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Irrevocably Zionist
ב״ה
“… out of Tziyon will go forth Torah, the word of ADONAI from Yerushalayim.”
(Isaiah 2:3)

The summary of the entire Torah is as simple as this:
Love what HaShem loves; hate what HaShem hates. All else is commentary.

Please read the Introductory Notes to this commentary.

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


~ 44 ~

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.

 
[TO PARASHAH TOP] 
 

(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]

[Continue Reading Chapter 44]


The Blessing After Torah

Click here to listen to this canted by
Cantor Kenneth B. Cohen of
Temple Sholom, Greenwich, CT
Ba-rookh ah-tah Adonai, eh-lo-hay-noo
meh-lech hah-oh­lahm,
ah-sher nah-tahn la-noo toe-raht eh-met,
v’cha-yaye oh-lahm nah-tah b’toe-chay-noo.
Ba-rookh ah-tah Adonai,  no-tain ha-to-rah.

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)

 
[TO PARASHAH TOP] 
 


Haftarah

The Blessing of the Haftarah
(Weekly Portion from the Prophets)

Click here to listen to this canted
by an unknown cantor from
Temple Mount Sinai in El Paso, TX.

Ba-rookh, ah-tah Adonai, eh-lo-hay-noo,
meh-lekh hah-oh­lahm,
ah-sher ba-khar been-vee-eem toe-veem,
v’rah-tzah b’deev­ray-hem,
ha-neh-eh-ma-reem, beh-eh-meht.

Ba-rookh ah-tah, Adonai,
ha-bo-char ba-to-rah,
oo-v’Mo-sheh ahv-doe, oo-v'yees­ra-ale ah-mo,
oo-veen-vee-aye hah-eh-met, vah-tzeh-dek.

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

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. However, the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was not yet a house built for Yehovah’s name. Solomon loved Yehovah, walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. In Gibeon, Yehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask for what I should give you.”

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. 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. Your servant is among your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can’t be numbered or counted for multitude. 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.

4 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. 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?”

Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel. 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.”

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.

Yehovah’s angel solomnly assured Joshua, saying, “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. 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. 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. 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; and two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl, and the other on the left side of it.”

I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?”

Then the angel who talked with me answered me, “Don’t you know what these are?”

I said, “No, my lord.”

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. 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!’”

 
[TO PARASHAH TOP] 
 


Ketuvei HaShalichim (Apostolic Writings)

The Blessing of 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.
Bah-rookh ah-tah Adonai, Eh-lo-hay-noo
meh-lekh hah-oh­lahm,
ah-shehr nah-tahn la-noo mah-she-ahch Yeshua,
v’ha-deeb­rote shell Ha-breet Ha-kha-da-shah,
ba-rookh ah-ta Adonai,
no­tain Hah-breet Hah-kha-da-shah.

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?”

19What 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.

 
[TO PARASHAH TOP] 
 

Kepherim: Letters (optional)

P’yilut HaSh'liakim (Acts of the Emissaries) 7:9-16 (specifically vv. 9-10)

“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.
Ba-rookh ah-tah, Adonai Eh-lo-hay-noo,
meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm,
ah-sher na-tahn la-noo Ha-d'var Ha-eh-met
v'cha-yaye oh-lahm na-ta b'toe-chey-noo.
Ba-rooch ah-ta Adonai,
no-tain Ha-breet Ha-cha-da-sha.

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.

Blessing After Brit Hadashah
 

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.
Ba-rookh ah-tah Adonai Eh-lo-hay-noo, meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm,
ah-sher na-tahn la-noo ha-deh-rech l'y'shoo-ah b'ma-she-ahch Yeshua.
Ah-mein.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe,
Who has given us the way to salvation in Messiah Yeshua. Amen.


 

 

 

 

וַיִּגַּשׁ‎ פָּרָשָׁה

Parashah 11: VaYigash
“And he approached”
B’resheet 44:18-47:27

Jewish Man Reading Torah Scroll

This week's commentary from First Fruits of Zion (Messianic)
This week's commentary from Chabad.org (Rabbinical)
This week’s commentary from Hebrew4Christians.com (Christian)

This Week’s Reading Schedule
Sunday
  Review and meditate
  on last week’s Parashah

Monday
  Rishon [1st]: 44:18-30
  Sheni [2nd]: 44:31-45:7

Tuesday
  Shlishi [3rd]: 45:8-18
  R'vi'i [4th]: 45:19-27

Wednesday
  Chamishi [5th]: 45:28-46:27
  Shishi [6th]: 46:28-47:10
   Thursday
  Shvi'i [7th]: 47:11-24
  Maftir [Concluding]: 47:25-27

Friday
  Haftarah: (Selections)
     Y’chezki’el (Ezekiel) 37:15–28
    
  Ketuvei HaShalichim
  (Apostolic Writings)
    Basar: The Gospel
      Lukas (Luke) 24:30-48

    Kepherim: Letters (optional)
      Acts 7:9–16 (specifically vv. 9–10)

Torah


Torah

The Blessing of the Torah

Click here to listen to this canted by
Cantor Kenneth B. Cohen
of Temple Sholom, Greenwich, CT.
Aliya: (the one who “goes up” to read)  
   Bar-khu et Adonai ham-vor-ack.
   (Praise ADONAI Who is worthy to be praised.)
Barchu
Congregation:  
   Ba-rookh Adonai ham-vor-ack ley-oh-lam
    
vah-ed.

   (Praise ADONAI Who is worthy to be praised for
     all eternity.)
Hahmvorahch
All:  
   Ba-rookh Adonai ham-vor-ack ley-oh-lam
    
vah-ed.

   (Praise ADONAI Who is worthy to be praised for
     all eternity.)
 
Hahmvorahch
Ba-rookh ah-tah Adonai, Eh-lo-hay-noo
meh-lekh hah oh-lahm,
ah-sher ba-char ba-noo me-kol ha-ah­meem,
v’na-tahn lah-noo et torah-toe,
ba-rookh ah-tah Adonai, no-tane hah-torah.


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.


Listen to Parashah VaYigash read from the CJB

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.”

 
[TO PARASHAH TOP] 
 

Chapter 45


 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]


Other commentaries on Genesis 44
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Pulpit Commentary
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

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 awaiting Mashiach’s return
ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!
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