Shabbat Midrash (Teaching) Outlines

Parashah 7: Vayetze (He Went Out)

B’resheet (Genesis) 28:10-32:3

Yahweh’s House

Last week’s portion closed with Ya’akov (Jacob) fleeing his father’s house for Paddam-Aram because of the enmity of his brother Esau. He only took with him his staff, some oil, and his father’s blessing.

His eastward journey form Beersheba toward Haran brings him to a “certain place” as he stops for the evening. The Hebrew text used to denote his arrival means that Yah led him to be at this place at this time. This pre-ordained set of circumstances we know as the Providence of G-d.

This location is no ordinary place. This is the very place where Avraham offered up Yitzchak and, later, the place where the Holy of Holies was located when Shlomo (Solomon) constructed the Temple.

As the day draws to an end, Ya’akov gathers stones from “the place” to put under his head as he laid down to sleep.

Yah gave Ya’akov a dream in which he saw a ladder resting on the earth and the top reaching toward Heaven. Angels were ascending and descending on the ladder.

In the Renewed Covenant book of Yochanan (John), Chapter 1, Verses 49-52, we read about a meeting between Yeshua and Nathan’el. “Nathan’el said, “From where do you know me?” Yeshua answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathan’el answered and said to him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of G-d; you are the King of Israel!” Yeshua answered and said to him, “Because I said I saw you beneath the fig tree you believe? Greater things than this you will see!” And He also said to him, “Amen, amen; I say to you that after this you will see heaven opened and the angels of G-d ascending and descending on the “Son of Man”.

Here, Yeshua takes this “ladder” concept and applies it to Himself, as if to say, “That ladder Ya’akov saw is really Me”. He was alluding to his function as the ‘Way’ between G-d and man. Yeshua, the Living Torah, is the only way (ladder) to the Father. This is reinforced by the word for “ladder” which appears in Numbers 20:19, translated as “the elevated path.”

Ya’akov then sees Yah standing at the top of the ladder and He reaffirms for Jacob the blessing of the firstborn, the Covenant of Avraham, and promises to keep him and not leave him until he has accomplished all that he had spoken to him.

Jacob awakes from his dream to discover that the stones under his head had become a single stone during his sleep. He proclaims, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it. How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of Yah, and this is the gate of heaven!” This was the place where heaven and earth met.

The “Stone of Israe”l is the title for Yahweh in Genesis 49:24. Yeshua is referred to as “a tested stone, a costly cornerstone, a firm foundation-stone” in Isaiah 28:16.

As the children of Israel were taken out of Egypt and lead into the wilderness, “The Stone” provided natural water when Moshe struck a rock in the desert with his staff. Later, on Mount Sinai, “The Stone” provided “Living Water” on two tablets.

Yeshua our Messiah is the carrier of G-d’s Word upon which we are to build our lives. This Stone, the “Living Torah”, is the stone that the builders rejected. This Stone causes men to stumble and fall because the light of the Torah illuminates the condition of their hearts. Christians have stumbled over the written Torah, while the Jews have stumbled over the Living Torah.

In Matthew 16:18,19, Yeshua said, “And I tell you that you are Kefa (Peter) (Peter means rock) and on this rock I will build my “ekklesia” (people, Church), and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The keys of the Kingdom of Heaven being the discernment and understanding of clean and unclean, holy and unholy, and about the Sabbaths and moedim (feasts). The King of the Kingdom of Heaven is Yeshua: He is called the “Rock” or “Stone”. The keys of the Kingdom were written about in the Torah, the Word of Yah given through Moshe.

If we obey the Torah, His Word, the enemy, HaSatan (the devil), is bound. If we seek to go our own way outside Torah, the enemy is loosed and causes difficulties in our lives.

Just as the many stones beneath Ya’akov’s head became a single stone, the many people who have been called by G-d will be assembled into a single place at a single time to become a unified Bride. The many tribes will be united as a single family and the many stones will become one “House”.

Family Ties

Also in this portion we see what seems to be a relationship between Ya’akov and his Uncle Lavan that is based on strong family ties, but if we look closer, we see an undercurrent of deceit and greed on the part of Lavan, and silent suffering on the part of Ya’akov.

Ya’akov considers himself among family and his actions show that he conducted himself accordingly.

We see Ya’akov acting to remove a heavy stone so that he can water his uncle’s flock even before he has openly claimed any family ties to Lavan.

Water was is short supply in the area, so that the local shepherds were stingy about giving it out. All the flocks in the local community were gathered together before any could receive water. This would prevent one flock from getting more that another.

Lavan displays the customary family greeting to Ya’akov when he is told by Rachel of his arrival. He embraces him, kisses him, and takes Ya’akov to his house.

Ya’akov relates his story to Uncle Lavan and Lavan responds by saying, “Nevertheless, you are my flesh and blood.” He seems to hesitate a little here on inviting Ya’akov to stay. Why?

Ya’akov has just told Lavan that he has nothing with him but his staff. Contrast this to the wealth and riches that Eliezer, Avraham’s servant, brought with him when he sought a wife for Yitzchak. It would appear that Ya’akov’s lack has caused Lavan some misgivings. Here we see Lavan’s true interest; he is not concerned with family; his only concern is money.

Even so, we need to look at Ya’akov’s life as an example of how to deal with relationships with those who have not embraced Yeshua in the context that HE wants to be embraced.

Ya’akov brings forth his grievances in their proper place, seeking resolution. He never takes from his uncle or deals falsely with him. He accepts his wages, although changed frequently, and is faithful in all his responsibilities. Despite living in an environment of greed and deceit, Ya’akov remains true to Yahweh.

Later in B’resheet (Genesis) 32:5, when Ya’akov’s messengers are sent to his brother Esau, they are told to tell this, “I have sojourned with Lavan and have delayed until now.” The word for “I have sojourned”, pronounced garthi, has a numerical value or gamatria value of 613; the number of the commandments in Torah, which implies that though he resided with Lavan, he did not learn his deceitful ways, but instead kept the ways taught to him by his father Yitzchak.

We are living in the “Last Days”. The Word says that in these days: “good will be called bad, and bad will be called good. People will become lovers of themselves and not lovers of G-d.” We must remain faithful to Torah in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation so that we can offer “Living Water” to those that thirst for the Truth.

Amen!

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