Parashat 9 Portion 36 ‘’VaYeshev’’ Gen 39:1-23 Is 55:11 – 56:8
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 given a heart that longs for and deeply desires 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 to enable 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
receive the marvels and mysteries of Your Torah. Blessed are You, YHVH, who has
created and established Your covenant with the set apart ones of Israel –
through Yahshua our Messiah - Amein.
ויוסף – ‘’and Joseph’’ last week we
looked at the life of Judah, this week we examine the life of Joseph. We will
notice a remarkable difference between the two brothers in how each brother
guarded covenantal life.
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
Gen 39:1 And Yosěph had been taken down to
Mitsrayim. And Potiphar, ("devoted to the sun") an officer (סריס)of Pharaoh, captain
of the guard, a Mitsrian, bought him from the Yishma‛ělites who had taken him
down there.
A (סריס ''saris'' is a eunuch – this
fact helps us to see the events of this portion in a more understanding way –
‘’the wife of a eunuch seeking Joseph’s love’’
And so Yahshua too willingly became a ‘’slave’’ to a
‘’house’’ full of devoted ‘’sun worshippers’’ and covenant breakers -to save
them. He was also badly treated by them, yet he never complained – he forgave
them even while they were killing him. YHVH raised him from the dead and now he
lives to make intercession for them and to invite all covenant breakers into
his Fathers kingdom - including his murderers and their descendants –This is
Moshiach ben Yosef –
Gen 39:2 And it came to be that יהוה was with Yosěph, and
he became a prosperous man, and was in the house of his master the
Mitsrian.
‘’prosperous man’’ מַצְלִיחַ
– ‘’matziliach’’ - Hiphil
masculine singular active participle - The Hiphil stem gives it a causative
nuance: “causing success” or “being made to prosper.”
The success is
not primarily Joseph’s own effort. The context (especially v. 3) makes clear
that YHVH causes the success.
This sets up the
repeated refrain that YHVH ‘was with Joseph” (vv. 2, 3, 21, 23)
Joseph was not
financially wealthy during the events of Genesis 39; however, it was because of
Josef that YHVH caused prosperity to come upon Potiphar’s household.
2Co 8:9 For you know the favour of our Master יהושע Messiah, that being rich, He became poor
for your sake, so that you might become rich through His poverty (this
is the secret of those who have entered into covenantal life – they are willing
to make great personal sacrifices so that others may be blessed)
The Greek word
for ‘’rich’’ (‘’plouteō’’- to be (or become) wealthy
(literally or figuratively) it
does not focus on material wealth only. It has a broader meaning “to increase” and
to be a channel of blessing to others.
Those who seek
genuine covenant life with YHVH and with others do not need to become obsessed
with seeking YHVH’s covenantal blessings because YHVH’s covenantal blessings
will seek them, pursue them and overtake them.
Mat 6:8 “… your Father knows what you need
before you ask Him. (its not wrong to seek or ask)
Mat 6:33 “But seek first the reign of Elohim,
and His righteousness, and all these shall be added to you.
Midrash on
covenantal blessings:
One of the keys
that opens the kingdom of YHVH for us and others is having YHVH’s understanding
of poverty prosperity and wealth –
Mat 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you forbid
and guard on earth shall have been forbidden and guarded in heaven, and
whatever you permit and release on earth shall have been permitted and
released in heaven.”
We are called
to forbid poverty that brings a curse and release wealth that brings covenantal
blessings – Joseph understood and lived by these realities and so will we.
Joseph’s
poverty was a stepping stone to covenantal wealth.
This is about covenantal life.
How many believers possess these keys? Poverty and
prosperity can be both a blessing and a curse. YHVH ultimately determines the seasons of prosperity
and the seasons of poverty in the lives of His chosen ones.
The key is contentment, no matter what season you
find yourself in - Php 4:11 Not that I speak concerning need, for I have
learned to be content in whatever state I am.
Php 4:12 I know what it is to be humbled, and I
know what it is to have in excess. In any and every situation I have
learned both to be filled, and to be hungry, both to have in excess, and to be
in need.
Php 4:13 I have strength to do all, through
Messiaha who empowers me. Footnote: a Jhn_15:5, 2Co_3:5-6, 2Co_12:9,
Eph_3:20, Php_2:13, Heb_13:20-21, 1Jn_4:4.
Ultimately, the purpose of wealth or poverty is to
establish YHVH’s covenant – His Torah.
Deu 8:18 “But you shall remember יהוה your Elohim, for it is He who gives you
power to get wealth, in order to establish His covenant which He swore to your
fathers, as it is today.
Scriptures often
highlight that those who are poor in the eyes of the world are considered
blessed by YHVH because their reliance on Him makes them rich in faith and
heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Luk 6:20 “Blessed are the poor, because yours is
the kingdom of Elohim’’
Jas 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers: Has Elohim
not chosen the poor of this world, rich in belief and heirs of the reign which
He promised to those who love Him?
Jas 2:6 But you have shown disrespect towards
the poor man.
1Sa 2:8 “He raises the poor from the dust, He
lifts the needy from the dunghill, to sit with princes, and make them inherit
a throne of esteem. For the supports of the earth belong to יהוה, and He has set the world upon them.
How many wealthy people would be willing to give away
everything they own?
The Rich Young Man
Mat 19:16 And see, one came and said to Him,
“Good Teacher, what good shall I do to have everlasting life?”
Mat 19:17 And He said to him, “Why do you call
Me good? No one is good except One – Elohim. But if you wish to enter into
life, guard the commands.”b Footnote: bSee also Luk_10:28, Jhn_12:50,
Rev_22:14.
Mat 19:18 He said to Him, “Which?” And יהושע said, “ ‘You shall not
murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not
bear false witness,’ Exo_20:13-16, Deu_5:17-20.
Mat 19:19 ‘Respect your father and your
mother,’ Exo_20:12, Deu_5:16 and ‘You shall love your
neighbour as yourself.’ ” Lev_19:18.
Mat 19:20 The young man said to Him, “All these
I have watched over from my youth, what do I still lack?”
Mat 19:21 יהושע said to him, “If you wish to be perfect,
go,c sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall haved treasure in
heaven. And come, follow Me.” Footnotes: c Luk_12:33, Luk_16:9, Act_2:45,
Act_4:34. d Mat_6:20.
Mat 19:22 And when the young man heard the
word, he went away sad, because he had many possessions.
Mat 19:23 And יהושע said to His taught ones, “Truly, I say to
you that it is hard for a rich man to enter into the reign of the
heavens.
Mat 19:24 “And again I say to you, it is easier
for a camele to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter
into the reign of Elohim.” Footnote: eAramaic “gamla”, which is camel or
rope.
Mat 19:25 And when His taught ones heard it,
they were very astonished, saying, “Who then is able to be saved?”
Mat 19:26 And looking intently יהושע said to them, “With men this
is impossible, but with Elohim all is possible.”
Mat 19:27 Then Kěpha answering, said to Him,
“See, we have left all and followed You. What then shall we have?”
Mat 19:28 And יהושע said to them, “Truly I say to you, when
the Son of Aḏam sits on the throne of His esteem, you who
have followed Me in the rebirth, shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Yisra’ěl.
Mat 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or
brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My
Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting
life.
Mat 19:30 “But many who are first shall be
last, and the last first.
Psa 140:12 I have known that יהוה maintains The cause of the afflicted, The
right-ruling of the poor.
Isa 61:1 The Spirit
of YHVH is on Me; because YHVH has anointed Me to preach the Good news
to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Rev 2:9 I know your works and tribulation and
poverty (but you are rich)
Gen 39:3 And his master saw that יהוה was with him and that
יהוה
made all he did to prosper in his hand.
Gen 39:4 So Yosěph found favour in his eyes, and
served him, and he appointed him over his house, and gave into his hand all
that he had.
Gen 39:5 And it came to be, from the time that he
appointed him over his house and all that he had, that יהוה blessed the
Mitsrian’s house for Yosěph’s sake. And the blessing of יהוה was on all that he
had in the house and in the field.
Gen 39:6 And he left in Yosěph’s hand all that he
had, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. And
Yosěph was handsome in form and handsome in appearance.
Gen 39:7 And after these events it came to be that
his master’s wife lifted up her eyes to Yosěph and said, “Lie with me.”
Gen 39:8 But he refused and said to his master’s
wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has
given into my hand all that he has.
Gen 39:9 “No one is greater in this house than I,
and he has not withheld whatever from me but you, because you are his wife. And
how shall I do this great evil and sin against Elohim?”
Gen 39:10 And it came to be, as she spoke to Yosěph
day by day, that he did not listen to her, to lie with her, to be with
her.
Gen 39:11 And it came to be on a certain day, when
Yosěph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was
inside,
Gen 39:12 that she caught him by his garment,
saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran
outside.
Gen 39:13 And it came to be, when she saw that he
had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,
Gen 39:14 that she called to the men of her house
and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us.
He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
Gen 39:15 “And it came to be, when he heard that I
lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and
went outside.”
Gen 39:16 And she kept his garment with her until
his master came home.
Gen 39:17 And she spoke to him these same words,
saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me, to mock
me,
Gen 39:18 so it came to be, as I lifted my voice
and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”
Gen 39:19 And it came to be, when his master heard
the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me
according to these words,” that his displeasure burned.
Gen 39:20 Then Yosěph’s master took him and put him
into the prison, a place where the sovereign’s prisoners were confined. And he
was there in the prison.
Gen 39:21 But יהוה was with Yosěph and
extended loving-commitment to him, and He gave him favour in the eyes of the
prison warden.
Gen 39:22 And the prison warden gave into the hand
of Yosěph all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there
was his doing.
Gen 39:23 The prison warden did not look into any
point that was under Yosěph’s hand, because יהוה was with him. And
whatever he did, יהוה
made it prosper.
How do we understand such suffering and injustice?
Deu
8:1 “Guard
to do every command which I command you today, that you might live, and shall
increase, and go in, and shall possess the land of which יהוה swore to your fathers.
Deu
8:2 “And you shall remember that יהוה your Elohim led you all the way these
forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, prove you, to know what is in
your heart, whether you guard His commands or not.
Deu
8:3 “And He humbled you, and let you suffer hunger, and fed you with
manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, to make you know that
man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the
mouth of יהוה.a Footnote: aSee also Mat_4:4
and in Luk_4:4.
Deu
8:4 “Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these
forty years.
Deu
8:5 “Thus you shall know in your heart that as a man disciplines his son,
so יהוה your Elohim disciplines
you,
Deu
8:6 therefore you shall guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim, to walk in His ways and to
fear Him.
The
first 5 books of Moses reveal the pattern and the path .
Midrash
on how YHVH introduces us into covenantal life in the midst of our afflictions:
Isa
48:10 I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction
Psa
119:92 If Your Torah had not been my delight, I would have perished in my
affliction.
If your covenant had not been my delight…. The word for
"delight" here (sha'ashuim) implies a deep, playful, and
intimate pleasure. In a marriage.
In Hebraic understanding, divine bridal imagery primarily
refers to the covenant relationship between YHVH and the nation of Israel.
Unlike the individualistic or church-focused view in many Christian traditions,
Hebrew thought sees the "bride" as a collective entity—the Hebrew people
– the house of Jacob and all those grafted into Jacobs’s household. (Rom 11)
The Wedding at Mount Sinai
The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai is traditionally
viewed as the "wedding day" of YHVH and Israel.
·
The Groom: (Yahweh) is the husband who
"betrothed" Israel to Himself forever.
·
The Bride: The collective nation of
Israel – including the ‘’grafted in ones.’’
·
The Chuppah (Wedding Canopy): a thick
cloud covered mount Sinai when the law was given to Moses – scholars view this
as a kind of ‘’chuppah’’ or wedding canopy over His ‘’Bride’’ Israel.
·
The Ketubah (Marriage Contract): The Torah
serves as the legal marriage contract, outlining the rights and
responsibilities of both parties
Themes in Jewish Literature
·
Song of Solomon: While it reads as
romantic poetry, Jewish tradition (such as the Targum and various Midrashim)
interprets it as an allegory of the intimate love between YHVH and His people.
·
Prophetic Warnings: Prophets like Hosea
and Jeremiah used marriage imagery to describe Israel's unfaithfulness
(idolatry) as "adultery". However, these same prophets emphasize that
YHVH remains a faithful husband who will eventually restore and
"re-betroth" His bride.
·
The Sabbath as a Bride: In Jewish liturgy
(such as the hymn L'cha Dodi), the Sabbath itself is personified
as a bride whom the Jewish people go out to meet and welcome each week
Spiritual
Meaning
For the Hebraic
community, this imagery underscores that YHVH is not just a distant judge or
creator, but a passionate partner who desires deep, exclusive intimacy
with His people. It emphasizes a "plurality of oneness"—that while
there is only one YHVH, His relationship with the many people of Israel creates
a single, unified "bride"
AI – ‘’The
Bible does not contain a single verse that bluntly states "Christ is your
husband,"
Christian
commentators say that the way to understand that Jesus is our bridegroom is to
understand it in the context of the doctrine of the trinity.
The view
that Yahshua/Jesus is YHVH in His divine identity, acting as the
Husband/Bridegroom in both Testaments is a Trinitarian understanding and is
strongly rejected by anti-Trinitarian scholars and groups.
Only those
who the Messiah has chosen will enter into a covenant with YHVH - Joh 15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose
you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit
should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name He might give
you.
Joh 6:44 “No one is able to come to Me unless
the Father who sent Me draws him. And I shall raise him up in the last
day.
Scripture
presents the Renewed Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-28) as
something YHVH initiates and the Messiah mediates. It is not something people
can simply opt into by their own will alone — YHVH must initiate first to
enable entry.
Eze 36:24 “And I shall take you from among
the nations, and I shall gather you out of all lands, and I shall bring you
into your own land.
Eze 36:25 “And I shall sprinkle clean water
on you, and you shall be clean – from all your filthiness and from all your
idols I cleanse you.
Eze 36:26 “And I shall give you a new heart
and put a new spirit within you. And I shall take the heart of stone out of
your flesh, and I shall give you a heart of flesh,
Eze 36:27 and put My Spirit within you.a And
I shall cause you to walk in My laws and guard My right-rulings and shall do
them. Footnote: aSee Ezk_11:19-20, Ezk_37:6-14, Ezk_39:29.
Eze 36:28 “And you shall dwell in the land
that I gave to your fathers. And you shall be My people, and I shall be your
Elohim.
Jer 31:31 “See, the days are coming,”
declares יהוה, “when I shall make a renewed covenant with the house of
Yisra’ěl and with the house of Yehuḏah,a Footnote: a Heb_8:8-12, Heb_10:16-17.
Jer 31:32 not like the covenant I made with
their fathers in the day when I strengthenedb their hand to bring them out of
the land of Mitsrayim, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to
them,” declares יהוה. Footnote: bCommonly understood as “take hold of.”
Jer 31:33 “For this is the covenant I shall
make with the house of Yisra’ěl after those days, declares יהוה:
I shall put My Torah in their inward parts, and write it on their hearts. And I
shall be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.
Jer 31:34 “And no longer shall they teach,
each one his neighbour, and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know יהוה,’
for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,”
declares יהוה. “For I shall forgive their crookedness, and remember their sin
no more.”
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
midrash:
The
following three videos give valuable and additional insight into this Torah
portion- the video teaching emphasize the goodness and mercy of YHVH despite
human failings.
"I
Never Knew You" Doesn't Mean What You Think
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M43A3E1dyrU
The Parable of the Ten Virgins Explained (What Nobody
Told You About Matthew 25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvARFUywj4s
The Narrow Gate Has a Word Every Bible Missed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkJBoa9Lapo
– Mat 7:23 (Gk ‘’anomia’’ – lawlessness or without
inner law (Torah) or active rebellion against YHVH’s law - Torah)- (‘’avon’’
Heb. ‘’Iniquity’’ - A deep, internal crookedness or depravity. It pictures
something that was straight (YHVH’s righteous standard) but has become twisted)
They overlap in meaning but emphasize different aspects of sin.