Bar’chu et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach
l’O’lam va-ed! Baruch ata YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol
ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch
atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the
blessed One for all eternity. 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.)
Gen 25:1
And Aḇraham took another wife, whose name was Qeturah.
The Yakult Midrash makes an assertion concerning all three wives of
Abraham – Sarah, a daughter of Shem; Keturah, a daughter of Japheth; and Hagar,
a daughter of Ham. (ibid., chpt. 8) Certain sages of old claim that Keturah was "the
most ignored significant person in the Torah". The name Keturah
lends itself to a number of Rabbinic interpretations. She was perfumed (mekuteret)
with commandments and good deeds (Gen. Rabbah 61:4); she was (through
her good deeds) more savory (mekuteret) than all manner of spices (Pirkei
de-Rabbi Eliezer [ed. Higger], chap. 29); her deeds were as fine as incense
(ketoret—Tanhuma, Hayyei Sarah 8). An additional explanation
gives this word the meaning of binding or sealing (keshurah). When a
person secures his valuables with his seal, they are still shut when he opens
his treasury.These ‘’other’’ offspring of Avraham express the fulfillment of
the blessing given by YHVH to Abraham in Gen. 12:3: “and all the families of
the earth shall bless themselves by you,” for three families came from Abraham:
the twelve chieftains from Esau, the sixteen descendants of Keturah, and (Gen.
25:23) “two nations are in your womb” (Tanhuma [ed. Buber], Hayyei
Sarah 8). The Rabbis further learn from Abraham that even if a man has
children while he is young, he should still take another wife in his old age
and beget further offspring (Gen. Rabbah 61:3). All of Keturah’s sons
were the heads of nations (Gen. Rabbah 61:5). http://www.ccg.org/weblibs/study-papers/p212d.html
Gen 25:7 And these are all
the years of Aḇraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five
years. Gen 25:8 And Aḇraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, aged
and satisfied, and was gathered to his people. Gen 25:9 And his sons Yitsḥaq and Yishmaʽĕl buried him in the
cave of Maḵpĕlah, which is before Mamrĕ, in the field of Ephron son of Tsoḥar
the Ḥittite, Gen 25:10 the field which
Aḇraham purchased from the sons of Ḥĕth. There Aḇraham was buried with Sarah
his wife. Gen 25:11 And it came to be,
after the death of Aḇraham, that Elohim blessed his son Yitsḥaq. And Yitsḥaq
dwelt at Be’ĕr Laḥai Ro’i. – well of the Living One seeing me-Gen 25:12 And this is the genealogy of Yishmaʽĕl, Aḇraham’s son, whom Haḡar
the Mitsrite, Sarah’s female servant, bore to AḇrahamGen 25:13 And these were the names of the sons of
Yishmaʽĕl, by their names, according to their generations: The first-born of
Yishmaʽĕl, Neḇayoth; then Qĕḏar, and Aḏbe’ĕl,(to be chastened by Elohim) and
Miḇsam, (sweet fragrance) Gen 25:14 and
Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Gen 25:15
Haḏar, and Tĕma, Yetur, Naphish, and Qĕḏemah. Gen 25:16 These were the sons of Yishmaʽĕl and these
were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve chiefs according
to their tribes. Gen 25:17 And these
were the years of the life of Yishmaʽĕl: one hundred and thirty-seven years.
And he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. Gen
25:18 And they dwelt from Ḥawilah
(Yemen) as far as Shur, which is east of Mitsrayim as you go toward Ashshur. He
settled before all his brothers. Gen 25:19
And this is the genealogy (parashat 6- Toldot) of Yitsḥaq, Aḇraham’s son. Aḇraham brought forth Yitsḥaq. Gen
25:20 And Yitsḥaq was forty years old
when he took Riḇqah as wife, the daughter of Bethu’ĕl the Aramean of Paddan
Aram, the sister of Laḇan the Aramean. Gen 25:21 And Yitsḥaq prayed to יהוה for his
wife, because she was barren. And יהוה answered
his prayer, and Riḇqah his wife conceived. Gen 25:22 And within her the children struggled
together, and she said, “If all is right, why am I this way?” So she went to
ask יהוה. Gen 25:23 And יהוה said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples
shall be separated from your body. And one people shall be stronger than the
other, and the older serve the younger.” Gen 25:24 And when the days were filled for her to give
birth, and see, twins were in her womb! Gen 25:25 And the first came out red all over, like a
hairy garment, so they called his name Ěsaw. Gen 25:26 And afterward his brother came out, with his
hand holding on to Ěsaw’s heel, so his name was called Yaʽaqoḇ. And Yitsḥaq
was sixty years old when she bore them. Gen 25:27 And the boys grew up. And Ěsaw became a man
knowing how to hunt, a man of the field, while Yaʽaqoḇ was a complete man, dwelling in tents.
“Complete man” H8535 tâm -perfect, complete- one who is morally and
ethically pure.Gen 25:28 And Yitsḥaq loved Ěsaw
because he ate of his wild game, but Riḇqah loved Yaʽaqoḇ. We are then told that Yitchak loved Esav
because "because he had a taste for game." (25:28). Literally,
however, the verse explains that Yitchak loved Esau because "hunting was
in his mouth." (25:28). The ancient Jewish commentary Midrash Rabbah suggests
that the "hunting in his mouth" should be understood as Esav's deceit
of Isaac. History teaches us that Esav and his descendants were violent greedy
men who took whatever they wanted, by force or by their words.Gen
25:29 And Yaʽaqoḇ cooked a stew, and
Ěsaw came in from the field, and he was weary. Gen 25:30 And Ěsaw said to Yaʽaqoḇ, “Please feed me
with that same red stew, for I am weary.” That is why his name was called
Eḏom. Gen 25:31 But Yaʽaqoḇ said,
“Sell me your birthright today.” Gen 25:32
And Ěsaw said, “Look, I am going to die, so why should I have
birthright?” Gen 25:33 Then Yaʽaqoḇ
said, “Swear to me today.” And he swore to him and sold his birthright to
Yaʽaqoḇ. Gen 25:34 Yaʽaqoḇ then gave
Ěsaw bread and stew of lentils. And he ate and drank, and rose up and left.
Thus Ěsaw despised his birthright.
Heb 12:15 See to it
that no one falls short of the favour of Elohim, that no root of bitterness
springing up causes trouble, by which many become defiled, Heb 12:16
lest there be anyone who whores, or profane one, like Ěsaw, who for a single
meal sold his birthright.b Footnote: b Gen_25:32-33. Heb
12:17 For you know that afterward, when he wished to inherit the
blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he
sought it with tears.
In the light
of this Torah portion we can understand that Avraham had several sons and
grandsons but only one son and grandson and their seed – the Hebrews - were
promised the blessing of the birth right. This obviously was and remains a
cause of great bitterness to this day.
Tragically
this bitterness has also revealed itself in the “church” through replacement
theology. The Christian religion was birthed by the Roman Catholic Church and
Constantine (Edom) with a determined agenda to rid the church of any “Jewish”
influence. This in spite of the fact that Yahshua said that salvation and
deliverance come from the Jews – See John 4:22. Rom 11:29 says that YHVH will
never change His mind regarding the birth right blessing of Jews. Heb
12:16 lest there be anyone who whores,
or profane one, like Ěsaw, who for a single meal sold his birthright.
Here the
writer to the book of Hebrews compares someone who tries to obtain the birth
right in an illegitimate way to a whore. A whore sells what is precious for
temporal gain and pleasure.
Gen 26:1 And there was a scarcity of
food in the land, besides the first scarcity of food which was in the days of
Aḇraham. And Yitsḥaq went to Aḇimeleḵ, sovereign of the Philistines, in
Gerar. Gen 26:2 And יהוה appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Mitsrayim, live in
the land which I command you. Gen 26:3
“Sojourn in this land. And I shall be with you and bless you, for I give
all these lands to you and your seed. And I shall establish the oath which I
swore to Aḇraham your father. Gen 26:4
“And I shall increase your seed like the stars of the heavens, and I
shall give all these lands to your seed. And in your seed all the nations of
the earth shall be blessed, Gen 26:5
because Aḇraham obeyed My voice and guarded My Charge: My commands, My laws,
and My Torot1.” Footnote: 1Torot - plural of Torah,
teaching Gen 26:6 And Yitsḥaq dwelt in
Gerar. (Gerar means a place where the cud is chewed)Gen 26:7 And when the men of the place asked about his
wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” thinking,
“lest the men of the place should kill me for Riḇqah, because she is
good-looking.” Gen 26:8 And it came to
be, when he had been there a long time, that Aḇimeleḵ sovereign of the
Philistines looked through a window, and he watched and saw Yitsḥaq playing
with Riḇqah his wife.
Vs 8 Hebrew word for playing
is “metzachek” same root word for Yitzchak the same root word for laughter. The
sages derive from this that you can tell when someone is intimate with another
by the way they laugh together.
Gen 26:9 So Aḇimeleḵ called
Yitsḥaq and said, “See, truly she is your wife! So how could you say, ‘She is
my sister’?” And Yitsḥaq said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account
of her.’ ” Gen 26:10 And Aḇimeleḵ
said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people had almost lain with
your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” Gen 26:11 And Aḇimeleḵ commanded all his people,
saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall certainly be put to death.”
Rom 9:6 However, it is not as though
the word of Elohim has failed. For they are not all Yisra’ěl who are of
Yisra’ěl,a Footnote: aA play on words. See Explanatory Note on
“Overcomers.” Rom 9:7 neither are they all children because they are
the seed of Aḇraham, but, “In Yitsḥaq your seed shall be called.” Gen_21:12. Rom
9:8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of Elohim, but the children of the promise are reckoned as the seed.Rom
9:9 For this is the word of promise, “At this time I shall come and Sarah
shall have a son.” Gen_18:10. Rom 9:10 And not only so, but
Riḇqah having conceived by one, our father Yitsḥaq. Rom 9:11 Yet,
before they were born or had done any good or evil – in order that the purpose
of Elohim, according to choice, might stand, not of works but of Him who calls
– Rom 9:12 it was said to her, “The greater shall serve the lesser,”
Gen_25:23. Rom 9:13 as it has been written, “Ya‛aqoḇ I have
loved, but Ěsaw I have hated.” Mal_1:2-3. Rom 9:14 What,
then, shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with Elohim? Let it not be! Rom
9:15 For He says to Mosheh, “I shall favour whomever I favour, and I
shall have compassion on whomever I have compassion.” Exo_33:19. Rom
9:16 So, then, it is not of him who is wishing, nor of him who is
running, but of Elohim who shows favour.
Rom 11:1 I say then, has Elohim rejected His people? Let it not
be! For I also am of Yisra’ěl, of the seed of Aḇraham, of the tribe of
Binyamin. Rom 11:2 Elohim has not rejected His people Psa_94:14
whom He knew beforehand. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Ěliyahu,
how he pleads with Elohim against Yisra’ěl, saying, Rom 11:3 “יהוה, they have killed Your prophets and overthrown Your slaughter-places,
and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? 1Ki_19:10, 1Ki_19:14.Rom
11:4 But what does the answer of Elohim say to him? “I have left
for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Ba‛al.” 1Ki_19:18.
Rom 11:5 So therefore also, at this present time a remnant
according to the choice of favour has come to be. Rom 11:6 And if by
favour, it is no longer of works, otherwise favour is no longer favour. And if
it is of works, it is no longer favour, otherwise work is no longer work. Rom
11:7 What then? Yisra’ěl has not obtained what it seeks, but the chosen
did obtain it, and the rest were hardened. Rom 11:8 As it has been
written, “יהוה has given them a spirit of deep sleep, eyes not to see and ears
not to hear, unto this day.” Deu_29:4
Isa 11:11 And it
shall be in that day that יהוה sets His
hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left,
from Ashshur and from Mitsrayim, from Pathros and from Kush, from Ěylam and
from Shin‛ar, from Ḥamath and from the islands of the sea. Isa 11:12
And He shall raise a banner for the nations, and gather the outcasts of
Yisra’ěl, and assemble the dispersed of Yehuḏah from the four corners of the
earth.
Isa 49:12 “See,
these come from far away, and see, those from the north and the west, and these
from the land of Sinim.” (Southern part of China) Isa 49:13 Sing, O
heavens, rejoice, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For יהוה shall
comfort His people and have compassion on His afflicted ones. Isa
49:14 But Tsiyon says, “יהוה has
forsaken me, and יהוה has
forgotten me.” Isa 49:15 “Would a woman forget her nursing child,
and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Though they forget, I never
forget you. Isa 49:16 “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My
hands; your walls are always before Me. Isa 49:17 “Your sons shall
hurry, your destroyers and those who laid you waste depart from you. Isa
49:18 “Lift up your eyes round about and see, all of them gather together
and come to you. As I live,” declares יהוה, “you shall put on all of them as an
ornament, and bind them on you as a bride does. Isa 49:19 “For your
wastes, and your deserted places, and the land of your destruction, shall soon
be too narrow for the inhabitants, while those who swallowed you up are far
away.
Isa 49:20 “The sons
of your bereavement shall yet say in your ears, ‘The place is too narrow for
me, make room for me to live.’ Isa 49:21 “And you shall say in your
heart, ‘Who has brought forth these for me, since I am bereaved and barren, an
exile, and wandering to and fro? And who reared them? See, I was left alone –
from where did these come?’ ” Isa 49:22 Thus said the Master יהוה, “See, I
lift My hand up to the nations, and set up My banner for the peoples; and they
shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters carried on their
shoulders; Isa 49:23 “And sovereigns shall be your foster fathers,
and their sovereignesses your nursing mothers. They bow down to you with their
faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet. And you shall know that
I am יהוה – those who
wait for Me shall not be ashamed.”
Baruch atah
YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam
nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.
(Blessed are
you Yahweh, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of
truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you,
YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn