Parashat 11 Portion 42 – Vayigash - Beresheet 44:18-46:27 Haftarah - Yehoshua/Joshua 14:6-15 Luke 24:13-27

"And he came near"

Blessing for the Torah Reading:

Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,

v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.” 

(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.)

  

“And he came near” points us to another very important future event – The Jews (Yehudah) including his brothers, the other tribes, recognizing the true Messiah.

    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.

This “drawing near” by Yehudah and his brethren has significant implications for all of mankind. Paul describes it this way:

Rom 8:19  For the intense longing¹ of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of Elohim. Footnote: ¹Lit. anxiously looking with outstretched head.

Rom 8:20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not from choice, but because of Him who subjected it, in anticipation,

Rom 8:21  that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage to corruption into the esteemed freedom of the children of Elohim.

Rom 8:22  For we know that all the creation groans together, and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

Rom 8:23  And not only so, but even we ourselves who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, we ourselves also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

This adoption Paul is speaking about could also be pointing to the coming together of the family of Yisrael.

Rom 11:12  And if their fall (Yehudah and the Yehudim) is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the gentiles, how much more their completeness!

Rom 11:13  For I speak to you, the gentiles, inasmuch as I am an emissary to the gentiles, I esteem my service,

Rom 11:14  if somehow I might provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.

Rom 11:15  For if their casting away is the restoration to favour of the world, what is their acceptance but life from the dead?

Rom 11:25  For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this secret, brothers, lest you should be wise in your own estimation, that hardening in part has come over Yisra’ĕl, until the completeness of the gentiles¹ has come in. Footnote: ¹Gen. 48:19.

Rom 11:26  And so all Yisra’ĕl shall be saved, as it has been written, “The Deliverer shall come out of Tsiyon, and He shall turn away wickedness from Yaʽaqoḇ,

Rom 11:27  and this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”¹ Footnote: ¹Isa. 59:20-21.

Rom 11:28  Truly, as regards the Good News they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

Rom 11:29  For the gifts and the calling of Elohim are not to be repented of.

Rom 11:32  For Elohim has shut them all up to disobedience, in order to have compassion on all.

Rom 11:33  Oh, the depth of riches, and wisdom and knowledge of Elohim! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways!

Rom 11:34  “For who has known the mind of יהוה? Or who has become His counsellor?”

Of course there are many churchmen around today – even good ones – who attempt changing YHVH’s counsel by claiming that the church has now replaced Yisrael and Yahshua has come to do away with the Torah – bringing grace instead of condemnation – a lie from the pit of hell.

We are once again reminded that all of Torah points us to Messiah.

 Rom 10:4  For Messiah is the goal¹ of the ‘Torah unto righteousness’ to everyone who believes. Footnote: ¹Or end purpose; not termination.

In this Torah portion the allegorical conclusion is that this points to when Messiah is exalted by the Father to bring about the final restoration of his brothers – the tribes of Yisrael.

We believe the sages who say that the Messiah (Yahshua) will first come as Moshiach Ben Yosef and then will return again as Moshiach Ben David – the ruler of Yisrael – all of scripture testifies to this truth.

It is clear from this Torah portion that Yosef is now the second most powerful man in Mitsrayim/ and even in the world.

This Torah portion also then points us to our time of preparation for the coming Appointments (Moadim). This is the month of Elul – the time when the bride prepares to meet her bridegroom – Yom Teruah. It’s a time of repentance – Yom Kippur and it’s a time to pray that we may found worthy of attending the marriage supper of the Lamb – Sukkot.

Gen 44:18  And Yehuḏah came near to him and said, “O my master, please let your servant speak a word in my master’s hearing, and do not let your displeasure burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh.

We remember that at this time Yehudah and his brothers are in great distress.

Gen 44:19  “My master asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’

Gen 44:20  “And we said to my master, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young child of his old age, and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’

Gen 44:21  “And you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, and let me set my eyes on him.’

Gen 44:22  “And we said to my master, ‘The boy is not able to leave his father, for if he leaves his father, his father shall die.’

Does this possibly point to a small remnant in the last days that are walking close to the Father who will embark on a dangerous mission to bring about the restoration of the family of Yisrael ?- some of this small remnant may even die! (Maybe not!)

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in the heaven, “Now have come the deliverance and the power and the reign of our Elohim,¹ and the authority of His Messiah, for the accuser of our brothers, who accused them before our Elohim day and night, has been thrown down. Footnote: ¹See 11:15.

Rev 12:11  “And they overcame him because of the Blood of the Lamb, and because of the Word of their witness, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Rev 12:17  And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim and possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah.

All scripture can only be understood in the light of all other scripture – these prophecies in Revelation are pointing to the Torah and the return of Messiah.

Gen 44:23  “But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you do not see my face again.’

Gen 44:24  “And it came to be, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my master.

Gen 44:25  “And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’

Gen 44:26  “But we said, ‘We are not able to go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we shall go down, for we are not able to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

Gen 44:27  “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons,

Gen 44:28  and the one went out from me, and I said, “Truly, he is torn, torn to pieces!” And I have not seen him since.

Gen 44:29  ‘And if you take this one from me too, and harm comes to him, you shall bring down my grey hair with evil to the grave.’

Gen 44:30  “And now, if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us – since his own life is bound up in his life –

Gen 44:31  then it shall be, when he sees that the boy is not with us, that he shall die. So your servants shall bring down the grey hair of your servant our father with evil to the grave.

Gen 44:32  “For your servant went guaranty for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall be a sinner before my father forever.’

Gen 44:33  “And now, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a slave to my master, and let the boy go up with his brothers.

Gen 44:34  “For how do I go up to my father if the boy is not with me, lest I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

We can assume that this allegory points to the time when Yehudah will once again enter into a mediatory role presenting himself and his brothers to our Messiah who is just about to reveal himself to his brothers – the tribes of Yisrael.

At this time we see the primary motivation of the brothers is the love of their father –Yakov – because of all the grief they brought to him as the result of the news of Yosef’s death.

Could it be that once again at the end of this age we will discover the heart of our Heavenly Father and His grief over the separation of His family for such a long time?

Imagine the joy in heaven when YHVH sends His son to come and reconcile the family of Yisrael and establish His Kingdom on earth forever and ever.

Benyamin seems to be an allegorical representation of those who are similar of heart and spirit to Yosef – maybe this is a restored messianic movement free from all forms of pagan mixture clinging to YHVH and His Torah.

Yehudah seems very concerned in protecting those who have the heart and spirit of a Benyamin.

The coming of Benyamin would eventually cause Yakov the father to come to Mitsrayim/Egypt – maybe this points to the coming restored messianic movement causing as it were YHVH to once again to intervene for a last time bringing an end to this age -  only when the Father is revealed is the family able to be saved – It is striking to note the number of times Yakov is mentioned in this portion. Only once the Egyptian influence is exposed and removed could the family of Yakov be joined together again. Maybe this” Benyamin” movement is what Shaul refers to as the “fullness of the gentiles”.

Rom 11:25  For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this secret, brothers, lest you should be wise in your own estimation, that hardening in part has come over Yisra’ĕl, until the completeness of the gentiles¹ has come in. Footnote: ¹Gen. 48:19.

(Compare Greek word “pleroma” – “fullness” in vs 12 and 25)

Many believe that the church with its mixture of worship and ‘Replacement theology’ does not even feature in end time prophecy because it has rejected YHVH’s agenda for Yisrael.

Gen 45:1  And Yosĕph was unable to restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he called out, “Have everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Yosĕph made himself known to his brothers.

THE MONTH OF ELUL

On Thursday evening the 8th of August 2013, the Rosh Chodesh (new moon) was sighted in Yerushalayim. This is then the Rosh Chodesh (new moon) of the Sixth Hebrew/Scriptural new month (Rosh Chodesh - can mean both new moon and new month). (According to the fixed Jewish /Hillel/Rabbinical calendar, the new month already started and some believers who sight the new moon from their own countries and take that day as the start of the Sixth month, will also be a day earlier or later.) 
The Sixth month on the Scriptural calendar is the final month before the Fall Moadim start.  (The last 4 Appointed times (Moadim) are the Fall Appointments that we have with YHVH ~  'Fall 'as in Yisrael's Fall season). This Sixth Month on the Scriptural calendar is also called Elul since Babylonian exile. The word "Elul" (aleph, lamed, vav, lamed), the after-captivity name of this month, forms the well- known acronym “Ani Ldodi Vdodi Li” which means "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine". (Song of Songs 6:3). Elul normally corresponds on the Gregorian calendar with August/September.

Fall Moadim (Appointed times):

Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets or Day of the Awakening blast),

Yom HaKippurim, (Day of the coverings also known as Day of Atonement)

Sukkot (the 7 day Festival of Booths or Tabernacles)

And Shemeni Atzereth (the Eighth Day assembly that falls on the eighth day at the end of  the seven days of Sukkot.) This Eighth Day Assembly (Shemeni Atzereth) is a one- day Appointment/Festival that speaks so beautifully of the "eighth day" (which at the same time is the First day of a new beginning) that will come after the Millennium (Millennium= the seventh thousandth year which gets portrayed beautifully by Sukkot)-
See the article teachings on the Festivals under "Pages"

Yom Teruah falls on the first day of the Seventh Scriptural month. (Normally it corresponds with somehwere during Sept or Oct on the Gregorian calendar) The Sixth Month (Elul) begins thus 29/30 days before Yom Teruah and 40 days before Yom Kippur. Jewish tradition treats this entire 40-day period as a time of spiritual preparation and renewal leading up to Yom Kippur.
Traditional services throughout the 29 or 30 days of this month include blowing the shofar every day in the morning (the Jews don't blow it on Shabbat and also not on the last day of this month, in anticipation for the start of Yom Teruah) as also readings from the Tehillim/Psalms. It is a good tradition and something that we can apply too to our personal prayer lives. (Not a commandment though, so you don't HAVE to do it.) It can be a blessing though to read through the entire Book of Tehillim/Psalms during this Sixth month. If you read 4-5 average psalms a day, or 1-2 of the longer ones, you can make it through the entire book.

Bringing ourselves before YHVH

We are living in serious times and need to trust our Father YHVH to help us prepare our hearts to draw closer to Him daily and to ask our Father to work through his Ruach (the Spirit) to search our hearts and show us if there is anything that is not pleasing to the Father. We need to make ourselves ready ("the bride will make herself ready") for the coming of the Messiah Yahshua who will come on the clouds with a future Yom Teruah (the Day of the great awakening blast) and during this time we are more aware of the fact that Yahshua is coming back and we need to be ready.

Interceding for Yisrael

May we also realize the seriousness of being "watchmen on the walls of Yerushalayim" more than ever before.

During the month of Elul we are looking forward to the last Fall -Appointed Times with an expectancy in or hearts. We are once again going to rehearse the End time scenario from Yom Teruah leading up to Sukkot. (Sukkot speaks of the Millennium reign when Yahshua will tabernacle with us to rule and reign from Yerushalayim) and then the Eighth day assembly (Shemeni Atzereth) which speaks of the new beginning at the end of the Millennial reign of Yahshua. (So Shemini Atzereth portrays the beginning of the Renewed heaven and earth and the new Yerushalayim that will come down out of heaven and the booth of YHVH and the Lamb that will be with us for eternity. (See especially Rev 21:1-3 and I Cor 15:23-28).

Parashat 10 Portion 41 Beresheet 43:24-44:17 Haftarah: Yer/Jer 42:7-17 Matt 6:19-24

Blessing for the Torah:

Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,

v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.” 

(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.) 

This Torah portion once again brings us face to face with the most serious issue of our times - the restoration of all things.

Act 3:19  “Repent therefore and turn back, for the blotting out of your sins, in order that times of refreshing might come from the presence of the Master,

Act 3:20  and that He sends יהושע Messiah, pre-appointed for you,

Act 3:21  whom heaven needs to receive until the times of restoration of all matters, of which Elohim spoke through the mouth of all His set-apart prophets since of old.

Act 3:22  “For Mosheh truly said to the fathers, ‘יהוה your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brothers. Him you shall hear according to all matters, whatever He says to you.

Act 3:23  ‘And it shall be that every being who does not hear that Prophet¹ shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Footnote: ¹Deut. 18:18-20. Act 3:24  “And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Shemu’ĕl and those following, have also announced these days.

Act 3:25  “You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which Elohim made with our fathers, saying to Aḇraham, ‘And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.’

Act 3:26  “To you first, Elohim, having raised up His Servant יהושע, sent Him to bless you, in turning away each one of you from your wicked ways.”¹ Footnote: ¹See 2:38.

What are the matters concerning us?

The Ruach of YHVH is preparing the long separated brothers of Yisrael to come together again. Almost all those who call themselves believers and seekers after the truth are ignorant or unaware of His agenda and continue to replace His agenda with their own.

It will serve us well to know that every word of the Torah speaks to us the words that Messiah would speak to us. Messiah would want to remind us that he is busy doing whatever it takes for his reconciliation between himself and his brothers – the tribes of Yisrael.

Yahshua is not waiting to reconcile himself with the church (where there is the mixture) – He will only join himself to that which is set apart and called by his Father – Restored Yisrael.

The anti messiah is waiting to reconcile himself with the church and every other major religion of the world that is willing to enter into an immoral anti Torah covenant with him.

The restoration of all things or the “tikkun olam” is the one issue that will identify the true seekers after the truth – this is the very heart of Hebraic thinking and restoration. This concept of “Tikkun olam” runs deep within Jewish thinking – the following quote is taken from Wikepedia – italics my own – also put the Restored Names in.

“Tikkun olam (תיקון עולם ‎) is a Hebrew phrase that means "repairing the world" (or "healing the world") which suggests humanity's shared responsibility to heal, repair and transform the world.

The phrase tikkun olam is included in the Aleinu , a Jewish prayer that is traditionally recited three times daily. The Aleinu, said to have been written by the prophet Joshua, praises YHVH for allowing the Jewish people to serve YHVH, and expresses hope that the whole world one day will recognize YHVH and abandon idolatry. The phrase tikkun olam is used in the longer expression l'takken olam b'malkhut Shaddai, "to perfect the world under YHVH's sovereignty." In other words, when all the people of the world abandon false gods and recognize YHVH the world will have been perfected. Alternatively, being that we share a partnership with YHVH, humanity is instructed to take the steps towards improving the state of the world and helping others, which simultaneously brings more honor to YHVH's sovereignty.
The word tikkun is grammatically in the gerund (meaning "repair" or "perfection"), and olam means "world"; the two words together (tikkun olam) are in the construct (i.e. genitive), and mean "repair of [the] world". By contrast, the word l'takken (meaning "to repair") is in the infinitive, and so l'takken olam in the Aleinu prayer means "to repair [the] world."

Jews believe that performing of ritual mitzvot (commandments, connections, or religious obligations) is a means of tikkun olam, helping to perfect the world, and that the performance of more mitzvot will hasten the coming of the Messiah and the Messianic Age. This belief dates back at least to the early Talmudic period. According to Rabbi Yochanan, quoting Rabbi Shim'on bar Yochai, the Jewish people will be redeemed when every Jew observes Shabbat (the Sabbath) twice in all its details.

Some explain the power of Shabbat by its effect on the other six days of the week and their role in moving society towards the Messianic Age. Shabbat helps bring about the Messianic Age because Shabbat- rest energizes Jews to work harder to bring the Messianic Age nearer during the six working days of the week. Because the experience of Shabbat gives one a foretaste of the Messianic Age, observance of Shabbat also helps Jews renew their commitment to bring about a world where love and mercy will reign and so bring about tikkun olam. (Shabbat also helps us reflect on what the Ruach of YHVH wants to do in us and through us and what He has already accomplished in us through Yahshua Moshiach to bring about the restoration of all things.)

Some Jews believe that performing mitzvot will create a model society among the Jewish people, which will in turn influence the rest of the world. This idea sometimes is attributed to Biblical verses that describe the Jews as "a kingdom of priests and a set apart nation" (Exodus 19:5-6) and "a light of the nations" or "a light to the nations" (Isaiah 42:6 and Isaiah 49:6)”

Gen 43:24  And the man brought the men into Yosĕph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet. And he gave their donkeys fodder.

Gen 43:25  And they made the present ready for Yosĕph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they were to eat there.

Gen 43:26  And when Yosĕph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand, into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.

Gen 43:27  And he asked them about their welfare, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”

Gen 43:28  And they said, “Your servant our father is in good health, he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and did obeisance.

Gen 43:29  And he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Binyamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “Elohim show favour to you, my son.”

Gen 43:30  And Yosĕph hurried, for his emotions were deeply moved towards his brother, and he looked for a place to weep, and went into his room and wept there.

Gen 43:31  Then he washed his face and came out, and controlled himself, and said, “Serve the food.”

Gen 43:32  And they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Mitsrites who ate with him by themselves, for the Mitsrites could not eat food with the Heḇrews, for that is an abomination to the Mitsrites.

Gen 43:33  And they sat before him, the first-born according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at each other in astonishment.

Gen 43:34  And he took portions to them from before him, but Binyamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they feasted and they drank with him.

Gen 44:1  And he commanded the one over his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as they are able to bear, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.

Gen 44:2  “And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and the silver for his grain.” And he did according to the word of Yosĕph which he spoke.

Gen 44:3  As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

Gen 44:4  And when they had gone out of the city, not having gone far, Yosĕph said to the one over his house, “Rise up, follow the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

Gen 44:5  ‘Is this not the one from which my master drinks, and with which he indeed divines? You have done evil in what you have done.’ ”

Gen 44:6  So he overtook them and spoke these words to them.

Gen 44:7  And they said to him, “Why does my master say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do according to this word.

Gen 44:8  “See, we brought back to you from the land of Kenaʽan the silver which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then should we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?

Gen 44:9  “With whomever of your servants it is found – he shall die and we shall become my master’s slaves as well.”

Gen 44:10  And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words: he with whom it is found becomes my slave, and you are innocent.”

Gen 44:11  And they hurried, each man let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.

Gen 44:12  And he searched, with the oldest first and with the youngest last, and the cup was found in Binyamin’s sack.

Gen 44:13  And they tore their garments, and each man loaded his donkey and went back to the city.

Gen 44:14  And Yehuḏah and his brothers came to Yosĕph’s house, and he was still there. And they fell before him on the ground.

Gen 44:15  And Yosĕph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that a man like me indeed divines?”

Gen 44:16  And Yehuḏah said, “What do we say to my master? What do we speak? Or how do we clear ourselves? Elohim has found out the crookedness of your servants. See, we are my master’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”

Gen 44:17  But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose hand the cup was found, he becomes my slave. And you, go up in peace to your father.”

Note the concern Yosef has for his father is closely followed by his special love for his brother. The book of Yasher tells us that Yosef was revealed to Benyamin before he was revealed to his other brothers.