Vayigash “And He Came Near”
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Norman, Oklahoma, and Dallas, TX.
While customs are not commandments there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.
Vayigash is the Hebrew title for “And He Came Near” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Genesis starting in chapter 44 verse 18 and going through chapter 47 verse 27.
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings come from the book of Ezekiel in chapter 37 verse 15 through 28.
The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Luke in chapter 24 with verses 30 through 48.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Overview-
The eleventh Torah Portion reading is called Vayigash. Vayigash means “and He came near.” The Torah Portion name derives from the first verse in this Torah Portion reading, which says, “Them Judah came near him.” The Torah Portion begins with Joseph dramatically unveiling his identity to his brothers and reconciling their relationship. It then follows Jacob’s family as the go to Egypt and the conclusion of the years of famine. This Torah Portion starts to lay out the stage for Jacob’s sons to be taken captivity in Egypt.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Genesis 44:18 Judah pleads for Benjamin’s release
Genesis 45:1 Joseph reveals himself to his brothers
Genesis 46:1 Jacob brings family to Egypt
Genesis 46:28 Jacob settles in Goshen
Genesis 47:13 The Famine in Egypt
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Ezekiel 37:15 The two sticks becoming one
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Luke 24:30 Jesus reveals himself
Luke 24:44 Jesus is the fulfillment of the Word
The Book of Genesis “B’reisheet” which means “In the Beginning.”
The Old Testament is commonly referred to as the Torah. It is the most sacred of all of Israel’s Scriptures. Most of our modern Bibles include the Old Testament “Torah” as the first five books in the Bible. The name in Hebrew of the first book of the Bible (Genesis) is B’reisheet. The name “B’reisheet” comes from one of the opening phrases in the book of Genesis which means “In the Beginning.”
The Greek Septuagint is where we find the English name for “The Book of Origins” called “Genesis.”
The Book of Genesis is the story of the origin of creation. Through creation, we learn about the nature of God and His intentions for creation. In the book of B’reisheet we learn about the creation of the universe, the creation of human beings, the creation of living creatures, and then the covenants leading to the creation of the nation of Israel before the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.
The first book in the Torah and the Christian Bible also have different spellings that derive from the different sects of Judaism and the Hebrew language. Bereshit, or Bereishith are also common spellings for Genesis “B’reisheet.”
As Messianic Christians, we find the book of Genesis and the stories therein, as a historical account of how we as believers are grafted into the covenants and promises of God with our forefathers and how we can learn to walk and learn from their actions.
To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE
