsiv’on’s/ Zibeon’s brother and here he is called Tsiv’on’s/Zibeon’s son, indicating that Tsiv’on/Zibeon committed incest with own mother. Thus the illegitimate Anah introduced into the world a tainted animal which was born of illicit breeding.

Gen 36:25  And these were the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholiḇamah the daughter of Anah.

The descendants of Yakov and Esav together have been guilty of offending a Set Apart Elohim.
What does YHVH have to say about this? He compares Yisrael and Yehudah/Judah as His two wives.

Eze 23:1  And the word of יהוה came to me, saying,
Eze 23:2  “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother.
Eze 23:3  “And they whored in Mitsrayim, they whored in their youth. There their breasts were handled, and there their maiden nipples were squeezed.
Eze 23:4  “And their names were: Oholah the elder and Oholiḇah her sister. And they were Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And their names: Shomeron is Oholah, and Yerushalayim is Oholiḇah.
Eze 23:5  “And Oholah whored while she was Mine. And she lusted for her lovers, the neighbouring Ashshurians,

Note the similar use of the immoral woman – Oholah which means “her tent” Oholibah which means “my tent is in her” and Oholibamah which means “my tent is exalted.”

Could it be that these all have deeper spiritual implications?  
The northern 10 tribes “Oholah” created their own “tent” (replacement theology) or meeting place with YHVH. They obviously thought it was not necessary to go to Yerushalayim. 
Yehudah/Judah “Oholibah” boasted that the presence of YHVH was with them, because they had the temple in Yerushalayim.
Oholibamah “exalted tent” is like the modern church who claim that they now are the only suitable dwelling place for YHVH.
All three are guilty of gross immorality as they relentlessly fornicate with strange ideas and doctrines that are deeply offensive to a Mighty Set Apart Elohim ...........but:
Jer 31:31  “See, the days are coming,” declares  YHVH, “when I shall make a new covenant with the house of Yisra’ĕl and with the house of Yehuḏah1, Footnote: 1See Heb. 8:8-12, Heb. 10:16-17.
Jer 31:33  “For this is the covenant I shall make with the house of Yisra’ĕl after those days, declares יהוה: I shall put My Torah in their inward parts, and write it on their hearts. And I shall be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.

Gen 36:26  And these were the sons of Dishon: Ḥemdan, and Eshban, and Yithran, and Keran.
Gen 36:27  These were the sons of Ětser: Bilhan, and Zaʽawan, and Aqan.
Gen 36:28  These were the sons of Dishan: Uts and Aran.
Gen 36:29  These were the chiefs of the Ḥorites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shoḇal, Chief Tsiḇʽon, Chief Anah,
Gen 36:30  Chief Dishon, Chief Ětser, and Chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Ḥorites, according to their chiefs in the land of Sĕʽir.
Gen 36:31  And these were the sovereigns who reigned in the land of Eḏom before any sovereign reigned over the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Gen 36:32  And Bela the son of Beʽor reigned in Eḏom, and the name of his city was Dinhaḇah.
Gen 36:33  And Bela died, and Yoḇaḇ son of Zeraḥ of Botsrah reigned in his place.
Gen 36:34  And Yoḇaḇ died, and Ḥusham of the land of the Tĕmanites reigned in his place.
Gen 36:35  And Ḥusham died, and Haḏaḏ son of Beḏaḏ, who smote Miḏyan in the field of Mo’aḇ, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Awith.
Gen 36:36  And Haḏaḏ died, and Samlah of Masrĕqah reigned in his place.
Gen 36:37  And Samlah died, and Sha’ul of Reḥoḇoth by the River reigned in his place.
Gen 36:38  And Sha’ul died, and Baʽal-Ḥanan son of Aḵbor reigned in his place.
Gen 36:39  And Baʽal-Ḥanan son of Aḵbor died, and Haḏar reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Paʽu. And his wife’s name was Mehĕtab’ĕl, the daughter of Matrĕḏ, the daughter of Mĕyzahaḇ.
Gen 36:40  And these were the names of the chiefs of Ěsaw, according to their clans and their places, by their names: Chief Timnah, Chief Alwah, Chief Yethĕth,
Gen 36:41  Chief Oholiḇamah, Chief Ělah, Chief Pinon,
Gen 36:42  Chief Qenaz, Chief Tĕman, Chief Miḇtsar,
Gen 36:43  Chief Maḡdi’ĕl, Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Eḏom, according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession. Ěsaw was the father of the Eḏomites.

“Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”

(Blessed are you Yahweh, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn

Please note these notes are under construction and are subject to correction and are in no way a final authority on any subject.



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