|
Tevet 14, 5762 /
Dec 29, 2001
Tevet 13, 5765 /
Dec 25, 2004
Tevet 13, 5768 /
Dec 22, 2007
Tevet 13, 5771 /
Dec 18, 2010
Tevet 11, 5774 /
Dec 14,
2013
Tevet 16, 5777 /
Jan 14, 2017
Tevet 14, 5780 /
Jan 11, 2020
Tevet 14, 5783 /
Jan 7, 2023
Vayomer
Eleichem /
He Said to Them
SCRIPTURES should be read first
(V.18) “Now
Joseph said to them on the third day, "Do this and live, for I fear God (Elohim)”:
“Elohim” is a name for God would not indicate his identity to his brothers.
“The rich
man's wealth is his fortress, the ruin of the poor is their poverty” –
Proverbs 10:15.
“The poor
man utters supplications, But the rich man answers roughly” – Proverbs
18:23.
People who
come out of poverty tend to trust their wealth and power, but Joseph feared God
when he was in poverty and a slave (v.39:9), and also when wealthy and in a
position of power.
(V.19) “Wheat”
is referred to as (Hebrew) “shever”, a “break” from hunger.
(V.20) “You
will not die” (they would not be under Joseph in Egypt) means that they
would be granted the food for which they came.
(V.21-22) “Indeed
we are guilty”: looking for the reason for their present distress, their
contrition was limited, admitting collective guilt only for ignoring Joseph’s
pleas. It is like saying, “We threw him into the pit, ignoring his pleas, now we
are being thrown into prison, our pleas being ignored.” In saying they were
guilty, they used the word “ashemim”, meaning sin through inadvertence:
Reuben refuted them, saying that he had warned them, but they wouldn’t listen.
Now, Benjamin, assuming that Joseph had not survived being made a slave, told
his brothers that they were seeing Joseph’s blood “as well” being brought
upon their heads – meaning God was bringing them to death for Joseph’s murder,
as well as for bringing their father in suffering to the gates of death.
(V.23-25)
Joseph had been using an interpreter for their Hebrew and his Egyptian. When the
interpreter left, they did not know that Joseph understood their conversation in
Hebrew. At the hearing of the details of the brother’s prior planning, and
present contrition, he left to weep. He returned, taking Simeon to prison; it
was Simeon who had said, “Look, that dreamer is coming” (v.37:19), and
who had thrown him into the pit. Reuben, as eldest of the brothers, would
usually be held responsible; but now it was learned that Reuben had tried to
spare his life, and Simeon was second-eldest. Joseph sent the others home with
grain, but secretly put their money in the top of their sack, so that when they
found it, they would be worried about being arrested for thievery and sold as
slaves!
When one of
the brothers discovered his money in his bag, they trembled, and exclaimed,
“What is this that Elohim (the God of Justice) has done to us?” Then,
upon telling their father the story, and opening their bags, they found that
they all had their money! Thus they were all terrified.
Jacob said
that he would not allow Benjamin to go down to Egypt: for he had been bereaved
of Joseph (the first son of his beloved Rachel), and if he were now to be
bereaved of Benjamin (the only other son of Rachel), there would be no life left
in him for further bereavement.
Prophetically,
Jacob (Israel) said: “I have been bereaved (the first destruction by the
Babylonians), I am bereaved (the second destruction by Edom/Rome – which is
continuing to this day), but I will be bereaved no more (the Messianic era will
follow).
(V.43:6) When
being questioned by hostile rulers, we should not offer more information than
required.
When their
food ran out, Jacob relented and let Benjamin go, with Judah’s guarantee of
safety (Judah had been bereaved of two children {v.38:7, 10}, and could
understand). Jacob said, “May El Shaddai (God Almighty / the
Creator-Judge who holds all power) grant you mercy”.
(V.11) As he
had tried to appease Esau, Jacob would now try to appease the Viceroy of Egypt
with gifts.
Prophetically,
Judah would be responsible for the safekeeping of all the sons of Israel during
the exile: Judah, along with Benjamin, and the Levites, kept the Word of God
available for the world. It is through them that we have our Bible.
(V.18) Being
very fearful, lest they were being brought to Joseph’s house to be dealt with
harshly out of public view, they stopped Joseph’s steward at the door to the
house, to proclaim their innocence.
(V.23) As to
say, “You were not brought here to be charged with a crime, but to be dinner
guests of my master. Have no fear, your money was recorded as received.”
The
connections between the Torah and Haftarah portions seem obvious:
Isaiah 50:10
“Who is among you that fears Yahweh, that obeys the voice of His servant,
that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of Yahweh and
rely on his God.” Do you live in awe of our great God, yet feel like you
cannot see the way through your present situation in life? He knows your past,
present, and future, and it is all in His hands: walk in His ways, and trust
Him. Consider Joseph – what way out from slavery and imprisonment could he have
seen? But he walked in God’s way, and everything worked for his good! And Yeshua
trusted to a horrific death on a cross, then obtained the ultimate glorious end.
Psalm 36:6-9
“O Yahweh, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men
take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. 8 They drink their fill of
the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your
delights. 9 For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we
see light.” By our natural senses we
cannot see where we are going in life, but by the light of God’s Word we see the
path and the destination. Only He preserves us throughout this life, and then
graciously gives us an eternal glorious life. We can see this exemplified in
both Joseph and Yeshua, and it is a guiding principle for us.
Luke 1:68-75
“
68
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished
redemption for His people, 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation
for us In the house of David His servant – 70 as He spoke by the
mouth of His holy prophets from of old – 71 Salvation from our
enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show mercy
toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath
which He swore to Abraham our father, 74 to grant us that we, being
rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, 75
in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”
Yahweh has visited us through Yeshua. He has been faithful to His word through
His prophets. He has provided for us salvation from sin. Now we are to serve Him
in holiness and righteousness. While we as believers need not fear retribution
for failures, we still need continual instruction in righteousness, daily
repentance, and growth in faith until the end of this life.
Commentary
on Psalm 36:
For the
conductor. Every Festival and every
offering was required to have the Temple Orchestra and Choir (Levites) sing
Psalms. Thus David gave the Psalms to the conductor. [This is why we sing Psalms
in the synagogue Sabbath and Festival services, which are patterned after the
Temple Sabbath and Festival services.]
But this word
(Heb.) “natzach” does not only mean musical conductor, but also “He who
causes the victory”.
The literal
villain of this Psalm may be Goliath, representing those who exult in their own
strength, not fearing God. After David slew Goliath, the women of Israel sang of
David’s conquests (1 Sam 18:7), but David, in titling this Psalm, attributed all
victory to God.
When David saw
the giant before him, with great weapons in hand, he knew that he could defeat
him, because he saw that “there is no fear of God before his eyes” (v.1).
The Evil One
says, “Do whatever you feel like doing; disregard any promised consequence that
you can’t see.” This is the “broad path” (Matt. 7:13) the masses take today;
there is no fear of God before their eyes.
A Psalm of
David the servant of Yahweh. Everyone who,
in the Torah, called himself “the servant of Yahweh” (including Abraham, Jacob,
and Moses), was later so addressed by God! David did not write Psalms of his own
accord, but every word represents the inspired thoughts of the God he served.
So
we are taught to “Let
the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and
admonishing one another with Psalms, and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, singing
with thankfulness in your hearts to God”
(Colossians 3:16), “Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs” being the titles of the
five books that make up the 150 Psalms.
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.
1 (Vayomer
aleichem Yoseph bayom hashlishi /
And-he-said to-them Joseph-{did} on-the-day the-third)
18 Now Joseph said to them on
the third day, "Do this and live, for I fear God: 19 if you are
honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison; but as for the
rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households, 20
and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified, and you
will not die." And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another,
"Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his
soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress
has come upon us." 22 Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell
you, 'Do not sin against the boy'; and you would not listen? Now comes the
reckoning for his blood." 23 They did not know, however, that Joseph
understood, for there was an interpreter between them.
Reader 2*
Amen. 24 He turned away
from them and wept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took
Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph gave
orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man's money in his
sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for
them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed
from there. 27 As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey
fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money; and behold, it was in the mouth
of his sack. 28 Then he said to his brothers, "My money has been
returned, and behold, it is even in my sack." And their hearts sank, and they
turned trembling to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"
29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they
told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 "The man,
Lord
of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country.
31 "But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies. 32
'We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the
youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.'
Reader 3*
Amen. 33 "The man,
Lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men:
leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your
households, and go. 34 'But bring your youngest brother to me that I
may know that you are not spies, but honest men. I will give your brother to
you, and you may trade in the land.'" 35 Now it came about as they
were emptying their sacks, that behold, every man's bundle of money was in his
sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were
dismayed. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have bereaved me
of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take
Benjamin; all these things are against me." 37 Then Reuben spoke to
his father, saying, "You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back
to you; put him in my care, and I will return him to you." 38 But
Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he
alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you
will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow."
Reader 4*
Amen. 43:1 Now the
famine was severe in the land. 2 So it came about when they had
finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father
said to them, "Go back, buy us a little food." 3 Judah spoke to him,
however, saying, "The man solemnly warned us, 'You shall not see my face unless
your brother is with you.' 4 "If you send our brother with us, we
will go down and buy you food. 5 "But if you do not send him, we will
not go down; for the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your
brother is with you.'" 6 Then Israel said, "Why did you treat me so
badly by telling the man whether you still had another brother?" 7
But they said, "The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives,
saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' So we answered
his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, 'Bring your brother
down '?"
Reader 5*
Amen. 8 Judah said to
his father Israel, "Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may
live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones. 9 "I myself
will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring
him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you
forever. 10 "For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have
returned twice." 11 Then their father Israel said to them, "If it
must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your
bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey,
aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 "Take double
the money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned
in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake. 13 "Take your
brother also, and arise, return to the man;
Reader 6*
Amen. 14 and may God
Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release
to you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my
children, I am bereaved." 15 So the men took this present, and they
took double the money in their hand, and Benjamin; then they arose and went down
to Egypt and stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with
them, he said to his house steward, "Bring the men into the house, and slay an
animal and make ready; for the men are to dine with me at noon." 17
So the man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to Joseph's house. 18
Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they
said, "It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time
that we are being brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon
us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys."
Reader 7*
Amen. 19 So they came
near to Joseph's house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house,
20 and said, "Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy
food, 21 and it came about when we came to the lodging place, that we
opened our sacks, and behold, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our
money in full. So we have brought it back in our hand. 22 "We have
also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put
our money in our sacks." 23 He said, "Be at ease, do not be afraid.
Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had
your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.
"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."
Isaiah 50:10 – 52:11
Reader 8* Amen.
10 Who is among you that fears Yahweh, that obeys the voice of
His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name
of Yahweh and rely on his God. 11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire,
who encircle yourselves with firebrands, walk in the light of your fire and
among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: you will
lie down in torment.
51:1 "Listen to me, you who
pursue righteousness, who seek Yahweh: look to the rock from which you were hewn
and to the quarry from which you were dug. 2 "Look to Abraham your
father and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain; when he was but one I called
him, then I blessed him and multiplied him." 3 Indeed, Yahweh will
comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will
make like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Yahweh; joy and gladness will
be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody. 4 "Pay attention
to Me, O My people, and give ear to Me, O My nation; for a law will go forth
from Me, and I will set My justice for a light of the peoples. 5 "My
righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the
peoples; the coastlands will wait for Me, and for My arm they will wait
expectantly.
Reader 9* Amen.
6 "Lift up your eyes to the sky, then look to the earth
beneath; for the sky will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a
garment and its inhabitants will die in like manner; but My salvation will be
forever, and My righteousness will not wane. 7 "Listen to Me, you who
know righteousness, a people in whose heart is My law; do not fear the reproach
of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. 8 "For the moth will eat
them like a garment, and the grub will eat them like wool. But My righteousness
will be forever, and My salvation to all generations." 9 Awake,
awake, put on strength, O arm of Yahweh; awake as in the days of old, the
generations of long ago. Was it not You who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the
dragon? 10 Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the
great deep; who made the depths of the sea a pathway for the redeemed to cross
over? 11 So the ransomed of Yahweh will return and come with joyful
shouting to Zion, and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain
gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. 12 "I, even
I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies and
of the son of man who is made like grass, 13 that you have forgotten
Yahweh your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the
earth, that you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the
oppressor, as he makes ready to destroy? But where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 "The exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon,
nor will his bread be lacking. 15 "For I am Yahweh your God, who
stirs up the sea and its waves roar (Yahweh of hosts is His name). 16
"I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My
hand, to establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, 'You are
My people.'" 17 Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from Yahweh's hand the cup of His anger; The chalice of
reeling you have drained to the dregs. 18 There is none to guide her
among all the sons she has borne, nor is there one to take her by the hand among
all the sons she has reared. 19 These two things have befallen you;
who will mourn for you? The devastation and destruction, famine and sword; how
shall I comfort you? 20 Your sons have fainted, they lie helpless at
the head of every street, like an antelope in a net, full of the wrath of
Yahweh, the rebuke of your God. 21 Therefore, please hear this, you
afflicted, who are drunk, but not with wine: 22 Thus says your Lord,
Yahweh, even your God who contends for His people, "Behold, I have taken out of
your hand the cup of reeling, the chalice of My anger; you will never drink it
again. 23 "I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have
said to you, 'Lie down that we may walk over you.' You have even made your back
like the ground and like the street for those who walk over it."
Reader 10* Amen. 52:1
Awake, awake, clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; clothe yourself in your
beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for the uncircumcised and the
unclean will no longer come into you. 2 Shake yourself from the dust,
rise up, O captive Jerusalem; loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O
captive daughter of Zion. 3 For thus says Yahweh, "You were sold for
nothing and you will be redeemed without money." 4 For thus says Lord
Yahweh, "My people went down at the first into Egypt to reside there; then the
Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5 "Now therefore, what do I
have here," declares Yahweh, "seeing that My people have been taken away without
cause?" Again Yahweh declares, "Those who rule over them howl, and My name is
continually blasphemed all day long. 6 "Therefore My people shall
know My name; therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, 'Here I am.'"
7 How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good
news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces
salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" 8 Listen! Your
watchmen lift up their voices, they shout joyfully together; for they will see
with their own eyes when Yahweh restores Zion. 9 Break forth, shout
joyfully together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for Yahweh has comforted His
people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 Yahweh has bared His holy arm
in the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the
salvation of our God. 11 Depart, depart, go out from there, touch
nothing unclean; go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who carry
the vessels of Yahweh.
Psalm 36 (To be sung.) For the
conductor. A Psalm of David the servant of Yahweh.
Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; there is no
fear of God before his eyes. 2 For it flatters him in his own eyes
concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. 3 The
words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; he has ceased to be wise and to do
good. 4 He plans wickedness upon his bed; he sets himself on a path
that is not good; he does not despise evil. 5 Your lovingkindness, O
Yahweh, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 6
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great
deep. O Yahweh, You preserve man and beast. 7 How precious is Your
lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your
wings. 8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and
You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. 9 For with You
is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. 10 O continue
Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright
in heart. 11 Let not the foot of pride come upon me, and let not the
hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the doers of iniquity have
fallen; they have been thrust down and cannot rise.
Luke 1:68-79
Reader 11* Amen. 68 “Blessed be the
Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His
people, 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house
of David His servant – 70 as He spoke by the mouth of His holy
prophets from of old – 71 Salvation from our enemies, and from the
hand of all who hate us; 72 to show mercy toward our fathers, and to
remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our
father, 74 to grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our
enemies, might serve Him without fear, 75 in holiness and
righteousness before Him all our days. 76 "And you, child, will be
called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to
prepare His ways; 77 to give to His people the knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins, 78 Because of the tender mercy of
our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 79 to
shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet
into the way of peace."
"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."
|