parasha "VaYechi" (and he lived) B'reisheet 47:28-50:26

[Ben Avraham]

PARASHA: "VaYECHI (and he lived)

GEN 47:28-50:26.....................1 KINGS 2:1-12..................1 PETER 1:3-9

Shabbat shalom to all, hope that all is well. With this Parasha study, we finish the first book of the , B'reisheet, and we will begin studying "Shemot" (Exodus) We see the final days of Jacob, he dies at the good old age of 147, (wouldn't it be nice if we could live that long, and still have all of our parts working) yet Abraham lived until 175, and Isaac 180 years old, the longevity is going down, Joseph dies at 110, but those are still many years to live on this earth, but the conditions were so much different back then, no microwave ovens, no TV sets, no cars, walk every where, fresh produce, fresh meat, fresh water and fruit juices, nothing artificial, no chemicals, Put those patriarchs in a time machine and bring them to the future today, they would probably spend one day and then take a one way trip back to their time, saying "oi vey" all the way home.

Jacob blesses his children, it is interesting to see that Jacob forgets NOTHING, and reminds his kids of what they did; Rueben: infidelity, Simeon and Levi; anger, assassination, Anger, wrath, can be a curse, if it gets out of hand, yet we see a loving God, who forgives, Levi became the priestly tribe, God does not condemn Levi's descendants for what Levi himself did. And we still serve a loving God who will not blame us for what our ancestors did or didn't do.

We see the blessing of "Judah" he gets the prize, "The scepter will not depart from Y'hudah nor a giver of the until Shiloh comes" We see that all the kings on the throne came from the tribe of Y'hudah. From the word "Y'hudah" we get the word "Jew"

and technically, the only people who should use the identity "Jew" are the people from the tribe of Y'hudah, but today, the word "Jew" generally identifies ALL those that adhere to our faith in One God ECHAD, and follow precepts, keep the Sabbath, high holy days, etc... and should I dare say, Accept Yeshua as Messiah, Yes, I dare say!

SHILOH ; to most midrashers, commentators, refers to or alludes to Messiah Yeshua, because look at what follows, "Shiloh" is similar to "Shalom" Yeshua is "Sar Shalom" (Prince of Peace) ...and to him is the obedience of the peoples, we can look at this as a millennial prophecy, when Yeshua is on the throne, ALL peoples will bow down to him and worship Him and obey him. We see today that many still DO NOT, and HAVE NO DESIRE TO, as they are not part of his sheep, and HE is not their shepherd.

49:11,12 talks about a donkey, and a colt of a donkey, did he not ride the colt of a donkey when HE arrived in Yerushalayim? he washed his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes, We can see this in two ways, His garments were bloodied with his own blood when he was whipped for our transgressions and iniquities, When He returns, his vesture will be sprinkled with blood, to symbolize perhaps the blood of the martyrs or a reminder of his own blood, "blood of grapes" (dam ha-gafen) we usually refer to "grape juice" yet scripture says "blood of grapes" we can see these words at Yeshua's last Pesach Seder, "Drink this, this is my blood..." referring to the wine/grape juice symbolically as "His blood"

If we look at the word "Shiloh" in Hebrew, and look at the ancient Hebrew letters that illustrate pictures, we see "sheen" "yod" "lamed" "hey" we can see "behold, teach and instruct, do/make, tooth/destroy" what does that tell us about Yeshua? behold, He came to do many good deeds (healing, raising from the dead) and taught/instructed in the ways of , and destroyed, chewed apart, the curse of sin, with his own death

When we do the Gematria, we get 300 + 10 + 40 + 5 = 355, 300=victory of good over evil

10= 40=Trial and testing 5= grace 355= resurrection/divine completeness and a double portion of grace. Does not all this add up to who Yeshua is? Yes, it does

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1 KINGS 2:1-12

King David is dying, and is about to say his last words to Solomon, What a talk, short, but to the point, when we read, we can see that in short, he is saying, "A real man is one who follows precepts of the !" no macho stuff, no "he-man" stuff, it is all "-stuff" If we want to be real men and women of God, we have the to guide us, and Yeshua to lead us through His Spirit.

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1 PETER 1:3-9

Kefa is writing his letter to the believers who did not get a chance to meet Yeshua in person, yet he is giving them "Hope" that in the end, they will "see Messiah Yeshua" even though they will have to go through trials, and those were some trials, persecution by Rome, to mention one, their faith is not in vain, "obtaining the goal (end result) of their faith, "Salvation" (Yeshuah) the same is for us, we did not meet Yeshua when he was on earth, yet we will meet him face to face some day soon, and during our stay on planet earth, we will endure trials, some more so than others, but the "goal" of our faith, hope, trust, is eternal life with Yeshua.

Shabbat shalom.............rabbi Ben Avraham

[alon]

Dec 26, 2015 16:26:09 GMT -8 Ben Avraham said:

... If we look at the word "Shiloh" in Hebrew, and look at the ancient Hebrew letters that illustrate pictures, we see "sheen" "yod" "lamed" "hey" we can see "behold, teach and instruct, do/make, tooth/destroy" what does that tell us about Yeshua? behold, He came to do many good deeds (healing, raising from the dead) and taught/instructed in the ways of , and destroyed, chewed apart, the curse of sin, with his own death ...

Another way to look at the "sheen" is:

Mat 10:34 (KJV) Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Sheen can represent either a tooth, which rips, grinds and chews; or crashing waves- the irresistible force of waves crashing on the rocks. Neither is a "peaceful" picture. Too often we see only the lilies of the field, forgetting the countless plants which died to give them sustenance. And too often we forget that for every one of us who receives the Shalom of His grace, many more even in our own household will often taste only Hid judgment.

Luk 10:2 (KJV) Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

Dan C

[alon]

This par'shah is primarily about the family settling in Goshen as a prelude to their being taken into bondage and the death of Israel (Ya'akov). So why title it "And He Lived?" Well, here are a couple of insights from Rav S:

Genesis 28:14-15 (ESV) Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Genesis 49:29-31 (ESV) Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah—

Genesis 48:3-4 (ESV) And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty [El Shaddai] appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’

Ya’akov lived on through his descendants. His concern was that his children should return with his bones to ha’aretz. They (his children) were his legacy.

It also should be noted that he lived with a great sorrow until he learned that Yoseph was still alive and doing very well!

Genesis 37:34-35 (ESV) Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

Genesis 45:25-28 (ESV) So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

It was only after he learned that Yoseph was alive and that all his children would be provided for that Ya’akov really lived!

Dan C

[alon]

Bumping- this week's par'shah.

Dan C