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PAR'SHAT MIKETZ: The Rationale Against Bitterness.

12/30/2016

... ועתה לא־אתם שׁלחתם אתי הנה כי האלהים

So it was not you who sent me here, but God; ...
(Gen 45:8)

The story of Joseph lends itself to many midrashes. The sages of Israel have always paralleled the life of Joseph wit that of Messiah and indeed they were right. As Joseph was, Messiah was favored of His father and sent to check on His brethren who rejected His leadership. They put Him in an underground pit for three days and sold him to the Gentiles for silver. Whereas the Torah text says 20 pieces of silver, some talmudic sources say 30. As Messiah does till this day, Joseph ruled among the Gentiles until such a time when His brothers came to Him. After testing their hearts, Joseph came out from under his Egyptian appearance and revealed himself. Just like with Joseph of old, today the Jewish people see Messiah as a foreign leader. There will come a time when He will take off his 'Christian Greeco-Roman' garb and reveal Himself to His brethren as the true King of the Jews. May it be soon Abba, even in our days!

I believe that the lives of the patriarchs are blueprints for us to learn from. That is why in these weekly newsletters I have mostly been looking for the ethical values in their lifestyle, and the life of Joseph is rich with examples for us to emulate.

It seems that Joseph lived his life according to Murphy's law, 'If anything can go wrong, it will!' Anyone in his situation could have easily given in to despondency, discouragement, bitterness and anger, but he did not. In this we again see the life patterns that were adopted by his father Jacob, his grand-father Isaac, and great-grand-father Abraham. It is the opinion of this writer that it was not because of a cosmic divine predestination to be the custodian of the covenant that Joseph extolled these virtues, but that it was because he extolled these virtues that Hashem chose him. I believe this principle applies to all the patriarchs as well as with us today: virtue precedes acknowledgment just obedience precedes blessing. As the Master taught, it is our meekness; it is our hunger for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart and peace-making, which brings down Hashem's blessing,

"How blessed are the poor in spirit! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. "How blessed are those who mourn! for they will be comforted. "How blessed are the meek! for they will inherit the Land! "How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness! for they will be filled. "How blessed are those who show mercy! for they will be shown mercy. "How blessed are the pure in heart! for they will see God. "How blessed are those who make peace! for they will be called sons of God. "How blessed are those who are persecuted because they pursue righteousness! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. (Mat 5:3-10)

Many people teach that Yeshua is angry with his people, the Jewish people, for what happened 2,000 years ago. Many even, consciously or sub-consciously, exonerate themselves from the guilt of the Holocaust by saying that it was Hashem's punishment on the Jews who deserved it for their rebellious disobedience (so they say). It is strange because Hashem's anger with the wicked only lasts three or four generations, not 2,000 years. It is His showing of grace and forgiveness for the sake of the righteousness of their fathers which lasts for thousands of generation,

... showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents' offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations."(Exo 34:7)

One of the most beautiful verses in the Bible (in my opinion) are these ones:
Then Yosef hurried out, because his feelings toward his brother were so strong that he wanted to cry; he went into his bedroom and there he wept. Then he washed his face and came out, but he controlled himself as he gave the order to serve the meal. (Gen 43:30-31)

At last Yosef could no longer control his feelings in front of his attendants and cried, "Get everybody away from me!" So no one else was with him when Yosef revealed to his brothers who he was. He wept aloud, and the Egyptians heard, and Pharaoh's household heard. (Gen 45:1-2)

In these verses about Joseph, I hear and I see my Messiah' tears of love and compassion, as well as of desire to be with His people again. Even so, I believe that today Messiah weeps with Joseph. He weeps for joy at the knowledge that the time is soon coming when He will be reunited with His people to observe the Feasts together with them again. The sad question here is that as the Torah mentions that 'the Egyptians heard, and Pharaoh's household heard.', do the nations today hear the tears of Messiah for His people?

There is a rationale that helped Joseph to not give in to seeking vengeance at the time when he was in a position to do so mightily; a rationale that that helped him to live by the apostolic command,

Never seek revenge, my friends; instead, leave that to God's anger; for in the Tanakh it is written, "Adonai says, 'Vengeance is my responsibility; I will repay.' "(Rom 12:19; Deut 32:35-36)

What is this rationale? It is expressed in these very poignant words:

... don't be sad that you sold me into slavery here or angry at yourselves, because it was God who sent me ahead of you to preserve life. The famine has been over the land for the last two years, and for yet another five years there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me ahead of you to ensure that you will have descendants on earth and to save your lives in a great deliverance. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his household and ruler over the whole land of Egypt.(Gen 45:5-8)

In essence, Joseph did not attribute all that happened to him to his family situation, but rightfully to Hashem. He did not blame his brothers not his family, he only saw Hashem in all that happened to him.

May we also with Joseph, the patriarchs, Yeshua, Paul, Peter, James, John, all the others:
learn to attribute both the seemingly positive and the seemingly negative phases of our lives to Hashem so that we do not grow roots of bitterness against friends and families.
May we learn to see Hashem's hand in all that happens to us and realize that whether we see it or not in this life, that it was in order to preserve life. As the apostle said,

... we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose; (Rom 8:28)

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ETHICS OF A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.

12/23/2016

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ויהי כמשׁלשׁ חדשׁים ויגד ליהודה לאמר זנתה תמר כלתך וגם הנה הרה לזנונים ויאמר יהודה הוציאוה ותשׂרף׃
הוא מוצאת והיא שׁלחה אל־חמיה לאמר לאישׁ אשׁר־אלה לו אנכי הרה ותאמר הכר־נא למי החתמת והפתילים והמטה האלה׃

About three months later Y'hudah was told, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has been acting like a whore; moreover, she is pregnant as a result of her prostitution." Y'hudah said, "Bring her out, and let her be burned alive!" When she was brought out, she sent this message to her father-in-law: "I am pregnant by the man to whom these things belong. Determine, I beg you, whose these are -- the signet, the cords and the staff." (Gen 38:24-25)

Tamar did not want to publicly shame Yehudah, so she only said "By the man whose these are . . . ", rather than "Yehudah is the father". Rabbi' Yonah writes that these words teach us that one should rather put his life at risk rather than publicly shaming another.

ANECDOTE:
In Eastern Europe it was the job of the shamash to tend to the synagogue's oven early every morning during the freezing winters. Thus when people came at daybreak to recite T'hilim [Psalms] or to study before prayer, they found the place warm. In a certain synagogue the shamash would rely on the out-of-town beggars who normally arrived during the night, to light the oven. But many times the beggars would not show up, and the synagogue would be freezing in the morning. people began to complain. Then all the complaints stopped; the oven was fire-hot every morning. people thought the shamash was doing a good job , and the shamash took it for granted that the beggars were tending the oven. No one suspected that the rabbi of Baranovitch, Rabbi Israel Yaakov Lubchanski, was the one doing the job every morning.
Early one morning the wood happened to be particularly wet., so that it required a lot of blowing to get a fire going. With his head in the oven door, Rav Israel Yaakov was blowing upon the fire when the shamamsh walked in. In the darkness of the winter dawn, he did not recognize the Rabbi. Sure that one of the beggars was tending the oven, the shamash, in a 'joking' manner gave the man a kick. Rabbi Lubchanski knew that if he took his head out of the oven, the shamash would be terribly embarrassed. So he pushed his face deeper into the oven. The smoke was burning hie eyes and choking his lungs, yet he would not remove his head until the shamash left. By the time the shamash walked away, half of the Rabbi's beard was gone -- it had caught fire!

When it comes to correcting others, we have a tendency to be 'tongue happy'. We feel it our duty to publicly expose and correct everyone else's wrong, other people's fault or frailties. Even people in the Bible. We are so arrogant that we don't even have qualms as to publicly criticizing the fathers and patriarchs of our faith such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah or Tamar in some of their deeds that we may consider questionable by our contemporary hypocritical sense of morality; a sense of morality which has so 'sophistic-ized' sin that not only it doesn't even appear to be sin anymore, but it parades as righteousness.

Here is what Paul had to say about the sense of people morality in the days preceding the Day of Mashiach,

Moreover, understand this: in the acharit-hayamim will come trying times. People will be self-loving, money-loving, proud, arrogant, insulting, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, uncontrolled, brutal, hateful of good, traitorous, headstrong, swollen with conceit, loving pleasure rather than God, as they retain the outer form of religion but deny its power. (2Ti 3:1-5)

Are we then, in our generation, fit to criticize the deeds of the patriarchs? Would we do it to their face? We should never level an accusation against someone who is not present, be they dead or alive, yet how many of us feel free to judge and demonize others through the Internet? Why do we do it? Do we really believe that by blowing someone else's candle ours shine brighter? Our Master said it in his own words:

"Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets. (Mat 7:12)

From Abraham to Yeshua, the custodians of the covenant, the leaders of our faith,have held on to the covenant at any cost, even at the cost of their own reputation. As such, they "... became imitators of ... the Lord; ... " (1Th 1:6 CJB), of He whom Hashem made "... to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.(2Co 5:21 ESV).

Tamar seems to have followed that very idea as well as took a page from Rebecca her grand-mother-in Law's book as she entered Judah's family. Jacob is in dire straight. Still mourning the loss of Joseph, he needs to rethink the leadership line. He disinherited the first in line Reuben for having shamed him with a concubine. The two next ones, Simeon and Levi, turn out to be cold murderers in the issue of Dina their sister. Now Jacob looks to Judah for leadership, but Judah goes and marries a cana'anite woman. Things don't look good for Jacob's family. Let's look at the story in Genesis 38:6-30 CJB

(6) Y'hudah took a wife for `Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
(7) But `Er, Y'hudah's firstborn, was evil from Adonai's perspective, so Adonai killed him.
(8) Y'hudah said to Onan, "Go and sleep with your brother's wife -- perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and preserve your brother's line of descent."

This was a very common practice in those days...

(9) However, Onan knew that the child would not count as his; so whenever he had intercourse with his brother's wife, he spilled the semen on the ground, so as not to give his brother offspring.

This practice constituted an economic sacrifice because the inheritance would be shared with the seed of the brother. Onan pretended to do the right thing but did not, a type of hypocrisy which Hashem hates. It would be better not to do it at all!

(10) What he did was evil from Adonai's perspective, so he killed him too.
(11) Then Y'hudah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Stay a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up"; for he thought, "I don't want him to die too, like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived at home with her father.
(12) In due time, Shua's daughter, the wife of Y'hudah, died. After Y'hudah had been comforted, he went up to be with his sheep-shearers in Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the `Adulami.
(13) Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law has gone up to Timnah to shear his sheep."
(14) So she took off her widow's clothes, completely covered her face with her veil, and sat at the entrance to `Einayim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she still was not being given to him as his wife.

Judah felt that Tamar was 'bad news', but Tamar had a plan ...

(15) When Y'hudah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face.
(16) So he went over to her where she was sitting and said, not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, "Come, let me sleep with you." She answered, "What will you pay to sleep with me?"
(17) He said, "I will send you a kid from the flock of goats." She said, "Will you also give me something as a guarantee until you send it"
(18) He answered, "What should I give you as a guarantee?" She said, "Your seal, with its cord, and the staff you're carrying in your hand." So he gave them to her, then went and slept with her; and she conceived by him.

Judah left with her his ID and main credit cards as a guarantie.

(19) She got up and went away, took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes.
(20) Y'hudah sent the kid with his friend the `Adulami to receive the guarantee items back from the woman, but he couldn't find her.
(21) He asked the people near where she had been, "Where is the prostitute who was on the road at `Einayim?" But they answered, "There hasn't been any prostitute here."
(22) So he returned to Y'hudah and said, "I couldn't find her; also the people there said, 'There hasn't been any prostitute here.' "
(23) Y'hudah said, "All right, let her keep the things, so that we won't be publicly shamed. I sent the kid, but you didn't find her."
(24) About three months later Y'hudah was told, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has been acting like a whore; moreover, she is pregnant as a result of her prostitution." Y'hudah said, "Bring her out, and let her be burned alive!"
(25) When she was brought out, she sent this message to her father-in-law: "I am pregnant by the man to whom these things belong. Determine, I beg you, whose these are -- the signet, the cords and the staff."

The Hebrew text here is very interesting. It says, "...recognise whose ..."
...הכר־נא למי
The exact same wording Judah used to deceive his father when he brought back Joseph's bloody coat pretending that a wild animal had killed Joseph (Gen 37;32).

Judah must have felt like his father Jacob felt when he was deceived by Laban in the same way he had to deceive his own father Isaac in the affair of the birthrights, (affair in which Esau was the real deceiver as he should have told Isaac that he had sold the birthright to his brother in a fair and square deal, and therefore could not inherit the blessing).

(26) Then Y'hudah acknowledged owning them. He said, "She is more righteous than I, because I didn't let her become the wife of my son Shelah." And he never slept with her again.

Here is the punch line. Tamar believed in the promises that came to Judah though Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. At the cost of her own reputation, at the cost of making herself look like a sinner, she actually played the role of redeemer to Judah, her father-in-law in order to assure him a succession, a succession which will bring Messiah.

As a daughter-in-law who was rejected and had had to return to her father's household, she could have hated Judah's family. This is what would happen today when in-laws relationships are proverbially acrimonious. But no (and we should take sample from that). Instead, she believed in the covenant of the Jewish family she joined and continued to uphold it and work for it. She made sure to do everything she could, even at her own cost, to bring it to pass. This is love for the covenant as portrayed by the patriarchs and their wives.

(27) When she went into labor, it became evident that she was going to have twins.
(28) As she was in labor, one of them put out his hand; and the midwife took his hand and tied a scarlet thread on it, saying, "This one came out first."
(29) But then he withdrew his hand, and his brother came out; so she said, "How did you manage to break out first?" Therefore he was named Peretz [breaking out].
(30) Then out came his brother, with the scarlet thread on his hand, and he was given the name Zerach [scarlet].

The book of Ruth ends with the genealogy of the Peretz, the son of Tamar,

Here is the genealogy of Peretz. Peretz was the father of Hetzron, Hetzron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of `Amminadav, `Amminadav was the father of Nachshon, Nachshon was the father of Salmon, Salmon was the father of Bo`az, Bo`az was the father of `Oved, `Oved was the father of Yishai, and Yishai was the father of David.(Rth 4:18-22 CJB)

And from David the genealogy continues to Messiah. Through her work, Tamar is given the honor of entering the genealogy to Messiah.

AS WE READ THESE STORIES
AS WE READ THESE WORDS
MAY WE, NOT JUDGE OUR FATHERS
BUT RATHER LEARN TO EMULATE THEIR LOVE FOR THE COVENANT AND FOR THE PEOPLE TO WHOM IT WAS GIVEN.
MAY WE ALSO BE FOUND WITH SUCH LOVE.

Brothers, stop speaking against each other! Whoever speaks against a brother or judges a brother is speaking against Torah and judging Torah. And if you judge Torah, you are not a doer of what Torah says, but a judge. There is but one Giver of Torah; he is also the Judge, with the power to deliver and to destroy. Who do you think you are, judging your fellow human being? (Jas 4:11-12 CJB)

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PAR'SHAT VAYISHLACH: Ethics towards an enemy. It is imperative to do our utmost towards the reapiring of family relationships.

12/16/2016

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IT IS IMPERATIVE TO DO OUR BEST TOWARD THE REPAIRING OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS.

In this parasha we read of Jacob/Israel's return to the land. As I often remind people when studying the Tanach, 'The deeds of the parents are portent to the children.'The whole issue of Jacob's 21 year exile, his marriage to two sisters, and the condition of his return to the Land contain prophetic landmark messages for Israel and the Jewish people today. I will try to give a small summary here.

Jacob = Israel
Leaving for Padan-Aram = The current Roman Exile
Twenty-one years in exile = Twenty-one centuries of diasporaMarrying two sisters = These two sisters will give Jacob two messianic seed which will give birth to the idea of two Messiahs. Messaih ben Joseph (Rachel) and Messiah ben David (Leah). This was also the foreshadowing of the two houses Israel: Ephrayim (Rachel) and Judah (Leah), which the twists of History has brought into one, and ultimately, into one messiah whom we know as Yeshua son of Joseph, from the lineage of David:

The word of Adonai came to me: "You, human being, take one stick and write on it, 'For Y'hudah and those joined with him [among] the people of Isra'el.' Next, take another stick and write on it, 'For Yosef, the stick of Efrayim, and all the house of Isra'el who are joined with him.' Finally, bring them together into a single stick, so that they become one in your hand. When your people ask you what all this means, tell them that Adonai Elohim says this: 'I will take the stick of Yosef, which is in the hand of Efrayim, together with the tribes of Isra'el who are joined with him, and put them together with the stick of Y'hudah and make them a single stick, so that they become one in my hand.' The sticks on which you write are to be in your hand as they watch. Then say to them that Adonai Elohim says: 'I will take the people of Isra'el from among the nations where they have gone and gather them from every side and bring them back to their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Isra'el; and one king will be king for all of them. They will no longer be two nations, and they will never again be divided into two kingdoms.
(Eze 37:15-22)

Jacob obeys Hashem's command that it was the time for him to leave Padan-Aram = Israel obeys Hashem's calling to return to the Land.
Jacob meats again with Laban = Israel peacefully breaks ties with Diaspora to become an independent state.
Meeting with Esau = Today's history of the children of Esau still fighting their sibling rivalry family feud and trying to kill Jacob/Israel. From the days of Abraham on, the people to the East (Jordan and Arabian Peninsula all the way to Syria) are a mix of the houses of Ishmael son of Abraham and Esau son of Isaac who intermarried to form what we know today as the Arab World.

And this is where we are today.
(Gen 32:1) (32:2) Ya`akov went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
-As he left the land, angels met him on a ladder to encourage him and reassure him that he will return. On his way back, angel again great him.

(Gen 32:2) (32:3) When Ya`akov saw them, he said, "This is God's camp," and called that place Machanayim [two camps].
-In Hebrew, 'Machanayim' means two camps. this refers to the camp of Jacob (the camp from below) and the camp of the angels (camp from above).
(Gen 32:3) (32:4) Ya`akov sent messengers ahead of him to `Esav his brother toward the land of Se`ir, the country of Edom, (Gen 32:4) (32:5) with these instructions
-Jacob knows he cannot go back home without first meeting Esau. Esau has an army, Jacob doesn't. A military conflict would be suicide for Jacob and his family, the custodians of the covenant of Abraham. Twenty-one years of exile has taught some wisdom to Jacob. He has learned that deceit and forceful actions only lead to more deceits and forceful actions, a vicious circle with no end in sight. He has to use a wiser way. As we will see, Jacob will again pull a page out of his father's book (Isaac's issue of the wells Gen 26:12-35) and of his grand-father Abraham's book on how he was able to stay in the land of promise while it was occupied by coming in peacefully, even making a treaty with the Philistines; letting Lot take advantage of him, as well as the Hittites take advantage of him in the issue of the Cave of Marchpelah (Gen 12:6-9; 13:7-11; 21:27; 23).

: "Here is what you are to say to my lord `Esav: 'Your servant Ya`akov says, "I have been living with Lavan and have stayed until now.
-Jacob has learned to 'eat humble pie'. He calls Esau אדני/my lord, and refers to himself towards Esau as עבדך/your servant.
(Gen 32:5) (32:6) I have cattle, donkeys and flocks, and male and female servants. I am sending to tell this news to my lord, in order to win your favor." ' "
(Gen 32:6) (32:7) The messengers returned to Ya`akov saying, "We went to your brother `Esav, and he is coming to meet you; with him are four hundred men."
(Gen 32:7) (32:8) Ya`akov became greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people, flocks, cattle and camels with him into two camps,
(Gen 32:8) (32:9) saying, "If `Esav comes to the one camp and attacks it, at least the camp that is left will escape."
-Again we have two camps. It has been suggested by the sages that the House of Rachel (with Joseph) was one camp and the House of Leah (with Judah) was the other. Not only an effort to preserve the descendance but again a foreshadow of the separation of the two houses of Israel.
-Jacob will now pray. As Yeshua did when pursued by the devil in the desert, Jacob reminds Hashem of his own words of promise. This is the essence of spiritual warfare. being in the will of Hashem and praying by the word of its promise.

(Gen 32:9) (32:10) Then Ya`akov said, "God of my father Avraham and God of my father Yitz'chak, Adonai, who told me, 'Return to your country and your kinsmen, and I will do you good':
(Gen 32:10) (32:11) I'm not worthy of all the love and faithfulness you have shown your servant, since I crossed the Yarden with only my staff. But now I have become two camps.
- Jacob has learned to be humble. he knows he is not worthy so he prays in the name of the righteousness of his father Isaac, and of his grand-father Abraham. We do the same when we pray not by the virtue of our own righteousness (which we do not have) but in the name and virtue of Yeshua's righteousness who '...is totally able to deliver those who approach God through him; since he is alive forever and thus forever able to intercede on their behalf.'(Heb 7:25).

(Gen 32:11) (32:12) Please! Rescue me from my brother `Esav! I'm afraid of him, afraid he'll come and attack me, without regard for mothers or children.
(Gen 32:12) (32:13) You said, 'I will certainly do you good and make your descendants as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea, which are so many they can't be counted.' "
(Gen 32:13) (32:14) He stayed there that night; then he chose from among his possessions the following as a present for `Esav his brother:
-Prayer is not always enough. If there is anything we can do, we must do it. In this case Jacob will put most of his financial assets on the line. For Jacob, the fulfillment of the covenant is worth more than all the cattle, silver and gold that he owns. He also knows that his brother hankers for material wealth. Yeshua taught discipleship according to the same ideas:

"Or again, suppose one king is going out to wage war with another king. Doesn't he first sit down and consider whether he, with his ten thousand troops, has enough strength to meet the other one, who is coming against him with twenty thousand? If he hasn't, then while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation to inquire about terms for peace. "So every one of you who doesn't renounce all that he has cannot be my talmid.
(Luk 14:31-33)

(Gen 32:14) (32:15) two hundred female goats and twenty males, two hundred female sheep and twenty males,
(Gen 32:15) (32:16) thirty milk-camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten colts.
(Gen 32:16) (32:17) He turned them over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, "Cross over in front of me, and keep a space between each drove and the next one."
(Gen 32:17) (32:18) He instructed the servant in front, "When `Esav my brother meets you and asks you, 'Whose servant are you? Where are you going? And whose animals are these?'
(Gen 32:18) (32:19) then you are to say, 'They belong to your servant Ya`akov, and they are a present he has sent to my lord `Esav; and Ya`akov himself is just behind us.' "
(Gen 32:19) (32:20) He also instructed the second servant, and the third, and all that followed the droves, "When you encounter `Esav, you are to speak to him in the same way,
(Gen 32:20) (32:21) and you are to add, 'And there, just behind us, is your servant Ya`akov.' " For he said, "I will appease him first with the present that goes ahead of me; then, after that, I will see him myself - and maybe he will be friendly toward me."
(Gen 32:21) (32:22) So the present crossed over ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.
(Gen 32:22) (32:23) He got up that night, took his two wives, his two slave-girls, and his eleven children, and forded the Yabok.
(Gen 32:23) (32:24) He took them and sent them across the stream, then sent his possessions across;
-Before entering the land, Jacob had to make his peace with Laban. he also had to make his peace with his brother. Hebrews 3 and 4 teaches us a midrash about entering the land being similar to entering shabbat. It is a good idea to try to repair relationship, say sorry to people we offended before we enter Shabbat. This is what Yeshua taught in,

So if you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you, leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. (Mat 5:23-24)

Jacob had to have one more encounter to make before entering the Land.

(Gen 32:24) (32:25) and Ya`akov was left alone. Then some man wrestled with him until daybreak.

(Gen 32:25) (32:26) When he saw that he did not defeat Ya`akov, he struck Ya`akov's hip socket, so that his hip was dislocated while wrestling with him.
(Gen 32:26) (32:27) The man said, "Let me go, because it's daybreak." But Ya`akov replied, "I won't let you go unless you bless me."
- Jacob who could have thought one of Esau's man came to him, or even Esau himself, realizes that this no ordinary 'man'. Jacob asks to be blessed.
(Gen 32:27) (32:28) The man asked, "What is your name?" and he answered, "Ya`akov."
(Gen 32:28) (32:29) Then the man said, "From now on, you will no longer be called Ya`akov, but Isra'el; because you have shown your strength to both God and men and have prevailed."
-From his conception in Rebecca's womb Jacob fought for this covenant. as Yeshua said, 'The violent take it by force' (Mat 11:12). Jacob's life has been the testimony of a man in love with the Covenant. Contrary to his brother who exchanged it for a bowl of soup and cana'anite girls, Jacob gave everything he had for it. He fought and never stopped fighting for it. That's what the name Jacob means 'heel-grabber'. Even when all seems lost, he still hangs on to his opponent even by the heel and doesn't let go. Jacob did so with man and with God.
(Gen 32:29) (32:30) Ya`akov asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he answered, "Why are you asking about my name?" and blessed him there.
(Gen 32:30) (32:31) Ya`akov called the place P'ni-El [face of God], "Because I have seen God face to face, yet my life is spared."
-By now Jacob knows that his nocturnal wrestler is no ordinary man. Yeshua was really Jacob's night wrestler. The answer he was given reminds me of this:
Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it will be enough for us." Yeshua replied to him, "Have I been with you so long without your knowing me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? (Joh 14:8-9)

Before entering the Land in peace, Jacob had to have a personal encounter with Messiah. This is a foreshadow of the end of time when Messiah will appear in Jerusalem,
"When that day comes, I will seek to destroy all nations attacking Yerushalayim; and I will pour out on the house of David and on those living in Yerushalayim a spirit of grace and prayer; and they will look to me, whom they pierced." They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son; they will be in bitterness on his behalf like the bitterness for a firstborn son. (Zec 12:9-10)

(Gen 32:31) (32:32) As the sun rose upon him he went on past P'ni-El, limping at the hip.
(Gen 32:32) (32:33) This is why, to this day, the people of Isra'el do not eat the thigh muscle that passes along the hip socket - because the man struck Ya`akov's hip at its socket.

AND WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM ALL THIS?

If someone sues you, come to terms with him quickly, while you and he are on the way to court; or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer of the court, and you may be thrown in jail! Yes indeed! I tell you, you will certainly not get out until you have paid the last penny.

(Mat 5:25-26)

Before entering Shabbat, before entering the full peace that redemption can bring, we ought to make peace with the Labans in our lives. And if we ought to make peace with strangers, how much more should we make peace with our brothers and sisters, our families and relatives even if they have a different lifestyle. Jacob knew the importance of this principle within the framework of the Covenant. As a result, he was willing to invest everything he had for it, even his life. He did not go back and live with Esau, but he initiated the first steps for peace which provoked Esau to reciprocate. That's what leaders do; they lead!

Ya`akov raised his eyes and looked out; and there was `Esav coming, and four hundred men with him. ... he himself passed on ahead of them and prostrated himself on the ground seven times before approaching his brother. `Esav ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him; and they wept. ... Then the slave-girls approached with their children, and they prostrated themselves; Le'ah too and her children approached and prostrated themselves; and last came Yosef and Rachel; and they prostrated themselves. `... Ya`akov said, "No, please! If now I have won your favor, then accept my gift. Just seeing your face has been like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me. So please accept the gift I have brought you, for God has dealt kindly with me and I have enough." Thus he urged him, until he accepted it. ... Ya`akov arrived safely at the city of Sh'khem, in Kena`an, and set up camp near the city. From the sons of Hamor Sh'khem's father he bought for one hundred pieces of silver the parcel of land where he had pitched his tent. There he put up an altar, which he called El-Elohei-Yisra'el [God, the God of Isra'el]. (Gen 33:1-20)

שבת שלום
SHABBAT SHALOM!!!

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PAR'SHAT VAYETSE: Ethics of a Laborer.

12/8/2016

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WE MUST ALWAYS CAREFULLY WEIGH OUR WORDS.

WE MUST BE FAITHFUL WITH THE BELONGINGS OF OTHERS

עם אשׁר תמצא את־אלהיך לא יחיה ... ׃

But if you find your gods with someone,
that person will not remain alive. ...

(Gen 31:32)

Rashi cites the Midrash which states that because of this curse Rachel died shortly thereafter ... Sforno write that Ya'akov assumed hat one of his servants must have stolen the idols in order to worship them. It did not occur to him that his own wife took them of course not to worship them, but rather to prevent her father from worshiping them. We must always carefull weigh our words. that no harm can conceivably result from them, and all the more if we are in a position of responsibily..(Chofetz Chayim al Hatorah, on this verse).

The chofetz Chayim was once eating a meal at an inn ... One of the guests present mentioned that the food lacked salt. The Chofetz Chayim whispered to him, "That's lashon harah!". At first the guest did not understand ... but a short while later ... he saw the owner who had overheard the guest's comment strongly censure the cook for not having taken sufficient care in preparing the meal for his prominent guests. (Heard from Rabbi Aharon Paperman ...)

One time I commented to a waitress how she must be making good tips on Sunday morning with all the people coming out of Church to eat at the restaurant where she worked. She said that not only it was her worst tip day, but also the day when she received the most criticism from picky customers. I found this to be a sad statement. It is so easy nowadays to let our mouths spill all sort of criticism. Religious and political dialogue seems to be the most venomous of all. YouTube and FB overflow with venomous religious debates.

It is also a sad state of affairs also is when husbands use offensive epithets on their wives, or when wives put down their husbands using patronizing criticism. Also as parents, we play the role of Hashem in the lives of our children, therefore we should never allow ourselves to call our children names. It is a bad reflection on who these children really belong to!

I heard one time someone complaining that whatever they post on FB cannot ever be erased. They felt that it was an infringement of their right to privacy. It seems though that FB provides an excellent reality check. Whether our words are posted on FB or not, once they uttered, they are like toothpaste coming out of a tube: they can never be put back.

Remember what the Master said on the matter:
The good person brings forth good things from his store of good, and the evil person brings forth evil things from his store of evil. Moreover, I tell you this: on the Day of Judgment people will have to give account for every careless word they have spoken;
for by your own words you will be acquitted,
and by your own words you will be condemned."
(Mat 12:35-37)

Laban had heavily mistreated and used Jacob, but Jacob was not going to stoop down and play Laban's game. Whatever came to him, Jacob learned to keep his integrity. if someone from Jacob's camp had stolen for Laban the thief, that person would not live. That is what we call the 'fear of Hashem', and performing for an audience of One!

Along with the whole idol incident, Laban has the audacity to accuse Jacob of wrong doing,

"What do you mean by deceiving me and carrying off my daughters as if they were captives taken in war? Why did you flee in secret and deceive me and not tell me? I would have sent you off with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and lyres. You didn't even let me kiss my sons and daughters good-bye! What a stupid thing to do! I have it in my power to do you harm; but the God of your father spoke to me last night and said, 'Be careful that you don't say anything to Ya`akov, either good or bad.' Granted that you had to leave, because you longed so deeply for your father's house; ..." (Gen 31:26-30 CJB)

When Laban couldn't find anything, Jacob who didn't know that Rachel had taken them to keep them away from her father, indignantly claimed his righteousness by reminding Laban of his above perfect work ethics,

... "What have I done wrong?" he demanded. "What is my offense, that you have come after me in hot pursuit? You have felt around in all my stuff, but what have you found of all your household goods?

Put it here, in front of my kinsmen and yours, so that they can render judgment between the two of us!

I have been with you for these twenty years!

Your female sheep and goats haven't aborted their young,
and I haven't eaten the male animals in your flocks.
If one of your flock was destroyed by a wild animal, I didn't bring the carcass to you but bore the loss myself. You demanded that I compensate you for any animal stolen, whether by day or by night.
Here's how it was for me: during the day thirst consumed me,
and at night the cold -- my sleep fled from my eyes.
These twenty years I've been in your house -- I served you fourteen years for your two daughters
and six years for your flock;
and you changed my wages ten times!

If the God of my father, the God of Avraham, the one whom Yitz'chak fears, had not been on my side, by now you would certainly have already sent me away with nothing! God has seen how distressed I've been and how hard I've worked, and last night he passed judgment in my favor." Gen 31:36-42 CJB)

We have here the perfect example of Messiah who did not open his mouth in front of persecution and injustice (Is 53:7); of Paul who teaches that it is better to be wronged while relying on Hashem's justice than to seek the revenge of secular courts of law (1 Cor 6:7). Indeed, in spite of Laban's unjust and ungodly treatment towards him, Jacob took it on the chin and learned to rely on his God for the future.

"For I think God has been placing us emissaries on display at the tail of the parade, like men condemned to die in the public arena: we have become a spectacle before the whole universe, angels as well as men. For the Messiah's sake we are fools, but united with the Messiah you are wise! We are weak, but you are strong; you are honored, but we are dishonored. Till this very moment we go hungry and thirsty, we are dressed in rags, we are treated roughly, we wander from place to place, we exhaust ourselves working with our own hands for our living. When we are cursed, we keep on blessing; when we are persecuted, we go on putting up with it; when we are slandered, we continue making our appeal. We are the world's garbage, the scum of the earth -- yes, to this moment!"
(1Co 4:9-13 CJB)

Jacob indeed seems to have taken pages from his father Isaac's book when the Philistines stole his wells (Gen 26;12-30), as well as from his grandfather Abraham in the episode of the Hittite mockingly asking for an outrageous sum of money for the Cave of Marchpela, which Abraham humbly gave (Gen 23). These patriarchs showed a perfect example of trusting Hashem.

If we are indeed sons of Abraham, we ought to, as Yeshua said 'do the works of Abraham' Joh 8:39). If we are sons of the covenant, we ought to act like the people of the covenant. The character of a man is never so tested as when faced with strong unjust opposition. The patriarchs, the disciples, and even Yeshua learned obedience though the things they suffered, and mostly suffered at the hand of unrighteous men.

In these words from the Tanach, we learn how these giants of the faith conducted their affairs and their lives in this world that was so contradictory to them. We have these words so that we learn also how to conduct our lives and affairs in this world that is so contradictory to us. And if this is the way we ought to conduct ourselves towards enemies, towards strangers in the world, how much should we apply these same principles towards our brethren in the Congregation, towards those of the Body of Messiah. Our Master Yeshua taught us that this, not correct theology and doctrine, was the key to 'perfect' and being the Children of our father in Heaven.

"You have heard that our fathers were told,
'Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.'
But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong.
On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too!
If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well! And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two! When someone asks you for something, give it to him;
When someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him.
"You have heard that our fathers were told, 'Love your neighbor -- and hate your enemy.' But I tell you,
Love your enemies!
Pray for those who persecute you!
Then you will become children of your Father in heaven.
For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike.
What reward do you get if you love only those who love you?
Why, even tax-collectors do that!
And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that!

Therefore, be perfect,
just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

(Mat 5:38-48 CJB)

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PAR'SHAT TOLDOT: Ethics of Children.

12/2/2016

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IT IS AN HONOR WHEN WE ARE PRIVILEGED TO SERVE OUR PARENTS.

ותקח רבקה את־בגדי עשׂו בנה הגדל החמדת אשׁר אתה בבית ... ׃

Next, Rivkah took `Esav her older son's best clothes, which she had with her in the house, ...

(Gen 27:15)

Both in Hebrew and in English, the text tells uses a particular word that describes the kind of clothes Esau wore. In English it says, 'best clothes', in Hebrew 'החמדת'.

This indicated to the sages of the midrash that Esau always used his best attire when serving his father. Some translations use the word, 'best', choicest', 'beautiful' as an English rendition of this word. The Sages of Israel describe Esau's garments as: THE COVETED ONES.

We must remember that Esau was Abraham's grandson, and that Nimrod had actually tried to kill Abraham.   The Midrash states that Esau's coveted garments were the ones he seized from Nimrod after having killed him. Esau wore these garments whenever he served his father.

We are not used to speak of Esau in favorable terms, but Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said, "I served my father my entire life, but did not reach even one percent of the level of honor with which Esau served his father. I wore soiled garments when I served my father and wore clean garments when I went outside. When Esau served his father he only word regal garments. he felt that it was improper to attend his father wearing any attire other than his best."

What can we learn from that?

Our modern society has lost much of its social ethics of respect. As such,most of us act like Rabbi Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel. We have a casual familiar relationship with our parents. I heard it said that 'Familiarity breeds contempt'. I said most of us because I actually got to know some people from a Swiss aristocratic family where till this day, people get dressed in their best to come to dinner with the rest of the family.

As a European, in my childhood I also learned that whether we have guests or not, we change clothes for 'Kabalat Shabbat/the receiving of the Shabbat' on Friday night. We take a bath, wear a white shirt, and clean pants in honor of receiving the Shabbat as a guest in our home. We often have guests on Friday night, but whether we do or not, even if it is just with my wife, till this day I still wash and change clothes before officiating the Kiddush, before entering in a more intimate relationship with the 'Father'.

Twice the Torah reminds us to love, honor, and respect our parents. There are no 'if' or 'buts' added to Hashem's instructions about this.

As parents, we expect our children to love, honor, and respect us, but how can they when very often they hear us, their own parents, publicly rail, disrespect, mock, and criticize our own parents. As parents ourselves, we need to model the attitude we expect from our children. The sad reality of raising children is that no matter how much we try to inculcate good manners into them, they stubbornly cling to emulating our own bad example.

The Master was very clear about the priorities we owe to our parent He considered those who get on the 'parent-bashing' band-wagon as people who honor the traditions of man above the commandments of God. Despite our contemporary modern Western culture which seems to glorify those who challenge, disrespect, and disobey their parents, or even have a casual attitude toward them He said,

... "you have made a fine art of departing from God's command in order to keep your tradition! For Moshe said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say, 'If someone says to his father or mother, "I have promised as a korban" ' " (that is, as a gift to God) " ' "what I might have used to help you," ' then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. Thus, with your tradition which you had handed down to you, you nullify the Word of God! And you do other things like this."  (Mar 7:9-13)

In the text of the Torah, the word 'honor' as in 'honor your parents' refers to children's obligation to financially support their parents in their old age. Paul used this word in that very same manner when he said that Torah-teachers are worthy of double-honor (1 Tim 5:17). The context of this statement by our Master is this. Religious authorities had decreed that whenever someone gave money or goods to the Temple, he was excused from the responsibility of financially helping his parents. His donation served as some sort of a 'tax' break from his Torah responsibilities to his parents.

Needless to say, Yeshua thought this decree preposterous and didn't mince His words when expressing \His opinions about it. The lesson of the event is that even religious duties and serving God do not hold priority over the love, honor, and respect we ought to our parents, as the Torah commands.

Last but not least, to illustrate my point on the relationship we ought to have with our parents, I will bring the following statements from the Master. First he deals with the matter of criticizing others:

'But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment; that whoever calls his brother, 'You good-for-nothing!' will be brought before the Sanhedrin; that whoever says, 'Fool!' incurs the penalty of burning in the fire of Gei-Hinnom!' (Mat 5:22 CJB)

  'So if you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you, leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. If someone sues you, come to terms with him quickly, while you and he are on the way to court; or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer of the court, and you may be thrown in jail! Yes indeed! I tell you, you will certainly not get out until you have paid the last penny.' (Mat 5:22-26)

In these teachings, our Master instructs us that the priorities of peaceful relationship with others are far above those of our ritual services to Hashem. Therefore:

IF IT IS SO CONCERNING MERE STRANGERS,
ACQUAINTANCES,
FRIENDS,
OR EVEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
HOW MUCH MORE TRUE SHOULD IT BE
TOWARDS OUR PARENTS.

ADDENDUM: People often have negative feelings towards their parents. They often do just because they don't like them, or because they still hold a rebellious grudge against the disciplinary hand that they probably sorely needed. So in essence, the judgment one has against his own parents is rather arbitrary and not necessarily bathed in objective truth.

I myself was basically abandoned by my mother at a very young age and was raised in a boarding school. I do therefore acknowledge the possible situation that sometimes parents do not act worthy of their title. Even in this case though, this advice still applies. We may have our issue, but it does not give us the right to pollute the sound waves around us with negativity. We have much better and useful things to talk about!

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PAR'SHAT MIKETZ: The Rationale Against Bitterness.

ETHICS OF A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.

PAR'SHAT VAYISHLACH: Ethics towards an enemy. It is imperative to do our utmost towards the reapiring of family relationships.

PAR'SHAT VAYETSE: Ethics of a Laborer.

PAR'SHAT TOLDOT: Ethics of Children.

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