Weekly Torah Lesson
Parasha: Va Yegash – and he drew near
Torah: Bereishit 44:18 – 47:27
** Yosef has reintroduced himself to his eleven brothers and has sent them to Canaan to carry his father, Yaakov, back to Mitzryim to join him. The grain famine has been raging for two years and has devastated the food supply for the animals. If the family could possibly hang on to survive the predicted coming three years, their animals would certainly be decimated and the family would be plunged into poverty.
45:25 And they went up out of Mitzryim, and came into the land of Ka’anaan to Ya’akov their father, 26 And told him, saying, Yosef is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Mitzryim. And Ya’akov’s heart fainted, for he believed them not. 27 And they told him all the words of Yosef, which he had said to them: and when he saw the wagons which Yosef had sent to carry him, the spirit of Ya’akov their father revived: 28 And Israel said, It is enough; Yosef my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.
** Notice in verse 27, “..the spirit of Yaakov revived..” and in verse 28, “and Israel said..” That “revived spirit” is the difference between “Yaakov” and “Israel”.
46:1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the Elohim of his father Isaac.
** Two hundred years earlier, when Avraham walked onto the Plain of Moreh and offered his first sacrifice in the land, the sacrifice of choice was the Olah or Burnt offering. This was an offering that was completely consumed by fire. Yitzak and Yaakov followed that tradition during their sojournings in the land.
*** “6 And Abram passed through the land to the place of Sichem, to the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7 And Avinu appeared to Abram, and said, To your seed will I give this land: and there built he an altar to Avinu, who appeared to him. 8 And he removed from there to a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he built an altar to Avinu, and called on the name of Avinu.” (Ge 12:6-8)
** Now, as Yaakov was camping at Beer Shiva, sitting on the edge of Canaan, he and his family break tradition and offer a “Peace Offering” to Avinu. A peace offering is shared by the “priest” that offers the sacrifice and the people that actually brought the sacrifice. There were seventy people, all of Yaakov’s family that participated in the Peace Offering. They were gathered around Yaakov as one unit; going into a strange land, not knowing when they were going to return but fully assured by the faithfulness of Avinu’s promise. They would return to the land in Peace!
2 And Elohim spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Ya’akov, Ya’akov. And he said, Here am I.
** Notice that Avinu “spoke to Israel” and called him “Yaakov, Yaakov”.
3 And he said, I am Elohim, the Elohim of your father: fear not to go down into Mitzryim; for I will there make of you a great nation: 4 I will go down with you into Mitzryim; and I will also surely bring you up again: and Yosef shall put his hand on your eyes.
** I think that the reason that Avinu called out “Yaakov” instead of Israel was to remind Yaakov about an earlier encounter, many years before he became “Israel”.
“ 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of Avinu ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, Avinu stood above it, and said, I am Avinu, Elohei Abraham your father, and the Avinu of Isaac: the land where on you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed; 14 And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and will bring you again into this land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken to you of. 16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Avinu is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of Avinu, and this is the gate of heaven. 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If Avinu will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall Avinu be my Avinu: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be Avinu’s house: and of all that you shall give me I will surely give the tenth to you. 29:1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.” (Ge 28:12-29:1)
5 And Ya’akov rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Ya’akov their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Paro had sent to carry him. 6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Ka’anaan, and came into Mitzryim, Ya’akov, and all his seed with him: 7 His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Mitzryim.
** Sometimes a little “reminder” goes a long way.
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