Vayetze (He Went Out ) - Part 1

This week's Torah portion is Vayetze, from Beresheet (Genesis) 28:10-32:3. In this portion, we learn about the twenty years of Ya'akov's life spent in Haran with his uncle Lavan. We see him leave the land of Kena'an, witness the dream of "Jacob's ladder", and read of his vow to YHVH. The portion continues with his marriages to the daughters of Lavan, the births of most of his children, his amassing of great wealth, and final flight from Haran back to Kena'an. This is an action-packed epic Torah portion. I won't discuss everything that happens, but we'll hit quite a bit. Let's get started.

Ya'akov stops to sleep on his way out of the land at a place that he later names Beit-El (house of God). It is here that he dreams of a ladder to Heaven with angels ascending and descending. The sages say that this was a changing of the guard in the angelic realm. The angels that were assigned to watch over Ya'akov in the land of Kena'an could not follow him out of the land. They ascended to Heaven and a new set descended to begin watching over Ya'akov outside the land. We see when Ya'akov returns to Kena'an at the end of the portion, that he once again sees angels. This is said to be the guard changing again, back to the original set.

Ya'akov fled Kena'an to get away from the wrath of his family. His brother Esau had sworn to kill him as punishment for Ya'akov's deceptions. It seems ironic that the man who is fleeing family because of mistreating them, attempts to gain safety by running to his family in another land. What he doesn't consider, is that Lavan puts his family first above all things; including his sister's family visiting from Kena'an.

Lavan does everything he does for the sake of his family. He deceives Ya'akov into marrying Leah so that his first-born daughter is not humiliated. He makes Ya'akov work an additional seven years so that he cannot leave and take his daughters away from him. He then convinces him to stay longer and care for Lavan's sheep. He gives him a job so he will stay close with Lavan's daughters and grandchildren. He knows that Ya'akov came with nothing and has a brother who wants him dead. If Ya'akov leaves and returns to Kena'an, can he support Lavan's daughters? Can he even keep himself, his wives, and his children alive?

Now let's look at the family that Ya'akov finds in Haran. He is welcomed into the house of his uncle Lavan where he expects to be treated as family. Instead, he gets treated as a stranger in the land. Ya'akov makes a deal with Lavan to work for him seven years in exchange for the right to marry Rachel, Lavan's younger daughter. Lavan agrees to the deal and puts Ya'akov to work. Ya'akov barely notices the passage of the seven years. As it says in the Scriptures, it seemed like only a few days. This is evidence that Ya'akov accepted the work as being enjoyable. As they say, time flies when you're having fun. He did not begrudge the work or consider it tedious waiting for the day he could marry Rachel. Very soon the special day arrived. It says that Lavan gathered all the men of the community for a banquet. He then, when it was pitch dark, brought his older daughter Leah to Ya'akov instead of bringing Rachel. Ya'akov didn't notice until morning. By then, it was too late. Haran had become the Las Vegas of the Bible.

At this point, you would expect Ya'akov to demand a divorce or to file a grievance with the city council, the sheriff's department, the homeowners association. Everyone who would listen to his complaint. Well, he did file with everyone who would listen. He realized, probably for the first time, that he was truly a stranger in this land. Lavan made that clear with the statement "In our place, that isn't how it's done..." Despite being family, he had been born in Kena'an to a man born in Kena'an, to a man who chose to leave Haran and settle in Kena'an. Ya'akov was not of Haran in the eyes of those present. He also remembered that all the men of the community had come to the wedding and seen him take Leah to the tent with him. He had no choice but to agree to Lavan's new deal of working another seven years for Rachel. But this time, Lavan sweetened the deal by allowing him to marry Rachel at the beginning of the seven years instead of the end. How generous.

To be continued...

Lekh L'kha

B'resheet (Genesis) 12:1-17:27

The title of this Torah portion is commonly translated as "Get Yourself Out" or "Go Forth". However, there is another translation or interpretation that gives an interesting perspective on the information in this portion. The Chassidic interpretation is "Go to you". I know what you're thinking. What is "go to you" supposed to mean? How does that make any sense? I'm glad you asked. Keep reading and I'll try to explain it with only a few short (or long) minor (or major) rabbi trails and random discussions.

Avram is being called to go to a place that is the essence of himself. The land he is leaving, Haran, is the land of his father, Terach. It is Avram's old nature. It is a land that has importance because it is the place of his family. His destination, Kena'an, is the land of Avram's new nature. It is important because Avram goes there. Prior to Avram's arrival, the land of Kena'an has no significance or special importance to mankind. It is simply another place like so many others. However, to YHVH, it is already a chosen place. He just hasn't revealed it yet. It is an example of YHVH's progressive revelation. I love progressive revelation. It always keeps you wondering what's coming next!

Avram has been called the first Jew. However, we know that is not technically accurate. After all, to be a Jew, Avram would have to be a descendant of his own great-grandson Judah. Unless Avram was somehow related to Dr. Who, I don't think that could happen. So the correct statement is that Avram was the first Hebrew. So what does Hebrew mean, exactly? Hebrew comes from the Aramaic word ibri, from the root word abar meaning "to cross over" or "to pass over". This is also related to the word eber meaning "one who traverses". So we can see that Hebrew means crossed over or passed over. Now that we've cleared that up, we get a few more questions.

What did Avram cross over? Avram made multiple crossings, both physically and spiritually. First, he crossed the Euphrates river to enter Kena'an. However, after doing so, he left again. Therefore, he had to cross over again coming from Egypt back into Kena'an. That's two physical crossings. Spiritually, Avram made an even more important crossing. Avram's father Terach made idols for a living. As such, Avram grew up being taught polytheism and idol worship. Whether he actually worshiped multiple gods or not is not mentioned in scripture. What is known is that at some point, Avram made the decision to worship and follow YHVH. This was a huge change from the culture of his family. This is also a strong example of the mercy of YHVH. He could have left Avram (and all his descendants) to suffer condemnation for idol worship. Instead, He chose to be merciful and deliver Avram to the Truth of Himself.

Why was Avram called to leave his land, his city (the place of his kin), and his father's house? Isn't that backwards of the way he would have to leave? You have to leave your home, then your city, and then your country. You can't do it the other way around. So why did YHVH state it the way He did? Since everything YHVH does has a reason, there must be some meaning we can get from this order. According to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, this order is indicative of a spiritual, emotional, and intellectual meaning. I'll discuss each item in the order below.

Land - Represents natural desires and base instincts. The Hebrew word for land, eretz, is related to the word ratzon which means will and desire.

City - Represents the influence of society and family - This is learned behavior.

Father's house - Represents intellect. Chassidic teaching says that intellect is the father within the man. Intellect has authority over feelings and behavior.

Using the explanations above we see that Avram was told to leave his natural desires and base instincts, his sinful nature. He is told to leave the learned behavior of his kin, idol worship and false gods. Finally, he is told to leave his intellectual knowledge (what he thinks he knows) behind.

Avram is told to go to a new place that would be given to him by YHVH. He was called to be a new man in a new place. That is what is meant by "go to you". He was literally going to himself, the new Avram. He would later even be given a new name.

We see this same concept in the B'rit Chadashah. We are called to be "born again". We are to leave our old man (our old nature) and cross over to become a new creation. We must leave behind our base instincts and sinful nature. We must leave behind our learned behavior from society. We must know the difference between right and wrong, moral and immoral. Just because something is called "normal" does not mean that it is right. The last step is most often the hardest and most people never make it. The last step is what makes us true Hebrews. We must leave behind our intellectual knowledge of Christianity or Judaism if it doesn't match YHVH's Word. Like Avram, we must accept His promise and covenant.

Like Avram, our journey after crossing over is not always easy. Avram went through troubles. When he first arrived in Kena'an, he found a famine. Avram was not yet ready for his inheritance, so the land was not ready to be inherited. He had to go to Egypt. While there, (as a result of his own deception),his wife was taken from him and given to Pharoah. YHVH, in order to get his plan back on track, was forced to send plagues on Pharaoh until he released Sarai. Pharaoh sent Avram away with cattle, sheep, donkeys, etc. to end the plagues.

When Avram went to Kena'an, he took his nephew Lot with him. As so often happens, having family along leads to trouble. Avram and Lot were both very prosperous and the land could not support both of them. There was not enough room for all their herds and flocks together. To settle the issue, the men agreed to separate and divide the land between them. Lot chose S'dom, despite knowing that the men were evil, "committing great sins against YHVH", because the land was good for grazing. It would allow him to become even wealthier. This simple decision for gain in the present led to a devastating loss in the future.

While Lot was living in S'dom, the king of S'dom and four others rebelled against the king of K'dorla'omer and his three allies. The four kings defeated the five rebellious kings and took their people captive, including Lot and his family. When Avram learned of it, he went after Lot and defeated the four kings with 318 men. Why does Torah tell us such a specific number of men? Is there some significance to 318? Actually, there is. The gematria of the number 318 means "Elohim's help". Therefore, this scripture can be read as Avram defeated the four kings with Elohim's help.

When Avram returns home after defeating the kings, he is met by Malki'Tzedek, the King of Shalem with bread and wine. The name Malki-Tzedek means King of Righteousness. Shalem means peace. Therefore, the King of Righteousness and King of Peace gave him bread and wine. Avram then gave him a tithe of all he had. I think it's pretty obvious who Avram met that day. If you are unsure, there are some good teachings on the subject available at www.tallitministries.com and a new one coming soon to rabbiearl.blogspot.com.

There is more in this Torah portion, but that will be for another time as this has already gotten much longer than I intended. Until next time, Shalom!

Parasha Re'eh - Devarim 11:26-16:17

Re'eh - see, behold, pay attention

The word re'eh is usually translated into English as "see". However, just like the word shema means more than just "hear", re'eh means more than just "see". Hebrew does not always translate well into English, not through the fault of the language, but through the diffence in mindset. Hebrew is understood with a Near-eastern cultural mindset that is different from our Western mindset. English often uses multiple words to convey a thought that Hebrew will convey with a single word. Shema is a good example. It is most often translated as "hear", but to a Hebrew mind, it means hear and obey. It is a stronger action verb than its common English counterpart. Re'eh is another good example. The Hebrew connotation is see (pay attention) and understand. In this week's Torah portion, it refers to spiritual vision. It is not enough to get the words that Moshe is speaking. He wants all of Israel to have a spiritual understanding of the meaning of the words.

This Torah portion begins like so many in Devarim, with Moshe talking about the blessings and the curses. Considering the blessings and curses are mentioned in almost every parasha in the book of Devarim, do you think they might be important? The common theme of the entire book is a simple promise: Obey and get the blessings of YHVH, disobey and get the curses of Egypt. It's your choice. That sums up the entire book. Since Devarim is a summary of Torah, that sums up one of the central messages of Torah as well. Notice that there is no mention of salvation in the summary. When one of my christian friends or relatives tell me that I can't be "saved by the Law", I tell them they are right! The Law (itself a terrible translation of the word Torah) is not about salvation. It is about obedience for the sake of the blessings of YHVH. You can receive salvation without getting the blessings and conversely, you can get the blessings with receiving salvation. Salvation is only through Yeshua Ha'mashiach (Jesus the Messiah for you Westerners). The blessings come from obedience to YHVH's written word, the Torah. Therefore, to receive salvation and the full blessing requires faith in Yeshua AND obedience to Torah. They are not interchangeable, nor are they contradictory. For too many years, Christianity has tried to say that "Jesus" did away with the law and we don't have to follow it anymore, as if Yeshua's presence can somehow replace Torah. That's the implication that they are interchangeable. Pull out the old part and insert the new improved one. On the other hand, Judaism has claimed that belief in Yeshua means abandoning Torah altogether. This implies they are contradictory. These arguments are two ends of the same lie. Torah obedience and faith in Yeshua are both necessary to receive the fullness of YHVH's blessing and salvation and to fully realize His plan for His redeemed people, Israel.

Moshe tells the people to put the blessing on Mt. G'rizim and the curse on Mt. 'Eival. He reminds the people that the mountains are across the Yarden (Jordan River), so they will have to cross the river to make the choice. If they are unwilling to enter the land, the decision is no longer theirs to make! The mountains are a visible reminder of the choice we must constantly make. It is also necessary for the people to walk on the mountains because of the statement in the last Torah portion, "Wherever the sole of your foot steps will be yours". Devarim 11:24 As soon as the people walked on those mountains to proclaim the blessings and curses, they became property of Israel.

YHVH commands the people to destroy eveything the dispossessed nations used to worship their gods. He tells them to destroy them on the high mountains, on hills and under some leafy tree. He is reminding them that the people in the land had many gods that they worshipped in many places. Unlike the people of Israel, the dispossessed nations had no understanding of the One True Elohim, YHVH. The people were told to tear down the altars, smash the pillars, burn poles, destroy carved images and idols, and exterminate their name from that place. YHVH's name is to be in one place; the place He will choose. The people are not to even try to learn how they worshipped their gods. As I said before, there is a spiritual aspect to all they are being told. We must destroy all the idols and false worship in our own lives. If we make something so important in our life that it is preventing us from worshipping YHVH, it is an idol that must be destroyed. If we have been worshipping falsely and we learn better, we must remove the false worship. As we learn more, we must remove those things we know were learned in error. For example, Christmas, Easter, "tattoos for Jesus". Even if these things were done in the past with a heart for Him, as soon as we know it is wrong, we MUST remove it from our lives.

I could go on with more teaching from this Torah portion, but I'm already late posting it so I'll stop here. I think I covered the most important aspects of the teaching. If you have any questions about what Moshe is teaching in this portion, just remind yourself of the main point. You have a choice, obey and receive YHVH's blessings or disobey and receive the curses. There is no middle ground.

May YHVH bless you and keep you! Shalom.

Parashat Ekev - Devarim 7:12-11:25

Ekev – because; heel; “on the heels of”

Ekev is often translated as because or if. However it also means heel or "on the heels of". This makes sense if you change the words of the opening verse to "On the heels of you listening to these rulings…". By reading it this way you can see that blessings follow “on the heels of” obedience. Picture a mother animal, such as a cow, with her calf right behind. The calf always follows on the heels of the mother. In this same way, if you are obedient to His commandments, you know that the blessings will be following right behind.

Two sections to the portion

This Torah portion is divided into two sections with two different stories. Moshe is using contrast to further the point that he's trying to make.

Chapters 7-8 are one section. This section begins and ends with "because".
Because you are listening…
…because you will not have heeded…

Chapters 9-11 are a separate section. This section begins and ends with defeating nations greater and more numerous than the Israelites.

Parallels and Contrasts between the two sections

Obedience vs Disobedience

Section 1 - Blessings and miracles of YHVH
Because you listened, YHVH blessed you.
Moshe reminds the people of Israel that YHVH blessed them in the desert by providing food and water. Their clothes never wore out and their feet never swelled. As long as they were obedient, the blessings continued. These blessings will continue as they enter the Land if they continue in obedience.

Section 2 - Disobedience of Israel
You rebelled and YHVH wanted to destroy you.
Moshe reminds the people that they often rebelled against YHVH or His appointed messenger, Moshe. Each time they did, YHVH punished them and even considered destroying them completely and starting over with just Moshe and creating a new nation. The people were saved only through Moshe's direct intercession. Moshe destroyed the first tablets containing the Ten Commandments because of the rebellion of the people. When he saw the golden calf idol they had made while he was on the mountain, he refused to give them YHVH’s commandments. It took 40 days of fasting and intercession by Moshe before YHVH agreed to give them the commandments again and not destroy them.

Promised Land

Section 1 - Land of milk and honey
In this section, Moshe describes the Promised Land as a near-paradise that will sustain the people and enrich their lives. The land provides wheat and barley, grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates, olive oil and honey. The stones have iron and the hills have copper. The people will lack nothing in natural resources when they enter the land.

Section 2 - Rain only if YHVH allows it

Moshe tells the people of the rains that will water the fields. The land is a good land through YHVH’s  blessing. He reminds Israel that the fields in Egypt had to be irrigated because it’s flat. The water stays in the rivers and doesn’t get to the fields without help. There are pros and cons to this arrangement;  while it takes more work to get the water to the fields, the Nile River doesn’t dry up between seasons. There is never a shortage of water. On the other hand, the Promised Land has hills so when it rains, the water runs down to the fields without man’s help. However, because the water comes from the hills only when it rains, without rain, the fields will dry up. Rain is a blessing from YHVH. If Israel continues to follow His commandments, He will continue to send rain in its seasons. As He said, He will send the spring rains and the fall rains. If, however, Israel is disobedient, He will stop the rain and allow their fields to wither and die.

Give YHVH Credit in the Proper Manner

Section 1 - Don't give yourselves credit for prosperity
Moshe admonishes the people to remember the commandments so we will remember YHVH. If we are unwilling to keep His commandments, how are we remembering Him? By being obedient and keeping His commandments, we are constantly reminded of Him. We can’t wear tzitziyot or eat kosher and not be reminded of where these statutes originated. Moshe reminds the people again that blessings and prosperity are results of obedience and His blessing. They (and we) are not to tell others and especially themselves that they have prosperity or blessings because of their hard work.  They are to remember that the blessings came from YHVH.

Section 2 - Don't give credit to YHVH for military victory and claim it's because of your piety
In the second section, Moshe discusses giving YHVH credit incorrectly. The people are to give credit to YHVH for their military successes against the people they are driving out of the land. However, they are not to claim they were blessed for their own piety and righteousness. They must acknowledge that it's because of their enemies' wickedness that YHVH has removed them from the land and destroyed them.

Both of these situations indicate boasting and self aggrandizement. The first includes taking credit for being prosperous instead of praising YHVH. The second gives credit to YHVH, but claims credit for deserving it despite being unworthy.

This Torah portion shows us a big change in how Moshe addresses the people. Beginning with 9:1, the "Children of Israel" are now referred to as "Israel". This is Moshe’s way of showing that it is time to be spiritual adults and take responsibility for being obedient to YHVH. The current generation that are about to enter the Land are the generation that were children when they became “the Children” at Mt. Sinai. All of that generation are now adults, both physically and spiritually. They were trained for 40 years as they grew into spiritual adulthood. They no longer have any excuses for disobedience. Moshe continues from the previous Torah portions to remind the people of what has happened during the last 40 years in the desert.

For more on Moshe’s discussion of the 40 years, check out the video of this week’s Torah teaching on the B’nai Israel Messianic Assembly Sermoncast site at www.sermon.net/bima.