Parshat 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

Parashat VaYigash ‘to come closer’ is the 11th Torah Portion in the yearly Torah cycle, and it is read after Chanukah. Vayigash means to come closer to the light,  of the Creators. There are certain things we can do to help us move closer to the light, while others things  causes us to become more distant. Sharing brings us closer, for instance, while doubt and anger push us away. This reading gives us the power to move closer to the light of the Creators.

At the end of Parashat MiKeitz, Benjamin was an apprehended as a thief who had been caught red-handed with the viceroy’s cup. The ten 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 Maccabeus 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 Maccabeus 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 Maccabeus 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 Maccabeus did against the Greeks, and Judyah did to the Egyptians.

Vayigash elevate Yehuda speaks of our elevation through what the sages name azut dekedushah, or holy audacity. Rising up with an 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 bravery and audacity require to raise our hearts in our spiritual work is the hidden blessing of the Sabbath of Vayigash.

In Vayigash, 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 Maccabeus 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, and however, HIS Spirit will be greave.

                         

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 brought 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 powerful 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 Benjamin.

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 him back let me bear the blame. If only our churches to day would have such an heart. Judaism is the religion that guarantee 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.