Vayigash

VaYigash

Genesis 44:18 – 47:27

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah,

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Knowledge and

 The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parasha

Parasha VaYigash is the eleventh Torah Portion in the yearly Torah cycle, at the end of Parasha MiKeitz, Benjamin was an apprehended as a thief who had been caught red-handed with the viceroy’s cup. The eleven brothers stood haplessly at the mercy of this supposingly hostile all powerful Egyptian, who determine that Benjamin would have to remain in Egypt as a slave while his brother could return to their father.

Judyah step forward risking his life, while the other brother stood dumbfounded! His speech was simple yet eloquent; controlled yet emotional; respectful yet firm. Judyah petitioned without debasing himself; He could not protest the fairness of the verdict, because the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. Like a true leader he offered up himself as a substitute, not realizing that he was speaking to the very brother whose life he had save in 37:26 and settle to sell him as a slave.

In 167 BCE, Hebrew rebels led by Judyah Maccabee rose up against the Greek ruler, Antiochus, who had desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem. In a series of battles lasting some twenty-five years, the Maccabees defeated the much larger and better trained Greek army.

They reentered the Temple and purified it, after which a few night’s oil miraculously kept the Temple Menorah lit for eight days, which would become the basis for our contemporary celebration of Chanukah, which was last week.

It is no coincident that the story of Vayigash is generally read on the Sabbath after Chanukah, because there is a link between the Maccabees who defeated the Greek and the consciousness espoused by the Torah portion of Vayigash.

Vayigash begins with the words “Vayigash elav Yehuda,” or Yehuda stood up to Joseph. This alluded to Judyah’s resistance to Joseph’s demand that Benjamin, their youngest brother be a slave in Egypt. Judyah protested that if Benjamin was forced to come to Egypt, Jacob, would die of grief.

What this Torah Portion Vayigash made clear is that like so many Torah Portion it is more than it appears to be, a story about events that took place thousand of years ago. Below the surface, it is describing the process of redemption, which can come only when enough righteous believers rise up, just as the Maccabees did against the Greeks, and Judyah did to the Egyptians.

Vayigash elav Yehuda speaks of our elevation through what the sages name azut dekedushah, or holy audacity. Rising up with holy audacity eventually led to the restoration of the Temple and the creation of the miracle of Chanukah; where a few thousand dedicated Hebrews were able to defeat a more powerful Greek army. This victory had nothing to do with military proficiency, the miracles occurred because the Maccabees had Azut dekedusha and vayigash elav Yehuda. They had the holy audacity to stand up to the Greek. 

In the previous Torah portion of Miketz, we saw the brothers brought low by Joseph and by the challenging events they faced. This, unfortunately is our situation today. We are constantly been beaten down by the Galut, the darkness of the world.

This Torah portion Vayigash shows us how to challenge that. The great gift of the Sabbath of Vayigash is that it awakens within us the courage to stand up for ourselves when we are being oppressed; from victim to victory.

Spiritual courage and tenacity is a rare commodity in our world today. The ravery and audacity require to raise our hearts in our spiritual work is the hidden blessing of the Sabbath of Veyigash.

In Vayiash, Judyah was able to bring an end to the pain of his brothers, not because his spirit was so elevated, but because he had awakened the holy bravery within himself. One of the gifts of the Sabbath of Vayigash is that it gives us access to the consciousness of Judyah, to help us who lack the spiritual ability to awaken within us the righteous indignation. The Maccabees did it. Judyah did it. We can do it too.

Everything we want to achieve in our spiritual life has already been done by someone before us. We are not required to simply discover a new trail to the miracle of past generation. We are simply finding the trail to the miraculous that the spiritual giants of history have blazed for us.

How do we achieve holy audacity? We do it by reminding ourselves that our action reawaken what those before us accomplished, that we are only reconnecting to what they did. Because they opened up this channel for us, we can create miracles.

Gen 44:18 And Yehuḏah came near to him and said, “O my master, please let your servant speak a word in my master’s hearing, and do not let your displeasure burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. - Judyah presented an emotional argument that was impelled by his pledge to, and love of, his father. He concluded by saying, if only one of us must remain as a slave let it be me, so that our aged father may again see his favorite son. Because I guaranteed his safety, I cannot return home without him, lest I see the evil that might befall him.

Gen 44:19 “My master asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ – Judyah questioned Joseph as to why did you ask us if we had a father or a brother? The goal of creation is to produce perfect or favorite sons for the Father. Anyone who has a love for ABBA YAHVEH as Yoseph did, will always ask if we have a spiritual Father or brother.

Gen 44:20 “And we said to my master, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young child of his old age, and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ – We are told in this verse about of ABBA YAHVEH EL-OLAM an old man, meaning the Everlasting ABBA, who is from eternity. HE also has a Son Yisrael, and his big brother Messiyah is dead, or so they think.

Gen 44:21 “And you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, and let me set my eyes on him.’ –  The goal of Messiyah is to see spiritual Yisrael grow up. Bring Yisrael my younger brother to me! Another name for him is my Bride, bring her that I might behold her. We did as you requested and brought him down to see you.

Gen 44:22 “And we said to my master, ‘The boy is not able to leave his father, for if he leaves his father, his father shall die.’ –  In order for us to see our Messiyah we must die to the flesh. If our spirit leaves our body our body will die. The story also told us that if he leaves his father, the father will die. These stories are all metaphor, which paints a spiritual picture for us. Men alone can die to the flesh, however our heavenly Father cannot die, however, HIS Spirit will be greaved.

                          

Gen 44:23 “But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you do not see my face again.’ –  Unless we all come to Messiyah as the sons of Jacob did we will never see ABBA YAHVEH’S Face. Our job as ambassador to the kingdom is to bring everyone to the kingdom to be transformed. We are told in this verse unless the boy the spiritual young, among us, is brough to Messiyah we must not return. How I wish that the ministry today could understand this.

Gen 44:24 “And it came to be, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my master. -  We told all this to our father who adamantly oppose the idea.

Gen 44:25 “And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ - The famine, however force our father to send us back to purchase more food. What is the situation in our lives that direct or forces us to face our ego, our most powerfull enemy. When we are in a situation where we seems like we do not have a choose, we need to ask that am I suppose to learn by going down this road. The fish hock that brought them to Egypt was the search for food. Look how life changing this journey for food created in the lives of Jacob family.

                                                                                           

Gen 44:26 “But we said, ‘We are not able to go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we shall go down, for we are not able to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ – We told Father that we will not go unless Benjamin accompanies us. As believers we should never go on a journey for our FAtHER unless the Holy Spirit is with us.

      

Gen 44:27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons, - Our Father reminder us that his favorite wife had two sons. The partition of Yisrael into two kingdom the ten Tribe and the two of Judyah and Benjamine.

Gen 44:28 and the one went out from me, and I said, “Truly, he is torn, torn to pieces!” And I have not seen him since. - One is missing and is presumed dead. The ten tribe is missing and presume dead, however like Joseph one day they will return to the Father.

Gen 44:29 ‘And if you take this one from me too, and harm comes to him, you shall bring down my grey hair with evil to the grave.’  – ABBA YAHVEH send is favorite son and he was died, HE did not desire to loose another son.

Gen 44:30 “And now, if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us – since his own life is bound up in his life – Now please tell me, can I go home to my father without Benjamin? How can the Sons of Yisrael go back to ABBA YAHVEH without there younger brother! How are we taking with us when we standing before ABBA YAHVEH to give an account of our stewardship.

Gen 44:31 then it shall be, when he sees that the boy is not with us, that he shall die. So your servants shall bring down the grey hair of your servant our father with evil to the grave. – Can you sir imagine what the situation would be with my father when I return without Benjamin.

Gen 44:32 “ For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, if I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever. - I am the guarantor for the boy’s safety. If I do not bring him back, it is just a well I did not return. When we are given brother or sisters or even children are we not also responsible for their spiritual journey! Judyah as his name imply is a praiser of YAHVEH, had the right idea if I do not bring bring him back let me bear the blame. If only our churches to day would have such an heart. Judaism is the religion that gurantee the revelation of Yahushua.

Gen 44:33 “And now, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a slave to my master, and let the boy go up with his brothers. - Please let me fulfill my promise to my father, I will remain, please let the boy go. Can you imagine how Joseph heart was melting when he hear these words coming from his brother mouth. The years from the Pit to the Palace, the ten brothers must have had some time to reflect on their actions, the guilt of sin will always do this to us. If it bring us to the Laver, were we look into the water and see the true reflection of our soul, the boys must have had many sleepless night reflecting on there treatment of Joseph. One can just wonder how many times they spent repenting of their slaying of their brother.

Gen 44:34 “For how do I go up to my father if the boy is not with me, lest I see the evil that would come upon my father?” - Or do you want us to return to my father and watch helpless as his heart gets broken again. My father is old; this one might just kill him! I don not think Hollywood could have written a fine script.

Mikeitz

Parashas Mikeitz

Genesis 41:1 – 44:18

Haftarah

I King 3:15 - 4:1

Brit Chadasha

Acts 7:9-16

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah, (Jesus Christ)

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Knowledge and

The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parasha

Happy Chanukah.

Mikeitz is the tenth portion of the Torah Cycle, Veyeshev the portion before this one, ends with a tremendous amount of sadness. Jacob seems to have lost his favorite son Joseph, and he is in a state of morning. The ten older sons were unable to ease the grief of Jacob. Miketz describe how Joseph was sold into slavery, how he was falsely accused, of sexual abuse to his bosses wife, his sentenced to prison.

Miketz starts with Pharaoh two dreams: One with the seven lean cows rising from the Nile and devouring seven fat cows, and the other dream where the seven withered ears of grain devour seven fat ears.

Pharaoh so-called wise men are unable to interpret his dreams, but the head wine steward, who had met the Kabbalah master Joseph in prison, he remember his extraordinary Kabalistic gift. Pharaoh orders Joseph taken out of prison and brought to the Palace.

Like the sixth days of creation, which depict the sixth stage to our spiritual development, we see Joseph entering into another stage of his spiritual enhancement. After years of hardship, where the principles of the Heavenly Kingdom had been cemented into his life, His final test was about to begin.

The life of a believer is like studying for a major test; now a major corporation will be in town looking for the most qualified person to fill the role as Vice President, only the best will do.

The time had come to free Joseph and begin the chain of events that would bring Jacob and his family to Egypt to fulfill the last part of the prophecy to Abraham that his offspring would be subjugated and persecuted (15:13-16).

The events of this experience begin two years after the release of the Cupbearers, and a total of twelve years since Joseph was imprisoned. At this point Joseph was almost thirty years old, Jacob 120, and Isaac 180. Isaac would die soon after.

The Kabbalah teaches that the twelve children of Jacob were not simply people; they were channels of the Light of the CREATOR. Each of them had their own spiritual task and his role as a spiritual channel in their generation, as it is ours.

Joseph’s task was to gather all of the light before it could be revealed to the world. He had the power then, as our Messiyah do now, that would unite the scattered light and prepare it to be manifested. When Joseph was sold into slavery, his entire brother did not know why, they think that it was just a coincidence. Not knowing that the stone that the builder refused would become the chief corner stone.

This illustrates an important lesson. When we are not aware of those people in our life that support us spiritually and physically, we will not appreciate their assistance. It is only when those people are either taken away, that we begin to realize how much we need them.

The Kabbalists say that when Joseph was separated from his brothers, Benjamin took his place spiritually. Although Benjamin was not on the same spiritual level as Joseph, he still brought a measure of unity and spiritual elevation to the broken family. Now the rest of the story!

Vayeishev

Parashas Vayeishev

Genesis 37:1 – 40:23 NKJV

Please pray this

Prayer before reading

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah, (Jesus Christ)

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Knowledge and

 The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parasha

This  Parashas is the ninth Torah Portion, Vayeishev means “and he settled.” After devoting a mere chapter to the genealogy of Esau and his offspring, the Torah now turn to the story of Jacob and his family. As been its practice, the Torah gives short narrative to people who have fallen short of its goal, but speaks volumes of those who have managed to overcome and secure their inheritance.

So it was that great men like Noah, Abraham, and Isaac were discussed in great details, while millions of others men and women since creation, were mention briefly, and some not at all. It is not what is written on my tomb stone that is of concern to me. It is what is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life about me I am concern about.

Jacob had twelve sons and one daughter. The Torah says that Jacob loved Joseph, the second youngest son more than the other, so much so that Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors.

Understandably from a purely human perspective, how the other sons became jealous of Joseph. Adding to the tension, Joseph told his brother his dream, the purpose of his life. Like all who are govern by the selfish Ego, the brothers understand that Joseph would rule over them.

They, like many of us today, we fail to understand the circumstance in which it would take place, and the benefit of Joseph eventuality lordship over his brother. This Parashas was written to instruct believers that we are living in the present, we have no idea of the future. The circumstance that accurs in our lives is to provide us with the necessary tools that when the future arrive we will be ready for it.

If Jacob’s sons and ourselves would only pray for revelation, they as well as us might have understand why we like Joseph was given these dreams. The CREATOR will never leave us without a witness.

The brothers took his dreams to mean that Joseph intend to rule over then, instead, YAHWEH send Him ahead to prepare a way for then as a savior would. It was  a prospect they did not relish, when looking at it from a selfish egotistic point of view. In fact they were so resentful that they made a plan to kill him. Every time an emotion is trigger in our lives, lets pay close attention to our reaction; for with our emotions, our true character is manifested.

Every crime, every antisocial behavior, every misunderstanding is a result of the inner programming of our consciousness on our Ego, which determine our emotion. Human treat these emotion by placing each other in Prisons, ABBA YAHWEH uses these emotions or characteristic traits to show us what we are to change.

By placing people into prisons does nothing to renovate the ego. Prison is an institution that magnifies our already selfish ego. These boys were all sons of the promise; however, the selfishness of their Ego was been exposed. Now is the time to deal with the exposed selfish traits.

Gen 37:¹ Now Jacob settled in the land where his father was a sojourning, in the land of Canaan. - The contract between Jacob settled and Isaac sojourning is very interesting. This analogy seems to imply that Jacob saw Canaan as his final destination, while Isaac was looking for the world to come.

Could it also means that because of the different in the age, contribute in shaping the difference world view of these two righteous men? Isaac who had lives a full life, one who had reach maturity and walk in that spiritual state of perfection, was now looking to the world to came. While the relative younger Jacob with a young family, wanted a secure peaceful environment, one which EL YAHWEH had furnished as the place to reside.

Our world view even from a spiritual mature position, shape the way we view life. This verse gave us an insight into the mind set of two great men at different time in their life. Isaac’s view elucidate that there are too much to accomplish and too few of us are capable of doing it. Knowing that, the righteous are more than willing to sacrifice a bit of the temporary peace, for the sake of eternal elevation; even for their offspring.

Vayishlach

Parashas Vayishlach

Genesis32:4 - 36:43

Please pray this

Prayer before reading

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah, (Jesus Christ)

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Knowledge and

The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parasha

This Parashash Vayishlach is the eighth Torah Portion, in the yearly Torah Cycle, it continues on the theme of Jacob spiritual development. We learn in the last Parashas how Jacob worked on his character. Now we see Jacob in his next stage of development, on how to be a peace maker?

Jacob had to run away from home, after deceiving his brother, in which his brother Essa swore to kill him. Now twenty years later this situation will finally come to a conclusion. Knowing that Esau had developed a hate rage Jacob for having tricked him of his birthright and his father’s blessing, Jacob is understandably apprehensive about facing his brother.

The confrontation between the Esau and Jacob is recorded to illustrate how EL YAHWEH sent an angel to save His servant Jacob from the hand of a stronger brother Esau. Furthermore, it shows that Jacob did not rely on his own craftiness as before, but strove mightily to ensure his safety through practical spiritual measure.

It shows that in our battle against the spirit of Esau in our lives, we must be prepared on three fronts: In Prayer, in gifts, and in battle.

The Torah tells us that prior to this meeting; Jacob prayed to ABBA YAHWEH, expressing his humility for all the goodness ABBA YAHWEH has given him. Keenly aware of his good fortune and prosperity, Jacob sends messengers ahead with gifts of assess goats, and sheep. When he approaches Esau, he bowed down seven times before his brother as an act of submission.

The Torah teaches us in this Parasha as Jacob realized the only hope he had of protecting himself and his family was to be generous to his brother, a form of the Messiyah and to diminish himself.

Only when Jacob saw Esau did he realized what he was truly battling against all this time, it was his Anochi, the god within. In that moment, Jacob Yisrael, knew that all of his spiritual works, all his prayers, all his study, none of these spiritual tools was going to help him, for his struggle was within his own ego. Jacob like Yisrael today will not recognize Messiyah Yahushua until they learn that their hope was to lower themselves before Messiyah.

It is Witten that the only way a person can become righteous “tzadik” is to throw themselves down at least seven times in their spiritual life. To understand this belief, we need to understand that most of us like Jacob at the beginning of the story. We all have a spiritual work to accomplish, we have our study to finish, and we have our faith to strengthen. We can prepare all we want for our battle against our flesh, the Esau in us, unless we learn to control our Ego, we will achieve nothing.

In order to overcome our Ego, we must first understand the magnitude of the challenge. The Ego is as great a challenge as the forces of Edom that were arrayed against Jacob. Because most of us are still living like proud Jacob, proud of our spiritual accomplishment, we failed to understand that our only purpose in life is to diminish the influence of the selfish Ego over our lives.

By humbling ourselves daily, we diminish the power of our Ego selfish and awaken the desire to share; it is the only way we can bring the forces of Edom, the flesh, under authority. Jacob tried to organize his family into two groups, to hide them from Esau, but it was not until he humbles himself, by bowing down before Esau, that he overcame. Esau had no choice but to accept Jacob. The spiritual forces of the Heavenly realm race to his rescue, shifting the balance of Power from Esau to Jacob. Humbling ourselves is our only effective to exulting ourselves

We can achieved this level of Righteousness and create the environment for miracle to happen in our lives. We create the condition for miracles when we reach the spiritual level of Ayin or nothingness, for in nothingness there is no selfish Ego. At the level of Ayin we do not care for or worry about ourselves. This is true mastering of our spiritual selves.

Through true purge of our selfish Ego and is the annihilation of our own selfish desire, we remove the spirit of darkness and confusion from us, as we draw near and nearer to the Light of the CREATOR. That was why Esau the spirit of darkness had no affect on Jacob. The Light of this Torah portion gives us the ability to create miracle, provide blessing, and even grant us redemption.

Even when judgment is meant for us, as the forces of Edom was on its way to Jacob. When we humble ourselves it nullifies the judgment and changes it into a blessing. As believers, if we can move one person, one step closer to perfection, it is a revelation of the Light of the CREATOR, it is more powerful than if we teach a thousand persons who never progress spiritually. This does not mean that we should never teach everyone we meet; it does mean that we should always have the goal of perfection foremost in our lives.

This Parashas illustrate the point that even though we may recognize someone’s negative trait, we must always be open to the potential for transformation. This was the mistake Jacob made when he try to hide his family from his brother.

In addition to encouraging us to diminish our Ego, this portion of Vayishlach reminds us to never lose sight of the possibility of redemption and the potential for drawing

Light goes only with the depth of our physical fall. We are awaken by the example of Jacob to appreciate our humility and extreme care must be take when dealing with ours  and other people’s soul.

 Gen 32:4 And Ya'akov sent malachim before him to Esav achiv unto Eretz Seir, the country of Edom. - The Hebrew account of this verse says that, Jacob send malachim (messengers) before him. Malachim or messengers are the Hebrew names for Angels. This teaches that mature believers are greater than angels, for when Jacob had need of an emissary, he had the right to summon angels to do his bidding.

The reason for the greater stature of human beings over angels is that angels are static. Human beings, however, achieve their standing through their own striving for perfection. The word malachim can either mean angel or human emissaries, sent ones or Apostles.

Angels cannot change their status, while humans are the only created being, who have this opportunity to do so. How then do we change our spiritual status? It is by our obedience to the Word of EL YAHWEH. Our perfectness is measure by how well we pass the test. The Text book is the Torah! We will be judge by the Written Word of Torah. The angel like the devil cannot improve their status; they can decline from where they are if they are ever found to be disobedient.

Angels are messengers (Rev 7:11), sons are rulers (Rev 3:21), and servants are the ones who do the work (Rev 7:9, 15). After we die, our spiritual position will never change. Ecc 11:5b and if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. - As a dead tree does not have the ability to change it size or position, we humans cannot change our spiritual position after we die, we become static. That is why Revelation 7:15 say that those who were standing in front of the Throne had tears in their eyes.

Why? When they found out what they could have achieve while they were here on earth and they did not. They were crying in the spiritual sense. Do not be like one of those my friends; grow spiritually while we are still in this body, or while we are still alive. These emissaries were sent towards the land of Seir, towards the Gulf of Aqaba.

Vayetze

Parasha Vayetze

Genesis 28:10 – 32:4 OJB

Haftarah

Hoshea 12:13 – 14:10

Brit Chadasha

John 1:43 - 51

Please read this prayer

Before reading

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah, (Jesus Christ)

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit if Knowledge and

 The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parasha

           

Vayetze, which translates into “and he left or he went out,”  is the Torah portion that tells the story of Jacob’s departure from the Holy Land after many years of living there with his parents.

This story depict our journey from the seventh Heavens to the first, where we begin to learn how to rule and reign in the World to Come. Jacob like all of us went out of the Seventh Heaven to earth and his journey back to the Seventh heaven is what his life story is all about.

Jacob spent the night at a place known as Beit El “House of God.” It was here that he had his famous ladder experiencing, where Angels were seen ascending and descending from the Heavens.

Who were these Angels? These Angels were sent to accompany Jacob after he left the house of his father Isaac. According to Torah, before YAHVEH TSEBAOTH destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomarroh, HE sent three angels to Abraham to warn him of the impending destruction. The Angels that Jacob saw in his dream ascending the ladder were the Angels sent to assist Jacob.

In Vayetzel, we see that once a person decides to do the right things, to do whatever it take to connect to the Light of the Creator miracles will occur to support that person. But when the CREATOR saw that Jacob had awakened himself spiritually, He realized his mistake and would take unreasonable measures to correct it, the CREATOR sent miracles to assist him.

One of the miracles that awaits Jacob as it awaits us is love. The Torah says that when Jacob arrived in Charan, he met Rachel and he kissed her. This is one of exceptional moments in Torah where we find an man kissing a virgin before bethroal. It is the only time when we see a glimpse of true romance. Jacob after kissing her went to her father and say he would work seven years for Rachel. Can you ever imagine if we would give a father seven years wages for his daughter?

To many, it may have seen a very long time, but to most of us love is selfish; for it is based on “the desire to received” what in it for me? This is not a sign of true love. To Jacob and Rachel, the seven years that he had to work is similar to the price Messiyah Yahushua paid for our sins. It cost him something precious. If young woman these days would demand something valuable for their virginity, then maybe marriages would last a life time.

One of the gifts of Vayetze is that on this Shabbat, we can ask young men and women to pray for the assistance to achieve true love in our lives. In its ultimate form, the love Jacob and Rachel achieved is known as the Desire to share. Their love had nothing to do with what either one could received from the other.

The love they shared was an appreciation of what they were both capable of giving. Jacob would give her spiritual guidance, while Rachel would provide him sons to fulfill YAHVEH Will for Jacob. When He saw Rachel, Jacob saw her as a chariot for a Malchut, He saw her Anochi, her godwithin, her soul. He recognized the Light that they could reveal together in the world.

Jacob’s love for Rachel was similar to the love Messiyah have for us. The Torah describe such love as yirat haramemut, love based on appreciation. When we appreciate someone, in this case Messiyah’s love for us and we for Him, this appreciation in and of itself awakens more of our love.

Many of us make a distinction between one kind of love and another, between the love we have for a acquaintance, between the love that we try to awaken for the Light of the Creator and the love we have for our friends or our relatives. But at their purest, all of this form of love are identical.

On this Shabbat, we have a special opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to open our heart, to let us connect to the Light of the Holy Spirit that the first fruit of the Spirit may manifest in our lives.

The spiritual development of Jacob entered into another phase as it rightly should in the lives of all believers. Jacob had left his father’s house the seventh heaven, the upper world, on a pilgrimage to Laban’s country, the lower world, where he would find more than a wife, he would learn things about himself or should I say discovered himself.

It is always through our trials and testing, that we learn or discover who we truly are. It is when we are stretch to our breaking point that we learn our true capacity. Sitting at home will not do it! Venturing into the unknown with the aid of the Holy Spirit is where we will learn who we truly are.

This pilgrimage would span a total of twenty years, in which fourteen years spend working for two wives. He would be living in Haran, among people who were spiritually challenged at best. This corrosive environment was to be the tool that cemented the principle of Torah in his life.      

Toldos

Parashas Toldos

Genesis 25:19 – 28:10

14/11/2015

Haftarah

Malachi 1:1 - 2:7

Brit Chadasha

Romans 9:6 - 16

Please Pray this Prayer

Before reading

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah,

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Knowledge and

The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parasha

                    Parasha Toldos is the 6th Torah Portion in the yearly Torah Cycle, in Hebrew the word Toldos means “generations.” Each of the Patriarchs of old maintained a Yeshivah(Torah study) in which they taught about the existence of EL YAHVEH “יהוה” and HIS Will for their lives. The stories of every Torah Characters are design to show how spiritual greatness or follies were established in the various live of humanity. 

Today we should be no different; the father of the house is in essence the Patriarch of the family, on his head lays the responsibility to speak or teach to his children, what his father and fathers before him should have done.

          This Parashas provides a clue to the ways in which Isaac’s role diverged from that of his father Abraham. Abraham accepted everyone into his sphere of influence, while Isaac did not.  Like every individual we all have different personality traits, or from a spiritual point of view different talents. These talents determine which road we travel to maturity, and how we travel on that road individually.

In this Parashas, the ultimate struggle between good and evil in the physical world is depicted for the first time. Jacob represents the force of good, and Esau the force of evil. This reading enables us to connect with the forces represented by Jacob while overcoming the forces of evil, that of Esau.

          Torah devotes less space to Isaac’s life than that of his father Abraham.  Abraham was more of an outgoing personality that his son Isaac, that is why Torah says that Isaac dwell in Tents, he was a mama’s boy. But this story is to show that even if there are differences in personality, the ultimate spiritual goal is still full maturity.

          The life of Isaac seems to be but a bridge between Abraham and Jacob; even though his talents was less than his father and his son, he was still required like all of us, to draw a line between good and evil, right and wrong.

          In contrast to his father Abraham whose primary fruit of the Spirit was strength in kindness (chassed), Isaac’s was kindness in strength (gevurah). In every individual there is a personality, we all have a tendency towards certain trait, actions, and weakness. It is our strength that our Fathers want us to place in His Hands, and our weaknesses He wants us to develop.

We will learn from this Parashas, how ABBA YAHVEH used the circumstances in our lives to maximize our strength and developed our weaknesses. The life of Isaac even though, it was different from his father, he walk faithfully in the character he was predisposed to, or what he was required to walk in.

In the Hebrew scheme of life, kindness and strength must go together; either one without the other can be dangerous. Kindness if not tempered by strength can lead to self-denial, abstinence, frugality; strength without kindness can lead to selfishness and cruelty.

The study of Kabbalah continually reminds us of the value of looking below the surface for life many meaning. When we as believers in Messiyah do so, we may find that we have to revise our initial impressions of the meaning of the various stories in the Torah. For example the story of Toldos, and the complex relationship between Isaac and his son Jacob and Esau.

In this Torah Portion Esau trades his birthright as firstborn son to his brother Jacob for a bowl of soup. Later we see Jacob poses as Esau to gain the blessing of his elder father. It is easy to read this story or Midrash and see Esau purely as a villain, however, the Torah says, Isaac loved Esau, which gives us a reason to look deeper into this story. 

The family tree of Jacob and Esau begin with their grandfather Abraham who was followed by their father Isaac. According to the Midrash, when Isaac spoke with his father, Isaac talked about lofty matters like the details of fulfilling ones spiritual life. Most people in reading this midrash will think that Esau was just some liar, that he wanted his father to think that he was a good man, when in fact, he was not. However, even if Esau had been a liar, Isaac was too mature a person to be fooled by mere words.

Initially, Jacob and Esau start life with the same parents in the same environment. Each was a favorite of one parent, and both were given the same spiritual training. There was one significant difference; Esau wanted his father not just to favor him, but to recognize how spiritual he was. This was the reason why He got into such a rage when he discovered that Isaac had given his blessing to Jacob. This seems to me that he craved the praises of man more than anything. Esau seems to be a classic I-type personality a show off.

Jacob’s Ego was very different. Jacob separated himself from any need for his work to be acknowledged by his father; instead, he put his certainty in the Word of the CREATOR. Jacob understood if he did the right things, the CREATOR would make sure that the right things would happen to him at the right time.

Regrettable, many of us can relate to Esau: we want what we want, when we want, for what we want, and we get very upset when we do not get it. This Torah portion of Toldos helps us to understand just how powerful the Desire to Received is. Our spiritual goal is to refurbish our Ego, from a Desire to received, to a Desire to give without condition.

Our spiritual work must take place between the CREATOR and ourselves. We must also keep those who are not directly involve from knowing too much about our spiritual life, for anonymous good deeds reveals the most light.

How could Isaac have not known the truth about Esau? Isaac had the Divine Inspiration, the Holy Spirit with him all the time. It seems to me that the true blessings that Jacob and Esau should could not come from Isaac; it could only come from the CREATOR. Isaac was only the conduit, but he could not give the blessing, because if he had done so, he would have limited their blessings. The CREATOR in HIS Wisdom arranged a complicated set of deception and mistaken identity in order for the blessings to reach Jacob.

Kabbalah teaches us that the day of the blessing by Isaac, was unique in the history of mankind, because on that day, the Gates of the Heavens were open to reveal to his world the entirety of the Light of Redemption. Isaac knew that this Light of Redemption needed to be brought down to their world, but Jacob could not handle it despite his knowledge of and desire for Torah.

The revelation of Light in this world has three requirements. First, there is the source, the perfect Light in the Endless World, which is inaccessible to most of us. Secondly, we must have a pure conduit to draw down this Light and third to allow it to be received properly. Isaac drew down the Light of Redemption for Jacob, so when He is ready to receive the Light, it would be ready for him.

When Isaac was ready to bless Esau, he told his son to prepare food for him. Rebecca the flesh overheard this conversation, she knew the CREATOR had chosen Jacob over Esau, she took Esau’s clothes or vessel and dress Jacob in them, Rebecca explain to Jacob who was still listening to the flesh, that on this day there was to be a great revelation of the Light of the Gemar HaTikkum, or the Final Redemption for that generation.

She told Jacob that he was not ready to receive the Light. Having been so immersed in his Torah studies, Jacob had not yet experiences the pain off this world. To do this he had to take on the clothing or Aura of Esau.

The Spirit of Rebecca was sharing with Jacob as she is sharing with us on this Shabbat, that to the degree that we take upon ourselves the pain of the world, to this degree, we have to take upon ourselves the clothing of Esau, the pain of this world.

On this Shabbat of Toldos, we can come to Isaac for blessings. He is here to give then to us and with them the ability to help bring about the final Redemption in our generation. We can only receive this tremendous infusion of Light, once we have truly accepted the truth off MessiYAH which lies beyond our studies. Only to the degree that we dress ourselves in the pain of this world can Isaac gives us the blessings of the Gemar HaTikkum. Now the rest of the Story.

           

Genesis 25:¹⁹ This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac.

Genesis 25: ²⁰ Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebecca as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. - Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel a wicked woman, she was an offspring of the wicked people in Aram; however, Rebecca did not emulate their evil ways. The principle we are been taught here is that, even if we are surrounded on every side by wickedness, our Heavenly Father will send a Eliezer, a redeemer to take us out from among a wicked nation, to prepare us to be the bride of the Master’s Only Son.  We will see in this verse the same principle playing it-self out over and over again.

This narrative says that Isaac took a wife at forty. We know that Messiyah Yahushua died on the cross at 33 years old; we know that one year is like a thousand year. Will Messiyah Yahushua return for His bride at age 40 also? Just thinking!

Genesis 25:²¹ Now Isaac pleaded with YAHVEH for his wife, because she was barren; and YAHVEH granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. - Isaac the spirit prayed abundantly for Rebecca the flesh as she simultaneously prayed on her own behalf. Even Though we are promise a blessing, it is incumbent for us to pray it in existence. That is why our Messiyah and Savor is making intercession for us the church even as we speak. He is promise a bride by His Father. He sits at the Right Hand of His Father while the bride makes herself ready for Him.

It is the same with the second matriarchs, Rebecca. She too is barren and Isaac pleaded with YAHVEH on her behalf. It seems that Isaac may have learned a lesson from his father’s failure to pray for his wife. Here, the husband’s prayer to YAHVEH is for the wife, and the prayer was answered.

Genesis 25:²² But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of YAHVEH. – After being barren for so long, Rebecca finally conceives, but the pregnancy is troubled; the twins fight in her womb. She was mostly likely in physical distress and worried that the pregnancy might fail, or the children might be born in compromised health.

So, she cried out to YAHVEH from the depths of her heart, her godself. What is my godly purpose on this Earth? Why is my godself expected to fulfilled, except for the fulfillment of this mission.

As Jacob and Esau represent two spiritual forces in her body; these two forces represent the spirit and the flesh, these forces that transcend the normal course of personality development, exist in all of us even from birth. This is what I call, our Characteristic traits. Like all good mother Rebecca (the church) went to inquire of YAHVEH, outside of her husband. Shouldn’t she have gone to Isaac and said honey, I have a problem, let us go seek ABBA YAHVEH guidance together.

Here we see another aspect of women, their willingness to circumvent their husband. Yes, EL YAHVEH will speak to them. EL YAHVEH gave her an answer; however, He did not give her a solution. What if Isaac a type of Messiyah for Rebecca, had been included in the visit to EL YAHVEH, would they be given a solution to the problem?

Genesis 25:²³ And YAHVEH said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” - EL YAHVEH conveys the significant of her frightening symptoms only to her and not to Isaac. EL YAHVEH conveyed to her that there were two unborn child, representing two nations and two conflicting ideologies: Yisrael and Edom, the spirit and the flesh. There struggle in the wound, the world, symbolized the future rivalries between them, which would end with the youngest prevailing over the other.

It is usually those who are younger that has a more open disposition to spiritual development, than the older more unbending Ego.

The turmoil within her was due to the irreconcilable conflict between the two people good and evil, that was already taking shape. The two will never be mighty together; one will fall and one will rise. This is another principle worth remembering: two believers: one espousing morality and justice and the other standing for license and barbarity. They will always be in conflict until one comes to dominate the other, whether through victory on the battle field or in the contest for the mind of men.

Rebecca like her mother-in-law Sarah were barren, elucidating that the emergence of the Hebrew people is a miracle, for each new generation was a specific gift from EL YAHVEH. Without the infilling of the Holy Spirit Yisrael the church, the woman will be barren spiritually.

The life of Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel demonstrate the motto that EL YAHVEH desires the prayer of the righteous, who pleas for EL YAHVEH mercy and attempts at self-Improvement, show how humanity can raise themselves to Spiritual. 

When a person is lacking spiritual direction, they are never completely committed to any course of action, or growth. In a way, this is the worst possible state of being. If a person is completely negative, at least the situation is clear and there is a potential for change.