Parashat Va’yetzey (And he left) – Weekly Parashah

Texts: Genesis 28:10 – 32:3 || Hosea 12:13-14:10 (Haftarah)

NOTE:  Kol HaTor, in its commentaries on the weekly Parashot, endeavours to search for and accentuate the Torah Messages contained in the Parashot as applicable to the Main Theme of Tanach of the Return of the House of Israel, i.e. the Lost Ten Tribes of Northern Israel and their Reconciliation with Judah to form the reunited 12-Tribed Kingdom of Israel. 

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Gen. 28:10  Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. ¹¹ When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.  12   He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  13  There above it stood HaShem, and He said: “I am HaShem, the G-d of your father Abraham and the G-d of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  14  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the West and to the East, to the North and to the South. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  15  I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Now amazingly, this Promise is etched out physically, to this day,  in the shadows of the mountains surrounding Bethel, North of Jerusalem! Vendyl Jones, famous for his archaeological discoveries in Israel, published the following amazing satellite photo of the hills of Jerusalem on his Web Page

Satellite photo reveals Hebrew words written by the shadows of Bethel, Israel mountain formations

Images from top to bottom:

• ‘Ki’ – Because
• ‘Luz’ – Bethel
• ‘YHVH’ – The Sacred Name of the G-d of Israel
• ‘Ephraim’ – A Biblical term referring to the Ten Tribes of Israel.

These words “Ki Luz HaShem Ephraim” are formed by the shadows of the mountains. Lit. Because HaShem turns around, resurrects Ephraim.   “Ki” meaning because or for the sake of.  “Luz” can mean to turn, to coil, to bend or to twist. Luz is also the name of the top vertebrae of the spine, sometimes called the “resurrection bone” because it remains even after all the other bones of a body have decomposed. Luz was the name of the place where Jacob had his vision of the ladder reaching into heaven [Genesis 28:18-19]. Jacob called the same place Beth-El (House of God). The name Luz is formed in the shadows precisely over the location of present-day Beth-El.  The play on “resurrection, could well refer to the prophetically destined ‘Resurrection’ of the re-united 12-Tribed House of Israel in the Prophecy of the Dead Bones – Ezek.36, just before the 2-House Restoration Prophecy of Ezek. 37:15. 

Thus, these words embalmed and eternalized in the shadows of the mountains could also be interpreted as Because HaShem turns around, resurrects Ephraim to the House of G-d.

These Hebrew letters may be hard distinguishable for non-Hebrew readers.  But you can be assured that I personally tested it on my Israeli grandchildren, (covering the white print cues), and right down to the youngest, they recognized it without me giving any hints whatsoever re the topic. location, etc. To them, it was just a picture and I asked them if they could identify any Hebrew letters.

Why “Ephraim” amongst these cues?

Let us turn to our opening Scripture, highlighted above.

HaShem makes a Divine Promise and Undertaking to Jacob:

He will give the descendants of Jacob the land on which Jacob had the dream, in the area of Luz, named Bethel by Jacob.  Jacob was the father of the 12 patriarchal fathers of 12 Tribes.  They were to be the conduits of repeated Divine Blessings to righteous people selected by G-d.  We have been following these Blessings throughout the six previous Parashot (weekly Torah Readings) and found them intertwined with G-d’s Purpose of raising a “body” of rulers who would rule with Him in His Kingdom.  We saw in Parashat Lech Lecha how G-d took Avraham (Jacob’s grandfather) up Mt Kabir in Shomron (Samaria) to show him the Promised Land in which his descendants, grown into uncountable numbers, nations, and kingdoms, would one day settle.  Mt Kabir is merely some 30 km North of Luz, Bethel.  All this area today is directly at the heart of the current so-called West Bank “occupied territories”, which include Gaza.

While Gaza is in the territory of Judah, Shomron is mainly Ten Triber Land.  The Northern Ten Tribes of Israel, later rejected by G-d and exiled from the Land because of their rejection of Torah, became also known as “Ephraim” – who received a Prime Blessing as one of the 13 Tribes.  In Prophecy, the rebellious 10 Tribes are often referred to as “Ephraim”.  Many clear-cut Prophecies confirm their Return to the Land in the End Time (Messianic Times), a Return which will go through great trials and troubles for the nation – like birth pangs before a new birth.

This photo, therefore, confirms the Blessing to Jacob in this Reading and puts the spotlight on the Return not only of Judah (the Jews) but also Ephraim.  This, not as a suggestion of “adding” to the Promise, but merely and timeously revealing the Full Intent of the Divine Promise.  Most pro-Zionist Christians (from amongst whom the pro-Jewish and pro-Rabbinic Ten Tribers are evolving) today think that modern Israel represents the Return of Judah only.  Even Jews have to be reminded that the Geulah (Redemption) can NOT occur without the physical Return of the Ten Tribes.

What now is the implication of this Divine Undertaking of a Promised Land awaiting the Return of its people?  Simply, that the shortage of people which causes the rulers of Israel to give away their Land to their enemies and to retreat to what they themselves know is an indefensible small area, does NOT have to be!  There are many millions of re-awakening Ten Tribers across the world who are more and more feeling the urge to be physically part of the Land of Israel.

Our opening texts of Va’yetzey give us the Divine Confirmation of Return:

“I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  14  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth”

This Divine Promise underlies numerous Prophecies in the Tanach.  It forms the Main Theme, in fact, of all Scripture   (Ref. Bible Confirmations of the Return of the Tribes of Israel for a comprehensive extract of these Scriptures).  Fifteen million Jews are not nearly enough to fill the Promised Land (even only the current half of it, West of the Jordan river, never mind the more than double Greater Israel East of the Jordan river, according to Biblical specifications!).  So also, this quantification of “dust of the earth” can NOT refer to 15 million people (Jews) only.

Current Israel West of the Jordan river requires many millions of Jews to settle sufficiently for self-protection against the claims of the enemies of G-d’s Promises.  Those numbers of Jews simply do NOT exist!  This, while Ephraim is awakening and calling, pleading and praying for Return to the Land.

Divine Intent and Assurance

Gen. 29:15  “I (HaShem) am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.”

This is addressed at the descendants of Jacob – ALL 12 Tribes.  HaShem will bring them back.  Surely, it is HIS Spirit that is awakening millions of non-Jews (Lost Ten Tribers to whom the Promise ALSO goes) to Torah awareness and Return?

WHAT are religious Jews going to do about this?  What are Rabbis going to do about this Divine Drive?  What are the rulers of Israel who dislike and harass religious Jews, whom they derogatorily refer to as “Messianics” (viz. those awaiting the Coming of Mashiach), going to do about it?  Will they continue selling themselves and the nation out to their enemies and self-declared exterminators of Jews?

And then – what is there in this Divine Promise to Jacob, for disheartened, disillusioned, and directionless 10-Israel across the world, to whom Return has become a total Impossibility?  Let us read it and take Courage:

Gen. 29:15  “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Wow!  What a Promise by Him Who rejected 10-Israel as His Bride, called her a Harlot!  He Who abandoned her,  cut her off from His Covenant.

Does that not – should that not,  eject 10-Israel into ACTION – consorted Action?  But, NOT Action:

• that is more concerned with the spiritual wellbeing of Judah than with their own;
• that remains in the same state of rebellion against Torah and G-d’s appointed Lawgivers (Ps 60:7;  108:8; Gen. 49:10) as their ancient rebellious forefathers;
•  that arrogantly exalt themselves as superior in knowledge to the 3500-year-old Academy of Judaism;
• that insists to evangelize Jews and turn them away from Torah;
• that want to change Israel to their anti-Torah preferences;
• that disrespects the true Jewish culture;
• All these attitudes are exactly the Cause of the great Division!

Surely, the G-d of Israel Who is prepared to take His Harlot Bride back, expects her to now abide by His “House Rules”, not theirs, borne out of the Exile amongst anti-Torah and anti-Jewish nations?  Surely, they should now learn at the feet of His “faithful Son”, Judah, who has maintained His Household throughout the time that they were “in the pig sties”?

This Message is confirmed in the Haftarah reading for this week.  Refer Hosea 12:13 – 14:9.  This Message could be summed up as in:

Hosea 14:1,2  “Return, Israel, to HaShem your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to HaShem.”

The context of this entire reading, of Va’yetzey infers “10-Israel” for “Israel”, as opposed to “Judah”.  “Sin” is simply non-conformance with Torah requirements. Sin (transgression of Torah) comes about not only by rebellion against Torah, or by willfulness, self-interest, but also through ignorance, lack of understanding and proper teaching, exile from the Culture of the G-d of Israel.

“Take (His) Words along with you and RETURN to His Culture, religion, system, fraternity.”  Remove that audacious spirit from you which makes YOU and YOUR way preferable.  Humble yourself and trust in HIS Way – which includes the Guidance which He has provided through appointing Judah as His Lawgiver.

Declare with Jacob:  Gen. 29:20,  ^“If G-d will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking –  so that I return safely to my father’s household, then HaShem will be my G-d.”