November 30, 2024: Parashah Torah Portion Toldot - "Generations"

Shabbat: November 29th, 2024 at sunset until November 30th, 2024 (Cheshvan 29, 5785) at sunset.

Scriptures:

Torah Portion: Genesis 25:19-28:9 

Haftarah (Prophets): Malachi 1:1-2:7

Brit Chadashah (New Covenant): Romans 9:1-31

Rosh Chodesh Kislev: Saturday Night, November 30th, 2024

Restore Israel Team: Elihana Elia, Dr. Hadassah Elia & Devorah Silva

Last week's Torah Portion Chayei Sarah told how Abraham's faithful servant Eliezer sought a bride for Abraham's son Isaac from among Abraham's relatives living in Mesopotamia. In response to his prayer to the LORD, Eliezer was shown that Abraham's nephew's daughter Rebekah was chosen to be one of the great matriarchs of Israel.

This week's Parashah Toldot is about Isaac and Rebekah's family and how the promised Seed would descend through Isaac's son Jacob rather than through his older twin brother Esau. It begins like this:

"These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife."

Genesis 25:19-20

Isaac and Rebekah had been married for twenty years but were still without an heir to carry on the family line. Finally their prayers were answered and Rebekah conceived, though not without complications. When she inquired of the LORD about her travail, He told her that she was carrying twins that would be heads of two rival nations, but the younger child would in fact become the promised heir of the chosen people.

When the day came for Rebekah to give birth, the first child came out "red and covered with hair," so they called his name Esau ("hairy"); Then his brother came out with his hand grasping Esau's heel,  so they named him "Jacob", in Hebrew: Ya'akov: יעקב from the Hebrew verb: akav: עקב meaning "to take by the heel; to displace; to supplant."

Since Isaac was 60 years old when the twins were born (Gen. 25:26) and he had married Rebekah at age 40 (Gen 25:20), we know that they had waited 20 years for the birth of their first descendants.

The Torah describes that Esau became a hunter, "a man of the field," while Jacob was ish tam yoshev ohalim, "a wholesome man, who lived in tents." Isaac favored Esau, because he had a taste for game; but Rebekah, believing the promise of the LORD, favored Jacob...

 The portion then gives us a look at the spiritual life of the two boys.  Jacob was cooking lentil soup for Isaac, when Esau rushed in from a hunting expedition, exhausted and hungry. He then begged Jacob to give him some of "that red stuff" (ha'dom hazeh), but Jacob answered that he would give him some only if he would sell him his birthright.

Esau, profane as he was in his thinking, and concerned only with his immediate satisfaction, agreed to the terms and discounted his birthright as being worth only a "bowl of lentils" (on account of this incident, Esau was given the additional name of "Red", in Hebrew: אדוֹם "Edom", and some Jewish commentators claim that he became the head of Rome, though this interpretation seems unlikely. Nevertheless, as is stated in Genesis 25:34

"Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright." Genesis 25:34

The story jumps ahead to when Isaac had grown old and was nearly blind. Thinking that his end was near, he wanted to bless Esau as the family heir before he died. It seems that Isaac wasn't the best family communicator, since doubtlessly Rebekah had long believed Jacob to be the appointed heir, and Jacob had earlier obtained the rights of the bechor (firstborn) by means of the agreement he had made with Esau, over the lentil soup.

Nonetheless, Isaac instructed Esau to go off to hunt for his favorite food, after which he would then give him the formal blessing as the head of promised line.

Rebekah overheard the plan and sprang into action. She instructed Jacob to prepare a similar dish, dress in Esau's clothing, and cover his arms and neck with a goatskin costume to simulate the smell and feel of his more hirsute brother. Then he would pass himself off as Esau and thereby foist the blessing from his father.

Everything went according to Rebekah's scheme, and Jacob received Isaac's blessing (if even under such deceptive circumstances). To Jacob would be "the dew of the heaven and the fat of the land" and mastery over his brother. However, scarcely after having given the blessing of the bechor to Jacob, Esau returned from his hunt with a meal for his father. The deception was then made plain, but Isaac refused to revoke the blessing he had given to Jacob. All that was left for inconsolable Esau was the promise that though he would serve his brother Jacob, eventually he would break his yoke from his neck. At this point, Esau began plotting to murder his brother for his deception.

Upon learning of Esau's intention, Rebekah instructed Jacob to flee back to Haran to stay with her brother Laban until Esau cooled off. She then cajoled Isaac by insisting that she wanted Jacob to marry a woman from the old country - and not one of the Hittite women of Canaan. To his credit, Isaac listened to his wife and told Jacob to go to Haran and find a wife from among his cousins living there.

The parashah ends with the account of Esau's marriage to a third wife named Mahalath (a daughter of Ishmael), in a pathetic attempt to finally gain his parent's approval.

The book of Hebrews expands on the extent of the grave mistake that Esau made by giving up his birthright so casually:

"16Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. 17You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears." Hebrews 12:16-17

The fact that it states in the verse above that it was "too late for repentance" for Esau, speaks quite clearly that there is a line with YHWH, that once crossed, there's no turning back, it's too late. Therefore, we need to be very careful, and constantly evaluating our lives, keeping short accounts with ADONAI, always bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. As it is stated in Matthew 3:8-10:

"8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 3:8-10

We can never assume that by having professed as believers and followers of YESHUA the MESSIAH, or being Jewish and having Abraham as our forefather, that we're OK and going to heaven no matter what. No! It doesn't work this way, as the Bible clearly teaches! We need to be vigilant, constantly monitoring our hearts, our attitudes, making sure we are doing our best to be obedient to the LORD, so that we can bare forth good fruit that remains all the days of our lives!

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

This Proverb proved true in Esau's life, who at the age of forty, deliberately disobeyed his parents by marrying outside of the recommended family tree, two Hittite women:

"34When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah." Genesis 26:34-35

By marrying into pagan families through his wives, this turned out to be a very troublesome experience for Esau's parents, even though they had asked him not to!

How we treat our parents and honor them, no matter how old we are (Esau was forty years old), sets the course of our lives, either for a blessing or a curse:

"1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3“that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3

So let's choose life! Let's say YES to being obedient to ADONAI, no matter how we may feel or how it might not seem to make any sense in the moment. But let's do what is right in the sight of the LORD, to honor Him, humbling ourselves and yielding to the promptings of the RUACH HA'KODESH (Holy Spirit), so that we can bear forth much fruit - good fruit that remains! And in turn, receiving the blessings that come out of a heart that is obedient to Him!

The Month of Kislev: Rosh Chodesh Kislev, starting Saturday Night, November 30th, 2024

Rosh Chodesh marks the start of a new month in the Jewish calendar. On the Biblical calendar the month of Kislev כּסלו is the ninth month of the year (counting from the first month of Nisan), which this year begins Saturday, November 30th, at nightfall (Motzei Shabbat: After Shabbat ends).

The month of Kislev is one of the "darkest" months of the year, with the days progressively getting shorter and the nights getting longer. Indeed, the Winter Solstice often occurs during the last week of Kislev, and therefore the week of Chanukah (which straddles the months of Kislev and Tevet) often contains the longest night of the year.

It is no wonder that, among other things, Chanukah represents an appropriate time to kindle the lights of faith - and to remember the Light of the World, Who is MESSIAH YESHUA!

A Month of Dreams:

Chodesh Kislev is sometimes called the "month of dreams" because the four weekly Torah portions for this month contain more dreams than any other in the Scriptures! No less than nine dreams (of the ten in the Torah) appear in the four portions of Vayetzei, Vayeshev, and Miketz - which are all read during the month of Kislev. In the Torah, the primary figure connected with dreams is Jacob's son Joseph, who was nicknamed by his brothers as "that dreamer" and who was later named "Decipherer of Secrets" Tzofnat Paneach by Pharaoh (Genesis 41:45).

Joseph was able to authentically mediate the spiritual and the physical realms through the Spirit of ELOHIM within him (Genesis 41:38). Prophetically Joseph represents YESHUA the "disguised Egyptian" who likewise was rejected and hated by his brothers - but who later became their savior!

This year Chanukah begins Wednesday, December 25th at sundown. Chodesh Tov to you all, chaverim (friends)!

Remember that the Divine Light shines like a fire and yet does not destroy or consume. The light of the LORD does not necessarily take away the darkness but always overcomes it and shines within it:

"Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you." Psalm 139:12

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5

May this month be one of blessing and the Presence of the Divine Light of YESHUA HA'MASHIACH within your hearts! (John 8:12)

Amen and Amen!