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Todays Parsha #5: Chayei Sarah (Life of Sarah)

STUDY QUESTIONS FROM LAST WEEKS PORTION (Vayera)
1) Why does Abba YHWH seem to need to go down and look upon Sodom when
He already can perfectly see and understand what is going on there from His
position in heaven?
Because Abba YHWH ultimately will require two or more witnesses in the
Torah to condemn people to death (Deuteronomy 19:15), so the two angels
perform that function, but Abba YHWH initially goes down with them as the
third angel which counsels Abraham.
If the two angels disagreed with Him, they could have in theory prevented
Sodoms destruction. However, the other functionality of this process is to
give the Sodomites more time to repent.
2) There is one righteous element in the city of Sodom that has nothing to do with
Lot or his family. What is it?
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Then Yahweh said, 'The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great
and their sin is so grave, (Genesis 18:20 NJB)
If this is related to how Abels blood cried out from the ground in Genesis 4,
it seems to indicate that Sodoms victims, or their blood, have cried out
against the city to Abba YHWH.
3) If you know the answer to #2, where is this same righteous element repeated in
yet another wicked city?
(Rev 18:21) And a Messenger took up a stone like a great millstone and cast
it into the sea, saying: "So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with
violence, and will no more be found: (Rev 18:22) and the voice of harpers
and musicians and pipers and trumpeters will no more be heard in you;65
and no artificer of any trade will be found any more in you. (Rev 18:23) And
the light of a candle will not be seen in you;66 and the voice of a bridegroom
and bride will no more be heard in you: for your merchants were the great
men of the earth, because all nations were seduced by your sorceries. (Rev
18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and Set Apart believers,
and of all those that have been slain on the earth."
Obviously here Babylon is Rome.

4) How is one important future event predicted twice, first in last weeks parsha and
second in this one?
The answer is Passover, because last week Abraham got the vision of it
happening in Genesis 15 and in this parsha we have Lot performing a kind of
miniature seder. It is Lot who serves unleavened bread and whose family is
delivered out of a mass pestilence that kills the natives but preserves the
obedient in Lots family. You might even refer to these Messengers as
angels of death because that is ultimately what they deliver to Sodom.
5) There is a man who is mentioned in this parsha who may have become more
famous under another name. Who is he?
UTZ (22:21) = Some rabbis think this another name for Job, probably
because the same word is used to name the place Job was from. This is
Edomite territory in Saudi Arabia, where the prophet Job was from.
Another possibility is that this is the person for whom Uz was named after,
and Job then is born in this same land some time later.
1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:
Chayei Sarah means life of Sarah but ironically it begins with her death! The
full meaning actually is the Life of Sarah WAS. In the wake of her death,
Abraham must find an appropriate place to bury his wife. Ephron the Hittite first
offers some land to Abraham for free, but Abraham insists on paying (actually
OVERPAYING according to the rabbis) and signing a contract for the land to
avoid future strife. Chapter 24 then gives us the beautiful love story between Isaac
and Rebecca. It becomes clear that while Isaac himself gets relatively little
attention in Torah compared to his ancestors and descendants, he certainly did
very well in the marriage departmentRebecca is in a way his inheritance and
treasure. The portion ends with Abrahams death and a reunion at his funeral with
Isaac and Ishmael.
2) Parsha (English-Genesis 23:1-25:18). This week we will read the entire portion.
3) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.

Vayihyu chayey Sarah me'ah shanah ve'esrim shanah vesheva shanim

shney chayey Sarah.
Vatamot Sarah beKiryat Arebah hi Chevron be'erets Kena'an vayavo
Avraham lispod le-Sarah velivekotah.
Vayakom Avraham me'al peney meto vayedaber el-bney-Chet lemor.

4) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:

VAYIHYU CHAYEH SARAH MEAH SHANAH VEESRIM SHANAH
VESHEVA SHANIM SHNEY CHAYEY SARAH (23:1) = And Sarah lived 127
years. These were the years of Sarahs life.
Genesis 17:17 puts Sarah at 90 years old, 10 years younger than Abraham, at the
time of Isaacs birth. This means that 37 years had passed from the events in
Genesis 17 until Sarahs death (127-90 = 37). It is also 25 years into the 430 year
prophecy Abraham had at age 75.
During this 37 year period (Abraham is from 100-137 years old), Isaac is born,
Ishmael is driven away and Isaac is later nearly sacrificed on an altar by his father
Abraham. With this information, we can figure out precisely the years these
things happened.
One of the ways we do this is to pay close attention to the details. In Genesis
17:17 Abraham is 99 years old, and talking about that IF Sarah gets pregnant in
the near future, he will be 100 and she will be 90 by the time Isaac is born. At
that moment also Ishmael is 13 years old, and will be 14 years old at that same
time as well.
Then the events of Abrahams 99th year (again Sarah is 89, Ishmael is 13) are
carried over through Genesis 18, 19 and 20. It is in the opening of Genesis 21 that
Sarah becomes pregnantso in order for Isaac to be born at the start of the
following year according to Abba YHWHs prediction, no more than 3 months
could have passed for these events, to which we add of course 9 months for
Sarahs pregnancy.
But Genesis 21 has time move much more quickly than the previous three
chapters. After Isaac is circumcised we get this key Hebrew phrase, and the
child grew which always indicates a period of some years. In this case, it is
referring to the 5 years from circumcision to weaning the child.
On the day of Isaacs weaning, Abraham holds a great feast that never happens
again in any part of the Scripture. Why is this weaning feast unique? I believe it
is because Isaacs weaning had to be tied to the 400/430 year prophecy Abraham
got, and the 30 year difference is the difference between the 25 years from the
vision to Isaacs birth, plus the 5 more years to Isaac being weaned. This also
dovetails with what we see later:
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'If it be from five years even to twenty years old then your valuation for
the male shall be twenty shekels and for the female ten shekels. 6 'But if
they are from a month even up to five years old, then your valuation shall

be five shekels of silver for the male, and for the female your valuation
shall be three shekels of silver. (Leviticus 27:5-6 NAU)
These details of valuations are based on milestones in the childs life. For a male,
that first milestone is circumcision at 8 days old, but for both male and female
children, the official milestone is after 30 days, and from there, after they turn 5
years old, the latter matching the time they were weaned.
Also note than in Genesis 21, Ishmael is only 14 when the chapter openstoo
young to take a wifebut he is married by chapters end AFTER Isaac is weaned.
18-19 years old is about the right time for a young man to get married in this
culture though women are married a bit younger than this on occasion. Proof of
this assertion is in the fact that a recently married man is assumed to be of military
age (20 years old) and that he is exempted for year due to his marriage from
service that would otherwise be required of him at that time of his life
(Deuteronomy 24:5). All these small: details point to the only way the Scripture
cannot be broken, harmonizing with weaning at age 5.
KIRYATH ARBA (23:2) = City of the Four. This was the original name for
Hebron; see Joshua 14:15, Judges 1:10. Also see Joshua 15:54, 20:7. The name
Kiryath Arba literally means 'City of the Four,' or 'City of Arba.' Some say that
Arba was the father of a number of giants who lived there (Joshua 15:13, 21:11),
and according to this, Arba was the greatest of the Anak-giants (Ibn Ezra here;
Joshua 14:15, Rashi ad loc.). It also could have been called 'City of the Four'
because four giants lived there, Sheshai, Achiman, Talmi, and their father (Rashi
here; Numbers 13:22, Joshua 15:14, Judges 1:10. See Artscroll commentary).
Others say that it was given this name because of the four pairs buried there:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah
(Bereshith Rabbah 58; Rashi). According to the Talmud, the giant mentioned in
Joshua 14:15 is Abraham (Yerushalmi, Shabbath 16:1), and hence 'City of the
Four' might have referred to the four allies, Abraham, Aner, Eshkol and Mamre
(Genesis 14:13, 14:24; Bereshith Rabbah 58). This name was still retained in later
times; Nehemiah 11:25.
BNEY CHET (23:3) = the sons of Heth. These are traditionally identified with the
Hittite people. However, some secular historians think this is an anachronism in
the text. This is because the Classic Hittite civilization, depending on which
Biblical chronology one uses, often comes after Abrahams time. In Rabbinic
chronology, Abrahams 100th year of life would have coincided with 2,048th year
after Adams creation, or about 1713 BCE. (In my chronology this same moment
happens 140 years earlier, in 1853 BCE.)
Depending on who you talk to the rabbinic chronology is either right at the
beginning of or prior to the rise of the Classic Hittites.

However, there was an earlier group of people who inhabited Hittite territory who
were known as the HATTI, and their origins go back much earlier, to more than
2000 BCE. The man Abraham knows is called the father of the Hittites and
may represent the time one group transitioned into the other group, or Heth could
be from a long line of Hatti before the classic Hittite group arose. Either way the
Scripture works with the wider historical record, even if some details from the
latter are lacking.
MACPHELAH (23:8) = Double cave, because it has two chambers.
Commentary on 23:15 from Bible.ort.org:
A shekel was a unit of weight, equal to 22.8 grams or 0.8 ounces. A silver shekel
was therefore a little smaller than a silver dollar, and worth around $1.00.
Abraham therefore paid 20 pounds of silver, or about $400 for the cave.
Considering land values at the time, this was highly excessive. Thus, for example,
King Omri paid only 6000 shekels for the entire territory of Samaria (1 Kings
16:25), and Jeremiah paid only 17 shekels for a property that was at least as large
as Makhpelah Field (Jeremiah 32:9). For comparison, according to the
Hammurabi Code of that time, a year's wage for a working man was between six
and eight shekels.
SHMAENU ADONI NESI ELOHIM ATAH BETOCHENU (23:6) = Listen, my
Master, since you are a prince of Elohim in our midst. This may indicate that
these Hittites also worship, or at least are aware of, the power of Abrahams
Elohim. Haran, where Abraham had settled after leaving Ur, was in upper
Mesopotamia and was on the road in the direction of the Hittite areas of Turkey. It
is possible that Abrahams faith influenced these people earlier to perhaps
abandon their paganism. It is also worth noting that this same areaArmeniais
where Noahs ark landed after the flood. So these people could also be
remembering monotheism by their ancestors who lived during the time of Noah.
LEPHRON (lacking a VAV) 23:16 = TO EPHRON. Commentary from Stone, p.
109:

( To Ephron) Throughout this chapter, Ephrons name is spelled with

a VAV, but here, where money changed hands and the sale was consummated, the
VAV is omitted. Thereby Torah implies that his stature was diminishedhe
started out by making grandiose offers of a gift but then revealed himself as a
greedy man who extorted far more than the land was worth. King Omri in 1 Kings
16:25, paid 6,000 shekels for the entire area of Samaria and Jeremiah paid only 17
shekels for an area larger than Machpelah many centuries later (Jeremiah 32:9).
Considering that these land deals were many centuries later, 400 shekels is
extremely overpriced for that cave.
EL AVDO ZEKAN (24:2) = The elder servant. This is probably Eliezar who
would have inherited Abrahams estate were it not for Isaac being born.

TACHAT YERECHI (24:2) = under my thigh. This is emblematic of a sacred

oath, such as Jacob getting his thigh touched by Abba YHWH. TACHAT is not
just under but means under this authority indicating a binding covenant
vouchsafed by the thigh. Genesis 46:26 and Exodus 1:5 employ the idiom thigh
of my father which links to being begat by ones father. The thigh is therefore a
symbol of reproduction for a male.
ARAM NAHARAYIM (24:10) = Aram of the rivers, because it is between the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
NACHOR (24:10) = As in the city of Nachor, perhaps named after Abrahams
brother who lived in this area (Genesis 11:27,31).
LEET EREV LEET TSET HASHOAVOT (24:11) = It was evening when the
women come to draw water. This is a very helpful clue in understanding the time
clues in the Gospel of John (4:6). In that case, the evening was the 6th hour, on
what I call Roman daylight time. The Roman system ran on 2 12 hour cycles, one
from midnight to noon and the other from noon to midnight. When Yshua
arrives at the Samaritan well after being exhausted from a day of walking, that
was 6 hour from noon time that day. The Samaritan woman is drawing water
from the well at that same time, when the temperatures were cooler.
NEZEM (24:22) = golden ring. The word also can denote a nose ring or an
earring (Genesis 35:4). Matara (my Tanakh project) footnote: [1]Took a golden
ring. Aramaic word here in Onkelos and Jonathan is qadasha, and this has often
been confused for the word for holy. In the Aramaic Renewed Covenant,
Yshua uses this word in Matthew 7:6 to say do not hang earrings on dogs as
opposed to the more awkward do not give holy things to dogs as is understood
in the Greek. In that case, as commented on in the AENT, the idea makes sense
that animals (dogs and pigs) should not be given precious jewelry that they cannot
appreciate, the jewelry itself being symbolic of the truth. The word can also mean
amulet or ornament.
BEKA (24:22) = half a shekel, the same amount for the Atonement Temple tax
and that Yshua paid in Matthew 17:24-27.
24:33-36: And there was set (Jonathan Targum and Samaritan Pentateuch:
poisoned) food before him to eat. But he said, I will not eat, until I have told you
of my errand. And he said, Speak on. And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
Therefore YHWH has blessed my master greatly, and he is become great and has
been given flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and men-servants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys.
ALAH (24:41) = dread oath. ALAH actually means both oath and curse. In
this case, it means BOTH because if the OATH is broken a CURSE will result,
hence the term dread oath.

LO NUCHAL DABER ELEYCHA RA O TOV (24:50) = [1]With the phrase

bad or good the Rabbis posit also that Laban recognizes YHWHs great power
in selecting his sister for Isaac, so even though Laban doesnt worship YHWH, he
does fear Him enough to not stand in His way. [Stone Chumash, p. 117]
VEYITZKHAK BA MIBO BEER LAHAY ROI (24:62) = and Isaac was on his
way coming to Beer Laharoi. Some rabbis think this was to visit Hagar. Footnote
from Matara: [1]Jonathan Targum: And Isaac came from the school of Rabba
Shem, by the fountain where the Living and Eternal One had been revealed to
him, who sees and is not seen, and he lived in the land of the South. Jerusalem
Targum is identical except for substituting with where had been revealed to him
the Shekinah of YHWH.
VAYASHALECHU ET RIVKA ACHOTAM (24:69) = and sent away Rivka and
her servant. This servant was probably her nurse Deborah (Genesis 35:8).
KETURAH (25:1) = [1] Jonathan: who is Hagar who has been bound. Keturah
is a name derived from keter (to be bound) which the Targumist is interpreting as
a title rather than a name for Hagar. Since Hagar was a servant before, this makes
perfect sense. Also KETER can mean crown. I however maintain that Hagar
and Keturah are two different women.
MEDAN (25:2) = Medan. Some identify this falsely as being linked to the
Medean Persians, or modern day Iran. However, all the locations given in this
part of the Torah are located in Saudi Arabia. In this case, MEDAN is most likely
MEDINA today, the second most important city in Islam.
SHUACH (25:2) = Shuach. The place name SHUACH is also identified with
Saudi Arabia and with Bildad, a friend of Job who was from that same place.
There is an ancient western Arabian city called SACHIAH in Ptolemys
Geography that many scholars believe is the biblical SHUACH.
EL ERETZ QEDEM (25:6) = country to the east. Probably Saudi Arabia,
confirmed by Josephus (Antiquities 1.15.1).
VAYEHASEF EL-AMAV (25:8) = and he was gathered to his people. Not just
buried but an idiom that he will be immortalized as righteous among his people.
The righteous get to be remembered as a group and this is reflected in several
ancient prayers, especially memorial/mourning prayers where deceased men and
women are linked with righteous men and women from the past.
BEER LACHAI ROI (25:11) = The same place Hagar had passed by earlier
(Genesis 16:14) is also likely where she and Ishmael settled later, according to
tradition. Therefore it seems Isaac had settled in this region perhaps to be near
Hagar and his half brother.

NEBAYOTHKEDAR (25:13) = From Bible.ort.org:

Nebayoth
Nevayoth in Hebrew. The Torah later specifies that it was his sister who married Esau
(Genesis 28:9, 36:3). It appears that the people of Nebayoth were nomads engaged in
sheep-raising (Isaiah 16:7; Radak ad loc.). They are identified with the Nabetaeans, who
lived in northern Arabia, to the south of the Dead Sea (Targum on 1 Chronicles 1:29;
Josephus, Antiquities 1:12:4. See 1 Maccabees 5:25, 9:35, 2 Maccabees 5:8; Strabo 16:4;
Pliney 12:37). Their capital was Petra, the ancient site of Kadesh (Strabo 16:799, 17:803;
Pliney 6:32). Also see Josephus, Antiquities 14:3:3. 14:6:4.
Kedar
The Targum renders this as Arabia; cf. Ezekiel 27:21. This was a well known nation; see
Isaiah 21:16,17, 42:11, Jeremiah 2:10. They were an eastern tribe (Jeremiah 49:28),
raising and dealing in sheep (Isaiah 60:17, Ezekiel 27:21), living in black tents (Song of
Songs 1:5), and they were hostile (Psalms 120:5). They were associated with a city
Chatzor (Jeremiah 49:28). Some identify them with the Kidru found in Assyrian writings,
and with the Cedrei in ancient geographies (Pliney 5:11).
My commentary: According to Islamic tradition, the Kedarites, descended from the
second son of Ishmael, are the same tribe that Mohammed arose from. One such
traditional lineage is here: http://majesticislam.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/familytree-of-prophets.jpg
(Obviously I do not support the theologies and claims of the above link!)
CHAVILAH AD-SHUR (25:18) = Havilah by Shur. King Saul will later pursue the
Amalekites through this same area (1 Samuel 15:7). However, this is most likely NOT
the Havilah mentioned in Genesis 2:11, 10:7, 10:29. There may be at least 3 places with
this name: The first in northern India, near the current border of Pakistan where there is
gold. The second one is likely near Ethiopia (Cush) in Genesis 10:17 and 29. The third
one is this reference on the road towards Egypt. Please note that the references to
Havilah in Genesis 10 are talking about PEOPLE rather than geography, though it must
be admitted that places are often named after people. Also Cush is associated in Genesis
2 not with the first river (Pishon) that leads to Havilah where there is gold but with the
second river, Gihon, which is probably the Nile. The Indian association is backed by
Targum Jonathan and Josephus:
147

Now Joktan, one of the sons of Heber, had these sons: Almodad, Sheleph,
Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir,
Havilah, and Jobab. These inhabited from Cophen, an Indian river, and in part of
Asia adjoining to it. And this shall suffice concerning the sons of Shem.
(Antiquities, 1:147)

Torah Question of the Week:

How does Genesis 24:15-16 help prove the rabbis wrong and (to some extent) the
Christians right about Yeshayahu 7:14?
END PART 1

PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
How does Genesis 24:15-16 help prove the rabbis wrong and (to some extent) the
Christians right about Yeshayahu 7:14?
NAARABEYTULA (24:15-16) = maidenvirgin. This usage brings us
squarely into the debate about a virgin birth in in Isaiah 7:14. The rabbis
there use a word for maiden as if to suggest she was not a virgin being
prophesied to give birth to a son who is Messiah. Christians counter that
there is nothing miraculous about a young woman conceiving and giving
birth to a son with a common Hebrew name, making the maiden meaning
less likely in their eyes which a virgin birth is a miraculous sign. This verse
shows that the cultural assumption is that a maiden is in fact a virgin
especially when unmarriedunless the text specifically says otherwise.
Bonus Teaching!
Isaac and Ishmael: The Summit that Failed
Isaac is a patriarch that I personally find fascinating. As we will see next week, I call
Isaac the Quiet Patriarch because relatively speaking, when compared with Abraham
and Jacob, there doesnt seem to be a lot going on. But I also think, again anticipating
our discussion next week, that said quietness is by design and evidence of a righteous
heart and deliberate planning from a brilliant mind that thinks things through in the long
term. Isaac is, in his own way, an unheralded genius.
Right now though what I would like to focus on is Isaac the behind-the-scenes leader. He
doesnt need a lot, but he surely earns what he has. Take his wife Rebeccahis ONE
wife Rebeccawho is more than enough for him. He loves her from the moment he lays
eyes on her to the moment she dies. This is his soul mateperiod and end of story. How
many of us can say that?
But Isaac also is clearly different than his father Abraham. Whereas Abraham regretfully
sent Ishmael away and seems to have moved on from that point with little consideration
for that part of the family afterwards, Isaac stands apart as a man and leader who wants to
check in on his step-mom and half-brother. The text is also as seemingly quiet about
the low key way it mentions these facts. Isaac settles in Gerar or he lives in Beer ha
Laroi but never Isaac was checking in on the abandoned part of his family in the
regions of Gerar and Beer ha Laroi. Maybe thats because Isaac wanted it that way
perhaps.
Isaac is in fact so subtle that we have determine his deeds not from the direct references
of them, but the effect those deeds had on other events in Genesis. Again, the Torah
doesnt trumpet this, but maybe it should. Isaac could have settled anywherebut chose

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this particular region because he had a long-term agendaone of reconcilement I

believeand this was step 1 in carrying that agenda out.
One need only look at Ishmael to see the effects of Isaacs planning. After all, the Torah
is quite vocal about Ishmael being a wild ass of a man who fights with his brothers
but for whatever reason, it never says he fought specifically with Isaac! Isnt that
interesting?
But then, Ishmael becomes an archer and marries a pagan Egyptian woman, which would
further separate him from his Abrahamic ties and put him more in the direction of his
mothers ancestry. Isaac, for his part, could have written Ishmael off for that very
reasonbut he didnt. Instead, he seems to have just set up his tents next door to Hagar
and Ishmael and waited.
It is, if I am reading between the lines correctly, a brilliant strategy. Isaac probably
knows that Hagar and Ishmael have ongoing resentments against his parents, Abraham
and Sarah. Rather than try to go around his parents wishes however, Isaac simply
waits for them to die and then he conveniently makes himself available for his estranged
relations to see if they will contact him.
When Abraham then at last dies at age 175and this is 33 years after his mother Sarah
diednext thing we know this happens:
7

These are all the years of Abraham's life that he lived, one hundred and seventy-five
years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied
with life; and he was gathered to his people. 9 Then his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried
him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite,
facing Mamre, 10 the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth; there
Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife. 11 It came about after the death of Abraham,
that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac lived by Beer-lahai-roi. (Genesis 25:7-11
NAU)
So after Isaac gets his brother Ishmael to help him bury their father, Isaac is blessed by
Abba YHWH and (coincidentally?) the first thing Isaac does is relocate to where Ishmael
is. In this light, the intent seems clear: Isaac had just re-connected with his brother after
many years and he wants to be accessible to him moving forward. Good move for Isaac!
But, as good as Isaacs intentions were, we also know that he failed, but not for lack of
trying on his part. Ishmael, for whatever reason, did not reciprocate the olive branch
given to him by his brother.
Now some of you out there may say Of course, for such was prophesied but that sort of
misses the point. It may have been predicted, but Isaac still acted as if there was a chance
to change history for the better. He didnt throw up his hands in disgust, nor does he
appear to have expressed frustration when his efforts ultimately proved fruitless. For

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Isaac, I believe, it was enough that he made the effort and did his best. Its a powerful
lesson, but also a very quiet one.
1) Haftorah portion: (English- 1 Kings 1:1-31) and discuss common themes with the
Torah portion. Read entire portion first.

Vehamelech David zaken ba bayamim vayechasuhu babegadim velo

yicham lo.
Vayomeru lo avadav yevakshu l'adoni hamelech na'arah vetulah
ve'amdah lifney hamelech utehi-lo sochenet veshachvah vecheykecha
vecham l'adoni hamelech.
Vayevakshu na'arah yafah bechol gevul Yisra'el vayimtse'u etAvishag haShunamit vayavi'u otah lamelech.
2) Our linguistic commentary
NAARAHBEYTULA (1:2) = maidenvirgin. The same linkage we discussed
with respect to Rebecca as both almah and virgin applies here.
ABISHAG (1:3) = The woman who comforts David has a name that means My
father is a wanderer. Perhaps this may refer to latter years of Davids life where
he feels isolated because of the sin he committed against Uriah the Hittite. BTW
Uriah means My light is Yahwehnot a good choice for David to kill!
VEHAMALECH LO YEDAAH (1:4) = but the king did not know (have sexual
relations) with her.
VADONYA VEN CHAGIT (1:5) = and Adonijah son of Chagit. The names come
together to mean My Master is Yah (who is) joyous. Chagit is where we get
chag (feast/festival).
YOABAVYATHAR (1:7) = JoabAbiathar. The names mean together Yah
is Father (Joab) the Father is a Great One (Abiathar)!
ZADOKBENAIAHYEHOIDA (1:8) = These names spell out: Righteousness
(Zadok) Yahweh has built up (Benaiah) [and] Yahweh knows (Yehoida)!
EVEN HA ZOCHELET (1:9) = The stone of Saturn! I was surprised toohere is
what Brown Driver Briggs said: 2594 [ 2595] (Hebrew) (page 267) (Strong
2120) n.f. mng. dub.; perh. crawling thing, serpent (We:Skizzen iii. 171 cites Ar.
Zuhal = Saturn, in connex. with 1 K 1:9; cf. Lane & Wetzst in De:Hiob 2, 428 on view that

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Zuhal = he who withdraws, because of planet Saturn's remoteness)only c. art., in

design. loc.

1 K 1:9

(cf.

ad fin.)

3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English). Matthew 8:19-22 and Luke 9:37-62 (all
the way through with applicable footnotes.)
Matthew 8:22
100) George Lamsa suggested this could mean, "let the town bury their dead." In
Jewish culture immediate family members observe a seven day bereavement
called "shivah" (seven), right after the burial. This extends into a less intense
duration called shloshim (thirty) where the mourner begins to return back into
society. Additionally, there is a 12 month period (that includes shloshim) in
which to return to one's regular routine. The 12 month period comes from an
ancient Jewish custom where at the end of 12 months the bones are "gathered
together" and placed into a stone vault along with those of ancestors (1Ki_13:31).
Y'shua says, "leave the dead to bury their dead" because the importance of
attendance is now diminished. This does not refer to burial or sitting shivah.
Mashiyach is not asking his disciple to dishonor his father or mother by not
allowing him to attend the burial. "Honor your father and mother..." (Exo_20:12).
Luke 9:41
63) Or, "O tribe/family of mine!"
64) The root of this word, sebar, also means Hope/Good News. Y'shua's point,
using this same word, is that until people know the Hope/Good News, he must
"endure" seeing them suffer needlessly and in ignorance.
Luke 9:49
65) Khabouris has shaida whereas 1905 and other Peshitta manuscripts have
dewa. This proves both words have interchangeable meanings in the same
contextual place, that of "demon" or "unclean spirit." This reading in the ancient
record affirms the literal rendering and denies the assertion by a few modern
commentators like Lamsa that one of these terms could refer to insane humans not
under demonic influence.
Luke 9:54
66) Y'shua's talmidim take their lead from Eliyahu who defied the priests of Baal
by invoking and declaring the sovereign Name of YHWH; see 2Ki_1:9-16.
Luke 9:60
67) Some scholars postulate that "let the dead bury their dead" shouldn't be taken

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literally but is better understood as, "let me take care of my father until he dies."
However, a key is in the next line where Y'shua responds: "but you go and
proclaim the Kingdom of Elohim." Therefore Y'shua's statement "let the dead
bury their dead", helps the man realize the supreme importance of the Kingdom.
In the meantime the man would be proclaiming the Kingdom, and perhaps like
some other "Sent Out ones" of Y'shua, even he may have been raising the dead!
In the next chapter (Luk_10:2) Y'shua appointed 70 and sent them out "to all
regions and cities that he was about to go." A second key is the urgency in which
the man is making his request, with a promise to return and follow at a later date.
Y'shua's disciples had just left a "village of the Samaritans" where they were
getting ready to call down fire upon it. They just came from a major trial and
were on the road to their next destination when they met the man and there was
tension in the air. What might happen in the next village? In Luk_9:61 another
said, "let me go and reassure my household and I will come." All these things
happened in the context of returning "to Urishlim" (Luk_9:51), perhaps some
were even pondering about trouble ahead with the religious establishment in
Jerusalem? Perhaps some were simply thinking of creative ways to bypass what
they imagined to be a looming disaster? The reality was that those who agreed
and said "hineni" (here I am) and went out in Y'shua's name returned to him with
"great joy" (Luk_10:17). (See also Mat_8:22 footnote.)
4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will read):
5) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (The Gospel
accounts of spiritual warfare may seem quaint to some moderns. Aramaicist
George Lamsa, for example, typically translated Aramaic words that clearly
meant demons or devils into lunatics because he didnt literally believe in
the existence of demons. That was one of the first reasons I was inspired to do the
AENT. In any case, I am here to tell you that spiritual warfare is VERY REAL
and it is not something that is simply folklore passed down from pre-scientific
generations. It was something, for example, that was very evident in my trip to
Israel, as the Enemy came against each and every one of our party to frustrate our
goals. HaSatan nearly succeeded, but we fought back and got the victory anyway,
Baruch Hashem YHWH!)
2nd Bonus Teaching: Its About Time
By its about time I mean of course about Biblical time. There are many
possible levels of codes in Scripture. Some are linked to historical events, others
to Hebrew linguistics, still others to math and even in some cases, to sounds and
frequencies, colors and so on. But I believe another important area to investigate
is the area of time.
When I completed my own Biblical chronology, I noticed something very
intriguing that I believe is not accidental: From the year of Adams creation all the
way to the death of Yochanan the last witness was exactly 4,000 years! That is to

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say, by my calculations Adam was created in 3901 BCE and Yochanan most
likely died very close to 100 CE4,000 years exactly. And for me, 4,000 was an
extremely important number, as it is the product of the two generational lengths
given in Scripture: 40 (Numbers 32:13) x 100 (Genesis 15:13-16), both of which
are expressed by the same exact Hebrew word of dor.
In my Scripture math studies, rather than taking a strict Hebrew letter/gematria
approach, I look at the numbers themselves apart from Hebrew words, and see if
these numbers adhere to a consistent pattern throughout the entirety of Scripture.
If it does (7 for perfection/rest, 40 for restoration, etc.) then I think of these as
exalted numbers, or numbers that are directly encoded/exalted by Abba YHWH to
give us a pattern or message. It is also important to note I dont attempt to use
these patterns to foretell the future; their sole purpose is to confirm and deepen the
messages in Scripture. (The Biblical seers like Daniel, Ezekiel and Yochanan bar
Zawdee do have prophetic math that came from Abba YHWH, but thats a
different matter than for me to proclaim my own system.)
But since we already talked about counting from 1 to 10 in Scripture math last
week or so, I am not revisiting that here. Instead, what I wanted to look at was
how Scripture divides its historical-chronological time into ages, centuries and so
on, because this to me yields other significant Scriptural messages, and again, that
is all I use these patterns for.
For example, going with Adams creation year in 3901 BCE and counting time
forward in Hebrew intervals, we find Joseph died in 1591 BCE, about 2,310 years
later. If we then look at the times Scripture gives us for when Adam had Seth, we
know thats 130 years later, so Abel and Cain are born before this time simply by
taking the text literally.
6As a result, counting a full century for Seth doesnt throw things off much at all,
as he is still 105 when he has Enosh. Its also fair to point out that Noah doesnt
have any children until age 500, so this naming of centuries after the people is not
literal in the sense that it is not meant to line up with births per se at all.
And so I think of the 23 centuries in Genesis this way
1) Adam (3901-3801)
2) Seth (3801-3701)
3) Enosh (3701-3601)
4) Kenan (3601-3501)
5) Mahalalel (3501-3401)
6) Jared (3401-3301)
7) Enoch (3301-3201)
8) Methusaleh (3201-3101)
9) Lamech (3101-3001)
10) Noah (3001-2901)
11) Shem (2901-2801)

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12) Arphacsad (2801-2701)

13) Shelah (2701-2601)
14) Eber (2601-2501)
15) Peleg (2501-2401)
16) Reu (2401-2301)
17) Serug (2301-2201)
18) Nahor (2201-2101)
19) Terah (2101-2001)
20) Abraham (2001-1901Abraham born 1952 BCE)
21) Isaac (1901-1801)
22) Jacob (1801-1701)
23) Joseph (1701-1601Joseph born exactly 1701 and dies 1591 BCE)
Notice how it catches up and gives us very good estimated times for Nahor on
forwards. From here, we resume the count on the Levitical side, starting from Amram,
Aaron and Moshes father. But because Moshes lie dies out within a few generations, we
turn not to lineal descent, but those who took over the mantle of leadership of Israel from
Moshe, starting with Joshua.
24) Amram/Bondage generation (1601-1501Moshe born 1527 BCE)
25) Moshe (1501-1401Exodus 1447 BCE, Moshes death 1406 BCE)
26) Joshua (1401-1301Joshua takes over 1406 and dies 1356 BCE)
27) Deborah (1301-1201Deborah is ruling 1308-1288 BCE)
28) Gideon (1201-1101Gideon actually ends his rule in 1201, began 1241 BCE)
29) Samuel (1101-1001Samuel is born very near 1100 BCE and is a priestly
judge by 1076 BCE. He dies about 15 years into Sauls reign, ca. 1036 BCE)
30) David/United Monarchy (1001-901David becomes king 1011 BCE,
conquers Jerusalem 1003 BCE and dies 971 BCE. This generation includes 40
years of Solomon and 5 years of Rehoboam (926 BCE), before the kingdom
splits, at which point the leadership falls to prophets.)
31) Eliyahu (901-801Eliyahu is persecuted by Ahab and Jezebel who ruled
from 874 to 853 BCE and therefore he was alive in 901 BCE and is clearly the
most important righteous person in this century.)
32) Amos (801-701the first prophet to write his own full book named after
himself, Amos career is during the days of Uzziah, 792-739 BCE.)
33) Yeshayahu (701-601Isaiah is in the middle of his career in 701 BCE when
he prays and gets restoration and victory for the ailing King Hezekiah, who
sort of deserves a kind of honorable mention as co-righteous leader.)
34) Ezekiel (601-501Ezekiels career begins 592 BCE, and it should also be
noted that both Jeremiah and Daniel are also active around this same period.)
35) Ezra (501-401Ezra was in Babylon when the decree was issued to rebuild
the Temple in 457 BCE, and this is also the start of Daniels 70 weeks
prophetic clock, ending in 27 CE (69 x7 = 483 years) when Yshua proclaims
himself publicly as Messiah and dies a half week3 years later.)

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36) Malachi (401-301Malachi, the last Tanakh prophet, was most likely in
active prophetic office around 430 BCE and is believed to have died shortly
after 400 BCE.)
37) Shimon the Righteous I (301-201a great High Priest and Sanhedrin/Great
Assembly leader, ca. 300-273 BCE. It may be under his rule, or shortly after
his death, that the decision was made to ban the pronunciation of the Name of
Yahweh. )
38) Yehudah the Hammer/Maccabee (201-101Date of birth is uncertain, but
certainly around 200 BCE. It was Judah Maccabee who successfully led a
revolt against the Greek-Syrian army and freed the Temple from pagan
pollution in around 165 BCE. He died in 160 BCE, but his family continued to
rule as the last Jewish independent kings for about another century.)
39) King Alexander Yannai/Yonatan (101-01 BCEGreat Hasmonean king,
whose original Hebrew name was probably Yonatan (Jonathan) but shortened
to Yannai in Jewish tradition. King Alexander-Yonatan reigned from 103 to
76 BCE, the Talmud does not like him at all because of his famous support for
the Sadducees at one Sukkot. The story goes that instead of doing the
Pharisaic water libation on Shemini Etzeret (something Yshua alludes to in
Yochanans Gospel), he poured the water on the ground. This was taken to
mean he distrusted the Pharisees, so when they gained ascendancy and
defeated their rivals in 10 BCE, they painted Alexander as a bad guy, but the
truth is King Alexander did more than any other Hasmonean to secure the
borders of Israel by remaining in active combat his entire reign. It is also the
case that while he may have leaned towards the Sadducees, his primary
concerns as king were political and military, not religious.)
40) Yshua HaMashiyach (01 BCE-Infinity. Born Friday evening, Tishri
14/September 13th, 5 BCE, our Savior represents both the last Biblical century
which ends with his disciple Yochanan Bar Zawdee dying in 100 CE as well
as the eternality of the Kingdom of Yahweh, opening the path to our salvation
and eternal life!)
So the entirety of Biblical history fits very neatly into these 40 centuries I have listed
here, and remember, 40 is the number of restoration, so from Adams fall to Yshuas
advent is the time when our restoration came for us!
However, there is a deeper message than that when we order this timing another way, this
time based on milestones that are attached to important Biblical figures. Technically
speaking, two great ages count outside of historical reckoning: Pre-Creation and
Creation Week. Those eras I refer to as Deep Time and they are outside of the scope of
this discussion.
Instead, historical time begins with Adams creation in 3901 BCE, and the Great Eras
seem to naturally fall into place this way, at least in my mind:
1) Early Adamic, from Adams creation to just before the Flood (3901-2245 BCE)
2) Later Adamic, from the Flood to the birth of Abraham (2245-1952 BCE)

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3) Abrahamic, from Abrahams birth of Moshe (1952-1527 BCE)

4) Mosaic, from the birth of Moshe to the birth of David (1527-1041 BCE)
5) Davidic, from the birth of David to the destruction of Solomons Temple (1041586 BCE)
6) Post Exilic, from the destruction of Solomons Temple to the birth of Yshua
HaMashiyach (586-5 BCE)
7) Messianic (5 BCE-Infinity, including Yshuas Second Coming and subsequent
rule in the New Heavens and the New Earth!)
Please note this has nothing to do with the false teachings of Dispensationalismthere is
no such thing as separating Ages of Law and GraceAbba YHWH has always had the
obedient from Adam on forwards under grace while the Torahs job was to establish the
eternal boundaries of righteous and wicked behavior.
Having said that, I also believe the easy breakdown into 7 ages is no accident, since the
Shabbat number is also the number for perfection and rest!
But what is of particular interest to me are these two overriding numbers of 40 and 7. Just
as we saw that multiplying the two generational numbers of 40 and 100 yielded the exact
number of years for the entire Biblical period, so too I believe multiplying 40 times 7
brings a significant mathematical message in three beautiful ways.
First, 40 (restoration) x 7 (perfection) speaks to the perfect restoration of the human race,
or the turning back of the original sin of Adam to the redemption of Yshua, the Second
and Last Adam.
And second, 40 x 7 = 280 days, which is the average time it takes for a woman to
complete her pregnancy from conception to delivery. As a result, 40 weeks is the
numerical symbol for new birth, and that new birth, as we just saw above, is also our
perfect restoration!
Third and finally, 280 days is 28 x 10, with 10 being the number for witnessing (plagues,
commandments, trials in the wilderness, and so on). But what is 10 witnessing to? I
believe the answer is the 28th Jubilee, with the Yovel cycle starting 92 years after Exodus,
in 1356 BCE. Counting in 50 year increments from that moment means any BCE year
ending in -56 or -06 is Abba YHWHs intended Yovel, regardless as to whether man
recognized it or not, and there is powerful evidence they did not. So lets look at the list
of the restored Jubilees!
BCE Jubilees
1) 1356, 2) 1306, 3) 1256, 4) 1206, 5) 1156, 6) 1106, 7) 1056, 8) 1006, 9) 956,
10) 906, 11) 856, 12) 806, 13) 756, 14) 706, 15) 656, 16) 606, 17) 556, 18) 506
19) 456, 20) 406, 21) 356, 22) 306, 23) 256, 24) 206, 25) 156, 26) 106, 27) 56
28) 6 BCEYshua is born 1 year after the 28th cycle completes, a new year 1, in
5 BCE!

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If that isnt the Torah and Gospel in the math, I dont know what is! Think about it!
6) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion
(Spiritual Armor, p. 957-962).
STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK
1) There is something very particular about Abrahams personal life that he only
shares with one other person (as far as I know) in Tanakh. What is that personal
detail and who is the other person Abraham shares it with?
2) If you know the answer to #1, how does this detail get developed in the teaching
of the Apostle Paul?
3) Why did Abraham insist on getting a wife for his son Isaac from his original
country of Ur rather than the Promised Land of Canaan? Wouldnt Abba YHWH
want Abraham to put down roots in the land that was go to his descendants
forever?
4) Laban does something in this parsha that has very likely been condemned by his
descendants for thousands of years since, right up until the present day. What is
it?
5) What does this Haftorah portion teach us about David and Bathsheba in their
twilight years?
Torah Thought for the Week:
What Todays CEOs and Bankers Could Learn from Abraham
We usually think of Abraham as a great prophet, a man of Elohim and as a man of
righteousnesssurely all these things are truebut Abraham the Entrepreneur?
Abraham the CEO?
Yes actually. Abraham comes down to us as a very gifted leader. And, while the spiritual
aspects of that leadership are critical to us, I think what often gets lost is how good a
manager, employer and investor Abraham was. I want to do this in particular because
this is the Torah portion Abraham dies and leaves the stage of history, so lets TAKE
STOCK (pun intended) of ALL the great attributes of this man, especially since I kind of
ragged on him last week with his big mistake. So Abe (may I call you Abe?), heres
my way of making it up to you.
The first great attribute of a gifted financial leader is being proactive, or nipping small
problems in the bud before they become massively costly. Abraham shows this gift over
and over again. In Lech Lecha he corrects a dispute with Lot before it gets out of control.
When word reaches him that Lots workers and his are clashing over land, Abraham
humbles himself before his subordinate.

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Specifically, Abraham in no way needs to give Lot an inch of land. Abraham is the
absolute tribal authority and until Isaac is born not one scrap of Canaan has to pass from
him.
Understanding all that, why does Abrahamnot only give land away to Lot for freebut
even lets Lot choose the land he will take? Absolutely stunning! The answer is, of course,
to avoid even greater (and more expensive) problems down the road. By giving Lot the
choice, Lot takes ownership of his own territory and separates from Abraham, making it
crystal clear to all parties who is in charge of what. So what could have turned into intertribal warfare is settled up front for a pretty small piece of real estate. Score 1 for
Abraham!
Next great attribute: Knowing when to aggressively negotiate and when to stop. In
Genesis 18, Abraham does the unthinkable: He bargains with YHWH. How Abraham
does this is in itself a great case study in negotiation tactics, even if it is Yahweh Himself
sitting at the other end of the proverbial table.
First Abraham does what we call in the sales trade (yes I was in sales) FAB or FeatureAdvantage-Benefit. Here is what he says:
Abraham came near and said, "Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with
the wicked? "Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed
sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in
it? "Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked,
so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall
not the Judge of all the earth 2deal justly?" (Gen 18:23-25 NAU)
So the FEATURE is: There COULD be 50 righteous people in Sodom that can be spared
by saving the whole city!
The ADVANTAGE is: You wont slay the righteous with the wicked! Yay!
The BENEFIT is: All will know you deal justly and make a clear distinction between the
righteous and the wicked.
RESULT: Abraham works YHWH down from sparing the city for 50 righteous all the
way down to 10, INCLUDING Lot and his family.
Pretty effective pitch Id say. In fact, it is so effective that Moshe will use a very similar
argument to get YHWH not extinguish IsraelTWICE. But once Abraham gets YHWH
down to 10, he knows he cant go further than that. He knows that YHWH is determined
already that Sodom is doomed and there is no point trying to remit the destruction of
those who are deserving, so the negotiations end from a point of strength for both sides,
and any business expert will tell you thats the way to go. (I know because I have read

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just about every sales/negotiation book known to man. I had to, which is why I got out of
sales!)
Okay, two down. Great attribute #3: Abraham looks ahead of the short term gain.
Sometimes a windfall comes your way and you might be tempted to take it, but you
shouldnt, because the long term risk exceeds the short term gain. When Sarah dies and
Abraham is of course grief stricken, he is still able to keep his head and make careful
judgments on the gifts he receives.
Ephron the Hittite wants to give Abraham Macphelah for free. Perhaps this is because
Ephron calls Abraham a mighty prince among us and it will be good PR to have
Abrahams family plot in his territory.
But what may be good for Ephron is not good for Abraham, because Abraham knows if
he doesnt PAY for the land AND sign a contract for it, Ephrons descendants may
dispute the claim. So they sign on the bottom line, as they SHOULD have.
Finally, even though many rabbis believe Abraham got gouged for the price of the cave, I
still think in the end it was a small price for Abraham to pay out of his vast fortune to
prevent costs from future litigation or even a land war. The sons of HethHeth-ites
are actually the forbears of warrior people we call the Hittites. Considering what happens
in later history, this is a good investment!
Another thing with respect to Ephron and Abimelech, great attribute #4: The first person
who names the price LOSES. In particular with Abimelech, Abraham doesnt set the
price of praying for him. Rather, he lets Abimelechs own fear dictate the price, and does
very well as a resultmore than making up for the cost of Machpelah.
And finally, Abraham practices humility when dealing with powerful people or those
below him. As a result, he always impresses his negotiation counterparts with his
wisdom and grace. Since they know they can trust Abraham they give him lots of cash
when they need to. Translation: People by from whom they LIKE and people LIKE those
they can TRUST.
Do todays financial leaders, bankers and CEOs understand these things? Im no
economistmy Dad of blessed memory was the finance genius in the familybut I
would say no. If the current stewards of our economy were really paying attention a few
years back, none of these economic woes we are under would have happened. Abraham
simply wouldnt have stood for it.
Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week!
Next week we will be exploring Toldot or Genesis 25:19-28:9. Our Haftorah portion will
be Malachi 1:1-2:7 and our Renewed Covenant reading will be from Romans 9:6-16.
Stay tuned!

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