Parashat 12 Portion 46 – Gen 49:1-26‘’Va Yechi’’ ‘’and he lived’’ Is 55:3-12 +56:8 Is 60:1-22

 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 – 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.

ויקרא יעקב – ‘’and Jacob called’’ Jacob still calls an end time remnant that will hear and receive this call.

This gathering in Genesis 49:1 took place alongside a covenant or farewell meal. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, major life transitions, the passing of patriarchal authority, and entering into agreements was tied to communal meals and would very likely have involved breaking bread together as a sign of unity and continuation. Even in our days – the family table (shulchan) continues to serve as a family altar.

Jacob Blesses His Sons

Gen 49:1  And Ya‛aqoḇ called (ויקרא) his sons and said, “Gather together, so that I declare to you what is to befall (ויקרא) you in the last days:  הימים  באחרית

By connecting the two uses of the verb ויקרא in Genesis 49:1, we can structurally and prophetically conclude that the same unique divine "calling" that assembled Israel at Jacob's deathbed is the exact same "calling" that gathers, preserves, and navigates the remnant through the last days.

 This is the first time the phrase בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים (b'acharit hayamim - "in the last days / end of days") appears in the Torah.

 ‘’ b'acharit hayamim’’ is first mentioned at Jacob’s deathbed, this teaches us that the "End Times" are not just about global geopolitical chaos that many believers focus on - Fundamentally, the last days are about the coming together again of Jacob’s family, to hear, understand and obey the ‘’calling’’ to be the regathered, united and restored family of Jacob.

 In the West, believers are often weighed down by centuries of institutional church history, denominational loyalty, and deeply ingrained theological traditions. In contrast, many growing Christian communities in the East have a "blank slate" advantage.

Because they lack heavy exposure to Western mainline church traditions, they are more free to hear the ‘’calling’’ (ויקרא) with clarity and conviction.

 For nearly 1,700 years, Western mainline churches (both Catholic and Protestant) heavily embraced varieties of Replacement Theology—the idea that the Church has permanently replaced Israel in YHVH’s plan, and that the Old Testament laws are completely obsolete.

Believers in the east often do not carry this historical baggage. When a house-church believer in China or Vietnam reads the Scriptures, they do not see a sharp, hostile divide between the "Old Testament" and the "New Testament." They see one continuous, unfolding story of YHVH.

‘’The last days calling has begun, and is being heard by believers from all nations – The fullness of the Torah is returning to Ephraim – ‘’and his seed is to become the completeness of the nations’’ - calling Jacobs family back together again’’

 Today, there is a voice from heaven calling (vayikra) believers out of religious systems so that they will escape the coming end time judgments.

 Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from the heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

 Rev 18:4  וָאֶשְׁמַע קוֹל אַחֵר מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִם קֹרֵא צְאוּ מִתּוֹכָהּ עַמִּ

 The remnant will not remain spiritually, culturally, or financially enmeshed in the worldly religious system – Babylon.

In the last days the persecution, deception and confusion in the world will be so great – those whose lives are not built on the sound foundation of Messiah’s Torah – will be swept away.

Believers too, will face severe trails and testings -

 Psa 119:92  If Your Torah had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

 The word for "delight" (sha'ashu'ai) implies contentment in the midst of trails.

The word for "affliction" (on'yi) refers to misery, oppression, depression, and hardship. It perfectly mirrors the "darkest hour" scenario. When external realities collapse, the internal blueprint of the Torah is the only thing that anchors the believer's mind.

 To help us understand these ‘’callings’’ to Jacob’s sons we will refer to some ancient non canonical second temple period writings that were extensively used (and preserved) by early believers – fragments of these writings have also been found amongst the Dead sea scrolls.

 The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs – Written around 200 BCE – inspired by an intense, surging awareness by Second temple Jewish groups like the Pharisees, Essenes, and apocalyptic scribes.

 These non-canonical books were written by a community that passionately felt they were in the acharit hayamim (last days). They created these writings to serve as a survival map, showing that when the world darkens, the ultimate "calling" (Vayikra) will manifest through an end time remnant of Jacob.

https://sacred-texts.com/bib/fbe/fbe266.htm

 Gen 49:2  “Gather together and hear, you sons of Ya‛aqoḇ, and listen to Yisra’ěl your father. 

Gen 49:3  “Re’uḇěn, you are my first-born, my power and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of exaltation and the excellency of power. 

Gen 49:4  “Boiling like water, you do not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, then you defiled it – he went up to my couch. (Genesis 35:22)

 This story is retold by Reuben in ‘’The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs’’

 Extract from  ‘’The Testament of Reuben, the commands which he gave his sons before he died in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life.

2 Two years after the death of Joseph his brother, when Reuben fell ill, his sons and his sons' sons were gathered together to visit him.

3 And he said to them: My children, behold I am dying, and go the way of my fathers.

Pay no heed, therefore, my children, to the beauty of women, nor set your mind--on their affairs; but walk in singleness of heart in the fear of the Lord, and expend labour on good works, and on study and on your flocks, until the Lord give you a wife, whom He will, that ye suffer not as I did.

2 For until my father's death I had not boldness to look in his face, or to speak to any of my brethren, because of the reproach.

3 Even until now my conscience causeth me anguish on account of my impiety.

4 And yet my father comforted me much, and prayed for me unto the Lord, that the anger of the Lord might pass from me, even as the Lord showed.

7 For a pit unto the soul is the sin of fornication, separating it from God, and bringing it near to idols, because it deceiveth the mind and understanding, and leadeth down young men into Hades before their time.

8 For many hath fornication destroyed; because, though a man be old or noble, or rich or poor, he bringeth reproach upon himself with the sons of men and derision with Beliar. (2 Cor 6:15)

9 For ye heard regarding Joseph how he guarded himself from a woman, and purged his thoughts from all fornication, and found favour in the sight of God and men.’’ (End extract)

 End time calling:

 This is a collective end time calling to the remnant of Israel who have no desire to defile themselves with any form of sexuality impurity – listed in Lev 18 – note this list is about what is forbidden and not about what is consensually permitted.

An end time remnant will obey YHVH’s very first command to be fruitful and multiply – Gen 1:28  with purity and passion and with the intention of having large families.

 Gen 49:5  “Shim‛on and Lěwi are brothers, their weapons are implements of violence. 

Gen 49:6  “Let my being not enter their council, let my esteem not be united to their assembly; because they killed a man in their displeasure, and they lamed an ox in pleasure. 

Gen 49:7  “Cursed be their displeasure for it is fierce, and their wrath for it is cruel! I divide them in Ya‛aqoḇ and scatter them in Yisra’ěl – (Jacob is referring to the events recorded in Gen 34)

 Extract from the testament of Simeon:

 2 For when Simeon was sick, his sons came to visit him. and he strengthened himself and sat up and kissed them, and said: -

3 Hearken, my children, to Simeon your father and I will declare unto you what things I have in my heart.

4 I was born of Jacob as my father's second son; and my mother Leah called me Simeon, because the Lord had heard her prayer.

5 Moreover, I became strong exceedingly; I shrank from no achievement nor was I afraid of ought. For my heart was hard, and my liver was immovable, and my bowels without compassion.

7 For in the time of my youth I was jealous in many things of Joseph, because my father loved him beyond all.

8 And I set my mind against him to destroy him because the prince of deceit sent forth the spirit of jealousy and blinded my mind, so that I regarded him not as a brother, nor did I spare even Jacob my father

 End time calling:

 An end time remnant will have a clear and deep understanding that there will be no vengeance or cruel violence in Jacobs family – Israel. Any vengeance or violence against YHVH’s enemies must be sanctioned by YHVH for the purpose of cleansing, separation and protection for the family of Israel. Generally, in the face of danger, we are to either flee or hide, unless YHVH clearly shows us to destroy our enemies to protect our families.

 See Parashat Matot (Num 31) as a pattern for the end time role of the 144 000 witnesses  (Rev 7)

When Israel went to war, the priests provided guidance and YHVH’s permission, the officers screened out the unready men, and certain Levites would lead while transporting and guarding the Ark of the covenant – Num 10:33-35, Deut 20:1-9 1 Samuel 4 (The ark was captured in war)

 Extract from the Testament of Levi:

4 I, Levi, was born in Haran, and I came with my father to Shechem.

5 And I was young, about twenty years of age, when, with Simeon, I wrought vengeance on Hamor for our sister Dinah.

6 And when I was feeding the flocks in Abel-Maul, the spirit of understand of the Lord came upon me, and I saw all men corrupting their way-

10 And He said to me: Levi, I have given thee the blessing of the priesthood until I come and sojourn in the midst of Israel.

11 Then the angel brought me down to the earth, and gave me a shield and a sword, and said to me: Execute vengeance on Shechem because of Dinah, thy sister, and I will be with thee because the Lord hath sent me.

12 And I destroyed at that time the sons of Hamor, as it is written in the heavenly tables.

4 And my father heard these things and was wroth, and he was grieved in that they had received the circumcision, and after that had been put to death, and in his blessings he looked amiss upon us. (circumcision was a sign of YHVH’s covenant)

5 For we sinned because we had done this thing against his will, and he was sick on that day.

 23 And if you were not to receive mercy through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our fathers, not one of our seed should be left upon the earth.

24 And now I have learnt that for seventy weeks ye shall go astray, and profane the priesthood, and pollute the sacrifices.(Daniels 70 weeks)

25 And ye shall make void the law, and set at nought the words of the prophets by evil perverseness.

26 And ye shall persecute righteous men, and hate the godly; the words of the faithful shall ye abhor.

27 And a man who reneweth the law in the power of the Most High, ye shall call a deceiver; and at last ye shall rush upon him to slay him, not knowing his dignity, taking innocent blood through wickedness upon your heads.

28 And your holy places shall be laid waste even to the ground because of him.

29 And ye shall have no place that is clean; but ye shall be among the Gentiles a curse and a dispersion until He shall again visit you, and in pity shall receive you through faith and water.

 Biblical scholars, theologians, and classical commentators are deeply divided on this issue. While almost all agree that Simeon and Levi's initial outrage over the violation of their sister Dinah was completely justified, the vast majority of mainstream scholars argue that their violent, deceptive, and collective retaliation against the entire city of Shechem was deeply unjustified, especially because a covenant was made and violated)

 What do you think?

 Jacob's initial anger in Genesis 34 was largely driven by fear of retaliation. His final curse in Genesis 49, however, was a prophetic, morally sound rejection of disproportionate cruelty, spiritual manipulation, and bloodlust. Jacob didn’t curse his sons in this matter he cursed their unjust cruelty towards man and beast and the violation of a covenantal promise.

 The presence and ministry of the end time 144 000 will lead us regarding such matters.

 Gen 49:8  “You, Yehuḏah, your brothers praise you; your hand is on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children bow down before you. 

Gen 49:9  “Yehuḏah is a lion’s cub; from the prey you have gone up, my son! He bowed down, he crouched like a lion. And like a lion, who does rouse him? 

Gen 49:10  “The sceptre shall not turn aside from Yehuḏah, nor an Inscriber from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to Him is the obedience of peoples. 

Gen 49:11  “Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes. 

Gen 49:12  “His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19 Rev 5:5 Zech 9:9

 Extract Testimony of Judah:

 AND now, my children, I command you, love Levi, that ye may abide, and exalt not yourselves against him, lest ye be utterly destroyed.

2 For to me the Lord gave the kingdom, and to him the priesthood, and He set the kingdom beneath the priesthood.

3 To me He gave the things upon the earth; to him the things in the heavens.

4 As the heaven is higher than the earth, so is the priesthood of God higher than the earthly kingdom, unless it falls away through sin from the Lord and is dominated by the earthly kingdom.

5 For the angel of the Lord said unto me: The Lord chose him rather than thee, to draw near to Him, and to eat of His table and to offer Him the first-fruits of the choice things of the sons of Israel; but thou shalt be king of Jacob.

12 And there shall be continual wars in Israel; and among men of another race shall my kingdom be brought to an end, until the salvation of Israel shall come.

13 Until the appearing of the God (Elohim) of righteousness, that Jacob, and all the Gentiles may rest in peace.

14 And He shall guard the might of my kingdom for ever; for the Lord made aware to me with an oath that He would not destroy the kingdom from my seed for ever. Jer 33:18

15 Now I have much grief, my children, because of your lewdness and witchcrafts, and idolatries which ye shall practise against the kingdom, following them that have familiar spirits, diviners, and demons of error.

16 Ye shall make your daughters singing girls and harlots, and ye shall mingle in the abominations of the Gentiles.

19 Until the Lord visit you, when with perfect heart ye repent and walk in all His commandments, and He bring you up from captivity among the Gentiles.

20 And after these things shall a star arise to you from Jacob in peace,

21 And a man shall arise from my seed, like the sun of righteousness,

22 Walking with the sons of men in meekness and righteousness;

23 And no sin shall be found in him.

24 And the heavens shall be opened unto him, to pour out the spirit, even the blessing of the Holy Father; and He shall pour out the spirit of grace upon you;

25 And ye shall be unto Him sons in truth, and ye shall walk in His commandments first and last.

26 Then shall the sceptre of my kingdom shine forth; and from your root shall arise a stem; and from it shall grow a rod of righteousness to the Gentiles, to judge and to save all that call upon the Lord.

36 And Judah, when he had said these things, fell asleep; and his sons did according to all whatsoever he commanded them, and they buried him in Hebron, with his fathers.

 Calling of the End time remnant:

 The Book of Revelation states explicitly that the Antichrist and his companion, the False Prophet, will deceive the vast majority of the earth's population. This almost total deception is outlined across several specific passages in the New Testament – ‘’anti’’ doesn’t only mean ‘’false’’ it means ‘’instead of’’ see  2Cor 11:3-4

 Gen 49:13  “Zeḇulun dwells at the seashore, he is for a haven for ships, and his border is unto Tsiḏon. 

 Extract from testament of Zebulun:

 AND now children, I you (sic) to keep the commands of the Lord, and to show mercy to your neighbours, and to have compassion towards all, not towards men only, but also towards beasts.

2 For all this thing's sake the Lord blessed me, and when all my brethren were sick, I escaped without sickness, for the Lord knoweth the purposes of each.

3 Have, therefore, compassion in your hearts, my children, because even as a man doeth to his neighbour, even so also will the Lord do to him

6 I was the first to make a boat to sail upon the sea, for the Lord gave me understanding and wisdom therein.

7 And I let down a rudder behind it, and I stretched a sail upon another upright piece of wood in the midst.

8 And I sailed therein along the shores, catching fish for the house of my father until we came to Egypt.

9 And through compassion I shared my catch with every stranger.

19 Have, therefore, yourselves also, my children, compassion towards every man with mercy, that the Lord also may have compassion and mercy upon you. Mt 5:7

20 Because also in, the last days God will send His compassion on the earth, and wheresoever He findeth bowels of mercy He dwelleth in him.

21 For in the degree in which a man hath compassion upon his neighbours, in the same degree hath the Lord also upon him.

36 And now, my children, grieve not that I am dying, nor be cast down in that I am coming to my end.

37 For I shall rise again in the midst of you, as a ruler in the midst of his sons; and I shall rejoice in the midst of my tribe, as many as shall keep the law of the Lord, and the commandments of Zebulun their father.

End time calling:

 You decide what the end time calling is of Zevulon – name comes from Hebrew word – ‘’zaval’’ to cohabit – living in covenantal harmony -

Gen 49:14  “Yissasḵar is a strong donkey lying down between two burdens, 

 Extract from Testament of Yissaskar:

 38 Keep, therefore, my children, the law of God, and get singleness, and walk in guilelessness, not playing the busybody with the business of your neighbour, but love the Lord and your neighbour, have compassion on the poor and weak.

39 Bow down your back unto husbandry, and toil in labours in all manner of husbandry, offering

gifts to the Lord with thanksgiving.

 ‘’End time calling to the remnant”

 Study the Torah and work hard.

 Gen 49:15  and he saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, and he inclined his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a subject to slave labour. 

 In 1732, two young Moravian Brethren named Johann Leonhard Dober and David Nitschmann left Herrnhut, Germany, to preach the Gospel to African slaves on the island of St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies

They Offered, But Weren't Allowed: Dober and Nitschmann explicitly stated they were willing to become slaves or work alongside them in the fields if necessary. However, legal and racial structures in the 18th-century Caribbean strictly forbade white people from being legally sold into chattel slavery

They Worked as Tradesmen: Instead of being enslaved, they lived in extreme poverty alongside the slave quarters. David Nitschmann used his skills as a carpenter, and Leonard Dober worked as a potter and domestic helper to sustain themselves financially.

 Gen 49:16  “Dan rightly rules his people as one of the tribes of Yisra’ěl. 

Gen 49:17  “Dan is a serpent by the way, an adder by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider falls backward. 

Gen 49:18  “I have waited for your deliverance, O יהוה! 

 Extract from the Testament of Dan:

 4 I know that in the last days ye shall depart from the Lord, and ye shall provoke Levi unto anger, and fight against Judah; but ye shall not prevail against them, for an angel of the Lord shall guide them both; for by them shall Israel stand.

5 And whensoever ye depart from the Lord, ye shall walk in all evil and work the abominations of the Gentiles, going a-whoring after women of the lawless ones, while with all wickedness the spirits of wickedness work in you.

6 For I have read in the book of Enoch, the righteous, that your prince is Satan, and that all the spirits of wickedness and pride will conspire to attend constantly on the sons of Levi, to cause them to sin before the Lord.

 End time calling to the remnant:

 There are several scholars who believe the anti Messiah will come from Dan.

 Gen 49:19  “Gaḏ, a raiding band raids him, but he raids its heel. 

 18 Beware, therefore, my children of hatred, for it worketh lawlessness even against the Lord Himself.

32 For true repentance after a godly sort destroyeth ignorance, and driveth away the darkness, and enlighteneth the eyes, and giveth knowledge to the soul, and leadeth the mind to salvation.

33 And those things which it hath not learnt from man, it knoweth through repentance.

34 For God brought upon me a disease of the liver; and had not the prayers of Jacob my father succoured me, it had hardly failed but my spirit had departed.

35 For by what things a man transgresseth by the same also is he punished .

9 If a man prospereth more than you, do not be vexed, but pray also for him, that he may have perfect prosperity.

10 for so it is expedient for you.

18 For I know that at the last your children shall depart from Him, and shall walk in O wickedness, and affliction and corruption before the Lord.

 End time calling to the remnant:

 It’s a prophecy of ultimate triumph despite hardship. They come under demonic attack first, but they eventually overcome.

See also vs 35 – the message is that if you do not overcome transgressions in your life – those transgressions will overcome you.

 Gen 49:20  “Bread from Ashěr is rich, and he gives delicacies of a sovereign. 

 3 Two ways hath God given to the sons of men, and two inclinations, and two kinds of action, and two modes of action, and two issues.

4 Therefore all things are by twos, one over against the other.

5 For there are two ways of good and evil, and with these are the two inclinations in our breasts discriminating them.

6 Therefore if the soul take pleasure in the good inclination, all its actions are in righteousness; and if it sin it straightway repenteth.

20 But do not ye, my children, wear two faces like unto them, of goodness and of wickedness; but cleave unto goodness only, for God hath his habitation therein, and men desire it.

21 But from wickedness flee away, destroying the evil inclination by your good works; for they that are double-faced serve not God, but their own lusts, so that they may please Beliar (Heb without value - satan) and men like unto themselves.

33 Do ye, therefore, my children, keep the law of the Lord, and give not heed unto evil as unto good; but look unto the thing that is really good, and keep it in all commandments of the Lord, having your conversation therein, and resting therein.

34 For the latter ends of men do show their righteousness or unrighteousness, when they meet the angels of the Lord and of Satan.

35 for when the soul departs troubled, it is tormented by the evil spirit which also it served in lusts and evil works.

36 But if he is peaceful with joy he meeteth the angel of peace, and he leadeth him into eternal life.

40 Until the Most High shall visit the earth, coming Himself as man, with men eating and drinking, and breaking the head of the dragon in the water.

41 He shall save Israel and all the Gentiles, God speaking in the person of man.

42 Therefore do ye also, my children, tell these things to your children, that they disobey Him not.

44 And therefore shall ye be scattered as Gad and Dan my brethren, and ye shall know not your lands, tribe, and tongue.

45 But the Lord will gather you together in faith through His tender mercy, and for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

 End time message to the remnant:

 You decide for yourself.

 Gen 49:21  “Naphtali is a deer let loose, he gives words of elegance. 

 6 I was born from Bilhah, and because Rachel dealt craftly, and gave Bilhah in place of herself to Jacob, and she conceived and bare me upon Rachel's knees, therefore she called my name Naphtali. (my wrestling)

7 For Rachel loved me very much because I was born upon her lap; and when I was still young she was wont to kiss me, and say: May I have a brother of thine from mine own womb, like unto thee.

13 And I was swift on my feet like the deer, and my father Jacob appointed me for all messages, and as a deer did he give me his blessing.

27 In like manner the Watchers also changed the order of their nature, whom the Lord cursed at the flood, on whose account He made the earth without inhabitants and fruitless.

28 These things I say unto

you, my children, for I have read in the writing of Enoch that ye yourselves also shall depart from the Lord, walking according to all the lawlessness of the Gentiles, and ye shall do according to all the wickedness of Sodom.

29 And the Lord shall bring captivity upon you, and there shall ye serve your enemies, and ye shall be bowed down with every affliction and tribulation, until the Lord have consumed you all.

30 And after ye have become diminished and made few, ye return and acknowledge the Lord your God; and He shall bring you back into your land, according to His abundant mercy.

End time calling:

 To struggle and to wrestle and to overcome–

 Gen 49:22  “Yosěph is an offshoot of a fruit-bearing tree, an offshoot of a fruit-bearing tree by a fountain, his branches run over a wall. 

Gen 49:23  “And the archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him. 

Gen 49:24  “But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty One of Ya‛aqoḇ – from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Yisra’ěl – 

Gen 49:25  from the Ěl of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you with blessings of the heavens from above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 

Gen 49:26  “The blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the limit of the everlasting hills. They are on the head of Yosěph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separated from his brothers. 

 Extract from Testament of Joseph:

 3 My brethren and my children, hearken to Joseph the beloved of Israel; give ear, my sons, unto your father.

4 I have seen in my life envy and death, yet I went not astray, but persevered in the truth--of the Lord.

5 These my brethren hated me, but the Lord loved me:

6 They wished to slay me, but the God of my fathers guarded me:

7 They let me down into a pit, and the Most High brought me up again.

8 I was sold into slavery, and the Lord of all made me free:

9 I was taken into captivity, and His strong hand succoured me. (to give relief in a time of distress)

10 I was beset with hunger, and the Lord Himself nourished me.

11 I was alone, and God comforted me:

12 I was sick, and the Lord visited me.

13 I was in prison, and my God showed favour unto me;

 

14 In bonds, and He released me;

15 Slandered, and He pleaded my cause;

16 Bitterly spoken against by the Egyptians, and He delivered me;

17 Envied by my fellow-slaves, and He exalted me.

18 And this chief captain of Pharaoh entrusted to me his house.

19 And I struggled against a shameless woman, urging me to transgress with her; but the God of Israel my father delivered me from the burning flame.

20 I was cast into prison, I was beaten, I was mocked; but the Lord granted me to find mercy, in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

21 For the Lord doth not forsake them that fear Him, neither in darkness, nor in bonds, nor in tribulations, nor in necessities.

22 For God is not put to shame as a man, nor as the son of man is he afraid, nor as one that is earth-born is He weak or affrighted.

23 But in all those things doth He give protection, and in divers ways doth He comfort, though for a little space He departeth to try the inclination of the soul.

6 And I did not raise myself against them with evil intent, but I honoured my brethren; and out of respect for them, even when I was being sold, I refrained from telling the Ishmaelites that I was a son of Jacob, a great man and a mighty.

74 And I saw that from Judah was born a virgin wearing a linen garment, and from her, was born a lamb, without spot; and on his left hand there was as it were a lion; and all the beasts rushed against him, and the lamb overcame them, and destroyed them and trod them under foot.

75 And because of him the angels and men rejoiced, and all the land.

76 And these things shall come to pass in their season, in the last days.

77 Do ye therefore, my children, observe the commandments of the Lord, and honour Levi and Judah; for from them shall arise unto you the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world, one who saveth all the Gentiles and Israel.

81 And carry ye up Asenath your mother to the Hippodrome, (The literal meaning: It refers to the plains of Ephrath) near Rachel your mother bury her.

82 And when he had said these things he stretched out his feet and died at a good old age.

83 And all Israel mourned for him, and all Egypt, with a great mourning.

 End time calling to remnant of Joseph:

 This concept mirrors the Scriptural defence found in the New Testament book of Acts 14:17, which states that YHVH "did not leave himself without witness."

 Act 14:17  though, indeed, He did not leave Himself without witness

 From the creation of the world until now there have always been a faithful remnant who have been aware of and testified of a coming Redeemer who would one day reconcile Jacob to YHVH again – Yahshua the Messiah,

 Gen 49:27  “Binyamin is a wolf that tears, in the morning he eats prey, and at night he divides the spoil.” 

Extract from Testament of Benjamin:

3 And since Rachel my mother died in giving me birth, I had no milk; therefore I was suckled by Bilhah her handmaid.

13 And let your mind be unto good, even as ye know me; for he that bath his mind right seeth all things rightly.

14 Fear ye the Lord, and love your neighbour; and even though the spirits of Beliar claim you to afflict you with every evil, yet shall they not have dominion over you, even as they had not over Joseph my brother.,

18 For Joseph also besought our father that he would pray for his brethren, that the Lord would not impute to them as sin whatever evil they had done unto him.

19 And thus Jacob cried out: My good child, thou hast prevailed over the bowels of thy father Jacob.

20 And he embraced him, and kissed him for two hours, saying:

21 In thee shall be fulfilled the prophecy of heaven concerning the Lamb of God, and Saviour of the world, and that a blameless one shall be delivered up for lawless men, and a sinless one shall die for ungodly men in the blood of the covenant, for the salvation of the Gentiles and of Israel, and shall destroy Beliar and his servants.

22 See ye, therefore, my children, the end of the good man?

32 And if any one betrayeth a righteous man, the righteous man prayeth: though for a little he be humbled, yet not long after he appeareth far more glorious, as was Joseph my brother.

37 The good mind hath not two tongues, of blessing and of cursing, of contumely (insulting) and of honour, of sorrow and of joy, of quietness and of confusion, of hypocrisy and of truth, of poverty and of wealth; but it hath one disposition, uncorrupt and pure, concerning all men.

38 It hath no double sight, nor double hearing; for in everything which he doeth, or speaketh, or seeth, he knoweth that the Lord looketh on his soul.

39 And he cleanseth his mind that he may not be condemned by men as well as by God.

5 Nevertheless the temple of God shall be in your portion, and the last temple shall be more glorious than the first.

6 And the twelve tribes shall be gathered together there, and all the Gentiles, until the Most High shall send forth His salvation in the visitation of an only-begotten prophet.

7 And He shall enter into the first temple, and there shall the Lord be treated with outrage, and He shall be lifted up upon a tree.

8 And the veil of the temple shall be rent, and the Spirit of God shall pass on to the Gentiles as fire poured forth.

9 And He shall ascend from Hades and shall pass from earth into heaven.

10 And I know how lowly He shall be upon earth, and how glorious in heaven.

16 For all these things they gave us for an inheritance, saying: Keep the commandments of God, until the Lord shall reveal His salvation to all Gentiles.

17 And then shall ye see Enoch, Noah, and Shem, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, rising on the right hand in gladness,

20 Then also all men shall rise, some unto glory and some unto shame.

21 And the Lord shall judge Israel first, for their unrighteousness; for when He appeared as God in the flesh to deliver them they believed Him not.

22 And then shall He judge all the Gentiles, as many as believed Him not when He appeared upon earth.

23 And He shall convict Israel through the chosen ones of the Gentiles.

 End time calling to the remnant in the last days:

 From these convicted and chosen ones – Jew and gentile will be compared to the 5 wise virgins – invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

 These are those who will be spared during the great tribulation of the last days in the wilderness –

 Rev 12:14  And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, to fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, Dan_7:25, Dan_12:7 from the presence of the serpent. 

 What Petra Looked Like Before It Became Ruins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LiIO8bwE6Y

 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.

Hos 11:8  “How could I give you up, Ephrayim? How could I hand you over, Yisra’ěl?

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.

Revive Us Again

Psa 85:1  יהוה, You shall take pleasure in Your land; You shall turn back the captivity of Ya‛aqoḇ. 

Psa 85:2  You shall take away the crookedness of Your people; You shall cover all their sin. Selah. 

Psa 85:3  You shall withdraw all Your wrath; You shall turn from Your fierce displeasure. 

Psa 85:4  Turn back to us, O Elohim of our deliverance, And cause Your vexation toward us to cease. 

Psa 85:5  Would You be enraged with us forever? Would You draw out Your displeasure From generation to generation? 

Psa 85:6  Would You not revive us again, For Your people to rejoice in You? 

Psa 85:7  Show us Your loving-commitment, O יהוה, And give us Your deliverance. 

Psa 85:8  Let me hear what Ěl יהוה speaks, For He speaks peace to His people And to His lovingly-committed ones; And let them not turn again to folly. 

Psa 85:9  Truly, His deliverance is near to those who fear Him, For esteem to dwell in our land. 

Psa 85:10  Loving-commitment and truth shall meet, Righteousness and peace shall kiss. 

Psa 85:11  Truth sprouts forth from the earth, And righteousness looks down from heaven, 

Psa 85:12  Indeed, יהוה gives what is good, And our land yields its increase. 

Psa 85:13  Righteousness goes before Him, And prepares a way for His footsteps. 

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.