In the entire Torah
scroll, “vayechi” is unique in that there is no extra space between it and the
preceding parashah, in contrast to the general rule that a new parashah begins
on a new line or is at least separated by nine empty spaces. Rashi, therefore,
describes “vayechi” as “closed.” Yakov wanted to tell his children the time of
the “end,” the Messianic age when Yisrael’s exile would finally end. We wait for that coming time when this will
become a reality. This coming together will bring a quality and intensity of
life that will surpass all our expectation and understanding, a life that is
presently hidden from us.
Gen 47:28 And Yaʽaqoḇ lived in the land of
Mitsrayim seventeen years. So the length of Yaʽaqoḇ’s life was one
hundred and forty-seven years.
These
seventeen years were the best years of his life -- years of prosperity,
goodness and peace. (Midrash; Baal HaTurim).
When
the child came home he asked his grandfather, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi:
How can it be that our father Yacov, the greatest of the Patriarchs, lived the
best years of his life in pagan Egypt?
Replied
Rabbi Schneur Zalman: It is written that Yakov "sent Judah ahead of him...
to show the way to Goshen" (Genesis 46:28). The Midrash explains that this
was to establish a house of learning, where the sons of Yakov would study
Torah. When one studies Torah, one is brought close to G-d, so that even in
Egypt one can live a true "life." (HaYom Yom)
These would have been the
best years of Yahshua’s life. He would have had his bar mitzvah at age 13 and
17 years later he would enter into the ministry of his Father. These were years
where promising students would be trained for the ministry.
Why
should it be different today? Training for the ministry was to be trained in
Torah.
We
see a similar pattern repeated for the apostle Paul. If we look at Galatians
1:17,18 and Galatians 2:1 - It would
appear that Paul went through 17 years of preparation before he was released as
an apostle to the Gentiles.
Gen 47:29
And the time for Yisra’ĕl to die drew near, and he called his son Yosĕph
and said to him, “Now if I have found favour in your eyes, please put your hand
under my thigh, and show kindness and truth to me. Please do not bury me in
Mitsrayim,
Gen 47:30
but I shall lie with my fathers, and you shall take me up out of
Mitsrayim and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I do as you have
said.”
Gen 47:31
And he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him, and Yisra’ĕl bowed
himself on the head of the bed.
The dispersion “galut” can never be our true
home. We constantly sense that this is not our place, constantly beseech haShem
to "carry us out of Egypt."
The days of the righteous die, but they do not die….
It does not say, " Israel drew near to die," but "the days of
Israel drew near to die." (Midrash Rabbah)
Why did Yakov worship? Because he knew that one day
when he awoke in the resurrection, he would awake in the land of Yisrael and
not Mitsraim.
May this be each of our portions in our lifetimes!
Gen 48:1 And after these events it came to be that it
was said to Yosĕph, “See, your father is sick.” And he took with him his two
sons, Menashsheh and Ephrayim.
First time there is a
mention of sickness in the scriptures. (Midrash on the law of first
appearance.)
Living outside of the
land of Yisrael is like living a life without meaningful context.
Pro 13:12 Expectancy drawn out makes the heart sick,
But a longing come true is a tree of life.
See also “Yarek oath” http://rexcurry.net/yarek-oath-praying-hands-kneeling-inner-thigh-circumcision.html
The Yarek oath would
have a profound impact on future generations. Breaking this oath would have
severe consequences on future generations.
Gen 48:2 And Yaʽaqoḇ was told, “See, your
son Yosĕph is coming to you.” And Yisra’ĕl strengthened himself and sat up on
the bed.
Gen 48:3 And
Yaʽaqoḇ said to Yosĕph, “Ěl
Shaddai appeared to me at Luz in the land of Kenaʽan and blessed me,
Gen 48:4 and
said to me, ‘See, I am making you bear fruit and shall increase you and make of
you an assembly of peoples,(un
taticha li kehal amim) and give this land to your seed after you as an
everlasting possession.’
YHVH will literally appoint Yakov to a company of
peoples – see also Ber 35:11 (Ber 12:3; 28:3)
How will this be accomplished?
“The
answer to this question the final blessing encompasses the fulfilment of the
final blessing of the Avrahamic covenant: “in you all the families of the earth
shall be blessed” (Ber 12:3)
YHVH
in His own sovereign power, would draw people from every people group and graft
them into the family of Yakov. Here in seed form is the method of blessing YHVH
has determined: THE NATIONS WOULD NOT BE BLESSED APART FROM YISRAEL, BUT BY
JOINING YISRAEL.
Paul
speaks to this reality (Eph 3) when he writes that YHVH had revealed this plan
in its fullness to the Apostles. The gentiles would be drawn in by faith and
would be blessed as “fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow
partakers ofthe promise in Messiah Yashua through the good news (Eph 3:6)”
YHVH’s promised blessing on all the families of the earth would be fulfilled as
they shared the covenant blessing promised to Avraham. It was in this way that
Yakov would become a congregation of nations/peoples”
Gen 48:5
“And now, your two sons, Ephrayim and Menashsheh, who were born to you
in the land of Mitsrayim before I came to you in Mitsrayim, are mine – as Re’uḇĕn and Shimʽon, they are mine.
Gen 48:6
“Your offspring whom you shall bring forth after them are yours, and let
them be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
It
is significant to note that Yakov is passing on the covenant blessings to
Yosef’s two sons. It’s almost as though it would be the descendants of Ephraim
who preserve the covenant blessing until the “fullness of the gentiles” has
come. The blessings Yakov gave the rest of his sons would only come into
fulfilment in the last days.
Gen 48:7
“And I, when I came from Paddan, Raḥĕl
died beside me in the land of Kenaʽan
on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath. And I buried
her there on the way to Ephrath, that is Bĕyth Leḥem.”
This burial place of Rachel is believed by
some scholars to be the birthplace of Yahshua.
Gen 48:8 And
Yisra’ĕl saw Yosĕph’s sons, and said,
“Who are these?”
In the last days after
terrible destruction and judgment on Yisrael,(Zech 13,14) will these words be
heard again?
Isa 49:18 “Lift up your eyes round about and see, all
of them gather together and come to you. As I live,” declares יהוה, “you shall
put on all of them as an ornament, and bind them on you as a bride does.
Isa 49:19 “For
your wastes, and your deserted places, and the land of your destruction, shall
soon be too narrow for the inhabitants, while those who swallowed you up are
far away.
Isa 49:20 “The
sons of your bereavement shall yet say in your ears, ‘The place is too narrow
for me, make room for me to live.’
Isa 49:21 “And you
shall say in your heart, ‘Who has brought forth these for me, since I am
bereaved and barren, an exile, and wandering to and fro? And who reared them?
See, I was left alone – from where did these come?’ ”
Isa 49:22 Thus
said the Master יהוה, “See, I lift
My hand up to the gentiles, and set up My banner for the peoples; and they
shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters carried on their
shoulders;
Isa 49:23 “And
sovereigns shall be your foster fathers, and their sovereignesses your nursing
mothers. They bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick up the
dust of your feet. And you shall know that I am יהוה – those who
wait for Me shall not be ashamed.”
Gen 48:9 And
Yosĕph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom Elohim has given me in this
place.” And he said, “Please bring them to me, and let me bless them.”
Gen 48:10
And the eyes of Yisra’ĕl were dim with age, and he was unable to see.
And he drew them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
Gen 48:11
And Yisra’ĕl said to Yosĕph, “I had not thought to see your face. But
see, Elohim has also shown me your seed!”
Gen 48:12 So
Yosĕph brought them from between his knees, and he bowed down with his face to
the earth.
Gen 48:13
And Yosĕph took them both, Ephrayim with his right hand toward
Yisra’ĕl’s left hand, and Menashsheh with his left hand toward Yisra’ĕl’s right
hand, and brought them near him.
Gen 48:14
And Yisra’ĕl stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephrayim’s
head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Menashsheh’s head, consciously
directing his hands, for Menashsheh was the first-born.
Gen 48:15
And he blessed Yosĕph, and said, “The Elohim before whom my fathers Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq walked, the Elohim
who has fed me all my life long to this day,
Gen 48:16
the Messenger who has redeemed me from all evil – bless the youths! And
let my name be called upon them, and the name of my fathers Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq. And let them
increase to a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
Gen 48:17
And when Yosĕph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of
Ephrayim, it was evil in his eyes; and he took hold of his father’s hand to
remove it from the head of Ephrayim to the head of Menashsheh.
Gen 48:18
And Yosĕph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the
first-born, put your right hand on his head.”
Gen 48:19
But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also
becomes a people, and he also is great. And yet, his younger brother is greater
than he, and his seed is to become the completeness of the nations.”
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.
What
does the “mello goyim” or fullness of gentiles mean? I personally believe it
means when the full number of Torah observant ex –gentiles are in the world,
this will trigger off the end time events that prepare the way for the
dispersed to come together and for the Messiah to return.
Gen 48:20 And he blessed them on that day, saying, “In
you Yisra’ĕl shall bless, saying, ‘Elohim make you as Ephrayim and as
Menashsheh!’ ” Thus he put Ephrayim before Menashsheh.
Gen 48:21
And Yisra’ĕl said to Yosĕph, “See, I am dying, but Elohim shall be with
you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
Gen 48:22
“And I, I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I
took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.”
Gen 49:1 And Yaʽaqoḇ called his sons and
said, “Gather together, so that I declare to you what is to befall you in the
last days:
Whenever the Torah
speaks about the “achariet hayamim” (the last days) it should serve as an
extremely important call for our full attention. This term appears a few times
in the Torah and is once again proof that the Torah has not been done away and
remains significant in our understanding of the last days prior to the
Messianic age.
The Hebrew word for “call and befall” come from
the same root word “kra” meaning “what will call you in the last days”.
Gen 49:2
“Gather together and hear, you sons of Yaʽaqoḇ, and listen to
Yisra’ĕl your father.
Gen 49:3
“Re’uḇĕn, you are my
first-born, my power and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of
exaltation and the excellency of power.
Gen 49:4
“Boiling like water, you do not excel, because you went up to your
father’s bed, then you defiled it – he went up to my couch.
In
the last days, those who are able to hear the call for the family reunion, will
hear the call to sexual purity. The teachings of the church have not helped in
bringing a sexual purity to believers. Many believers struggle in this area.
The
Song of Songs is considered the most set apart of all books in the Scriptures.
This book describes in a hidden Hebrew idiom the erotic nature of human
sexuality.
The Hebrew word “totar” implies that dysfunctional
sexuality will cause one not to exel in life.
Before the Messiah returns there will be a remnant
who will experience the full blessing of sexual fulfilment within the
instructions of Torah.
Gen 49:5
“Shimʽon and Lĕwi are
brothers, their weapons are implements of violence.
Gen 49:6
“Let my being not enter their council, let my esteem not be united to
their assembly; because they slew a man in their displeasure, and they lamed an
ox in pleasure.
Gen 49:7
“Cursed be their displeasure for it is fierce, and their wrath for it is
cruel! I divide them in Yaʽaqoḇ and scatter them in
Yisra’ĕl.
The
sages claim that Shimon and Levi killed the men at Schechem with Esav’s sword.
This may have been a portent of things to come. It is believed by some modern
day commenators that the decedents of Levi have been responsible for the
developing of weapons of mass destruction. Note the use of “implements of
violence” in verse 5.
An end time remnant will not rely on such kind
of “implement” of destruction to
accomplish YHVH’s end time purposes.
Zec 4:6 And he answered and said to me, “This is the
word of יהוה to Zerubbaḇel,
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ said יהוה of hosts.
Gen 49:8
“You, Yehuḏah, your brothers
praise you; your hand is on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children
bow down before you.
Gen 49:9
“Yehuḏah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey you have gone up, my son! He bowed down, he crouched like a lion.
And like a lion, who does rouse him?
Gen 49:10
“The sceptre shall not turn aside from Yehuḏah, nor a Lawgiver
from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to Him is the obedience of
peoples.
Gen 49:11
“Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice
vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes.
Gen 49:12
“His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
Rev 1:14 And His head and hair were white as white
wool, as snow, and His eyes as a flame of fire,
The
gematria of “Shiloh comes” in the Hebrew is 358 which is the same as the
gematria for the Hebrew word “Messiah”.
It
is clear that Yehudah was destined for leadership and royality, the Davidic
dynasty and Messiah. When Yakov addresses Yehudah, he is still a lion’s cub
however in the future he will be a full grown lion and king.
The
sceptre shall not depart from Yehudah. The use of the word “until” could also
mean “including” and therefore when Messiah comes Yehudah keeps its position of
leadership under the leadership of Messiah. In contrast to this imagery of a
lion the Torah goes on to describe a donkey. The sages knew this referred to
the coming of Messiah on a donkey. Today
we know that this is true of Messiah’s first coming.
The present day Messianic Hebrew roots awakening
has come as a result of a handful of faithful rabbi’s who have dared to stand
for the truth of who Yahshua is – The Jewish Messiah.
See biographies of
24 rabbi’s who came to know Yahshua as Messiah:
Gen 49:13
“Zeḇulun dwells at the
seashore, he is for a haven for ships, and his border is unto Tsiḏon.
Gen 49:14
“Yissasḵar is a strong donkey
lying down between two burdens,
Gen 49:15
and he saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was
pleasant, and he inclined his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a subject
to slave labour.
Gen 49:16
“Dan rightly rules his people as one of the tribes of Yisra’ĕl.
Gen 49:17
“Dan is a serpent by the way, an adder by the path, that bites the
horse’s heels so that its rider falls backward.
Gen 49:18 “I
have waited for your deliverance, O יהוה!
Gen 49:19 “Gaḏ, a
raiding band raids him, but he raids its heel.
Gen 49:20 “Bread
from Ashĕr is rich, and he gives delicacies of a sovereign.
Gen 49:21
“Naphtali is a deer let loose, he gives words of elegance.
Gen 49:22 “Yosĕph
is an offshoot of a fruit-bearing tree, an offshoot of a fruit-bearing tree by
a fountain, his branches run over a wall.
Gen 49:23 “And the
archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him.
Gen 49:24 “But his
bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the
hands of the Mighty One of Yaʽaqoḇ – from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Yisra’ĕl –
Gen 49:25 from the
Ěl of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you with
blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
Gen 49:26 “The
blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the
limit of the everlasting hills. They are on the head of Yosĕph, and on the
crown of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.
Gen 49:27
“Binyamin is a wolf that tears, in the morning he eats prey, and at
night he divides the spoil.”
