Bible Studies
Parshat Vayigash
“Then Judah came near unto him, and said: 'Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh.’” Genesis 44:18 (JPS)
“And we said unto my lord: We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.” Genesis 44:20 (JPS)
It is interesting that Benjamin was the only one that did not have a part in selling Joseph to Egypt. Benjamin was the one that Joseph told the brothers to go and bring back to him, the one who did not come from the beginning. Which one of the brothers has not come to Messiah from the beginning?
Genesis 45:3 is beautiful in a literal translation. “And Joseph saith unto his brethren, `I [am] Joseph, is my father yet alive?' and his brethren have not been able to answer him, for they have been troubled at his presence.” (Young)
His brothers have not been able to answer Him, because they are troubled at His presence. The word for “troubled” is literally terrified or startled. His brothers have not answered because they have been startled at His very presence. “Then Yeshua said to them, ‘Do not fear. Rather, go and tell my brothers to go to Galeela, and there they will see me.’” Matt. 28:10 (Younan) “And while they were speaking these things, Yeshua stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you. It is I. Do not be afraid. And they were confused and were in fear. For they were thinking that they had seen a spirit.” Luke 24:36-37 (Younan)
They have not been able to answer. They have never been able to answer.
“And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life.” Genesis 45:5 (JPS)
He speaks as though he is speaking to Judas. He does not absolve them of their guilt, but he tells them that their evil was used for good. But this is the whole house of Israel, not simply Judah. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 (KJV) “For I delivered to you from the first, as I had received it; that the Messiah died on account of our sins, as it is written” I Corinthians 15:3 (Murdock) Sin condemned Him, “for they have all sinned, and failed of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 (Murdock) No one is more guilty than anyone else. All have an equal share in the sin of Judas. Even Benjamin and Reuben who were not involved in selling Joseph were guilty because they had to be provided for.
“So he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said unto them: 'See that ye fall not out by the way.'” Genesis 45:24 (JPS)
The word translated “fall out” is ragaz, which literally means, “tremble,” “shake,” or “move” as in fear or sadness. It does not have to do with arguing. Joseph was telling them not to worry while they were on their way because they had his protection.
Jacob traveled from where he had been living to Be’er Sheba. There he offered sacrifices, and there Father made another covenant with him, a blood covenant, one that required action from Jacob and his descendants. “And He said: 'I am God, the God of thy father; fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.'” Genesis 46:3-4 (JPS)
“And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.” Genesis 46:5 (JPS)
“And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.” Genesis 45:27 (JPS)
Once it says that Joseph sent the wagons, then it says that Pharaoh sent the wagons. This is because Joseph’s authority was the same as Pharaoh’s authority. They were united in position and authority.
“And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron.” Genesis 46:13 (JPS)
Iob is the Hebrew Yov meaning “persecuted.” The name of the book Job is the Hebrew Iyov meaning “hated.” Is it possible that Yov is a short form of Iyov?
Job 1:1 says, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” (KJV)
It does not say that Job was a man of the land of Uz, but in the land of Uz. Jeremiah 25:20 is interesting relating to Uz. “and all the mingled people; and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,” (JPS) This relates Uz to nations surrounding Israel, especially in the southwest. It is possible that this is a nation in or around Canaan. This would be near where Jacob was living in Canaan. Is it possible that this bwy is the man written about in the book of Job?
“And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.” Genesis 47:7 (JPS)
“But it is beyond controversy, that the inferior is blessed by his superior.” Hebrews 7:7 (Murdock)
Jacob was superior to Pharaoh, even Pharaoh, who ruled the world at that time.
“And Pharaoh said unto Jacob: 'How many are the days of the years of thy life?' And Jacob said unto Pharaoh: 'The days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years.’” Genesis 47:8-9a (JPS)
The word “life” is the word chayi, which comes from the root-word chayah. chayah literally means, “to flourish” or “sustain life.” In a sense it means breathing. But it implies living in a way of being planted. So Jacob replies that he has sojourned. The word “sojourn” is magur, which comes from the root gur. gur means “to tarry,” “to travel,” or “to stir up.” “And He said unto Abram: 'Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years’” Genesis 15:13 (JPS) The word “stranger” is ger which comes from the root-word gur. Jacob is indicating that the prophecy has held true. They have been sojourners in a land not theirs.
“And Jacob said unto Pharaoh: 'The days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.'” Genesis 47:9 (JPS)
The way that Jacob goes back and forth between chayi and magur in this verse is very interesting. Is Jacob saying that the days of his life were few and evil, or the days of his being planted were few and evil? When was Jacob planted? When he was in Padan-Aram, perhaps? It also seems that Jacob is saying that they have not been as good as the years of his fathers, not simply that they have not been as long.
“‘Wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be bondmen unto Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.'” Genesis 47:19 (JPS)
The word “seed” is zera‘ which can mean the seeds of a plant, or it can mean offspring, or children. If the Egyptians sold their bodies to Joseph it would be his decision to allow them to have children or not. If Joseph was only interested in advancing his own people, he could have ordered the Egyptians and Canaanites to have fewer or no children. Not only that, but he could have excused this to Pharaoh by saying that the fewer people there were the easier it would be to feed them all.
“Only the land of the priests bought he not, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them; wherefore they sold not their land.” Genesis 47:22 (JPS)
Is this not exactly what Father does for His priests? He provides for His priests without them having give anything for it except their devotion to Him.
“And it shall come to pass at the ingatherings, that ye shall give a fifth unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.” Genesis 47:24 (JPS)
A fifth of the produce is the same as two tenths, or two tithes. So it is interesting that in Torah there are two yearly tithes, one for Father, and one for the poor, amounting to one fifth of the produce every year, the same amount that the Egyptians paid Pharaoh every year.
The Readings: Parshat Vayigash, Genesis 44:18-47:27. Haftarat Vayigash, Ezekiel 37:15-28. Tehillim Vayigash, Psalm 48. B’rit Chadesha Vayigash, Luke 24:33-39, I Corinthians 15:1-6, Hebrews 7:1-8.
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