Vayechi (And He Lived) B’resheet (Genesis) 47-50
Torah Portion: Vayechi (And He Lived) B’resheet (Genesis) 47-50
Haftorah Reading: I Kings 2:1-12
This Torah portion begins with a word that should be familiar to us all. It is “chai” or live/life. When we see this word in scripture it is usually followed by the death of the person mentioned. Here in our portion we see that play out. The point of the word then is not to dwell on the death of a person but rather to look at his life. Here in our portion we see this in Jacob’s life as he talked to Joseph and reviewed his life where G-d had appeared to him and his connection to the Land of Israel. In a way, telling Joseph and his sons that they too were part of that lineage, not Egyptian, but Hebrews with roots in the mountains of Israel. When we look at the names Joseph gave his sons we can see that this may have been a struggle for him earlier. In Genesis 41:51-52 we read where he named his first son Manasseh, meaning, “It is because G-d has made one forget all my troubles and my father’s household.” When we read these words we can read the hurt in the words and him looking forward to his new life. However in verse 52 we read the name of the second son Ephraim, meaning, “G-d has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” So in this name we can see that now Joseph sees Egypt as the land of affliction. What happened between the births of these two sons? Maybe Joseph remembered or began to realize that he was truly a stranger in a strange land and it would never be his home. This also speaks volumes to us. We must not become comfortable in the land of our affliction. We as G-d’s people have more to live for than the physical things of life. We are in the world but not of the world. John 17:14-16. We are to live life but life is so much more than things. Here in our portion today we see Jacob lay that out to his sons and also to his grandsons. It should also be clear to our spiritual mind as well. What will we leave behind as our legacy when we die? What will we pass on to our children, friends, even strangers we meet along the path of life?
Vayigash (And He Came) B’resheet (Genesis) 44-47
Torah Portion: Vayigash (And He Came) B’resheet (Genesis) 44-47
Haftorah Reading: Ezekiel 37:15-28
Tonight we read of the reunion of Joseph and his brothers after 22 years. This is also a fulfillment of G-d’s word to Avraham in Genesis 15:13-14 where He tells him that his descendents would be slaves in a strange land but He, G-d, would bring them out with great possessions. So here we see the beginning of that word from the L-rd. This time in Egypt was foretold to the patriarchs and was possibly passed down to Jacob by his father and grandfather. Evidently G-d saw these years of testing as necessary before the Jewish people could become who G-d planned them to be from the beginning.
Vayeishev (And He Dwelt) B’resheet (Genesis) 37-40
Torah Portion: Vayeishev (And He Dwelt) B’resheet (Genesis) 37-40
Haftorah Reading: Amos 2:6-3:8
Tonight we take a long look at Joseph’s life from his teen years to adulthood. Through these years we can see many things in his life that can speak to us directly. In the beginning we see a boy, the favorite of his father, who was given a beautiful coat. We see a boy who was not very perceptive about how to relate to his brothers. All this caused his brothers to hate him.
Vayishlach (And He Sent) B’resheet (Genesis) 32-36
Torah Portion: Vayishlach (And He Sent) B’resheet (Genesis) 32-36
Haftorah Reading: Hosea 11:7-12:12
Today we cover one of the pivotal events in the life of Jacob. He is about to meet his estranged twin, Esau, after 20 years apart. I’m sure the words of his brother are still ringing in his ears. We read them in Genesis 27:41. As Jacob got ready to cross the Jabbok, a stream that became part of the Jordan River, he made plans for the coming meeting. He sent messengers ahead to speak to Esau and to, if possible, placate his anger. He divided his band into groups, hoping if one was attacked the other might escape. He sent a vast amount of livestock over as a gift to Esau. Why do you think he did this? Was it to soothe the anger of Esau or was it to sooth his own guilt over the trick he and his mother had used to fool Isaac and steal the blessing from Esau?
Vayetze (And He Went Out) B’resheet (Genesis) 28-32
Torah Portion: Vayetze (And He Went Out) B’resheet (Genesis) 28-32
Haftorah Reading: Hosea 12:13-14:10
This week our Torah portion covers at least 20 years of Jacob’s life. We read of his journey to the home of Laban, his marriage to Rachel and Leah and the birth of 11 of what would become the tribes of Israel. Finally, at the end of the Torah portion we read of his return to the Land.
Tol’dot (Generations) B’resheet (Genesis) 25-28
Torah Portion: Tol’dot (Generations) B’resheet (Genesis) 25-28
Haftorah Reading: Malachi 1:1-2:7
Our Torah portion is devoted entirely to Isaac and his family. In fact this is the only portion that gives us much information about the second of the Patriarchs. In our portion we read of many similarities between Isaac and Abraham. Each had to face decades of childlessness, famine, hostile tyrants and rebellious sons. However, they were both very different. Abraham was constantly on the move. Isaac never left the land of Israel. Abraham spent his whole life as a shepherd. Isaac was a shepherd too but he also was a farmer. Abraham spent his life interacting with people, spreading his faith in God. We see very little of this in Isaac’s life. Isaac was a digger of wells. We read of his digging of wells here in this portion.
Hayei Sarah (Sarah’s Life) B’resheet (Genesis) 23-25
Torah Portion: Hayei Sarah (Sarah’s Life) B’resheet (Genesis) 23-25
Haftorah Reading: I Kings 1:1-31
Tonight we read a Torah portion dealing with death in that the passing of both Sarah and Avraham are covered. However, we also read of the purchase of the first plot of the land of Promise and of the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah. These sequences of events bring up a question that each of us must deal with in our life. To help us I would like to look at the life of Avraham and see how he dealt with what could have been crippling disappointment.
Vayera (And He Appeared) B’resheet (Genesis) 18-22
Torah Portion: Vayera (And He Appeared) B’resheet (Genesis) 18-22
Haftorah Reading: II Kings 4:1-37
Our Torah portion today covers a large swath of the life of Avraham, beginning with the appearance of G-d to him as he was sitting in the door of his tent. In this meeting G-d told Avraham His plan to give Avraham and Sarah a child in their old age and also of the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In this meeting we read of Avraham’s intercession for these cities, ending in their ultimate destruction after even 10 righteous people could not be found there.
Lekh L’Kha (Get Yourself Out) B’resheet (Genesis) 12-17
Torah Portion: Lekh L’Kha (Get Yourself Out) B’resheet (Genesis) 12-17
Haftorah Reading: Isaiah 40:27-41:16
In this Torah portion we become acquainted with Avram, who later became Avraham. It is in the first two words we learn a very important lesson for our daily life as G-d’s people. We have read the words many times before, but tonight I want us to look at them from a new perspective. The first two words in Hebrew are Lekh L’Kha. We usually translate this phrase as, “go out.” That translation misses completely the Hebrew meaning of the words. A clearer translation would be, “go to yourself.” What does that say to us in our life? From this phrase we can understand G-d wants us to become who we really are in Him.
Noah B’resheet (Genesis) 6-11
Torah Portion: Noah B’resheet (Genesis) 6-11
Haftorah Reading: Isaiah 54:1-10
Tonight we discuss the Torah portion Noah, a man described by Torah as a just man, perfect in his generation. (Genesis 6:9) The word translated as just is Tzadik in Hebrew. It can also be translated as righteous and the word translated as perfect is Tamay, also meaning pure. This gives us the picture of a man of principles, a good man, not swayed by the sin around him. He was able to maintain his connection with G-d even in the midst of a sinful world. This speaks to us about how we live in our world today. Are we swayed by what we see and hear each day or can we maintain our balance? Especially in our world today this is an important question we all face.