Vayigash (And He Approached)
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Sfas Emes YESHIVAT HAR ETZION He Parsha Begins: "Vayigash Eilav Yehuda"
Vayigash 5765 Volume XII Number 14 Toras Aish Thoughts From Across the Torah Spectrum which would not apply to those who didn't live and own RABBI DOV KRAMER land in Egypt), it would be consistent with the notion that Taking a Closer Look Yosef was trying to help others do the right thing. And we would expect that, put in a position of power and nd Yosef said to his brothers, 'please come authority, Yosef would make every effort to reshape closer to me,' and they came closer, and he Egyptian society, and those living in it, to better follow “Asaid, 'I am Yosef your brother, whom you sold G-d's commandments. to Egypt" (Beraishis 45:4). Rashi explains that after One of the reasons given for the mitzvah of seeing that his brothers were taken aback after he had "milah" is that it minimizes the desire for physical identified himself, Yosef asked them to come closer so relations. Adultery (and other forbidden relations) are that he could show them that he was circumcised. One included in the 7 categories of commandments that of the questions many of the commentators ask is what non-Jews are required to keep, and the Egyptians were purpose showing that he was circumcised would serve, said to be "awash in licentiousness" (see Rashi on since (as Rashi pointed out on 41:55) Yosef had forced 20:15). The Yefas To'ar therefore suggests that the all of the Egyptians to become circumcised before he Egyptians weren't required (by Yosef) to physically was would sell them food. -
Parshat Vayigash January 7, 2017 Rabbi Vernon Kurtz
PARSHAT VAYIGASH JANUARY 7, 2017 RABBI VERNON KURTZ The custom to complete the weekly public readings of the Torah every year on the holiday of Simchat Torah finds its roots in Babylonia of the Talmudic Era. The Torah was divided into 54 sections or Parshiyot to allow for the completion of the yearly cycle with the reading of one Parshah every week. This week’s Torah portion, Vayigash, follows the story immediately told in last week’s Miketz. But, the Rabbis seem to be enamored with the old-time serial movies or the modern-day soap operas by leaving us last week with a cliff-hanger of a story and asking us to wait a week to complete it. Last week, towards the end of our Torah reading, the divining cup of the Viceroy of Egypt, Joseph, is found in the food sack of Benjamin. We know that it was a set-up by Joseph as he had instructed his servants to bring Benjamin back to Egypt and send the other brothers on their way to Canaan. The brothers refuse to leave the side of their young brother and are all brought back to stand before Joseph. At that point, the Torah reading last week ends and we are left on the edge of our seats to find out what happened. If this was a mystery novel many of us would not put it down until we knew what had occurred or we would look at the end of the book to find out what happened. Rabbi Zev Leff asks: “Why did the previous Parshah have to end with such a cliff- hanger? Why didn’t the Torah simply extend Parshat Miketz a few more verses and include the resolution of this story? Why do we have to wait a whole week -
Parshat Hashavua Yeshivat Har Etzion PARASHAT HASHAVUA
Parshat HaShavua Yeshivat Har Etzion PARASHAT HASHAVUA PARASHAT VAYIGASH By Rav Yaakov Meidan These are the Names of the Children of Israel – Names and Numbers Our parasha contains the list of the seventy members of Yaakov's house who came to Egypt. The list is rife with difficulties. I) Chetzron and Chamul These two sons of Peretz son of Yehuda are mentioned among those who descended to Egypt during the years of famine. The commentaries have already raised the difficulties concerning the closeness of events in Yehuda's life, which take place during the twenty two years that elapse between the sale of Yosef and the descent of Yaakov's family to Egypt. It will be recalled that Joseph was seventeen at the time that he was sold, thirty at the time of his appointment as viceroy, and that a further seven years of plenty and two years of famine passed before the descent to Egypt. During the course of those twenty-two years, Yehuda married the daughter of Shua, and begat Er and Onan. These two sons consecutively married Tamar and then died. 'Many days passed' before Tamar was deemed able to marry Shela. In the meantime, Yehuda married Tamar and begat Peretz. Peretz himself grew up, married, and begat Chetzron and Chamul who were among those who descended to Egypt. In other words, during the course of twenty two years, three generations were born to Yehuda and came of age, not to mention the 'many days' that Tamar waited in vain for the levirate marriage to take place. -
Manasseh: Reflections on Tribe, Territory and Text
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Vanderbilt Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive MANASSEH: REFLECTIONS ON TRIBE, TERRITORY AND TEXT By Ellen Renee Lerner Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Religion August, 2014 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Professor Douglas A. Knight Professor Jack M. Sasson Professor Annalisa Azzoni Professor Herbert Marbury Professor Tom D. Dillehay Copyright © 2014 by Ellen Renee Lerner All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people I would like to thank for their role in helping me complete this project. First and foremost I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the members of my dissertation committee: Professor Douglas A. Knight, Professor Jack M. Sasson, Professor Annalisa Azzoni, Professor Herbert Marbury, and Professor Tom Dillehay. It has been a true privilege to work with them and I hope to one day emulate their erudition and the kind, generous manner in which they support their students. I would especially like to thank Douglas Knight for his mentorship, encouragement and humor throughout this dissertation and my time at Vanderbilt, and Annalisa Azzoni for her incredible, fabulous kindness and for being a sounding board for so many things. I have been lucky to have had a number of smart, thoughtful colleagues in Vanderbilt’s greater Graduate Dept. of Religion but I must give an extra special thanks to Linzie Treadway and Daniel Fisher -- two people whose friendship and wit means more to me than they know. -
Tamar: Conscious Choices and Choosing One's Own Destiny
Tamar: Conscious Choices and Choosing One’s Own Destiny Parashat Vayeishev (Genesis 38: 1 – 30) Do you make conscious choices? One of our Torah heroines surely did. Tamar made a conscious choice following the deaths of her husband, Judah’s son Er, Judah’s next son Onan, and Judah’s wife Hirah. Tamar became a childless widow and it seemed as though Judah had no plan to allow his youngest son Shelah to marry Tamar, as biblical law mandated. Judah claimed that Shelah was too young and he could not risk losing another son. However, our heroine Tamar needed a child in order to claim a true stake in the household of Judah. So, she tricked her father-in-law Judah into sleeping with her during his bereavement. Posing as a harlot, Judah solicited Tamar’s services, willingly giving Tamar his signet seal, his cord and his staff, all of which clearly identified him when she would later proclaim Judah’s paternity for her twin sons Perez and Zerah. Not for love or for lust, but rather for a legacy into the future, Tamar made a conscious choice. She took initiative. She changed destiny. And, ironically, Judah admitted, “She is more in the right than I!” (Genesis 38:26) Judah had refused the rights of levirate marriage to Tamar. It all returns to making choices. Each woman on our sisterhood roster has made a conscious choice to join sisterhood. We are grateful to the women who choose to join sisterhood and our congregation, for choosing the path of leadership, and for sharing mitzvah time. -
The Order and Significance of the Sealed Tribes of Revelation 7:4-8
Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Master's Theses Graduate Research 2011 The Order and Significance of the Sealed ribesT of Revelation 7:4-8 Michael W. Troxell Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/theses Recommended Citation Troxell, Michael W., "The Order and Significance of the Sealed ribesT of Revelation 7:4-8" (2011). Master's Theses. 56. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/theses/56 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. ABSTRACT THE ORDER AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SEALED TRIBES OF REVELATION 7:4-8 by Michael W. Troxell Adviser: Ranko Stefanovic ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Thesis Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: THE ORDER AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SEALED TRIBES OF REVELATION 7:4-8 Name of researcher: Michael W. Troxell Name and degree of faculty adviser: Ranko Stefanovic, Ph.D. Date completed: November 2011 Problem John’s list of twelve tribes of Israel in Rev 7, representing those who are sealed in the last days, has been the source of much debate through the years. This present study was to determine if there is any theological significance to the composition of the names in John’s list. -
Brass Plates' and Biblical Scholarship
THE 'BRASS PLATES' AND BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP JOHN L. SORENSON One of the notable intellectual activities of the 19th and early 20th centuries was development of the view that the Old Testament was a composite of ancient documents of varied age and source. Although the origin of the view in western European thought goes back over two hundred years, it was not until the early decades of this century, with the triumph of an evolutionary view of history, that the logical extreme of the position was attained. Julius Wellhausen's phrasing of the "classical documentary hypothesis" then became orthodox for virtually all well-educated divines and secular scholars on antiquity.1 Four major strands of tradition—or early sources—were thought distin- quishable, particularly in the Pentateuch. These were variously considered actual original documents, or the distinct revisions of later editors, or the manifestations of separate bodies of tradition, first oral and then written. The earliest, or "}" strand was seen as fundamental, from which an "E" tradition diverged. Each had telltale stylistic differences and theological biases, especially in the preference for a different name for divinity—"}" deriving its designation from its common use of Jehovah (Yahweh), and "E" from Elohim. A third source, "P" (for Priestly), was held to present a tradition-conscious picture of a God distant from the lives and immediate concerns of men. The fourth source, "D", was identified as that emphasizing the Deuteronomic law.2 The Old Testament was seen as an intricate composite of all these separate sources or traditions. In its extreme form, the logic of documentary analysis on the basis of lexicon, style and content eventually led to distinguishing many more than four sources, all supposedly based on peculiarities detected in the text by one or more analysts. -
And This Is the Blessing)
V'Zot HaBerachah (and this is the blessing) Moses views the Promised Land before he dies את־ And this is the blessing, in which blessed Moses, the man of Elohim ְ ו ז ֹאת Deuteronomy 33:1 Children of Israel before his death. C-MATS Question: What were the final words of Moses? These final words of Moses are a combination of blessing and prophecy, in which he blesses each tribe according to its national responsibilities and individual greatness. Moses' blessings were a continuation of Jacob's, as if to say that the tribes were blessed at the beginning of their national existence and again as they were about to begin life in Israel. Moses directed his blessings to each of the tribes individually, since the welfare of each tribe depended upon that of the others, and the collective welfare of the nation depended upon the success of them all (Pesikta). came from Sinai and from Seir He dawned on them; He shined forth from יהוה ,And he (Moses) said 2 Mount Paran and He came with ten thousands of holy ones: from His right hand went a fiery commandment for them. came to Israel from Seir and יהוה ?present the Torah to the Israelites יהוה Question: How did had offered the Torah to the descendants of יהוה Paran, which, as the Midrash records, recalls that Esau, who dwelled in Seir, and to the Ishmaelites, who dwelled in Paran, both of whom refused to accept the Torah because it prohibited their predilections to kill and steal. Then, accompanied by came and offered His fiery Torah to the Israelites, who יהוה ,some of His myriads of holy angels submitted themselves to His sovereignty and accepted His Torah without question or qualification. -
VAYIGASH (And He Approached)
VAYIGASH (And He Approached) GENESIS (B‟RESHIYT 44:18 – 47:27) INTRODUCTION: 1. Despite the fact that Judah‟s history is checkered with unwise decisions, he acts admirably. a. Consider his choice of wife; his dealings with Tamar; his betrayal of Joseph. b. He made himself surety for Benjamin and acts appropriately when needed. 2. As far as he was concerned, to act in such a way was putting his life on the line. a. He still understands this man to be an Egyptian lord with life and death in his hand. b. Offers himself as a slave not knowing the one he spoke to was his lost brother. c. To offer himself as a slave in Benjamin‟s place reminds of Moses who said: “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin - but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” – Exodus 32:31-32 3. In both cases, the picture is the one is willing to sacrifice themselves on behalf of Israel. a. Reminiscent of something Paul, from tribe of Benjamin (Rom. 11:1), said: “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Messiah for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” – Romans 9:2-3 4. Ultimate example of the one who willingly sacrifices himself for the sake of brother is Y‟shua. a. As tribe of Judah, He made Himself surety to the Father for all Israel (e.g. -
1 the Story of Yehuda and Tamar by David Silverberg Towards The
The Story of Yehuda and Tamar By David Silverberg Towards the middle of Parashat Vayeshev we come upon one of the more perplexing episodes narrated in the Torah: the story of Yehuda, his three sons, and his daughter-in-law Tamar. The Torah (Bereishit, chapter 38) tells that Yehuda, the fourth son of Yaakov, begot three sons, named Er, Onan and Sheila. Er, the eldest son, married a woman named Tamar and died childless soon thereafter. Yehuda then instructed the second son, Onan, to marry his widowed sister-in-law, seemingly in fulfillment of the mitzva of yibum , or the levirate marriage, introduced much later in the Torah, in the Book of Devarim (25:5-10). This mitzva obligates one to marry his deceased brother's wife if the deceased bore her no children, and forbids the widow from marrying anyone else. (In practice, in such circumstances the brother performs a ceremony called chalitza absolving both the brother and the widow from this obligation.) Accordingly, Onan married Tamar, but he, too, died without children. Yehuda feared that his third son, Sheila, would suffer the same fate as his two older brothers, and therefore refused to allow his marriage to Tamar, despite the levirate obligation. Tamar, fearful that she would never bear children, posed as a prostitute and stood along the road as Yehuda traveled, so that he would hire her services and she would conceive from him. Yehuda indeed engaged in relations with Tamar, completely unaware of her identity, and gave her several personal items as collateral to be returned when he delivers payment. -
From the Rabbi
WINTER NOVEMBER 2017-FEBRUARY 2018 Chai Lights CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL • BERKELEY From the Rabbi Questions & Answers: Halakha This year during our very joyous celebrations of Simchat Torah, we had the unique P.9-10 opportunity to honor some of our shul’s most devoted life-long learners: Bella Barany, Yaakov Harari, Jory Gessow, and Preston Grant. Each has exemplified an unrelenting Preston Grant has been an independ- Laws of Chanukah attachment to Torah learning and ex- ent learner of Tanach for many years. P.11-12 hibited their resolute commitment to If you visit his home office, you will mastering areas of Torah study. quickly be struck by various charts, hanging around the room, which out- In my eleven years at CBI, I can line the literary structure of several hardly identify a single class that was chapters and books of Tanach. This not attended by Bella Barany as well is in keeping with Preston’s deep in- as by Yaakov Harari. Bella, as some volvement in CBI’s class on Psalms Gan Shalom P.04 know, learns at CBI’s Beit Midrash on that took place in our community long a daily basis, sometimes with a study ago, as well as Preston’s critical in- New Members P.06-07 partner and sometimes on her own. volvement in helping to create and launch M. Victoria Sutton’s classes on CBI Classes P.14-15 Besides attending classes at CBI, it the books of Tanach. seems like Yaakov attends any Jew- Calendar P.16-18 ish-related lecture at UC Berkeley as On the Shabbat right after Simchat well as other local Jewish institutions. -
Parshat Vayigash 5771 by Guy Izhak Austrian December 11, 2010
Parshat Vayigash 5771 By Guy Izhak Austrian December 11, 2010 This week, we are pleased to welcome guest writer, Dvar Tzedek alumnus Guy Austrian. Rock by rock, stone by stone, each one passed hand to hand along a human chain of young Jews and indigenous Guatemalans: our energy was high on this beautiful day during our AJWS delegation to rural Guatemala. We cleared a riverbed beneath shady leaves near the local school and later sat side by side, resting on the grassy banks and contemplating the footbridge we would soon build there together. I chatted with a young woman who worked at the school, trying out my rusty Spanish. She was curious about our group, and I did my best to explain who we were. I was feeling good about the human common ground we were establishing through our work together, until she demanded: “So why don’t the Jews believe in Jesus?” Suddenly I felt all our commonality hit a wall, one that would always divide us. This irreducible core of identity that separates us from the other peoples of the world gets its fateful start in Parshat Vayigash, in which the Jewish people become a collective entity for the first time: “The total people of the household of Jacob who came to Egypt numbered seventy.”1 Just seventy people—and right away they are set apart for special treatment. While Joseph is busy appropriating the livestock, land and labor of the starving Egyptians, he provides choice land and bread to the House of Israel, which becomes a numerous and prosperous people in Goshen.2 Later, the Egyptians will subject Israel to suspicion, oppression and slavery—one of the founding paradigms of Jewish nationhood.