PARSHA: VaYIGASH (and he approached) GEN 44:18 - 47:27

[Ben Avraham]

BIBLE STUDY (Parsha) VaYIGASH (and he approached)

GEN:44:18 - 47:27 , EZEQUIEL 37:15-28 , LUKE 6:9-16

The parsha opens up with "Y'hudah (coming near) to Yosef, even though at that time Yosef was not revealed to Y'hudah and the brethren. We look at Yosef as a sort of "messiah" "Savior" as his name "Zapenath-Panea" means. Yosef symbolizes Yeshua in quite a few ways.

We can see the "Pharaoh-Yosef-World/Israel" relationship, Pharaoh and Yosef were so close as far as political relationship, "Only in the throne will I be higher than you" can we look at this as the "God the Father, God the Son" Yeshua left the throne in Heaven to come to earth as man, but "God the Father" was still on the throne, and Yeshua subjected himself to the Father, as Yosef subjected himself to Pharaoh. (many believe that the name of pharaoh was "Senoset" ) sounds like (Samoset) the Wampanoag native who befriended the pilgrims

The world is in the time of famine, and Yosef is dealing out the grain so that the world (at that time) could be saved from starvation. We have no way of knowing how far the famine extended, but many countries came to Yosef for "physical salvation" through grain. Yeshua came to the earth to save this world from a Spiritual famine, and HIS GRAIN was the which leads ALL to YESHUAH, when we accept HIM as Messiah and LORD, Savior (Moshiah)

We see "Y'hudah" comes near to Yosef. Yosef has always loved his brethren, but now is testing them, have they repented of their wrong doing? seems like they have. Judah is willing to trade places with Binyamin, for the love of father Jacob

Yosef sees this, sees this selfless love, very different from 20 years ago. Adonai has always loved us, and always will, yet because of the broken relationship between sinful man and a holy God, HE wants to see "Teshuvah" (repentance)

Only until after He sees a broken and contrite heart, does he reveal himself as Messiah/Savior, in stead of "judge" so Yosef goes from "dayan to Moshia" from "judge to savior" from a "stranger to brother"

"ANI YOSEF" are his words, I AM YOSEF, with these words that he speaks, he now reveals himself as their brother, remember that about 20 years have gone by, Yosef is no longer a teen of 17, probably had a small beard at 17. Now he is clean shaven and in Egyptian clothing of royalty, face is now a grown up adult face, he also learned the ancient Egyptian language.

Some more parallels between the brothers and Yosef, Yeshua and us. Judah and his brethren sold Yosef for 20 pieces of silver, the price of a slave, Yeshua was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave (at that time) The brethren meant it for evil, the religious elite sent Yeshua to the cross for evil, Yosef told them; "you meant it for evil, but G-d meant it for good" Even though evil man sent Yeshua to the tree of crucifixion, G-d meant it for GOOD, to save man from his sin, through the blood of Yeshua, through his one time and all sufficient sacrifice on the tree.

Judah was willing to sacrifice himself for little Benyamin, how many of us are willing to sacrifice ourselves for someone else? that is a true sign of "agape" love

The name "Benyamin" is also a surname, did you know that? In the line of my biological family, my paternal grandmother's line of ancestors goes back to England, to the year 1483, with a "John Benjamyn" who produced, in 1588 a descendant also named John, who married a young teen named Ann, who became Ann Benjamin, who had a son Richard, born in 1619, who in time, produced the "Mosher" family, from who my grandmother came forth.

The scripture says that "afterwards, they talked with Yosef" now that they were convinced that Yosef was who he claimed to be. We are saved through faith, G-d reveals his "saving face" to us, and afterward, we "talk with him" through prayer and he talks to us through his word and through our daily activities we see his hand in our lives.

The name YOSEF in Hebrew has for letters, "yod, vav, samech, pey" YVSF" if we look at it from the ancient Hebrew letters, we would see "an arm with a hand"

"a tent peg or nail" "something that surrounds" and a "mouth" which gives a good picture of Yosef, "who by his hand, the nations were saved from starvation

his plan to distribute grain was a "secure" plan, he 'surrounded" his brethren and family with his love and protection, and by his "mouth" he spoke his true identity: I AM JOSEPH

We can also see ,through the symbolism of "Judah" and "Joseph" a relationship

"Judah" symbolizes a lion, and "Joseph" a fruit tree beside water. We can imagine the lion lays down under the fruit tree and enjoys the fruit and the fresh water, as Joseph provides for Judah, his family and the whole of Jacob's family
__________________________________________________________________
EZEKIEL 37.15-28
We see the two sticks that become ONE, The stick of Judah and the rest of Israel and the stick of Yosef and Ephraim, remember Ephraim was one of Joseph's sons

who was born in Egypt, the Prophet sees them as ONE, as we are ONE in Messiah Yeshua, God does not see us a different "religious" denominations, but as part of Israel, ONE nation yet of different cultures and peoples
_________________________________________________________________
LUKE 6.9-16: Yeshua chooses his 12. Many follow Yeshua to see what he will do, these are 'curiosity seekers" but God knows our hearts, If we follow, accept HIM as Messiah and LORD, choose to follow in HIS ways, then, HE has chosen US as well.

May all you chaverim at Ahavat Elohim prepare your hearts and minds to begin a new Gregorian year in YHVHs perfect will

Rabbi Ben Avraham

[alon]

My favorite Cabalist, Dr. Laitman, went off on an Eastern mysticism bent this week, so I won't quote him. But he did make me think a bit about a study I did on Yoseph's sale into slavery and his subsequent elevation to second in command in all Egypt.

Gen 29 tells the story of Ya'akov, how he fell in love with Rachael and worked 7 yrs for her, but was cheated by Laban, tricked into marrying Leah, and had to work another 7 yrs to get Rachael. Gen 30 goes on to tell of an unhealthy spirit of competition developing in what can only be seen as a dysfunctional family group: “1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing children for Ya'akov, she envied her sister and said to Ya'akov, "Give me children, or I will die!" 2 This made Ya'akov angry at Rachel; he answered, "Am I in God's place? He's the one who is denying you children." 3 She said, "Here is my maid Bilhah. Go, sleep with her, and let her give birth to a child that will be laid on my knees, so that through her I too can build a family." 4 So she gave him Bilhah her slave-girl as his wife, and Ya'akov went in and slept with her.”

Ya'akov of course ended up with not only Rachael and Leah, but with both their handmaidens as well. Poor guy, apparently used to taking orders from a strong woman (Gen 27) now has four women telling him what to do- not a happy situation for any man. But worse for his family, because he showed strong favoritism to only one of the sub-family groupings. Gen 37:“4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they began to hate him and reached the point where they couldn't even talk with him in a civil manner. Of course, Yoseph apparently took full advantage of this, as he was a bit of a crap-head to his brothers, giving bad reports on them and rushing to tell them his dreams which, even though from Elohim were sure to incite his brothers to envy and wrath. Think for a moment of the effects this situation would have on not only the brothers, but on Yoseph as well!

Most people learn to hate, and his brothers learned to hate Yoseph enough that most wanted to kill him. And Yoseph's character was flawed enough that HaShem found it necessary to place him in bondage twice and in prison twice in order to correct and develop him to be the leader he eventually was.

Gen 37:“31 They took Yosef's robe, killed a male goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 Then they sent the long-sleeved robe and brought it to their father, saying, "We found this. Do you know if it's your son's robe or not?" 33 He recognized it and cried, "It's my son's robe! Some wild animal has torn Yosef in pieces and eaten him!" 34 Ya'akov tore his clothes and, putting sackcloth around his waist, mourned his son for many days. 35 Though all his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, he refused all consolation, saying, "No, I will go down to the grave, to my son, mourning.""

Seeing the inconsolable grief they had inflicted on their father must have been a sobering lesson for the brothers as well. This and the natural maturing process, as well as not having Yoseph there to goad them, probably was key in their repentance, which was evidenced in their esteem of the next favored child from the same mother as Yoseph, Benyamin.

Gen 44:29 "If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.' 30 "Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy's life, 31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.' 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father."

It was this repentance and show of brotherly love that moved Yoseph to reveal himself to them as well as bring the entire clan to Egypt; where they were ultimately not only saved from the famine, they were grown into a new nation! So there are a LOT of lessons on character development in this story (which was kind of what the mystical Dr. Laitman was talking about, except he was talking about personal growth self development, and I think there was a whole lot of growin' goin' on here!).

Dan C