Parashat 12 Portion 45 ‘’Va Yechi’’ ‘’and he lived’’Gen 48:1-22 Is 54:1-10 + 2 Kings 13:14-20,23

 Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, Creator of the universe, who desires covenantal intimacy with Your called-out ones – blessed are those whom You have called and chosen and have given a heart that longs for and sincerely seeks Covenantal life.  Please, YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our hearts and in the hearts of Your people, the family of Israel. May we and our offspring and the offspring of Your people, the house of Jacob – and all Jacob’s adopted family – know Your Name and study Your Torah empowering us to sincerely love one another and to love You above all. Please uncover our eyes and open our hearts that we may carefully examine and understand the marvels and mysteries of Your Torah. Blessed are You, YHVH, who has created and established Your Torah among Your set apart ones - the family of Israel – both Judah and Ephraim – that love, obey and follow Yahshua our Messiah - Amein.

אביך חלה – ‘’your father is ill’’

By isolating אביך חלה as the conceptual heading, the scribes immediately alerted the congregation of Israel to the unique drama of this specific Sabbath reading: Jacob’s impending death, the urgency of Joseph's arrival, and the expanding of the patriarchal blessing.

We are once again introduced to the extended family of Israel –YHVH’s family would not just be a singular ethnic homogenous group of people – Jacobs family was always intended to be a family of all nations. And now two little mixed race adopted African boys – Menashsheh and Ephraim – would be the seed from which would come the completeness or the ‘’fullness of all nations’’ (mello ha goyim) belonging to Jacobs family, also known as Israel.

This was always YHVH’s plan and desire – His family was never meant to be exclusive to one ethnic group only but to include all people from all nations – those who were chosen and born from above – Jn 3:3 – those adopted and those who were native born into Jacob’s family – and were no longer strangers and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and from all the covenants and promises of YHVH.

The greatest tragedy today in human history is that the three major Abrhamic faiths of the world claim some form of exclusivity that rejects people and nations that they believe are unworthy to be invited to have a place at YHVH’s Family table. – How dare they? My own conviction is that such people will not be invited to sit at His family table – Jew or gentile.

The central legal and prophetic event of Genesis 48 is Jacob crossing his hands to adopt and elevate Joseph's Egyptian-born sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, into full tribal status

According to Jewish oral tradition and Midrashic commentary (specifically found in the Talmud, Bava Metzia 87a and Bereishit Rabbah), Jacob was the first person in human history to experience physical illness before passing away.

Because Jacob established this pattern, centuries later, the great prophet Elisha underwent the exact same process (2 Kings 13:14) "Elisha had become ill with the illness from which he would die..." (חָלָה אֶת-חָלְיוֹ - falling ill, which prompted King Joash of Israel to rush to his bedside to receive a final, prophetic military blessing before the prophet passed away.

While foundational prophetic figures like Jacob explicitly died of illness centuries before him, Elisha holds the unique title of being the first major miracle prophet to die of a disease. The text goes out of its way to name his illness to prove a profound theological point: YHVH's servants can possess immense spiritual anointing while remaining fully subjected to human physical frailty – including the Messiah, himself – the major difference being that he died for our sicknesses and sins which he took upon himself.

Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

Gen 48:1  And after these events it came to be that it was said to Yosěph, “See, your father is sick.” ( אביך חלה) And he took with him his two sons, Menashsheh and Ephrayim. 

 Gen 48:2  And Ya‛aqoḇ was told, “See, your son Yosěph is coming to you.” And Yisra’ěl strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 

Gen 48:3  And Ya‛aqoḇ said to Yosěph, “Ěl Shaddai appeared to me at Luz in the land of Kena‛an and blessed me, 

By initiating the blessing in Genesis 48:3, Jacob sets off a chain of events where Ephraim is prophesied to scatter and become "the fullness of the nations" (Gentiles). Scholars who view the "fullness of the Gentiles" as a returning remnant argue that when Paul uses this phrase, he is telling his readers that the "fullness of the Gentiles" coming in, is actually the prophetic fulfilment of Jacob's deathbed blessing over Ephraim.

 Gen 48:4  and said to me, ‘See, I am making you fruitful and shall increase you and make of you an assembly (‘’kehal’’) of peoples, and give this land to your seed after you as an everlasting possession.’ 

Gen 48:5  “And now, your two sons, Ephrayim and Menashsheh, who were born to you in the land of Mitsrayim before I came to you in Mitsrayim, are mine – as Re’uḇěn and Shim‛on, they are mine. 

Gen 48:6  “Your offspring whom you shall bring forth after them are yours and let them be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 

Gen 48:7  “And I, when I came from Paddan, Raḥěl died beside me in the land of Kena‛an on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath. And I buried her there on the way to Ephrath, that is Běyth Leḥem.” (The birthplace of Messiah – who after his birth would also flee to Egypt - Matthew 2:15, which fulfills a historic prophecy from Hosea 11:1)

 Hos 11:1  “When Yisra’ěl was a child, I loved him, and out of Mitsrayim I called My son. 

 Gen 48:8  And Yisra’ěl saw Yosěph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?” (מי־אלה)

 The exact same words will be repeated in the last days, just before the return of Messiah - Isa 60:8  “Who are these (מי־אלה) who fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?

 ‘’Like a cloud’’ it will seem like a cloud – no one will know exactly where they came from – ‘’like doves to their window’’ possible another Hebrew metaphor – ‘’the dove’’ is like the Set Apart Spirit and the window is like the Set Apart Spirit is not concealed but visible for everyone to see – who have eyes to see – despite the context of this prophecy Isa 60:2  “For look, darkness (deep) covers the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. But יהוה arises over you, and His esteem is seen upon you. 

Isa 60:3  “And the nations shall come to your light, and sovereigns to the brightness of your rising.

 Scholars argue this represents the world reaching its absolute peak of spiritual corruption, deception, and geopolitical chaos (often associated with the Tribulation period). The command for Jerusalem and those sent to comfort her (Is 40)  to "Arise, shine" is issued precisely because the surrounding world is pitch black, serving as the literal catalyst in the last days for the Messiah's physical return to rescue her.

 In this major end-times restoration prophecy, as the exiled survivors of Israel are miraculously gathered from the ends of the earth to return home, Zion looks out at the horizon and asks the exact same question:

 Isa 60:8  מי־אלה כעב תעופינה וכיונים אל־ארבתיהם׃

"Who are these that fly like a (thick dark cloud- כעבas opposed to a normal cloud עָנָן ‘’anan ) cloud, and like doves to their windows?" — Isaiah 60:8

It implies that this group of people seems to appear suddenly and out of nowhere – as shining light in a very dark world

Is 60:8 some scholars translate ארבּה or windows as crevices, could this be referring to a concealed end time remnant hiding in their crevices (ארבתיהם) waiting for an appointed time to shine.

 Once again, the context seems to suggest that these events will occur before the return of Messiah.

 Gen 48:9  And Yosěph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom Elohim has given me in this place.” And he said, “Please bring them to me, and let me bless them.” 

Gen 48:10  And the eyes of Yisra’ěl were dim with age, and he was unable to see. And he drew them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 

Gen 48:11  And Yisra’ěl said to Yosěph, “I had not thought to see your face. But see, Elohim has also shown me your seed!” 

Gen 48:12  So Yosěph brought them from between his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 

 Joseph immediately bows down with his face to the earth. This is not just general Eastern politeness; it is a display of immense gratitude and submission. Joseph, who was the second most powerful ruler in the known world (Egypt), willingly prostrates himself before his frail, dying father. He is recognizing that the spiritual authority and implications of the Abrahamic covenant passed on by Jacob are huge and are vastly superior to the secular, geopolitical power of Pharaoh – this covenant will change the destiny of mankind and usher in the coming of Messiah.

 Ancient Near Eastern Custom: In antiquity, placing children on or between the knees of a patriarch was a formal legal ceremony of adoption and legitimizing and expanding a covenantal bloodline.

 Gen 48:13  And Yosěph took them both, Ephrayim with his right hand toward Yisra’ěl’s left hand, and Menashsheh with his left hand toward Yisra’ěl’s right hand and brought them near him. 

Gen 48:14  And Yisra’ěl stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephrayim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Menashsheh’s head, consciously directing his hands, for Menashsheh was the first-born. 

Gen 48:15  And he blessed Yosěph, and said, “The Elohim before whom my father’s Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq walked, the Elohim who has fed me all my life long to this day, 

Gen 48:16  the Messenger who has redeemed me from all evil – bless the youths! And let my name be called upon them, and the name of my fathers Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq. And let them increase to a multitude in the midst of the earth.” 

 Gen 48:17  And when Yosěph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephrayim, it was evil in his eyes; and he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from the head of Ephrayim to the head of Menashsheh. 

Gen 48:18  And Yosěph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the first-born, put your right hand on his head.” 

Gen 48:19  But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also becomes a people, and he also is great. And yet, his younger brother is greater than he, and his seed is to become the completeness of the nations.” 

 The "fullness of the nations" is the prophetic destiny of Ephraim to be scattered so deeply into the non-Jewish world that they would become a part of every global ethnicity. What looked like the total destruction and paganization of a tribe was actually YHVH’s long-term plan to pave a highway of bloodline and faith that would eventually draw many Gentiles of the world back into the covenantal promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

 Fully absorbed and saturated into the covenantal life promised to Abraham Isaac and Jacob.

 Gen 48:20  And he blessed them on that day, saying, “In you Yisra’ěl shall bless, saying, ‘Elohim make you as Ephrayim and as Menashsheh!’” Thus, he put Ephrayim before Menashsheh. 

Gen 48:21  And Yisra’ěl said to Yosěph, “See, I am dying, but Elohim shall be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 

Gen 48:22  “And I, I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.” 

 Here we see that Aram the connection between our Torah and haftorah portions (the Arameans) and the Amorites are closely connected through linguistic roots, geographic territory, and shared historical developments in the ancient Near East – (2 Kings 13:14-20,23)

 Conclusion:

 ‘’The greatest tragedy in human history is that the three major Abrhamic faiths of the world claim some form of exclusivity that rejects people and nations that they believe don’t deserve a place at YHVH’s Family table. – How dare they? My deep conviction is that any such people will not be invited to sit at His family table – Jew or gentile.’’

AI response:

That is a deeply felt and provocative conviction. It gets straight to the core of one of the most painful realities of human history: the division, war, and exclusion that have often been fueled by religious claims of exclusive divine Favor. You are pointing out a striking paradox—that the very groups claiming to serve the Creator of all humanity have frequently drawn lines to keep others out.

To understand how this dynamic developed and why it remains so deeply entrenched, it helps to look at how each of the three major Abrahamic traditions historically constructed their ideas of "the table." [1]

1. The Historical Frameworks of Exclusivity

• Judaism (The Covenant Line): Historically, Judaism's exclusivity is not focused on who goes to heaven or hell, but on who is bound by their version of a specific legal contract (the Torah) made at Mount Sinai. In Jewish thought, righteous non-Jews have a place in the world to come simply by observing basic moral laws (the Noahide Laws). However, the historical boundary lines around "who is a Jew" became exceptionally rigid, largely as a survival mechanism to preserve the nation across thousands of years of exile and intense persecution. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• Christianity (The Faith Boundary): Christianity shifted the paradigm from a national covenant to a theological one. The exclusivity centered on a specific confession of faith: that Jesus is the Messiah and the only way to the Father (John 14:6) and their version of being born again. Over the centuries, this belief was often weaponized by political and religious institutions and empires, leading to the institutional doctrine that there was "no salvation outside the Church," which automatically shut the door on both Jews and all other global cultures. 2Cor 11:2-4
• Islam (The Final Revelation): Islam positions itself as the restoration of the original, pure monotheism of Abraham, which it teaches was corrupted over time by Judaism and Christianity. While Islam historically granted a protected, secondary status to Jews and Christians as "People of the Book," the theological boundary remains absolute: ultimate submission to Allah through His final prophet, Muhammad, is the required standard for the true community of faith. [1, 2, 3]

2. The Theological Tension of Your Conviction

Your personal conviction—that those who exclude others from God's table will themselves be excluded—actually mirrors a fierce internal debate that has existed within these religions for millennia.

Many prophets, mystics, and reformers across all three faiths have argued a very similar point: that pride, arrogance, and religious tribalism are the ultimate offenses against God. [1]

• In the Hebrew Prophets: Isaiah and Amos repeatedly warned the ancient Israelites that their chosen status meant nothing if they lacked justice, mercy, and humility, explicitly stating that God cared about other nations just as much as Israel (Amos 9:7). [1]
• In the Teachings of Jesus: Jesus frequently warned the highly religious elites of His day using "table imagery." He explicitly stated that many who thought they had a guaranteed seat at the master's table would be cast out, while strangers from the "east and the west" (the nations) would come and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 8:11-12). [1, 2, 3]

3. The Structural Conundrum

The ultimate tragedy you highlighted stems from a structural problem within human nature and religious institutions. For an institution to exist, it usually creates boundaries to define who is "in" and who is "out." Sadly, throughout history, whenever humans define who is "in," they almost always begin to treat those who are "out" with contempt, forgetting the universal scope of the Creator they claim to worship.

The Original Blueprint: Chosen to Include

The blueprint for this universal inclusion is explicitly stated the very first time God speaks to this family line:

"I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)

When the covenant is passed down to Jacob specifically, God repeats this exact global mandate:

"...and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 28:14)

In the original design, Jacob was chosen to be a conduit, not a cul-de-sac. He was meant to be the doorway through which every nation, tribe, and family could find their way back to the Creator's table. [1]

The Ultimate Goal of the Hebraic Roots

This is why the discussion we started with—regarding the fullness of the Gentiles and Jacob's blessing over Ephraim—is so profound. In that prophetic view, Ephraim is scattered into the nations specifically to "swallow up" the Gentiles, so that when they return to the Hebraic roots of the faith, the global family is finally stitched back together.

Jacob’s ultimate destiny is only fulfilled when his table is crowded with every family of the earth. Any religious system that tries to keep the table exclusive is actively fighting against the very covenant they claim to hold.

Isaiah 56 is the ultimate biblical antidote to religious exclusion. It explicitly targets the exact insecurity and pain that religious walls create. [1, 2, 3]

The chapter opens with God welcoming the ultimate outcasts of ancient society: the foreigner and the eunuch. In the ancient Near East, these two groups were dynamically banned from fully entering the assembly of Israel (per Deuteronomy 23). Yet, Isaiah shatters those traditional boundaries. [1, 2, 3, 4]

1. Stopping the Self-Exclusion

God addresses the internal anxiety of the non-Israelite believer directly:

"Do not let the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, 'The Lord has utterly separated me from His people'..." (Isaiah 56:3).

God commands the foreigner never to say this. He recognizes that when a religious institution acts exclusively, the marginalized person begins to believe that God Himself has rejected them. God preemptively vetoes that thought. He tells the outsider: Humans may try to separate you, but I have not. [1, 2, 3]

2. The Great Invitation: Grafted into the Covenant

God outlines what it looks like for these "foreigners" to sit at the table. He doesn't tell them to abandon their identity, but rather to join His family rhythm: [1, 2, 3]

As outlined Is 56:3-7, those who join themselves to the Lord and hold fast to the covenant are brought to the holy mountain, regardless of their background. This indicates that God does not create a separate, secondary table for the nations. Instead, He brings them to the same holy mountain and accepts their worship on the same altar. [1, 2]

‘’What about YHVH hating Esau?

Mal 1:3  but I have hated Ěsaw, and have laid waste his mountains and his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” 

Mal 1:4  If Eḏom says, “We have been beaten down, let us return and build the ruins,” יהוה of hosts said thus: “Let them build, but I tear down. And they shall be called ‘Border of Wrongness’, and the people against whom יהוה is enraged forever. 

Mal 1:5  And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, ‘Great is יהוה beyond the border of Yisra’ěl!’ 

 Oba 1:10  “Because of your violence (replacement theology) against your brother Ya‛aqoḇ, let shame cover you. And you shall be cut off forever. 

Oba 1:18  “And the house of Ya‛aqoḇ shall be a fire, and the house of Yosěph a flame, but the house of Ěsaw for stubble. And they shall burn among them and they shall consume them, so that no survivor is left of the house of Ěsaw.” For יהוה has spoken. 

 The Esau spirit seeks to exclude all those who have been invited to the family table because they believe they alone carry and control these invitations.

Esau sold his birthright for His own institutional exclusivity – despising covenantal loyalty to the household of Jacob – the same fatal error made by all religious institutions of this world.

Blessed are you YHVH, 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 – Amein.

 

Parashat 11 Portion 44 (Va yigash) Gen 46:28-47:31 Zech 10:6-12 + 11:4-11

 Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, Creator of the universe, who desires covenantal intimacy with Your called-out ones – blessed are those whom You have called and chosen and have given a heart that longs for and sincerely seeks Your covenantal life.  Please, YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our hearts and in the hearts of Your people, the family of Israel. May we and our offspring and the offspring of Your people, the house of Jacob – all of us – know Your Name and study Your Torah empowering us to sincerely love one another and to love You above all. Please uncover our eyes and open our hearts that we may carefully examine and understand the marvels and mysteries of Your Torah. Blessed are You, YHVH, who has created and established Your Torah for the set apart ones of Israel – through Yahshua our Messiah - Amein.

Joseph Brings His Family to Egypt – vs 1-27

 To better understand this ‘’shiur’’ (teaching of this Torah portion) let us first ‘’take a trip down memory lane’’ – to see how Jacob and his family land up in Egypt.

The first time YHVH explicitly promised the land of Canaan (Israel) to His people as an inheritance was given in Genesis 12:7, shortly after Abraham (then called Abram) arrived there.

 YHVH repeated and expanded this promise several times:

 Genesis 13:14-17 – YHVH tells Abram to look in all directions: “All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.”

Genesis 15:18-21 - During a covenant ceremony, YHVH specifies the borders: “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates,” listing the peoples whose land it would include. This is a formal, unconditional covenant.

 “Greater Israel” or the full Abrahamic Covenant land will be 10 – 20 times larger than it is today.

The full Abrahamic promise covers a vast territory including:

·         Modern Israel + Palestinian territories

·         All of Lebanon

·         Most or all of Jordan

·         Significant parts of Syria

·         Parts of northern Saudi Arabia / Sinai (Egypt)

·         Western Iraq (up to the Euphrates)

 Genesis 17:8 - YHVH reaffirms it as an “everlasting possession” to Abraham and his descendants.

The promise was later confirmed to Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4) and Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel; Genesis 28:13), and the Israelites eventually took possession under Joshua.

 Under the Mosaic law the land is possessed and enjoyed conditionally based on obedience to the ‘’Covenant’’ YHVH recorded in the Torah. Israel can be blessed and prosper in the land if obedient, but disobedience leads to curses, expulsion, or exile (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). However, this does not cancel the Abrahamic promise—exile is temporary, and YHVH will ultimately restore them to the land because of His earlier oath to the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob). Deuteronomy 30 emphasizes future restoration after judgment

 The Mosaic Covenant was added 430 years after the Abrahamic Covenant (Galatians 3:17) and does not annul it.

Gal 3:17  Now this I say, Torah, that came four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously confirmed by Elohim in Messiah, so as to do away with the promise. 

Gal 3:18  For if the inheritance is by Torah, it is no longer by promise, but Elohim gave it to Aḇraham through a promise. Is 1:9 Rom 9:29

 A covenant is a formal, solemn, and binding agreement between two or more parties – in other words the Torah states the terms and conditions of YHVH’s promise – confirmed and established by Messiah.

 Gen 46:1  And Yisra’ěl set out with all that he had, and came to Be’ěrsheḇa, and slaughtered slaughterings to the Elohim of his father Yitsḥaq. 

Gen 46:2  And Elohim spoke to Yisra’ěl in the visions of the night, and said, “Ya‛aqoḇ, Ya‛aqoḇ!” And he said, “Here I am.” 

Gen 46:3  And He said, “I am the Ěl, Elohim of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Mitsrayim, for I shall make you there into a great nation. 

Gen 46:4  “I Myself am going down with you to Mitsrayim and I Myself shall certainly bring you up again. And let Yosěph put his hand on your eyes.” 

Gen 46:5  And Ya‛aqoḇ rose up from Be’ěrsheḇa. And the sons of Yisra’ěl brought their father Ya‛aqoḇ, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 

Gen 46:6  And they took their livestock and their property which they had acquired in the land of Kena‛an, and came into Mitsrayim, Ya‛aqoḇ and all his seed with him. 

Gen 46:7  His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed he brought with him to Mitsrayim. 

Gen 46:8  And these were the names of the children of Yisra’ěl, Ya‛aqoḇ and his sons, who came into Mitsrayim: Re’uḇěn was Ya‛aqoḇ’s first-born. 

Gen 46:9  And the sons of Re’uḇěn: Ḥanoḵ, and Pallu, and Ḥetsron, and Karmi. 

Gen 46:10  And the sons of Shim‛on: Yemu’ěl, and Yamin, and Ohaḏ, and Yaḵin, and Tsoḥar, and Sha’ul, son of a Kena‛anite woman. 

Gen 46:11  And the sons of Lěwi: Gěrshon, Qehath, and Merari. 

Gen 46:12  And the sons of Yehuḏah: Ěr, and Onan, and Shělah, and Perets, and Zeraḥ – but Ěr and Onan died in the land of Kena‛an. And the sons of Perets were Ḥetsron and Ḥamul. 

Gen 46:13  And the sons of Yissasḵar: Tola, and Puw‛ah, and Yoḇ, and Shimron. 

Gen 46:14  And the sons of Zeḇulun: Sereḏ, and Ělon, and Yaḥle’ěl. 

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

Gen 46:16  And the sons of Gaḏ: Tsiphyon and Ḥaggi, Shuni and Etsbon, Ěri and Aroḏi, and Arěli. 

Gen 46:17  And the sons of Ashěr: Yimnah, and Yishwah, and Yishwi, and Beri‛ah, and Seraḥ, their sister. And the sons of Beri‛ah: Ḥeḇer and Malki’ěl. 

Gen 46:18  These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laḇan gave to Lě’ah his daughter. And these she bore to Ya‛aqoḇ: sixteen beings. 

Gen 46:19  The sons of Raḥěl, Ya‛aqoḇ’s wife: Yosěph and Binyamin. 

Gen 46:20  And to Yosěph in the land of Mitsrayim were born Menashsheh and Ephrayim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 

Gen 46:21  And the sons of Binyamin: Belah, and Beḵer, and Ashběl, Gěra and Na‛aman, Ěḥi and Rosh, Muppim and Ḥuppim, and Ard. 

Gen 46:22  These were the sons of Raḥěl who were born to Ya‛aqoḇ: fourteen beings in all. 

Gen 46:23  And the son of Dan: Ḥushim. 

Gen 46:24  And the sons of Naphtali: Yaḥtse’ěl, and Guni, and Yětser, and Shillěm. 

Gen 46:25  These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laḇan gave to Raḥěl his daughter, and she bore these to Ya‛aqoḇ: seven beings in all. 

Gen 46:26  All the beings who went with Ya‛aqoḇ to Mitsrayim, who came from his body, besides Ya‛aqoḇ’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six beings in all. 

Gen 46:27  And the sons of Yosěph who were born to him in Mitsrayim were two beings. All the beings of the house of Ya‛aqoḇ who went to Mitsrayim were seventy. 

 ואת־יהודה

Jacob and Joseph Reunited

Gen 46:28  And (Jacob) he sent Yehuḏah before him to Yosěph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen. 

 Jacob sends his son Judah ahead of the group to Joseph - to inform Joseph of their arrival and to get directions/guidance to the region of Goshen, where Joseph had arranged for them to settle (a good land for shepherds, separate from the main Egyptian population).

 Gen 46:29  And Yosěph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Yisra’ěl. And he appeared to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a long time. 

Gen 46:30  And Yisra’ěl said to Yosěph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.” 

Gen 46:31  And Yosěph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I am going up to inform Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Kena‛an, have come to me. 

Gen 46:32  And the men are shepherds, that they have been men of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds, and all that they have.’ 

Gen 46:33  “And it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 

Gen 46:34  that you shall say, ‘Your servants have been men of livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ so that you dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Mitsrites.” 

 The Scriptures do not explicitly explain why Egyptians viewed shepherds this way. However, historical and cultural context from ancient Egypt and biblical scholarship provides several likely reasons:

 Egyptians were a highly civilized, settled, agricultural society cantered around the Nile. Shepherds were often seen as nomadic, uncivilized, or lower-class. Their lifestyle (wandering with flocks, living in tents) contrasted with Egyptian urban and farming ideals. Shepherding was viewed as a lowly, dirty occupation.

 Egyptians worshipped many animal gods (e.g., ram-headed Khnum, the Apis bull, Hathor as a cow goddess). Hebrews, as shepherds, raised, sacrificed, and ate animals (like sheep, goats, and cattle) that Egyptians considered sacred or associated with deities. Killing and eating such animals would have been deeply offensive or “abominable” to Egyptians.

 Joseph used this known prejudice strategically. By highlighting their occupation, he ensured Pharaoh would allow (or direct) them to live separately in the fertile land of Goshen away from the main Egyptian population — preserving their family identity and avoiding assimilation or conflict.

 Jacob's Family Settles in Goshen

Gen 47:1  Then Yosěph went and spoke to Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Kena‛an. And see, they are in the land of Goshen.” 

Gen 47:2  And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 

Gen 47:3  And Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.” 

Gen 47:4  And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to dwell in the land, because there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the scarcity of food is severe in the land of Kena‛an. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” 

Gen 47:5  And Pharaoh spoke to Yosěph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 

Gen 47:6  “The land of Mitsrayim is before you. Settle your father and brothers in the best of the land, let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of capable men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.” 

Gen 47:7  And Yosěph brought in his father Ya‛aqoḇ and set him before Pharaoh. And Ya‛aqoḇ blessed Pharaoh. 

 By blessing Pharaoh, Jacob acted as YHVH’s representative. The greater (the one with YHVH’s blessing) blesses the lesser (Hebrews 7:7). Even though Pharaoh was the most powerful ruler on earth, Jacob as a patriarch chosen by YHVH — held superior standing.

 Gen 47:8  And Pharaoh said to Ya‛aqoḇ, “How old are you?” 

Gen 47:9  And Ya‛aqoḇ said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojournings are one hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not reached the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.” 

Gen 47:10  And Ya‛aqoḇ blessed Pharaoh and went out from before Pharaoh. 

Gen 47:11  So Yosěph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Mitsrayim, in the best of the land, in the land of Ra‛meses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 

Gen 47:12  And Yosěph provided his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread for the mouth of the little ones. 

 Hebrew idiom (literally "according to the mouth of the little ones")

 Joseph and the Famine

Gen 47:13  Now there was no bread in all the land, because the scarcity of food was very severe, and the land of Mitsrayim and all the land of Kena‛an became exhausted from the scarcity of food. 

Gen 47:14  And Yosěph gathered up all the silver that was found in the land of Mitsrayim and in the land of Kena‛an, for the grain which they bought. And Yosěph brought the silver into Pharaoh’s house. 

 Rev 13:16  And he causes all, both small and great, and rich and poor, and free and slave, to be given a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads, 

Rev 13:17  and that no one should be able to buy or sell except he that has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 

 Similarities people note apply to the end times:

 Total economic control - In Genesis, survival (food) required full dependence on Pharaoh’s system. In Revelation, buying/selling (economic participation) requires allegiance to the Beast.

 Crisis leading to loss of autonomy - A severe famine forced the Egyptians to surrender ownership. In the end times, tribulation, scarcity, and global chaos could force people to accept the Antichrist’s mark for survival.

 Centralized power - Pharaoh became the virtual owner of everything. The Antichrist will exercise global economic and religious control.

 Joseph as a type of Messiah (a common view) — Joseph saved the world from famine but centralized power under Pharaoh. Some see this as contrasting with the true Messiah, while the Antichrist will mimic false “salvation” through control.

 WEF (World Economic Forum) slogan “You’ll own nothing and be happy” - The phrase comes from a 2016 essay by Danish politician Ida Auken (titled “Welcome to 2030. I Own Nothing, Have No Privacy, and Life Has Never Been Better”), which was promoted by the World Economic Forum

 ‘’It envisions a future (by 2030) where people rent everything (housing, cars, appliances, etc.) instead of owning it, with goods shared via subscription models, and digital systems tracking usage. The idea is framed as leading to greater sustainability, efficiency, and happiness by reducing materialism and environmental impact.

Critics (especially in conservative and conspiracy-oriented circles) interpret it as a soft form of technocratic socialism or neo-feudalism, where a small elite class (governments + corporations) controls most resources, and ordinary people have little real ownership or privacy.’’

 Gen 47:15  And when the silver was all spent in the land of Mitsrayim and in the land of Kena‛an, all the Mitsrites came to Yosěph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the silver is gone!” 

Gen 47:16  And Yosěph said, “Give your livestock, and I give you bread for your livestock, if the silver is gone.” 

Gen 47:17  So they brought their livestock to Yosěph, and Yosěph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks they owned, and for the herds they owned, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. 

Gen 47:18  And when that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We do not hide from my master that our silver is all spent, and my master also has the livestock we owned. There has not been left any before my master but our bodies and our lands. 

Gen 47:19  “Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and let us and our land be servants of Pharaoh. And give us seed, and let us live and not die, and let the land not lie waste.” 

Gen 47:20  And Yosěph bought the entire land of Mitsrayim for Pharaoh, because every man of the Mitsrites sold his field, because the scarcity of food was severe upon them. And the land came to be Pharaoh’s. 

Gen 47:21  And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Mitsrayim to the other end. 

 Gen 47:22  Only the ground of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had from what Pharaoh gave them by law, and they ate that which Pharaoh gave them by law. Therefore they did not sell their ground. 

 Some prophecy scholars predict that this represents a false religious system – a one world religion – that will protect and promote a one world government.

 Gen 47:23  And Yosěph said to the people, “Look, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 

Gen 47:24  “And it shall be that in the harvest you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. And four-fifths is your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” 

Gen 47:25  And they said, “You have saved our lives. Let us find favour in the eyes of my master, and we shall become Pharaoh’s servants.” 

Gen 47:26  And Yosěph made it a law over the land of Mitsrayim to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the ground of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s. 

Gen 47:27  And Yisra’ěl dwelt in the land of Mitsrayim, in the land of Goshen. (the camp of the righteous) And they had possessions there and were fruitful and increased exceedingly.

 Gen 47:28  And Ya‛aqoḇ lived in the land of Mitsrayim seventeen years. So, `the length of Ya‛aqoḇ’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. 

 Gen 47:29  And the time for Yisra’ěl to die drew near, and he called his son Yosěph and said to him, “Now if I have found favour in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh, (Yarek oath) and show loving-commitment and truth to me. Please do not bury me in Mitsrayim, 

 The “thigh” (yarek) was considered the seat of procreative power and strength (related to the idea of descendants and the covenant line). Touching it while swearing invoked the most sacred aspects of life, lineage, and YHVH’s specific promises – given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

It was the ancient equivalent of swearing on the Bible or raising your right hand — a deeply personal and covenantal gesture – the promises given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would be protected and passed on from generation to generation.

 Gen 47:30  but I shall lie with my fathers, and you shall take me up out of Mitsrayim and bury me in their burial-place.” And he said, “I do as you have said.” 

Gen 47:31  And he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him, and Yisra’ěl bowed himself on the head of the bed. 

 Heb 11:21  By belief, Ya‛aqoḇ, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Yosěph, and did reverence on the top of his staff. 

 Even while dying in a foreign land (Egypt), Jacob believed YHVH’s promises.

Leaning on his staff became a beautiful picture of dependence on YHVH rather than on his own strength.

 Blessed are you YHVH, 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 – Amein.

Additional Commentary of a Returning Grated in Gentile Aliyah.

• Messianic and Hebraic Roots teachers (e.g., some associated with organizations focused on Aliyah) see the Joseph narrative as a prototype for end-time regathering, where both Jews and grafted-in Gentiles (believers) participate in the return to the land.
• Typological interpreters (common in some dispensational circles) note that just as Jacob’s family found physical salvation in Egypt under Joseph, in the last days a remnant of Israel (and possibly Gentile believers) will find refuge and ultimately return to the Promised Land under Messiah’s protection (often linked to places like Petra or divine protection during the Great Tribulation — Revelation 12).
• Some connect this to prophecies of a second exodus (Isaiah 11:11-12, Jeremiah 16:14-15, Micah 7:15), which is greater than the first, involving a regathering from all nations.

Gentile Believers and Aliyah in the Last Days

• The idea that Gentile believers (grafted into Israel - Romans 11) might participate in a form of Aliyah (return to Israel) during the Tribulation is promoted in certain Messianic Jewish and Christian Zionist teachings.
• They often cite prophecies like:
• Isaiah 49:22 -Gentiles helping carry Israel’s sons and daughters back.
• Isaiah 60–61 and Zechariah 8 - Nations coming to Israel and assisting in her restoration.
• During the Tribulation, many expect a massive turning of Jews to Messiah (“all Israel will be saved” - Romans 11:26) and a regathering. Some extend this to include Gentile believers finding refuge or playing a role in the land.

Comfort for God's People

Isa 40:1  “Comfort, comfort My people!” says your Elohim. 

Isa 40:2  “Speak to the heart of Yerushalayim, and cry out to her, that her hard service is completed, that her crookedness is pardoned, that she has received from the hand of יהוה double for all her sins.” 

Isa 40:3  The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of יהוה; make straight in the desert a highway for our Elohim. 

Isa 40:4  “Let every valley be raised, and every mountain and hill made low. And the steep ground shall become level, and the rough places smooth. 

Isa 40:5  “And the esteem of יהוה shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see it. For the mouth of יהוה has spoken.” 

Isa 40:27  Why do you say, O Ya‛aqoḇ, and speak, O Yisra’ěl, “My way is hidden from יהוה, and my rights are overlooked by my Elohim”? 

Isa 40:28  Did you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting Elohim, יהוה, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 

Isa 40:29  He gives power to the faint, and to those who have no might He increases strength. 

Isa 40:30  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men stumble and fall, 

Isa 40:31  but those who wait on יהוה renew their strength, they raise up the wing like eagles, they run and are not weary, they walk and do not faint. 

 

Ameyn.

Parashat 11 Portion 43 ‘’Va yigash’ ’and he drew near’’ Gen 44:18-46:27 Jer30:21-31:5 +19 Is 51:12-52;12

Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, Creator of the universe, who desires covenantal intimacy with Your called-out ones – blessed are those whom You have called and chosen and have given a heart that longs for and sincerely seeks Your covenantal life.  Please, YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our hearts and in the hearts of Your people, the family of Israel. May we and our offspring and the offspring of Your people, the house of Jacob – all of us – know Your Name and study Your Torah empowering us to honestly love one another and to love You above all. Please uncover our eyes and open our hearts that we may carefully examine and receive the marvels and mysteries of Your Torah. Blessed are You, YHVH, who has created and established Your Torah for the set apart ones of Israel – through Yahshua our Messiah - Amein.

ויגשׁו - ’Va yigash’ ’and he drew near’

Gen 44:16  And Yehuḏah said, “What do we say to my master? What do we speak? Or how do we clear ourselves? Elohim has found out the crookedness of your servants. See, we are my master’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.” 

This reveals the raw unfiltered grief of Judah and his brothers – they didn’t know what to say, they didn’t know what to do; they didn’t know how they could survive the devastation of losing another brother –the devastation that would come upon their father Jacob, they were undone – this was the coldest darkest moment of their human existence – and most profoundly they were taking full responsibility for this catastrophe which had befallen them.

Gen 44:18  And Yehuḏah came near (יגשׁו) to him and said, “O my master, please let your servant speak a word in my master’s hearing, and do not let your displeasure burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. 

This is the destiny of a chosen end time faithful remnant – they will not blame others for the time of Jacobs distress – for the time of the great tribulation.

Jer 30:7  Oh! For great is that day, there is none like it. And it is the time of Ya‛aqoḇ’s distress, but he shall be saved out of it. 

This is the destiny of an end time faithful remnant.

From the time of creation until now, it has been man’s disobedience to YHVH and His Torah that has brought chaos and destruction into the world.

Rom 3:10  As it has been written, “There is none righteous, no, not one! 

Rom 3:11  “There is no one who is understanding, there is none who is seeking Elohim. 

Rom 3:12  “They all have turned aside, they have together become worthless (ἀχρειόω - achreioō). There is none who does good, no, not one.” Psa_14:1-3, Psa_53:1-4. 

 

So ἀχρειόω is probably best understood as "rendered useless," "spoiled," "unfit for its intended purpose," or "morally corrupted to the point of being unprofitable." G889 ‘’hapax’’

 

In spite of all this failure - we are covered by a robe of righteousness …..

 

This is the message to an end time faithful remnant.

1Co 10:11  And all these came upon them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come, 

1Co 10:12  so that he who thinks he stands, let him take heed lest he fall. 

 

And so, Judah like the Messiah – empties himself, taking the form of a servant – Phil 2:7

Php 2:5  For, let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah יהושע,

 

Jer 30:10  And you, do not fear, O Ya‛aqoḇ My servant,’ declares יהוה, ‘nor be discouraged, O Yisra’ěl. For look, I am saving you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity. And Ya‛aqoḇ shall return, and have rest and be at ease, with no one to trouble him. 

Jer 30:11  For I am with you,’ declares יהוה, ‘to save you. Though I make a complete end of all nationsa where I have scattered you, yet I do not make a complete end of you. But I shall reprove you in judgment, and by no means leave you unpunished.’ Footnote: aSee Jer_46:28, Isa_34:2, Isa_45:17, Dan_2:44, Amo_9:8, Hag_2:22. 

 

 

וְיִסַּרְתִּיךָ לַמִּשְׁפָּט, וְנַקֵּה לֹא אֲנַקֶּךָּ – I will chastise you for judgment and will not hold you innocent, no I will not hold you innocent – Rom 8:1

 

In Jeremiah 30:11, the Hebrew word nâqâh (Strong's H5352) primarily means "to be clean," "free from guilt," or "innocent." However, in a legal or punitive context, it means to be acquitted or to go unpunished.

YHVH uses this word twice in a single sentence to provide an emphatic guarantee of discipline with a limit. He states: "...yet I will by no means leave you unpunished" (or literally in Hebrew, naqqēh lo' 'anappēkkā).

Why it is used twice in verse 11:

1.      Hebrew Emphasis (The Infinitive Absolute): The repetition is a common Hebrew grammatical technique where the root verb is used twice, first in its infinitive form and then in its finite form (e.g., "punishing, I will punish you"). This construction expresses absolute certainty, intensity, and focus. (No one is exempt, and we must not forget that this warning is addressed to the family of Jacob)

 

Jer 50:20  “In those days and at that time,” declares יהוה, “the crookedness of Yisra’ěl shall be searched for, but there shall be none; and the sin of Yehuḏah, but none shall be found. For I shall pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

 

Rev 3:10  “Because you have guarded My Word of endurance, I also shall guard you from the hour of trial which shall come upon all the world, to try those who dwell on the earth.  (guarding the Torah or word of endurance also comes with a price)

 

Gen 44:18  And Yehuḏah came near (ויגשׁו) to him and said, “O my master, please let your servant speak a word in my master’s hearing, and do not let your displeasure burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. 

 

Heb 7:25  Therefore He is also able to save completely those who draw near (nagash)to Elohim through Him, ever living to make intercession for them. 

 

The Hebrew phrase בְּכָל־וָכֹל אֶת־הַנִּגָּשִׁים עַל־יָדוֹ לֵאלֹהִים translated into English is:

"In every way and completely, He is able to save those who draw near to Elohim through Him..."

Word-by-Word Breakdown:

·         בְּכָל־וָכֹל (be-khol va-khol): Idiomatically meaning "in every possible way," "altogether," or "completely." It corresponds to the Greek phrase eis to panteles (translated as "to the uttermost" or "forever" in Hebrews 7:25).

·         אֶת־ (et): A grammatical marker pointing to the direct object.

·         הַנִּגָּשִׁים (ha-niggashim): "Those who draw near" or "those who approach" (plural participle from the root nagash, used heavily in the priesthood context for approaching YHVH's presence).

·         עַל־יָדוֹ (al-yado): "Through Him," "by His hand," or "by means of Him."

·         לֵאלֹהִים (le-Elohim): "To Elohim."

 

Gen 44:19  “My master asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 

Gen 44:20  “And we said to my master, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young child of his old age, and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ 

Gen 44:21  “And you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, and let me set my eyes on him.’ 

Gen 44:22  “And we said to my master, ‘The boy is not able to leave his father, for if he leaves his father, his father shall die.’ 

Gen 44:23  “But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you do not see my face again.’ 

Gen 44:24  “And it came to be, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my master. 

Gen 44:25  “And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 

Gen 44:26  “But we said, ‘We are not able to go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we shall go down, for we are not able to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 

Gen 44:27  “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons, 

Gen 44:28  and the one went out from me, and I said, “Truly, he is torn, torn to pieces!” And I have not seen him since. 

Gen 44:29  And if you take this one from me too, and harm comes to him, you shall bring down my grey hair with evil to She’ol.’ 

Gen 44:30  “And now, if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us – since his own life is bound up in his life – 

Gen 44:31  then it shall be, when he sees that the boy is not with us, that he shall die. So your servants shall bring down the grey hair of your servant our father with evil to She’ol. 

Gen 44:32  “For your servant went guaranty for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall be a sinner before my father forever.’ 

 

"...וְחָטָאתִי לְאָבִי כָּל־הַיָּמִים" "...then I shall have sinned against my father all my days." Or ‘’I will never be able to be reconciled to my father forever’’

 

Gen 44:33  “And now, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a slave to my master, and let the boy go up with his brothers. 

Gen 44:34  “For how do I go up to my father if the boy is not with me, lest I see the evil that would come upon my father?” 

 

After this desperate selfless plea from Judah – Joseph could no longer restrain his emotions, he was hiding from his brothers.

 

Zec 12:10  “And I shall pour on the house of Dawiḏ and on the inhabitants of Yerushalayim a spirit of favour and prayers. And they shall look on Me whom they pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son. And they shall be in bitterness over Him as a bitterness over the first-born.

 

Rev 1:7  See, He is coming with the clouds, Dan_7:13 and every eye shall see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth shall mourn because of Him. Zec_12:10 Yes, Aměn. 

 

Gen 45:1  And Yosěph was unable to restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he called out, “Have everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Yosěph made himself known to his brothers. 

Gen 45:2  And he wept aloud, and the Mitsrites and the house of Pharaoh heard it. 

Gen 45:3  And Yosěph said to his brothers, “I am Yosěph, is my father still alive?” But his brothers were unable to answer him, for they trembled before him. 

Gen 45:4  Then Yosěph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” And when they came near, he said, “I am Yosěph your brother, whom you sold into Mitsrayim. 

 

 

Gen 45:4  ויאמר יוסף אל־אחיו גשׁו־נא אלי ויגשׁו ויאמר אני יוסף אחיכם אשׁר־מכרתם אתי מצרימה׃ 

 

Gen 45:5  “And now, do not be grieved nor displeased with yourselves because you sold me here, for Elohim sent me before you to preserve life. (Gen 45:10 – Goshen)

Gen 45:6  “For two years now the scarcity of food has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there is neither ploughing nor harvesting. 

Gen 45:7  “And Elohim sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to give life to you by a great escape. 

Gen 45:8  “So then, you did not send me here, but Elohim. And He has set me for a father to Pharaoh, and master of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Mitsrayim. 

Gen 45:9  “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Yosěph, “Elohim has made me master of all Mitsrayim. Come down to me, do not delay. 

Gen 45:10  “And you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and be near to me, you and your

children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. 

Gen 45:11  “And I shall provide for you there, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty, because five years of scarcity of food are still to come.” ’ 

Gen 45:12  “And look, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Binyamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 

Gen 45:13  “And you shall inform my father of all my esteem in Mitsrayim, and of all that you have seen. And you shall hurry and bring my father down here.” 

Gen 45:14  And he fell on his brother Binyamin’s neck and wept, and Binyamin wept on his neck. 

Gen 45:15  And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers spoke with him. 

Gen 45:16  And the report of it was heard by the house of Pharaoh, saying, “The brothers of Yosěph have come.” And it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants. 

Gen 45:17  And Pharaoh said to Yosěph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your beasts and go, enter the land of Kena‛an, 

Gen 45:18  and take your father and your households and come to me, and I give you the best of the land of Mitsrayim, and you eat the fat of the land. 

Gen 45:19  And you, you have been commanded, do this: Take wagons out of the land of Mitsrayim for your little ones and your wives. And you shall bring your father, and come. 

Gen 45:20  And do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Mitsrayim is yours.’ ” 

Gen 45:21  And the sons of Yisra’ěl did so. And Yosěph gave them wagons, according to the mouth of Pharaoh, and he gave them food for the journey. 

Gen 45:22  He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments, but to Binyamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. 

Gen 45:23  And he sent to his father this: ten donkeys loaded with the best of Mitsrayim, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, and bread, and food for his father for the journey. 

Gen 45:24  So he sent his brothers away, and they left. And he said to them, “Do not quarrel along the way.” 

Gen 45:25  And they went up out of Mitsrayim, and came to the land of Kena‛an to Ya‛aqoḇ their father. 

Gen 45:26  And they told him, saying, “Yosěph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Mitsrayim.” And Ya‛aqoḇ’s heart ceased, for he did not believe them. 

Gen 45:27  But when they spoke to him all the words which Yosěph had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons which Yosěph had sent to transport him, the spirit of Ya‛aqoḇ their father revived. 

Gen 45:28  And Yisra’ěl said, “Enough! My son Yosěph is still alive. Let me go and see him before I die.” 

 

There is a well-known midrash connected to Genesis 45:26:

 

This tradition appears in several rabbinic sources, including Midrash HaGadol, Sefer HaYashar, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, and later compilations. The most detailed version involves Serach (Serah) bat Asher — Jacob’s granddaughter, daughter of Asher.

 

The Story:

When the brothers returned from Egypt with the astonishing news that Joseph was still alive and was ruling over Egypt, they feared the sudden shock would kill their elderly father Jacob (who had mourned Joseph for 22 years and whose “heart stood still / became numb” in Gen 45:26 - Hebrew: vayyaphag libo, meaning his heart fainted or became paralyzed with disbelief).

To cushion the blow, the brothers asked Serach, who was known for her musical talent, to gently break the news to Jacob through song and music.

·         She sat before Jacob and played on the lyre/harp (Hebrew: kinnor) while singing something like: “Joseph my uncle is alive; he rules in Egypt; he has two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.”

·         She repeated the gentle melody several times.

·         The music and poetic form allowed Jacob to absorb the news gradually without fatal shock.

·         Once the truth sank in, joy filled Jacob’s heart, the Holy Spirit rested upon him, and he believed. He then blessed Serach, saying something like: “My daughter, because you have revived my spirit, death shall never have power over you” (explaining the midrashic tradition that Serach entered Paradise alive and lived an exceptionally long life).

This is why Serach is listed among those who went down to Egypt (Genesis 46:17) and is one of the few women named in the genealogies.

 

Significance of the Midrash

·         It highlights the brothers’ care and repentance, they are now protecting their father’s life after previously causing him great pain.

·         It shows the power of music and gentle speech to convey truth and bring healing.

·         Serach becomes a heroine in Jewish tradition: a wise woman who later helps in other biblical events (e.g., during King David’s time) and symbolizes the transmission of hidden/redemptive knowledge.

This is a beautiful aggadic (narrative) expansion that fills in the emotional drama behind the terse biblical text. The text is terse because it gives the essential facts with minimal words and leaves a lot unsaid.

 

 

Blessed are you YHVH, 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 – Amein.

 Jer 30:21  And his Prince shall be from him, and his Ruler shall come from among him. And I shall bring him near, and he shall approach Me, for who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ declares יהוה. 

Jer 30:22  And you shall be My people, and I shall be your Elohim.’ ” 

Jer 30:23  See, the storm of יהוה shall go forth in a rage, a whirling storm! It bursts upon the head of the wrong. 

Jer 30:24  The burning displeasure of יהוה shall not turn back until He has done and established the purposes of His heart. In the latter days you shall understand it.b Footnote: bSee Jer_23:20. 

The Lord Will Turn Mourning to Joy

Jer 31:1  “At that time,” declares יהוה, “I shall be the Elohim of all the clans of Yisra’ěl, and they shall be My people.” 

Jer 31:2  Thus said יהוה, “A people escaped from the sword found favour in the wilderness, Yisra’ěl, when it went to find rest.” 

Jer 31:3  יהוה appeared to me from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I shall draw you with loving-commitment. 

Jer 31:4  “I am going to build you again. And you shall be rebuilt, O maiden of Yisra’ěl! Again you shall take up your tambourines, and go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. 

Jer 31:5  “Again you shall plant vines on the mountains of Shomeron. The planters shall plant and treat them as common.