If you’re looking for Nixon watches, there are better places to Web surf. If you’re looking for Torah-based teaching, you’ve come to the right place! Here’s my complete-in-one-post commentary on VaYigash. Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
Our parashah for today is VaYigash, or, “and he drew near.” It covers Genesis 44:18 through 47:27. The most important theme I drew from the Torah portion this week is that of surrender.
Now, in the eyes of the world, surrender can only mean one thing: defeat. An inability to overcome the odds against you and succeed in spite of them. In essence, and put in the simplest way possible, surrender in our culture means giving up, losing, ceasing all struggles and accepting one’s fate.
Let’s take a look at how Dictionary.com defines surrender:
sur-ren-der
–verb (used with object)
1. to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand or under duress: to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods to the police.
2. to give (oneself) up, as to the police.
3. to give (oneself) up to some influence, course, emotion, etc.: He surrendered himself to a life of hardship.
4. to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).
5. to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.
–verb (used without object)
6. to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.
The question this week’s Torah reading forces us to examine is, Is surrender always a bad thing? What I’d like to suggest is that the quality of life that follows a surrender depends upon the nature of who one is surrendering to. If the person you are surrendering to is merciful and generous in victory, one can expect a life of ample provision and cheerful service. If the person you are surrendering to is, by contrast, harsh and without concern for the well-being of his newly-won subjects, then life can become quite difficult following a surrender.
The first surrender we witness in this week’s Torah reading is that of the sons of Israel to Yosef. Now remember, to this point, Yosef’s brothers have not recognized him for who he is and Yosef himself has not yet revealed his own identity. So when Judah steps forward to speak with Yosef and surrender to the mercies of the court of Pharaoh, Judah has no reason to expect a tender response. This potential for fear is reflected in Judah’s words, when he acknowledges that Yosef could have easily decided to have him and all his brothers killed if he wished.
Judah finally lays out the truth before Yosef; that the demand they leave Binyamin behind because of the apparent theft of an object belonging to the court, which Yosef had had planted there to bring matters to a head – to abandon Binyamin to Yosef would mean the death of their father Israel. Judah then offers up his own life in place of Binyamin’s, demonstrating a selflessness that has never before been present in the actions of the sons of Israel. He is surrendering himself to a higher authority and an uncertain fate, and in doing this, Judah, in the eyes of Yosef, is also demonstrating repentance; he is saying by his actions that he regrets being the cause of his father Israel losing one of his sons, and does not want to be the cause of Israel losing another.
This surrender tells Yosef a lot. It tells him his brothers regret their past actions which took Yosef out of their lives. It tells him they are not treating Yosef’s closest brother, Binyamin, with the same kind of jealousy with which they treated Yosef, because they are now willing to give up their own lives to preserve the lives of Binyamin and their father Israel. And it tells him that they are not doing this for show, because they know Yosef at this point only as Zephaneth-Paneah – the bread man of life and second in authority in all of Egypt only to Pharaoh himself. Since they do not recognize him as Yosef, the surrender is more meaningful, because they have no assurance of mercy.
Yosef’s response also confirms our suspicions of how time and The L-RD have healed his wounds as well. Last week, I suggested that Yosef no longer held any bitterness toward his brothers, because no one could hold bitterness in their heart and live before God and man as honestly as Yosef did. In this week’s reading, that suspicion is confirmed by Yosef’s actions; in response to the surrender of his brothers to the power and authority he holds over them, Yosef meets his brothers with mercy and forgiveness.
Genesis 45:2-8a
Then he broke down and wept aloud. His sobs could be heard throughout the palace, and the news was quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace. “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. “Come over here,” he said. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. These two years of famine will grow to seven, during which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God has sent me here to keep you and your families alive so that you will become a great nation. Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you!”
Imagine the shock and relief that must have gone through the sons of Israel! For well over twenty years, they had lived with the regret that comes from the foolish actions of their youth. They had carried the shame so heavily that they could never bring themselves to share the truth of their actions with their father. Instead, they had maintained the lie of Yosef’s death. And now, after years of not being sure if he was alive or dead themselves, before them stands the very brother they had thought they’d rid themselves of forever; Yosef is not only alive, but is second in authority to the most powerful ruler in the entire region, the Pharaoh of Egypt.
Furthermore, when Yosef reveals himself, he does not meet them with accusations of betrayal, rage, and bitterness, but instead is humbling himself before them, asking them not to be upset with themselves for what they did to him, because ultimately it was God who had wanted Yosef in Egypt, to preserve the lives of Israel and his sons.
Consider for a moment just how powerful a portrait of the Messiah Yeshua that Yosef now is. Yosef had been figuratively put to death; Yeshua was put to death. For a time, Yosef was hidden away and his whereabouts are unknown to his brothers; similarly, Yeshua has been hidden away, even as many people, both Jewish and even some Gentiles await another Messiah.
When Yosef stands before his brothers in this parashah, they fail to recognize him, until he reveals himself to them. And in the same way, many of us today, Jew and Gentile like, have Yeshua standing before us, yet fail to recognize who He truly is.
Zechariah 12:10, 13:1
“Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on all the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died … On that day a fountain will be opened for the dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and defilement.”
Just as with Yosef and his brothers, when Yeshua reveals himself to us, we will mourn and grieve that we did not recognize him sooner, and for all we have done to him. Yet, as the passage indicates, a fountain for cleansing from all sins and defilement has been provided. Just as Yosef met his brothers with forgiveness and restoration, so also will Yeshua meet us. For as long as we draw breath, we have time and opportunity for the Messiah Yeshua to uncover his face and make Himself known to us. All he’s waiting for is our willingness to surrender ourselves into his wise and caring government.
Before we leave this parashah, though, I want to draw your attention to the last chapter. After Yosef is restored to his family, the Torah relates how he went on to govern Egypt for Pharaoh.
We are told that at first the people came to Yosef and bought grain with money; when they ran out of money, they begged Yosef for mercy and Yosef agreed to accept their livestock in exchange for grain. When their livestock ran out, Yosef accepted their land as payment, and when they had nothing left, he made them servants of Pharaoh.
At first glance, such behavior does not seem very Messiah-like, and it does not seem to fit in with Yosef as a shadow of the Messiah. Yet, on the contrary, I believe the Torah is giving us a very clear picture of the Messianic kingdom.
In this picture, The L-RD is represented by Pharaoh, while Yosef represents Messiah Yeshua, he who sits at the right hand of the L-RD. Like Yeshua, Yosef’s mission is to do what? To build the kingdom. What Yosef does is slowly gives people a choice; surrender all they have and live, or hold on to their possessions and perish.
Ironically, once they have surrendered all they have, and have put Pharaoh in his place as their ruler, they receive all they have surrendered back to them, and more.
Is this not the mission of the Messiah Yeshua? Is this not our mission as well? We give people a choice, a chance to live and to serve a benevolent ruler who will bless them richly, and the choice, as with Yosef and Pharaoh, isn’t an attractive option: our choice is to perish.
Are we ready to follow Yeshua’s example? To build the kingdom of our L-RD, to offer hope and life and mercy to all who seek it, to those who would surrender all for the sake of eternal life? That is our mission, the mission of both Yosef and our Messiah Yeshua; let us all draw near in surrender.
Shabbat Shalom.
Tags: Nixon watches, Torah commentary, VaYigash
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 11:43 pm and is filed under Torah.
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My VaYigash Commentary
January 6th, 2009 by Craig Hansen
If you’re looking for Nixon watches, there are better places to Web surf. If you’re looking for Torah-based teaching, you’ve come to the right place! Here’s my complete-in-one-post commentary on VaYigash. Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
Our parashah for today is VaYigash, or, “and he drew near.” It covers Genesis 44:18 through 47:27. The most important theme I drew from the Torah portion this week is that of surrender.
Now, in the eyes of the world, surrender can only mean one thing: defeat. An inability to overcome the odds against you and succeed in spite of them. In essence, and put in the simplest way possible, surrender in our culture means giving up, losing, ceasing all struggles and accepting one’s fate.
Let’s take a look at how Dictionary.com defines surrender:
The question this week’s Torah reading forces us to examine is, Is surrender always a bad thing? What I’d like to suggest is that the quality of life that follows a surrender depends upon the nature of who one is surrendering to. If the person you are surrendering to is merciful and generous in victory, one can expect a life of ample provision and cheerful service. If the person you are surrendering to is, by contrast, harsh and without concern for the well-being of his newly-won subjects, then life can become quite difficult following a surrender.
The first surrender we witness in this week’s Torah reading is that of the sons of Israel to Yosef. Now remember, to this point, Yosef’s brothers have not recognized him for who he is and Yosef himself has not yet revealed his own identity. So when Judah steps forward to speak with Yosef and surrender to the mercies of the court of Pharaoh, Judah has no reason to expect a tender response. This potential for fear is reflected in Judah’s words, when he acknowledges that Yosef could have easily decided to have him and all his brothers killed if he wished.
Judah finally lays out the truth before Yosef; that the demand they leave Binyamin behind because of the apparent theft of an object belonging to the court, which Yosef had had planted there to bring matters to a head – to abandon Binyamin to Yosef would mean the death of their father Israel. Judah then offers up his own life in place of Binyamin’s, demonstrating a selflessness that has never before been present in the actions of the sons of Israel. He is surrendering himself to a higher authority and an uncertain fate, and in doing this, Judah, in the eyes of Yosef, is also demonstrating repentance; he is saying by his actions that he regrets being the cause of his father Israel losing one of his sons, and does not want to be the cause of Israel losing another.
This surrender tells Yosef a lot. It tells him his brothers regret their past actions which took Yosef out of their lives. It tells him they are not treating Yosef’s closest brother, Binyamin, with the same kind of jealousy with which they treated Yosef, because they are now willing to give up their own lives to preserve the lives of Binyamin and their father Israel. And it tells him that they are not doing this for show, because they know Yosef at this point only as Zephaneth-Paneah – the bread man of life and second in authority in all of Egypt only to Pharaoh himself. Since they do not recognize him as Yosef, the surrender is more meaningful, because they have no assurance of mercy.
Yosef’s response also confirms our suspicions of how time and The L-RD have healed his wounds as well. Last week, I suggested that Yosef no longer held any bitterness toward his brothers, because no one could hold bitterness in their heart and live before God and man as honestly as Yosef did. In this week’s reading, that suspicion is confirmed by Yosef’s actions; in response to the surrender of his brothers to the power and authority he holds over them, Yosef meets his brothers with mercy and forgiveness.
Imagine the shock and relief that must have gone through the sons of Israel! For well over twenty years, they had lived with the regret that comes from the foolish actions of their youth. They had carried the shame so heavily that they could never bring themselves to share the truth of their actions with their father. Instead, they had maintained the lie of Yosef’s death. And now, after years of not being sure if he was alive or dead themselves, before them stands the very brother they had thought they’d rid themselves of forever; Yosef is not only alive, but is second in authority to the most powerful ruler in the entire region, the Pharaoh of Egypt.
Furthermore, when Yosef reveals himself, he does not meet them with accusations of betrayal, rage, and bitterness, but instead is humbling himself before them, asking them not to be upset with themselves for what they did to him, because ultimately it was God who had wanted Yosef in Egypt, to preserve the lives of Israel and his sons.
Consider for a moment just how powerful a portrait of the Messiah Yeshua that Yosef now is. Yosef had been figuratively put to death; Yeshua was put to death. For a time, Yosef was hidden away and his whereabouts are unknown to his brothers; similarly, Yeshua has been hidden away, even as many people, both Jewish and even some Gentiles await another Messiah.
When Yosef stands before his brothers in this parashah, they fail to recognize him, until he reveals himself to them. And in the same way, many of us today, Jew and Gentile like, have Yeshua standing before us, yet fail to recognize who He truly is.
Just as with Yosef and his brothers, when Yeshua reveals himself to us, we will mourn and grieve that we did not recognize him sooner, and for all we have done to him. Yet, as the passage indicates, a fountain for cleansing from all sins and defilement has been provided. Just as Yosef met his brothers with forgiveness and restoration, so also will Yeshua meet us. For as long as we draw breath, we have time and opportunity for the Messiah Yeshua to uncover his face and make Himself known to us. All he’s waiting for is our willingness to surrender ourselves into his wise and caring government.
Before we leave this parashah, though, I want to draw your attention to the last chapter. After Yosef is restored to his family, the Torah relates how he went on to govern Egypt for Pharaoh.
We are told that at first the people came to Yosef and bought grain with money; when they ran out of money, they begged Yosef for mercy and Yosef agreed to accept their livestock in exchange for grain. When their livestock ran out, Yosef accepted their land as payment, and when they had nothing left, he made them servants of Pharaoh.
At first glance, such behavior does not seem very Messiah-like, and it does not seem to fit in with Yosef as a shadow of the Messiah. Yet, on the contrary, I believe the Torah is giving us a very clear picture of the Messianic kingdom.
In this picture, The L-RD is represented by Pharaoh, while Yosef represents Messiah Yeshua, he who sits at the right hand of the L-RD. Like Yeshua, Yosef’s mission is to do what? To build the kingdom. What Yosef does is slowly gives people a choice; surrender all they have and live, or hold on to their possessions and perish.
Ironically, once they have surrendered all they have, and have put Pharaoh in his place as their ruler, they receive all they have surrendered back to them, and more.
Is this not the mission of the Messiah Yeshua? Is this not our mission as well? We give people a choice, a chance to live and to serve a benevolent ruler who will bless them richly, and the choice, as with Yosef and Pharaoh, isn’t an attractive option: our choice is to perish.
Are we ready to follow Yeshua’s example? To build the kingdom of our L-RD, to offer hope and life and mercy to all who seek it, to those who would surrender all for the sake of eternal life? That is our mission, the mission of both Yosef and our Messiah Yeshua; let us all draw near in surrender.
Shabbat Shalom.
Tags: Nixon watches, Torah commentary, VaYigash
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 11:43 pm and is filed under Torah. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.