HOME          TEMPLE SEDARIM      < PRIOR WEEK      NEXT WEEK >

 

Commentary - Year 1 Sabbath 29

Genesis 30:21-31:2   -   I Samuel 1:11   -   Psalm 25   -   Acts 13:1-21
 

 

Tishrei 26, 5762 / Oct  13, 2001

Tishrei 24, 5765 / Oct    9, 2004 

Tishrei 24, 5768 / Oct    6, 2007 

Tishrei 24, 5771 / Oct    2, 2010

Tishrei 24, 5774 / Sept 28, 2013

Tishrei 27, 5777 / Oct  29, 2016

Tishrei 27, 5780 / Oct  26, 2019

Tishrei 27, 5783 / Oct  22, 2022

 

Vayizchar Elohim / Elohim remembered   SCRIPTURES should be read first  

(V.23) Rachel conceived and bore a son and said, "Elohim (the Creator who Judges) has taken away my reproach." 24 And she named him Yoseph (Increase), saying, "May Yahweh (the Eternal who is Gracious) give me another son" – the Messiah (Yelamdeinu P20). The name of her second immediate son foreshadowed her distant son, Messiah – Binyamin means “Son of my right hand,” or, as his mother called him, Benoni, meaning “Son of sorrow.” Yeshua is the Son of God, who sits at His right hand, and a “Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.”

Sons of Yaacov (Jacob):

Year     by Leah   -  Zilpah      Rachel  - Bilhah

 1          Reuven
 2          Shimon
 3          Levi
 4          Yehudah*                                     Dan
 5                               Gad                           Naphtali
 6          Issachar     Asher
 7          Zevulun                      Yoseph*
                                               (Binyamin)

 * Progenitors of the Messiah – Praiser-of-Yahweh (ancestor of David) and Increase: hence we get “Messiah ben David” and “Messiah ben Yoseph.”

 

(V.25-26) Now it came about when Rachel had borne Yoseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country. "Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you."

 

Jacob prophetically saw Yoseph as Esau’s conqueror; therefore he could safely return home (Midrash).

 (V.27) But Laban said to him, "If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined (by occult practices) that Yahweh has blessed me on your account."

 

Laban selfishly desired to keep Jacob. Upon seeing that flattery would not suffice, Laban asked what price Jacob would require. Jacob responded (paraphrased): “What you have, as a result of my work, is all rightfully yours, in payment for your daughters. Now, in order to provide for my own family, I will continue to work for you, for only those animals (sheep and goats) that are unnaturally colored (small dark dots or wide dark patches) – what God will miraculously provide.” Laban readily accepts the generous terms. Taking no chances, Laban removes his flocks that very day – taking more than he was entitled to, and putting them in the care of his sons: Jacob was left with the only poorest of Laban’s flock in his care.

 

[Remember Avraham: in their separation agreement, he let Lot choose first – and Lot chose the fertile land of Sodom and Gomorrah.]

 

But Jacob had been shown in a dream (v.31:12) that spotted rams would mate with the flock, for his blessing. His timely use of  tree “rods” was apparently a way to incite the desired stronger animals to mate with spotted ones.

(V.43) So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.

 

(V.31:1-2) Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this wealth." And Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly.
_______________

 

Acts 13:26 “Brethren, sons of Abraham's family, and those among you who fear God, to us the word of this salvation is sent out. 38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Yeshua forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. 40 Take heed therefore, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you: 41 ‘Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and perish; for I am accomplishing a work in your days, a work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’ ”

 

Interestingly, John the baptizer (Acts 13:25) was a Levite. Paul, the speaker here, is a Binyaminite. Yeshua, of whom they both speak, is a Yehudaite (Jew); all are descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaacov.

Rachel desired to be a progenitor of Messiah, as did Eve and Sarah.

 

Those who trust in worldly gain may marvel at the work of God, but they will not believe, even if it is explained to them. Ultimately, they shall perish.

 

The faith that is of God produces results, as we see in Jacob’s dealings with Laban; a faith that is without results, is not faith at all – “Show me your faith without works (like, how?); I will show you my faith by my works;” “Faith without works is dead.”

 

Through faith in Yeshua, we may be freed from all penalty for sin, and ultimately from sin itself. The Law of Moses shows us the Savior, but the Law is not our salvation. Animal offerings always were, always are, and always will be a prophetic or memorial picture of Yeshua; they never did atone for sin (Heb. 10:11), but always “proclaim forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:.38) through Yeshua.

 

Psalm 25

 

This Psalm is the first Psalm to be arranged alephbetically by the first Hebrew letter of each verse.

 

In the previous Psalm (24), David said that the man who may enter God’s Holy Place is one who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood. Now (v.1)David says that he lifts up his soul to Yahweh. The idea is offering his life to God, to glorify God’s Holy Name.

 

(V.2) David then says that he has put all of his trust in Yahweh: if he is shamed by God’s lack of response, then the faith of others would be shaken, and God’s faithless enemies would be triumphant – let it not be!

 

(V.4-5) Here is where we need to follow David: he says, “Make me know Your ways, O Yahweh; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.” The orach is a narrow path for the individual that branches off of the derek – the main public thoroughfare. Firstly, as believers, we need to know God’s path. We must study His Word, and be taught its meaning. We must learn obedience through his leadings and trials. If He has begun the work of faith in us, then He will work in us to the end to perfect His salvation (Philippians 1:6).

 

(V.6-7) David asks to be treated as a growing son, being trained from small steps to an able walk. And he asks for forgiveness of sins and rebelliousness of younger years, before he learned better that God may not remember. Because God is the source of forgiveness and righteousness, it is for His Name’s sake that this is requested.

 

(V.10) For those who keep His covenant, all of God’s paths are seen as kindness and truth, even when they have affliction and correction. But, for willful transgressors, God’s paths are not seen, and there is stumbling (Hosea 14:10).

 

(V.22) In the end, David asks that all of God’s people be delivered from distress. We may pray daily that God may remember to bring all of us to His perfect fullness and deliver us from the distress of growing pains.

 

Readings:

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Who chose us from among all peoples by giving us Your Torah.

Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the Torah."

 

Reader 1* Amen.  22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. 23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach." 24 She named him Joseph, saying, "May Yahweh give me another son."

Reader 2* Amen.  25 Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country. 26 "Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you." 27 But Laban said to him, "If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me on your account." 28 He continued, "Name me your wages, and I will give it."

Reader 3* Amen.  29 But he said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me. 30 "For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?" 31 So he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock:

Reader 4* Amen.  32 let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages. 33 "So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen." 34 Laban said, "Good, let it be according to your word." 35 So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons. 36 And he put a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

Reader 5* Amen.  37 Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods. 38 He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink. 39 So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.

Reader 6* Amen.  40 Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban's flock. 41 Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by the rods; 42 but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's.

Reader 7* Amen.  43 So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.

31:1 Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this wealth." 2 Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly.

 

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Who in giving us Yeshua, the Living Torah, has planted everlasting life in our midst.

Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the Torah."

______________________

 

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Who selected good prophets, delighting in their words which were spoken truthfully.

Blessed are You, Yahweh, Who chose the Torah, Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,

and the prophets of truth and righteousness."

 

1 Samuel 1:11

Reader 8* Amen.  11 And Hannah made a vow and said, "O Yahweh of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head."

 

Psalm 25    (To be sung.)   A Psalm of David.

To You, O Yahweh, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in You I trust, do not let me be ashamed; do not let my enemies exult over me. 3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed. 4 Make me know Your ways, O Yahweh; teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day. 6 Remember, O Yahweh, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to Your lovingkindness remember me, for Your goodness' sake, O Yahweh. 8 Good and upright is Yahweh; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way. 10 All the paths of Yahweh are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. 11 For Your name's sake, O Yahweh, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. 12 Who is the man who fears Yahweh? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. 13 His soul will abide in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. 14 The secret of Yahweh is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant. 15 My eyes are continually toward Yahweh, for He will pluck my feet out of the net. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. 18 Look upon my affliction and my trouble, And forgive all my sins. 19 Look upon my enemies, for they are many, and they hate me with violent hatred. 20 Guard my soul and deliver me; do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You. 21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You. 22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

 

Acts 13:16-41

Reader 9* Amen.  16 Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: 17 "The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it. 18 "For a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness. 19 "When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance-- all of which took about four hundred and fifty years. 20 "After these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 "Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Reader 10* Amen.  22 "After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.' 23 "From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Yeshua, 24 after John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 "And while John was completing his course, he kept saying, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'

Reader 11* Amen.  26 "Brethren, sons of Abraham's family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. 27 "For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. 28 "And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. 29 "When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. 30 "But God raised Him from the dead; 31 and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.

Reader 12* Amen.  32 "And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, 33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Yeshua, as it is also written in the second Psalm, You are My Son; today I have begotten You.' 34 "As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: 'I will give You the holy and sure blessings of David.' 35 "Therefore He also says in another Psalm, You will not allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.' 36 "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; 37 but He whom God raised did not undergo decay.

Reader 13* Amen.  38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. 40 "Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you: 41 Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and perish; for I am accomplishing a work in your days, a work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.'"

 

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Rock of Ages, righteous throughout all generations.

You are the faithful God, promising and then performing, speaking and then fulfilling,

for all Your words are true and righteous.

Faithful are You, Yahweh our God, and faithful are Your words,

for no word of Yours shall remain unfulfilled;

You are a faithful and merciful God and King.

Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, Who are faithful in fulfilling all Your words."

 


© 2004  Beikvot HaMashiach
(Followers of the Messiah)