My message today is based on a message from 5777 by our Rabbi Percy Johnson, which I expanded upon. He taught us that the concept of Mashiach, or Messiah, was developed by our sages over time. In Parashat Vayigash, the two main characters, Joseph and Judah, point to two types of Messiah: Mashiach ben Joseph, the suffering Messiah, and Mashiach ben David, the conquering Messiah. They were not explicitly written about in the Scriptures, but emerged around 300 B.C in the apocryphal writings. A hero would appear, most likely as a king or priest, from the tribes of Judah or Joseph. In this portion, Joseph seems to be the conquering Messiah while Judah is the suffering servant who bows before Joseph, calling him “my lord”. In the future, Yeshua would be referred to as the suffering Messiah, and a Davidic conquering Messiah would come from the line of Judah.
There is a branch of Judaism today that considers Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson to be the Messiah. Throughout the Scriptures, many men have been seen as messiahs or saviors, but they have never been put in the place of God. Noah saved humanity from the flood, but is not considered God. Others have healed the sick and even raised the dead, like Elijah, yet he is not considered God. The word mashiach means “anointed” for a specific purpose using oil. Many ceremonial anointments took place, including at the Tent of Meeting and, later, at the Temple, with all their instruments of worship. Priests and kings were anointed (mashiach) for their roles, but none were considered YHVH, the Creator God.
The stage is set in Vayigash for the understanding that we have today about these two men. Joseph was not recognized by his brothers for several reasons: he was clean-shaven, unlike the Hebrews; he wore the garments of a foreigner; he spoke a foreign language, using an interpreter to talk to his brothers. Even his name was changed from Joseph to Zaphnath-Paaneah. Pharaoh was considered a god, so Joseph was looked upon as the “son of god”. The idea of Jesus being the son of God didn’t begin with the Greeks or the Romans. Although Joseph was a Hebrew, the Gentile world bowed down to him, just as they bow down today before Jesus, also a Hebrew. Despite living in a totally foreign environment, Joseph never converted to the religion of Egypt; on the contrary, his loyalty to the God of his fathers remained intact. In fact, we still pray every Shabbat that our sons would be like his, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Yeshua’s sermons always referred his people back to the Written Torah. We can be grateful to whoever wrote down his words, as well as those of his talmidim, so that we could get a glimpse of his life, but can we, today, trust the veracity of words written years after their deaths by people who couldn’t understand the Torah and the Hebrew culture or who, perhaps, had another agenda? Even Rav Shaul, a student of Gamaliel and Rabbi Yeshua, would never have strayed from the Torah, as he has been unjustly accused of doing. He would never have created a new religion with another god. One day, justice will come for Rav Shaul, whose name was also changed to Paul by foreigners. Our Rabbi Perc, whose Hebrew name was Netanel, taught us a rule of thumb for understanding any later writings: he would say, “Whenever their words went against the Torah, we can surmise that they had been changed over time.”
These two giants, Joseph and Judah, were leaders in their own right. Judah demonstrated that he was “responsible” as a leader despite his many mistakes. The Torah teaches us that Biblical heroes were human and could commit sin, yet we see that once they had a change of heart, the Creator called upon them to fulfill their special role, as He does with us today. Although they were not all equal in power and authority by human understanding, they were equal in the sight of God, as we all are. Joseph had not yet revealed himself to his brothers and was quite harsh in his treatment of them because of what they had done to him. He was testing them to see if they had changed. Although 22 years had passed and he was now the most powerful man in Egypt next to Pharaoh, he still felt the pain of their betrayal. He said that he would keep Benjamin as his slave, but Judah had promised his father Jacob that he would be responsible for him at any cost, and offered his own life in place of Benjamin. This helped change Joseph’s mind, allowing him to let go of his desire for revenge and heal the pain of the past. Joseph saw that his brothers were united and repentant. This message is a projection of what will happen in the future. Israel can only take its place as the leader of all the nations under God when all our people finally recognize their wrongdoings, unite and return (teshuva) to the Creator. Ezekiel 37:15 – 28, in the haftarah portion, speaks of these two branches, Joseph (Ephraim) and Judah, uniting one day.
When and how did Joseph finally get recognized? He knew who his brothers were, but they did not know him. Joseph finally revealed himself to them after he had tested them and saw their change of heart. Joseph himself had been tested and humbled, or he would never have been able to fulfill his role. He cried out to his brothers, “Ani Yosef”, I am Joseph, whom you sold into slavery, and then he told them not to worry, for what they meant for evil, God used for good, to save their lives. He understood in that moment what the Creator had done with him.
We are comparing Joseph with Judah and Joseph with Yeshua. Why is this comparison of Joseph and Yeshua so meaningful? As a high-ranking official next to Pharaoh alone, Joseph was put in a position to save lives. Yeshua’s role was to bring our people back to the Torah of Moses, the Book of life-saving principles, so that they could fulfill their role of being “Ohr l’Goyim, Light to the nations.” Our rabbi believed that we are nearing the day when Israel will lead all the nations to the God of our fathers, as it says Zechariah 8:23: “Thus says Adonai Tzevaot, the God of the armies: ‘In those days ten people from the nations of every tongue will take hold of one Jew by the corner of his cloak and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”
Let us not continue the myth that there is a separate God for them and us. Being Jewish or being part of Israel has nothing to do with bloodline, but it has to do with having a genuine relationship with the God of Israel, for both Jew and Gentile. This is depicted in the lives of Joshua and Caleb, the only two men from that first generation of slaves who left Egypt for the Promised Land. Joshua was an Israelite, and Caleb was a Kenezzite, a Gentile, the stranger among us. What a beautiful message for the world!
If we compare our Messiah Yeshua with Jesus Christ, it is obvious that they are not the same. Rabbi Yeshua is a historical figure, while Christ is a theological construct originating in ancient Rome. How can the descendants of Judah recognize Jesus Christ as their brother when he doesn’t speak their language, dresses in foreign garb, and is worshipped as a god? Yehudim, Jews, cling to the Shema…“Shema Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad” – Hear O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is ONE.” There is only one God for Jew and Gentile. This is our contention and the reason we cannot worship him as God.
Yeshua ben Yosef began his service solely to Israel; he said that he didn’t come for the Gentiles, but that he came for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. His struggle was not with the general populace of Israel; in fact, they flocked to him by the thousands to hear his teachings. It was with some of the Pharisees, those who imposed heavy burdens upon their people and sided with the wealthy and powerful element of Rome. We can compare them with some factions today that side with the so-called Palestinians against the State of Israel. Many are grateful to have a U.S. president who is standing with Israel, when so many other nations are condemning and betraying us, accusing Israel of being an apartheid, racist, and terrorist nation, when the opposite is true.
On the other hand, sadly, like the time they called for their first king, Saul, the people of Israel still choose to be like the other nations, and today have allowed the Promised Land to become polluted with every ideology from super-religiosity to super-atheism and everything in between. We have lost our compass because we no longer allow God’s Torah to lead the way; we have replaced it with man’s rules and regulations. We have forgotten our God.
Why is it important for Yeshua to be part of our heritage, along with our forefathers?
Judah approached Joseph. Joseph, second only to Pharaoh, the god of Egypt, was considered the son of god. It wasn’t until Joseph approached his brothers “intimately” that they understood who he was. This brought to mind the fact that Moses saw and approached the burning bush. He was drawn to its light, after which his calling was revealed. Many of us, Jews and Gentiles, have been drawn to the light through the persona of Jesus, and we wonder why, if he is a false god.
Just as the burning bush was not God, Jesus was not God. He was like Joseph, unrecognizable to his Hebrew brothers, but the Hebrew Yeshua, descended from the line of Judah, had the light of God burning in him as it does in all who are drawn to the light. When I was immersed in the New Age, we were led to believe that we were the light and our responsibility was to spread our light to heal the world. What a heavy burden that was. When I read the Book of Yochanan, that burden lifted. John 1 says: A man came, sent by God. His name was John or Yochanan. He came to bear witness to the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He was not the light. The Torah was the true light that gives light to everyone.”
Rabbi Yeshua told us in Matthew 5:15: “…nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” Perhaps that is why those of us who have a relationship with God are drawn to Yeshua’s light. His words expanded and explained the Torah. In Matthew 5:16-18, Yeshua said: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah or Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single yud, not a vowel, will disappear from the Torah until everything is accomplished.…” By fulfilling them, Yeshua was saying that he was the example of how to live the Torah. Living the Torah caused him to display that light, as it does for us, for all his talmidim.
Many people are waiting for the Messiah to come for the first time, while others are waiting for the Messiah to return and save the world. Can one man do that, or can only the Creator God save the world? And what do we do in the meantime? It seems to me that living the Torah is the answer for all that ails mankind. Moses gave it to us, and Yeshua brought us back to it. In the future, the Lion of Judah, i.e., Israel, will unite and arise, along with all the nations of the world, as everyone will come to know the true God, King and Creator of the universe, Yud Heh Vav Heh.
Shabbat Shalom
Peggy Pardo