Our Torah portion starts with Adonai finally remembering Rachel. Going back to verses 1–2, Rachel told Jacob to give her children, but Jacob told her, “Am I in the place of God?” It came to a point that she used to put her trust in mandrakes because she was desperate to have a son. The Hebrew verb for remembered is zakar, which means “to bring someone to mind and then act upon that person’s behalf.” Adonai not only remembered Rachel, He listened to her as well and opened her womb, which indicates that Rachel prayed and finally believed Jacob—that Adonai is the only giver of life. So she called her son Yosef, which means “He will add,” showing Rachel’s faith that Adonai will give her another son.
What can we learn from Rachel?
1. Be Patient
If we learn to wait His way, we develop patience. When we see Adonai’s faithfulness, we let go of making our own ways and learn to put our trust in Him. The classic example that I would like to use here is the story of Yosef. Yes, he was the favorite son, but he was betrayed by his brothers, which led to a challenging experience in Egypt—from being a trusted man of Pharaoh to a prisoner. He was patiently waiting for the time to come back to the palace. Then the perfect time came as he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's baker and cupbearer. His interpretation came true, so he was also referred to interpret the dream of Pharaoh. Then he became the governor of Egypt and eventually reunited with his family. Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:12: "Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be constant in prayer.” Even James in James 1:4: “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
2. Be Prayerful
While we are waiting for the answer of Adonai to our petitions, it should be accompanied by consistent prayer. I believe Rachel didn't only pray once because verse 22 says: “And He listened to her.” The consistent prayer of Rachel moved Adonai into action. Remember, prayer allows us to attach with God—sharing our petitions, worries, and joys, and seeking His help and strength.
3. Be Praiseworthy
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, praiseworthy means deserving praise. After Rachel bore a son, she acknowledged that Adonai took away her reproach. She didn't say that it was from her own effort or from the mandrake. From Genesis to Revelation, the central theme of Scripture is to praise, exalt, acknowledge, and worship Adonai. Psalm 96:4, 7–9 says:
“For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods … Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.”
The case of Rachel and Leah should deepen our faith and trust in Adonai. In moments of doubt and confusion, we can find solace in the truth that Adonai can make the impossible possible whenever He chooses. We may feel forgotten and abandoned amidst the trials, but His answer will manifest in due time.
This time, Jacob told Laban to send him away. Two reasons why Jacob wanted this: First, he remembered what Adonai told him in Gen. 28:15—that he would be brought back into Canaan, his land. Second, since his family was getting bigger, he wanted to start on his own because he was done serving Laban. Jacob knew that Adonai would be with him as he started to build a family.
Now here comes Laban. Instead of letting Jacob go, he begged him to stay for self-interest. He was blessed by Adonai for the sake of Jacob, and this time he wanted more blessing. He repeated his offer in Gen. 29:15 about the wages. He wanted to deceive Jacob again for his profit. Doesn’t he love his nephew Jacob and his children Rachel and Leah? Didn’t he think they already had a family to take care of?
Then Jacob offered Laban a plan which is difficult to cheat on. He told Laban that everyone that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs of his uncle and found with him shall be counted as stolen. Jacob’s offer seemed in favor of Laban because of his reaction. Maybe he thought that it’s impossible for Jacob to enlarge his flocks. The question is: Did Adonai instruct this? Or was He just being true to His promise in Gen. 28:15—that He would be with him and keep him wherever he goes? The answer can be found in chapter 31:7–10 where Jacob told Rachel and Leah:
“Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but Adonai 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 Adonai has taken away all the livestock of your father and given them to me.”
It’s very obvious that Adonai YHVH prevented Laban from cheating Jacob again. Paul said in Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Thus, Jacob became prosperous and had large flocks because of the divine act of Adonai.
Faith is not just remembering God—but trusting that He remembers you, even in silence.
Are there prayers you've stopped praying because you think God forgot? Rekindle your hope—He listens, and His timing is perfect.
-- H A F T A R A H P O R T I O N --
Our Haftarah portion deals with the two wives of Elkanah, an Ephraimite. One was Peninah, who had children, and the other was Hannah, who was barren. Just like the case of Leah and Rachel, Hannah was more loved by Elkanah than Peninah. Yearly, Elkanah went to the city to worship and sacrifice to Adonai YHVH, as it was a command that all men should attend three annual feasts (Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot – Deut. 16:1–17).
In spite of the many instances in Scripture where a barren woman was miraculously blessed with a child, Hannah was the one who prayed earnestly and made a vow to Adonai.
How did she pray?
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She used Adonai Tz’vaot – It means “The Lord of Hosts,” and it points to God’s power and authority. For Hannah, the power of Adonai YHVH was enough to give her a son.
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She called herself a maidservant of Adonai – We can see here that Hannah was humble and submissive in the eyes of her Creator.
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She asked Adonai to remember her – Hannah made a special request for care and attention from God.
The name Hannah means “Grace,” and in the grace of Adonai YHVH, He remembered her and granted her petition. She bore a son and called him Samuel, which means “God has heard.”
True grace is found in the cry of the humble—those who dare to ask and still believe before they receive.
Like Hannah, can you lay your deepest longings before Adonai and trust His grace, even before the answer comes?
-- APOSTOLIC P O R T I O N --
In our Apostolic portion, when Paul and his party reached Antioch in Pisidia, they went into the synagogue on Shabbat. Paul gave an exhortation to the people there.
How did he exhort?
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He remembered Adonai’s faithfulness to Israel – From verses 16 to 25, he gave an exhortation about when Israel dwelt as strangers in Egypt and how Adonai brought them out. He also mentioned the forty-year journey of Israel in the wilderness and how Adonai destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan. Next, he shared the story of the Judges, Prophets, and Kings that Adonai provided for Israel, and among the kings was David—and from his seed, Adonai raised up a Savior—Yeshua HaMashiach.
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He remembered the death and resurrection of Yeshua – From verses 26 to 41, Paul exhorts the fulfillment of the prophecies about Yeshua: how He was crucified and laid in a tomb, and how He was raised from the dead so that through Him, the forgiveness of sins must be preached.
As a result of Paul’s exhortation—by remembering and sharing these events—the Gentiles begged that these words of Paul might be preached to them the next Shabbat, and many of the Jews and Gentiles followed him and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of Adonai YHVH (verses 42–43).
When we trace God's hand through history, we find the courage to trust Him with tomorrow.
Share a testimony of God's faithfulness in your life this week with someone. In doing so, you not only strengthen their faith—you reaffirm your own.
The connection of our Parasha is very obvious, and it’s about remembering. In the Torah, Adonai remembered Rachel and gave her a son—Yosef. In the Haftarah, Hannah pleaded with Adonai to remember her and give her Samuel. In the Apostolic Writings, Paul remembers and shares with the people in Pisidia the faithfulness of Adonai to Israel, and the death and resurrection of Yeshua for the forgiveness of sins.
Returning to my introduction… It feels good to be remembered by someone, especially on a special occasion. But sometimes, we long to be remembered by God because we asked something from Him. There are times we want to give up, and when we do, we are not trusting Him. Let us wait for God’s perfect timing. If we put our trust in Him, we can experience genuine shalom and joy.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”
Psalm 9:12
“For the Lord will remember His people, and His covenant will last forever. He remembers His covenant.”
When Adonai remembers, it's never just a thought—it is a divine movement of mercy, timed with perfection and filled with purpose.
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
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-- S O U R C E S --
TheMacArthurStudyBible
Torahclass.com
Bethmelekh.com
Compellingtruth.org
Ots.org.il
Sdjewishworld.com
Myonecomfort.com
Christianstudylibrary.org
answersingenesis.org
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