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Todays Parsha #6: Toldot (Generations)

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STUDY QUESTIONS FROM LAST WEEKS PORTION (Chayei Sarah)
1) There is something very particular about Abrahams personal life that he only
shares with one other person (as far as I know) in Tanakh. What is that personal
detail and who is the other person Abraham shares it with?
The answer is that Abrahams marriages have invited widespread
speculation that 2 of his 3 wives are the same woman, i.e. that Keturah is
another name for Hagar. The only other person I know of where that
happens is Moshe. When Moshe takes a Cushite wife in Numbers 12,
many rabbis believe that she is a reference to Tzipporah who is called a
Cushite as a derogatory term. There were two separate places that are
called Cush in Tanakh, one in Ethiopia-Sudan and the other in Saudi
Arabia. There are also two cities in these nations with the same name
Saba/Sheba.
It is my personal belief, as I said before, that Keturah is a separate woman
from Hagar. However, in Moshes case, I am now more inclined to think
Tzipporah and the Cushite lady in Numbers 12 are one and the same woman.
I also think that the legend of the Ethiopian princess Tharbis as told by
Josephus is inspired by this same woman in Numbers 12 and that if Tharbis
existed, she is Tzipporah.
2) If you know the answer to #1, how does this detail get developed in the teaching
of the Apostle Paul?
Paul talks metaphorically about the children of Hagar in Arabia here in
Galatians:
(Gal 4:22) For it is written that Awraham had two sons, one from a servant
woman and one from a freewoman. (Gal 4:23) But he who was from the
servant woman is by the flesh (and) he who was from the freewoman was by
the promise.
(Gal 4:24) Therefore, these things were symbolic of two covenants, the one
from Mount Sinai gave birth to bondage, which is Hagar. (Gal 4:25) For
Hagar is the mountain that is in Arabia, and it surrenders to this Urishlim

which is now in bondage with her children. (Gal 4:26) But that Urishlim
above is the freewoman who is the mother of us all.
(Gal 4:27) For it is written: "Take delight, O barren one. Rejoice and cry,
you who cannot travail with birth pains, for the sons of those who are
forsaken outnumber the sons of the favored."(Gal 4:28) Now we, my
brothers, are as Yitz'chak was, sons of the promise.
(Gal 4:29) And just as he who was born after the flesh persecuted he who
was (born) after the Spirit, so it is today. (Gal 4:30) But what does the
Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for he who is of the
bondwoman will not inherit along with the son of the freewoman." (Gal 4:31)
Therefore, my brothers, we are not sons of the bondwoman, but sons of the
freewoman.
Does this mean that Hagars children are physically located in Saudi Arabia?
Yes, through Ishmaels children, but Keturahs seed also is located in other
parts of Saudi Arabia that would include Midian, where Mount Sinai is. So
technically speaking Hagars children are not AT Mount Sinai but perhaps
NEAR it, relatively speaking.
3) Why did Abraham insist on getting a wife for his son Isaac from his original
country of Ur rather than the Promised Land of Canaan? Wouldnt Abba YHWH
want Abraham to put down roots in the land that was go to his descendants
forever?
We need to remember that paganism is something that everyone BUT
Abraham and his Isaac-based clan was doing, so there are pagan groups in
both countries. The difference is that Abraham knows the people in Ur
better than that of Canaan, because he lived there far longer.
It was therefore natural for Eliezar to understand that Abrahams intention
was to re-establish ties with the descendants of his two brothers, which
Rebecca clearly is a part of.
Laban in particular seems more aware of Abba YHWH than the average
pagan would be. This may be because of his family connection to Abraham
and what he would have heard about Him through Ishmael. Abraham may
have reasoned that this was a better situation than a pagan wife from
Canaan where his connections were not as influential or long standing.
4) Laban does something in this parsha that has very likely been condemned by his
descendants for thousands of years since, right up until the present day. What is
it?

60

They blessed Rebekah and said to her, "May you, our sister, Become
thousands of ten thousands, And may your descendants possess The gate of
those who hate them." (Genesis 24:60 NAU)
In effect, Laban ensured that his own descendants would be defeated by
Israel, since the head of those 12 tribes would be born from Rebekah.
5) What does this Haftorah portion teach us about David and Bathsheba in their
twilight years?
I believe it teaches us that both David and Bathsheba have thoroughly
repented of their previous sins. David is not tempted in the slightest with the
young girl who is given to him to keep him warm and Bathsheba totally
trusts David with her. Bathsheba also is very much a believer in Davids
throne and is determined to keep his legacy going. She is, in essence, both
submissive and assertive to her husband at the same time, whereas before
Bathsheba obviously did not feel that same loyalty to her first husband
Uriah.
1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:
Toldot means generations or family records, referring to the lineage of Isaac.
The troubled sibling rivalry of Jacob and Esau is the focus here. Jacob will
eventually steal Esaus birthright and blessing before running away. But as crafty
as Jacob is he will find his uncle Laban even more deceitful and it is Laban who
will outmaneuver Jacob for 20 years before Jacob gains advantage again. We also
have the third occurrencethis time with Isaac and Abimelech IIof a wife
(Rebecca this time) being passed off as a sister because a patriarch was afraid
for his life. The portion ends with Esau taking another wife.
2) Parsha (English-Genesis 25:19-28:9). This week we will read the entire portion.
3) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.
4) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:

Ve'eleh toldot Yitschak ben-Avraham Avraham holid et-Yitschak.

Vayehi Yitschak ben-arba'im shanah bekachto et-Rivkah bat-Betu'el
ha'Arami miPadan Aram achot Lavan ha'Arami lo le'ishah.
PADAN ARAM (25:20) = Padan AramRadak believes this is the same place
mentioned in Genesis 24:10, a.k.a. Aram Naharain. Other rabbis suggest that
padan here means field and therefore is the field that belongs to Aram, also
mentioned in Hosea 12:13. This would place the location between Aram Naharain
and Aram Tzova (Aleppo, Syria).

VAYEHI YITZKHAK BEN ARBAIM SHANAH (25:20) = And when Isaac was 40
years old (he married Rebecca). Last week we saw that 37 years passed from Isaacs
birth to Sarahs death. When Isaac was born, Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90
years old. When Sarah dies, its at age 127, or 37 years later.
However, these details here appear to create an obstacle to that understanding. If
Isaac is, as the Torah clearly says, 40 years old and marries Rebecca after Abraham
dies, the issue is that Abraham was 175 years old at that time.
But when Sarah died at 127 years old, Abraham was only 137, so he had 38 years of
living left to do, and so on the surface the numbers dont appear to work, because
Isaac would have to be 2 years old when Sarah died and this would have been an
infant sacrifice, unlikely given the conversation father and son have and Isaac is
walking along with Dad as well on his own power. That clearly doesnt work.
The Rabbis have sometimes suggestedper Seder Olam and other sourcesthat
Isaac was 37 years old when Abraham tried to sacrifice him, however this has
problems.
First it would make Ishmael in his mid-40s at the time he is driven out, which is not
the sense the text gives at all. Isaac is called NAAR which sometimes can denote a
young servant or retainer, but the majority usage is little boy, teenagersomeone
under 20 years old, because after that age they would be ANASH and valued at a
different rate in Torah because of it (Leviticus 27:5-6).. Given the fact that Isaac is
NOT Abrahams servant or retainer, the majority usage seems way more likely. Isaac
must be under 20 years old at the time he is bound.
The other issue is that the reckoning ignores Sarahs age at her death, and the problem
there is also that we are confronted with a choice of either doing that or in a sense
ignoring Abrahams age when he died, or reading the Torah in a different way to
make the math come out right.
Here then is my suggested solution. These stories are not being told in linear fashion
but in cycles. Each cycle represents a story focusing on a particular individual or
grouping. So Genesis 21s focus in on Hagar and Ishmael and Genesis 22s focus is
on Abraham and Isaac. Then Genesis 23s focus is on Sarahs death and burial
arrangements and 24 is about Isaac and Rebecca.
As a result, while we do get fixed time markers, they wont always synch up
ACROSS chapters the way we would assume, but are only consistent WITHIN the
current cycle. So lets see how this works with a chart:

Genesis Chapter
21

Emphasis
Hagar and
Ishmael

22

Abraham and
Isaac

23

Sarahs death and

burial

Time References
Isaac born when
Abraham is 100
(from Genesis
17:17, 21:5);
circumcised 8
days later (21:4);
weaned 5 years
later (15:13-16,
21:8, Leviticus
27:5-6); sojourns
in the land of the
Philistines many
days, a metaphor
that usually
denotes many
years, but not
always.
Now it came
about after these
things is our only
time clue (22:1).

Sarah dies at age

127 (23:1), 37

Comments
The same many
days phrase
relates to the long
period between the
start of Moshes
exile in Midian to
the death of the
pharaoh he left
behind in Egypt,
and this is a time
frame of at least 30
years. In this case
however, a shorter
interval seems
more likely.
The phrase after
these things in
context must mean
after Isaac was
weaned and
Abraham had at
least begun (or
completed) his
sojourn in
Philistine territory.
I believe the many
days time frame
in 21 extends
chronologically
past the events in
22, because its the
ending piece to the
CYCLE of the
story in 21. This
leaves 22 pretty
much without
useful
chronological data.
We must get clarity
from the other
chapters.
The chronology
here is linked to

years after Isaac is

born.

24

Isaac and Rebecca Abraham is old,

advanced in
years (24:1); at
this point Isaac is
probably about 37
years old.

25

Abraham takes
Abrahams death.
Keturah as wife
sometime after his
137th year (25:1);
Abraham then
dies at age 175
(25:8); Isaac is 40
years old when he
marries Rebecca
(25:20).

chapter 21, but not

to chapter 22,
which must be
considered
separately.
We can tell that in
terms of storyline,
the chronology of
23 flows directly
into 24. The VAV
(and) that
precedes
Abrahams name
indicates in the
Hebrew a time
switch from the
last line of 23. We
need to remember
there were not
chapter numbers in
the Torah
originally, so this
VAV is meant to
move directly
forward from
Genesis 23:20.
Chapters 21 and 22
clearly go together
with each other,
but not with
chapter 23, which
represents a
chronological
break in the
narrative. 23
however flows into
24 and 24 flows
into 25, so the last
3 chapters are
linear. What
remains is to
understand the
relationship
between 22 and 23.

This brings us back to Isaac being 40 years old when he marries Rebecca (25:20), putting
Abraham in his 140th year at that moment while Sarah has been dead for 3 years. It also
means that Isaac got to know Rebecca for those 3 years before marrying her, which is a
minor point to our studies but still interesting.
The conclusion to the process is that Genesis 22 must be re-ordered so it can fit with the
chapters around it, which orders things this way:
1) Isaac born when Abraham is 100, Sarah 90 and Ishmael 14.
2) Isaac weaned at age 5, Abraham is 105, Sarah is 95 and Ishmael is 19agreeing
with the term NAAR for Ishmael being under 20 years old.
3) Binding of Isaac happens when Isaac is ___ (will fill in later).
4) Sarah dies at age 127, Abraham is 137, Isaac is 37, Ishmael is 51.
5) Isaac marries Rebecca at age 40, Abraham is 140, Sarah has been dead 3 years
and Ishmael is 54.
6) Abraham takes Keturah on or after his 140th year.
7) Abraham dies aged 175, Sarah has been dead 33 years, Isaac is 75, Ishmael is 89.
The last clue we had about Isaacs age was that he was weaned (5) and in 22:8 Isaac can
walk with his father unhindered. The word NAAR also tells us Isaac is under 20 the
moment Abraham tried to kill him, just as it did for Ishmael earlier. So our range is
between 5 and 19 years old for Isaac.
But since the phrase many days is at the end of chapter 21 and before 22 starts, the
duration of Abraham living in the land of the Philistines is the last key time marker to
decode. The shortest duration of time with this phrase is 2-3 weeks, being used as a
marker for an unnaturally long menstrual cycle (Leviticus 15:5). However, it is clear that
is being used in comparison to the known duration of an average menstrual cycle and not
any other kind of time marker.
After that, many days could be a period of under just two years when the Israelites are
at Sinai (Numbers 9:19-22) or more than 30 years for when Moshe is in exile (Exodus
2:23), with a midpoint of 19 years of many days that the Israelites were at Kadesh
(Deuteronomy 1:46). These usages mean at least another 2 years must be added to
Abrahams time in Philistine territory, making Isaac no younger than 7 and no older than
19.
Such analysis also agrees with the word GUR or sojourn, indicating a long term but
temporary residencelonger than passing through yet shorter than settling permanently.
Our data would suggest more than 5 yearsJacob sojourns with Laban 20 years and
the Israelites sojourned in the wilderness for 40 years, but in 1 Kings 8 a woman
sojourns only 7 years, so 5 years is pretty conservative and 7 is certainly also quite
possible.
That brings Isaac to being at least 12-14 years old at the time he is sacrificed and that is
what I believe is the closest to the final answer we can get to. If this calculation is right,

then Isaac could very well have been 13 years old and, like his brother Ishmael, had one
of the weirdest Bar Mitzvahs on record!
VERAV YAAVOD TSAIR (25:23) = the greater will serve the younger. This indicates
not just Esaus status as elder son but that he has greater power than Jacob and yet still
will ultimately be Jacobs servant. This prophecy is often forgotten when people criticize
the deception Rebecca inflicts on Isaac in favor of Jacob. Abba YHWH though has
already prophesied that Jacob will rule over Esau.
If Rebecca is to be faulted, it is for doing the same mistake that Sarah did, which is to
say, not accepting the literal pronouncement of a miracle but trying to make the prophecy
of Abba YHWH happen by worldly means. In Sarahs case, Abba YHWHs prediction
was that she would bear a son at age 90, but Sarah reasoned this was accomplished by
having Hagar conceive for her. In Rebeccas case, the best thing she could have done was
inform Isaac all those years ago that Jacob was prophesied to rule by Abba YHWH, and
then Jacob could have consulted Abba YHWH also for confirmation. Instead, she went
behind his back and concocted an unnecessary and cumbersome deceptive scheme that
only caused heartache for everyone.
SEAR (25:25) = hairy, but also from where the people of Mount Seir get their name, for
Esau is their ancestor.
ADMONI (25:25) = Possibly manly and clearly a word play on the word Edom.
ESAU (25:25) = made or completed. Metaphor for suggesting Esau was a complete man,
very strong and born leader and warrior.
YAAKOV (25:26) = he will heel. This statement is a reference to Jacob taking the ankle
of Esau while he was being born. Metaphorically, the root of the verb means
7343

[ 7344] (Hebrew) (page 784) (Strong 6117)

vb. follow at the heel, fig. assail insidiously, circumvent, overreach (denom. from

; cf.

Ar. aqaba follow (at the heel), succeed, III. bring consequence on, i.e. punish, Qor 22:59, IV.
h
make to follow, i.e. reward or punish, aqibaa un end, final lot 6:11 reward 6:136 qab hold back
(rare), follow, Pa. investigate, search out: Eth. aka: is keep, guard);Qal Pf. 3 ms. Ho 12:4

he attacked his brother at the heel (cf. Gn 25:26 sub ;) Impf. 3 ms. Gn
27:36

and he hath overreached me now twice; + Inf.

abs Je 9:3

surely overreacheth (||) . [LXX , to attack

with the heel; but this dub. In supplant,&rs. also, the fig. is a different one.] Pi. Jb 37:4

dub.; poss attack at the heel (cf. ) , hence fig. hold back; more prob. rd.

holdeth them not back (sc. his lightnings), when his voice is heard from

to hold back

(common in NH; Targum ) .

VEYITZKHAK BEN-SHISHIM SHANAH (25:26) = And Isaac was 60 years old (when
Esau and Jacob were born). So now 20 years have passed from 25:20 to this moment,
during which time Rebecca could not bear children. The Rabbis are not certain why
Rebecca was barren. Whereas with Rachel it was possible to say it might have been due
to her being the second wife of Jacob and therefore under sin, Rebecca appears to have
done nothing wrong to deserve her barren condition. In that case, the Rabbis suggest that
both Rachel and Rebecca were selected as a matter of Yahs grace, to show that the
emergence of the people of Israel was truly miraculous brought about by women who
could not bear children through natural means and sanctified by prayers of the righteous.
This might also explain why Sarah also was allowed to have children at an advanced age.
For more information consult the Talmud tractate Yevamot, 64a. I have to admit this
explanation has some real merit to it, and may force me to revise my opinion about why
Rachel was barren for 20 years.
YAAKOV ISH-TAM (25:27) = Yaakov was a simple man. The word TAM can mean
quiet, simple or it can mean complete as it does in plural TAMIM, referring to the
complete weeks of Shavuot. Ironically this can lead to contradictory meanings such as
simple on the one hand or scholarly/thoughtful on the other, the latter of which is the
way www.bible.ort.org translates it. I tend to lean to the idea of Yaakov as a quiet man
who enjoys thinking things through, hence, scholarly.
VAYEHAV YITZKHAK ET-ESAV KI-TSAID BEFIV (25:28) = and loved Isaac
eating Esaus game and he favored him. It is interesting to note that Esau seems to be the
more responsible son at this point. He is working hard in the fields while Jacob stays with
Mom in the kitchen. He is killing meat for his father while Jacob makes lentils (Are
Jacob and Rebecca vegetarian?). He also seems to prepare the meat for Dad as well
(27:4). But other authorities look at Esau as a trapper with his mouth i.e. a smooth
talker. In terms of the latter interpretation, it seems to have some credibility given the
grief Esau brings his parents by marrying outside of his tribe (26:34-35).
VAYAZED YAAKOV NAZID VAYAVO ESAU MIN-HASADAEH VEHU AYEF
(25:29) = And Jacob was once simmering a stew when Esau came in exhausted from the
field. There is a rabbinic tradition that Esau was exhausted not from the killing of game
but from assassinating Nimrod. This may have been inspired by another rabbinic legend
that accuses Nimrod of trying to kill Abraham.
BEKORAH (25:31) = Birthrightfrom BIKURRIM (firs fruits), meaning that Jacob is
counted as head of the family once Isaac dies. Rashi says Jacob would also become the
family priestthat this was the system pre-Moshe. This is why the prophet Job for
example did sacrifices for his seven sons (Job 1:5). However, if Jacob is away he cannot
fulfill this function and there is no indication Isaac or Esau did either during his absence.
If that is the case, it may explain why Jacob goes through so much hardshipperhaps

Abba YHWH is angry that, after getting the birthright that was his all along, Jacob
abrogated his responsibilities as family priest and that role could not be assumed for
another. In the later Aaronic model, it is clear that such an occasion would be considered
the fault of the priest and not that of the household. Isaac had gone blind and Esau was
never intended to perform this function.
ABIMELECH (26:1) = father-kingor technically my father is king. Most Rabbis
agree that this is probably not the same Abimelech that Abraham dealt with in Genesis
20. Some think this may be the original Abimelechs son. Others point out that FatherKing sounds like a kind of hereditary title for Philistine leaders. The Egyptians also had
a very similar title for the Vizier (Avrek), or the rank that Joseph was elevated to by
Pharaoh. My personal opinion is that, whether this is lineal (father to son) or titular
succession, either way, it is more proper to call this man Abimelech II. I also do not
believe this is the same official Abraham encountered.
VAYERA ELAV YAHWEH (26:2) = and YHWH appeared (to Isaac). Isaac is
completely on his own here. This is the only line in the whole Torah where Isaac is
mentioned without Abraham or Jacob along with him. As bible.ort.org puts it, Abrahams
job was to blaze spiritual trails while Isaacs job was to consolidate them. That is true, but
I would add that Isaac went beyond his father Abraham by blazing new spiritual trails of
his own, not just trying to keep what is father did intact.
VAYISHALU ANSHEY HA-MAKOM LE-ISHTO VAYOMER AKHOTI HI KI YARE
LEMOR ISHTI PEN-YAHARGUNI ANSHEY MAKOM AL-RIVKAH KI-TOVAT
MAREH HI (26:7) = and when the men from that place asked about his wife, he told
them she was his sister. He was afraid to say she was his wife. Rebecca was so beautiful
that the men from that place could have killed him because of her. This is one of the
differences between Abraham vs. Pharaoh, Abraham vs. Abimelech I and Isaac vs.
Abimelech II here. In this case Isaac on his own initiative tells the leader Rebecca is his
sister. The other two times the men ask their wives to lie for them. Apparently Isaac
partially learned the lesson of Abrahams trials by not involving his wife in the lie
directly, but Isaac still has a problem in that Abba YHWH had just blessed him (26:2)
and yet he was still afraid!
YITZKHAK METZACHEK (26:8) = and Isaac was laughing/enjoying himself with
Rebecca. A wordplay on Isaacs name, which means laughter. Rebecca is thus
comforting him from the death of his mother a second time. Other translations say Isaac
was caressing his wife.
VAYIKRA AVIMELECH LE-YITZKHAKH VAYOMER ACH HINEH ISHTECHA
(26:9) = And Abimelech summoned Isaac and said: Behold, she is your wife! This is one
of the differences between what happened between Abraham and Abimelech I and Isaac
here with Abimelech II. In Abrahams case he told a kind of half-liethere was some
truth in the assertion that Sarah was his sister, but a deception by omission that he had
married her. Unfortunately for Isaac in this case, there is no element of truth at all to
Rebecca being his sistershe is ONLY his wife! This is perhaps the only time I am

10

aware of when Isaac does worse than his father Abraham did; in all other cases he either
meets or exceeds what Abraham did.
Further commentary on 26:9-11: The fact that Abimelech II was outraged that, one of
the men could have slept with your wife and we would have been guilty of sin is very
revealing. It seems the Philistines were doing something similar to what Torah allows
with respect to a captive woman being made a wife through the mere act of having sexual
relations with her. Of course that rule was set aside if the woman was already married
just ask David about that.
Also notice that Abba YHWH does not give plagues here, with the possible exception of
closing the wombs here which was temporary and threatening other disasters, or come in
a dream as He did with Abimelech I. Having done that already, the son of the original
Abimelech didnt need those things to move quickly out of danger.
VAYIKRA SHMAH SITNAH (26:21) = and he named it Accusation. Same word for
Satan, though I would NOT change the reading to and he named it Satan still, Satan is
in the text this early by name, thus refuting a common misconception that the name/title
doesnt occur before Job.
PHICOL (26:26) = Phicol, and there was another person with this name assisting the
other Abimelech in Genesis 20. This strengthens the idea that Phicol is the title of the
post of a high ranking official and not a proper name. Phicol apparently is the servantspokesman to the Abimelech.
SHIBA (26:33) = Seven. Shibah is the masculine form for seven while sheva is the
feminine form. There is a debate as to whether this is the exact same well as Beer Sheva
mentioned earlier. Some maintain it is. Others suggest that original well dug by
Abraham (Genesis 21:25) was blocked up or destroyed by the Philistines and that a brand
new well in a slightly different location is the one being referred to here.
VAYEHI ESAV BEN ARBAIM SHANAH (26:34) = when Esau was 40 years old (he
married Judith). So now Isaac is 100 years old, having given birth to Esau at age 60, and
Abraham has been dead for 25 years. Ishmael is still alive at this point at age 114.
YEHUDITH (26:34) = Judith, female version of praise (Yehudah = Judah). Some
Rabbis think this lady never bore Esau any children. Josephus however, in Antiquities
1:265 identifies her with a lady named Oholiobama in Genesis 36:2 and it seems rabbis in
later times have agreed with Josephus on this point.
TELYECHA (27:3) = your dangler/hanging weapon. While some have translated this
word as sword and others arrow, some kind of rope weaponsomething that hangsis
implied. Yshua uses the same word when he says, Do not HANG earrings on dogs.
The imagery suggests a rope with perhaps some heavy objects attached, like a mace or a
bolo.

11

VE ANOCHI ISH CHALAK (27:11) = I am smooth skinned. Apparently his son Joseph
also will share this trait, and in Josephs case we know he shaved (41:44). Therefore,
while beards are praiseworthy, they were not REQUIRED, except for the Kohenim. The
level of facial hair for men of Israel otherwise seems to have been optional. If it were
prohibited, surely Moshe who is writing this would have said so.
YAAVDUCHA AMIM VEYISHTACHAVU LECHA LEUMIMHEVEH GEVIR
LEACHECHA VEYISHTACHAVU LECHA BENEY IMECH OREYCHA ARUR
UMEVERACHECHA BARUCH (27:29) = Peoples will serve you; governments will
bow down to you. You shall be like a lord over your brother; your mothers children will
prostrate themselves before you. Those who curse you are cursed and those who bless
you are blessed.
It is interesting that Isaac on one hand is not sure this is Esauhe suspects a ruse having
asked three times, Are you my son Esau? But, on the other hand, Isaac did not hear the
prophecy that Jacob was supposed to rulethat was given just to Rebecca.
The words of the blessing are very close to what Abba YHWH said to Abraham, I will
bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you, affirming that the inheritance
goes through Isaac. Nothing shocking there, but what is interesting is that by saying
these words to Jacob he is affirming what Rebecca heard, whether he knows its Jacob or
not. You shall be a lord to your brother, your mothers children will bow down to you
is particularly ironic.
VAAVARACHEHU GAM BARUCH YIHYEH (27:33) = And the blessing will remain
his (Jacobs). Some rabbis reason that Isaac now suddenly understood the blessing,
though given under false pretenses, was originally intended to go to Jacob all along and
thus the outcome was Abba YHWHs will though the method for achieving it was not.
Part of the reasoning for this position is that if Abba YHWH had not wanted this to
succeed He would have had Esau return in time to stop it. Another way to look at it is that
Abba YHWH has already looked into their future and therefore knew that the blessing
would go to Jacob regardless, and according to His express intentions. If Isaac did not
think this was just, he would have also beseeched Abba YHWH, complaining that he was
deceived, and therefore asked Him to take it back and re-apply the blessing to Esau, but
since this did not happen, the most likely reason is that Isaac realized Abba YHWHs will
had been done and there is no reversing it.
YAAKOV VAYAKVENI (27:36) = Jacobfor he has supplanted or heeled against
me, gone behind my back, etc.
LEKEHAL AMIM (28:3) = an assembly of peoples/nations. This is extremely
important! YHWH is talking about how Israel will be chosen to teach the world
righteousness! The fact this is before Sinai shows how determined YHWH is to carry
this vision out. Even in Genesis, ALL NATIONS will assemble before the nation of
Israel.

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MACHLATH (28:9) = This lady is only mentioned by name here. Some, including
Josephus, think she also goes by the name of Basemath (Genesis 36:3).
Torah Question of the Week:
Who is the first individual in Scripture who hides Abba YHWHs Name?
END PART 1

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PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
Who is the first individual in Scripture who hides YHWHs Name?
It is the Serpent, or HaSatan! Throughout his time in Eden, he only calls
YHWH Elohim and NEVER YHWH. While Elohim is a kosher title given
by YHWH, HaSatans use of that word was two-fold: First, to be properly
understood by Eve. Second, to deny that the Elohim he know is the sole
Creator YHWH because HaSatan wants that job!
1) Haftorah portion: (English- Malachi 1:1-2:7) and discuss common themes with the
Torah portion. Read entire portion first.
2) Our linguistic commentary

Masa-devar Yahweh el-Yisra'el beyad Mal'achi.

Ahavti etchem amar Yahweh va'amartem bamah ahavtanu halo-ach Esav
le-Ya'akov ne'um-Yahweh va'ohav et-Ya'akov.
Ve'et-Esav saneti va'asim et-harav shmamah ve'et-nachalato letanot
midbar.
SANAH (1:2) = hatred. This is the same word that Yshua uses with respect to
hating ones parents when compared with how much we should love the kingdom
of YHWH. When love of family is lined up with love of Abba YHWH, the former
looks like hatred by comparison. The same idea applies here. Abba YHWH says
Esau have I hated (sanay) and yet Abba YHWH also rails against Levi in chapter 2
for breaking faith, but promises restoration if they repent. So this hatred is tied to
present bad behavior. It is not necessarily the kind of hatred that cant be remedied
through repentance.
AD OLAM (1:4) = until eternity. That is, forever angry until (ad) they repent. If they
were beyond repentance, Abba YHWH would have utterly destroyed them or put a
QORBAN on them, like with Sodom.
KABED (1:6) = honor, or literally, to give weight to, burdensome, in the sense
that we are obligated to pay attention to the person with the honor whether we want to
or now.
MORAH (1:6) = respect, but more technically Where is MY FEAR? Abba YHWH
expects His people to give weight to His Word and to tremble at least a little,
especially when they go astray.

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BAZAH (1:6) = despise. Actually this is a very shocking word to apply to the
kohenim because it literally means to turn up ones nose in a haughty manner.
When someone is in BAZAH they dont hate you like say a businessman hates a
worthy competitor. It is not hatred among equals. Rather it is an arrogant hate that
says, You are nothingI am so far above you loser.
Implied wordplay #1 (1:7): you have defiled my altar (GAL-gimel-aleph-lamed) as
contrasted with a word that is NOT there, GAAL (also gimel-aleph-lamed) means to
redeem and is used that way in Exodus 6:6, to redeem you with a mighty hand and
an outstretched arm. So the implied message is, If you dont respect Me, I will not
GAAL (redeem) you anymore because you are GAL (defiled)!
Implied wordplay #2 (1:8,10): blind (ayin-waw-resh) and fire (aleph-waw-resh).
When an aleph is replaced with an ayin, it often denotes a lesser status or degradation
of the ayin word. So we go from fire to blind. More specifically AUR (fire) also
means light. So with the aleph we have light and swap it out and we have
blindness. Blindness and Fire are in the textbut the wordplay with LIGHT is
implied.
NEPHACH (1:13) = disdainfully sniff. Nostrils and sniffing are often used as
metaphors for negative emotions. When Abba YHWH is angry at Israel, we are told
He sniffs anger (APH), and opens the Sea of Reeds with a blast of His nostrils.
3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English). Romans 9:6-16 (all the way through with
applicable footnotes.)
Romans 9:6
Not all Israelites after the flesh (physical birth) are the Israel of Elohim; see Galatians
6:16. The next two verses affirm this; it is not the children of the flesh who are the
children of Elohim, but the children of the promise are accounted for the seed.
Therefore, regardless if a person is born Jewish, Israelite or otherwise, the seed of
promise are those who enter into the Malchut (Kingdom) of Elohim in Y'shua and
permit Torah to be written upon their hearts.
Romans 9:10
Extra note: Our father Yitzchak. In Acts 18:2, the Emperor Claudius expelled all
Jews from Rome, but there is uncertainty as to exactly when the ban was lifted and
when Jews returned to that city. If Paul then is addressing the very small number of
Jews that remain in the city, it speaks to the original Torah-observant nature of that
assembly before it was taken over by Gentiles. However, if Paul is speaking to
Gentiles, it affirms his literal belief that they becomes part of the physical seed of
Abraham when embracing Mashiyach and Torah observance! Either way, this little
aside from Paul carries huge implications that go contrary to what is taught in
traditional Catholic and Protestant systems.

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Romans 9:13
Extra note: Yaakov I have loved but Esau I have hated. In spite of the horrible
bungling of Jacob and his mother, it was nevertheless prophesied that the greater will
serve the younger. Esaus frustration is understandable, because he was not well
served in that he was forced to grow up in ignorance of his true standing as being
secondary to Jacob. It would surely have been better if Esau was informed of this
much earlier and in a much more caring manner. And so, without realizing it, Esau
goes through years of hatred and torment over his brother that is unwarranted in the
sense that it does not turn back Abba YHWHs decision to demote Jacob. By working
then against that prophetic plan, Esau earns this level of enmity, but I would like to
believe, going beyond Malachi 1:2, that Esau becomes loved once more when he
reconciles with Jacob later on. Unfortunately though, Esaus descendants will not
follow his example, making their line hated once more.
4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will read):
5) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (This is the only time
in the NT Rebecca is mentioned, however it is significant. The sense of Romans is
that Elohim will select whom He wishes to honor in advance of their birthsi.e. that
at least they have the potential to be great. However, I have always believed in free
will to the extent that YHWH can look into our future and that what feels like a
choice in our presentHe still knows what we will do. YHWH is above time and
beyond time. He is not confined to any one tense of time. And yet, Rebecca for us
is blessed because of what she does. She presents one of the most beautiful examples
of womanhood ever written!)
6) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion
(Foreordained or Predestinated, p. 827-829).
STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK
1) What might be one reason why Abba YHWH tells Rebekah that Jacob is destined
to rule but never does He tell Isaac or command Rebekah to tell Isaac?
2) Jacob may have cheated Esau twice to incite his older brother to anger, but it is
also the case that Jacob did one thing right which Esau clearly did wrong. What
was that one thing?
3) In addition to not wanting to grieve his parents, what is one other reason why
Esau did not kill Jacob before he left for Padan-Aram? Remember later Esau only
promised not to kill Jacob while their FATHER was alive. There seems to be no
concern about doing so while his MOTHER still lives!
4) How does Esau try to compensate for his error?

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5) Did Esaus compensation for his error work? Why or why not?
Torah Thought for the Week:
Who Was Malachi?
He is in a way a mystery man, just not quite as mysterious as Malki-Tzedek or Enoch.
His language is concise and forceful, but not as brief as Obadiah or Habakkuk. Certainly
in terms of quotes he has left behind he is better known and more widely studied than
some others. But we know almost nothing about the man Scripture calls Malachi. In
fact, we may not even know his name!
Malachi means my messenger in Hebrew, and as such, it may be a title as opposed to
a proper name. We saw that tendency in the Torah portion this weekthat if we look for
a man named Abimelech or Phicol we may not find a particular person but a series of
folks under the same title. And this is precisely the kind of minimal information that
rabbinic imaginations love to run withand no, I am not saying they are wrong in doing
so. Actually, they have a very interesting idea about Malachi
TAR

Malachi 1:1

The oracle of the Word of Ya-veh to Israel (given) by the hand of Malachi (my
angel/messenger), who is called by the name of Ezra the Scribe.-Matara translation of
Targum Yonatan (Jonathan) on the Prophets
Also the way the Septuagint reads, one could make an argument that the Hebrew source it
consulted was also meant to read, by the hand of My messenger rather than by the hand
of a man named Malachi. A proper name in Hebrew also would more likelyand
grammatically correctly speakingread MALACHIYAH. But does this mean Malachi is
actually Ezra?
One thing almost everyone seems to agree on is that Malachi was certainly around at the
same time as the historical Ezra. He mentions for example in 1:8 the governor (pecah)
which refers to the restoration after the Temple was built during the Persian period. This
is of course, the same time roughly of Ezra and Nehemiah.
If Malachi, whoever he was, was important enough to be included in the Jewish canon, he
must have been known to these people who are most responsible for re-stabilizing the
covenantal faith of Israel after the Babylonian Captivity. Similar terminology is also
found in his contemporaries (Haggai 1:1, Nehemiah 5:14, 12:26).
Other traditions say that Malachi was, if not Ezra, then perhaps another Levite or priest in
the tradition of Ezekiel and again, he would have known and been known by Ezra,
Nehemiah, Haggai and others. It is Malachi who seems to rebuke the priests for not

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appreciating the secrets they have been entrusted withand it would seem to take an
insider to know those secrets personally in order to give the rebuke the moral force that
it has throughout his second chapter.
In looking then at the text and the Targums and other traditions, I believe we do have the
right time and circumstances surrounding this mans life. I also believe that Malachi was
meant to be a title and not a proper name and that the terms used in the book definitely
point to someone of priestly origin. Beyond those general observations, there really isnt
much that anyone can prove.
But perhaps I dont have to. Perhaps I shouldnt even worry about that. Faith, after all, is
as Paul says, the belief in that which is unseen and incomplete. If Malachis ultimate
identity is unclear, his message certainly is not.
Malachi seems to have been entrusted with a very unique emphasis, if not unique insights
that stand alone. It is Malachi who tells us, for example, that Eliyahu must return to
precede the Mashiyacha fact not even hinted at in any of the other prophets. It is
Malachi who has that stunning and gorgeous image of healing rising in His wings
which perhaps is only surpassed in originality and power by Ezekiels wheels within
wheels. But Malachi doesnt need 50+ chapters to make these pointshe crams it all
into 4 very tightly packed chapters. It is, in essence, the Tanakh equivalent of the Epistle
of Yaakov, but even Yaakov needed 5 chapters to do his job! Therefore, who Malachi
was may not be as important as what Malachi said and did.
Malachi comes out of an almost underground tradition of anonymous prophets who seem
to draw power from their own humility that lays emphasis on their message alone. He is
like the man of Elohim in Judges 13 who gives purpose to Samsons parents without
revealing his name. He is also like another with that title and no name who comes to Eli
to pronounce his doom in 1 Samuel 2. Another man of Elohim gave stern judgment to
Jeroboam in 1 Kings 13. And all this leads to one very odd statement about this
office/tradition
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As for the altar which was at Bethel, the high place built by Jeroboam son of Nebat
who had led Israel into sin, he demolished this altar and this high place as well, in the
same way, breaking up its stones and reducing them to powder. The sacred pole he
burned. 16 On looking round, Josiah saw the tombs there on the hillside; he had the
bones fetched from the tombs and burned them on the altar. This he rendered
unsanctified, in accordance with the word of Yahweh which the man of God had
proclaimed when Jeroboam was standing by the altar at the time of the feast. On
looking round, Josiah caught sight of the tomb of the man of God who had foretold
these things. 17 'What is that monument I see?' he asked. The townspeople
replied, 'It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and foretold
what you have done to the altar.' 18 'Let him rest,' the king said, 'and let no one
disturb his bones.' So they left his bones untouched, with the bones of the
prophet who came from Samaria. (2 Kings 23:15-18 NJB)

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So Scripture doesnt tell us the name of the Man of Elohim, but his tomb, like his
message, proclaims his righteousness across time, and this is who Malachi is as well.
Malachi comes down to us through the millennia as man who gave all to his message and
nothing to his own cult of personality. Malachi will not be bound by any name other than
what he believes, Messenger of Yah and Messenger of Elohim.
As a result, Malachi may be rooted in his times, but his message doesnt just stay there.
It echoes as strongly and clearly down to our ears as it did to the princes and priests he
rebuked in his times. Thats a charge and accomplishment that any leader of Israel
including Ezrawould be proud to claim.
Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week!
Next week we will be exploring Vayetze or Genesis 28:10-32:2. Our Haftorah portion
will be Hosea 12:13-14:10 and our Renewed Covenant reading will be from Yochanan
1:43-51 Stay tuned!

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