Transcript Slide 1

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THE MESSIANIC PROPHECY BIBLE PROJECT
http://www.messianicbible.com
HEAR O ISRAEL
www.hearoisrael.org
SHEEPFOLD GLEANINGS WRITTEN BY JULIE PARKER
www.sheepfoldgleanings.com
MESSIANIC ISRAEL ALLIANCE
http://www.messianicisrael.com
AZAMRA TORAH FOR OUR TIME – RABBI AVRAHAM
GREENBAUM
http://www.azamra.org
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The story of Joseph and his brothers reveals a pattern of one of the
central themes of the Torah:
• Sin
• Punishment/Discipline
• Teshuva (Repentance)
• Redemption
All of these components operate within the intended final goal of
family unity. When the brothers sin, it goes against this goal; and it is
to this goal that they will all return upon repentance. This pattern
began in the Garden and cycles and recycles until we get to the last
pages of Revelation. For this reason, there is much for us to learn in
our story about Joseph that will help us Mikeitz– at the end. In fact,
end times are exactly where our Torah parasha points us:
Bereshith 41:1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that
Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.
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What is the point of Yosef’s lengthy story? Repentance, reconciliation,
and family unity. What did the brothers need to repent of? The sin of
“selling” a “brother” is one of the more serious sins and according to
the Torah, worthy of death:
Devarim 24:7 " If a man is found kidnapping a soul of his brother of the
children of Israel, and mistreats him or sells him, then that kidnapper
shall die; and you shall put away the evil from among you.
“Selling” Yosef is connected with the 1st sin listed as a cause for the
wrath of YHVH upon Israel:
Amos 2:6 Thus says YHVH: "For three transgressions of Israel, and for
four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they sell the
righteous for silver…
Yeshua also was sold by His brethren for “silver”, resulting in
“bloodguilt” which YHVH promises will be “pardoned”:
Joel 3:21 "Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon….
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Thus Yosef understands the need to send his brothers on a journey of
repentance. Their awful act – the sale of a brother – was a sin that had
the potential to haunt the family for generations. Yosef desired to
bring repentance and unity to the family; and although he was not
spoken to directly by the Father, through his dreams he understood
the authority he was given.
A wise Yosef knew that one shows full repentance by facing the same
situation in which one sinned initially and this time, showing restraint.
So Yosef places his brothers in situations whereby they must choose
between themselves and their younger brother, now known as their
father’s favorite.
Yosef’s objective then, is to lure his brother Benyamin to Egypt and
thereby expose the hearts of his brothers.
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It is a law of nature that however much one may grieve over the
death of a dear one, at the end of a year consolation finds its way to
the heart of the mourner. But the disappearance of a living man can
never be wiped out of one's memory. Therefore the fact that he was
inconsolable made Jacob suspect that Joseph was alive, and he did
not give entire credence to the report of his sons. His vague
suspicion was strengthened by something that happened to him. He
went up into the mountains, hewed twelve stones out of the quarry,
and wrote the names of his sons thereon, their constellations, and
the months corresponding to the constellations, a stone for a son,
thus, "Reuben, Ram, Nisan," and so for each of his twelve sons.
Then he addressed the stones and bade them bow down before the
one marked with Reuben's name, constellation, and month, and
they did not move. He gave the same order regarding the stone
marked for Simon, and again the stones stood still. And so he did
respecting all his sons, until he reached the stone for Joseph. When
he spoke concerning this one, "I command you to fall down before
Joseph," they all prostrated themselves. He tried the same test with
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other things, trees and sheaves, and always the result was the same.
Jacob spoke: "The covenant that God made with me regarding
the twelve tribes is null and void now. I did strive in vain to
establish the twelve tribes, seeing that now the death of Joseph
hath destroyed the covenant. All the works of God were made to
correspond to the number of the tribes--twelve are the signs of
the zodiac, twelve the months, twelve hours hath the day, twelve
the night, and twelve stones are set in Aaron's breastplate--and
now that Joseph hath departed, the covenant of the tribes is set
at naught.“
His mourning lasted all of twenty-two years, corresponding to
the number of the years he had dwelt apart from his parents,
and had not fulfilled the duty of a son toward them.
In his mourning Jacob put sackcloth upon his loins, and therein
be became a model for the kings and princes in Israel, for David,
Ahab, Joram, and Mordecai did likewise when a great misfortune
befell the nation.
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The “oppressor” is Pharaoh, the King of Mitzrayim. “Mitzrayim”,
means “constriction” and “bondage”. “Mitzrayim” was also the third
son of Ham. The scriptural references to Ham‟s descendants from
B’reshith Chapter 10, show that they have come to represent bondage
and sexual sin in the world. The Land of Egypt became the
“stronghold” of Mitzrayim (constriction and bondage) and has, from
the time of Avraham until Moshe, tried to “uncover the nakedness” of
Yisra‟el.
It was Pharaoh who kidnapped Sarah, in order to pollute Avraham‟s
genealogy. It took what B’reshith 12:17 describes as “great plagues” to
force Pharaoh into releasing her. And, it was Pharaoh who enslaved
and brutalized B‟nei Yisra‟el, and killed their male children, at the time
of Moshe‟s birth.
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“Our parsha MIKETZ traces the successive stages in which the
snare was laid to force Jacob and his Twelve Sons to follow
Joseph down into exile in Egypt in preparation for the ultimate
redemption of the Children of Israel years later on that same
date. The net is artfully prepared by Joseph, who alone of all the
sons of Jacob had the power to stand in the House of Pharaoh.
Joseph is the archetype of the Tzaddik who enables us to survive
in This World. Having been drawn down to Egypt by Joseph, the
Children of Israel are eventually redeemed by Moses, who,
having been brought up in the House of Pharaoh, had the power
to stand there. Moses is integrally linked with Joseph, and thus
Moses ‘took the bones (the essence) of Joseph with him’ up out
of Egypt. Moses is the Tzaddik who teaches us the path leading
through the wilderness of This World to the Land of the Living -the Land of Israel.”
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The Hebrew word “Miketz” has two meanings.
1. “at the end”, as in the end of Yoseph‟s imprisonment.
2. “at the beginning”, as in the beginning of his rise to rulership and
being given the authority to “stand in Pharaoh’s House”.
Rabbi Eli Touger writes in The Garden of Torah, “Similarly, the Zohar
speaks of the ketz dismola, „the left end,’ and the ketz hayamin, ‘the
right end’. According to the first interpretation, mikeitz refers to the
most difficult challenges Yosef faced in Egypt, for it is before daybreak
that the darkness becomes most powerful. According to the second
interpretation, mikeitz refers to the dawning of Yosef’s redemption.
There is a connection between the two. Hidden within the challenges of
ketz dismola and the last moments of exile are Godly sparks.
Confronting these challenges taps these Godly energies and brings ketz
hayamin, the beginning of the Redemption”.
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At the end of two years, .. (Genesis 41:1 CJB)
Our parsha begins by telling us; “Va y‟hee miketz sh‟nachim”.
This literally translates; “It was the end of two years of days..”
“two years of days”, when we read about the life of Avraham and
Sarah, Torah referred to them, in the Hebrew, as “walking in
their days” and that “their years were full of days”. “Hebrewism”
refers to the fact that they occupied or filled their days. Yoseph,
didn’t just mark time in prison; he served YHVH and literally
“fulfilled” his days in prison. Joseph had a decision to make: Was
he going to live and rest in the knowledge and understanding
that ALL was in YHVH’s care or take matters into his own hands?
Joseph chose wisely. He chose to grow with the situation of
hardships and trials and allow his Heavenly Father to guide,
correct and mould him into the image and destiny YHVH
purposed for his life. Letting go of self (earthly realm) until only
YHVH existed (heavenly realm).
Prophetic symbolism: Two years = 2000 years before Yeshua will
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raise us up so that we can rule and rein with Him.
…he was standing beside the Nile River; (Genesis 41:1 CJB)
The Hebrew word “Ye‟or” (which is Egyptian) is exclusively used
to mean the Nile, Mitzrayim‟s chief river. In fact, it was
worshipped as the source of life in those days by the Egyptians.
The wording here shows that in his dream, Pharaoh was standing
over, or ruling, the Nile. Pharaohs, like Caesars and other pagan
sovereigns were often worshipped as elohim (with a small „e‟).
As YHVH is bringing plagues of judgment upon Pharaoh and all
Mitzrayim, in Parsha Va ‘era, we read in the Haftorah from
Ezekiel 29:2-3; “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh the
sovereign of Mitsrayim, and prophesy against him, and against
Mitsrayim, all of it. Speak, and you shall say, „Thus said the
Master YHVH, “See, I am against you, O Pharaoh sovereign of
Mitsrayim, O great crocodile (serpent) who lies in the midst of his
rivers, who has said, „My River (in Hebrew Ye‟or = the Nile)is my
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own, and I, I have made it for myself.‟
Pharaoh had a dream: he was standing beside the Nile River; and there
came up out of the river seven cows, sleek and fat; and they began
feeding in swamp grass. After them, there came up out of the river
seven more cows, miserable-looking and lean; and they stood by the
other cows at the edge of the river. Then the miserable-looking and
lean cows ate up the seven sleek, fat cows.. and dreamt a second time:
seven full, ripe ears of grain grew out of a single stalk. After them,
seven ears, thin and blasted by the east wind, sprang up. And the thin
ears swallowed up the seven full, ripe ears…. (Genesis 41:1-7 CJB)
Legends of the Jews: This was not the first time Pharaoh had had
these dreams. They had visited him every night during a period of two
years, and he had forgotten them invariably in the morning. This was
the first time he remembered them, for the day had arrived for Joseph
to come forth from his prison house.
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Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today reminds me of
something wherein I am at fault: Pharaoh was angry with his officials
and put me in the prison of the house of the captain of the guard, me
and the chief baker. One night both I and he had dreams, .. a young
man, a Hebrew, .. interpreted each man's dream individually. And it
came about as he interpreted to us — I was restored to my office, and
he was hanged." Then Pharaoh summoned Yosef, and they brought
him quickly out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his
clothes, and came in to Pharaoh. (Genesis 41:9-14 CJB)
Why mention he shaved himself? Legends of the Jews: They brought
him hastily out of the dungeon, but first Joseph, out of respect for the
king, shaved himself, and put on fresh raiment, which an angel brought
him from Paradise, and then he came in unto Pharaoh.
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If a prince or other distinguished person came to have an
audience with the king, it was the custom for him to advance
and mount to the thirty-first step of the throne, and the king
would descend thirty-six steps and speak to him. But if one of
the people came to have speech with the king, he ascended only
to the third step, and the king would come down four steps from
his seat, and address him thence. It was also the custom that one
who knew all the seventy languages ascended the seventy steps
of the throne to the top, but if a man knew only some of the
seventy languages, he was permitted to ascend as many steps as
he knew languages, whether they were many or, few. And
another custom of the Egyptians was that none could reign over
them unless he was master of all the seventy languages.
“When Joseph came before the king, he bowed down to the
ground, and he ascended to the third step, while the king sat
upon the fourth from the top”
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Legends of the Jews: Joseph asked the king first whence he knew
that the interpretation given by the wise men of his country was not
true, and Pharaoh replied, "I saw the dream and its interpretation
together, and therefore they cannot make a fool of me.“
Pharaoh said to Yosef, "I had a dream, and there is no one who can
interpret it; but I've heard it said about you that when you hear a
dream, you can interpret it." Yosef answered Pharaoh, "It isn't in me.
God will give Pharaoh an answer that will set his mind at peace."
…"(Genesis 41:15-16 CJB)
Legends of the Jews: And for such modesty he was rewarded by
sovereignty over Egypt, for the Lord doth honour them that honour
Him. Thus was also Daniel rewarded for his speech to
Nebuchadnezzar:"There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets,
but as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I
have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation
may be made known to the king, and that thou mayest know the
thoughts of thy heart."
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The dreams of Pharaoh are the same: .. The seven good cows are
seven years, and the seven good ears of grain are seven years —
the dreams are the same. Likewise the seven lean and miserablelooking cows that came up after them are seven years, and also
the seven empty ears blasted by the east wind — there will be
seven years of famine. ..Here it is: there will be seven years of
abundance throughout the whole land of Egypt; but afterwards,
there will come seven years of famine; and Egypt will forget all the
abundance. The famine will consume the land, and the abundance
will not be known in the land because of the famine that will
follow, because it will be truly terrible. Why was the dream doubled
for Pharaoh? Because the matter has been fixed by God, and God
will shortly cause it to happen. "Therefore, Pharaoh should look for
a man both discreet and wise to put in charge of the land of Egypt.
.. he should appoint supervisors over the land to receive a twenty
percent tax on the produce of the land of Egypt ...and they should
store it. This will be the land's food supply for the seven years of
famine that will come over the land of Egypt, so that the land will
not perish as a result of the famine.“ (Genesis 41:25-36 CJB) 18
Repetition in the Torah is a literary device often used to reveal hidden
truths. It is good to line up the details of the events and look for
similarities and/or discrepancies. One set of differences involves the
use of unique synonyms to describe the fat and thin cows in the text
and then in Pharaoh’s recounting of the dream:
Bereshith 41:2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows,
fine looking (Yefote mareh -) and fat (briyote); and they fed in the
meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of
the river, ugly (raote mareh ) and gaunt (dakote basar), and stood by
the other cows on the bank of the river.
Bereshith 41:18 "Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fat
(briyote) and beautiful of form (yefote toar); and they fed in the
meadow. "Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor
(dalote) and very ugly (raote toar) and gaunt (rakote basar), such
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ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt.
There are two different synonyms in Pharaoh’s recounting:
• Beautiful of form (yefote toar)
• Gaunt (rakote)
These two synonyms appeared in a previous story:
Bereshith 29:17 Leah's eyes were delicate (rakote), but Rachel was
beautiful of form (yefot toar) and appearance.
From these special words pointing back to Leah and Rachel, as
recounted by Pharaoh, Joseph understands that the time has come for
the re gathering of the divided House of Israel. Catching the
significance of these words was a confidence builder for Joseph to
proceed with the interpretation of the dreams.
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Pharaoh’s repetition of the dream contained an added detail of despair
concerning the cows:
When they (gaunt cows) had eaten them (fat cows) up one could not
see that they had eaten them, for their appearance was as bad as it
had been at the start
Did Pharaoh really see this in his dream, or did he add it in his
retelling? If it was an addition, then would Joseph include it in his
interpretation? Were the other wise men rejected because they had
not caught the addition?
Bereshith 41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh
are one; Elohim has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: "The seven
good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years;
the dreams are one. "And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up
after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the
east wind are seven years of famine. "This is the thing which I have
spoken to Pharaoh. Elohim has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
These verses conclude Joseph’s interpretation of the dream.
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What follows these verses is a plan that Joseph proposes to
accumulate grain throughout the seven years of plenty, so as to
SOLVE the problem of the famine. In doing so, he addresses
Pharaoh’s addition (Pharaoh’s despair) to the actual dream:
Bereshith 41:31 "So the plenty will not be known in the land
because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.
This is the dire prediction, as interpreted by Joseph. Joseph is
about to suggest a way to NEGATE Pharaoh’s addition which is
not really part of the dream. If the Pharaoh and the Egyptians
will follow Joseph’s instructions, then the accumulation and
storage of food will make it possible to eat during the times of
famine.The actual dream was a prophecy but the outcome could
wisely be managed! Pharaoh feared his dream was pointing to a
catastrophic future for Egypt. In reality, the only thing the
dreams prophesied was years of plenty and years of famine. The
despair was Pharaoh’s own invention and inability to rely on
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YHVH (Yahweh)!
The prophet Amos speaks of another coming famine:
Amos 8:11 " Behold, the days are coming," say Adonai YHVH, "That I
will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for
water, But of hearing (shema) the words of the YHVH.
This famine is not of bread or water, but one of hearing….shema the
words of YHVH. To “shema” is to “hear” and to “obey”. We must all
learn to make the best use of our time during this season of “plenty”.
The coming famine is a fact, but our task is to find ways of dealing with
the suffering that it is likely to cause due to people’s inability to
“shema”. Yeshua spoke of this:
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Matthew 6:19-33 " Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
"but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. "For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also. " The lamp of the body is
the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of
light. "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If
therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that
darkness! " No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the
one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve Elohim and mammon." Therefore I say to
you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will
drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than
food and the body more than clothing?... "For after all these things the
Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these
things. "But seek first the kingdom of Yah and His righteousness, and
all these things shall be added to you.
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Pharaoh only asked to know what his dreams meant but he gets a
word of knowledge on what to do next, in light of the interpretation.
Why would that be? Interestingly, the word “Pharaoh” (or Paroh in
Hebrew = Pey-reish-ayin-hey) means “king”, “prince” or “ruler”. But,
with different vowel markings, which don‟t appear in the Hebrew
Torah, it is the word “paru‟ah”, which means “undisciplined”. He does
not know how to conserve and save for lean times.
Pharaoh's self-seeking is rooted in the fundamental flaw of Adam:
KERI, spilling the seed in vain -- waste. Joseph used the Seven Years of
Plenty to teach the Egyptians to put limits on IMMEDIATE
CONSUMPTION AND GRATIFICATION in order to SAVE for the FUTURE.
Yoseph lays out the perfect discipline of storing up the excess of the
abundance to cover the shortage of the following famine.
Yoseph‟s name means “added to” or “abundance”.
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Legends of the Jews: Joseph did more than merely interpret the
dreams. When the king gave voice to doubts concerning the
interpretation, he told him signs and tokens. He said: "Let this be
a sign to thee that my words are true, and my advice is excellent:
Thy wife, who is sitting upon the birthstool at this moment, will
bring forth a son, and thou wilt rejoice over him, but in the midst
of thy joy the sad tidings will be told thee of the death of thine
older son, who was born unto thee but two years ago, and thou
must needs find consolation for the loss of the one in the birth of
the other.“ Scarcely had Joseph withdrawn from the presence of
the king, when the report of the birth of a son was brought to
Pharaoh, and soon after also the report of the death of his firstborn, who had suddenly dropped to the floor and passed away.
Pharaoh said to his officials, "Can we find anyone else like him?
The Spirit of God lives in him!" So Pharaoh said to Yosef, "Since
God has shown you all this — there is no one as discerning and
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wise as you — (Genesis 41:38-39 CJB)
The astrologers, who were his counsellors, demurred, saying, "A
slave, one whom his present owner hath acquired for twenty pieces
of silver, thou proposest to set over us as master? ..“this Hebrew
knows none but his own tongue, and how were it possible that a man
should rule over us who cannot even speak the language of our land?
Pharaoh yielded, ..and he appointed the following day as the time for
examining Joseph. During the night Gabriel appeared unto Joseph,
and taught him all the seventy languages, and he acquired them
quickly after the angel had changed his name from Joseph to
Jehoseph. The next morning, when he came into the presence of
Pharaoh and the nobles of the kingdom, inasmuch as he knew every
one of the seventy languages, he mounted all the steps of the royal
throne, until he reached the seventieth, the highest, upon which sat
the king, and Pharaoh and his princes rejoiced that Joseph fulfilled all
the requirements needed by one that was to rule over Egypt.
Jasher 49:14 And the angel roused him from his sleep, .. and behold
the angel of the Lord was standing opposite to him; and the angel of
the Lord spoke with Joseph, and he taught him all the languages of
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man in that night, and he called his name Jehoseph.
So Pharaoh said to Yosef, "Since God has shown you all this —
there is no one as discerning and wise as you —you will be in
charge of my household; all my people will be ruled by what you
say. Only when I rule from my throne will I be greater than you."
Pharaoh said to Yosef, "Here, I place you in charge of the whole
land of Egypt." Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put
it on Yosef's hand, had him clothed in fine linen with a gold chain
around his neck and had him ride in his second best chariot …
(Genesis 41:39-44 CJB)
Legends of the Jews: Without delay the people prostrated
themselves, and they cried, "Long live the king, and long live the
deputy of the king!" And Joseph, looking down from his horse
upon the people and their exultation, exclaimed, his eyes
directed heavenward: "The Lord raiseth up the poor out of the
dust, and lifteth up the needy from the dunghill. O Lord of hosts,
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blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee."
Pharaoh called Yosef by the name Tzafnat-Pa`neach ..
(Genesis 41:39-45 CJB)
Zaphenath-Paneah, which means “He who explains what is
hidden.” In the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
Joseph’s Egyptian name in the Coptic signifies: a revealer of
secrets or the man to whom secrets are revealed; a priest or a
prince. This translation is based on the fact that the name is
Egyptian, requiring Coptic entomology; it refers to Joseph being
a “shadow” of Yeshua. according to Gesenius‟ Hebrew-Chaldee
Lexicon and the Jablonskii Lexicon, it means in Egyptian,
“Salvation, or Savior of the Age”.
Legends of the Jews: Each letter of the name Zaphenath-paneah
has a meaning, too. The first, Zadde, stands for Zofeh, seer; Pe
for Podeh, redeemer; Nun for Nabi, prophet; Taw for Tomek,
supporter; Pe for Poter, interpreter of dreams; Ain for Arum,
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clever; Nun for Nabon, discreet; and Het for Hakam, wise.
Pharaoh ..gave him as his wife Osnat the daughter of Poti-Fera
priest of On. Then Yosef went out through all the land of Egypt.
(Genesis 41:45 CJB)
Yoseph‟s new wife‟s name was Asenath, which means “she who
is like Neith” or “Isis” or “Minerva”, “Dianna” or “Semeramus”
depending on the culture.
Legends of the Jews: Asenath was the daughter of Dinah and
Hamor, but she was abandoned at the borders of Egypt, only, that
people might know who she was, Jacob engraved the story of her
parentage and her birth upon a gold plate fastened around her
neck. The day on which Asenath was exposed, Potiphar went
walking with his servants near the city wall, and they heard the
voice of a child. He took her home with him, and raised her as his
daughter. The Alef in Asenath stands for On, where Potiphar was
priest; the Samek for Setirah, Hidden, for she was kept concealed
on account of her extraordinary beauty; the Nun for Nohemet, for
she wept and entreated that she might be delivered from the
house of the heathen Potiphar; and the Taw for Tammah, the
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perfect one, on account of her pious, perfect deeds.
Yosef was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of
Egypt..Yosef stored grain in quantities like the sand on the
seashore, so much that they stopped counting, because it was
beyond measure. (Genesis 41:46-49 CJB)
Yoseph was 30 years old when he accepted this “ministerial” role
as Pharaoh‟s Viceroy; the same age at which Yahshua began His
ministry. “Yoseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the
sea, until he ceased counting, for it was without number.” This is a
prophetic symbol of the promises to Avraham, Yitzaq and Ya‟aqob
that their seed would be as the “sand of the sea”, unable to be
counted; and that Yahshua will gather much grain (as grain
represents people in Scripture). Yeshua went about all the towns
and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good
News of the Kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and
weakness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them
because they were harried and helpless, like sheep without a
shepherd. Then he said to his talmidim, "The harvest is rich, but
the workers are few. Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send
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out workers to gather in his harvest.“ (Matthew 9:35-38 CJB)
Bereshith 41:49 Joseph gathered very much grain (bar) ..
The word used for “grain/corn” (bar), is not the common word for
grain/corn and is only found in five verses in the Torah. Bar is the
Aramaic word for “son”. It is not always possible to distinguish
between the “Son” and those who have joined themselves to the
“Son”. Yeshua speaks of this unity:
John 17:23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in
one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have
loved them as You have loved Me.
We know from the name of our parasha that what we are reading
about a pattern for the end times. According to 1 Corinthians 10:17,
the unified body of Messiah (Israel), including Messiah, is “one bread”.
What is bread made up of? Individual kernels of “grain”. Grain is what
Joseph stored up in Egypt and grain is what Joseph’s 10 brothers came
to Egypt to buy. There was only “grain” in Egypt because Joseph
(shadow of Messiah) was there. Are we Joseph? We should be busy
gathering “grain” in Egypt. Like Joseph, we’ve got to stop thinking
about ourselves, and line up with the Almighty’s plan for the family of
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Jacob.
Two sons were born to Yosef before the year of famine came; Osnat the
daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On bore them to him. Yosef called the
firstborn M'nasheh [causing to forget], "Because God has caused me to
forget all the troubles I suffered at the hands of my family." The second
he called Efrayim [fruit], "For God has made me fruitful in the land of
my misfortune."
(Genesis 41:50-52 CJB)
Legends of the Jews: Asenath bore him two sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim, during the seven years of plenty, for in the time of famine
Joseph refrained from all indulgence in the pleasures of life. They were
bred in chastity and fear of God by their father, and they were wise,
and well-instructed in all knowledge and in the affairs of state, so that
they became the favourites of the court, and were educated with the
royal princes.
33
The famine in Canaan inspired Joseph with the hope of seeing
his brethren. To make sure of their coming, he issued a decree
concerning the purchase of corn in Egypt, as follows: "By order of
the king and his deputy, and the princes of the realm, be it
enacted that he who desireth to buy grain in Egypt may not send
his slave hither to do his bidding, but he must charge his own
sons therewith. An Egyptian or a Canaanite that hath bought
grain and then selleth it again shall be put to death, for none
may buy more than he requireth for the needs of his household.
Also, who cometh with two or three beasts of burden, and loads
them up with grain, shall be put to death.“
Now Ya`akov saw that there was grain in Egypt; so Ya`akov said
to his sons, "Why are you staring at each other? Look," he said,
"I've heard that there's grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy
some for us from there, so that we can stay alive and not die!"
Thus Yosef's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt,
except for Binyamin, Yosef's brother. Ya`akov did not send him
with his brothers, because he was afraid something might 34
happen to him. (Genesis 42:1-4 CJB)
Rabbi Chanan Morrison states, “It took a long time, but Joseph's dreams
eventually came to pass. Joseph became viceroy of Egypt at age thirty, and
nine years later .. his brothers came to buy food. So Joseph's dream that his
brothers would one day bow down before him and recognize his greatness
were fulfilled only when he was 39 years old. Since he had dreamt those
dreams of future greatness at age 17, we see that they took 22 years to
come true! ..Rav Kook noted that the Hebrew alphabet contains 22 letters.
Through myriad combinations and permutations of these 22 letters, we can
express all of our thoughts and ideas. If we were to lack even one letter, we
would be unable to formulate certain words and ideas. The ancient work
Sefer Yetzirah makes an interesting point concerning the creation and
functioning of the universe. Just as hundreds of thousands of words are
formed from a small set of letters, so too, the vast array of forces that
govern our world are in fact composed of a small number of fundamental
causes. If all 22 letters are needed to accurately express any idea, so too, 22
years are needed for the universe's elemental forces to bring about any
desired effect. Thus, we should allow a dream as long as 22 years to come
to fruition”.
35
Yosef …sold to all the people of the land. Now when Yosef's brothers
came and prostrated themselves before him on the ground, Yosef saw
his brothers and recognized them; but he acted toward them as if he
were a stranger and spoke harshly with them. He asked them, "Where
are you from?" They answered, "From the land of Kena`an to buy
food." So Yosef recognized his brothers, but they didn't recognize him.
(Genesis 42:6-8 CJB)
The Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh made Joseph ready to prepare the
way for his family, the whole house of Jacob. Joseph and allowed YHVH
to prepare him through every trial and hardship in his lives, so that he
may hold the very key to a work the Father has prepared for him to do.
Because of faith in Gods faithfulness, He can raised Joseph up for a
much larger work to come: the redemption of the Whole House of
Israel (John 8:39-40). But first Joseph devises a plan to bring his
brothers to true repentance and teshuva. He engineered events that
would cause his brothers to see and acknowledge the sin they
committed to bring restoration and not condemnation.
36
..Yosef said to them, "You are spies! … they replied, "your
servants have come to buy food. .. "Just as I said," replied Yosef,
"you're spies! Here's how you can prove you're not lying: as
Pharaoh lives, you will not leave here unless your youngest
brother comes here. Send one of you, and let him bring your
brother. Meanwhile, you will be kept in custody. This will prove
whether there is any truth in what you say. Otherwise, as
Pharaoh lives, you are certainly spies." … They said to each other,
"We are in fact guilty concerning our brother. He was in distress
and pleaded with us; we saw it and wouldn't listen. That's why
this distress has come upon us now." Yosef turned away from
them and wept; then he returned and spoke to them.. (Genesis
42:9-24 CJB)
Legends of the Jews: The expression "by the life of Pharaoh"
might have betrayed Joseph's real feeling to his brethren, had
they but known his habit of taking this oath only when he meant
to avoid keeping his word later.
Yoseph becomes emotional, as he sees that they are beginning
37
to show acknowledgment and remorse for what they did to him.
Then he put all of them together in prison for three days.
(Genesis 42:17 CJB)
Three days is used quite significantly in the scripture as we see in the
following pattern laid out in Hosea.
For to Efrayim I will be like a lion, and like a young lion to the house of
Y'hudah — I will tear them up and go away; I will carry them off, and
no one will rescue. I will go and return to my place, till they admit their
guilt and search for me, seeking me eagerly in their distress." Come, let
us return to Adonai; for he has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck,
and he will bind our wounds. After two days, he will revive us; on the
third day, he will raise us up; and we will live in his presence. Let us
know, let us strive to know Adonai. That he will come is as certain as
morning; he will come to us like the rain.. (Hosea 5:14-6:3 CJB)
Legends of the Jews: God never allows the pious to languish in distress
longer than three days, and so it was a Divine dispensation that the
brethren of Joseph were released on the third day.
38
..He took Shim`on from among them and put him in prison
before their eyes. (Genesis 42:24 CJB)
Yoseph releases the brothers from prison, except Shimon, whom
he has bound and taken before their eyes. “Shimon” means, “He
who hears and obeys”. In the future split of the kingdom, the
tribe of Shim‟on would go to be with Ephraim, their inheritance
was in the middle of Yehudah‟s. And, it was Shim‟on, along with
Levi, who plotted to kill Yoseph, rather than sell him. Scripture
speaks of a group within Yehudah who plotted to kill Mashiach.
Legends of the Jews: He did not detain Levi, too, for he feared, if
both remained behind together, Egypt might suffer the same fate
at their hands as the city of Shechem. Also, he preferred Simon
to Levi, because Simon was not a favourite among the sons of
Jacob, and they would not resist his detention in Egypt too
violently, while they might annihilate Egypt, as aforetime
Shechem, if they were deprived of Levi, their wise man and high
priest. Besides, it was Simon that had lowered Joseph into the
39
pit, wherefore he had a particular grudge against him.
Simon said to them, "Ye desire to do with me as ye did with
Joseph!" But they replied, in despair: "What can we do? Our
households will perish of hunger." Simon made answer, "Do as ye
will, but as for me, let me see the man that will venture to cast me
into prison." Joseph sent word to Pharaoh to let him have seventy
of his valiant men, to aid him in arresting robbers. But when the
seventy appeared upon the scene, and were about to lay hands on
Simon, he uttered a loud cry, and his assailants fell to the floor and
knocked out their teeth. Pharaoh's valiant men, as well as all the
people that stood about Joseph, fled affrighted, only Joseph and his
son Manasseh remained calm and unmoved. Manasseh rose up,
dealt Simon a blow on the back of his neck, put manacles upon his
hands and fetters upon his feet, and cast him into prison. Joseph's
brethren were greatly amazed at the heroic strength of the youth,
and Simon said, "This blow was not dealt by an Egyptian, but by
one belonging to our house.“
He was bound and taken to prison before their eyes, but as soon as
they were out of sight, Joseph ordered good fare to be set before
40
him, and he treated him with great kindness
But the famine was severe in the land; so when they had eaten up
the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to
them, "Go again, buy us a little food." Y'hudah said to him, "The
man expressly warned us, 'You will not see my face unless your
brother is with you.‘ Y'hudah said to Isra'el his father, "Send the boy
with me; and we will make preparations and leave; so that we may
stay alive and not die, both we and you, and also our little ones. I
myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me responsible. If I
fail to bring him to you and present him to your face, let me bear
the blame forever. (Genesis 43:1-9 CJB)
Their need for more grain urged Jacob to consider Egypt again.
Judah reminded Jacob of the conditions needed for their
return: “You will not see my face again unless your brother
(Benjamin) is with you.” This was prophetic wedding language, for:
“We will not see the Bridegroom (Yeshua) unless–and not until–all
twelve tribes are together again.” (Acts 1:5; Acts 26:6-7).
Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see
me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of41
YHVH’ (Luke 13:35 ref. Psalm 118:26).
"If a person trusts a neighbor to look after a donkey, ox, sheep or
any animal, ..If it was torn to pieces by an animal, the neighbor
must bring it as evidence, and then he doesn't need to make
good the loss. (Exodus 22:10-13 CJB)
Rav Israel writes:
“A shepherd has a special law in this regard. If a shepherd is
given sheep to watch and one of the sheep is mauled by a wild
animal, it is not by means of an oath that he may absolve himself
of responsibility. Rather, he must bring evidence of the attack;
once he has done this, he shows that he did not personally
dispose of or sell that animal, but that it was set upon by wild
animals and he bears no guilt.”
We can see in the Yosef story that the brothers, according to the
laws of the shepherd, take this “evidence” to their father. Thus
the brothers have used this law to entirely acquit themselves of
any guilt associated with the disappearance of Yosef.
42
If one of your flock was destroyed by a wild animal, I didn't bring the
carcass to you but bore the loss myself. ..(Genesis 31:39 CJB)
Ya’acov always paid the price for animals “torn” by beasts as if he was
personally responsible. He went over and above Torah requirements.
So…now let’s compare the similar phrasing in how Ya’acov spoke of his
commitment to Lavan with Yehuda’s promise to his father:
I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me responsible. If I fail
to bring him to you and present him to your face, let me bear the
blame forever. (Genesis 43:9 CJB)
Through his words, Yehuda shows his father that he has adopted
Ya’acov’s own personal standard of responsibility. Ya’acov knows that
Yehuda will use every effort to safeguard Benyamin. There will be no
excuses like there was with Yosef! Yehuda is expressing tremendous
faithfulness for the Father’s Son!! For Yehuda, the thought of
abandoning Benyamin in Egypt would be a continuation of the
grievous sin of selling Yosef. Yehuda shows that he has adopted the
Father’s standards!
43
Their father Isra'el answered them, "If that's how it is, .. bring the man
a gift — some healing resin, a little honey, aromatic gum, opium,
pistachio nuts and almonds. Take twice the amount of money with you;
and return the money that came back with you in your packs — it could
have been an oversight. Yes, and take your brother too; and get ready;
and go again to the man. ..The men took that gift, and they took twice
the money with them, and Binyamin; then they prepared, went down
to Egypt and stood before Yosef. (Genesis 43:11-15 CJB)
Benyamin travels to Egypt in a caravan transporting the same spices as
when his brother was taken there. They will take the same route and
arrive at the same destination. The only difference is that when Yosef
was taken, it was the result of family discord and hatred. Now, the
repentant family is united in its mission.
44
Legends of the Jews: Is there aught else that you need?" And they
replied, Yes, we need this, besides, that thou shouldst intercede for us
with God." Then their father prayed: "O Lord, Thou who at the time of
creation didst call Enough! to heaven and earth when they stretched
themselves out further and further toward infinity, set a limit to my
sufferings, too, say unto them, Enough! God Almighty give you mercy
before the ruler of Egypt, that he may release unto you Joseph, Simon,
and Benjamin."
45
When Yosef saw Binyamin, he said to his household manager, "Take
the men inside the house, kill the animals and prepare the meat.
These men will dine with me at noon.” (Genesis 43:16 CJB)
Legends of the Jews: He ordered his son Manasseh, the steward of
his house, to bring the men into the palace, and make ready a meal
for them. But he was to take care to prepare the meat dishes in the
presence of the guests, so that they might see with their own eyes
that the cattle had been slaughtered according to the ritual
prescriptions, and the sinew of the hip which is upon the hollow of
the thigh had been removed.
The sacrifice for the meal was prophetic reference to Yeshua’s
payment and redemption for their souls. The banquet was also
prophetic of all twelve tribes of Israel coming together in the
Father’s house and eating at the Feast of YHVH (Tabernacles), the
Wedding Supper of the Lamb.
And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on
me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and
46
sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:29-30).
..the men became fearful. They said, "It's because of the money
that was returned in our packs the first time that we have been
brought inside .." So they approached the manager of Yosef's
household and spoke to him at the entrance of the house:
"Please, my lord, the first time we indeed came down to buy
food; but when we got to camp, we opened our packs, and there
inside our packs was each man's money, the full amount. We
have brought it back with us; moreover, we have brought down
other money to buy food. We have no idea who put our money in
our packs.“ (Genesis 43:18-22 CJB)
This was symbolic of the confession of sins at the door of
salvation before our redemption through Yeshua. Yeshua is the
door. "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep
pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a
robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his
sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep
listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads
them out. I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep” (John
47
10:1-7).
The man brought the men into Yosef's house and gave them water, and
they washed their feet…They served him by himself, the brothers by
themselves, and the Egyptians included at the meal by themselves —
Egyptians don't eat with Hebrews, because that is abhorrent to them.
So they sat there facing him, the firstborn in the place of honor, the
youngest in last place; and the men expressed their amazement to
each other. Each was given his serving there in front of him, but
Binyamin's portion was five times as large as any of theirs. So they
drank and enjoyed themselves with him. (Genesis 43:24-34 CJB)
As the brothers presented themselves in the house, Joseph had the
stewards wash their feet. Washing represented a change of status and
consecration. In the same way, Yeshua also washed the feet of his
disciples (John 13:5).
For the meal, they were seated in order of birth. The meal was served
from Joseph’s table. He had the life-giving food. Benjamin was given
five times what his brothers received. Five represents grace and the
receiving of the Torah, the five books of Moses.
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When all was ready, and the guests were to be seated, Joseph raised
his cup, and, pretending to inhale his knowledge from it, he said,
"Judah is king, therefore let him sit at the head of the table, and let
Reuben the first-born take the second seat," and thus he assigned
places to all his brethren corresponding to their dignity and their
age. Moreover, he seated the brothers together who were the sons
of the same mother, and when he reached Benjamin, he said, "I
know that the youngest among you has no brother borne by his own
mother, next to whom he might be seated, and also I have none,
therefore he may take his place next to me."
The brethren marvelled one with another at all this. During the
meal, Joseph took his portion, and gave it to Benjamin, and his wife
Asenath followed his example, and also Ephraim and Manasseh, so
that Benjamin had four portions in addition to that which he had
received like the other sons of Jacob.
Wine was served at the meal, the first time in twenty-two years that
Joseph and his brethren tasted of it, they led the life of Nazarites,
his brethren because they regretted the evil they had done 49to
Joseph, and Joseph because he grieved over the fate of his father.
When Yosef arrived home, they went in the house and presented
him with the gift (mincha) they had brought with them, then
prostrated themselves before him on the ground. (Genesis 43:26
CJB)
The “mincha” was interpreted as the “grain offering” in the
Temple:
(6:14) It is to be well mixed with olive oil and fried on a griddle;
then bring it in, break it in pieces and offer the grain offering
(Mincha) as a fragrant aroma for Adonai. (Leviticus 6:21 CJB)
The brothers offer the grain offering (mincha) … they offer
themselves to be the ingredients (grain) in the “bread” which could
now be made since all 12 brothers have once again been united.
“Bread” (lechem) continues to be the focus:
Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for
they heard that they would eat bread there. (Genesis 43:25 NKJV)
Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself,
and said, "Serve the bread. (Lechem)”(Genesis 43:31 NKJV) 50
Although this was a feast with an animal slaughtered (Bereshith
43:16), their focus was all on the “bread”. The Egyptians were not able
to eat “bread” with the Hebrews:
And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for
the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the
Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an
abomination unto the Egyptians. (Genesis 43:32 KJV)
The “bread of Egypt” (world) is not the same as the “bread of the
Hebrews”:
John 6:32-35 Yeshua said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses
did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the
true bread from heaven. "For the bread of Elohim is He who comes
down from heaven and gives life to the world.“ Then they said to Him,
"Adonai, give us this bread always.“ And Yeshua said to them, "I am the
bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who
51
believes in Me shall never thirst.
And put my goblet, the silver one, just inside the pack of the
youngest, along with his grain money." ..(Genesis 44:2 CJB)
This silver cup of Joseph’s revealed prophetic redemptive
imagery fulfilled in Yeshua as silver represents redemption in
scripture. Yeshua is also the lamb offering. A lamb offering must
have the grain and wine offering accompanying it. That is why
Joseph placed his cup among the grain, hidden for such a time
when the Father will reveal His redemptive plan for His people
(Numbers 15:1-5).
In this final test, Joseph wanted to know how they would react in
regard to Benjamin if anything happened to him. The brothers
vehemently denied any of them stole this valued cup. So sure
where they that they pronounce this vow and oath, “Anyone
among your servants with whom it is found shall die, and we also
will become slaves to my lord” (Genesis 44:9). With this pledge
having left their lips, Joseph’s cup was then found in Benjamin’s
sack. As Jacob had pronounced a death sentence over his wife,
so had his sons pronounced a death sentence over Benjamin.
52
(Genesis 31:32).