Parashat Miketz / פרשת מקץ

SHABBAT:
YHVH Date Calendar: 27/09/5774
Hebrew / Babylonian Date: 27 Kislev 5774

Chanukah: 3 Candles occurs on Friday, 29 November 2013
Candle lighting: 4:13pm on Friday, 29 November 2013

This week’s Torah portion is Parashat Miketz

Chanukah: 4 Candles occurs on Saturday, 30 November 2013
Havdalah (72 min): 5:42pm on Saturday, 30 November 2013

Torah Reading: Parashah 10 (At the end)

B’RESHEET: (Genesis) 41:1-44:17

HAFTARAH MIKKETZ: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 3:15-4:1

B’RIT HADASHAH suggested reading for parashah Mikketz: Acts 7:9-16 (Specifically vv.11-12)

MiKetz Summary: (Reference: http://www.koleo.org/)

The Joseph saga continues. Pharaoh has had two similar dreams and demands their interpretation. None of his advisors can determine their meaning, but his wine steward remembers Joseph from prison and his gift for dream interpretation. Joseph is brought from the prison before Pharaoh. Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream as seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine that are about to fall upon Egypt. In addition, he suggests ways to manage the plenty to survive the famine.

Impressed with his wisdom, Pharaoh appoints Joseph as viceroy over all of Egypt. Joseph successfully implements his plan, and is married to the daughter of Potiphar and has two sons, Menashe and Ephrayim. As the seven years of famine begin, Jacob sends his sons down to Egypt to seek food. They come before Joseph, who recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him. Joseph decides to wait before he reveals himself to them. He demands that they return and bring his youngest brother Benjamin back to Egypt, and to make sure they return, he has Shimon held as a hostage. The brothers do return home and tell their father what happened in Egypt. At first he refuses to allow the remaining child of his beloved Rachel to leave him, but as the famine drags on, he is forced to concede.

This time all the brothers return to Egypt. This time Joseph devises a final plot against his brothers. He sends them all back to their home with plenty of food and riches, but he has his personal chalice planted in the Benjamin’s bag. After their departure, Joseph sends his steward to accuse them of the theft and bring them back. With a classic cliff-hanger, the parasha ends with the brothers fearfully confronting the angry Egyptian viceroy, not knowing he is their brother

Bob Jackson
בוב ג’קסון

Shabbat Shalom – Parashah Vayeshev / פרשת וישב

“And he settled” – והוא התיישב

Candle lighting: 4:16pm on Friday, 22 November 2013
This week’s Torah portion is Parashat Vayeshev
Havdalah (72 min): 5:45pm on Saturday, 23 November 2013

B’RESHEET: (Genesis) 37:1- 40:23

HAFTARAH Vayeshev: (Amos) 2:6-3:8

B’RIT HADASHAH: Suggested reading Parashah 9 Vayeshav: (Matthew) 1:1-6;16-25

VaYeshev (http://www.kolel.org/pages/parasha/bereshit_summary.html)

Summary: The parasha begins the concluding drama of the book of Genesis, the story of Joseph and his 11 brothers, their estrangement and eventual reunion. Jacob is now settled in Canaan with all his family around him. Joseph is the favoured son, and to show his favour Jacob presents him with the multi-colored coat. Because of his haughty attitude, and their own jealousy, Joseph’s brothers conspire to kill him. But big brother Reuben intervenes, and they decide instead to sell him into slavery. They grab him, throw him into a pit, and then sell him to a passing caravan en route to Egypt. They then tell their father Jacob that his beloved Joseph was attacked by a wild beast, presenting the bloody coat to him as proof.

The Joseph narrative is then interrupted by the story of Jacob’s son Judah, who is experiencing some problems of his own. His son has died, leaving his wife Tamar a childless widow. Following the tradition of Leverite marriage, he gives his next son to her to father a child, but the next son perishes childless as well. Having already lost two sons, Judah refuses to give his youngest son to Tamar to provide her with a child. Tamar then decides to take decisive action. She dresses like a prostitute, entices Judah to sleep with her, and thereby becomes pregnant. Judah is outraged when he finds out what has happened, but, in the end, Tamar is vindicated, and gives birth to twins. Joseph ends up in Egypt, serving in the home of Potiphar, the King’s chief steward, and he quickly makes his way up the ranks of the servants to head up Potiphar’s household.

Potiphar’s wife notices Joseph, and tries to seduce hum. When he refuses her advances, she has him thrown into prison, where he puts his skills as a dream interpreter to good use. He ends up interpreting the dreams of Pharoah’s servants, which eventually brings him to the attention of Pharoah himself.

Bob Jackson
בוב ג’קסון

Shabbat Shalom – Parashat Vayishlach / פרשת וישלח

YHVH calendar date: 13/9/5774

Hebrew/Babylonian calendar date: 13 Kislev 5774

Secular calendar Date Delaware USA: 16 November 2013

TORAH readings: Parashah 8 – He sent

 

 

Candle lighting: 4:29pm on Friday, 15 November 2013
This week’s Torah portion is Parashat Vayishlach
Havdalah (72 min): 5:59pm on Saturday, 16 November 2013

B’RESHEET: (Genesis) 32:4(3) – 36:43

HAFTARAH Vayishlach: Hoshea (Hosea) 11:7-12:12(11) [A] = Ashkenazic (European); Ovadyah (Obadiah) 1-21 [S]=Sefardic (Middle Eastern and North African).

B’RIT HADASHAH suggested readings for Parashah Vayishlach: 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Revelation 7:1-12.

VaYishlach (Reference from Kolel.org)

Summary: The saga of Jacob continues in this week’s parasha. It begins with Jacob sending messengers ahead to greet his brother Esau, who swore to kill Jacob when they last parted some twenty years before. Jacob is informed that Esau has a large assembly of men coming toward Jacob, seemingly prepared for battle. Jacob responds with a three pronged strategy in preparation for the confrontation: Prayer, Diplomacy and War. But the night before he confronts his brother, Jacob spends the night wrestling with the angel and, in the end, has his name changed by God to Israel. The next morning, much to his surprise, the encounter with Esau goes peacefully, and again they part. Esau returns to Seir and Jacob settles outside of the city of Shechem. There, Jacob’s daughter Dinah is raped by a prince of the town, and, in retaliation, Jacob’s sons go on a violent rampage, killing the entire male population of Shechem. At the end of the portion, both Rachel and Isaac die and are buried. The parshah ends with a review of all Isaac’s descendants.

Bob Jackson
בוב ג’קסון

Shabbat Shalom – Vayetze- וַיֵּצֵא – (He went out)

YHVH calendar date: 5/9/5774 – 6/9/5774

Fri, 8 November 2013 = 5th of Kislev, 5774
ה׳ בְּכִּסְלֵו תשע״ד

Candle lighting: 4:35pm on Friday, 08 November 2013 (Shabbat Begins)
This week’s Torah portion is Parashat Vayetzei
Havdalah (72 min): 6:04pm on Saturday, 09 November 2013 (Shabbat Ends)

Torah: Parashah 7: Vayetze – B’resheet (Genesis 28:10-32:3(2)

Haftarah Vayetze: Hoshea (Hosea) 12:13(12)-14:10(9) [A]=Ashkenazic=European
(Hosea) 11:7-12:12(11) [S]=Sefardic=Middle Eastern & North African

B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Vayetze: Yochanan (John) 1:43-51

Summary of this Parashah 7: (myjewishportal.com)
Vayetze Torah Portion Summary

After leaving his father’s home, on his way to Laban’s house, Jacob had a dream in which angels were ascending and descending a ladder reaching from the earth to the heavens.

In this dream, God stood behind Jacob and told him that God will protect him and bless him and his descendants.

The next morning, Jacob continued his journey and came to a well with a large stone covering it, which Laban’s daughter, Rachel, was to bring her sheep to drink from.

When Jacob saw Rachel, he told her that he was her kinsman, and was able to move the stone from the well, allowing her sheep to drink, for which Rachel was very thankful.

Jacob stayed at Laban’s home and worked for seven years in exchange for Laban’s promise that Jacob could marry Rachel at the end of that time.

The wedding day came and passed, and the next morning, Jacob awoke to find that he had married Rachel’s older sister, Leah, and had been tricked by Laban who would not let his younger daughter marry before his older daughter.

Jacob then worked another seven years before being able to marry Rachel,

Over time, Jacob had twelve sons – Reuben, Shimeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Yissakhar, Zebulun and Joseph, and a daughter, Dinah.

Jacob then told Laban that he wanted to leave, and took his wives and children in the middle of the night, later telling Laban that he snuck away because he was worried that Laban would take his daughters back by force.

Bob Jackson
בוב ג’קסון

Rosh Chodesh Kislev / ראש חודש כסלו

The Babylonian date is the 1st of Kislev, 5774.
The Pagan date for America will be 4th of November, 2013.

YHVH date for this time period will be 1/9/5774.

Sources of reference:

http://www.OU.org.
http://www.hebcal.com/converter/?gd=4&gm=11&gy=2013&g2h=1
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Maccabees.html

The name “Kislev” is of Babylonian origin.

In the Tanach (Bible), Kislev is referred to as the ninth month, as it is the ninth month after Nissan. Although most famous for having Chanukah within it, Kislev is also a month with significant Biblical happenings.

So what are these significant Biblical happenings?

Did you know that the first rainbow, observed after the Flood, was seen in Kislev? “And Elohim said: ‘This is the sign of the covenant which I set between Me, and yourselves, and between every living being that is with you, unto eternal generations. I have placed my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the Earth. “This is the sign of the covenant” – Elohim showed Noah the bow and said to Him: “This is the sign of which I spoke” (Bereishit 9). It is the “Rainbow”. Elohim created the Rainbow as a sign of His covenant between Himself and the earth. The Rainbow has nothing to do with the LGBT movement!

Did you know about the Maccabees (166-129 BCE)?
King Antiochus, who has already conquered many countries, decides in the 23rd year of his reign to destroy the Jewish people, because it adheres to another law and other customs and secretly dreams of dominating the world. He sends to Jerusalem his commander in chief Nicanor, who instigates a massacre there, sets up an idol in the Temple and defiles the entrance hall with pigs’ blood. On the pretext of being willing to submit to Antiochus’ commands, *Jonathan, a son of the high priest Mattathias, gains a secret audience with Nicanor, and kills him with a sword concealed under his robe; he then attacks Nicanor’s army, which is now without a leader, and only a few of the soldiers succeed in escaping and returning by ship to Antiochus. In commemoration of the victory, Jonathan has a pillar erected in the town, bearing the inscription “The Maccabean has killed strong men.” Antiochus then sends to Jerusalem a second commander, Bagris; he metes out a terrible revenge upon the town and upon those Jews who have returned to the faith (here the scroll includes the story related in I Macc. 5:37–40 and II Macc. 6:16 of the devout people in the cave who were killed on the Sabbath because they would not fight to defend themselves). Jonathan and his four brothers defeat Bagris, who escapes and returns to Antiochus. He is equipped with a new army and armored elephants and then makes an attack on Judea. Judah Maccabee now appears in the story for the first time; and Jonathan, the third son of Mattathias, henceforth remains in the background. At the news of Bagris’ approach, Judah proclaims a fast and calls for prayers in Mizpah (cf. I Macc. 3:46ff.); the army then goes into battle and wins several victories, though it pays for them with the death of its leader. Now old Mattathias himself assumes command of the Jewish soldiers; the enemy is decisively defeated, and Bagris is taken prisoner and burned. When Antiochus is told the news, he boards a ship and tries to find refuge in some coastal town; but wherever he arrives he is greeted with the scornful cry: “See the runaway!” so that finally he becomes desperate and throws himself into the sea. At this same time, the Jews are reconsecrating their Temple; while searching for pure oil for the lamp, they find a vessel bearing the seal of the high priest and dating back to the time of the prophet Samuel. By a miracle the oil, which is sufficient in quantity for only one day, burns in the lamp for a full eight days; and this is why Ḥanukkah, the festival commemorating the reconsecration of the Temple, is celebrated for eight days.

And finally, what do you know about Ḥanukkah?

The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of eight branches with an additional raised branch. The extra light is called a shamash (Hebrew: שמש‎, “attendant”) and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The purpose of the shamash is to have a light available for practical use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves for purposes other than publicizing and meditating on the Hanukkah is forbidden

Shabbat Weekly Readings – Tol’dot (תּוֹלְדֹת) – History

Candle lighting: Shabbat begins at 5:43pm on Friday, 01 November 2013

YHVH calendar date:28/8/5774

Pagan & Hebrew dates: Fri, 1 November 2013 = 28th of Cheshvan, 5774
כ״ח בְּחֶשְׁוָן תשע״ד

Havdalah (72 min): 7:12pm on Saturday, 02 November 2013

Parashat Toldot / פרשת תולדות
Torah Portion: B’resheet (Genesis) 25:19-28:9

Haftarah Tol’dot: Mal’akhi (malachi) 1:1-2:7

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Tol’dot: Romans 9:6-16; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 11:20; 12:14-17

Summary for this weeks Portion: Copied from Kolel.com

Toldot is the only parasha in the Torah which puts Isaac at the center of the action. Yet it jumps right into the next generation. The portion begins with the birth of Isaac and Rebecca’s twin sons Jacob and Esau. Like Sarah before her, Rebecca is deemed to be barren, but then miraculously gives birth later in life. It’s a difficult pregnancy. She “inquires of the Eternal” and finds out that she’s carrying twins. The first child emerges all red and hairy, and is named Esau. The second boy comes out holding onto his brother’s heel. He is named Jacob, from the Hebrew root meaning “heel.” When they grow up, Esau becomes a hunter, “a man of the field.” Jacob is described as a “mild man,” who preferred to remain back in the camp. Isaac favored Esau. Rebecca prefers Jacob. This context of parental favoritism and sibling rivalry serves as the back drop for the complex relations and tragic events that follow. Jacob takes advantage of a weakened Esau and gets him to sell his birthright for a bowl of lentils. Later, famine forces the family to leave Canaan and travel to Gerar. Isaac and Rebecca repeat (third time – second with Abimelech) the wife/sister confusion of Abraham and Sarah, and then they must deal with some issues of water rights left over from Abraham. Now wealthy, they end up settling in Beer Sheva, where God appears to Isaac, and Abimelech, the King of Gerar, established a treaty with him. This section ends with the news that Esau, at the age of forty, marrying two Hittite women. They are described as being a “source of bitterness to Isaac and Rebecca.” The story continues some time later when Isaac is old and blind. Fearing the end of his days is near, he called his oldest son Esau to receive his final blessing. But first he asks Esau to hunt and prepare him some game. Rebecca overhears this request and, while Esau is out is the field, she prepares the food and dresses Jacob like his brother and sends him in to receive the special blessing in Esau’s place. Esau comes in later, and it is then that he and his father Isaac realize they have been tricked. Isaac offers Esau a secondary blessing, but it is not enough. Having now been tricked out of both his birthright and his blessing, Esau declares his hatred for Jacob and his intention to kill him. Rebecca hears of the plot and arranges for Jacob to flee to Haran, to the home of her brother Laban.

How does this historical fact help us to understand some of todays friction between Israel and modern day Edom. Please visit http://voices.yahoo.com/the-middle-east-family-feud-11930102.html?cat=37.

Bob Jackson
בוב ג’קסון