Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue
Parashah #12: Vayechi (He lived) B’resheit 47:28-50:26
Haftarah: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 2:1-12
B’rit Chadashah: 1 Kefa (1 Peter) 1:3-9; 2:11-17
As we reach the last parashah in the Book of Genesis which covers the entire history of the entire universe, mankind, and G-d’s chosen people (all true believers), I am reminded of a question that has yet to be answered. In reality, there is no direct accurate answer. The question is how much did the Patriarchs, Prophets, and other chosen individuals throughout Scripture who experienced a theophany in one form or another know about Messiah Yahshua? The focus of this discussion is on Genesis 48:15-16 which reads “Then Israel (Ya’akov) blesses Yosef: The G-d in whose presence my fathers Avraham and Yitz’chak lived, the G-d who has been my own shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has rescued me from all harm, bless these boys.”
We will begin our lesson from “the beginning.” I have frequently taught on the fact that the fourth letter in the first sentence of the Bible, alef-tav is a direct reference to Yahshua. We know this is true because Yahshua tells in Revelation 22:13-15 that “I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” The alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the tav is the last.
The word Genesis, in Hebrew translates as in the beginning. As the sentence progresses we find that G-d identified himself as the Creator of the universe with no definitive explanation of how it is possible that He always existed without being the result of some sort of event. This subject is for another teaching and I will not elaborate on it today. The second letter of the Hebrew alef-bet is the bet which is the first letter G-d used in creation. In Hebrew, this letter means house. Indeed, there is a central theme in the Book of Genesis. The purpose of creation was for G-d’s Good Pleasure and His Divine Plan for those who choose to repent of their sins and become reconciled to G-d, subsequently following G-d’s instructions for ALL men. His Plan also includes detailed descriptions of the consequences of choosing not to repent or following G-d’s instructions.
The letter bet is unique because you can form all the other letters in the alef-bet from it. All that can be written or spoken has its root in the second letter of the Hebrew alef-bet. Hidden in the very first word of G-d’s Torah, B’resheit we can see a connection between this sentence and Revelation 22:13-15.
There are 11 theophanies described in the Tanach alone. Those who were blessed by His presence, often times as an “Angel” included Hagar, Avraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samson’s parents, Isaiah, Daniel and his two companions in the furnace, Daniel, and Zechariah. These individuals had to have been given spiritual insight by G-d that enabled them to identify Yahshua as in one or more of His attributes, even Messiah in some cases. Avraham called Him “YHVH Yiryeh” (G-d will provide). Moshe called him “ a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers- it is to him you shall listen- just as you desired of the L-rd your G-d at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “let me not hear again the voice of the L-rd my G-d or see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ And the L0rd said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken.” I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.’”
Another example is found as Ya’akov, through prophetic knowledge, took Ephraim to his right hand and gave him the first blessing. This action broke from the protocol of giving the first blessing to the oldest son. Ephraim would be the greater (v. 19), “And his seed shall become a multitude of nations.” We should not be surprised that when the northern tribes separated from Judah and Levi, the northern nations was sometimes referred to as Samaria, but was often called Ephraim.
Ya’akov’s prayer is amazingly prophetic and suggestive. According to Psalms 34:7 which reads “The angel of the L-rd encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Ya’ akov had seen angels ascending and descending on the ladder at Bethel. He had wrestled with the “Angel” of G-d (Gen. 32) and said, “I have seen G-d face to face.” This statement is an idiomatic expression meaning that his encounter with the Angel (Yahshua) was as a close relationship rather than a distant, formal encounter. We know this because YHVH told Moshe that to see his face would result in death (Ex. 33:20).
The next question that comes to mind is “if the patriarchs, matriarchs, prophets, and others selected by G-d to witness a theophany, why don’t the rabbis teach the truth of Yahshua’s identity as G-d incarnate, our Redeemer, Deliverer, Provider and King when He returns? It turns out that many rabbis were and are aware of Yahshua’s true identity. How did this happen?
The one called “Jesus’ is not the personality of the one the Rabbis taught about, that is Yahshua. The One the Jews once tried to teach the Gentiles was the Jewish Messiah who embraced the entirety of G-d’s Torah. The Rabbinic concept of the Messiah embraces the entire creation to the present time and includes the resurrection of all Israel described in Ezekiel 37, and the ingathering of Israel as promised by YHVH. This concept also includes the ingathering of the gentiles who were called “former gentiles” by Sha’ul (Paul) and whom the rabbis say will be grafted in the commonwealth of Israel. This interpretation comes from Genesis 12:2-3; Romans 11.
According to this concept, when a gentile accepts the Messiah and follows the laws of G-d, he/she becomes one of the chosen people. This means they must also believe the message Israel was given at Mount Sinai. This is the message of the Covenant of YHVH and his Torah. In other words, faith in the Messiah Yahshua must exist in tandem with the observance of G-d’s Torah.
When the message of the Covenant reached Rome, they changed Yahshua’s just as they have adulterated the Ten Commands and G-d’s Torah. The message was changed from resurrection and the ingathering of all Israel to the condemnation and a church replacement theology. Faith did not change Rome; Rome changed the faith. We must also realize that Rome is the offspring of Edom, Israel’s, and G-d’s enemy from the time Ishmael whose mother was an Egyptian, returned to that culture.
The early believers were all Torah observant Jews and gentiles who were “grafted” into the community of G-d’s chosen people. They observed G-d’s Shabbat and all of the appointed times. The rabbis knew that Yahshua is the Messiah, Sar HaPanim,” the Minister of the Face” and many still believe this truth. There is also a prayer that mentions the name of a minister of the Face [of YHVH]. The title of the prayer is “Sar HaPanim,” which is translated in Hebrew as “Minister of the Face.” This prayer is in the prayer book for Rosh Hashana Machzor Rabah. The rabbis do not want the Jews and Christians to know this prayer because they have secretly hidden Yahshua’s Name. They call him “Sar HaPanim. This prayer is recited during the Rabbinic New Year more accurately referred to as Yom Teruah (the Day of the Trumpets). When this prayer is recited during Yom Kippur the service is interrupted with a prayer believed to be based on Isaiah 53 which describes the suffering Messiah. The medieval Tanak commentator Rashi (1040-1105) changed the message in Isaiah 53 to as referring to Israel and not the Messiah. Also, according to rabbinic eschatology, Mount Seir is the Mount of Edom, which the rabbis say represents Christianity.
According to the teaching of rabbis in the Midrashim, Messiah Yahshua went to Roman exile to repeatedly suffer with his brethren for 2,000 years. They came to this conclusion from the pleural form of the Hebrew word for “death” in Isaiah 53:9: deaths. Therefore, Yahshua did not die on the execution stake once, but many times, every time his brethren were dying in exile at the hand of Christians. Accordingly, to be faithful to rabbinic eschatology, the rabbis are to redeem Yahshua as He redeemed them.
The rabbis wanted to have Yahshua redeemed from the gentiles because the Christians distorted the true Messiah, creating “a different Messiah” they call Jesus Christ whom they are taught replaced the Jewish assemblies (called out ones) with “the Church” and created a new religion called “Christianity.” The rabbis of old taught that Israel is to redeem Messiah Yahshua from the Christians as He redeemed his brethren from their sins by his wounds.
There is more proof that the rabbis of old believed in Yahshua as the Messiah. Thirty days after the birth of the firstborn son, there is a ceremony called “Yahshua HaBen.” The first-born son is redeemed from the parents to belong to Yahshua, because the rabbis believed Yahshua is the redemption of the first-born son of Israel. The two prayers mentioned in this lesson along with others are written in the prayer books of Israel. The rabbis hid the prayer “Yahshua HaPanim” from the gentiles. They were so jealous in their faith that they even hid them from the Jews. Every rabbinic rabbi knows these prayers about Yahshua, yet many remain silent for fear of being ostracized by their contemporaries and the community. The prayers are written in the ancient books of the rabbis and cannot be removed from the books or changed lest the individual cares not that rabbinic law is being broken. The Name of Yahshua Sar HaPanim has been secretly guarded by the rabbis and handed down from one rabbi to another with the words: “Now you know, and now you do not say it!”
Ya’akov shared this special wisdom and knowledge of Yahshua as “the angel who has rescued me from all harm. He continued his blessing “bless these boys [Ephraim and M’nasheh]. May they remember who I am and what I stand for, and likewise my fathers Avraham and Yitz’chak, who they were and what they stood for. And may they grow into teeming multitudes on the earth.” The significance of this blessing is revealed throughout the remainder of G-d’s Torah, Much of its fulfilment yet to come to fruition.
Haftarah: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 2:1-12
Similar to our parashah describing Ya’akov’s final preparation for his death, this narrative described David’s last will and testament. In the Sidrah Ya’akov gives his final commands and blessings. He starts with Yosef then all the brothers, assigning each his specific role in the history of the Jews. In contrast David gave commands to only one son who was the anointed successor, Solomon.
Just as Ya’akov asked for G-d’s blessing on M’nasheh and Ephraim, David’s exhortations that Solomon follow G-d’s commandments and that doing so would be the only way for him to be successful as well as his progeny, required this obedience to G-d. David also emphasizes the attribute of kindness to be given to the family of Barzilai, who stood by David during the most difficult part of David’s life. Loving obedience to G-d’s Torah is the reason for Israel’s existence, the people, and the country. Without lovingly embracing and living G-d’s Torah, the nation can only look forward to enmity, defeat, and exile. The consequences of disobedience to G-d’s instructions/Torah are well documented throughout the Bible.
B’rit Chadashah: 1 Kefa (1 Peter) 1:3-9; 2:11-17
This narrative reminds us that G-d is faithful and that we must necessarily endure various griefs and trials as would and will occur throughout the history of G-d’s people, including Ya’akov and Yosef. “Through trusting, you are being protected by G-d’s power for a deliverance to be revealed at the Last Time.” We are reminded that even gold is tested for genuineness by fire. We are told that the purpose of our trials is to trust our genuineness, which is more valuable than perishable gold and that we will be judged worthy of praise, glory, and honor at Yahshua’s coming.
This narrative is full of present tense verbiage “without seeing him now, but trusting him, you continue to be full of joy that is glorious beyond words. And you are receiving what your trust is aiming at, namely, your deliverance.” We clearly have not arrived yet; salvation is not a given, something already done. Past sins are forgiven when we become reconciled to Yahshua through his sacrifice and our humble repentance. Then, we must start our earthly race with all of G-d’s blessings and testings with the goal of deliverance. A simple profession of faith and belief is not going to cut it, so says G-d’s Torah. We must take time to evaluate our theology, our beliefs about what a saving relationship with G-d really means. We must focus on diligently hearing, internalizing, and acting on the words of G-d’s Torah with love and a lifestyle that reflects the same.
I gratefully acknowledge information that was used in preparing this Torah commentary regarding rabbinic knowledge of Messiah Yahshua and how it came to be that this truth is not shared with the majority of Jews today.
Arbas, Francisco, (Rabbi) :2019. Revealing Yahshua Sar HaPanim Secretly Guarded by the rabbis: https://www.netzarim-talmidim.org
Rabbi Tamah Davis-Hart