Vayera [ and He Appeared] 2015

Torah Portion: Genesis 18:1 through Gen 22:24
Haftarah: 2 Kings 4:1-37
New Testament: Acts 7:2-3, John 8:28-59, Jude 1:1-8, James 1:2-6

Returning to our quest to understand what caused God to passionately pursue Abraham. Thus far, we note the following:

Vayetse – and he left

Torah Portion: Genesis 28:10 through Genesis 32:3
Haftarah: Hosea 12:13 through Hosea 14:10
New Testament: Mat 21:42, Mat 27:57 through Mat 28:6, Luke 1:33, John 1:45-51

Rebecca Instructs Jacob to go to her brother Laban for safety.

Last week, in Toldot, after falling into Rebekah’s snare, Jacob was forced to flee for his life from his brother, Esau.  Before sending him away, Isaac granted the blessing intended for Jacob all along.

Toldot – Generations

Torah Portion: Genesis 25:19 through Genesis 28:9
Haftarah: Malachi 1:1-2:7
New Testament: Mat 25:31-46, James 3:6

Meeting of Isaac and Rebecca, by Friedrich Bouterwek (1841) – Rebekah will fall off that camel any minute!

We ended last week with a glorious love story. Abraham’s servant found the perfect bride for Isaac and she readily agreed to “come out from among them and be ye separate.”  (2 Co 6:17)  Rebekah fell off her camel when she caught sight of her betrothed and, as soon as the bride made herself ready, the captivated Isaac ushered the beautiful virgin into Sarah’s tent and made her his wife.  It was then that he loved her and was comforted after Sarah’s death.  However, it soon became clear that, like Abraham and Sarah, the couple would struggle with infertility.