4/24/2026

Parashat 9 Portion 34 ‘’Vayeshev’’ Gen 37:1-36 Is 32:18-33:6,15

 Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, Creator of the universe, who desires covenantal intimacy with His called-out ones – blessed are these whom You have called and given a heart that longs for and deeply desires this 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 so that we may sincerely love one another and 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 enterd into covenant with the set apart ones of Israel – through Yahshua our Messiah - Amein.

וישׁב

Gen 37:1  And Ya‛aqo dwelt (וישׁב) in the land of his father’s sojournings, (מגורי)  in the land of Kena‛an. 

 וישׁב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו בארץ כנען׃ 

The sages focus heavily on the contrast between “settled” (vayeshev) implying permanence, rest, and tranquility and “sojourning” (megurei) implying impermanence, strangerhood and pilgrimage.

The word ‘’megurei’’ underscores that the land was still only a place of sojourning for Jacob’s family (as it had been for Abraham and Isaac). Jacob wanted permanent peaceful settlement after his turbulent life (Esau, Laban, Dinah, etc.), but YHVH disrupted that desire with the Joseph saga. The sages see this as a divine caution against seeking and expecting too much ease in this world.

This highlights that the full inheritance and security of the land had not yet arrived

Some midrashim connect it to the broader theme that true “settling” for the righteous only comes in the World to Come, not in this imperfect world.

Ramban emphasizes the contrast with Esau: Esau and his descendants took permanent possession (achuzah) of their land (Mount Seir – which didn’t prove that permanent either)

‘’Megurei’’ carries an emotional tone of alienation, hostility and impermanence, even in the Promised Land, Jacob still feels like a stranger and a temporary dweller and sometimes even a trespasser unwelcome in the land promised to them by YHVH.

This opening verse is often read as a theological lesson: Righteous people cannot expect complete rest and security in this world; trials often follow attempts at tranquility. It also foreshadows the long exile and sojourning of a chosen people.

Heb 11:8  By belief, Araham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he was about to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 

Heb 11:9  By belief, he sojourned in the land of promise as a stranger, dwelling in tents with Yitsaq and Ya‛aqo, the heirs with him of the same promise, 

Heb 11:10  for he was looking for the city having foundations, whose builder(בונה) and maker (architect מכוננה) is Elohim. (מכוננה) -  her founderher establisher.

 

Mat 16:18 Yahshua says ‘’ I shall build (אבנה)My assembly, and the gates of She’ol shall not overcome it’’

Heb 11:13  In belief all these died, not having received the promises, but seeing them from a distance, welcomed and embraced them, and confessed that they were aliens and strangers on the earth.

 

Heb 11:39  And having obtained witness through the belief, all these did not receive the promise,c Footnote: cSee Heb_11:13. (the promise of what? The Messiah? The promised land and all its abundance? Victory over our enemies? – views differ.)

Heb 11:40  Elohim having provided what is better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. (perfect 100% pure)

 

Gen 37:2  This is the genealogy of Ya‛aqo. (Although it says, "of Jacob," the narrative immediately focuses on Joseph at seventeen years old and his brothers.) Yosěph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the young man was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Yosěph brought an evil report of them to his father. 

 

Genesis 37:2 singles out the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah,Dan, Naphtali, Gad, - sages and scholars believe the reason must be important but have long debated on these reasons for singling out the sons of the concubines – however, there is no unified agreement why it is recorded in the Torah in this way. (maybe concubines’ children were not as highly esteemed or even less loved than the children from their madams – Leah and Rachel – maybe like Yahshua’s disciples - fishermen)

 

Gen 37:3  And Yisra’ěl loved Yosěph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a long robe. 

 

The robe given to Joseph in Genesis 37:3 is understood by scholars and commentators to be a princely or royal garment. It signified that Joseph was to be honoured above his older brothers, often interpreted as Jacob designating him as the future head of the household, a right typically reserved for the firstborn.

Gen 37:4  But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and were not able to speak peaceably to him. 

Gen 37:5  And Yosěph dreamed a dream, and told it to his brothers. So they hated him even more. (true of Joseph and true of Messiah)

 

‘’God isn’t fair He is just’’ -Is 55:8,9  - Bob Mumford.

 

Gen 37:6  And he said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have dreamed: 

Gen 37:7  “See, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and see, my sheaf rose up and also stood up. And see, your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 

Gen 37:8  And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Shall you indeed rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 

 

The Hebrew gives us more insight - Gen 37:8  ויאמרו לו אחיו המלך תמלך עלינו אם־משׁול תמשׁל בנו

 

Lit ‘’are you going to be our king, yes our king  or (אם) have dominion – yes complete dominion over us (בנו)’’

 

Gen 37:9  And he dreamed still another dream and related it to his brothers, and said, “See, I have dreamed another dream, and see, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” 

 

Some interpreters (especially those who see Joseph as a strong type or foreshadowing of the Messiah) do view the two dreams in Genesis 37:8 and 37:9 as carrying possible symbolic or typological significance related to the two comings of the Messiah (first coming in humility/suffering and second coming in esteem and universal rule).

 

Gen 37:10  And he related it to his father and his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall we, your mother and I and your brothers, indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” 

Gen 37:11  And his brothers envied him, but his father guarded the word. 

 

Isa 8:14  “And He 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,

 

Isa 53:1  Who has believed our report? And to whom was the arm of יהוה revealed? 

Isa 53:2  For He grew up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or splendour that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should desire Him – 

Isa 53:3  despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and knowing sickness. And as one from whom the face is hidden, being despised, and we did not consider Him. 

Isa 53:4  Truly, He has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. Yet we reckoned Him smitten·, stricken by Elohim, and afflicted. 

Isa 53:5  But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our crookednesses. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 

Isa 53:6  We all, like sheep, went astray, each one of us has turned to his own way. And יהוה has laid on Him the crookedness of us all. 

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed and He was afflicted, but He did not open His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, but He did not open His mouth. 

Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment. And as for His generation, who considered that He shall be cut off from the land of the living? For the transgression of My people He was stricken. 

Isa 53:9  And He was appointed a burial-site with the wrong, and with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was deceit in His mouth.a Footnote: a 1Pe_2:22

Isa 53:10  But יהוה was pleased to crush Him, He laid sickness on Him, that when He made Himself an offering for guilt, He would see a seed, He would prolong His days and the pleasure of יהוה prosper in His hand. 

Isa 53:11  He would see the result of the suffering of His life and be satisfied. Through His knowledge My righteous Servant makes many righteous, and He bears their crookednesses. 

Isa 53:12  Therefore I give Him a portion among the great, and He divides the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His being unto death, and He was counted with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 

 

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

Gen 37:12  And his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Sheem. 

Gen 37:13  And Yisra’ěl said to Yosěph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Sheem? Come, I send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.” 

 

Shechem as a Place of Danger and Past Sin Shechem carries heavy baggage for Jacob’s family.

(Note the dotted letters over “את צאן” suggesting a future reference to the Messianic age)

 

The Hidden Meaning: The Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 84:13) suggests that the dots, which often signal that a word should be deleted or changed, imply the brothers were neglecting their duties to their father's sheep, highlighting their animosity towards Joseph and their insincerity towards their father. (a problem that persists in both houses of Israel)

 

Irony and Foreshadowing of Family Division Shechem is not a neutral place. It later becomes a site of major division in Israel’s history (the kingdom splits there after Solomon — 1 Kings 12). In the Joseph story, it symbolizes the growing fracture in Jacob’s family. The brothers’ journey to Shechem separates them physically from their father and sets up the betrayal that will send Joseph to Egypt — ironically preserving the family through famine later. (great tribulation)

 

Joseph’s (Yahshua’s) obedient response (“Here I am” — hineni) echoes Abraham’s readiness (Genesis 22) and shows his loyalty to his father despite knowing his brothers hate him. Jewish sages (Rashi, Ramban, etc.) see divine orchestration here: YHVH uses this journey (and even the mysterious “man” who redirects Joseph to Dothan in v. 15–17) to fulfill His purposes. What looks like a family errand is part of YHVH’s plan to get Joseph/Yahshua to Egypt, from where where he will eventually save the family and fulfill his dreams. Mt 2:15 -  “Out of Mitsrayim I have called My Son.” Exo_4:22-23, Hos_11:1, Rev_21:7

 

Gen 37:14  And he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the sheep, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of eron, and he went to Sheem. 

 

 Hebron is located on a hill (actually part of the Judean hill country, at a high elevation of about 3,000 feet / 900+ meters above sea level), yet Genesis 37:14 says Jacob sent Joseph “out of the valley (עֵמֶק / emek) of Hebron.”

 

In other words, the word emek is deliberately chosen to hint at the depth/mystery of YHVH’s decree or the profound divine plan. By sending Joseph from the “valley/depth of Hebron,” the Torah reveals the hidden counsel of YHVH’s counsel. (The Torah is like a parable)

 

‘’According to Matthew 13:10-17, Yahshua spoke in parables to reveal the secrets of the kingdom of heaven to his disciples while concealing them from those with hardened hearts. Parables served to fulfil prophecy by separating listeners who genuinely sought understanding from those who saw and heard without perceiving, thereby revealing individual spiritual conditions’’

 

Gen 37:15  And a certain man found him, and see, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What do you seek?” מה־תבקשׁ (Jn 20:15 - ־מִי תְבַקֵּשִׁי) “who do you seek’’

Gen 37:16  And he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please inform me where they are feeding their sheep.” 

Gen 37:17  And the man said, “They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go towards Dothan.’ ” So Yosěph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan - some interpret "Dothan" (from dat meaning law – Persian/Aramaic) as the place where the brothers sought a legal loophole or "double law" to justify their actions against Joseph. The destruction of the Temple is seen as the ultimate consequence when the law is used as a weapon of division rather than a source of unity.

 

Maybe ‘’Dothan or double law or two wells’’ refers how Israel would be divided – having two laws - like Jew and gentile – Jews have the Torah, gentiles have the New testament.

 

Or maybe, ‘Dothan’’ or double law refers to that time when Israel committed one of the most treacherous acts imaginable against YHVH – while YHVH was preparing an eternal marriage covenant with His people Israel – a ‘’ketubah’’ – the 10 sayings – Israel was having an idolatrous affair with a strange ‘’god’’ YHVH was so angry He broke the ‘’ketubah’’ the marriage covenant and wanted to destroy the entire nation.

Moses intervenes –

Exo 32:10  “And now, let Me alone, that My wrath might burn against them and I consume them and I make of you a great nation.” 

Exo 32:11  But Mosheh pleaded with יהוה his Elohim, and said, “יהוה, why does Your wrath burn against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Mitsrayim with great power and with a strong hand? 

Exo 32:12  “Why should the Mitsrites speak, and say, ‘For evil He brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from the heat of Your wrath, and relent from this evil to Your people. 

Exo 32:13  “Remember Araham, Yitsaq, and Yisra’ěl, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I increase your seed like the stars of the heavens. And all this land that I have spoken of I give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 

Exo 32:14  And יהוה relented from the evil which He said He would do to His people. 

Exo 32:15  And Mosheh turned and went down from the mountain, and in his hand were the two tablets of the Witness, tablets written on both their sides, written on the one and on the other. 

 

Exo 32:19  And it came to be, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. And Mosheh’s displeasure burned, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 

 

Exo 34:1  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I shall write on these tablets the Words that were on the first tablets which you broke. 

 

Maybe Dothan reminded us of covenantal renewal – a second set of tablets – the same covenant – renewed.

 

The New Covenant

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 Yehuah,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. 

 

Hesed: The Hebrew Word That Changes How You Read the Entire Bible

 https://youtu.be/Qqvf4b8w5kk?si=wAVXuy_GqAH40evc

 

Gen 37:18  And they saw him from a distance, and before he came near them, they plotted against him, to kill him. 

 

And so Yahshua was sent by YHVH to renew this ancient covenant – and we killed Him.

 

And YHVH looks for an intercessor – a Moses – and He can’t find one.

 

Eze 22:30  “And I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the breach before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it – but I did not find one! 

 

Isa 59:16  And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no intercessor. So His own arm saved for Him, and His righteousness upheld him. 

 

Yahshua and Yahshua alone is YHVH’s Righteousness – and we are BECOMING that righteousness – 2Co 5:21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of Elohim. 

 

Isa 48:8  “No, you have not heard; no, you have not known; no, from of old your ear has not been open. Because I knew that you are indeed treacherous and are called ’a transgressor from the womb.’ 

Isa 48:9  “For My Name’s sake I postponed My displeasure, and for My praise I held it back from you, so as not to cut you off. 

 

Isa 48:10  “See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.a Footnote: aSee also Deu_8:2-16

 

Isa 48:10  הנה צרפתיך ולא בכסף בחרתיך בכור עני׃ 

 

If we were refined as silver none of us would survive – so, YHVH preserves a not yet fully refined remnant and continues to refine them in His millennial kingdom – not by fire but by His Word –

 

Jer 50:20  “In those days and at that time,”(era) declares יהוה, “the crookedness of Yisra’ěl shall be searched for, but there shall be none; and the sin of Yehuah, but none shall be found. For I shall pardon those whom I leave as a remnant. 

 

Isa 48:11  “For My own sake, for My own sake, I do it. For how (should My name)be profaned? And My esteem I do not give to another. 

 

Isa 48:11  למעני למעני אעשׂה כי איך יחל וכבודי לאחר לא־אתן׃ 

 

On account of Me – On account of Me – I shall do this – how can My esteem be profaned? I will not give it to another. (no one can claim any credit for their performance)

‘’The phrase "but not as silver" in Isaiah 48:10 indicates that while YHVH does refine his people through affliction, he does not put them through the same intense, total refining process used for silver. If YHVH were to refine them with the extreme severity required to remove all dross from silver, it would result in their destruction, rather than their purification’’

 

It is practically impossible to purify silver to 100%

 

Silver in its molten state will reflect your image – almost perfectly. Once it is poured it loses its almost perfect reflective ability.

 

If YHVH does not shorten the end time tribulation (purification) none of us will survive – Mat 24:22  “And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the sake of the chosen ones those days shall be shortened. 

 

In the Messianic Kingdom, this cycle is finally broken and our ‘’refining’’ (100%) comes through the Torah as taught by Yahshua –

Isa 2:2  And it shall be in the latter days that the mountain of the House of יהוה is established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills. And all nations shall flow to it. 

Isa 2:3  And many peoples shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of יהוה, to the House of the Elohim of Ya‛aqo, and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk in His paths, for out of Tsiyon comes forth the Torah, and the Word of יהוה from Yerushalayim.” 

Isa 2:4  And He shall judge between the nations, and shall reprove many peoples. And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither teach battle any more. 

Isa 2:5  O house of Ya‛aqo, come and let us walk in the light of יהוה.

 

Gen 37:19  And they said to each other, “See, this master of dreams is coming! (Only Yahshua ‘’the dreamer’’ can purify us 100%.

 

Gen 37:20  “Now, then, come and let us now kill him and throw him into some pit, and shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ Let us then see what comes of his dreams!” 

Gen 37:21  But Re’uěn heard and rescued him from their hands, and said, “Let us not strike his being.” 

Gen 37:22  And Re’uěn said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him” – in order to rescue him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father. 

Gen 37:23  So it came to be, when Yosěph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Yosěph of his robe, the long robe which was on him. (sound familiar?)

Gen 37:24  And they took him and threw him into a pit. And the pit was empty, there was no water in it. (sound familiar?)

Gen 37:25  And they sat down to eat a meal. And they lifted their eyes and looked and saw a company of Yishma‛ělites, coming from Gil‛a with their camels, bearing spices, and balm, and myrrh, going to take them down to Mitsrayim. 

Gen 37:26  And Yehuah said to his brothers, “What would we gain if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? (Judas (from the tribe of Judah) did not kill the Messiah, he paid 30 pieces of silver to sell him as a slave)

Gen 37:27  “Come and let us sell him to the Yishma‛ělites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh.” And his brothers listened. 

Gen 37:28  And men, Miyanite traders passed by, so they pulled Yosěph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Yishma‛ělites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Yosěph to Mitsrayim. 

Gen 37:29  And Re’uěn returned to the pit, and see, Yosěph was not in the pit. And he tore his garments. (Reuben knew this would destroy his father)

Gen 37:30  And he returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! And I, where am I to go?” 

Gen 37:31  So they took Yosěph’s robe, slew a male goat, and dipped the robe in the blood, 

 

Gen 37:32  and sent the long robe and brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Please look, is it the robe of your son or not?” (phrase (הכר־נא) ‘’please look’’ is repeated again in  Genesis 38:25: Tamar says this to Judah while holding his staff, cord, and seal, saying "identify/recognize now" (הַכֶּר־נָא) to whom these belong- Judah was falsely accusing Tamar)

 

Gen 37:33  And he recognised it and said, “It is my son’s robe. An evil beast has devoured him. Yosěph is torn, torn to pieces.” 

Gen 37:34  And Ya‛aqo tore his garments, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 

Gen 37:35  And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “Now let me go down into She’ol to my son in mourning.” So his father wept for him.  

Gen 37:36  And the Mianites had sold him in Mitsrayim to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. 

 

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 and challenge:

YHVH - Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith through Yahshua – Hebrews 12  (summarized)

 Do you see what this means— we are surrounded by a crowd of witnesses past and present who have gone through these same trails - cheering us on? It means we must move on to spiritual maturity. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us keeping your eyes on Yahshua, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it, because he never lost sight of where he was headed - And now he’s there, in the place of honour, right alongside YHVH. When you find yourselves discouraged or depressed, go over this truth again and again -Torah portion by Torah portion - the journey of our Fathers – Abraham Isaac and Jacob who endured great suffering but persevered to the end.

In this all-out match against sin and opposition, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Yahshua went through—all that bloodshed and suffering! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that YHVH regards you as His children?

My dear child, don’t shrug off YHVH’s discipline,
    but don’t be crushed by it either.
It’s the child He loves that he disciplines;
    the child He embraces, he also corrects.

YHVH is educating you; that’s why you must never give up. He’s treating you as precious children. This difficulty you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of being a disciple. We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace YHVH’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But YHVH is doing what is best for us, training us to live according to His purposes. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off big-time, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with YHVH and with man and receive favour to persevere to the end.

 So, no more time for self-pity! No more dragging your feet! Prepare yourself for a long-distance journey. Help each other out. And embrace the journey!

 Work at getting along with each other and with the desire of your Heavenly Father. There is an eternal and great reward - Make sure no one gets left out of YHVH generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitterness. A weed or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away YHVH’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted YHVH’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.

 So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice at Sinai at time shook the earth to its foundations; this time— He states very clearly —that there will be a far greater shaking of the heavens and the earth - One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.” The phrase “one last shaking” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that His unshakable kingdom will stand forever -clear, clean and uncluttered.

 Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but overflowing with worship, deeply grateful to YHVH. For YHVH is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. YHVH himself is the Fire!