Prison weekly Torah Dec 24th & Dec 31st

Torah Shemot "Names" Exodus 1:1- 6:1, Halftarah Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23, Gospel Mark 1-2

These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. The total number of persons that were of Jacob's issue came to seventy, Joseph being already in Egypt. Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation. But the Israelites were fertile and prolific; they multiplied and increased very greatly, so that the land was filled with them. A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground." So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor; and they built garrison cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they increased and spread out, so that the [Egyptians] came to dread the Israelites.
The Egyptians ruthlessly imposed upon the Israelites the various labors that they made them perform. Ruthlessly they made life bitter for them with harsh labor at mortar and bricks and with all sorts of tasks in the field. The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, saying, "When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live." The midwives, fearing God, did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, letting the boys live?" The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women: they are vigorous. Before the midwife can come to them, they have given birth." And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and increased greatly. And because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, "Every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile, but let every girl live." A certain man of the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw how beautiful he was, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket for him and caulked it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. And his sister stationed herself at a distance, to learn what would befall him. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile, while her maidens walked along the Nile. She spied the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to fetch it. When she opened it, she saw that it was a child, a boy crying. She took pity on it and said, "This must be a Hebrew child." Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a Hebrew nurse to suckle the child for you?" And Pharaoh's daughter answered, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will pay your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, who made him her son. She named him Moses, explaining, "I drew him out of the water."

Some time after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, he found two Hebrews fighting; so he said to the offender, "Why do you strike your fellow?" He retorted, "Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Moses was frightened, and thought: Then the matter is known! When Pharaoh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moses; but Moses fled from Pharaoh. He arrived in the land of Midian, and sat down beside a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock; but shepherds came and drove them off. Moses rose to their defense, and he watered their flock. When they returned to their father Reuel, he said, "How is it that you have come back so soon today?" They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock." He said to his daughters, "Where is he then? Why did you leave the man? Ask him in to break bread." Moses consented to stay with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah as wife. She bore a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land." A long time after that, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites were groaning under the bondage and cried out; and their cry for help from the bondage rose up to God. God heard their moaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.

Now Moses, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, drove the flock into the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed. Moses said, "I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn't the bush burn up?" When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: "Moses! Moses!" He answered, "Here I am." And He said, "Do not come closer. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. I am," He said, "the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. And the Lord continued, "I have marked well the plight of My people in Egypt and have heeded their outcry because of their taskmasters; yes, I am mindful of their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the region of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me; moreover, I have seen how the Egyptians oppress them. Come, therefore, I will send you to Pharaoh, and you shall free My people, the Israelites, from Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites from Egypt?" And He said, "I will be with you; that shall be your sign that it was I who sent you. And when you have freed the people from Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain." Moses said to God, "When I come to the Israelites and say to them 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh." He continued, "Thus shall you say to the Israelites, 'Ehyeh sent me to you.'" And God said further to Moses, "Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you:
This shall be My name forever, This My appellation for all eternity.

"Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said, 'I have taken note of you and of what is being done to you in Egypt, and I have declared: I will take you out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.' They will listen to you; then you shall go with the elders of Israel to the king of Egypt and you shall say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, manifested Himself to us. Now therefore, let us go a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord our God.' Yet I know that the king of Egypt will let you go only because of a greater might. "So I will stretch out My hand and smite Egypt with various wonders which I will work upon them; after that he shall let you go. And I will dispose the Egyptians favorably toward this people, so that when you go, you will not go away empty-handed. Each woman shall borrow from her neighbor and the lodger in her house objects of silver and gold, and clothing, and you shall put these on your sons and daughters, thus stripping the Egyptians." But Moses spoke up and said, "What if they do not believe me and do not listen to me, but say: The Lord did not appear to you?" The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he replied, "A rod." He said, "Cast it on the ground." He cast it on the ground and it became a snake; and Moses recoiled from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Put out your hand and grasp it by the tail"--he put out his hand and seized it, and it became a rod in his hand--"that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did appear to you." The Lord said to him further, "Put your hand into your bosom." He put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, his hand was encrusted with snowy scales! And He said, "Put your hand back into your bosom." He put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out of his bosom, there it was again like the rest of his body. "And if they do not believe you or pay heed to the first sign, they will believe the second. And if they are not convinced by both these signs and still do not heed you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and it--the water that you take from the Nile--will turn to blood on the dry ground." But Moses said to the Lord, "Please, O Lord, I have never been a man of words, either in times past or now that You have spoken to Your servant; I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." And the Lord said to him, "Who gives man speech? Who makes him dumb or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, and I will be with you as you speak and will instruct you what to say." But he said, "Please, O Lord, make someone else Your agent." The Lord became angry with Moses, and He said, "There is your brother Aaron the Levite. He, I know, speaks readily. Even now he is setting out to meet you, and he will be happy to see you. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth--I will be with you and with him as you speak, and tell both of you what to do--and he shall speak for you to the people. Thus he shall serve as your spokesman, with you playing the role of God to him, and take with you this rod, with which you shall perform the signs."

Moses went back to his father-in-law Jether and said to him, "Let me go back to my kinsmen in Egypt and see how they are faring." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." The Lord said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead." So Moses took his wife and sons, mounted them on an ass, and went back to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God with him. And the Lord said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the marvels that I have put within your power. I, however, will stiffen his heart so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord: Israel is My first-born son. I have said to you, "Let My son go, that he may worship Me," yet you refuse to let him go. Now I will slay your first-born son.'' At a night encampment on the way, the Lord encountered him and sought to kill him. So Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin, and touched his legs with it, saying, "You are truly a bridegroom of blood to me!" And when He let him alone, she added, "A bridegroom of blood because of the circumcision." The Lord said to Aaron, "Go to meet Moses in the wilderness." He went and met him at the mountain of God, and he kissed him. Moses told Aaron about all the things that the Lord had committed to him and all the signs about which He had instructed him. Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. Aaron repeated all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs in the sight of the people, and the people were convinced. When they heard that the Lord had taken note of the Israelites and that He had seen their plight, they bowed low in homage.

Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Let My people go that they may celebrate a festival for Me in the wilderness." But Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord that I should heed Him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go." They answered, "The God of the Hebrews has manifested Himself to us. Let us go, we pray, a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He strike us with pestilence or sword." But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you distract the people from their tasks? Get to your labors!" And Pharaoh continued, "The people of the land are already so numerous, and you would have them cease from their labors!" That same day Pharaoh charged the taskmasters and foremen of the people, saying, "You shall no longer provide the people with straw for making bricks as heretofore; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But impose upon them the same quota of bricks as they have been making heretofore; do not reduce it, for they are shirkers; that is why they cry, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God!' Let heavier work be laid upon the men; let them keep at it and not pay attention to deceitful promises."
So the taskmasters and foremen of the people went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh: I will not give you any straw. You must go and get the straw yourselves wherever you can find it; but there shall be no decrease whatever in your work." Then the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, "You must complete the same work assignment each day as when you had straw." And the foremen of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten. "Why," they were asked, "did you not complete the prescribed amount of bricks, either yesterday or today, as you did before?" Then the foremen of the Israelites came to Pharaoh and cried: "Why do you deal thus with your servants? No straw is issued to your servants, yet they demand of us: Make bricks! Thus your servants are being beaten, when the fault is with your own people." He replied, "You are shirkers, shirkers! That is why you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.' Be off now to your work! No straw shall be issued to you, but you must produce your quota of bricks!" Now the foremen of the Israelites found themselves in trouble because of the order, "You must not reduce your daily quantity of bricks." As they left Pharaoh's presence, they came upon Moses and Aaron standing in their path, and they said to them, "May the Lord look upon you and punish you for making us loathsome to Pharaoh and his courtiers--putting a sword in their hands to slay us." Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, "O Lord, why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did You send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse with this people; and still You have not delivered Your people."

From Parshat Shemot. From THE TANAKH: The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. Used by permission.

This Weeks Torah Va'era "And I appeared" Exodus 6:2-9:35, Haftarah Ezekiel 28:25-29:21 Gospel Mark 3

God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name YHVH. I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. I have now heard the moaning of the Israelites because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am the Lord. I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, the Lord, am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I the Lord." But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites depart from his land." But Moses appealed to the Lord, saying, "The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, a man of impeded speech!" So the Lord spoke to both Moses and Aaron in regard to the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, instructing them to deliver the Israelites from the land of Egypt. The following are the heads of their respective clans. The sons of Reuben, Israel's first-born: Enoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; those are the families of Reuben. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Saul the son of a Canaanite woman; those are the families of Simeon. These are the names of Levi's sons by their lineage: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and the span of Levi's life was 137 years. The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their families. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and the span of Kohath's life was 133 years. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their lineage. Amram took to wife his father's sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the span of Amram's life was 137 years. The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. Aaron took to wife Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. Those are the families of the Korahites. And Aaron's son Eleazar took to wife one of Putiel's daughters, and she bore him Phinehas. Those are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites by their families. It is the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, "Bring forth the Israelites from the land of Egypt, troop by troop." It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt to free the Israelites from the Egyptians; these are the same Moses and Aaron. For when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt And the Lord said to Moses, "I am the Lord; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I will tell you," Moses appealed to the Lord, saying, "See, I am of impeded speech; how then should Pharaoh heed me!" The Lord replied to Moses, "See, I place you in the role of God to Pharaoh, with your brother Aaron as your prophet. You shall repeat all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh to let the Israelites depart from his land. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that I may multiply My signs and marvels in the land of Egypt. When Pharaoh does not heed you, I will lay My hand upon Egypt and deliver My ranks, My people the Israelites, from the land of Egypt with extraordinary chastisements. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand over Egypt and bring out the Israelites from their midst." This Moses and Aaron did; as the Lord commanded them, so they did. Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they made their demand on Pharaoh.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "When Pharaoh speaks to you and says, 'Produce your marvel,' you shall say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and cast it down before Pharaoh.' It shall turn into a serpent." So Moses and Aaron came before Pharaoh and did just as the Lord had commanded: Aaron cast down his rod in the presence of Pharaoh and his courtiers, and it turned into a serpent. Then Pharaoh, for his part, summoned the wise men and the sorcerers; and the Egyptian magicians, in turn, did the same with their spells; each cast down his rod, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed their rods. Yet Pharaoh's heart stiffened and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. And the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is coming out to the water, and station yourself before him at the edge of the Nile, taking with you the rod that turned into a snake. And say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say, "Let My people go that they may worship Me in the wilderness." But you have paid no heed until now. Thus says the Lord, "By this you shall know that I am the Lord." See, I shall strike the water in the Nile with the rod that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood; and the fish in the Nile will die. The Nile will stink so that the Egyptians will find it impossible to drink the water of the Nile." And the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron: Take your rod and hold out your arm over the waters of Egypt--its rivers, its canals, its ponds, all its bodies of water--that they may turn to blood; there shall be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone." Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded: he lifted up the rod and struck the water in the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and his courtiers, and all the water in the Nile was turned into blood and the fish in the Nile died. The Nile stank so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile; and there was blood throughout the land of Egypt. But when the Egyptian magicians did the same with their spells, Pharaoh's heart stiffened and he did not heed them--as the Lord had spoken. Pharaoh turned and went into his palace, paying no regard even to this. And all the Egyptians had to dig round about the Nile for drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the Nile. When seven days had passed after the Lord struck the Nile, the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord: Let My people go that they may worship Me. If you refuse to let them go, then I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs, and they shall come up and enter your palace, your bedchamber and your bed, the houses of your courtiers and your people, and your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your courtiers." And the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron: Hold out your arm with the rod over the rivers, the canals, and the ponds, and bring up the frogs on the land of Egypt." Aaron held out his arm over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same with their spells, and brought frogs upon the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Plead with the Lord to remove the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord." And Moses said to Pharaoh, "You may have this triumph over me: for what time shall I plead in behalf of you and your courtiers and your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses, to remain only in the Nile?" "For tomorrow," he replied. And [Moses] said, "As you say--that you may know that there is none like the Lord our God."

The frogs shall retreat from you and your courtiers and your people; they shall remain only in the Nile." Then Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh's presence, and Moses cried out to the Lord in the matter of the frogs which He had inflicted upon Pharaoh. And the Lord did as Moses asked; the frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. And they piled them up in heaps, till the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he became stubborn and would not heed them, as the Lord had spoken. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron: Hold out your rod and strike the dust of the earth, and it shall turn to lice throughout the land of Egypt." And they did so. Aaron held out his arm with the rod and struck the dust of the earth, and vermin came upon man and beast; all the dust of the earth turned to lice throughout the land of Egypt. The magicians did the like with their spells to produce lice, but they could not. The vermin remained upon man and beast; and the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God!" But Pharaoh's heart stiffened and he would not heed them, as the Lord had spoken. And the Lord said to Moses, "Early in the morning present yourself to Pharaoh, as he is coming out to the water, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord: Let My people go that they may worship Me. For if you do not let My people go, I will let loose swarms of insects against you and your courtiers and your people and your houses; the houses of the Egyptians, and the very ground they stand on, shall be filled with swarms of insects. But on that day I will set apart the region of Goshen, where My people dwell, so that no swarms of insects shall be there, that you may know that I the Lord am in the midst of the land.

And I will make a distinction between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall come to pass.'" And the Lord did so. Heavy swarms of insects invaded Pharaoh's palace and the houses of his courtiers; throughout the country of Egypt the land was ruined because of the swarms of insects. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go and sacrifice to your God within the land." But Moses replied, "It would not be right to do this, for what we sacrifice to the Lord our God is untouchable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice that which is untouchable to the Egyptians before their very eyes, will they not stone us! So we must go a distance of three days into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He may command us." Pharaoh said, "I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; but do not go very far. Plead, then, for me." And Moses said, "When I leave your presence, I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of insects depart tomorrow from Pharaoh and his courtiers and his people; but let not Pharaoh again act deceitfully, not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord." So Moses left Pharaoh's presence and pleaded with the Lord. And the Lord did as Moses asked: He removed the swarms of insects from Pharaoh, from his courtiers, and from his people; not one remained. But Pharaoh became stubborn this time also, and would not let the people go. The Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go to worship Me. For if you refuse to let them go, and continue to hold them, then the hand of the Lord will strike your livestock in the fields--the horses, the asses, the camels, the cattle, and the sheep--with a very severe pestilence. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of the Egyptians, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the Israelites. The Lord has fixed the time: tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.'" And the Lord did so the next day: all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but of the livestock of the Israelites not a beast died. When Pharaoh inquired, he found that not a head of the livestock of Israel had died; yet Pharaoh remained stubborn, and he would not let the people go. Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Each of you take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. It shall become a fine dust all over the land of Egypt, and cause an inflammation breaking out in boils on man and beast throughout the land of Egypt." So they took soot of the kiln and appeared before Pharaoh; Moses threw it toward the sky, and it caused an inflammation breaking out in boils on man and beast. The magicians were unable to confront Moses because of the inflammation, for the inflammation afflicted the magicians as well as all the other Egyptians. But the Lord stiffened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not heed them, just as the Lord had told Moses. The Lord said to Moses, "Early in the morning present yourself to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go to worship Me. For this time I will send all My plagues upon your person, and your courtiers, and your people, in order that you may know that there is none like Me in all the world. I could have stretched forth My hand and stricken you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been effaced from the earth. Nevertheless I have spared you for this purpose: in order to show you My power, and in order that My fame may resound throughout the world.

Yet you continue to thwart My people, and do not let them go! This time tomorrow I will rain down a very heavy hail, such as has not been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Therefore, order your livestock and everything you have in the open brought under shelter; every man and beast that is found outside, not having been brought indoors, shall perish when the hail comes down upon them!'" Those among Pharaoh's courtiers who feared the Lord's word brought their slaves and livestock indoors to safety; but those who paid no regard to the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the open. The Lord said to Moses, "Hold out your arm toward the sky that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, upon man and beast and all the grasses of the field in the land of Egypt." So Moses held out his rod toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire streamed down to the ground, as the Lord rained down hail upon the land of Egypt. The hail was very heavy--fire flashing in the midst of the hail--such as had not fallen on the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. Throughout the land of Egypt the hail struck down all that were in the open, both man and beast; the hail also struck down all the grasses of the field and shattered all the trees of the field. Only in the region of Goshen, where the Israelites were, there was no hail. Thereupon Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said to them, "I stand guilty this time. The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Plead with the Lord that there may be an end of God's thunder and of hail. I will let you go; you need stay no longer." Moses said to him, "As I go out of the city, I shall spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease and the hail will fall no more, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord's. But I know that you and your courtiers do not yet fear the Lord God." Now the flax and barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud; but the wheat and the emmer were not hurt, for they ripen late. Leaving Pharaoh, Moses went outside the city and spread out his hands to the Lord: the thunder and the hail ceased, and no rain came pouring down upon the earth. But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he became stubborn and reverted to his guilty ways, as did his courtiers. So Pharaoh's heart stiffened and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had foretold through Moses.

Mission Updates:Luke 4:18 - The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Shalom In Yeshua Our Messiah,

Friday Carolyn made 81/2 dozen egg-n-cheese sandwiches and we served donuts, many different types of packaged sweets, milk, coffee, hot tea, ice tea and ice water. We celebrated our twentieth anniversary with frosted brownies, chocolate ice cream cones, Salisbury steaks, boiled gold potatoes smothered in gravy, buttered corn an bread-n- butter. At service break we had the left over steaks an the girls made us a triple layer red velvet cake we served with chocolate ice cream.

The Delano window place came and fixed the window Thursday then came by Friday for payment the total cost was $375.55 which came close to leaving the account empty. The Christian motorcycle association never showed up with the things they had told us they would be giving out to the homeless so many who were there were let down yet again.

We still have all the bills and there is no paid radio programs left except the deposit, we will be going into the deposit come Thursday so Please pray about helping with this so we can get paid up before the deposit runs out.
Yahweh will provide the needs but he uses His people to do it so Please pray about helping these works an be lead by Yahweh according to His will.

Saturday night after Sabbath our daughters had a very special surprise for my husband and I. We went down to my mothers to check on her because she has not been doing well the past few weeks. Pastor Dan knew their plans but I was left clueless. They called him when they were ready and we were given a deadline of 9:15 pm to get home so they could present their surprise to us. Sarina was our chaperone to the Mission storage house, Rhiannon an Stephanie were our escorts inside and waited for us at the end of the ramp leading up into the house. Once inside they had set up a table with rose peddles and a candle it was beautiful. Bootsie came up with the idea and they all worked hard together to make it a success. The escorts seated us then became the servers. We were served a pasta salad for an appetizer, Then we had spaghetti and meatballs with homemade flat bread.

The dinner was wonderful and it was actually the first candle light dinner I can ever remember having. We were then escorted back to the house by Boostie and set in the front room for our program they had all put together. It opened with a poem that Bootsie wrote for us I will share later on this week. Buba sang us a song and Josiah danced, then Rhiannon an Steph acted out our life from the day we met, then Sarina sang us a song this is when we cried. After the program we had a ten minute break and were escorted upstairs to Bootsies room where we watched a flash she made us from the day we met it was put together very well and not only did we cry but so did Sarina. It was a wonderful evening.

I will close for now Please pray about supporting this ministry and all it's works we love you all have a blessed week.

More on the Mission next update

THE Truth will set you FREE

Shalom Messiah's Branch, sisterlinda, family,

 

 

 

Next Weeks Torah Bo "Come", Exodus 10:1-13:16, Haftarah Jeremiah 46:13-28 Gospel Mark 4-5

 THE Truth will set you FREE

    Shalom sisterlinda Messiah's Branch   

Prison Weekly December 17,2005 Vayechi "And he lived" Genesis 47:28-50:26

Torah Vayechi "And he lived" Genesis 47:28-50:26 Haftarah 1 Kings 2:1-12 Gospel Matthew 26-28

Genesis 47:28-49:26

Jacob lived seventeen years in the land of Egypt, so that the span of Jacob's life came to one hundred and forty-seven years. And when the time approached for Israel to die, he summoned his son Joseph and said to him, "Do me this favor, place your hand under my thigh as a pledge of your steadfast loyalty: please do not bury me in Egypt. When I lie down with my fathers, take me up from Egypt and bury me in their burial-place." He replied, "I will do as you have spoken." And he said, "Swear to me." And he swore to him. Then Israel bowed at the head of the bed. Some time afterward, Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to see you," Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. And Jacob said to Joseph, "El Shaddai appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and He blessed me, and said to me, 'I will make you fertile and numerous, making of you a community of peoples; and I will assign this land to your offspring to come for an everlasting possession.' Now, your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, shall be mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine no less than Reuben and Simeon. But progeny born to you after them shall be yours; they shall be recorded instead of their brothers in their inheritance. I [do this because], when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died, to my sorrow, while I was journeying in the land of Canaan, when still some distance short of Ephrath; and I buried her there on the road to Ephrath"--now Bethlehem. Noticing Joseph's sons, Israel asked, "Who are these?" And Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." "Bring them up to me," he said, "that I may bless them."

Now Israel's eyes were dim with age; he could not see. So [Joseph] brought them close to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see you again, and here God has let me see your children as well." Joseph then removed them from his knees, and bowed low with his face to the ground. Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim with his right hand--to Israel's left--and Manasseh with his left hand--to Israel's right--and brought them close to him. But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, though he was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head--thus crossing his hands--although Manasseh was the first-born. And he blessed Joseph, saying, "The God in whose ways my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,The God who has been my shepherd from my birth to this day--The Angel who has redeemed me from all harm--Bless the lads.In them may my name be recalled,And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,And may they be teeming multitudes upon the earth." When Joseph saw that his father was placing his right hand on Ephraim's head, he thought it wrong; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's. "Not so, Father," Joseph said to his father, "for the other is the first-born; place your right hand on his head." But his father objected, saying, "I know, my son, I know. He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great. Yet his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall be plentiful enough for nations." So he blessed them that day, saving, "By you shall Israel invoke blessings, saying: God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh." Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die; but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. And now, I assign to you one portion more than to your brothers, which I wrested from the Amorites with my sword and bow."

And Jacob called his sons and said, "Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come. Assemble and hearken, O sons of Jacob; Hearken to Israel your father: Reuben you are my first-born, my might and first fruit of my vigor, Exceeding in rank and exceeding in honor. Unstable as water, you shall excel no longer; for when you mounted your father's bed, you brought disgrace--my couch he mounted! Simeon and Levi are a pair; their weapons are tools of lawlessness. Let not my person be included in their council, let not my being be counted in their assembly. For when angry they slay men, and when pleased they maim oxen. Cursed be their anger so fierce, and their wrath so relentless. I will divide them in Jacob, scatter them in Israel. You, O Judah, your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the nape of your foes; your father's sons shall bow low to you. Judah is a lion's whelp; on prey, my son, have you grown. He crouches, lies down like a lion, like the king of beasts--who dare rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet; so that tribute shall come to him and the homage of peoples be his. He tethers his ass to a vine, his ass's foal to a choice vine; he washes his garment in wine, his robe in blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine; his teeth are whiter than milk. Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore; he shall be a haven for ships, and his flank shall rest on Sidon. Issachar is a strong-boned ass, crouching among the sheepfolds. When he saw how good was security, And how pleasant was the country, he bent his shoulder to the burden, and became a tolling serf. Dan shall govern his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the road, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that his rider is thrown backward. I wait for Your deliverance, O LORD!

Gad shall be raided by raiders, But he shall raid at their heels.
Asher's bread shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.
Naphtali is a hind let loose, Which yields lovely fawns.
Joseph is a wild ass, A wild ass by a spring --Wild colts on a hillside.
Archers bitterly assailed him; They shot at him and harried him.
Yet his bow staved taut, And his arms were made firm By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob-- There, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel--
The God of your father who helps you, And Shaddai who blesses you
With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that couches below, Blessings of the breast and womb. The blessings of your father Surpass the blessings of my ancestors, To the utmost bounds of the eternal hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, On the brow of the elect of his brothers. "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;In the morning he consumes the foe,And in the evening he divides the spoil."

All these were the tribes of Israel, twelve in number, and this is what their father said to them as he bade them farewell, addressing to each a parting word appropriate to him. Then he instructed them, saying to them, "I am about to be gathered to my kin. Bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site--There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah--the field and the cave In it, bought from the Hittites." When Jacob finished his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and, breathing his last, he was gathered to his people.

Joseph flung himself upon his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. Then Joseph ordered the physicians in his service to embalm his father, and the physicians embalmed Israel. It required forty days, for such is the full period of embalming. The Egyptians bewailed him seventy days; and when the wailing period was over, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh's court, saying, "Do me this favor, and lay this appeal before Pharaoh: 'My father made me swear, saying, "I am about to die. Be sure to bury me in the grave which I made ready for myself in the land of Canaan." Now, therefore, let me go up and bury my father; then I shall return.'" And Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you promise on oath." So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the officials of Pharaoh, the senior members of his court, and all of Egypt's dignitaries, together with all of Joseph's household, his brothers, and his father's household; only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the region of Goshen. Chariots, too, and horsemen went up with him; it was a very large troop. When they came to Goren ha-Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and solemn lamentation; and he observed a mourning period of seven days for his father. And when the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning at Goren ha-Atad, they said, "This is a solemn mourning on the part of the Egyptians." That is why it was named Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them. His sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham had bought for a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrong that we did him!" So they sent this message to Joseph, "Before his death your father left this instruction: So shall you say to Joseph, 'Forgive, I urge you, the offense and guilt of your brothers who treated you so harshly.' Therefore, please forgive the offense of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph was in tears as they spoke to him. His brothers went to him themselves, flung themselves before him, and said, "We are prepared to be your slaves." But Joseph said to them, "Have no fear! Am I a substitute for God? Besides, although you intended me harm, God intended it for good, so as to bring about the present result--the survival of many people." "And so, fear not. I will sustain you and your children." Thus he reassured them, speaking kindly to them. So Joseph and his father's household remained in Egypt. Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. Joseph lived to see children of the third generation of Ephraim; the children of Machir son of Manasseh were likewise born upon Joseph's knees. At length, Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. God will surely take notice of you and bring you up from this land to the land that He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." So Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, "When God has taken notice of you, you shall carry up my bones from here." Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

From Parshat VaYechi. From THE TANAKH: The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. Used by permission.

REMEMBER TO ALSO READ YOUR TORAH IN YOUR KJV if any of you need a bible please write me I will have one sent to you factory sealed.

Mission Updates: Greetings Saints in His Perfect Peace, Friday was a Great day as the boots, sleeping bags, etc came in for 20 people. Yes there was many others whom needed boots etc also but it was such a blessing for these. All total the Saint that did this spent well over $2000 for 20 people. The Same day I got two boxes with 20 blankets....another blessing. These are great blankets for teh outs side, heavy duty etc. oday We recieved another box with some hats, gloves, shampoos and a money order for some things like food, prision Bibles, usure what all it was $250 for specific needs. I had the saints who donates on Sunday $25 a week. This always comes in handy as I can count on it for sure every week. Yes random donations are great but it's nice to know something is coming on a specific date. Well not much has came in the mail yet this month so we do need help on bills and mom was saying the food account was low.....I will not say much in these area's as she takes care of that. We need Medical stuff, cold remedies, Ib Profren, cough medications, etc Please help if you can!

On an errand to drop one fellow off to sell cans, I stopped at the Quick Trip ( Gas station ) As I walked by this one fellow that has b een to our place I heard him say something about the Church...Mostly he was just talking to himself. I stopped and asked him how he was because I had not seem him. He said he jsut got out of the hospital for major surgury. In Fact they let him out he started bleeding and he had to go back in. He was not in good shape. I asked him what he said about the Church? He said He could not understand why none would help him. He wanted to get into a school and needed a few things to do so. He was embarrissed as to teh clothing he was forced to wear and really depressed. You know if the Church would not try and do away with Torah which means God's Intructions, then they would all know that it says we are to help them formost. But the Church spends so much on building civic centers instead of helping each other. Doing away with God's intructions lets them do this. For sin is 1 John 3:4 ^{4Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.} And the Law is The Torah God's instuctions for us. Only the Death penalty has been removed through Messiah but turning away from sin is still required as even paul said and kept. Yes we are to be Torah observant. Why do you not know when Messiah returns He will teach Torah from Jerusalm to the nations and His bride with him ruling the nations with a rod of iron? Any way we gave out clothing, gloves, and hats that had came in the mail...And we got some food stuffs in from Oklahoma! Help if you can and we need gas, radio and Bill money! .may The LORD bless thee and keep thee; The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee shalom. (peace) Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:24-26 In Yeshua's Name, Bro. Dan, Pastor of Messiah's Branch

Proverbs 21:17 - He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. Shalom in Yeshua Our Messiah, Friday Carolyn made seven dozen egg-n-cheese sandwiches that we served with cake, sweets, different types of milk, coffee, hot chocolate, Ice tea and ice water. Richard started putting together the beef stew I made because I was on a field trip with Joshua. Joshua, I and a few from his cyber school visited the Wichita children's home then went to the Toys for Tots distribuation center to volunteer sorting toys. When we arrived there they had no toys for us to sort so they sent us to the food department to sort food for operation holidays. We all worked there for about an hour and a half then we went to the Kansas Food Bank and sorted donations for an hour. We really enjoyed helping and when we finished we went back to the Mission to serve the people. I finished up the beef stew an we served it with bread and butter. Yahweh has blessed us with another source to get bread and sweets for the people at a very good discounted price. The last place we were paying eight dollars a rack but they wanted us to sign a paper saying we would not use it for human consumption. I refused to operate under a lie and believed by faith that Yahweh would send us another way to supply the Mission with bread and sweets. Yahweh has done just that and the products are much fresher. Amen & Amen The bills have started coming in again both electric bills are in but I do not remember how much they were the storage was around 65 and the Mission was 140 I think. The newsletter went out last Tuesday so many of you should have it by now. Yahweh will provide our needs and He uses you to do that so Please pray about being a part of these many works. I did receive a donation of 30 to buy stamps and another 250 for food, gas, rent and prison Bibles. Those prisoners who need a Bible please contact me and I will have one sent to you factory sealed. A prisoner has ask me to include his address in this mailing to see anyone is interesed in being a pen pal his name is Michael Evans C-91293 D5-131 PO Box 1050 Salinas Valley State Prison, Soledad, California 93960

Thanks for all who help please continue to do so we love you all. More on the Mission Next Update: Mark 9:23,10:27 THE Truth will set you FREE Shalom sisterlinda Messiah's Branch

NEXT WEEKS Torah Shemot "Names" Exodus 1:1- 6:1, Halftarah Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23, Gospel Mark 1-2

 

 

Prison Weekly Dec 10 2005 Vayigash "And came near"

This Weeks Torah Vayigash "And came near" Genesis 44:18-47:27

Haftarah Ezekiel 37:15-28, Gospel Matthew 23-25

Then Judah went up to him and said, "Please, my lord, let Your servant appeal to my lord, and do not be impatient with your servant, You who are the equal of Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, 'Have you a father or another brother?' We told my lord, 'We have an old father, and there is a child of his old age, the youngest; his full brother is dead, so that he alone is left of his mother, and his father dotes on him.' Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set eyes on him.' We said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he were to leave him, his father would die.' But you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, do not let me see your faces.' When we came back to Your servant my father, we reported my lord's words to him. "Later our father said, 'Go back and procure some food for us.' We answered, 'We cannot go down; only if our youngest brother is with us can we go down, for we may not show our faces to the man unless our youngest brother is with us.' Your servant my father said to us, 'As you know, my wife bore me two sons. But one is gone from me, and I said: Alas, he was torn by a beast! And I have not seen him since. If you take this one from me, too, and he meets with disaster, you will send my white head down to Sheol in sorrow.' "Now, if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us--since his own life is so bound up with his..." When he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will send the white head of your servant our father down to Sheol in grief. Now your servant has pledged himself for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, I shall stand guilty before my father forever.' Therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father unless the boy is with me? Let me not be witness to the woe that would overtake my father!" Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone withdraw from me!" So there was no one else about when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. His sobs were so loud that the Egyptians could hear, and so the news reached Pharaoh's palace. Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still well?" But his brothers could not answer him, so dumfounded were they on account of him. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come forward to me." And when they came forward, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, he whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be distressed or reproach Yourselves because you sold me hither; it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you. It is now two years that there has been famine in the land, and there are still five years to come in which there shall be no yield from tilling. God has sent me ahead of you to ensure Your survival on earth, and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance.

"Enough!" said Israel. "My son Joseph is still alive! I must go and see him before I die." So Israel set out with all that was his, and he came to Beer-sheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God called to Israel in a vision by night: "Jacob! Jacob!" He answered, "Here." And He said, "I am God, the God of your father. Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will make you there into a great nation. I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I Myself will also bring you back; and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes." So Jacob set out from Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel put their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to transport him; and they took along their livestock and the wealth that they had amassed in the land of Canaan. Thus Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt: he brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters--all his offspring. These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his descendants, who came to Egypt. Jacob's first-born Reuben; Reuben's sons: Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Simeon's sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Saul the son of a Canaanite woman. Levi's sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Judah's sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah--but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan; and Perez's sons were Hezron and Hamul. Issachar's sons: Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron. Zebulun's sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. Those were the sons whom Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. Persons in all, male and female: 33. Gad's sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. Asher's sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah's sons: Heber and Malchiel. These were the descendants of Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah. These she bore to Jacob--16 persons. The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. To Joseph were born in the land of Egypt Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore to him. Benjamin's sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. These were the descendants of Rachel who were born to Jacob--14 persons in all. Dan's son: Hushim. Naphtali's sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. These were the descendants of Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel. These she bore to Jacob--7 persons in all. All the persons belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt--his own issue, aside from the wives of Jacob's sons--all these persons numbered 66. And Joseph's sons who were born to him in Egypt were two in number. Thus the total of Jacob's household who came to Egypt was seventy persons.

He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph, to point the way before him to Goshen. So when they came to the region of Goshen, Joseph ordered his chariot and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel; he presented himself to him and, embracing him around the neck, he wept on his neck a good while. Then Israel said to Joseph, "Now I can die, having seen for myself that you are still alive." Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and tell the news to Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds; they have always been breeders of livestock, and they have brought with them their flocks and herds and all that is theirs.' So when Pharaoh summons you and asks, 'What is your occupation?' you shall answer, 'Your servants have been breeders of livestock from the start until now, both we and our fathers'--so that you may stay in the region of Goshen. For all shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians." Then Joseph came and reported to Pharaoh, saying, "My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that is theirs, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the region of Goshen." And selecting a few of his brothers, he presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" They answered Pharaoh, "We your servants are shepherds, as were also our fathers. We have come," they told Pharaoh, "to sojourn in this land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, the famine being severe in the land of Canaan. Pray, then, let your servants stay in the region of Goshen." Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "As regards your father and your brothers who have come to you, the land of Egypt is open before you: settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land; let them stay in the region of Goshen. And if you know any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock." Joseph then brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob greeted Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked Jacob, "How many are the years of your life?" And Jacob answered Pharaoh, "The years of my sojourn [on earth] are one hundred and thirty. Few and hard have been the years of my life, nor do they come up to the life spans of my fathers during their sojourns." Then Jacob bade Pharaoh farewell, and left Pharaoh's presence.

So Joseph settled his father and his brothers, giving them holdings in the choicest part of the land of Egypt, in the region of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. Joseph sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, down to the little ones. Now there was no bread in all the world, for the famine was very severe; both the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. Joseph gathered in all the money that was to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, as payment for the rations that were being procured, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's palace. And when the money gave out in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, lest we die before your very eyes; for the money is gone!" And Joseph said, "Bring your livestock, and I will sell to you against your livestock, if the money is gone." So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, for the stocks of sheep and cattle, and the asses; thus he provided them with bread that year in exchange for all their livestock. And when that year was ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We cannot hide from my lord that, with all the money and animal stocks consigned to my lord, nothing is left at my lord's disposal save our persons and our farmland. Let us not perish before your eyes, both we and our land. Take us and our land in exchange for bread, and we with our land will be serfs to Pharaoh; provide the seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become a waste." So Joseph gained possession of all the farm land of Egypt for Pharaoh, every Egyptian having sold his field because the famine was too much for them; thus the land passed over to Pharaoh. And he removed the population town by town, from one end of Egypt's border to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not take over, for the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they lived off the allotment which Pharaoh had made to them; therefore they did not sell their land. Then Joseph said to the people, "Whereas I have this day acquired you and your land for Pharaoh, here is seed for you to sow the land. And when harvest comes, you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be yours as seed for the fields and as food for you and those in your households, and as nourishment for your children." And they said, "You have saved our lives! We are grateful to my lord, and we shall be serfs to Pharaoh." And Joseph made it into a land law in Egypt, which is still valid, that a fifth should be Pharaoh's; only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh's. Thus Israel settled in the country of Egypt, in the region of Goshen; they acquired holdings in it, and were fertile and increased greatly.

From Parshat VaYigash. From THE TANAKH: The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. Used by permission. REMEMBER TO ALSO READ YOUR KJV

Mission Updates:The World is Sleeping? And the poor are hungry! Greetings Saints in His Perfect Peace, While I write this Israel is gearing up for raids into Gaza. It has been used for terror attacks against Israel almost as soon as the Jews pulled out. Iran will in a couple of months have Nuclear Missiles and Syria has gotten new longer range rockets that can reach inside of Israel from Russia. They are both backed by Russia who is even building the nuclear plants in Iran for free! Russia never got over the cold war is also responsible for training terrorists�.Read Eze.38-39 As for the USA we seem asleep and not worried about future Terror Attacks in the USA borders but it�s not if it will happen just how soon and how big. The 9-11 Terrorist commission said a couple of very important things�"We've made some progress, very little progress in some areas," Thomas Kean, former chairman of the official commission, told NBC television's "Meet the Press." If the commission's advice is not followed up, "we are very vulnerable as a people to another attack," Kean said "We have to get back to a real sense of urgency about protecting the safety and the security of the American people," said Lee Hamilton, the former vice chairman of the commission .... In Short not if but when the next attacks come and just how hard we will be hit. Weather and or natural disasters are on the rise. More and more earthquakes and violent Storms. These are more and more frequent and I wonder about them rebuilding New Orleans which is below sea level? What I have read they expect the same type storms next season so why rebuild? Better to get on one�s knees and repent and ask the Lord why he seems to no longer protect this country. Should I even say Abortion, homosexuals, nudity, porn, and a church that is politically correct and not correct by the Word of God? What about the coming bird Flu? I have had guests on radio from other countries that say Europe is sliding back into darkness and the USA is on the same path. Just what do Americans put out to the World? Are preachers warning the world? Or just give me your money and you will get a good life? I wonder about the hurricane victims? Or our sons and daughters lost in 9/11 and the War on terror. Yes they teach believe all will fly out before the trouble hits�.wonder at what point they will wake up. Tithes belong to God�s storehouse so he can care for the people and function. Now most of the church lets the government care for the poor and spends their money on civic centers instead of caring for thepeople. Besides the Word Church does not mean a building but a " Called out Group of believers in Yeshua" by the way are you aware that in the Bible the Word Law in most places is a very Bad translation. You will find with a little research that the word is "Torah" and the root of that means " Like an arrow hitting it�s mark Or pointing to" "pointing to righteousness" Sin is opposite and points away from...So where the word "law" is it should say " Torah or Gods instructions to righteousness" Yes there are some Laws in Torah " First five books of the Bible. But the Death penalty has been removed from these by those who believe in Yeshua, and turn away from sin. Do you know that the Word scriptures means " God Breathed" ? The LORD your God is the same today yesterday and forever...Do you realize that it was by grace that the Israelites were saved? Yes Grace do a Word search on Noah, Lot, and Joseph, you see they believed in the coming seed that would bless the whole world, looking forward while we look back and believe while also looking forward to his return in which the Word says He will rule from Jerusalem and teach the nations Torah�..Anyway another sign is that Matthew 24:11^{12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. The Word iniquity means from strongs..destitute of (the Mosaic) law,( Torah ) - 4:1086, 646; adj AV - without law 4, transgressor 2, wicked 2, lawless 1, unlawful 1.. also ..2 Timothy 3:11But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! Torah says and Messiah repeated it ...Leviticus 19:17thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD. 17Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. 18Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD�..yes love the Lord Your God first then Love thy neighbor, on this hangs all the Torah and the Prophets�.all things hang on one thing Love and in this world show me the love. It�s not even inside most families. I mean how often anymore do you see someone sacrifice even just their time for others? Saints Please pray about making sure you are right before the Father through His son. Only you can know this. Please pray for the ministry the Lord has placed us in and if you are to support it. We need your help. It is the first of the month Bills are due. We are caring for many people and they need your help. We have boots and bags for 20 coming and that is confirmed. hopefully they will be in this week.} Mom will be putting out an update tonight and I am sure she will say which bills are due. It is time to start seeking radio donations. $190. I also need gas for Tuesday! Please help if you can anykind of donation will help. The Newsletter will go to print tomorrow and it will take roughly two weeks for a response from the people! Thanks so much.........may The LORD bless thee and keep thee; The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee shalom. (peace) Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:24-26 In Yeshua's Name, Bro. Dan, Pastor of Messiah's Branch

1 Samuel 2:7 - The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. Shalom In Yeshua our Messiah Friday Carolyn made twelve dozen egg-n-cheese sandwiches that we served with donuts, cake, fruit pies, milk, coffee, hot tea, ice tea and ice water. I made baked chicken smothered in a mixture of cream of chicken, cream of celery and cream of mushroom. I served it with green beans -n- potatoes mixed and buttered dinner rolls. We had the same for our Sabbath dinner except we had asparagus and the children had chicken nuggets. We also had our Chanukah party as part of our service. We had lots of jelly donuts, both sweet potato latkes and potato latkes with apple sauce. Everyone had a wonderful time as we read the Chanukah story, lite the oil lamps, read the Torah an our Bible studies, Sang in Praise -n- worship then watched the children as they sang Chanukah songs and showed us how to play the draydel game. The police women came and donated a surround sound system for the TV she had donated. Sarina arranged to pick up donuts on both feed days again. I found another bakery who blessed us with bread and sweets on a regular basis. YAHWEH is SO AWESOME The funds came to pay all the bills that were in. The rent was paid, and the funds to print and mail the newsletter is in. The newsletter will go out tomorrow night. We have gas for tomorrow but will need gas for Friday. We also need sixty dollars to get a new breaker. The radio needs to be paid again it is 190 for four weeks. Please pray for my mother she is having financial difficulties. She is 70 years young, battling bone cancer and working three days a week but still struggling, her phone was shut off last week. Thank you all who support these works, we ask that you pray about weather your suppose to be a part of these works, be lead by Yahweh to do His will. More on the Mission next update: Mark 9:23,10:27

Next weeks Torah Vayechi "And he lived" Genesis 47:28-50:26 Haftarah 1 Kings 2:1-12 Gospel Matthew 26-28

 THE Truth will set you FREE

    Shalom sisterlinda Messiah's Branch