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 reminds us that YHVH’s promise
to bring about the promised Messiah through the bloodline of Yehudah did not
change and in spite of man’s unfaithfulness YHVH remains faithful.
Gen 3:15 “And I put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your seed and her Seed1. He shall crush your head, and
you shall crush His heel.” Footnote: 1First promise of the Messiah.
Hebraically the heal can refer to
our “halacha” the way we walk. Satan has often succeeded in causing our ways to
be contrary to YHVH’s ways.
It is more significant than we
realize that when Adam and Chava (Eve) became aware of their sin, they also
became aware of their nakedness and covered themselves. It is noteworthy that
Adam and Chava covered their genitals and not their eyes or ears.
It is generally believed that before
they sinned they were covered with YHVH’s light.
The Hebrew
word for "Light" is "OR", spelled "aleph vav resh"
(Remember, Hebrew is written from right to left)
The Hebrew word for "Skin" is also "OR", but is spelled "ayin vav resh.
(Remember, Hebrew is written from right to left)
The Hebrew word for "Skin" is also "OR", but is spelled "ayin vav resh.
“The letter
Aleph represents an ox or bull, and means strength, leader, or first. The letter
Ayin is represented by an eye
and means to see, know
or experience!
Thus, when Adam and Chava ate the
forbidden fruit their eyes
were opened and they began to know
and experience
good and evil.”
YHVH
immediately seeks to make an atonement – at one ment – with man by covering
them with a skin.
Gen 3:21 And יהוה Elohim made coats of skin (ayin vav resh) for the man and his
wife and dressed them.
Man would have to wait until he would once again be
covered by “the Perfect light of the world” – (Moshiach) and so be restored to perfect fellowship with
YHVH once again.
This promise of perfect restoration to YHVH is
brought to our attention every time we engage in sexual intercourse becoming
one with our covenant partner.
This Torah portion reminds us that sexual
intercourse and the emission of the male seed can only take place according to
the instruction given in the Torah.
This also reminds us that in reality only the true
Yisrael can show the world what proper sexual conduct entails. Sadly this has
not been the case even Yisrael has been deeply influenced by the world’s
influence on sexuality.
Rom 8:6 For the mind of the flesh is death, but the
mind of the Spirit is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the mind of the flesh is enmity
(hatred) towards Elohim, for it does not subject itself1 to the
Torah of Elohim2, neither indeed is it able, Footnotes: 1Or
does not obey. 2John 15:5, 1 John 4:4, 1 John 3:9, 1 John
5:18.
Rom 8:8 and those who are in the flesh are unable to
please Elohim.
Yehudah means praise. This name is spelled “yud,
hey, vav, daleth, hey” – the same as YHVH except with the “daleth”
added. “Daleth” in Hebrew is symbolized as meaning a door. The tribe of Yehudah
(Jews) were destined by the Almighty to show us the way back to YHVH. Messiah
himself comes from this tribe – the way, the truth and the life back to YHVH. (Yoch/Jn14:6)
Yahshua himself said that
salvation comes from the Jews (Yehudaim)
Yoch/Joh 4:22 “You worship what you do not know. We worship
what we know, because the deliverance is of the Yehuḏim.1
Footnote: 1Ps. 147:19, Isa. 2:3, Isa. 14:1, Isa. 56:6-8, Ezek.
47:22-23, Zech. 2:10-11, Zech. 8:23, Rom. 2:20, Rom. 3:2, Rom. 9:4, Rev. 21:12
& 24.
Zec 8:23 “Thus said יהוה of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all languages of the
nations take hold, yea, they shall take hold of the edge of the garment of a
man, a Yehuḏite1, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have
heard that Elohim is with you.” ’ ” Footnote: 1John 4:22.
Rom 3:1 What then is the advantage of the Yehuḏite, 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.1
Footnote: 1See 2:20.
Every word of YHVH is
like a seed that brings life to all who receive it.
Gen 38:1 And at that time it came to be that Yehuḏah left his brothers,
and turned aside to a man, an Aḏullamite
whose name was Ḥirah.
This could really be a prophetic picture of how the
destiny of Yehudah unfolded over the centuries.
Yehudah was and still is separated from his
brothers.
Yehudah turned aside - The Hebrew states that from
that time Yahudah left his brothers he “went down”….” “yered”
Yehudah will not be separated from his brothers
forever.
There is no idle word
in the Torah.
Deu 32:46 he said to them, “Set your heart on all the
words with which I warn you today, so that you command your children to guard
to do all the Words of this Torah.
Deu 32:47 “For it is not a worthless Word for you,
because it is your life, and by this Word you prolong your days on the soil
which you pass over the Yardĕn to possess.”
Why does the Torah
mention the Adullamite whose name was Hirah?
H2437 חירה
chı̂yrâh BDB
Definition: Hirah = “a noble family”1) an Adullamite, the friend of
Yehudah/Judah
H2357חרר
chârar BDB Definition:
1) (Qal) to be white, grow white, grow pale
Part
of Speech: verb
H5726עדלּמי
‘ădûllâmı̂y BDB Definition:
Adullamite = see Adullam “justice of the people”
If we put these words together we can come to the
following conclusion:
Yehudah
turns aside to a man (Chirah) who represents justice and goodness; a man who
comes from a noble family.
This man was a
Canaanite and whatever he could offer Yehudah was PALE in comparison to what
his inheritance and calling was amongst the tribes of Yisrael.
Ya’akov/James 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know
that friendship with the world is enmity (hatred) with Elohim?1
Whoever therefore intends to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of
Elohim. Footnote: 1Mt. 13:22, Lk. 4:5-6, Lk. 14:33, Rom. 12:2, 1
John 2:15-17.
Jas 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to
no purpose? Does the Spirit which dwells in us intensely crave unto envy?
“Intensely crave” in the Greek is as follows:
G1971
ἐπιποθέω
epipotheō ep-ee-poth-eh'-o
From G1909 and ποθέω potheō (to yearn); to
dote upon, that is, intensely crave possession
(lawfully or wrongfully): - (earnestly) desire (greatly), (greatly) long
(after), lust.
Relationships with the
Canaanites were forbidden.
Devarim/Deu 7:1 “When יהוה your Elohim brings you into the land which you go to possess,
He shall also clear away many nations before you: the Ḥittites
and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Kena’anites
and the Perizzites and the Ḥiwwites and the Yeḇusites,
seven nations greater and mightier than you.
Deu 7:2 “And when יהוה your
Elohim gives them over to you, you shall smite them and put them under the ban,
completely. Make no covenant with them, and show them no favour.
Deu 7:3 “And do
not intermarry with them – you do not give your daughter to his son, and
you do not take his daughter for your son,
Deu 7:4 for he
turns your sons away from following Me, to serve other mighty ones. Then the
displeasure of יהוה shall burn against you and promptly destroy you.
Gen 38:2 And Yehuḏah
saw there a daughter of a certain Kena’anite
whose name was Shuwa. And he took her and went in to her.
Note we don’t even
know what the name was of Yehudah’s wife.
The names in Messianic genealogies are clear and
well kept, here we find no mention of her name. It’s almost as if the Torah is
showing contempt for Yehudah’s actions.
Gen 38:3 So
she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Ěr.
Gen 38:4 And
she conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.
Gen 38:5 And
she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shĕlah. And he was
at Keziḇ when she bore him.
“Er” can mean to be awakened or sexually aroused.
His name spelled backwards is “ra” which means evil.
“Onan” can mean “strong” and could imply the
strength of self –control and determination to do what is evil in the Eyes of
YHVH.
“Shelah” can mean “request” Tamar was waiting for
Shelah to become her third husband but Yehudah delayed this and because of his
fear about what happened to his first two sons was reluctant to give away his
third son. Sometimes one can wait and wait and your expectations/requests are
never realized.
Gen 38:6 And
Yehuḏah took a wife for Ěr
his first-born, and her name was Tamar.
According to the
Midrash, Tamar was the daughter of Noach’s son (Ber Rabbah 85:10) Obviously she
was the daughter of a foreigner who lived in Canaan. It would be inconceivable
to believe that Tamar was of Canaanite decent as her offspring were to become
part of the Messianic line.
Gen 38:7 But
Ěr, Yehuḏah’s first-born, was
evil in the eyes of יהוה, and יהוה took his life.
Gen 38:8 And Yehuḏah
said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir
to your brother.”
Gen 38:9 And Onan
knew that the offspring would not be his. And it came to be, when he went in to
his brother’s wife that he spilled on the ground, lest he should give an
offspring to his brother.
Gen 38:10 But what
he did displeased יהוה, so He took his life too.
Gen 38:11 Then
Yehuḏah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in
your father’s house until my son Shĕlah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also
die as his brothers did.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
Gen 38:12 And
after a long time the daughter of Shuwa, Yehuḏah’s wife, died. And Yehuḏah was comforted, and went up to his sheep-shearers at
Timnah, he and his friend Ḥirah the Aḏullamite.
Gen 38:13 And it
was reported to Tamar, saying, “See, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah
to shear his sheep.”
Gen 38:14 And she
took off her widow’s garments, and covered herself with a veil and wrapped
herself, and sat at the entrance to Ěnayim which was on the way to Timnah. For
she saw that Shĕlah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife.
Gen 38:15 And
Yehuḏah saw her, and reckoned her for a whore, for she had
covered her face.
Gen 38:16 And he
turned aside to her by the way, and said, “Please let me come in to you,” for
he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What do you
give me to come in to me?”
Gen 38:17 And he
said, “Let me send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “Do you give
me a pledge until you send it?”
Gen 38:18 So he
said, “What pledge should I give you?” And she said, “Your seal and your cord
and your staff that is in your hand.” And he gave them to her, and went in to
her, and she conceived by him.
The offspring of Tamar would be part of the Messianic
line – the signet ring speaks of royalty and the staff speaks of authority.
Gen 38:19 And she
arose and went away, and removed her veil and put on the garments of her
widowhood.
Gen 38:20 And
Yehuḏah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Aḏullamite,
to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her.
Gen 38:21 And he
asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the cult prostitute who was
beside the way to Ěnayim?” And they said, “There was no cult prostitute in this
place.”
Gen 38:22 And he
returned to Yehuḏah and said, “I have not found her. And the men of the
place also said there was no cult prostitute in this place.”
Gen 38:23 And
Yehuḏah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we become
despised, for I sent this young goat and you have not found her.”
Gen 38:24 And it
came to be, about three months after, that Yehuḏah was
informed, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has whored, and see, she has
conceived by whoring.” And Yehuḏah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”
Gen 38:25 When she
was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom
these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please examine whose these are:
the seal and the cord and the staff.”
Tamar uses the Hebrew words “haker na” meaning “please
identify”. These were the very same words Yehudah used when he asked his father
Yakov to identify the bloodied garments of his son Yosef in 37:22.
This is most probably why Yehudah is so quick to repent
as he realizes his own guilt in this brother’s disappearance.
Gen 38:26 And
Yehuḏah examined and said, “She has been more righteous than
I, because I did not give her to Shĕlah my son.” And he never knew her again.
Gen 38:27 And it
came to be, at the time for giving birth, that see, twins were in her womb.
Gen 38:28 And it
came to be, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand. And the
midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came
out first.”
Gen 38:29 And it
came to be, as he drew back his hand, that see, his brother came out! And she
said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” So his name was
called Perets.
Gen 38:30 And
afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. So his
name was called Zeraḥ.
Peretz is a picture of
Messiah who “breaks forth” The red string speaks of redemption and it appears
only for a short time, as Messiah appeared first only for a short time.
Apparently it is highly
unlikely that an unborn child will cause one of his limbs to protrude from
his/her mother before they are born. This was a highly unusual event pointing
us to Messiah.
Some practical guidelines on sexuality as found in the
Talmud (All of these are not necessarily the views of the author of this study)
Jewish Law is concerned not only with the frequency of the act but with the manner in which it is performed. The Talmud recommends nudity:
"R. Joseph taught: ‘Her flesh’ implies close bodily contact, i.e., that he must not treat her in the manner of the Persians who perform their conjugal duties in their clothes. This provides support for a ruling of R. Huna who laid down that a husband who said, "I will not perform (conjugal duties) unless she wears her clothes and I mine’ must divorce her and give her also her ketubbah" (Kettubot 48a).
The sexual act was meant to bring pleasure for both husband and wife. In the event that either one or both parties experience sexual frustration due to lack of fulfilment great problems can arise if this situation is not remedied.
