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.