5 Minute Torah - Vayeitze - The Impact of the Righteous

[00:00:00] Imagine stepping away from the places you're usually present. Your workplace, your community, even your home. Would anything change in your absence? Well, it's supposed to. And hidden within this week's Torah portion is the reason why. Join me to discover why your life matters in this week's five minute tour. [00:00:24] Shalom and Blessings from Shalom Macon, the place where disciples of Yeshua learn, connect and grow. I'm Darren and before I get into the five minutes of my five minute Torah commentary, let's cover a few quick facts about this week's Torah portion. This week we are studying the seventh portion of the new Torah cycle. We are in the portion of Vayetsev. This is Genesis 28:10 through 32:3 and here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one Sulam Sheliakov Jacob's Ladder As Jacob travels away from home, he stops for the night and dreams of a ladder reaching from the earth to the heaven with angels ascending and descending. The Lord stands above it and reaffirms the covenant he gave to Abraham and to Isaac, the land countless descendants and his ongoing presence. Jacob later names the place Bethel or Bethel, recognizing it as a point of connection between heaven and earth and a sign that God will be with him on his journey. Number two Yaakov and Rachel Love at First Sight Arriving at Haran, Jacob meets Rachel at the well and is immediately moved by her kindness and her beauty. In a dramatic act of strength, he rolls the heavy stone from the well so that she can water her flock. Overwhelmed at finding his family, Jacob weeps and reveals his identity. He falls deeply in love with her and gladly works seven years for Laban to marry her, years that seem to him only like a few days because of his immense love for Rachel and Number three Midah Knegid Middah Jacob and Laban Jacob's dealings with Laban became a vivid lesson in Midah Kenegad Midah Measure for Measure after deceiving Esau and Isaac, Jacob now finds himself deceived himself when Laban gives him Leah instead of Rachel on their wedding night. The tension that follows mirrors the same strife that Jacob's own actions once created. Yet Jacob willingly bears the hardship and works another seven years determined to receive his beloved bride. Welcome to the Hebrew month of Kislev. Hanukkah is just around the corner. If you want to have a great family experience with Hanukkah, be sure to pick up your copy of Eight Lights. My Hanukkah how to and devotional that will make each night of Hanukkah A Night to Remember. It has over 150 five star reviews on Amazon and has consistently been in the top 10 bestsellers for Messianic Judaism in the weeks heading up to Hanukkah, and it's available on Barnes and Noble as well. So if you want to have fun and learn to be a better disciple of our Master Yeshua, then check out my book Eight Lights, using the link below. This week's Torah commentary is called the Impact of the Righteous, and it comes from a book 5 Minute Torah, Volume 1. Our Torah portion begins Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. Genesis 28:10 Rashi makes a keen observation on this verse. He asks a question that should be obvious to us. Why does the Torah mention Jacob's departure from Beersheba? If we've been paying attention, we should remember that the Torah had just mentioned this fact a few verses prior. Verse 7 says Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan Aram. Haran is located within the region of Paddan Aram. Therefore, we've been told twice within a few sentences that Jacob went toward Haran. If the Torah doesn't waste words, then why does it repeat itself in this case? R.A. rashi says that we are supposed to learn an important lesson through this repetition. This tells us that the departure of a righteous man from a place makes an impression. For while the righteous man is in the city, he is its beauty. He is its splendor. He is its majesty. When he departs from there, its beauty has departed. Its splendor has departed. Its majesty has departed. This is Rashi commenting on Genesis Rabba 686. According to Rashi, the repetition of Jacob's departure is to teach us that the departure of a righteous man from a place makes an impression. When Jacob left Beersheba, his absence was felt. The people in that region missed him terribly and realized that his presence made a difference in their lives. When he was with them, nothing was lacking. Maybe they didn't necessarily recognize the benefit of his presence while he was with them and noticed the void only when he departed. Nevertheless, once he left, his absence was palpable. The departure of a righteous person should be obvious. This is why Yeshua's departure from this world made such an impression on the entire planet. The complete Tzaddik, the completely righteous One, departed from this earth and left an enormous vacuum that no one else will ever be able to fill. The hearts of his disciples felt like they were torn from within them. They wandered around like abandoned children. Bemoaning the loss of their beloved Rabbi. Yet when he appeared to them after his resurrection, the their hearts were ignited once again, they said, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures? This is Luke 24:32. In order to fill this vacuum left by his presence, he sent the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to take his place in the hearts of his followers. Yes, his disciples still long for his return even to this day, but we at least sense his presence through this agent. Too many times we live our lives with little to no impact on the people around us. And sadly, many times people quit their job, move out of state, or even pass away from this life without many people noticing. For disciples of Yeshua, however, this should not be the case. We should be making a significant impact not only on those closest to us, but also to the world in general. As our Master has told us, a light hidden under a bushel doesn't have much influence on the darkness around it. We don't have the luxury of hiding our light. Our job is to reflect the light of our Master and to shine it brightly into the world. Do people know that you are a disciple of Yeshua? Have they seen your good works and begun to glorify your Father in heaven? When you're not around, is your absence felt, or does anyone even notice? Both the presence and the departure of a righteous person should be noticeable. So as disciples of Yeshua, we aren't called to blend in. We're called to stand out, to carry light into places that have grown accustomed to shadows. Let your presence transform the space you occupy, and let your absence be a reminder the light you carry. When Yeshua warned his disciples about vain repetition, was he criticizing Jewish liturgy? Most people think so. But is that really what he was saying? If you want to understand what Yeshua actually meant and how Jewish prayer is designed to draw us into the prayer presence of the King, watch our latest lunch and learn class on Jewish prayer that my wife and I recently taught together. Just click on the link right here to get started.