Family Reunion

Today's reading is from Beresheet (Genesis) chapter 32.

Beresheet 32:1-2 "So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of Elohim met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, 'This is Elohim's camp.' And he called the name of that place Mahanaim."

Can anyone guess what Mahanaim means? According to my NKJV, which has these neato little footnotes at the bottom of most pages, Mahanaim means "Double Camp." So basically Jacob is saying that he and Elohim are sharing the camp.

Beresheet 32:3-5 "Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, 'Speak thus to my lord Esau, "Thus your servant Jacob says: 'I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.'"'"

It looks like what Jacob is saying here is that he is rich and willing to give Esau lots of stuff so he doesn't continue to hold a grudge and want to kill him. Remember, Jacob ran away from home with Esau's inheritance and blessing.

Beresheet 32:6-8 "Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, 'We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.' So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies. And he said, 'If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.'"

Jacob's twin brother who has threatened to kill him is now coming to him with four hundred men. Granted it is several years later, but has time healed Esau's heart? At any rate, it is justified for Jacob to be scared of his brother, but he should remember that Yahuah is on his side no matter what.

Beresheet 32:9-12 "Then Jacob said, 'O El of my father Abraham and the Elohim of my father Isaac, Yahuah who said to me, "Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you": I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have bcome two companies. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. For You said, "I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude."'

Jacob definitely remembers. First thing to do when faced with trouble like this, or any kind actually, is pray. Wholeheartedly and faithfully pray. Pray when you're scared and remember that the only thing you should ever be afraid of is Yahuah Himself, because He'll take care of everything for you. I know that for some of you, praying sounds like kneeling down and talking to yourself, or to a wall or to whatever you happen to be facing at the time, but take that leap of faith and pray; He's listening for you.

Beresheet 32:13-21 "So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother: two hundred female goat and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals. Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, 'Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.' And he commanded the first one, saying, 'When Esau my brother meets you and asks you saying, "To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?" then you shall say, "They are your servant Jacob's. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us."' So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, 'In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; and also say, "Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us"' For he said, 'I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.' So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp."

This is fairly self-explanatory. Jacob is hoping that by giving Esau all these animals and gifts, his brother won't decide to kill him. Maybe his anger will cool down with each successive gift? Or is he still even angry?

Beresheet 32:22- 32 "And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, 'Let Me go, for the day breaks.' but he said, 'I will not let You go unless You bless me!' So He said to him, 'What is your name?' He said, 'Jacob.' And He said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with Elohim and with men, and have prevailed.' Then Jacob asked, saying, 'Tell me Your name, I pray.' And He said, 'Why is it that you ask about My name?' And he blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: 'For I have seen Elohim face to face, and my life is preserved.' Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank."

This one's a little hard to follow unless you pay attention to capitalization. Specifically the capitalization of the word "He" Jacob/Israel is never named with a capitalized "he." The only One who is ever named with a capitalized "He" is Yahuah and Yeshuah, who we'll meet later. Anyway, basically some stranger went and wrestled with Jacob until daybreak and Jacob was actually winning. In the end, his name was changed to Israel, which means "Prince with Elohim," and now the Israelites don't eat the meat off the hip socket of the sheep and goats and cows and stuff because it reminds them of what happened to their ancestor.

Homework: Check out the song "Strong Tower." Newsboys and Kutless both sing a version of it.

Next time we'll be reading Beresheet (Genesis) chapter 33.

Heading Home

Today's reading is from Beresheet (Genesis) chapter 31.

Beresheet 31:1-3 "Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, 'Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has acquired all this wealth.' And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. Then Yahuah said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.'"

You know what Benjamin Franklin said, right? No? "Fish and visitors stink after three days." Jacob has been at Laban's place for much longer than three days and he was only a shepherd, but he made himself rich. He bred a lot of sheep to have spots and speckles, and therefore join his herd, and that is probably part of why Laban got ticked off at him, so now is a good time to leave. But return to his family? His brother wanted to kill him! His father had been tricked! His mother is the only one who helped him leave! Aside from his mother, who among his family would want him back?

Beresheet 31:4-9 "So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock, and said to them, 'I see your father's countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the Elohim of my father has been with me. And you know that with all my might I have served your father. Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but Elohim did not allow him to hurt me. If he said thus: "The speckled shall be your wages," then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: "The streaked shall be your wages," then all the flocks bore streaked. So Elohim has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me."

Even though Jacob knew how to make the flocks had speckled or spotted lambs, there's likely no way to make sure that the lambs were all streaked or all spotted. Maybe spotted sheep can have streaked lambs or vice versa, but they were all exactly what he needed for his wages. The rest of the following paragraph is basically him explaining to his wives why the lambs were all streaked and spotted and why they had to leave and go back to his family; you can't exactly argue with Yahuah, even in dreams you won't win.

Beresheet 31:14-16 "Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, 'Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money. For all these riches which Elohim has taken from our father are really ours and our children's; now then, whatever Elohim has said to you, do it.'"

Laban's daughters realize that there is no longer anything for them in Laban's house. therefore, if there's someplace better for them to go, they're happy to leave.

Beresheet 31:17-21 "Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. Ane he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father's. And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead."

What was Rachel thinking? Did she worship those idols? Was she hoping that by stealing them her father would realize that maybe there was something to Jacob's idea of one God? No matter what she was doing, stealing her dad's idols really wasn't very smart. Nowadays, that might be like stealing your dad's tv or computer or marble collection or just something he's really proud of. He probably doesn't worship those things, but they're likely still important to him.

Beresheet 31:22-24 "And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days' journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. But Elohim had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.'"

Now why do you suppose Yahuah wants Laban to be neutral with Jacob? Less attachment, maybe? Minimize likelihood of violence?

Beresheet 31:25 "So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead."

Imagine a big chase scene in a movie, except subtract the Ferrari in San Fransisco or whatever and add camels in mountains. How often does the chaser catch the one being chased? What usually happens? Do you think this will follow that pattern?

Beresheet 31:26-30 "And Laban said to Jacob: 'What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing. It is in my power to do you harm, but the Elohim of your father spoke to me last night, saying, "Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad." And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?'"

I suppose frustration doesn't count as good or bad... Sort of neutral. Maybe. Laban wanted him gone, so he left without a word. The whole leaving without a word like a thief in the night thing is why Laban is so frustrated. He thought they were family, and family normally leaves with hugs and kisses and promises to spend holidays together and whatnot. Not usually sneaky.

Beresheet 31:31-32 "Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, 'Because I was afraid, for I said, "Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force." With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you.' For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them."

This appears to be as good a time as any to say "Oh snap." I imagine all the color drained from Rachel's face at that. Jacob doesn't know what he's promising either, and that's always a risky thing to do. As we'll read later, there was a similar situation in which a father came back from war, promising to sacrifice to Yahuah the first thing he saw when he got home. Guess who he saw first... Yep, his daughter. The tension has increased, drama is at its peak, will Rachel live or die? If this was a TV show, I'd be saying, "Next time on CBS" or whatever, but no, there is no cliffhanger here.

Beresheet 31:33-35 "And Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the two maids' tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent. Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them. And she said to her father, 'Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.' And he searched but did not find the household idols."

Tricky Rachel! No wonder Jacob fell for her! She's about as tricky as he is! She sat on the idols and told her dad she couldn't get up because she's in the middle of her period! How sneaky is that! Her sister may have been able to rat her out though, since periods probably weren't very easy to hide way back when, but no, not a peep from Leah. How about that! I still don't approve of her stealing her dad's idols, but if she had to do it, at least she knew how to save her skin.

Beresheet 31:36-42 "Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: 'What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me? Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both! These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. Unless Elohim of my father, Elohim of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. Elohim has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.'"

Wow. Twenty years of frustration and anger at Laban is right there. Laban may have been ticked, but Jacob isn't exactly tickled peachy either. Laban was a harsh employer, apparently did not treat Jacob like family, and what business does Laban have chasing him down anyways?

Beresheet 31:43-44 "And Laban answered and said to Jacob, 'These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these daughters or to their children whom they have borne? Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.'"

Why do you suppose Laban wants to make a covenant? A covenant of peace? Let bygones by bygones, perhaps? Let's find out.

Beresheet 31:45-50 "So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. Then Jacob said to his brethren, 'Gather stones.' And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. And Laban said, 'This heap is a witness between you and me this day.' Therefore its name was called Galeed, also Mizpah, because he said, 'May Yahuah watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us - see, Elohim is witness between you and me!'"

Ah! I see! Laban wanted to make sure that once Jacob left, he wouldn't hurt Rachel and Leah. He would be good to them. Laban needed to know that he would no longer have to watch over his daughters, that they would be safe in Jacob's care. The only way he knew of to do that was to make that covenant.

Beresheet 31:51-55 "Then Laban said to Jacob, 'Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. The Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Nahor, and the Elohim of their father judge between us.' And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain. And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place."

It seems sort of strange that of all things to act as witnesses, rather than use their servants, but think about it this way; which is likely to survive longer? A man or a pile of rocks on a mountaintop? Probably the rocks. This is entirely speculation, but I'm guessing that they chose rocks to act as a witness because of the permanence.

Some homework: Find out what Jegar Sahadutha, Galeed, and Mizpah mean.

Next time: Beresheet (Genesis) chapter 32.

It's a Fifth Boy!

Baby showers galore! 

...And a sixth boy! A seventh boy!! Look, it's the eighth boy! Your ninth boy! It's a tenth baby boy! It's a girl! It's boy number eleven!

Today's reading is from Beresheet (Genesis) chapter 30.

Beresheet 30:1-8 "Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or else I die!' And Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, 'Am I in the place of Elohim, who has withheld you the fruit of the womb?' So she said, 'Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her.' Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her. And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Then Rachel said, 'Elohim has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.' Therefore she called his name Dan. And Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, 'With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.' So she called his name Naphtali."

Now Jacob has three wives, two of which are literally competing to see who will have the most sons for Jacob, and the third is helping out the second. Talk about sibling rivalry!

Beresheet 30:9-13 "When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife. And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, 'A troop comes!' So she called his name Gad. And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, 'I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.' So she called his name Asher."

Jacob is now married to four women, still competing against each other. If you'll notice, however, Jacob isn't talking about loving anyone other than Rachel. He hasn't suddenly developed a fancy for Zilpah or Bilhah, he hasn't mentioned loving Leah, there's only Rachel.

Beresheet 30:14-16 "Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, 'Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.' But she said to her, 'Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?' And Rachel said, 'Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes.' When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, 'You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes.' And he lay with her that night."

I don't really know what mandrakes are. I'm guessing they're some kind of plant. At any rate, Leah's winning the competition, but not winning Jacob's love. Jacob loves only one of his wives, and Leah can't change that.

Beresheet 30:17-21 "And Elohim listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, 'Elohim has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.' So she called his name Issachar. Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. And Leah said, "Elohim has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.' So she called his name Zebulun. Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah."

Leah and Zilpah have had a total of eight boys for Jacob, and Rachel's maid Bilhah had two. Ten boys now. Oh, and one girl. Dinah, though she is only a girl, is not to be forgotten; what happens to her later starts a feud. If you could call it that. I think it might better be described as a massacre...

Beresheet 30:22-24 "Then Elohim remembered Rachel, and Elohim listened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bore a son, and said, 'Elohim has taken away my reproach.' So she called his name Joseph, and said, 'Yahuah shall add to me another son.'"

Eleven boys now, and one girl. Twelve children in all at the moment, and Rachel is already expecting a thirteenth. Only one was really born to Rachel though, and that is Joseph. Traditionally, special privileges go to the firstborn, but will Jacob count Reuben as his first born, or Joseph as his first born? What of Zilpah and Bilhah's sons? Or will he just say he has four firstborn sons and split up the special treatment between the four of them? You have to remember though, Jacob still only loves Rachel.

Beresheet 30:25-26 "And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, 'Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.'"

Jacob's been working as a shepherd for Laban ever since he first met Rachel. It's hard to say how long ago that was, but he worked seven years before marrying Leah, and has had twelve kids thus far... Let's guess one kid per year... He's worked roughly nineteen years for Laban. Give or take. A general summary of the rest of the chapter goes thusly... Laban wants Jacob to take some sheep and goats with him; he can take the speckled and brown ones; Laban wants only the white ones. Jacob then shows what he knows about the sheep-breeding process, and how he realized that spots and speckles and general brown-ness are genetic traits passed down through generations of sheep and goats... Basically, he wound up with a LOT of sheep and goats.

A little bit of homework: Look up the names of Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah, and Joseph. There's a link at the end of yesterday's post.

Tomorrow's reading is Genesis 31.

-Kj

Happy Passover!

Today's reading is from Genesis (Beresheet) 29.

Beresheet 29:1-3 "So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East. And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks A large stone was on the well's mouth. Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well's mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well's mouth."

Ok, it's totally understandable that he'd come across a few flocks of sheep, this is after all, sheep country. But why go through that process of pulling the rock off the well's mouth, watering the sheep, and then putting it back on time after time? Well, water is kinda scarce over in that section of the globe. I've heard that in order to get to it via well, you have to dig really really deep and through some stuff that is a lot harder than dirt. I'm no geologist, so I couldn't tell you exactly what they were digging in, but it was probably hard work, what with a general lack of modern machinery and CAT cranes. How does this all tie in? Not only is water scarce over there, but it is HOT. Really hot. Think... desert. What happens when the water, even in the bottom of the well, gets really hot? Evaporation. That rock over the top of the well was keeping the water shaded so the sun couldn't get to it to heat it up and have it disappear. And that is your blogger science lesson of the day.

Beresheet 29:4-8 "And Jacob said to them, 'My brethren, where are you from?' And they said, 'We are from Haran.' Then he said to them, 'Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?' And they said, 'We know him.' So he said to them, 'Is he well?' And they said, 'He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep. Then he said, 'Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.' But they said, 'We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.'"

See? They knew about evaporation. The faster you water all the sheep, and if you can get it done all at once, you don't have to worry too much about the water getting too hot. On the other hand though, they're talking about some other people having to move the rock. Could it be a little bit on the heavy side?

Beresheet 29:9-12 "Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebekah's son. So she ran and told her father."

So much for it being kinda heavy! Jacob moved the stone, watered all her father's sheep, and then kissed her. Didn't we read earlier about somebody else kissing someone when they met? I'm not sure if it's before this or after this, but it looks like kissing might be a kind of greeting. Sort of like how Italians do it, maybe? Both cheeks? The weeping though, that's not normal greeting. You have to remember though, that the night before, he was sleeping on a rock, on the run from his entire family, the weeping was probably relief; happy tears.

Beresheet 29:13-14 "Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, 'Surely you are my bone and my flesh.' And he stayed with him for a month."

Maybe Jacob looks sort of like his mom, Rebekah. A family resemblance would definitely help Jacob's story.

Beresheet 29:15-17 "Then Laban said to Jacob, 'Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?' Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance."

Hmm... Me thinks Jacob is considering asking for one of the daughters as his wages... Let's find out.

Beresheet 29:18-21 "Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, 'I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.' And Laban said, 'It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.' So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her."

Let me help you get something straight here... Yes, Rachel is Jacob's cousin. Yes, Jacob loves Rachel. No, it's not that weird, at least, not back then. Remember, Rebekah wanted him to pick one of the girls from her side of the family. Rebekah was related to her husband, Isaac, and Sarah was Abraham's half-sister. It wasn't that uncommon, but nowadays, it's just not normal.

Beresheet 29:22-25 "Then Jacob said to Laban, 'Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.' And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, 'What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?'"

I don't know much about ancient wedding traditions. Ok, I don't know anything about ancient wedding traditions. Was Leah wearing a really thick veil? Did she actually want to marry Jacob? Is she just stuck in the middle of this because of her father? I don't really know, but you're free to voice your ideas in the comments. All I know is, Jacob was wronged. Rachel was wronged. Leah was wronged. And it's too late to fix.

Beresheet 29:26-27 "And Laban said, 'It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.'"

Ok, the first part sort of makes sense. I can see how the eldest sister might want to get married before her younger sisters. But on the other side, was Laban mostly just trying to get another seven years of labor from Jacob? Hmm...

Beresheet 29:28-30 "Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years."

Polygamy back then was another not-uncommon thing. However, usually, I'm guessing, the groom knew exactly who his bride was before they got married. Unfortunately, the older sister Leah is stuck living with a man who doesn't love her very much and her sister whom he does love, for the rest of her life. That would be like watching your boyfriend blowing kisses to your younger sister every day, forever, only worse. He didn't even want Leah in the first place.

Beresheet 29:31-35 "When Yahuah saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, 'Yahuah has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.' Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Because Yahuah has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.' And she called his name Simeon. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.' Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Now I will praise Yahuah.' Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing."

Four boys. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Look up their names here. Four boys, and Rachel has had none. Ever heard of the twelve tribes of Israel? Well you'll soon find out who Israel was, and who those twelve tribes were, but here's a hint: four of those tribes have been born so far in the story.

That's all I've got for today, tomorrow we'll be reading chapter 30.

Lehitraot! (leh-hEE-tra-Ot) (See you later!)

-Kj

Jacob's Dream

Let's pick up where we left off, starting at verse ten. In keeping with the new schedule of things, this is going to go from verse ten to the end of the chapter, and that's it for today.

Beresheet 28:10-12 "Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of Elohim were ascending and descending on it."

Do you think having a rock for a pillow might cause weird dreams? Maybe he had too much pizza or Doritos before bed? Before you come to any assumptions like that, consider this; way back then, one of the ways Yahuah talked with people was through dreams. You'll soon learn about people like Joseph, who interpreted dreams for the Pharaoh and a couple of his servants. Dreaming was no laughing matter. What do you think is the significance of this particular dream?

Beresheet 28:13-15 "And behold, Yahuah stood above it and said: 'I am Yahuah Elohim of Abraham your father and the Elohim of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.'"

So much for crazy, junk-food induced dreams, huh? This is pretty much the same thing that Yahuah's been telling Jacob's family for awhile now, but consider this... This man got his brother to trade him his special birthright for a bowl of soup. He stole his blessing. He ran away from home to go to a land with family he's never known. His brother wants to kill him. He probably feels all alone in the world with no family to return to. Remember just how tightly knit those family units were? So here he is, alone, maybe a little bit lost, probably scared his brother's going to jump out of a bush somewhere and shoot him with an arrow, but the sun's going down and he needs to rest, somehow. He finds a nice, comfy rock, and falls asleep where he is reminded in a peaceful dream of angels going up and down a ladder, that Yahuah is with him. No matter where he goes, no matter where his life takes him, Yahuah is with him and his family until the blessing is fulfilled. That is easily the greatest comfort you can ask for.

Beresheet 28:16-17 "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely Yahuah is in this place, and I did not know it.' And he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of Elohim, and this is the gate of heaven!'"

It may take a moment for that comfort to sink in. Also, Yahuah is in every place, no matter how dark and awful it is. There's a psalm or two that talks about that, but we'll get there when we get there.

Beresheet 28:18-22 "Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If Yahuah will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am gong, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then Yahuah shall be my Elohim. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be Elohim's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to you.'"

Ok, so first he sleeps with a rock-pillow, then he sets it up and pours oil on it. That's not strange at all! ...Ok, it's kinda weird, but we live in a different time. Back then, you poured oil on things that were special. It's called anointing. You could anoint a priest or a king, and in this case, a rock where you are reminded of an important promise.

He then made a promise himself; basically as long as Yahuah takes care of him (which looks to be for a really long time), then Yahuah will be his Elohim. Maybe Jacob was just saved here.

Then he said that the rock-pillow that he set up and anointed will be Elohim's house. I'm not entirely certain whether he's being literal or metaphorical right now. Maybe he's saying that Yah will be his Rock. Or maybe he really wants Yah to live in this stone. I'm no biblical scholar, remember? But anyway, that's what he said.

Then he promised to give up a tenth of everything Yah gives him. That is probably the very first tithe. It's kind of obvious what tithing is; but aside from following in Jacob's footsteps, why should you tithe too? Tithe is basically charity. Think about it, what would a world without charity be like? There would be no rubber bracelets or colored ribbon magnets on the back of cars. Those little kids in third world countries wouldn't get any help. If you wind up homeless, you can't get any help. No paper clovers or hot air balloons helping people with muscular dystrophy and sick kids would be stapled on the walls at the local mega-mart. Worthy associations, aiming for the end of diseases like cancer would have to slow research due to a lack of funding. Churches just might go out of business; tithe keeps the lights on and makes sure the coffee pot stays full. A world without tithe is rather bleak, so it's good that it started so early in our history. I'm not saying you should donate everything you have, but 10% is a good number.

That's all that I've got for today, tomorrow we'll be reading Beresheet 29.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Kj

Changing things...

Hey guys,

I don't think I'll be working with the reading plan in my Bible anymore... For one thing, it takes me about two hours to go through one of those, adding my own comments and stuff, and as the past couple months have shown, I don't really have time for that. For another, I don't mind going over 365 posts. From here on out, I'm going to take it one chapter at a time. It should be quicker and easier, plus now there will be some of those lovely cliffhangers.

Hopefully from here on out I will actually be able to keep it up daily. If not daily, then at least weekly. I'll write it down on the calendar. However, if I happen to forget or get caught up in everything else, write me a comment or something. Call it comments, call it electronic nagging, either way, it'll help me remember.

Thanks you guys, and expect a real post very shortly

-Kj

Second Shabbat of the Year

Shabbat Shalom!

(Hey, just want to let you know that this post was extra long and I couldn't finish it all in one day, which is why I'm saying Shabbat Shalom and the post editor thingy is saying it was published on Sunday.)

Today's reading is Genesis (Beresheet) 24-28:9

Beresheet 24:1-4 "Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and Yahuah had blessed Abraham in all things. So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, 'Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by Yahuah, the Elohim of heaven and the Elohim of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.'"

I don't know about you, but I'm asking two questions here. Why the hand under the thigh? That seems a little weird. Then again, think about it, if Abraham and his servant experienced today's culture, they might be wondering "Why the hooked pinkies?" when we pinkie promise, or why we have paper in our strangely shaped cookies, or why a lot of girls wear pants instead of traditional skirts most of the time. It's a culture thing, we live in one culture, they lived in a completely different one. Question number two is, why does Abraham want his son to marry a family member? Isn't that just a little bit... icky? Again, it's a culture thing. They had super duper tightly knit families and outsiders weren't always the best influence, what with bringing in their idols and all that stuff.

Beresheet 24:5 "And the servant said to him, 'Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?'"

The servant isn't sure if the woman would want to come back, so he's thinking maybe if she met Isaac, she'd follow. *Shrugs* Maybe he was cute. After all, his mother was gorgeous.

Beresheet 24:6-9 "But Abraham said to him, 'Beware that you do not take my son back there. Yahuah Elohim of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I give this land; He will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.' So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter."

Hmm... Have you ever been on a blind date? It's basically something where your friends set you up on a date with somebody you've never met before because they think you'll like each other. This is kinda like that, except it's more like a blind marriage. Dates can be a one-time only thing if it doesn't work out... Marriage is permanent. The girl this servant is looking for is going to have to have a lot of faith in order to follow him back. Maybe that's why Abraham didn't want Isaac going back to his hometown.

Beresheet 24:10-15 "Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. Then he said, 'Oh Yahuah Elohim of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, "Please let down your pitcher that I may drink," and she says, "Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink" - let her be the one You have appointed for your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.'"

What do you suppose the chances are that a young woman will say that? Giving him a sip of water is easy enough, but camels are pretty thirsty animals, they drink a LOT of water. It would be quite a chore to do for some random stranger. And another thing; she's gotta be related. Come on, guess the chances. Ten to one? A hundred to one? A thousand to one? A million to one? ...They probably didn't have a million people in the city... Let's stick with a thousand to one as max. How long do you suppose he'll be standing by that well? Hours? Days? Weeks? Until a security guard moves him?

Beresheet 24:15-17 "And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her and said, 'Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.'"

Try number one: Will it work? Her genealogy is good, though I doubt the servant knows it.

Beresheet 24:18-21 "So she said, 'Drink, my lord.' Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, 'I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.' Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether Yahuah had made his journey prosperous or not."

The girl did everything that the servant prayed for. The first girl he saw. She gave him and ten thirsty camels water. If that man wasn't a complete and total believer already, he sure is now! So there he's standing, won't say a word, mouth probably agape, watching this woman with the perfect genealogy (though he doesn't know it yet) doing exactly what he prayed for. Ever hear that phrase, match made in heaven? I'm pretty sure you won't get a much more heavenly match than this.

Beresheet 24:22-23 "So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, and said, 'Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father's house for us to lodge?'"

He just needs to know who she's related to so he can bring the right girl back to Isaac. She's already done exactly what he hoped for, now she needs to be exactly who he hopes she is.

Beresheet 24:24-25 "So she said to him, 'I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah's son, whom she bore to Nahor.' Moreover she said to him, 'We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.'"

Remember my post from last time? Both Lot and Abraham were exceptionally good hosts to people who may have been perfect strangers. As is Rebekah. I'm guessing it really was good manners.

Beresheet 24:26-28 "Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped Yahuah. And he said, 'Blessed be Yahuah Elohim of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, Yahuah led me to the house of my master's brethren.' So the young woman ran and told her mother's household these things."

She has already passed two of four tests. The first and second being who she's related to and whether she'll give water to his camels. The third test is whether her parents will let her marry Isaac or not, and the fourth test will probably be whether she gets along with Isaac or not.

Beresheet 24:29-31 "Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, 'Thus the man spoke to man spoke to me,' that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. And he said, 'Come in, O blessed of Yahuah! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.'"

So far it looks like the only thing Rebekah and her brother know so far is that Abraham sent a servant and he gave her some extravagant gifts. Yes, something is out of the ordinary, but no, they don't know what it is yet. At any rate, the hospitality level didn't change, they're still welcoming in the servant with open arms.

Beresheet 24:32-33 "Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. Food was set before him to eat, but he said, 'I will not eat until I have told about my errand.' And he said, 'Speak on.'"

Here we have a man on a mission. He's playing matchmaker between two people who've never met and cutting straight to the chase, before even having dinner. Verses 34-48, he pretty much summarizes what he's been through thus far, so we'll pick up on verse 49.

Beresheet 24:49-53 "'Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.' Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, 'The thing comes from Yahuah; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as Yahuah has spoken.' And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he worshiped Yahuah, bowing himself to the earth. Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother."

He told them why he was there, and made his request, and they said yes. That's all there really is too it. He gave nice things to everyone, and it looks like they are to leave in the morning. I wonder, do you think girls were allowed to choose their husbands way back when? Does Rebekah get any say in this?

Beresheet 24:54-58 "And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, 'Send me away to my master.' But her brother and her mother said, 'Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.' And he said to them, 'Do not hinder me, since Yahuah has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.' So they said, 'We will call the young woman and ask her personally.' Then they called Rebekah and said to her, 'Will you go with this man?' And she said, 'I will go.'"

Tests three of four are complete, and Rebekah did get a say in it, whaddya know! Anyway, Rebekah's family wants her to stick around for a little while to prepare, but Abraham's servant wants to make haste. Rebekah gets a choice, and she chooses to meet her new fiance. Remember that blind marriage thing? Isaac is cool with it, and now Rebekah agrees, let's find out how it goes.

Beresheet 24:59-61 "So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: 'Our sister, may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them.' Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed."

Well, that was the hard part, now the servant's just got to get Isaac and Rebekah to meet. Who knows, maybe this will all be for nothing, after all, Isaac's mom just died. That's not something you just get over. Here we have a man who might still be mourning for his mother and you want him to get married?

Beresheet 24:62-67 "Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. Then Rebekah lifted her eyes and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; for she had said to the servant, 'Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?' The servant said, 'It is my master.' So she took a veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."

Test 4/4, passed. I dare you to find a better love story. One that spells out "match made in heaven" and "love at first sight" better than this. I highly doubt you'll find one. Chapter 25 starts out with more genealogies and gets interesting again at verse 21. Something important within that section I'm skipping is Abraham's death. He died at 175 and was buried with Sarah.

Beresheet 25:21-23 "Now Isaac pleaded with Yahuah for his wife, because she was barren; and Yahuah granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, 'If all is well, why am I like this?' So she went to inquire of Yahuah. And Yahuah said to her: 'Two  nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.'"

A mother with one kid might complain that her child was a soccer player because he or she kicked so much before being born, so imagine what a mother of twins would complain of! Another thing to note in this passage is this: since when does the older serve the younger? That just doesn't happen very often. What's up with that? Hmm... I guess we shall have to see.

Beresheet 25:24-28 "So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob."

Uh-Oh! Who else smells trouble brewing? Remember the last sibling rivalry we read about? That one didn't turn out very good. Is this one doomed to follow in the footsteps of the last one? Or shall the brothers manage to live in peace? It's especially hard to tell when the parents are playing favorites.

Beresheet 25:29-34 "Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, 'Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.' Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, 'Sell me your birthright as of this day.' And Esau said, 'Look, I am about to die, so what is this birthright to me?' Then Jacob said, 'Swear to me as of this day.' So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright."

Anybody know what a birthright is? It's an inheritance. The eldest brother gets the largest portion of the father's inheritance. Esau just sold his inheritance to his brother for a bowl of stew and some bread. Once Esau realizes what he's done, what do you think he's going to do? Chapter 26 opens with Isaac moving over to where Abimelech still lives due to another famine. Guess what Isaac does with Rebekah. Just take a wild guess. He tells her to tell anyone who asks that she's his sister. Who here has been paying attention these past couple days? This has happened before and it's never gone over well with any kings. This time however, Isaac got caught "showing endearment" to Rebekah, so Abimelech pretty much asked him the same thing he asked his father; "What was going through your head?" and made it so that anyone who touched Isaac or Rebekah would be executed. There were some problems between Isaac's servants and Abimelech's people, so Isaac moved out again. Abimelech made a covenant that they would remain on good terms, and towards the end of the chapter, Esau married two women that "were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah."

Beresheet 27:1-4 "Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, 'My son.' And he answered him, 'Here I am.' Then he said, 'Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.'"

Remember that business with the birthright? Isaac doesn't necessarily know about it, so he's getting ready to give Esau his inheritance and blessing.

Beresheet 27:5-10 "Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, 'Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, "Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of Yahuah before my death." Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.'"

Jacob was Rebekah's favorite, remember? He's got his mom on his side, that should cut the amount of time to prepare the food in half since he doesn't even have to hunt for it.

Beresheet 27:11-12 "And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, 'Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.'"

Excellent point. Too bad he won't just seem to be a deciever, he will be a deciever. His mom has an idea about that, though.

Beresheet 27:13-17 "But his mother said to him, 'Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.' And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob."

Things may be going well in the deception of the blind father part, but it looks like we'll have another set of older brother hating younger brother pretty soon.

Beresheet 27:18-20 "So he went to his father and said, 'My father.' And he said, 'Here I am. Who are you, my son?' Jacob said to his father, 'I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.' But Isaac said to his son, 'How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?' And he said, 'Because Yahuah your Elohim brought it to me.'"

Isaac is no fool. He knows his sons when he sees them, the problem is, he can't see them.

Beresheet 27:21-24 "Isaac said to Jacob, 'Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.' So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, 'The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.' And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him. Then he said, 'Are you really my son Esau?' He said, 'I am.'"

Isaac was probably pretty confused about Jacob right now, but he brought food and he felt like Esau and the only thing not like Esau was his voice, so he took the food and blessed him.

Beresheet 27:25-29 "He said, 'Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you.' So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, 'Come near now and kiss me, my son.' And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: 'Surely the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which Yahuah has blessed. Therefore may Elohim give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!'"

How's that for a blessing? It's not often you hear one to rival that one. Unfortunately, without knowing it, Isaac just gave lots of power to the younger brother. That's not what he intended to do, so now Jacob gets Esau's blessing and his birthright. Esau is gonna be ticked.

Beresheet 27:30-32 "Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, 'Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that your soul may bless me.' And his father Isaac said to him, 'Who are you?' So he said, 'I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.'"

Cue the uh-oh! Isaac made a mistake! Jacob tricked him and now he knows it for sure! But it's too late. What's there to do for Esau?

Beresheet 27:33-37 "Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, 'Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him - and indeed he shall be blessed.' When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, 'Bless me - me also, O my father!' But he said, 'Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.' And Esau said, 'Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!' And he said, 'Have you not reserved a blessing for me?' Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, 'Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?'"

This is probably about the time Isaac started wishing he had treated his boys more equally. Had he done so, Esau and Jacob would've had shares that are not quite so glaringly different. Jacob wasn't meant to get the special birthright, and a special blessing wasn't even prepared for him. What can be done for Esau now?

Beresheet 27:38-40 "And Esau said to his father, 'Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me - me also, O my father!' And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: 'Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above. By the sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.'"

Is this the blessing Isaac intended for Jacob? Or did he just come up with it?

Beresheet 27:41 "So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, 'The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.'"

Another sibling rivalry run amuck. What's with the playing favorites? Esau and Jacob were twins, they could've split the big inheritance, couldn't they? But no. Now Jacob has it all and Esau hates him for it.

Beresheet 27:42-45 "And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, 'Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kll you. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran. And stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away, until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?'"

Rebekah gives some sound advice, run for the hills. Well, maybe not the hills, but Haran, anyway. Family there will keep you safe. Come back when your brother calms down. She also instructs to choose a wife that isn't one of the daughters of Heth. Isaac agrees and has him choose one of Laban's daughters.

Beresheet 28:3-5 "May Yahuah Almighty bless you, And make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples; And give you the blessing of Abraham, To you and your descendants with you, That you may inherit the land In which you are a stranger, Which Elohim gave to Abraham.'" So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Padan Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

Even after all this, Isaac still loves Jacob and sends him off with his blessing. The final part of this reading involves Esau marrying someone from within the family that he believes his parents will prefer, so maybe his wives won't be so vexing to them.

Stuff to do: Look up what the names Rebekah, Laban, Esau, Jacob, and the names of Esau's wives mean and see if they match up with who they are. Here's the link.

Tomorrow's reading is Genesis (Beresheet) 28:10-30

Abraham's Story Part 3 (Isaac's Story Part 1)

Today's reading is from Genesis (Beresheet) 21-23.

Beresheet 21:1-4 "And Yahuah visited Sarah as He had said, and Yahuah did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which Elohim had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him - whom Sarah bore to him - Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as Elohim had commanded him."

Here we have Sarah, who finally had Isaac, and all is good, except for one thing... According to traditions of the land, the largest portion of a dad's inheritance goes to his firstborn son. Isaac isn't his firstborn. We know that Yahuah wants Isaac to be Abraham's heir, but what about Ishmael? I guess we'll have to find out in a minute.

Beresheet 21:5-7 "Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, 'Elohim has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.' She also said, 'Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.'"

To get a sense of just how old Abraham and Sarah were when they had Isaac, lets take a look at a normal family tree. You have you on the bottom, your parents above you, your grandparents above them, your great grandparents above them, and your great great grandparents above them. Let's say that there's a baby. Just born, brand new baby. Let's also say that everyone in the family has had kids at 25 for the past several generations. That would mean the baby's parents are 25, his grandparents are 50, great grandparents are 75, and great great grandparents are 100. Isaac being born is like if those great great grandparents had another kid at 100. Pretty much impossible. Now you see why everyone is so happy? He's not just a kid, he's an impossible kid.

Beresheet 21:8-11 "So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.' And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.

Ishmael may not know this, but so far it looks like Sarah usually gets what she wants.

Beresheet 21:12-13 "But Elohim said to Abraham, 'Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice, for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.'"

It would appear that Hagar didn't tell Abraham what happened when she ran away.

Beresheet 21:14-16 "So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. Then she went and sat down across from him at the distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, 'Let me not see the death of the boy.' So she sat opposite him and lifted her voice and wept."

It's hot. They're in a wilderness, maybe a desert. The sun is beating down. You begin to see mirages. You take a sip of water, except you get just a couple drops. You have this feeling that it's hopeless, you're going to die. The sand sifts between your sandals with every step, burning your feet. Ishmael falls. You drag him under a bush and can't look at him anymore. There's nothing left to do but cry. Aren't you beginning to wish you started walking towards a town? Maybe get a ride on a camel taxi? It's too late for that. Then you hear something...

Beresheet 21:17-21 "And Elohim heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of Elohim called out to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, 'What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for Elohim has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.' Then Yahuah opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filed the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. So Elohim was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt."

I'm sure Ishmael's promise was the last thing on his mind. He wanted water right now, not a country. But Yahuah gave him both. Just in time, too. The rest of the chapter switches back to Abraham. He's talking with Abimelech, and they agree to live in peace for a good, long time. Let's fast forward a bit to chapter 22.

Beresheet 22:1-2 "Now it came to pass after these things that Elohim tested Abraham, and said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Then He said, 'Take now our son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.'"

We know that Yahuah is just testing Abraham's faith, but Abraham doesn't know that. He's waited a century to have this boy, now he finally has him, and it's time to go kill him. Would you like to know what's most fascinating about this chapter (aside from the fact that Yahuah doesn't like human sacrifices)? It says nothing about Abraham whining, complaining, asking to prepare any other sacrifice, nothing. He didn't request a way out, he just packed up his things and went. If anything, he was probably very quiet.

Beresheet 22:3-5 "So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which Elohim had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.'"

I'm guessing that was one tense donkey ride. His young men may have been talking to each other, Isaac may have been running around looking for bugs, but I imagine that Abraham didn't say much, and when he did, it served to quiet everyone around him down.

Beresheet 22:6-8 "So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, 'My father!' And he said, 'Here I am, my son.' Then he said, 'Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?' And Abraham said, 'My son, Elohim will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.' So the two of them went together."

That's sort of like a kid and his dad walking along, the kid has wood for the fire they're gonna cook dinner on, the dad has the flint and steel, and it suddenly occurs to the kid that they don't have anything to cook.

Beresheet 22:9-11 "Then they came to the place of which Elohim had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of Yahuah called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' So he said, 'Here I am.'"

Isaac was about to be barbequed! Abraham was going to do it! He knew he had to do whatever Yahuah told him to do, and he was going to sacrifice Isaac. This man has his priorities in order, whether he likes it or not. If this was a movie, you'd have the scary music starting when he left the house and coming to its peak right around here. The suspense has been building up, it's getting scarier by the minute, when suddenly it stops.

Beresheet 22:12-14 "And He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear Elohim, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.' Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, Yahuah-Will-Provide, as it is said to this day, 'In the Mount of Yahuah it shall be provided.'"

I was reading another book by the people who made my Bible. The book is called Extreme Faith, and one of the chapters is about Isaac. It brought to light something I had never really thought of before in this passage; what was going through Isaac's head? He let himself be bound and put on the altar, it doesn't say he squirmed or anything, he was letting it happen. Either the guy has no sense of self preservation, or he had the same level of faith as his father, and that is really something.

Beresheet 22:15-19 "Then the Angel of Yahuah called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: 'By Myself I have sworn, says Yahuah, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son- blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.' So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba."

If it was a tense ride there, can you imagine how tense it was on the way back? Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac, and there's Isaac, still standing, near Abraham. The rest of the chapter has Abraham getting a report of his extended family having grown, and yes, that means there's more genealogies.

Beresheet 23:1-6 "Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years, these were the years of the life of Sarah. So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Cannan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Then Abraham stood up from before his dead and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 'I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.' And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 'Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.'"

The rest of the chapter has Abraham shopping for a burial spot. He eventually buys one for four hundred shekels of silver that was probably large enough for everyone in his family to be buried there eventually; at least for a few generations. To get an idea of how much he paid, today a shekel is worth about a third of a dollar. Four hundred divided by three is about 133 and a third. He paid roughly $133.33 for that land. If you take into account the inflation of the past few thousand years... Hmm... Let's just say he paid a good price for it.

Tomorrow's reading is Genesis (Beresheet) 24-28:9.

Abraham's Story Part 2

Today's reading is from Genesis (Beresheet) 18-20.

 Beresheet 18:1-5 "Then Yahuah appeared to him by the terbinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, 'My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.' They said, 'Do as you have said.'"

I know that's a pretty long section, but it's all on one subject and it's kinda hard to find a good breaking point when the verses run together like that. Anyways, it looks like Abraham is just kinda chilling out in the tent door because outside is hot and inside is probably stuffy, so the spot in between is better, when he sees three men near him. What happens next is a little bit puzzling, I mean, it doesn't look like he knows who they are, but yet he's going to great lengths to make sure that three apparently perfect strangers are comfortable. I guess it just goes to show you how much culture has changed since then. Nowadays, if three strange men came up to a door, the owner of the house is probably more likely to lock it and call the police rather than open it. Throughout verses 6-8, Abraham gets Sarah to make the men some cakes, and one of his men to cook a calf, and then serves it to the men.

Beresheet 18:9 "Then they said to him, 'Where is Sarah your wife?' So he said, 'Here, in the tent.'"

This implies that the men know Abraham, but whether he knows them or not is another matter entirely.

Beresheet 18:10-12 "And He said, 'I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.' (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, 'After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?'"

There she goes laughing. Apparently Abraham hasn't told Sarah about Isaac yet. Anybody remember what Isaac's name means? Come on, you were supposed to research it yesterday.

Beresheet 18:13-15 "And Yahuah said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh, saying, "Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?" Is anything too hard for Yahuah? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.' But Sarah denied it, saying, 'I did not laugh,' for she was afraid. And He said, 'No, but you did laugh!'"

I'm pretty sure we know who the travelers are now. One of them, anyway. And it looks like Sarah got caught eavesdropping! She may not have actually laughed, as it says she laughed within herself, but you have to remember that Yahuah sees not only your actions, but also what's in your heart. If she laughed within her heart, He would know, so it doesn't really matter if she laughed out loud or stifled a giggle.

Beresheet 18:16-18 "Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And Yahuah said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?'"

Do you remember that little set of parentheses a couple chapters back? The one that is not foreshadowing? They put that in there to show what would happen to Sodom and Gommorah in the near future, but it hasn't happened yet. Lot lives in Sodom, if I recall correctly. The men are looking towards Sodom and Yahuah isn't sure if he wants to tell Abraham what he's planning on doing. What do you suppose is going to happen?

Beresheet 18:20-21 "And Yahuah said, 'Because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me, and if not, I will know.'"

This is a confusing part. The way it's phrased doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I think what He's saying here is that He's going to go check on Sodom and see if they tried to make the conditions there better; because from my understanding, not only do you not want to hang out in a dark alley in Sodom, you just don't want to go there at all.

Beresheet 18:22 "Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before Yahuah. And Abraham came near and said, 'Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?'"

I'm sure Abraham really did care about the possibility of there being a few good people in the terrible city, but most likely the thing at the front of his mind was Lot's safety. Think about it, if your family or friends were living in a city that was condemned, you'd do everything in your power to keep them safe, wouldn't you? The next several verses involve Abraham talking Yahuah into lowering the number of righteous people living in Sodom necessary for it to not be obliterated. Yahuah agrees not to destroy it for the sake of forty-five, fourty, thirty, twenty, and finally ten. Which begs the question, how many people are in Lot's family, and of them, how many are righteous?

Beresheet 19:1 "Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, 'Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.' And they said, 'No, but we will spend the night in the open square.'"

It would appear that extending such great courtesy to strangers was good manners, since now we've seen instances of two different men doing that, and perhaps neither knew who they were talking to until later. Also, remember how I said Sodom was one of those places where you just don't go? Not only did the angels go there, but they wanted to sleep outside in the open square. That's not the safest thing in the world to do, I don't think. Anyway, Lot insisted upon the angels staying at his house, and they had dinner when all the men of the entire city of Sodom came up to Lot's house and said they wanted the angels outside right now. Lot didn't let them in. Instead...

Beresheet 19:9-11 "And they said, 'Stand back!' Then they said, 'This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.' So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door."

I'm guessing there aren't ten righteous people in that city. The angels pulled Lot back inside the house, shut the door, and blinded everyone outside, but the men still tried to find that door.

Beresheet 19:12-13 "Then the men said to Lot, 'Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city - take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of Yahuah and Yahuah has sent us to destroy it.'"

That's pretty straightforward. If you don't leave, you'll be killed. That's all there really is to it. But there are his sons-in-law...

Beresheet 19:14 "So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, 'Get up, get out of this place; for Yahuah will destroy this city!' But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking."

...Joking? Really? Who jokes about that?

Beresheet 19:15 "When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, 'Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.' And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, Yahuah being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, 'Escape for your life! Do not look behind you  nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.'"

Again, the angel's directions are pretty straight forward. Get out. Take your family. Leave now. Run for your life. Don't look back. Escape to the mountains. Instead of running directly to the mountains, instead he requests that he be allowed to live in a small city called Zoar that is close enough to run to but not so close as to be destroyed along with Sodom. He's given permission and away he goes. As you'll soon learn, when you're given a direct order, like, don't look back, you had better not look back!

Beresheet 19:23-26 "The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then Yahuah rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from Yahuah out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him and she became a pillar of salt."

A pillar of salt. That's why you don't look back when you're told not to look back lest ye be destroyed. Because you'll be destroyed! She looked back! It was probably hard not to! But she did! And now Lot doesn't have a wife anymore! A little rule that should be pretty obvious: when angels give you a direct order, you follow it. Period.

Beresheet 19:27-28 "And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Yahuah. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace."

The smoke of a furnace. Visible from who knows how far away. You can probably imagine that travelers and people living in the neighboring cities from all around put two and two together and figured that Sodom and Gomorrah got what was coming to them. I mean, it's not every day you go to sleep and there are two awful cities, and you wake up and there's a huge cloud of smoke. Later on, Lot got scared and moved his daughters and himself up into the mountains where they were told to go in the first place. His daughters wanted to continue the family name and there weren't any other guys around so... Yeah. Um, what they did, that's not cool. Why they didn't just leave the cave, get remarried, and bring their new husbands back, I don't know.

Beresheet 20:1-2 "And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur and stayed in Gerar. Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, 'She is my sister.' And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah."

...I have a feeling this moment has happened before. Anybody else have that feeling? I seem to recall that something a lot like this happened just a few chapters ago with Pharaoh. How did that go over, again? Hmm...

Beresheet 20:3-7 "But Elohim came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, 'Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.' But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, 'Lord, will you slay a righteous nation also? Did he not say to me, "She is my sister"? And she, even she herself said, "He is my brother." In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.' And Elohim said to him in a dream, 'Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. Now therefore, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.'"

Talk about scary dreams! I'm beginning to think that maybe Abraham and Sarah should avoid going places, since it looks like every time they go anywhere, the local king decides she's gorgeous. She must've aged really, really well.

Beresheet 20:8-10 "So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, 'What have you done to use? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.' Then Abimelech said to Abraham, 'What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?'" 

To paraphrase, Abimelech is saying "What on earth were you thinking?!" Which is an excellent question, you'd think Abraham would've learned from his experience with Egypt that kings don't like it when married men say their wives are their sisters.

Beresheet 20:11-13 "And Abraham said, 'Because I thought, surely the fear of Elohim is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass, when Elohim caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, "This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, 'He is my brother.'"'"

I still think Abraham needs to rethink his strategy. If having Yahuah on his side isn't enough to assure him that Sarah will be safe with him no matter where they go, then maybe he should have some of his trained bodyguard/soldier/servants follow him and Sarah around so if trouble comes up, they can take care of it. Implying that you're not married to the person that you're married to isn't right, no matter how beautiful they may be.

Beresheet 20:14-18 "Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, 'See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.' Then to Sarah he said, 'Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.' Thus she was rebuked. So Abraham prayed to Elohim, and Elohim healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; for Yahuah had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife."

A difference between Abimelech and the Pharaoh:
Pharaoh pretty much kicked Abraham and Sarah out. Abimelech let them move in wherever they wanted.
Some things they had in common:
They were both kings, they both gave Sarah and Abraham servants and animals, they both took Sarah, neither married her, and they were both plagued until they gave her up. Abimelech's plague was that none of his household could have kids and they were all going to die. Pharaoh's plague was vague (foreshadowing?).

Tomorrow we'll be reading Genesis (Beresheet) 21-23.

Abraham's Story (Abram's Story Part 2)

Yesterday we left off with Abram taking his army of servants and winning Lot back. Today we wrap up Abram's Story and begin that of Abraham.

Genesis (Beresheet) 15-17

Beresheet 15:1 "After these things the word of Yahuah came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.'"

I have one question; who could ask for a better shield than that? There is no stronger shield on the planet. Right there, Yahuah is saying that He'll take care of Abram, and that's all there is to it.

Beresheet 15:2-3 "But Abram said, 'Yahuah Elohim, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?' Then Abram said, 'Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!'"

Abram was in a bit of a pickle here. He's been married for who knows how long, put together an inheritance large enough that his heir should never need anything, and is ready to have his sons become great nations except... He has no sons. No daughters either.

Beresheet 15:4-6 "And behold, the word of Yahuah came to him, saying, 'This one shall not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.' Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.' And he believed in Yahuah, and He accounted it to him for righteousness"

I look up at the stars once in awhile, they're lovely little twinkling lights. At least from this distance, anyway. I bet Abram probably went outside after dark all the time, just to look at those stars. Maybe try and count them, maybe find shapes in them like one finds shapes in clouds. Maybe just to better remember that promise.

Beresheet 15:7-9 "Then He said to him, 'I am Yahuah, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.' And he said, 'Yahuah Elohim, how shall I know that I will inherit it?' So He said to him, 'Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.'"

I wonder about Abram sometimes. I mean, isn't Yahuah's word that something will happen good enough? Anyway, Abram brought all those animals, cut each in half (except for the birds) and put each piece opposite the other. He also chased the vultures away for awhile.

15:12 "Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then He said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.'"

Let's see... Being servants and slaves in a foreign land, and then coming out 400 years later with great possessions... Sound familiar to you guys? I'm thinking that Yahuah's telling Abram about what will happen in Egypt. Abram's son's son's sons headed over to Egypt to get food during a famine and moved their entire family there because their brother turned out to be alive. Oh, but I don't want to give away too many spoilers... Let's just say that Abram's vision is going to happen and it will be within this book and the next.

15:17-21 "And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day Yahuah made a covenant with Abram, saying: 'To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates- the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.'"

I'm not sure what's up with the torch and oven that passed between the halves of the animals, but this is an important promise to remember. If you'll take a look at the Promised Land, Israel, on any map, you'll find that it's just a teeny tiny little piece of land. If you take a look at the space between the Nile and the Euphrates though, you'll find that it's a pretty big piece of land! Also, you notice the Kenites, Kenezzites and all those other nations right there? Those guys are going to be popping up a lot in these next books. They're a near constant thorn in the Israelite's side.

Beresheet 16:1 "Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maid-servant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, 'See now, Yahuah has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.' And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Cannan."

Abram is now 80-something years old, at least, and things are looking pretty bleak in the having a kid department. He most likely wanted one when he was 20 or 30, so he'd be able to chase the munchkin around the yard and play with him, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen. Anyway, Sarai gave her servant to Abram so maybe Abram could still have a kid. Even if it isn't Sarai's, it would be better than none at all. In the next couple verses, Hagar gets pregnant and decides she doesn't much like Sarai. Sarai is not happy about that and got after Hagar for it. Sarai's probably trying to put the status quo back together in Hagar's eyes, but Hagar runs away.

Beresheet 16:7-10 "Now the Angel of Yahuah found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And He said, 'Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?' She said, 'I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.' The Angel of Yahuah said to her, 'Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.' Then the Angel of Yahuah said to her, 'I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.'"

Well this promise sounds familiar.

Beresheet 16:11-12 "And the Angel of Yahuah said to her: 'Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because Yahuah has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.'"

Little fun fact for ya, the Israelite people trace their lineage back to Isaac, the Islamic people trace theirs to Ishmael. Both go back to Abram.

Beresheet 16:13 "Then she called the name of Yahuah who spoke to her, You-Are-The-El-Who-Sees; for she said, 'Have I also here seen Him who sees me?' Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram."

Beer Lahai Roi means "Well of the One Who Lives and Sees Me" according to my Bible.

Beresheet 17:1-4 "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahuah appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am Almighty Elohim; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.' Then Abram fell on his face, and Elohim talked with him, saying: 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations."

Names were really important back then. They were supposed to reveal an important characteristic of the person given the name. Abram means "father." Abraham means "father of many." You can check my facts here.

Beresheet 17:9-11 "And Elohim said to Abraham: 'As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, betweeen Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you."

Yahuah didn't need the physical reminder of the covenant, the people did.

Beresheet 17:15-16 "Then Yahuah said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.'"

The link to the name website is still up there near where Abram got his name changed, check it out again. It says Sarai means contentious, while Sarah means princess. It's pretty interesting how big a difference just one little syllable in a name makes.

Beresheet 17:17-18 "Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, 'Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?' And Abraham said to Elohim, 'Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!'"

He laughed. He just laughed. He had been waiting for this for one hundred years. By now, his great great grandkids should be running around playing. To hear that Yahuah is finally going to fulfill His promise must've felt so good, what else is there to do but laugh? But yet, he's worried that Sarah might have problems. She's not the youngest either, having a kid could really mess up her system.

Beresheet 17:19 "Then Elohim said: 'No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.' Then he finished talking with him, and Elohim went up from Abraham."

When Abraham first heard that he'd have a son with Sarah, he laughed. Later on, you'll find that the first thing Sarah does when she finds out is laughs too. Can anybody guess what Isaac's name means? Come on, don't look it up just yet, guess! After Yahuah went up from Abraham, Abraham made sure that every man of Abraham's house, eight days old and above, was circumcised that day, including himself.

Stuff to do:
Now that you know what Abram, Abraham, Sarah, and Sarai mean, look up Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac. Also, you might try looking up what your name means and see if it matches your personality too.

Tomorrow's reading:
Genesis (Beresheet) 18-20