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Parsha Page
Torah, Genesis 38:1-30
About that time Judah left his brothers and camped near a certain Adullamite
whose name was Hirah.
In Chapter 38 we see a distinct departure from the story of Yosef.
Sandwiched between two very well known phases of Yosef's life is the beginning
of the tribe of Y'hudah, the fourth son of Ya'akov. First, Y’hudah settles apart
from his father and brothers, and has three sons with the daughter of Shua, a
Kena'ani. His firstborn son, Er,
married Tamar, but Er died because he was displeasing to Adonoi. When Onan,
Y'hudah's second son takes her as a wife to fulfill a brotherly duty, he
mistreats Tamar, and Adonai takes his life as well. Y'hudah now has lost two sons, and instead of having his
third son marry Tamar as he should, Y'hudah sent her back to live with her
father as a widow.
Long after, his wife died. Y'hudah and his friend Hirah traveled to the
area where Tamar lived to his sheepshearers. Tamar disguised herself and sat at
the entrance to a temple, Y'hudah thought she was a temple prostitute, and slept
with her. Tamar became pregnant from Y’hudah, who, not knowing that it was
Tamara that he had slept with, demanded that she be burned as punishment for
adultery. When Tamar brought forth proof that Y'hudah was the one who got her
pregnant, he admitted that she was more in the right than he was, because he had
withheld his son Shelah from marrying her.
When Tamar gave birth, it was to twins who struggled to be the firstborn,
as Ya'akov and Esau had. These two were named Perez and Zerah, and are listed in
Numbers 26 with Shelah as the heads of clans in the tribe of Y'hudah. It was
into the clan of Perez that King David was born.
Even though we find that Y'hudah treats others poorly, rather than as an
individual that has been created in the image of God, the Talmud claims that
Adonai blessed him because of his public admission of guilt against Tamar.
Qeriath, Isaiah
37:31-38:6
The king of Assyria is
threatening to destroy Israel, and take over Yerushalayim, and has acted
arrogantly toward HaShem. Yeshiyahu has been encouraging the king of Judah,
Hezekiah, to rely only upon Adonai for protection, and Hezekiah has prayed to
Adonai, praising Him, and asking for His deliverance, so that all the kingdoms
of the earth will know that Adonai alone is God.
In this reading,
Yeshiyahu reassures the people that Adonai has promised to save them, there will
be a remnant, and that they shall be renewed, coming forth from Mount Zion. The
king of Assyria will return to his land, and Adonai will protect the city for
His own sake, and the sake of His servant David. That night, a malach (angel)
went forth and destroyed much of the Assyrian camp. The king returned to his
land, where his sons killed him. At this same time, Hezekiah fell ill, and was
told by Yeshiyahu that he would die. Hezekiah pleaded with HaShem that he had
been faithful, and to let him live, at which Adonai granted him an additional 15
years of life. Da'ath, 1 John 2:29 - 3:10 |
Shalom