Vayishlach (And He Sent)
Torah Portion: Vayishlach Genesis 32:4-36:43
HafTorah: Hosea 11:7-12:12
Over twenty years have come and gone since Jacob left Israel. His leaving and return are marked with encounters with angels. It is also marked by a Hebrew word that appears in both his going and coming. In Genesis 28:11 we read, “So he came to a certain place.” The word for “he came” is vayifga in Hebrew. In Hebrew today you hear the negative form of this word used frequently by children when they want to say, “don’t touch me.” So when Jacob left he encounters or touches a place. That place is where he has his dream.
Vayetzei (He Went Out) Genesis 28
Torah Portion: Vayetzei (He Went Out) Genesis 28:10-32:3
HafTorah: Hosea 11:7-12:12
John 1:19-51
Tonight I would like to start with a look at Genesis 29:1. In this verse in English it is translated as Jacob “went on his journey.” However the Hebrew is more like “he lifted his feet and went on his way.” Do we really need to know “he lifted his feet?” What is the Torah telling us with these words? Many times we look at our circumstances and resign ourselves to our situation. Jacob was in a pretty bad place. He left his home under a threat from his brother to kill him. Yet what did he do? He took control of his feet and went with purpose. He didn’t sit and think, “Woe is me.” Rather he set his feet to go where G-d was leading him. He rose above his situation and went on his way. He set his feet on the right road – as we must do in the situations we find ourselves in.
Toldot (Generations) Genesis 25
Torah Portion: Toldot Genesis 25:19-28:9
HafTorah: Malachi 1:1-2:7
Again tonight I would like for us to look mainly at the Torah portion concerning Isaac’s life. I want to especially look at the last days of his life. Let us begin by looking at Genesis 25:21 where it says Isaac pleaded with G-d for his wife because she was barren. They had been married for 20 years. What effect do problems have in our life? It depends on how we look at them. We can worry, become angry, or just give up. All these are ways we can react to issues in our lives. Here we learn a good lesson. What really brings peace to us and answers to what we are dealing with? Prayer. The Hebrew in this verse is quite strong. The verb would be to plead, entreat, urge. Isaac was pouring all he had into this prayer ad not just for a day or two but years. The Talmud gives an explanation for this barren condition. “Because the Holy One blessed be He longs to hear the prayer of the righteous.” Isaac and others in the Bible were drawn to prayer for their barren wives. What effect can prayer have on us? On G-d? For sure it develops that closeness between us and the Father such as nothing else can.
Chayei Sarah Genesis 23
Torah Portion: Chayei Sarah Genesis 23:1-25:18
HafTorah: I Kings 1:1-31
Tonight I want us to look at the Torah section and see what we can learn from these years of Abraham’s life. There are also several hints in this section about the after life and the resurrection. One of those hints occurs almost immediately in Genesis 23:1. In this verse there are words that without the vowel points can be read two ways. The same words occur in Genesis 25:7 where the text speaks about Abraham. The words are “shna chayai Sarah” and later “shna chayai Avraham”. As they are marked in most Hebrew Bibles they are read “years of life.” However, in the original Hebrew, without vowel points, they can also be read as two lives. If the text is read this way it can be talking about the after life or the resurrection. In verse 23:2 another hint occurs where the word for “weep” in Hebrew is written with a small letter in the middle suggesting that Abraham’s weeping was tempered. Suggesting Abraham as comforted by the fact that he knew he would see Sarah again. This is also stated in I Thess. 4:13 where Paul says we have a hope that nonbelievers do not share. These hints are more evident in Hebrew than our English translations.
Beresheet (In the Beginning)
Torah Portion: Bereshit (In the Beginning) Genesis 1:1-6:8
HafTorah: Isaiah 42:5-43:11
New Testament: John 1:1-18
For the next few weeks I want us to look at the Torah and the New Testament together to see how one compliments and illuminates the other. Where better to see this than here in Genesis and in John. They both start with exactly the same words, “In the beginning.” In fact I would think John had Genesis in mind as he wrote his gospel.