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.
בנימין – Benjamin – ‘’son of the
right hand’’ - the only son born in the promised land - also the same birthplace of Yahshua near
Bethlehem. Yahshua now seated at YHVH’s Right Hand- Heb 8:1
‘’The Scribe's Intent: By isolating verse 27 as its
own fresh start, the scribe purposefully quarantines the difficult
prophecies of the older brothers. They allow the new Sabbath reading to
begin cleanly with Benjamin, who carries a legacy of preservation, ultimate
protection, and beloved status (Deuteronomy 33:12)’’ – (‘’ Authentic Triennial
Cycle of Torah Readings – Rabbi Lionel E Moses’’)
Gen 49:27 “Binyamin is a wolf that tears, in the
morning he eats prey, and at night he divides the spoil.”
The Altar as a Wolf: The Talmud notes that the
sacrificial Altar in the Temple resembled a couching wolf.
Consuming the Prey: The Altar "devoured the
prey" in the morning through the morning daily sacrifice (Tamid)
and "divided the plunder" in the evening through the evening
sacrifice and the burning of the remaining fat and portions through the night.
The temple altar fire never went out’’
Gen 49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of
Yisra’ěl, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them, he
blessed each one according to his own blessing.
Gen 49:29 And he commanded them, and said to them,
“I am to be gathered to my people, bury me with my fathers in the cave that is
in the field of Ephron the Ḥittite,
Gen 49:30 in the cave that is in the field of Maḵpělah, which is before Mamrě
in the land of Kena‛an, which Aḇraham
bought with the field of Ephron the Ḥittite
as a possession for a burial-site.
Gen 49:31 There they buried Aḇraham and Sarah his wife,
there they buried Yitsḥaq
and Riḇqah his wife, and
there I buried Lě’ah –
Gen 49:32 the field purchased, and the cave, which
is in it, from the sons of Ḥěth.”
Gen 49:33 And when Ya‛aqoḇ ended commanding his sons, he drew his feet up
into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
According to rabbinic literature (especially in the
Midrash)
The Israelites in Egypt eventually sunk into deep
spiritual and cultural assimilation.
They had reached the 49th level of impurity (out
of a possible 50 levels of tumah / spiritual degradation).
Had they gone one step further (the 50th level), they
would have been beyond redemption.
When the time of the Exodus came, the vast majority of
the Israelites did not want to leave Egypt. They had become so comfortable
and assimilated that they preferred to stay.
This is why the Torah says YHVH took the Israelites out
“with a strong hand” — it was not a willing mass exodus for most. Ex 13:9
Rom
3:1 What
then is the advantage of the Yehuḏi, or what is the value of the
circumcision?
Rom
3:2 Much in every way! Because firstly indeed, that they were entrusted
with the Words of Elohim.
In Romans 3:1, the Greek word translated as "advantage" or "what is left over" is περισσός (perissos).
·
The Primary Entrustment: Paul states that
the chief advantage of the Jewish people is that they were entrusted with
the oracles of YHVH (the Scriptures).
·
Textual Preservation: For millennia,
Jewish scribes meticulously preserved, copied, and guarded the Torah, keeping
the words of divine revelation intact for the entire world.
2. The Architecture of the Covenant
In Romans 9:4–5, the scriptures expand on the specific
structural advantages given uniquely to Israel:
Rom
9:4 ….the children of Yisra’ěl, to whom is the adoption, and the
esteem, and the covenants, and the giving of the Torah, and the worship, and
the promises,
Rom
9:5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Messiah according to the
flesh, who is over all, Elohim-blessed forever. Aměn.
·
The Adoption: They were chosen to be the
firstborn nation of the Divine Presence.
·
The Esteem and Covenants: They received
the visible manifest esteem (Shechinah) and the foundational covenants
(Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic).
·
The Worship and Promises: They were given
the precise template for the Temple service, the calendar, and the prophetic
promises of ultimate redemption.
3. The Lineage of the Messiah
·
The Human Lineage: Culturally and
prophetically, the ultimate advantage was acting as the earthly vehicle for the
Messiah. The salvation of the world was orchestrated to break through into
human history directly out of the Jewish family tree.
4. Cultural Literacy as a Survival Strategy
Beyond the purely theological framework, there is a
massive historical and sociology advantage:
·
Mandatory Education: Since antiquity,
Jewish law mandated that all parents teach their children to read and analyze
the complex legal and narrative structures of the Torah.
·
The Analytical Edge: This created a
deeply ingrained cultural focus on rigorous study, debating text, and
continuous learning. This historical standard of universal literacy directly
translated into centuries of communal resilience, intellectual influence, and
survival against severe historical odds.’’ Prov 22:6
Joh
4:23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also does seek such to
worship Him.
Gen 50:2 And Yosěph commanded his servants the
physicians to embalm his father. So, the physicians embalmed Yisra’ěl.
Gen 50:3 And forty days were completed for him, for
so are completed the days of embalming. And the Mitsrites wept for him seventy
days.
Gen 50:4 And when the days of weeping for him were
past, Yosěph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If, now, I have found
favour in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,
Gen 50:5 My father made me swear, saying, “See, I
am dying, bury me in my burial-site which I dug for myself in the land of
Kena‛an.” And now, please let me go up and bury my father, and return.’”
Gen 50:6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your
father, as he made you swear.”
Gen 50:7 And Yosěph went up to bury his father. And
with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all
the elders of the land of Mitsrayim,
Gen 50:8 and all the house of Yosěph, and his
brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, and their flocks, and
their herds they left in the land of Goshen.
Gen 50:9 And there went up with him both chariots
and horsemen, and it was a very great company.
Gen 50:10 And they came to the threshing-floor
of Ataḏ, which is
beyond the Yarděn, and they lamented there with a great and very heavy
lamentation. And he performed seven days of mourning for his father.
Gen 50:12 And his sons did to him as he had
commanded them,
Gen 50:13 for his sons brought him to the land of
Kena‛an, and buried him in the cave of the field of Maḵpělah, before Mamrě, which Aḇraham bought with the field
from Ephron the Ḥittite
as property for a burial-site. (some commentaries suggest that at this
point the Egyptians returned to Egypt)
Gen 50:14 And after he had buried his father,
Yosěph returned to Mitsrayim, he and his brothers and all who went up with him
to bury his father.
Gen 50:15 And when Yosěph’s brothers saw that their
father was dead, they said, “What if Yosěph hates us, and pays us back all the
evil which we did to him?”
Gen 50:16 And they sent word to Yosěph, saying,
“Before your father died he commanded, saying, (the brothers made this
story up)
Gen 50:17 This is what you are to say to Yosěph, “I
beg you, please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for
they did evil to you.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the
servants of the Elohim of your father.” And Yosěph wept when they spoke to
him.
Gen 50:18 And his brothers also went and fell down
before his face, and they said, “See, we are your servants.”
Gen 50:19 And Yosěph said to them, “Do not fear,
for am I in the place of Elohim?
Gen 50:21 “And now, do not fear, I provide for you
and your little ones.” So, he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
The Death of Joseph
Gen 50:22 And Yosěph dwelt in Mitsrayim, he and his
father’s household. And Yosěph lived one hundred and ten years.
Gen 50:23 And Yosěph saw Ephrayim’s children to the
third generation. The children of Maḵir,
son of Menashsheh, were also born on Yosěph’s knees.
Gen 50:24 And Yosěph said to his brothers, “I am
dying, but Elohim shall certainly visit you and bring you out of this land to
the land of which He swore to Aḇraham,
to Yitsḥaq, and to Ya‛aqoḇ.”
Gen 50:25 And Yosěph made the children of Yisra’ěl
swear, saying, “Elohim shall certainly visit you, and you shall bring up my
bones from here.”
Gen 50:26 And Yosěph died, being one hundred and
ten years old. And they embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in
Mitsrayim.
We are living in a time where it seems possible even
probable that we will witness all the nations of the earth turning against
Israel and only a very small remnant surviving – not just to drive them out of
the land of Israel again, but this time to completely eradicate the Jewish ‘’problem
and people’’ off the face of the earth.
The Bible repeatedly prophesies that in the last days, a
large coalition of nations (often described as “all nations” or “many
nations”) will turn against Israel / Jerusalem, especially at the end of the
age. This is often connected with the final battle before the Messiah’s return
and the establishment of His kingdom.
The most emphasized passages in Messianic eschatology are Zechariah
12–14, Ezekiel 38–39, and Revelation 16 / 19.
Isa
1:9 Unless יהוה of hosts had left to us a
small remnant (שׂריד כמעט), we would have become like Seḏom, we would have been made like
Amorah.
In Moses
farewell speech to the nation of Israel Moses says: Deu 4:30 “In your
distress, when all these words shall come upon you in the latter days, then you
shall return to יהוה your Elohim and shall obey His voice.
The idea that the modern, secular State of Israel will
not survive in its current form is a prominent theme across multiple
theological and sociological frameworks
From The Mailbox: Do Christians Have a Doctrinal
Obligation to the State of Israel?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRgwYzYhz1k
Within Orthodox Judaism, there is a fundamental theological
distinction between a secular, democratic political entity and the ultimate,
divinely ordained biblical Kingdom of Israel.
Have Religious Israeli Jews given up on Israels Secular
Society:
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-741459#google_vignette
The writer is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion/Gush, a
hesder yeshiva. Jerusalem Post - April 28, 2023
‘’The Anti-Zionist Orthodox View: Certain Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi)
groups, most notably the Satmar Hasidim, explicitly reject the legitimacy of
the modern State of Israel. They believe that establishing a Jewish state by
human, secular means before the arrival of the Messiah is a violation of divine
law and that the current state must dissolve or collapse for the true
redemption to occur
Beyond theology, Israeli Rabbinic and secular sociologists
point to a massive demographic shift. The explosive growth of the Haredi
(Ultra-Orthodox) and National Religious populations means the original secular
majority that founded the state is dwindling. This shift guarantees the state
cannot maintain its original "secular liberal" form.’’
Christian theologians—particularly those focused on
eschatology (End Times prophecy)—view the modern State of Israel as a stepping
stone rather than a final destination.
‘’Dispensationalism and the Tribulation: A large
segment of Evangelical and Christian Zionist scholars believe the modern state
was providentially gathered to set the stage for prophecy. However, their
theology dictates that the current secular system will collapse or be
overturned during a global conflict (the Tribulation / Battle of Armageddon).
The current state will be replaced by the Millennial Kingdom governed directly
by Yahshua from Jerusalem.’’
Theologians from both faiths agree on a singular concept:
the modern political framework established in 1948 is not the final spiritual
reality. For both groups, the "current form" of Israel must
eventually give way to a purely divine, theocratic rule
Back to the Torah portion:
H. Clay Trumbull’s The Threshold Covenant (1896) is a
fascinating and influential work on ancient covenant practices and is also
helpful in understanding one of the key messages of this Torah portion.
Trumbull argues that many ancient religious rites and
covenants began at the threshold (doorway or entrance) of a house, tent, or
temple. He sees the threshold as a sacred boundary between the profane and the set
apart, and between the outsider and the family/community.
Trumbull discusses the mourning at Atad (the
threshing floor) as a significant “threshold” event the family pausing at a
boundary point before entering the Promised Land to bury Jacob. He sees it as a
covenantal transition moment.
- Blood
on the threshold — He connects practices like Passover (blood on the
doorposts in Exodus 12) with broader ancient customs of applying blood at
entrances for protection and covenant.
- Crossing
the threshold — Entering a home or temple often involved rituals that
symbolized entering a covenant relationship.
- Genesis
50 connection
- He
draws examples from Hebrew, Arab, Greek, Roman, and other ancient cultures
to argue that threshold rituals are among the oldest and most universal
religious acts.
In Genesis 50:10–11, the great funeral procession from Egypt
stops at the threshing floor of Atad, east of the Jordan River. There
they mourn for seven days. Trumbull sees this as a classic threshold moment:
- They
have left Egypt (the land of bondage) but have not yet crossed the
Jordan into the heart of the Promised Land.
- Atad
functions as a threshold - a boundary place between two realms:
exile and inheritance, death and future hope.
- The
intense seven-day mourning at this boundary point is, for Trumbull, a
covenantal act a solemn transition
ritual marking the family’s commitment to return to the land YHVH
promised.
He argues that stopping at such a threshold to perform
sacred rites (mourning, blood rituals, oaths, etc.) was a widespread ancient
practice when people were crossing from one territory or state of being into
another.
Connection to the Jordan Crossing (Joshua 3–4)
Trumbull’s framework also illuminates the later crossing of
the Jordan under Joshua:
- The
Jordan River itself becomes the ultimate threshold for the nation
of Israel.
- Just
as Jacob’s family paused at the threshold of Atad before entering the
land, the entire nation later pauses at the Jordan — the great national
threshold — before possessing their inheritance.
- The
miraculous stopping of the Jordan waters (Joshua 3) and the setting up of
memorial stones (Joshua 4) are, in Trumbull’s terms, threshold covenant
acts — rituals that mark the sacred boundary between wilderness
wandering and life in the Promised Land.
For Trumbull, these events are
not random. The threshold is where heaven and earth meet in a special way —
where covenants are renewed, protection is sought, and transitions are
consecrated.
In Genesis 50, the family is
literally standing on the threshold of
the Promised Land, mourning their father while recommitting
themselves to YHVH’s covenant. The Jordan crossing under Joshua is the national
fulfillment of that same threshold principle.
This gives Genesis 50 a deeper
symbolic layer: it is not just a funeral story, but a covenantal “crossing
over” moment — prefiguring Israel’s future entries into (and returns to) the
land.
For purposes of our study, we
will compare three Hebrew words that describe the very nature and difficulty of
our calling to return to the promised land:
In Hebrew, all three of these terms are etymologically or
conceptually tied to sharp, thorny briars. When woven together, they reveal a
profound narrative connection between grief, exile, and the redemption of
Israel
Here are the exact linguistic connection and its theological
significance:
1. The Linguistic Connection: Types of Thorns
The Old Testament uses distinct Hebrew words to pinpoint
specific types of harsh, prickly desert vegetation, creating a wordplay that
links these three locations
Atad (אָטָד):
In Genesis 50:10, the
funeral procession for the patriarch Jacob halts at Goren ha-Atad—translated
literally as "The Threshing Floor of the Brambles" or "Thorn
Bush." Atad refers specifically to the boxthorn or buckthorn, a
harsh, jagged wild shrub
Seneh (סְנֶה):
In Exodus 3:2, Moses
encounters YHVH in the burning bush. The Hebrew word used here is Seneh.
It is not a generic green bush; it is explicitly a low-lying, tangled desert
thorn bush (likely a blackberry bramble or acacia shrub)
Sinai (סִינַי):
The name Sinai is etymologically derived directly from the parent root
word for thorn (sen) or seneh. Linguistically, Mount Sinai
literally translates to "Thorny Mountain" or "Mountain of
the Bush."
2. The Significance: From Mourning to Liberation
The shared imagery of the thorn bush connects Jacob’s death
to Israel's birth as a nation through three distinct symbolic meanings:
A. The Boundary of Exile and Death (Atad)
In Genesis 50, Goren ha-Atad is located "beyond
the Jordan." It represents the dramatic, sorrowful boundary marker where
the Egyptian empire and the sons of Jacob stop to mourn. The "Thorn
Bush Threshing Floor" is a place of sorting and weeping. Because
thorns are biblically tied to the curse of the ground and human suffering
(Genesis 3:18), Atad serves as the geographic threshold of Israel's long
"exile of thorns"—the transition point where Jacob's family leaves
the Promised Land behind to return to what would become slavery in Egypt
B. YHVH Dwelling in Suffering (Seneh)
Four hundred years later, Moses is trapped in his own exile
as a shepherd when he sees the Seneh (thorn bush) on fire but not
consumed. Ancient rabbinic commentary (such as Rashi) notes that YHVH
deliberately chose the lowliest, sharpest, most painful plant to manifest His
presence. By lighting up a thorn bush, YHVH was visually telling Moses: "I
am intimately present with Israel in the sharp, piercing pain of their Egyptian
affliction." The fire represents YHVH's majesty, while the unconsumed
thorn bush represents Israel surviving the fiery furnace of slavery
C. The Covenant of Transformation (Sinai)
Moses is told at the Seneh that he will bring the
people back to worship YHVH on that exact same "Thorny Mountain" (Sinai).
The mountain of thorns becomes the mountain of the Torah. What began at Atad
as a funeral march of tears into exile, transforms at Sinai into a
triumphant march of redeemed slaves. YHVH takes the symbol of the curse
(thorns) and turns it into the site of His divine covenant
The connection between Atad, the Seneh, and Sinai
directly bridges into Yahshua’s’s teaching about the "narrow gate and
difficult road that few find" (Matthew 7:13-14)
The common denominator between all these concepts is the
obstacle of the thorn. In the ancient Near East, a "narrow path"
was not just physically small; it was specifically a path choked with desert
briers, thorns, and rocks—requiring deliberate, painstaking navigation.
In Matthew 7:14, Yahshua describes the narrow road as thlibō
in the Greek text, which means "pressed, afflicted, or compressed
by pressure."
Why "Few Find It"
The Narrow Road Requires Passing Through Mourning (Atad)
The Narrow Road Requires Surviving the Fire (Seneh)
Paul confirms this:
Act
14:22
strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith,
saying, "We must endure many hardships (thlibō in the
Greek text)to get into
the kingdom of Elohim."
Isa
43:1 But
now, thus said יהוה, your Creator, O Ya‛aqoḇ, and He who formed you, O
Yisra’ěl, “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.
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.
"Chazak,
chazak, v'nitchazek"
"Be strong,
be strong, and let us strengthen one another."