Blessing
for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol
ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah.
Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you have selected us from among all the peoples,
and have given us your Torah. Blessed are you,
YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
Last week our focus was on a set apart
community that YHVH will once again restore so that the nations can bring
esteem to YHVH.
This week the focus is more on individual
leadership and the price that one is required to pay in order for a set apart
community to stay together and achieve its goal and destiny to bring the
nations back to the Torah of YHVH.
Gen 35:9
And Elohim appeared to Yaʽaqoḇ again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and
blessed him.
Only the blessing of YHVH on leaders will
be sufficient for them to bring YHVH’s people back into the land and into their
destiny and calling.
This
verse says Yakov came from Paddan Aram, however we know from the context that
Yakov actually came from Shechem. Why does the writer not mention this fact?
Shechem
was not meant to be Yakov’s destination, it was meant to only be a transition
for him reaching his destiny in Beit-El, what would later be called
Yerushalayim.
Perhaps
one of the greatest dangers that face the true seekers after the truth is the
danger of seeking a comfort zone and becoming satisfied with past revelation/manna
and not seeking our “fresh daily bread” from YHVH.
The
cure to spiritual stagnation is a heart set on pilgrimage. This journey is not
always comfortable as we realize that to reach our destination we must shake off
some old ideas and embrace ancient truths that have been mostly neglected and
rejected by most believers.
This
is a dangerous journey and there are often casualties along the way.
Psa 84:5
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Your Highways are in
their heart (Your pilgrim highways (to Tzion) are in their hearts).
Psa 84:6
Passing through the valley of weeping, They make it a fountain; The
Teacher also covers it with blessings.
Psa 84:7
They go from strength to strength, Appearing before Elohim in Tsiyon.
Background
history to Paddan Aram:
Paddan Aram means table of Aram.
Gen 10:22 The
sons of Shĕm: Ěylam, and Asshur, and Arpaḵshaḏ, and Luḏ, and Aram.
It
was in the tents of Shem that YHVH would choose to dwell.
Gen 9:27
“Let Elohim enlarge Yepheth, and He shall dwell in the tents of Shĕm.
And let Kenaʽan become his servant.”
Paddan
Aram was the first place Avram stopped over when he came out of Babylon.
Gen 11:31
And Teraḥ took his son Aḇram and his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and
his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Aḇram’s wife, and they
went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Kenaʽan. And they came to Ḥaran(also known as Paddan Aram) and dwelt
there.
Later
Avraham would send his head servant to Paddam Aram to find a wife for Yitzchak
(Beresheet 24:10)
Later
Yitzchak would send his own son Yakov on a journey to the same place to find a
wife.
Gen 28:5
So Yitsḥaq sent Yaʽaqoḇ away, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laḇan son of Bethu’ĕl the Aramean, the brother
of Riḇqah, the mother of Yaʽaqoḇ and Ěsaw.
Yehudah/Judah comes from Paddan Aram.
Gen 46:15
These were the sons of Lĕ’ah, whom she bore to Yaʽaqoḇ in Paddan Aram, with
his daughter Dinah. All the beings, his sons and his daughters, were
thirty-three.
Before the Yisraelites could enter the land
of Yisrael they needed to confess before a priest the following:
Deu 26:5 “And you shall answer and say before יהוה your Elohim, ‘My father was a
perishing Aramean, and he went down to Mitsrayim and sojourned there with few
men. And there he became a nation, great, mighty, and numerous.
The Hebrew word for “perishing” is “abad” and can also mean lost.
Why would this be so? Perhaps the answer is that as long as Yisrael is not
in the land they are in danger of being lost. Yisrael in the diaspora is merely
a time of preparation for their return.
It is also significant that we remember that the language our Master spoke
while on earth was Aramaic.
Lesson to be learned:
Paddan Aram can be very deceiving – we might speak the
right language and pride ourselves for having crossed the Euphrates from
Babylon- we are born again, but we have not yet crossed the Yarden (Jordan)
river. Spiritually Paddan Aram is very very far away from Yerushalyim and only
a relative few survive the journey. Paddan has a spiritual appearance but it is
a defiled spirituality that it has taken over from Babylon and refined to have
an acceptable outward appearance. In Paddan Aram you will hear the same old
stories again and again because the leaders want to do everything in their
power to keep you in Paddan Aram.
One of the best things we can do for ourselves is remind
ourselves as often as we can where we have come from and where we are going and
that we never want to return back to Paddan Aram.
Gen
35:10 And Elohim said to him, “Your name
is Yaʽaqoḇ, your name is no
longer called Yaʽaqoḇ, but Yisra’ĕl is your
name.” So He called his name Yisra’ĕl. (Footnote Beresheet/Gen 32:28 - Yisra’ĕl means
“to strive with Ěl, to overcome with Ěl, (then) to rule with Ěl”)
The remnant that overcome will receive new
names from YHVH.
Rev 2:17
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
To him who overcomes I shall give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I shall
give him a white stone, and on the stone a renewed Name written which no one
knows except him who receives it.” ’
Rev 3:12 “He
who overcomes, I shall make him a supporting post in the Dwelling Place of My
Elohim, and he shall by no means go out. And I shall write on him the Name of
My Elohim and the name of the city of My Elohim, the renewed Yerushalayim,
which comes down out of the heaven from My Elohim, and My renewed Name.
Gen 35:11
And Elohim said to him, “I am Ěl Shaddai. Bear fruit and increase, a
nation and a company of nations shall be from you, and sovereigns come from
your body.
Gen
35:12 “And the land which I gave Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq I give to you. And to your seed after
you I give this land.”
This is the reward for His chosen leaders
and people.
Gen
35:13 And Elohim went up from him in the
place where He had spoken with him.
Gen
35:14 And Yaʽaqoḇ set up a standing
column in the place where He had spoken with him, a monument of stone. And he poured a drink offering on it,
and he poured oil on it.
Once
again Yakov finds himself at Beit-El (28:18,19) This time Yakov not only pours
out oil but also a “drink offering” The Hebrew word is “nasach” and this is the
only place in Beresheet that this word is used.
We
are reminded of the price that one would have to pay to bring the people of
YHVH back in a proper relationship with Him.
We are reminded of our Master who emptied
himself out for us.
Php 2:5
For, let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah יהושע,
Php 2:6 who, being in the form of
Elohim, did not regard equality with Elohim a matter to be grasped,
Php 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking
the form of a servant, and came to be in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8 And having been found in
fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, death even
of a stake.
Php 2:9 Elohim, therefore, has
highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name,
Gen
35:15 And Yaʽaqoḇ called the name of
the place where Elohim spoke with him, Bĕyth Ěl.
Gen
35:16 Then they set out from Bĕyth Ěl.
And it came to be, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, that
Raḥĕl began to give birth, and had great
difficulty giving birth.
Gen
35:17 And it came to be, as she was having
great difficulty giving birth, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for
it is another son for you.”
Gen
35:18 And it came to be, as her life was
going out – for she died – that she called his name Ben-Oni. But his father
called him Binyamin.
Gen
35:19 So Raḥĕl died and was buried on the way to
Ephrath, that is Bĕyth Leḥem.
Gen
35:20 And Yaʽaqoḇ set a standing column
on her grave, which is the monument of Raḥĕl’s grave to this
day.
‘Rachel's tomb is the third holiest site in Judaism. Jews have made pilgrimage to the tomb since
ancient times, and it has become one of the cornerstones of Jewish-Israeli
identity.”- Wiki
Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 31:15: "There is a voice in
Ramah; a lamentation; a very bitter cry; Rachel is weeping over her children;
she refuses to be comforted about her children because they are not."
What will Yirmeyahu/ Jeremiah say here? He pictures the misery. The ten tribes–the
dominion of Ephraim–have been transported. Ephraim is the foremost tribe. All
ten tribes are named after him and Ephraim is a son of Yosef/Joseph.
Furthermore, Yosef is a son of Rachel. Consequently, Rachel's children are
those being transported.
Mat
2:17 Then was filled what was spoken by Yirmeyahu the prophet, saying,
Mat
2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and weeping, and
great mourning – Raḥĕl weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted,
because they were no more.”
This is where king Herod came to kill all infant boys
under age 2 years in Ramah which is a village close to Bethlehem – Herod descendant
of Esav/Esau.
Rachel embodies the spirit and heart of a
true leader intercessor who is greatly disturbed and broken-hearted because of
what has become of the common wealth of Yisrael.
Gen 35:21
And Yisra’ĕl set out and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Ěḏer (Migdal Edar).
This is possibly the very birth place of
Messiah the perfect model of spiritual leadership.
According to
Edersheim in The Life And
Times Of Jesus The Messiah, in Book 2, Chapter 6, states, "This Migdal
Edar was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks that pastured on the barren
sheep ground beyond Bethlehem, but it lay close to the town, on the road to
Jerusalem. A passage from the Mishnah (Shekelim 7:4) leads to the conclusion that the
flocks which pastured there were destined for Temple sacrifices..."
In addition,
Migdal Edar is also mentioned by the Targums and is translated “The Anointed
One of the flock of Israel”. Thus,
Targum Yonatan, cited by Rabbi Munk, paraphrases Genesis 35:23 and Micah 4:8,
"He spread his tent beyond Migdal Edar, the place where King Messiah will
reveal Himself at the end of days." What are we to make of all of this
information from the writings of the rabbis? First, we know that Migdal Edar
was the watchtower that guarded the Temple flocks that were being raised to
serve as sacrificial animals in the Temple. These were not just any flock and
herd. The shepherds who kept them were men who were specifically trained for
this royal task. They were educated in what an animal, that was to be
sacrificed, had to be and it was their job to make sure that none of the
animals were hurt, damaged, or blemished.” These lambs were apparently wrapped
in "swaddling cloths" to protect them from injury and also used to
wrap the Lord Jesus.
Thus, with
the establishment of Temple worship in Jerusalem, the fields outside of
Bethlehem became the place where a special group of shepherds raised the lambs
that were sacrificed in the Temple. Being themselves under special Rabbinical
care, they would strictly maintain a ceremonially clean stable for a birthing
place. The Tower of the Flock was used for birthing ewes, and the surround
fields were where these shepherds grazed their flocks. These shepherds
customarily kept their flocks outdoors twenty-four hours a day every day of the
year, but brought the ewes in to deliver their lambs where they could be
carefully cared for. It was to this place that Joseph took Mary. It was in this
special stable at “Migdal Edar” that Christ was born! How do we know? The Micah
4:8 tells us so!
Mic 4:8
“And you, O tower of the flock (Migdal Edar), stronghold of the daughter
of Tsiyon, it shall come to you, the former rule shall come, the reign of the
daughter of Yerushalayim.” End of quote.
We
now come to the record of the two genealogies of Yakov and Esav. What must have
been going on in Yakov’s mind when he went through the names? Each name carried
a history and often the history was a sad history.
We do
well to remind ourselves that we may claim Yakov as our father, but our uncle
is Esav and Esav’s children are our cousins whether we like it or not.
The greatest challenge a leader faces is
his own as well as his family’s brokenness. How the leader deals with these
challenges will determine whether in the eyes of YHVH he has succeeded or
failed.
In
our haftarah reading we read:
Yeshayahu/Isa 43:1 But now, thus said יהוה, your Creator, O Yaʽaqoḇ, and He who formed you, O
Yisra’ĕl, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your
name, you are Mine.
Isa 43:2 “When you pass through the
waters, I am with you; and through rivers, they do not overflow you. When you
walk through fire, you are not scorched, and a flame does not burn you.
Isa 43:3 “For I am יהוה your Elohim, the Set-apart One
of Yisra’ĕl, your Saviour; I gave Mitsrayim for your ransom, Kush and Seḇa in your place.
Isa 43:4 “Since you were precious in
My eyes, you have been esteemed, and I have loved you. And I give men in your
place, and peoples for your life.
Isa 43:5 “Do not fear, for I am with
you. I shall bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west.
Isa 43:6 “I shall say to the north,
‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from
afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth –
Isa 43:7 all those who are called by
My Name, whom I have created, formed, even made for My esteem.”
Isa 43:8 He shall bring out a blind
people who have eyes, and deaf ones who have ears.
Note vs 8 EVEN THOSE WHO DON’T DESERVE TO
BE PART OF YISRAEL WILL BE PART OF YISRAEL.
Gen
35:22 And it came to be, when Yisra’ĕl
dwelt in that land, that Re’uḇĕn went and lay with Bilhah his father’s
concubine. And Yisra’ĕl heard about it. Now the sons of Yaʽaqoḇ were twelve:
Gen
35:23 the sons of Lĕ’ah were Re’uḇĕn, Yaʽaqoḇ’s first-born, and Shimʽon, and Lĕwi, and Yehuḏah, and Yissasḵar, and Zeḇulun;
Gen
35:24 the sons of Raḥĕl were Yosĕph and Binyamin;
Gen
35:25 the sons of Bilhah, Raḥĕl’s female servant, were Dan and Naphtali;
Gen
35:26 and the sons of Zilpah, Lĕ’ah’s
female servant, were Gaḏ and Ashĕr. These were the sons of Yaʽaqoḇ who were born to him
in Paddan Aram.
Gen
35:27 And Yaʽaqoḇ came to his father
Yitsḥaq at Mamrĕ, or Qiryath Arba, that is Ḥeḇron, where Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq had dwelt.
Gen
35:28 And the days of Yitsḥaq were one hundred and eighty years.
Gen 35:29
So Yitsḥaq breathed his last and died, and was
gathered to his people, aged and satisfied of days. And his sons Ěsaw and Yaʽaqoḇ buried him.
Gen 36:1 And
this is the genealogy of Ěsaw, who is Eḏom.
Gen
36:2 Ěsaw took his wives from the
daughters of Kenaʽan: Aḏah the daughter of
Ělon the Ḥittite, and Oholiḇamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Tsiḇʽon the Ḥiwwite;
Gen
36:3 and Basemath, Yishmaʽĕl’s daughter, sister of Neḇayoth.
Gen
36:4 And Aḏah bore Eliphaz to Ěsaw, and Basemath bore
Reʽuw’ĕl.
Gen 36:5
And Oholiḇamah bore Yeʽush, and Yaʽlam, and Qoraḥ. These were the sons of Ěsaw who were born
to him in the land of Kenaʽan.