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-- T O R A H P O R T I O N --
What’s the most memorable or sweetest message you received from your father? How can you say that your father loves you?
Last week, Jacob finally met his favourite son Joseph in Goshen. They wept for each other and Jacob told Joseph that he could die already. But the will of Adonai was different from Jacob’s, as He extended his life for another seventeen years. Jacob also met Pharaoh and blessed him. He also witnessed how Joseph dealt with the famine, and lastly, Jacob made a request to Joseph to bury his body in Machpelah as soon as he died. In return, Joseph swore by putting his hand under the thigh of his father.
Our Torah portion starts with the condition of Jacob as he was sick, and the news came to Joseph, and he took with him Manasseh and Ephraim. When they got there, Jacob sat up on the bed and told something very important to Joseph. It’s about the Abrahamic Covenant and its continuation to Jacob. Part of this covenant are the promises of Adonai YHVH that He will make Jacob fruitful and multiply, and He will give the land of Canaan to his descendants as an everlasting possession. Genesis 17:6–8 says:
I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.
Now this is what God told Jacob in our Torah portion, Genesis 48:3–4: Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’”
There is a saying that as long as you live, show love to your family, because there are some people who die without even being able to show it. Jacob is about to die. As a dying father and grandfather, how did he show his love for his family?
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He claimed Ephraim and Manasseh as his (v.5). Some commentators use the word adoption for this incident. Since Jacob had twelve sons, each one had the right to a portion of his inheritance. But here, the portion of Joseph became a double through his two sons. We can see here the great plan of Adonai YHVH for the Gentiles since Ephraim and Manasseh’s mother was an Egyptian. Adonai wanted us (Gentiles) to be part of His family. In Ephesians 2:11–13, Paul said, “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Messiah, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua, you (Gentiles) who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Yeshua.” Also, in Revelation 7:1–8, John saw in his vision that the tribe of Manasseh was included as the children of Israel. Eventually, these two sons of Joseph played a big role for the people of Israel. Joshua the son of Nun came from the tribe of Ephraim, as he led the Israelites to conquer the land of Canaan after the death of Moshe. While Gideon, one of the Judges of Israel, came from the tribe of Manasseh. He was also a military leader, and Adonai called him to spare Israel from the hands of the Midianites (Judges 6).
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He also blessed Ephraim and Manasseh (vv.9–22). In chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews, the author focused on the faith of the Tanakh characters. Unlike the others who were included because of their experiences, obedience, and trust in Adonai, Jacob was included because he blessed Ephraim and Manasseh. Hebrews 11:21: “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff.” The way Jacob blessed his two grandchildren parallels his experience with his father Isaac and his brother Esau.
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He gave his last words to his sons (49:1–27). If Joseph could interpret dreams, here Jacob predicted what would befall his sons in the last days. It’s obvious that he prioritized the sons of Leah, then followed the sons of Zilpah and Bilhah. He finally mentioned his two sons from Rachel, the woman he loved more than Leah. The amazing thing from this arrangement is that we can see the redemptive plan of Adonai YHVH for mankind after the fall in the Garden of Eden. From the prediction of Jacob to Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, we can see the wickedness of man. When it comes to the prediction of Jacob to Judah, we can see the Promised Messiah, who would come from this tribe to save mankind from wickedness. Then from the prediction of Jacob to his favourite son Joseph, we can see what would happen to Yeshua as the Suffering Servant, who would be betrayed for the ransom of many.
Because of these last words of Jacob to his twelve sons, and his claim of the two sons of Joseph as his, they were now called the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen. 49:28).
The blessing of the father establishes the houses of the children.
Hebrews 11:21
“By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff.”
How do you show love to your family, not only through provision, but through blessing, prayer, and words of faith that will guide them after you are gone?
-- H A F T A R A H P O R T I O N --
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- He created and formed them (v.1). The Hebrew word for created is Bara, which means “to create, select, be qualified, and to shape.” While the Hebrew word for formed is Yatsar, which means “to mold, to frame.” Adonai YHVH selected Israel to be His chosen people (Deut. 7:6). Now and then, He’s molding them (Jer. 18:6).Just as Israel was created and formed for His purpose, so too are the grafted-in believers. Romans 11 reminds us that Gentiles are wild olive branches grafted into the cultivated olive tree of Israel. Thus, the same Creator who formed Israel is also forming us into one new man in Messiah (Eph. 2:14–15).
- He redeemed them (v.1b). Adonai called Moshe to speak in His name to Pharaoh, for he abused the Israelites. Adonai told Moshe to tell Pharaoh, “Let My people go.” Here, He wanted to redeem Israel from slavery so they could worship Him in the wilderness.Redemption through the blood of the Lamb is at the center of Israel’s story. Just as Israel was redeemed from Egypt by the blood of the Passover lamb, so we who believe in Yeshua are redeemed by His blood (1 Cor. 5:7). Israel’s redemption points directly to Messiah’s ultimate redemption for both Jew and Gentile.
- He protects them (v.2). Adonai protected Israel through the Red Sea while the Egyptians were chasing them. He also protected the friends of Daniel in the fiery furnace as an illustration of His protection for His people. Yeshua promised the same protection to His disciples: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Though we pass through tribulation, He preserves His remnant in Israel and His grafted-in family from the nations.
- His presence is always with them (v.5). In spite of Israel’s dispersion, Adonai will gather them and return them to their own land.This is happening before our eyes as Israel is regathered from the nations. At the same time, Yeshua is drawing the nations to Himself so that both Jew and Gentile may worship the Father together (John 4:23). This is the fullness of His love—He gathers His children
-- APOSTOLIC P O R T I O N --
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The connection of our Parasha is about the love of a father. In the Torah, Jacob showed his love not only as a father but as a grandfather as well by claiming the two sons of Joseph as his, and he gave his last words to his twelve sons before his death. In the Haftarah, Adonai YHVH, being a Father to Israel, showed His love through redemption, protection, and His abiding presence with His chosen people. In the Apostolic portion, Yeshua assured His talmidim that His Father loves them because they have loved Him.
Returning to my introduction… truly, a father can do many things to show his love for his children. Just like Jacob, he could give treasure or material things. But he chose to give his blessing and last words for his children. Same as Adonai YHVH, for He loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son Yeshua (John 3:16).
Romans 8:35, 39:
Who shall separate us from the love of Yeshua? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.
A father’s love is measured not by how long he lives, but by how deeply his presence shapes the lives that follow.
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
Aish.com
Reformjudaism.org
Umjc.org
Fauquierjewishcongregation.org
Thetorah.com
Bethmelekh.com
Forthowardcc.com
Bibleinfo.com
The MacArthur Study Bible
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