{"id":3541,"date":"2014-12-31T21:47:30","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T21:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matsati.com\/?p=3541"},"modified":"2014-12-31T21:49:58","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T21:49:58","slug":"bits-of-torah-truths-parashat-vayechi-why-judah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/bits-of-torah-truths-parashat-vayechi-why-judah\/","title":{"rendered":"Bits of Torah Truths, Parashat Vayechi, Why Judah?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week\u2019s reading from Parashat Vayechi (Bereshit \/ Genesis 47:28-50:26<\/span><\/em>) contains the final chapters of the book of Genesis.\u00a0 The opening verses tell us that Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years and his total life span was 147 years.\u00a0 Before Jacob died he asked Joseph saying 47:30 but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.\u2019 And he said, \u2018I will do as you have said.\u2019 (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 Jacob tells Joseph that his two sons (Manasseh and Ephraim) will be his (48:5<\/span><\/em>) and declares that Joseph\u2019s descendents after him shall be called after their names (48:6<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 Jacob blesses Joseph\u2019s children placing Ephraim (second born) before Manasseh (first born) saying the younger will be greater than the older (48:10-20<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 Jacob then proceeds to proclaim a blessing over his children.\u00a0 In the midst of Jacob\u2019s blessing over his sons he provides us with a Messianic expectation in his statements to Judah saying, 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler\u2019s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 The statements that Jacob declares over Judah appear to make a distinction between him and his brothers.\u00a0 Studying Judah\u2019s life, why are such great things said about Judah as compared to his brothers?\u00a0 What is it about Judah that sets him apart to be given a messianic expectation of greatness?<\/p>\n

\n

\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d9\u05ea \u05e4\u05e8\u05e7 \u05de\u05d8<\/strong>
\n\u05d7\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05d5\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b9\u05e8\u05b6\u05e3 \u05d0\u05b9\u05d9\u05b0\u05d1\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05d5\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05da\u05b8: \u05d8\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d2\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05b5\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05d4 \u05de\u05b4\u05d8\u05bc\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05e3 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b8 \u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05e2 \u05e8\u05b8\u05d1\u05b7\u05e5 \u05db\u05bc\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05b5\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05db\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05de\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9\u05de\u05b6\u05e0\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc: \u05d9\u00a0\u00a0 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0-\u05d9\u05b8\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8 \u05e9\u05c1\u05b5\u05d1\u05b6\u05d8 \u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b0\u05d7\u05b9\u05e7\u05b5\u05e7 \u05de\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05e8\u05b7\u05d2\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05e2\u05b7\u05d3 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9-\u05d9\u05b8\u05d1\u05b9\u05d0 \u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e7\u05bc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05ea \u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd: \u05d9\u05d0\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d0\u05b9\u05e1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b7\u05d2\u05bc\u05b6\u05e4\u05b6\u05df \u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05b9\u05d4 [\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9] \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05e9\u05bc\u05c2\u05e8\u05b5\u05e7\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b2\u05ea\u05b9\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05b5\u05e1 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05df \u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05bb\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05d3\u05b7\u05dd-\u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e1\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea\u05b9\u05d4 [\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9] : \u05d9\u05d1\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d7\u05b7\u05db\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05bc\u05b8\u05d9\u05b4\u05df \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b6\u05df-\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05e0\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05de\u05b5\u05d7\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d1:<\/p>\n

Bereshit \/ Genesis 49:8-12<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
\n 49:8 \u2018Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father\u2019s sons shall bow down to you. 49:9 \u2018Judah is a lion\u2019s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? 49:10 \u2018The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler\u2019s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 49:11 \u2018He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey\u2019s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes. 49:12 \u2018His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk. (NASB)<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Judah was not a perfect character according to the Torah\u2019s description of his life.\u00a0 The Scriptures tell us that he was the one who was motivated by profit to get rid of their brother Joseph (Bereshit \/ Genesis 37:26<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 He did not behave as a righteous man in faith with his daughter-in-law Tamar (Bereshit \/ Genesis 38:26<\/span><\/em>) , and he had sex with her as a prostitute (Bereshit \/ Genesis 38:18<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 He did however show good character when he interceded and offered himself as a substitute for Benjamin his brother (Bereshit \/ Genesis 44:18-34<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 Jacob describes the blessing over Judah saying his brothers will praise him, he will be as a lion, the scepter will not pass from between his feet, and to him will be the obedience of the people.\u00a0 These things are describing a person having a leadership position among his brothers.\u00a0 Why do you think the Lord chose Judah as the one to pass on these things?<\/p>\n

Studying Midrash Rabbah, it is interesting to note that Parashat 97, the entire midrash is devoted to Jacob blessing his sons.\u00a0 According to the midrash, Judah takes pre-eminence in the rabbinic discussions on Jacob\u2019s blessing over his sons.\u00a0 A few select sections from Midrash Rabbah Bereshit, Parashat 97 are shown here to illustrate what the rabbis have to say about Judah.<\/p>\n

\n

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit, Parashat 97<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Judah, Thee will your brother praise (Bereshit \/ Genesis 49:8).\u00a0 Because you confessed, your brethren will praise you in this world and in the future world.\u00a0 And in accordance with the blessing of his father Jacob thirty kings were descended from him, as it says, Now these are the generations of Perez… David (Ruth 4:18); count David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat until Jeconiah and Zedekiah and you will find thirty.\u00a0 And so it will be in the future world (the Messianic Era), And David MY servant will be their prince for ever (Ezekiel 37:25).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cf \u25cf \u25cf<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

From the tribe of Judah sacrifices were first offered at the dedication of the Altar; from the tribe of Judah came forth Caleb.\u00a0 Furthermore, Judah was the first in the journeys of Israel, as it says, And in the first place the standard of the camp of the children of Judah set forward (Bamidbar \/ Numbers 10:14); likewise when they pitched their camps; Now these that pitch on the east side toward the sun rising will be of the standard of the camp of Judah (Bamidbar \/ Numbers 2:3).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cf \u25cf \u25cf<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

From Judah there came forth Othniel, the first of the Princes who were the Judges, as it says, And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb\u2019s younger brother (Joshua 3:9).\u00a0 From the tribe of Judah came forth Boaz.\u00a0 The throne of Israel was given to Judah through the righteous David, to him and to his sons was a covenant made with salt, as it says, and the Lord said unto Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul? Fill your horn with oil and go, I will send you to Jesse the Beth-lehemite; for I have provided unto Me a king among his sons (1 Samuel 17:1), wherever \u201cunto Me\u201d occurs it means for all time.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25cf \u25cf \u25cf<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Furthermore, the royal Messiah will be descended from the tribe of Judah, as it says, And it will come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that stands for an ensign of the peoples, unto him will the nations seek (Isaiah 11:10).\u00a0 Thus, from the tribe of Judah were descended Solomon, who built the first Temple, him will be descended the royal Messiah, who will rebuild the Temple.\u00a0 Thus, we find these two tribes, Judah and Levi, are the most distinguished in their lineage of all Israel since in them were royalty and priesthood.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In Midrash Rabbah Bereshit, Parashat 97, the rabbis say that Judah\u2019s brethren will praise him in this world and in the world to come.\u00a0 How did his brother praise him in this world?\u00a0 The rabbis say this leadership position among his brothers meant that kings of Israel would come from Judah.\u00a0 The connection is made to David and the Future Messiah, God\u2019s ultimate leader, who would eventually come from the tribe of Judah.\u00a0 Various examples are given in the Tanach to demonstrate Judah\u2019s pre-eminence, Judah sacrificed first to dedicate the altar, Caleb came from Judah, and Judah was the first to lead the way being encamped on the east side of Israel (Bamidbar \/ Numbers 2:3<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 The midrash provides examples of princes.\u00a0 Midrash Rabbah states that \u201cthe royal Messiah will be descended from the tribe of Judah, as it says, And it will come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that stands for an ensign of the peoples, unto him will the nations seek<\/span>” <\/em>(Isaiah 11:10<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 It is interesting to note the messianic significance of this blessing, both the Aramaic Targumim and the rabbis attest that these verses speak of the Messiah.<\/p>\n

The Torah states, 49:10 \u2018The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler\u2019s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 It is interesting to note, in the narrative in the Torah, the leadership prophecy took some 640 years to fulfill in part with the reign of David, the first of Judah\u2019s dynasty of kings.\u00a0 In addition to this, the prophecy took some 1600 years to be complete in Yeshua the Messiah.\u00a0 Note from David until the time of king Herod, a prince of Judah was head over Israel (One could consider Daniel as a leader in the captivity in Babylon.<\/em>). The promise was that Israel would keep this scepter until Shiloh comes.\u00a0 Even under foreign servitude, Israel had a limited right to self-rule, until the first century. at which time, under Herod and the Romans, Israel\u2019s right to capital punishment was taken away.<\/p>\n

The remaining portion of the blessing to Judah says, 49:11 \u2018He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey\u2019s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes. 49:12 \u2018His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk. (NASB)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 This is a close description of Yeshua\u2019s life and of Judah\u2019s wealth.\u00a0 The blessing contains a description of the choice vine, whose garments are washed in wine, and whose teeth are white from milk.\u00a0 Wine as a reference to the dulling of pain, and milk to nourishment, life, and health.<\/p>\n

In looking at the life of Judah and his character, there is some difficulty to see why the tribe of Judah should become so prominent among the tribes of Israel.\u00a0 In the narrative from the last three Parshiot, we learn that Joseph lived a righteous life.\u00a0 In Parashat Vayechi Joseph was blessed with the birthright in place of Reuben, the firstborn.\u00a0 We learn how the name of \u201cIsrael\u201d<\/span><\/em> is passed on to his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.\u00a0 The rabbis pick up on this in the rabbinic literature and consequentially us Ephraim as a reference to all of Israel.\u00a0 According to the Scriptures, the Lord God chose Judah and his descendants to occupy a special place in His plan through the ages.\u00a0 The prophecy God gave to Jacob at the end of his life concerning his sons\u2019 descendants \u201cin the latter days\u201d<\/span><\/em> revealed a special blessing for the tribe of Judah (Bereshit \/ Genesis 49:1-10<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 In Jacob\u2019s blessing of Judah, he said, \u201cJudah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father\u2019s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion\u2019s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people\u201d<\/span><\/em> (Bereshit \/ Genesis 49:8-10<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 The Lord God looked at Judah as a strong warrior and likening him to a young lion sleeping in its den after devouring its prey.\u00a0 Perhaps it was this strength of character and determination that God foresaw in this tribe that influenced Him to choose Judah to be His lawgiver and the tribe from which His Son would later be born (Hebrews 7:14<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 David was inspired by Bereshit \/ Genesis 49<\/span><\/em> to twice say in the Psalms that \u201cJudah is My lawgiver\u201d<\/span><\/em> (Tehillim \/ Psalms 60:7 and 108:8<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 The Apostle Paul said,\u00a0 \u201cWhat advantage then has the Jew? \u2026 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles [that which was spoken or commanded] of God\u201d (Romans 3:1-2<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 Throughout the centuries, Judah (the Yehudim) have faithfully preserved the Scriptures.\u00a0 After the death of Joshua, God chose the tribe of Judah to take the lead in conquering the nations who were living in the land promised to the children of Abraham (Judges 1:2<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 The book of Judges in the first few chapters tell us that the tribe of Judah was aggressive and strong in driving out the Canaanites in the southern half of the land of Canaan.\u00a0 In the time of King David, the tabernacle of God had long been in Shiloh in the territory of Joseph.\u00a0 David set the stage for the temple to be built on Mount Zion, the place where the Scriptures say Zion \u201cwhich He (God) loved,\u201d<\/span><\/em> will be moved to the tribe of Judah (Tehillim \/ Psalm 78:67-70<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 The Lord God chose David to be His shepherd and Jerusalem (Mount Zion) for His place to dwell.\u00a0 The Lord also chose David to hold the \u201cscepter,\u201d<\/span> a symbol of kingship that would always remain in the tribe of Judah (Bereshit \/ Genesis 49:10, Tehillim \/ Psalm 89:34-37<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 The prophet Zechariah, following the prophecy of the invasion of Israel and Jerusalem, announced the good news of the coming of the Messiah saying, \u201cAnd in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. \u2026 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth\u201d<\/span><\/em> (Zechariah 14:4, 9<\/span><\/em>).\u00a0 The prophet Jeremiah also spoke of this same time when he said, \u201cIn His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS\u201d<\/span><\/em> (Jeremiah 23:6<\/span><\/em>).<\/p>\n

The good news that comes from the tribe of Judah into this world is the \u201cLion of the tribe of Judah,\u201d<\/span><\/em> Yeshua the Messiah (Revelation 5:5<\/span><\/em>), who came, laid his life down for ours, and raised from the grave to life everlasting.\u00a0 O one day he will return to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and the tribe of Judah, all of Israel will finally accept the Lord\u2019s Redeemer (Romans 11:26).\u00a0 Have you accepted, believed, and received the Lord\u2019s redeemer in your life?\u00a0 BTT_Parashat Vayechi-2014<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week\u2019s reading from Parashat Vayechi (Bereshit \/ Genesis 47:28-50:26) contains the final chapters of the book of Genesis.\u00a0 The opening verses tell us that Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years and his total life span was 147 years.\u00a0 Before Jacob died he asked Joseph saying 47:30 but when I lie down […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3541","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bits-of-torah-truth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}