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. Amein.
ויהי בעת ההוא – ‘’from that time’’ maybe Judah/Yahudah never fully recovered
‘’from that time’’
Gen 38:1 And at that time it came to be that Yehuḏah (va
yered)left his brothers, and turned aside (Heb – ‘’natah’’ to deviate) to a
man, an Aḏullamite whose name was Ḥirah.
Rashi comments: “va yered Yehudah” Yehudah went down – his
descent was figurative in the sense that his brothers deposed him from his
position of leadership. This narrative interrupts the story of Yosef to teach
how Yehudah’s brothers lowered him in esteem because of the incident with
Yosef, for when they saw their father’s intense grief, they blamed Yehudah for
it. “You told us to sell him,” they charged. “Had you advised us to send us to
send him back to Father, we would have listened!” As a result of their
disenchantment with him, Yehudah moved away from the family and settled in
Adullam, where he became the business partner of Chirah.”
Adullam “the verb (adal) means to turn aside in the sense of to hide or seek
refuge. Hence BDB translates the name Adullam with Retreat, Refuge’’
The sages also tell us
that because of Yehudah’s culpability for Yakov’s suffering, he was repaid by
losing his two oldest sons, so he would experience the same grief as his father
– Sforno.
“Chirah” refers to a noble family – Strongs 2437. However the Hebrew root of this word – charar - is to “shame or to wax pale” Strongs 2357 – Deut 7:1-3 forbids marriage with Canaanites (Kena’ates).
This sounds like
Yehudah was so ‘’down’’ because of what happened that he simply decided to
assimilate and forsake his leadership calling.
Assimilation was not
only the struggle of Yehudah but all those grafted into the same family tree
today. We become discouraged by our failures and become so pressured by the
world and by the spirt of this world we began to conform to the pattern and
spirit of this world.
Instead of taking a
stand we succumb to the pressure. This is the curse of the “galut” diaspora.
See commentary
Stones Chumash page 208 vs 2&6-10.
Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good
and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim.
Gen 38:2 And Yehuḏah saw there a daughter of a
certain Kenaʽanite whose name was Shuwa. And he took her and went in to her.
Kenanite – is never
referred to as a merchant in the Torah. The Torah describes Kenanites as the
descendants of Cham, only later did the word Canaanite, acquire the additional
meaning of trade or merchant (Zephaniah 1:11, Ezekiel 16:29). Shuah – meaning
wealth.
The Hebrew word “galut”
applies to those who live outside the land. The Hebrew word “megula” which
means to go into exile can also mean to be naked or uncovered – and thus to be
ashamed and vulnerable.
Gen 38:3 So she conceived and bore a son, and he
called his name Ěr. (Heb – eyes open)
Gen 38:4 And she conceived again and bore a son, and
she called his name Onan. (Heb – strong)
Gen 38:5 And she conceived yet again and bore a son,
and called his name Shĕlah.(Heb – petition) And he was at Keziḇ (Heb – false)
when she bore him.
Gen 38:6 And Yehuḏah took a wife for Ěr his
first-born, and her name was Tamar. (Heb – palm tree)
Gen 38:7 But Ěr, Yehuḏah’s first-born, was evil in
the eyes of יהוה, and
יהוה took his life.
Gen
38:8 And Yehuḏah said to Onan, “Go in
to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.”
Gen
38:9 And Onan knew that the offspring
would not be his. And it came to be, when he went into his brother’s wife, that
he spilled (Heb ‘’ruined’’) on the ground, lest he should give an offspring to
his brother.
Gen
38:10 But what he did displeased יהוה, so He took his life too.
Gen 38:11 Then Yehuḏah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shĕlah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die as his brothers did.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
Book of Yasher
45:23-24 (vs 23 in
Jasher seems to contradict the Torah Gen 38:2)
23. And in those days
Judah went to the house of Shem and took Tamar the daughter of Elam, the son of
Shem, for a wife for his first born Er. 24. And Er came to his wife Tamar, and she
became his wife, and when he came to her he outwardly destroyed his seed, and
his work was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord slew him. (Gen 10:22)
Gen
38:12 And after a long time the daughter
of Shuwa, Yehuḏah’s wife, died. And Yehuḏah was comforted, and went up to his
sheep-shearers at Timnah, he and his friend Ḥirah the Aḏullamite.
Gen
38:13 And it was reported to Tamar,
saying, “See, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
Gen
38:14 And she took off her widow’s
garments, and covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat at the
entrance to Ěnayim which was on the way to Timnah. For she saw that Shĕlah
was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife.
Gen
38:15 And Yehuḏah saw her, and reckoned
her for a whore, for she had covered her face.
Gen
38:16 And he turned aside to her by the
way, and said, “Please let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was
his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What do you give me to come in to me?”
Gen
38:17 And he said, “Let me send you a
young goat from the flock.” And she said, “Do you give me a pledge until you
send it?”
Gen
38:18 So he said, “What pledge should I
give you?” And she said, “Your seal and your cord and your staff that is in
your hand.” And he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived
by him.
Gen
38:19 And she arose and went away, and
removed her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.
Gen
38:20 And Yehuḏah sent the young goat
by the hand of his friend the Aḏullamite, to receive his pledge from the
woman’s hand, but he did not find her.
Gen
38:21 And he asked the men of that
place, saying, “Where is the cult prostitute who was beside the way to Ěnayim?”
And they said, “There was no cult prostitute in this place.”
Gen
38:22 And he returned to Yehuḏah and
said, “I have not found her. And the men of the place also said there was no
cult prostitute in this place.”
Gen 38:23 And Yehuḏah said, “Let her take them for
herself, lest we become despised, for I sent this young goat and you have not
found her.”
Gen
38:24 And it came to be, about three
months after, that Yehuḏah was informed, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law
has whored, and see, she has conceived by whoring.” And Yehuḏah said, “Bring
her out and let her be burned!”
Gen
38:25 When she was brought out, she
sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am
pregnant.” And she said, “Please examine whose these are: the seal and the cord
and the staff.”
It is rather ironic
that the same words “identify if you please” used by Yehudah to ask his father
to identify Yosef’s garment(37:32) are the same words Tamar uses when revealing
Yehudah’s infidelity with her – see vs 38:25 – “haker na” –
Gen
38:26 And Yehuḏah examined and said,
“She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shĕlah my
son.” And he never knew her again.
Gen
38:27 And it came to be, at the time for
giving birth, that see, twins were in her womb.
Gen 38:28 And it came to be, when she was giving birth,
that the one put out his hand. And the midwife took a scarlet thread and
bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”
Gen
38:29 And it came to be, as he drew back
his hand, that see, his brother came out! And she said, “How did you break
through? This breach be upon you!” So his name was called Perets.
Gen 38:30 And afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. So his name was called Zeraḥ.
Understanding the birth right blessing of both houses of Israel is very important to us so that we understand our role and purpose in YHVH’s end time purposes for all nations.
1Ch 5:1 As for the sons of Re’uḇěn the first-born of Yisra’ěl – he was the first-born, but because he profaned his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Yosěph, son of Yisra’ěl, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright, 1Ch 5:2 for Yehuḏah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Yosěph’s –
Both
houses have stumbled
- Isa 8:14 “And
He(Yahshua) shall be for a set-apart place, but
a stone of stumbling and a rock that makes for falling to both the houses of
Yisra’ěl, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim. Isa
8:15 “And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken and
snared and taken.” Isa 8:16 Bind up the witness, seal the Torah
among my taught ones.
Isa 8:17 And I shall wait on יהוה, who hides His face from the house of Ya‛aqoḇ. And I shall look for Him.
Ephraim
is called to stir up Yahudah to jealousy – how will this happen?
Rom 10:19 But I ask, Did Yisra’ěl not know? First Mosheh says, “I shall provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I shall enrage you by an unwise nation.” Deu_32:21. Rom 10:20 And Yeshayahu boldly says, “I was found by those not seeking Me, I was made manifest to those not asking for Me.” Isa_65:1. Rom 10:21 And to Yisra’ěl He says, “All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and back-talking people.” Isa_65:2. Rom 11:11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Let it not be! But by their fall deliverance has come to the nations, to provoke them to jealousy. Deu_32:21.
The only
difference between the name of YHVH and Yehudah is that Yehudah has a “daleth”
– daleth is a symbol of a door. Yehudah was destined to be a doorway for the
remnant.
Yud Hey Vay
Hey = YHVH. Yud hey vav DALETH hey = Yehudah.
Hos 12:1
Ephrayim is feeding on wind, and pursuing an east wind. All the day he
increases falsehood and ruin. And they make a covenant with Ashshur, and oil is
sent to Mitsrayim.
YHVH's Indictment of Yisrael and Jahudah
Hos 12:2 And יהוה has a controversy with Yehuḏah, to
punish Ya‛aqoḇ according to his ways, to repay him according to his
deeds. Hos 12:3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in
his strength he strove with Elohim. Hos 12:4 He strove with the
Messenger and overcame,[a] he wept and sought His favour. He found Him in Běyth
Ěl, and there He spoke to us – Footnote: a Gen_32:28.
Hos 12:5 even יהוה Elohim of hosts, יהוה is His remembrance. Hos 12:6 Therefore, return to your Elohim. Guard loving-commitment and right-ruling, and wait on your Elohim continually. Hos 12:7 A merchant! In his hand are scales of deceit, he loved to oppress. Hos 12:8 And Ephrayim says, “Indeed, I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself. In all my labours they shall find in me no crookedness that is sin.” Hos 12:9 “But I am יהוה your Elohim since the land of Mitsrayim, again I shall make you dwell in tents as in the days of the appointed time.[b] Footnote: bOr festival.
Zec 12:7 “And יהוה shall save the tents of Yehuḏah first, so that the comeliness of the house of Dawiḏ and the comeliness of the inhabitants of Yerushalayim would not become greater than that of Yehuḏah. (modern day Messianic movement has had significant Jewish leadership eg Monte Judah)Zec 12:8 “In that day יהוה shall shield the inhabitants of Yerushalayim. And the feeble among them in that day shall be like Dawiḏ, and the house of Dawiḏ like Elohim, like the Messenger of יהוה before them! Zec 12:9 “And it shall be in that day that I seek to destroy all the nations that come against Yerushalayim.
Him Whom They Have Pierced
Zec 12:10 “And I shall pour on the house of Dawiḏ and on the inhabitants of Yerushalayim a spirit of favour and prayers. And they shall look on Me whom they pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son. And they shall be in bitterness over Him as a bitterness over the first-born.
Gen
49:1 And
Ya‛aqoḇ called his sons and said, “Gather together, so that I declare to you
what is to befall you in the last days:
Gen
49:2 “Gather together and hear, you sons of Ya‛aqoḇ, and listen to
Yisra’ěl your father.
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
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. (see also Ezek 47:13- Joseph’s
double portion in the milliunim)
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.” (Double portion was the blessing of the first born)
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheinu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chai-yeh o’lam nata-b’tocheinu. Baruch atah YHVH, notein ha-Torah. Amein.
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.