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Post by alon on Dec 13, 2018 16:45:19 GMT -8
Par’shah 11.2: Vayigash
This week’s readings: Par’shah 11
Date of reading: 15 December 2018/7 Tevet 5779
Name of Par’shah: Vayigash (He approached)
Par’shah: B’resheet 44:18-47:27
Haftarah: Yechezk’el 37:15-28
Brit Chadashah: Acts 7:9-16
D’rash: B’resheet 44:18---"Then Y’hudah approached Yosef and said, …”
Before we discuss the significance of this statement that begins our reading, let’s review the events leading up to it:
1). Yosef was the favorite son of his father, Ya’akov, and his brothers had deep resentment towards him for that reason.
2). The two dreams that Yosef had, revealing that he would eventually rule over them, causes them to be even more hateful towards him.
3). When Yosef was sent out by Ya’akov to check on the welfare of his brothers while they were pasturing the flocks, their initial decision was to kill him, except for Re’uven, but Y’hudah decided that covering up his blood would be of no advantage, so they decided to sell him for profit into slavery.
4). To cover up their sin, they killed a goat from the flock and dipped Yosef’s robe in it so that their father, Ya’akov, would believe he was killed by a wild animal. Mishlei 10:18 would summarize the situation well:
“He who covers up hate has lips that lie, …”
Scriptures say that, at this time, Y’hudah went from his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adulami, who became a good friend (B’resheet 38:1, 20). Perhaps Y’hudah started to feel the twinge of guilt and needed to get away so that he would not have to see his father in continual mourning over Yosef. He may have inwardly thought and hoped that the matter would be forgotten over time; but G-d does not overlook serious offenses such as this, even if much time has passed by:
Mishlei 28:13—"He who conceals his sins will not succeed; he who confesses and abandons them will gain mercy.”
No doubt G-d would be working in the hearts of Y’hudah and his brothers to bring about reconciliation with Yosef. When the seven-year famine came, Ya’akov sent his sons to Mitzrayim to buy grain. At this time, Yosef was promoted to second-in-command to Pharaoh and when they arrived, they did not recognize him. He recognized them, though, and provided abundantly for them, even when his conversation with them was rough. It was not for revenge that he spoke to them in this way but was part of a plan to test them to see if regret and repentance had brought about a permanent change in their hearts. When Yosef demanded that they bring their youngest brother, Binyamin, with them on their next journey to buy grain, it may have been to see if their relationship with him was more favorable than what it was with himself, since Binyamin was Ya’akov’s next favored son of Rachel.
After coming to Mitzrayim for the second time to purchase grain, the brothers, upon proving they were not spies and obtaining the release of Shim’on, leave to return home, believing everything was alright. Yosef, however, makes one more test by arranging for an accusation of theft designed to directly accuse Binyamin; they were forced to return and Yosef threatens to keep Binyamin as his slave. We now repeat the Scripture at the start of our reading:
B’resheet 44:18---"Then Y’hudah approached Yosef and said, …”
As we read Y’hudah’s plea to Yosef, whom he still does not yet recognize, we witness a changed man with a new heart. Instead of a hateful and vengeful man who sold his first brother into slavery, then lying to his father to cover it up, we now see a man who cannot bear to put his father through a second time of deep mourning, and is now willing and ready to become a kinsman redeemer, to become a slave to the governor of Egypt in place of his youngest brother, Binyamin. Many generations later, Yeshua, who descended from the tribe of Y’hudah, performs a similar, yet much greater act by becoming our Kinsman Redeemer who takes upon Himself the punishment for sin that we deserved, and rescued us from slavery to sin and opened the way for freedom and eternal life through Him. Y’hudah has now proved his inward change by his outward acts and reconciliation with Yosef is now possible.
Though G-d can use evil situations as well as good to accomplish his purposes, as was clearly stated by Yosef to his brothers in B’resheet 45:5, the one who committed the wrongdoing is not absolved from his guilt. One should never say, “If I had not done this evil, then you would not be the better person that you are and experience these blessings from G-d” as if he should expect to be rewarded for his evil actions. The fact remains that whoever commits wrongdoing, even when G-d uses it to accomplish good, still has a defective moral issue that can only be corrected through confession and repentance. Fortunately, the story of Yosef and his brothers ends in a very good way and Ya’akov’s entire family is preserved from the famine.
From this lesson we learn of the importance of striving for unity, especially among believers, that G-d takes this very seriously and so should we. Mishlei 6:16-19 lists seven things that Adonai hates, the last being one who sows strife among brothers. Yeshua teaches in Mattityahu 5:23-24 that we should make things right with others before presenting our offerings to Him. But let us also know of the great blessing that awaits us as we strive to walk in this unity, and here we end our d’rash:
Psalm 133:1-3 (NKJV)---A Song of Ascents. Of David. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the L-rd commanded the blessing---life forevermore.
References: Various commentaries read in the past; scriptures taken from the Complete Jewish Bible, copyright 1998 by David H. Stern, unless otherwise noted.
MRD
This week’s readings: Par’shah 11
Date of reading: 15 December 2018/7 Tevet 5779
Name of Par’shah: Vayigash (He approached)
Par’shah: B’resheet 44:18-47:27
Haftarah: Yechezk’el 37:15-28
Brit Chadashah: Acts 7:9-16
D’rash: B’resheet 44:18---"Then Y’hudah approached Yosef and said, …”
Before we discuss the significance of this statement that begins our reading, let’s review the events leading up to it:
1). Yosef was the favorite son of his father, Ya’akov, and his brothers had deep resentment towards him for that reason.
2). The two dreams that Yosef had, revealing that he would eventually rule over them, causes them to be even more hateful towards him.
3). When Yosef was sent out by Ya’akov to check on the welfare of his brothers while they were pasturing the flocks, their initial decision was to kill him, except for Re’uven, but Y’hudah decided that covering up his blood would be of no advantage, so they decided to sell him for profit into slavery.
4). To cover up their sin, they killed a goat from the flock and dipped Yosef’s robe in it so that their father, Ya’akov, would believe he was killed by a wild animal. Mishlei 10:18 would summarize the situation well:
“He who covers up hate has lips that lie, …”
Scriptures say that, at this time, Y’hudah went from his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adulami, who became a good friend (B’resheet 38:1, 20). Perhaps Y’hudah started to feel the twinge of guilt and needed to get away so that he would not have to see his father in continual mourning over Yosef. He may have inwardly thought and hoped that the matter would be forgotten over time; but G-d does not overlook serious offenses such as this, even if much time has passed by:
Mishlei 28:13—"He who conceals his sins will not succeed; he who confesses and abandons them will gain mercy.”
No doubt G-d would be working in the hearts of Y’hudah and his brothers to bring about reconciliation with Yosef. When the seven-year famine came, Ya’akov sent his sons to Mitzrayim to buy grain. At this time, Yosef was promoted to second-in-command to Pharaoh and when they arrived, they did not recognize him. He recognized them, though, and provided abundantly for them, even when his conversation with them was rough. It was not for revenge that he spoke to them in this way but was part of a plan to test them to see if regret and repentance had brought about a permanent change in their hearts. When Yosef demanded that they bring their youngest brother, Binyamin, with them on their next journey to buy grain, it may have been to see if their relationship with him was more favorable than what it was with himself, since Binyamin was Ya’akov’s next favored son of Rachel.
After coming to Mitzrayim for the second time to purchase grain, the brothers, upon proving they were not spies and obtaining the release of Shim’on, leave to return home, believing everything was alright. Yosef, however, makes one more test by arranging for an accusation of theft designed to directly accuse Binyamin; they were forced to return and Yosef threatens to keep Binyamin as his slave. We now repeat the Scripture at the start of our reading:
B’resheet 44:18---"Then Y’hudah approached Yosef and said, …”
As we read Y’hudah’s plea to Yosef, whom he still does not yet recognize, we witness a changed man with a new heart. Instead of a hateful and vengeful man who sold his first brother into slavery, then lying to his father to cover it up, we now see a man who cannot bear to put his father through a second time of deep mourning, and is now willing and ready to become a kinsman redeemer, to become a slave to the governor of Egypt in place of his youngest brother, Binyamin. Many generations later, Yeshua, who descended from the tribe of Y’hudah, performs a similar, yet much greater act by becoming our Kinsman Redeemer who takes upon Himself the punishment for sin that we deserved, and rescued us from slavery to sin and opened the way for freedom and eternal life through Him. Y’hudah has now proved his inward change by his outward acts and reconciliation with Yosef is now possible.
Though G-d can use evil situations as well as good to accomplish his purposes, as was clearly stated by Yosef to his brothers in B’resheet 45:5, the one who committed the wrongdoing is not absolved from his guilt. One should never say, “If I had not done this evil, then you would not be the better person that you are and experience these blessings from G-d” as if he should expect to be rewarded for his evil actions. The fact remains that whoever commits wrongdoing, even when G-d uses it to accomplish good, still has a defective moral issue that can only be corrected through confession and repentance. Fortunately, the story of Yosef and his brothers ends in a very good way and Ya’akov’s entire family is preserved from the famine.
From this lesson we learn of the importance of striving for unity, especially among believers, that G-d takes this very seriously and so should we. Mishlei 6:16-19 lists seven things that Adonai hates, the last being one who sows strife among brothers. Yeshua teaches in Mattityahu 5:23-24 that we should make things right with others before presenting our offerings to Him. But let us also know of the great blessing that awaits us as we strive to walk in this unity, and here we end our d’rash:
Psalm 133:1-3 (NKJV)---A Song of Ascents. Of David. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the L-rd commanded the blessing---life forevermore.
References: Various commentaries read in the past; scriptures taken from the Complete Jewish Bible, copyright 1998 by David H. Stern, unless otherwise noted.
MRD
