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Thursday, 26 November 2020
Our heritage

We started our 7 day, weekly, Torah reading cycle yesterday beginning in Genesis 28:10 with the story of Jacob's dream. The portion takes its name from the first word, Vayetzei. It uses the "vav conversive" to change the future tense (he will go out) into past tense (he went out). "And Jacob went out (from Beer-sheba and toward Haran)."

I've often thought about Jacob's dream. First, he must have had a very hard head to think a stone would make a good pillow. Then, the angels are reported to be "ascending and descending," meaning they were with him on earth before going up and then coming down. Finally, Jacob saw Adonai ... Genesis 28:13 Surprisingly, Adonai was standing on top of it (Jacob's ladder).

That's right, Jacob saw Yeshua, Who made promises to Jacob, promises that echo those He made to his grandfather, Abraham, and his father, Isaac. Genesis 28:13b-15 "I am Adonai, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your seed. 14 Your seed will be as the dust of the land, and you will burst forth to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed--and in your seed. Behold, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not forsake you until I have done what I promised you."

God repeatedly self-identifies as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For example, this is how God identified Himself to Moses. (Exodus 3:6) When you hear someone saying only, "God of Abraham," beware, they may not just be taking a shortcut. It could be a veiled anti-Semitic remark, because the God of Abraham is also the God of Ishmael. But the promise did not follow Ishmael. The promise is the promise of the coming kingdom. And what's a coming kingdom without a coming King? I'm not making a big deal out of nothing. We go where He goes (not the other way around).

We have a heritage. We have a lineage. To find it, we have to follow God's promises in faith. Read Psalm 34. Psalm 34:2-4 "I will bless Adonai at all times. His praise is continually in my mouth. My soul boasts in Adonai. The humble ones hear of it and rejoice. Magnify Adonai with me and let us exalt His Name together."

Posted By Rabbi Michael Weiner, 11:16am Comment Comments: 0