VaYechi- And He lived

From Rabbi Farber

"Accept Forgiveness"


Parashat HaShavua VaYechi / And He Lived

This Week's Reading List:
BeReshit / Genesis 47:28-50:26
Melachim Aleph / 1 Kings 2:1-12
Kefa Aleph / 1 Peter 1:3-9


Bereshit {50:15} When Yoseph's (Joseph's) brothers saw that their 'ab (father) was dead, they said, "It may be that Yoseph will hate us, and will fully pay us back for all of the evil which we did to him. {50:16} They sent a message to Yoseph, saying, "your 'ab commanded before he died, saying, {50:17} "So will you tell Yoseph, 'Now please forgive the disobedience of your brothers, and their sin, because they did evil to you. ' Now, please forgive the disobedience of the servants of the G-D of your 'ab." Yoseph wept when they spoke to him. {50:18} His brothers also went and fell down before his face; and they said, "Behold, we are your servants." {50:19} Yoseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of G-D? {50:20} As for you, you meant evil against me, but G-D meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive. {50:21} Now therefore do not be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones." He comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.

I found this passage so typical of believers today. Allow me to explain. We all should know that Yoseph is a type of Yeshua. Yoseph was rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery, abused and mistreated, sent to prison, resurrected from prison and became great among the Gentiles, the Mitzrim (Egyptians). Yeshua was rejected by his brothers, His own people. He was sold, by one of is own, for thirty pieces of silver. He went down into the pit (hell), was resurrected and became great among the Gentiles (Nations). The similarities between Joseph and Yeshua are not at all coincidental, nor do the similarities end with what I have just told you here, this is only the beginning.

You will remember that in last week's parasha, parasha VaYigash, Y'huda (Judah) and the other brothers poured out their hearts to Yoseph, they confessed their sin before him. At this point Yoseph had not yet revealed himself as Yoseph to his brothers. Subsequently he does reveal his identity and forgives his brothers of their sin and absolves them for what they had done to him.

Bereshit {45:4} Yoseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." They came near. "He said, I am Yoseph, your brother, whom you sold into Mizrayim (Egypt). {45:5} Now do not be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for G-D sent me before you to preserve life. {45:6} For these two years has the famine been in the land, and there are yet five years, in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. {45:7} G-D sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance.

Yoseph's brothers were forgiven. All that transpired in the past was forgotten. Yoseph had moved on in his life, but obviously his brother's had not. Even thought Yoseph clearly forgave them, they had not forgiven themselves and therefore were still carrying around their guilt.

Well, if we continue with the comparison of Yoseph being a type of Yeshua, is not this scenario frightfully similar to the lives of many believers today? Everything that happened to Yoseph was, as he admitted, ordained by HaShem for the purpose of benefiting his brothers and future generations of bnei Yisrael. The brothers' confession to Yoseph would now allow them all the benefits of living under the protection of Yoseph who had been elevated to the powerful position of viceroy in Mitzrayim. Similarly, everything that happened to Yeshua was ordained by the Father for the express purpose of benefiting bnei Yisrael and in turn the entire world. When we confess our sin to Yeshua, the sin we committed against Him by breaking the commandments of Torah, He forgives us. In fact we are told:

Michah (Micah) {7:19} He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

However, do we forgive ourselves? Many of us do not! Despite the fact that we have been forgiven we still carry around our guilt. Allow this week's Parasha and specifically the portions of Scripture that I have quoted from it to minister to you so that you will not be like Yoseph's brothers and that you will accept the forgiveness that Yeshua has given you and move on in your life.

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Baruch HaShem
Rabbi Ya'acov Farber

Hallelujah for our Lord, our Teacher,our Rabbi, "YESHUA" King Messiah for ever and ever!!!