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Parsha Page
Torah, Genesis 32:4 - 33:17
Jacob sent messengers ahead
to his brother Esau in the land of Se'ir, the country of Edom,
Here we find Ya'akov (Jacob)
ready to return to the land of his father, Yitz'chak (Isaac). He has been gone many years, and now has wives, children and
flocks.
He is in fear of Esau, his brother, who
hates him because Ya'akov stole his blessings. He is sending messengers to
announce his return to Esau, and to find out how Esau will receive him.
The news is not good; Esau is heading
toward him with 400 men. Ya'akov prepares the entire camp for a possible battle,
and divides his households in such a way that if attacked, one group would be
likely to survive.
Amidst all of
this preparation, he prays for protection to HaShem. He then prepares lavish
tributes to Esau in an effort to appease him, and sends them ahead in several
columns.
That night, Ya'akov was left
alone, and a "man", presumably an angel from God, wrestled with him throughout
the night. At daybreak, Ya'akov insisted on a blessing, and was told that his
name would be changed from Ya'akov, meaning "deceiver", to Isra'el, meaning "to
prevail".
Adonoi later confirmed
this.
When the encounter between
Ya'akov and Esau finally occurs, Esau ran and kissed Ya'akov in greeting.
There is some debate regarding the
sincerity of Esau's kisses and subsequent tears. Perhaps Esau can see that
Ya'akov has been changed by his encounter with God. In any case, we do see the
brothers meet peacefully. Ya'akov presents Esau with large gifts, as if
acknowledging that he stole Esau’s blessing and now is trying to return part of
it. They part with Ya'akov saying he will meet Esau at Seir -but he instead
travels to Succoth, and finally on to Shechem.
Qeriath, Obadiah 1:1-21
Obadiah tells us of the
destruction of Jerusalem and Judah in 586BCE, at the hands of Edom, the nation
descended from Esau. The focal point becomes the Lords judgment over Edom for
their attack upon Israel. The reference to Edom becomes a reference to the
nations in general, differentiating between Adonai’s redemption of Israel and
punishment of all nations that oppose her.
Da'ath, Hebrews 6:13-20
The author shows us the
Character of God in His steadfastness in delivering on His promises. Through this, we find our Hope that we may live with Him
because of our faith on Yeshua HaMashiach. He also affirms the principle from
the Torah that our hope is carried through to what goes on inside the parokhet,
or curtain. There were actually two curtains; the curtain that divides the Holy
Place from the outer court, and the parokhet that divides the Especially Holy
Place that contains the Ark of Testimony from the Holy Place.
It is in these places that
the Cohanim, especially the Cohen Gadol, minister to HaShem according to His
mitzvoth.
The author continues, telling us that
Yeshua has entered into the Holy Places, becoming a Cohen Gadol for all
eternity.
Torah tells of the
responsibility of the Cohanim to follow HaShem's mitzvoth completely, and the
responsibility of the people to provide for the Cohanim and Levi'im. Qeriath
declares that the reason for the punishment of Isra'el is that the Cohanim and
the people did not follow Adonai's commands, and left Him. Da'ath affirms that
even after the death and resurrection of Yeshua, we are to follow the commands
given in Torah portion. Igereth shows again the importance of the Levitical
priesthood and their actions in the Holy Places. The fact that Yeshua has
entered the Holy Place in heaven just acts to affirm the importance and
relevance of Torah even more.
Igarath, Hebrews 12:1-11
The author has completed his
discussion of the great men and women of faith. Now, he encourages us to put
aside sin, since it hampers our progress, and to live with endurance as if we
were runners in a race. Yeshua is described as the beginning and completion of
the faith required to run the race with endurance. He has accepted the
punishment for our sin, so that we may maintain our strength. In turn, we are to
accept the discipline of Adonoi, since He disciplines us out of love, for our
own benefit. This discipline will bring the fruit of righteousness, if we allow
ourselves to be trained by it. Verse 4 refers to resisting sin to the point of
shedding blood - could this be a reference to the offerings required when an
individual recognizes that they have inadvertently sinned? This is one of the
sacrifices that Yeshua took upon Himself for our benefit.
Conclusion
Torah shows a peaceful
reuniting of Ya'akov and Esau. In Qeriath we see that the peace does not last,
with Edom destroying Isra'el followed by Adonai’s judgment on Edom. Da'ath
affirms that even after the death and resurrection of Yeshua, we are to follow
the commands given in Torah. And Igarath shows Yeshua as Messiah, accepting the
punishment for our sin - not so we can continue to sin without punishment, but
so we can live holy, controlled lives, in obedience to Torah, to honor Adonoi.
Barukh HaShem,
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Shalom