WARNING: The text
used for my commentary is my own paraphrase and must not be
considered
“a translation” or authorative in any way. It is, in fact, simply my commentary.
Maps, when used, are from
BibleAtlas.org. Created
using BibleMapper 3.0.
Additional data from OpenBible.info. Source of Dates Used
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית • B'resheet
(“In Beginning” or “At First”)
The First Book of Moses,
Commonly Called
Genesis
Parashah 10: Mikketz
(Continued)
“At the End” • 41:1–44:17
(Small Roman numerals in the text indicate each
'aliyah.)
5. Benjamin Goes Down to Egypt (43:1-44:17) [1678 BCE]
d. Preparing to Return (44:1-2)
1Yosef
instructed the steward of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks
with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s money in
the mouth of his sack.
2Put my cup, the silver one,
in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with his grain money.”
So the steward did as Yosef had instructed.
e. Entrapment!
(44:3-17)
3At first
light, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.
4They had not gone far from the city
when Yosef said to his steward,
“Get up, puruse the men, and when you overtake them, ask them,
‘Why have you repaid evil for good?
5Isn’t this the cup from
which my master drinks and uses for divination?[5]
What you have done is wrong!’”
6When he overtook them
he spoke those words to them.
7“Why does my lord say
such a thing?” they asked. “Your servants couldn’t possibly do such
a thing!
8Look, we even brought
back to you from Kena‘an the money we found in the mouths of
our sacks. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your
master’s house?
9If any of us is found
to have it, he must die, and we will be my lord’s slaves.”
10“Just as
you say,” the steward answered. “Whoever is found with it will be
my slave, but the rest of you will be held blameless.”
11They each
hurried and took his sack down, and each man opened his sack.
12The steward began
searching, beginning with the oldest and ending at the youngest, and
the
cup was found in Binyamin’s sack.
13Then they tore
their clothes,[13] and each
man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.
(A: Maftir) 14When Y’hudah and his
brothers arrived at Yosef’s house, he was still there, and
they fell to the ground before him.
(S: Maftir) 15“What is this
you have done?” Yosef asked them. “Don’t you know that a man like me
can divine the truth?”
16“What can
we tell my lord?” Y’hudah said. “What can we plead? How can
we clear ourselves? Elohim[GN] has exposed the
iniquity of your servants. Surely we are now my lord’s slaves,
both we and also the one in whose posssession the cup was found.”
17But
Yosef answered, “Far be it from to do this. The man in whose
possession the cup was found, he will be my slave; but as for
you, return in peace to your father.”[17]
Blessed are you, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
Who has given us a Torah of truth,
and has planted eternal life in our midst.
Blessed are You, O Lord, Giver of the Torah.
Now that you’ve read Mikketz,
watch Rabbi Greg Hershberg’s teaching
(not yet available)
Blessed are you, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
Who selected good prophets,
and was pleased with their words
which were spoken truthfully.
Blessed are You, O Lord,
Who chooses the Torah,
Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,
and prophets of truth and righteousness.
Haftarah Mikketz is M'lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 3:15-4:1 Listen to it read from the Complete Jewish Bible
1 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into David’s city until he had finished building his own house,
Yehovah’s House, and the wall around Jerusalem.
2 However, the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was not yet a house built for
Yehovah’s name.
3 Solomon loved
Yehovah, walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places.
4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
5 In Gibeon,
Yehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask for what I should give you.”
6 Solomon said, “You have shown to your servant David my father great loving kindness, because he walked before you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you. You have kept for him this great loving kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.
7 Now, Yehovah my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father. I am just a little child. I don’t know how to go out or come in.
8 Your servant is among your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can’t be numbered or counted for multitude.
9 Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this great people of yours?”
10 This request pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have you asked for riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,
12 behold, I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, and after you none will arise like you.
13 I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you for all your days.
14 If you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
15 Solomon awoke; and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of
Yehovah’s covenant, and offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king, and stood before him.
17 The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. I delivered a child with her in the house.
18 The third day after I delivered, this woman delivered also. We were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, just us two in the house.
19 This woman’s child died in the night, because she lay on it.
20 She arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me while your servant slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead; but when I had looked at him in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I bore.”
22 The other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”
The first one said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” They argued like this before the king.
23 Then the king said, “One says, ‘This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead;’ and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’”
24 The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
25 The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.”
26 Then the woman whose the living child was spoke to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill him!”
But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.”
27 Then the king answered, “Give the first woman the living child, and definitely do not kill him. She is his mother.”
28 All
Isra'el heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
41 King Solomon was king over all Isra'el.
(alt) Z’kharyah 2:10–4:7
2 10 Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion! For
behold, I come and I will dwell within you,’ says Yehovah.
11 Many nations shall join themselves to
Yehovah in that day, and shall be My people; and I will dwell
among you, and you shall know that Yehovah-Tzva’ot has sent
Me to you.
12 Yehovah will inherit
Y’hudah as His portion in the Holy Land, and will again choose Yerushalayim.
13 Be silent, all flesh, before
Yehovah; for He has roused Himself from His holy habitation!”
3 1 He showed me Joshua
the high cohen standing before Yehovah’s angel, and
Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary.
2 Yehovah[GN]
said to Satan, “Yehovah rebuke you, Satan! Yes,
Yehovah Who has chosen Yerushalayim rebuke you! Isn’t this
a burning stick plucked out of the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was clothed
with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel.
4 He answered and ssaid to those who
stood before him, “Take the filthy garments off him.” To him he said,
“Hinneh,[GN] I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and
I will clothe you with rich clothing.”
5 I said, “Let them set
a clean turban on his head.”
So they set a clean turban on his head, and clothed him; and
Yehovah’s angel was standing by.
6 Yehovah’s
angel solomnly assured Joshua, saying,
7 “Yehovah-Tzva’ot
says: ‘If you will walk in My ways, and if you will follow My instructions,
then you also shall judge My house, and shall also keep My courts, and I will
give you a place of access among these who stand by.
8 Hear now, Joshua the high cohen, you
and your fellows who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign; for,
hinneh, I will bring out My Servant, the Branch.
9 For, hinneh, the stone that
I have set before Joshua: on one stone are seven eyes; hinneh, I will engrave
its inscription,’ says Yehovah-Tzva’ot, ‘and I will remove
the iniquity of that land in one day.
10 In that day,’ says
Yehovah-Tzva’ot, ‘you will invite every man his neighbor
under the vine and under the fig tree.’”
4 1 The angel who
talked with me came again and wakened me, as a man who is wakened
out of his sleep.
2 He said to me, “What do you see?”
I said, “I have seen, and hinneh,[GN] a lamp
stand all of gold, with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps
on it; there are seven pipes to each of the lamps which are on the top
of it;
3 and two olive trees by it, one on
the right side of the bowl, and the other on the left side of it.”
4 I answered and spoke
to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?”
5 Then the angel who
talked with me answered me, “Don’t you know what these are?”
I said, “No, my lord.”
6 Then he answered and
spoke to me, saying, “This is Yehovah’s[GN]
word to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’
says Yehovah-Tzva’ot.
7 Who are you, great mountain? Before
Zerubbabel you are a plain; and he will bring out the capstone with shouts
of ‘Grace, grace, to it!’”
Blessed are You, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
Who has given us Messiah Yeshua
and the commandments of the New Covenant.
Blessed are You, O Lord, Giver of the New Covenant.
Basar (Gospel)
Lukas (Luke) 24:13-29
Yeshua reveals Himself to two
talmidimdisciples at Emmaus (vv 13-32) (Mk 16:12-13)
13That same day
two of the emissaries were walking to a village called
Amma'usEmmaus, which was about seven miles[13] from YerushalayimYerushalayim.
14They were discussing
everything that had happened.
15As they
were talking with each other, Yeshua Himself came up to them and
started walking with
them.
16But they
were kept from recognizing Him.
17He asked them,
“What are you talking about as you walk along,
and why are you so sad?”
18The one named
Klofah, answered,
“Are you the only visitor to YerushalayimYerushalayim
who doesn’t know what’s been going on these past few days?”
19“What things?”
Yeshua asked.
They told Him, “The things about Yeshua
from NatzeretNazareth. He
was a mighty prophet in both word and deeds before God and all the people.
20The leading
cohenimcohenim and our leaders
handed Him over to be sentenced to death crucified.
21We had hoped that He was the
one who would redeem Isra'el. Besides all that, this is the third day
since these things happened.
22This morning some of the women
of our group amazed us. They went to His tomb early in the morning,
23and when they couldn’t find His
body, they came back saying that they had seen a vision of angels who
said that He was alive.
24Some of us went to the tomb, and
found it just like the women had said, but they didn’t see Him.”
25He said to them,
“Foolish men! So unwilling to believe in everying that
the prophets have spoken!26Didn’t the Mashiach have to
go through all these things and die before entering into his glory?”27Beginning with Moshe and all the prophets,
He explained to them everything in the Tanakh about Himself.
28They
came near to the village where they were going, and He acted like He
would continue on.
29They urged him,
“Stay with us. It’s almost evening, and the day is nearly over.” So He
went in to stay with them.
P’yilut HaSh'liakim (Acts of the Emissaries) 7:9-16 (specifically vv. 9-10)
9 “The patriarchs,
because of their jealousy of
YosefJoseph, sold him as a
slave into Egypt. But God was with him,
10 rescued him out of all
his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
who appointed him governor over Egypt and all his household.
11 Then a famine came over all the
land of Egypt and Kena'anCanaan,
causing great suffering, and our fahers couldn’t find food.
12 But when Ya'akov heard that
there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time.
13 The second time, Yosef identified himself to his brothers, and Yosef’s family was introduced
to Pharaoh.
14 Yosef then sent for his
father Ya'akov and all his relatives, seventy-five people in all.
15 So Ya'akov went down into
Egypt, shere he and our fathers died.
16 Their bones were brought
back to Shechem, [MAP] and buried in the tomb that Avraham had bought from
from the family of Hamor of Shechem for a certain price he paid in
silver.
The Blessing After the Ketuvei HaShalichim
Click here
to listen to this canted by
Jeremiah Greenberg of Messianic Liturgical Resources.
Page numbers refer to his
Messianic Shabbat Siddur.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
Who has
given us the Word of Truth and has
planted life everlasting in our midst.
Blessed are you O Lord, Giver of the
New Covenant.
The Blessing of the Messiah
Click here
to listen to this canted by
Jeremiah Greenberg of Messianic Liturgical Resources.
Page numbers refer to his
Messianic Shabbat Siddur.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
Who has chosen us from all peoples
and given us His Torah.
Blessed are You, O Lord, Giver of the Torah.
XI. Parashah 11: Vayigash (“He approached”) 44:18–47:27
A. Y’hudah Pleads for Benjamin (44:18-34)
(i) 18Then Y’hudah approached Yosef and said, “Sir,
please let your servant speak a word personally to my lord. Don’t be
angry with servant; for you are just like Pharaoh.
19My lord asked his servants, ‘Do
you have a father or a brother?’
20We answered my lord, ‘We have an
eldeerly
father and a younger brother, a child of his old age. The boy’s
brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
21Then you told your servants,
‘Bring him to me so that I may see him.’
22We answered my lord, ‘The boy
can’t leave his father, for if he were to leave his father, his father
would die.’
23Then you said to your servants,
‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face
again.’
24When we returned to your
servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.
25Then our father said, ‘Go
back and buy us some food.’
26We told him, ‘We can’t go
down there unless our youngest brother is with us. So if we go down
there, unless our youngest brother is with us we may not see the man.’
27Your servant, my
father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.
28When one left,
I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” I haven’t
seen him since.
29If you also take this
one from me and some harm comes to him, you will bring
down my gray hairs down to Sh'ol[GN] in
grief.’
30So if I come
to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us
— since his life is bound up in the boy’s life —
(ii) 31if he sees that the boy is not with
us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the
gray hairs of your servant, our father, to Sh'ol with grief.
32Your servant
became collateral to my father for the boy, saying, ‘If I
don’t bring him to you, then I will forever bear the guilt
of sinning against my father.’
33Now
please let your servant stay here as my lord’s slave instead of the boy, and let the boy go
home with his brothers.
34For how can I
go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see
the misery that would overwhelm my father.”
5. The text does not say
that Yosef practiced divination. It only says that the steward was
told to tell the brothers that he did. The brothers would
probably have expect such from the Egyptian Yosef was pretending to
be.
[BACK]
13. A token of his mingled
grief and horror at the discovery (cf. Gen 37:29; 2Sam
13:31; 2Kings 18:37; Job 1:20).
[BACK]
17. Here we can see Yosef’s
hope for his brothers’s repentance; but if they do not repent, at
least he will have his brother Benyamin there with him. It would
seem that Yosef set this in motion when he told his steward what
to do and say in verse 10.
[BACK]
Page originally posted on Wednesday, 06
October 2021
Revised on Monday 07 November 2022
Page last updated on
Monday, 02 October 2023 12:52 PM
(Updates are generally minor formatting or editorial changes.
Major content changes are identified as "Revisions”) ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!