What significance does tracing your lineage hold, and what emotions arise from discovering it?
Our Torah portion begins with the three sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, from whom the entire earth was populated. Now, let's take a look at Noah's transition from carpentry but this time he began to be a man of the soil and planted a vineyard. One day, Noah was tending his vineyard, consumed wine and became drunk. When he woke up, he learned of Ham's actions and, in verse 25, we note that it doesn't merely say "What Ham saw," but "what he did." Ham's sin was in seeing his father's nakedness and failing to cover him; instead, he informed his brothers. Perhaps in the ancient practice to see the nakedness of a parent was disrespectful as Leviticus 20:17 says: “If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his guilt.” But Shem and Japeth covered the nakedness of their father, like what God did to Eve and Adam when they disobeyed His instruction.
The question is, why did Noah mention Canaan in cursing Ham? There was a traditional teaching from Origen that Canaan, Noah's son was the first one who saw the nakedness of Noah, then he reported to his father. But I believe the shift from Ham to his son Canaan has something to do with Israel's future triumph over the Canaanites. Joshua 11:6-9 says: “But the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” So Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and they attacked them. And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased them to Greater Sidon, to the Brook Misrephoth, and to the Valley of Mizpah eastward; they attacked them until they left none of them remaining. So Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.”
In verse 26 to 27, Noah blesses Shem(which means “name”) and Japheth (meaning “enlarge, expansion”), choosing to bestow the blessing upon Shem due to his special relationship with the LORD, indicating a significant connection between Shem and Adonai. Japheth's blessing, in turn, hinges on his relationship with Shem.
Chapter 10 discussed the genealogies of Noah's three sons. It was Shem, Ham, and Japheth who began to repopulate the earth. There are many interesting truths from these men. According to Bible Scholars, there were 70 nations descended from them. 26 from Shem, 30 from Ham, and 14 from Japheth and the main family that is identified in this chapter is traced from Shem and his son Eber. From them came Abraham and Judah, Jesse, David and his sons Solomon and Nathan. Also from Shem that Isaac, Jacob, and Israel were born and Yeshua, the hope of all nations and Savior was Shem's descendants.
In Genesis 3:15, the promise of ultimate deliverance from HaSatan is given through the seed of a woman, narrowing it down to the line of Shem. Each of Noah's sons and their descendants is linked with blessings and curses. In connection with territory, Japheth is blessed, while Ham is cursed to be enslaved. Shem, however, is blessed with a special connection to God.
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Our Haftarah portion revolves around the Servant and His mission to raise up the tribes of Jacob, restore the preserved ones of Israel, and be a light for the nations, as emphasized in verse 1. The identity of the Servant is questioned, but clues suggest that He is none other than Yeshua. First, the Servant speaks of being called from the womb, implying a human birth yet virgin-born, as described in Mat.1:21, where the angel tells Yosef that Miriam will give birth to a son and call Him Yeshua. Second, the Servant's mouth is compared to a sharp sword, indicating the powerful impact of the Word of God, penetrating hearts (Heb.4:12). Third, the Servant is hidden in the shadow of God's hand, just as Gal.4:4 states, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman."
It becomes apparent in verse 5 that the Servant referred to is likely Yeshua. The prophecy points to Yeshua as the one who will offer a covenant blood to reconcile Jacob to God. Yeshua came to fulfill Isaiah's words, offering Himself as a covenant for Israel's redemption and for the Gentiles. The name Yeshua means "to save," and indeed, He becomes the salvation to the ends of the earth.
In our Apostolic portion, the One seated on the throne holds a sealed scroll in His right hand, and no one is found worthy to open it, causing John to weep. The proclamation is made that the Lion from the Tribe of Judah is the only one worthy to open the scroll. John also sees a Lamb, as though it had been slain. This dual imagery represents Yeshua, who embodies both the kingship of the Lion and the sacrificial aspect of the Lamb, being the ultimate "Pesach Lamb" who saves His people.
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Throughout our Parasha, the connection is Yeshua. In the Torah portion, Shem's blessed lineage leads to the Messiah, who becomes the hope and Savior of the world. The Haftarah portion speaks of the Servant, likely Yeshua, who brings light and redemption to Israel and the nations. In the Apostolic portion, Yeshua is depicted as both the Lion, symbolizing His kingship, and the Lamb, symbolizing His sacrificial role for our salvation.
In conclusion, Noah blessed Shem and it was through him, and on to Abraham, Judah, and David, leading all the way to Messiah Yeshua the hope and Savior of the world.
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
Sources:
bible strong app
thebiblesays.com
thetorah.com
torahclass.com
bethemelekh.com
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