Nov. 29, 1999
The recent weekly Torah readings (the “parashot”) of Vayetze (“And went out”) and Vayishlach (“And he sent”), present several points that I would like to reflect on. The first is the birth of Joseph (Gen. 30:23-25), and the second is Jacob's prayer in Gen. 32:11-12.
“And she conceived, and bore a son, and said: 'God has taken away my reproach.'
And she called his name Joseph, saying: 'The Lord add to me another son.'
And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban: 'Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country'” (Gen.30:23-25).
During this past week, as I and three Ephraimite guests visited with a couple from one of the settlements in the heart of Israel, our hostess pointed to the importance of the visit “at such a time as this”. She then referred us to the above passage. Tears welled up in everyone’s eyes, as the dust from many generations of blindness was being washed off. The return of the house of Joseph, or Ephraim, to the land was not a threatening proposition to this pioneering lady, in this small town in the heart of Samaria. She had insight into the prophetic picture, in which Joseph’s appearance on the scene is a signal for Jacob to “go out” from the land of his exile. Thus, Joseph’s birth does not only signify the removal of reproach and shame off the wife who had been barren, but also marks the end of “galut” (diaspora) for Jacob, who returns to the “place” that he called his own “country”. At this point we are reminded of Jeremiah 31:15-17: “Thus says the Lord, ‘a voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the Lord, that your children shall come back to their own land’”.
Rachel named her first-born “Joseph” (from the root y.s.f.), so that God may add another son to her. But interestingly, just before she pronounced his name, she exclaimed with relief that God had removed her reproach (a.s.f.). In this context the meaning of this latter word, which sounds much like the former, y.s.f, actually constitutes its opposite. Rachel’s wish ultimately came true, but at the cost of her life. With her dying breath she named her second son Ben Oni - “the son of my strength” (it took all of her strength to give birth to him), but Jacob renamed him Benyamin (“son of the right hand”). This one was the only son to be born in the land, while the rest were all born in Haran. Benjamin was also the only one to be named by his father.
Our fellowship over potato pancakes (latkes) - a traditional treat for the up coming festival of lights (Hanukah) - was for those few fleeting moments a divinely appointed experience, as this very orthodox Zionist family welcomed long lost gentile-looking brother and sisters into their home, bringing to “light” a hidden mystery. The women were all weeping when we left, as if we were close family. Our hostess’s name happened to be Leah. And so, it was Leah from the House of Judah, who was welcoming Joseph the son of Rachel, who is truly being re-born.
Is it be possible that after so many generations of wounded hearts in the house of Jacob, between Leah’s family and Rachel’s, healing is taking place by the love and acceptance shown by the unloved older sister towards her once-despised younger sibling? Is that what were we experiencing in the home of Leah, as she reached out and welcomed into her home the Josephites? Are we beginning to see in today's reality the true working of the Spirit of the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac? Could it be that the kingdoms of this world, with its religious and political institutions, are being challenged, as Joseph's emergence means that Jacob is to leave his land of refuge with his whole family intact (“and Jacob came “shalem” – whole, complete or unharmed– to the city of Shechem…”, Gen. 33:18), and to return to “the place”, Beit El (the house of God), the land that God had promised to him when he lay upon the stone (ref. Gen. 28:10-17)?
This brings us to another point. Jacob's quick departure from his wives' family did not allow time for their father to bless them, and to say his good bye. So Laban pursued Jacob until he caught up with him, only to remind him that everything that he had obtained was actually his. It was after making a covenant that each of them went his own way. Following this episode, Jacob sees angels and names the site “Mahanaim”, which means “two camps” (Gen. 32:2). Having seen the angels and being divinely inspired to name the place as he did, Jacob came to realize, that his own household was divided by God into two camps. So as his brother Esau was coming to meet him, he proceeded to split up his family (as a precautionary measure which also turned out to be prophetic), according to the wives and their children.
Upon dividing his camp Jacob says: "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, `return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you'. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. For You said, `I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude'" (Gen. 32:9-12).
Jacob's dilemma is not unlike the one facing us today. The situation appeared grave, as Jacob was engulfed by fear of the reprisal of a brother, whom he thought hated him, and who was now advancing with four hundred armed men. His rational mind went into gear and he came up with a very interesting plan; appease the enemy by giving away one's own belongings. Or maybe put a few fleeces out there to check if God is party to the plan. We, as individuals, resort to these means almost automatically, but what is worse is that this approach does not stop here. We are also acting in this manner on a national level today. This is especially true in Israel, as we continue, stage after stage, to give up more and more land, with the expectation of preserving our life and deflecting the true intent of our brother, thus hoping to enjoy a better future.
Jacob’s prayer to the God of his fathers is quite revealing. On the one hand he fears his brother and asks God for deliverance, but on the other he is reminding God of His promise 20 years hence. He was now trusting in the faithfulness of a God that has yet to become his God. Remember the 'deal' (in Gen. 28:20-22)? In order for God to 'qualify' as Jacob's God, there were several conditions He had to meet, such as bringing Jacob back to "this place". Jacob, praying to the God of his fathers, not his own, is much like Eliezer, Abraham's servant who called upon “the God of my master Abraham”. God was not yet a personal God to Jacob. Many believers today are worshiping the God of the Bible, or the God of the Jews, or perhaps a Christian God, or some faith preacher's God, but yet lack, in their personal experience, a reality which allows for confidence in the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and one's own. We need to come to know Him personally through our God-given experiences in life. Returning to Torah and learning of the faithfulness and the love, which He intends to reveal through and to this generation of the "seed", is a good beginning. Like Jacob we pray, "deliver me"; "heal me"; "watch over me", but ultimately we will cease from the 'me prayers', and worship Him for His faithfulness as a covenant keeping God, especially when He brings us back as one family - "shalem" - to "Beit El", to the land.
Ephraim
"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity"
(Ps. 133:1).
The recent weekly Torah readings (the “parashot”) of Vayetze (“And went out”) and Vayishlach (“And he sent”), present several points that I would like to reflect on. The first is the birth of Joseph (Gen. 30:23-25), and the second is Jacob's prayer in Gen. 32:11-12.
“And she conceived, and bore a son, and said: 'God has taken away my reproach.'
And she called his name Joseph, saying: 'The Lord add to me another son.'
And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban: 'Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country'” (Gen.30:23-25).
During this past week, as I and three Ephraimite guests visited with a couple from one of the settlements in the heart of Israel, our hostess pointed to the importance of the visit “at such a time as this”. She then referred us to the above passage. Tears welled up in everyone’s eyes, as the dust from many generations of blindness was being washed off. The return of the house of Joseph, or Ephraim, to the land was not a threatening proposition to this pioneering lady, in this small town in the heart of Samaria. She had insight into the prophetic picture, in which Joseph’s appearance on the scene is a signal for Jacob to “go out” from the land of his exile. Thus, Joseph’s birth does not only signify the removal of reproach and shame off the wife who had been barren, but also marks the end of “galut” (diaspora) for Jacob, who returns to the “place” that he called his own “country”. At this point we are reminded of Jeremiah 31:15-17: “Thus says the Lord, ‘a voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the Lord, that your children shall come back to their own land’”.
Rachel named her first-born “Joseph” (from the root y.s.f.), so that God may add another son to her. But interestingly, just before she pronounced his name, she exclaimed with relief that God had removed her reproach (a.s.f.). In this context the meaning of this latter word, which sounds much like the former, y.s.f, actually constitutes its opposite. Rachel’s wish ultimately came true, but at the cost of her life. With her dying breath she named her second son Ben Oni - “the son of my strength” (it took all of her strength to give birth to him), but Jacob renamed him Benyamin (“son of the right hand”). This one was the only son to be born in the land, while the rest were all born in Haran. Benjamin was also the only one to be named by his father.
Our fellowship over potato pancakes (latkes) - a traditional treat for the up coming festival of lights (Hanukah) - was for those few fleeting moments a divinely appointed experience, as this very orthodox Zionist family welcomed long lost gentile-looking brother and sisters into their home, bringing to “light” a hidden mystery. The women were all weeping when we left, as if we were close family. Our hostess’s name happened to be Leah. And so, it was Leah from the House of Judah, who was welcoming Joseph the son of Rachel, who is truly being re-born.
Is it be possible that after so many generations of wounded hearts in the house of Jacob, between Leah’s family and Rachel’s, healing is taking place by the love and acceptance shown by the unloved older sister towards her once-despised younger sibling? Is that what were we experiencing in the home of Leah, as she reached out and welcomed into her home the Josephites? Are we beginning to see in today's reality the true working of the Spirit of the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac? Could it be that the kingdoms of this world, with its religious and political institutions, are being challenged, as Joseph's emergence means that Jacob is to leave his land of refuge with his whole family intact (“and Jacob came “shalem” – whole, complete or unharmed– to the city of Shechem…”, Gen. 33:18), and to return to “the place”, Beit El (the house of God), the land that God had promised to him when he lay upon the stone (ref. Gen. 28:10-17)?
This brings us to another point. Jacob's quick departure from his wives' family did not allow time for their father to bless them, and to say his good bye. So Laban pursued Jacob until he caught up with him, only to remind him that everything that he had obtained was actually his. It was after making a covenant that each of them went his own way. Following this episode, Jacob sees angels and names the site “Mahanaim”, which means “two camps” (Gen. 32:2). Having seen the angels and being divinely inspired to name the place as he did, Jacob came to realize, that his own household was divided by God into two camps. So as his brother Esau was coming to meet him, he proceeded to split up his family (as a precautionary measure which also turned out to be prophetic), according to the wives and their children.
Upon dividing his camp Jacob says: "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, `return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you'. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. For You said, `I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude'" (Gen. 32:9-12).
Jacob's dilemma is not unlike the one facing us today. The situation appeared grave, as Jacob was engulfed by fear of the reprisal of a brother, whom he thought hated him, and who was now advancing with four hundred armed men. His rational mind went into gear and he came up with a very interesting plan; appease the enemy by giving away one's own belongings. Or maybe put a few fleeces out there to check if God is party to the plan. We, as individuals, resort to these means almost automatically, but what is worse is that this approach does not stop here. We are also acting in this manner on a national level today. This is especially true in Israel, as we continue, stage after stage, to give up more and more land, with the expectation of preserving our life and deflecting the true intent of our brother, thus hoping to enjoy a better future.
Jacob’s prayer to the God of his fathers is quite revealing. On the one hand he fears his brother and asks God for deliverance, but on the other he is reminding God of His promise 20 years hence. He was now trusting in the faithfulness of a God that has yet to become his God. Remember the 'deal' (in Gen. 28:20-22)? In order for God to 'qualify' as Jacob's God, there were several conditions He had to meet, such as bringing Jacob back to "this place". Jacob, praying to the God of his fathers, not his own, is much like Eliezer, Abraham's servant who called upon “the God of my master Abraham”. God was not yet a personal God to Jacob. Many believers today are worshiping the God of the Bible, or the God of the Jews, or perhaps a Christian God, or some faith preacher's God, but yet lack, in their personal experience, a reality which allows for confidence in the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and one's own. We need to come to know Him personally through our God-given experiences in life. Returning to Torah and learning of the faithfulness and the love, which He intends to reveal through and to this generation of the "seed", is a good beginning. Like Jacob we pray, "deliver me"; "heal me"; "watch over me", but ultimately we will cease from the 'me prayers', and worship Him for His faithfulness as a covenant keeping God, especially when He brings us back as one family - "shalem" - to "Beit El", to the land.
Ephraim
"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity"
(Ps. 133:1).
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