Prison weekly for Sabbath Tevet 14, 5769

SHALOM

The Hebrew month is Kislev these Parashahs are for Sabbath Tevet 14, 5769

                Parashahs are  VaYechi "and He lived"Genesis 47:28-50:28       

                   Haftarah  1 Kings 2:1-12 Brit Hadasha is 1 Peter 1:3-9

Next weeks Parashahs are: Torah Sh'mot "Names" Exodus 1:1-6:1                                 Haftarah Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23 & Brit Hadasha  Acts 7;17-29 

GOOD MORNING! There are so many things happening in the world these days. It's almost enough to drive some people who are not used to praying to begin to pray! However, for many it is hard to start. Many people mistakenly feel that they should only pray for big things -like medical emergencies. Not so. Prayer is about creating a relationship with the Almighty; it's about understanding and appreciating that the Almighty is the Source of all blessing. Praying for help with even little things focuses us on recognizing from where comes our good and strengthens the relationship. When the time comes to pray for the big things, it will come easier. Imagine the difficulties of asking your father or mother for help after not speaking with them for years? God is the loving parent who wants only good for us. Unlike a loving parent who has been ignored for decades, God will listen to us when we call out to Him.

A prayer has three components: (1) Praise of God. (He doesn't need our praises; it focuses us on Who we are talking to.) (2) Our requests. (3) Thanks. It is the height of good manners to show appreciation. A short prayer might go something like, "Almighty, Master of the Universe, Who has given me all good things, please (make your request here). Thank you for this and for all that you have given me." Whether the Almighty fulfills our requests in full or in part is determined by what will help us grow in our relationship with Him. That is why all prayers are answered - sometimes with a "Yes," sometimes with a "No" and sometimes ... with a "Not yet." When we have grown in recognizing or strengthening our belief that everything comes from the Almighty and only the Almighty, the equation is changed. It may be the missing factor to make it good for the Almighty to grant our request.

 

We would love for all of our prayers to be answered in the affirmative. However, it is not always ultimately in our best interest. We can relate to this as parents. A child may beg for something that the parent knows is not in the child's best interest and may even be a danger to a child. The smart and caring parent will do the right thing, do the difficult thing and say "no." If one has a simplistic definition of prayer as a form of barter - one puts in his requests and God is supposed to fill his list of requests, then one has the wrong definition of prayer. The story is told of a young boy playing on the roof of his home. He loses his footing and starts sliding towards a perilous drop. He starts praying, "Please God, save me!" He continues to slide. He ups the ante, "Save me - I won't fight with my brother anymore!" He continues to slide. "I'll do everything my parents tell me." He continues to slide. "I'll never do anything wrong again!" Immediately he stops sliding right before the edge of the roof! The boy then turns heavenward and cries out, "Forget it God! I got caught by a nail!" Prayer is not about barter. Our purpose on earth is to grow as human beings, to develop our souls by doing the mitzvot (the Almighty's commandments in the Torah), to work on refining our character and perfecting the world. Prayer is a means for us to fulfill our purpose. We Jews believe that there is a God Who created the world, loves us, gives us what is best for us, has a covenant with us which obligates us to fulfill His commandments, deals with us with both justice and mercy. We are finite; God is infinite. We do not presume to know the whole picture. We do know based upon our understanding of Torah and history that God has a plan for history and a track record of fulfilling His promises - be they for reward or punishment. We understand that the Almighty acts in this world with purpose, meaning and good.Prayer gives us hope. Prayer is a means of integrating into ourselves that life has meaning and that we are not alone. Prayer focuses us on what we want out of life and helps us clarify what is good for us.

 Torah Portion of the Week Vayechi

The parsha, Torah portion, opens with Jacob on his deathbed 17 years after arriving in Egypt. Jacob blesses Joseph's two sons, Manasseh (Menashe) and Ephraim (to this day it is a tradition to bless our sons every Shabbat evening with the blessing, "May the Almighty make you like Ephraim and Manasseh" - they grew up in the Diaspora amongst foreign influences and still remained devoted to the Torah. The Shabbat evening blessing for girls is "to be like Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah.") He then individually blesses each of his sons. The blessings are prophetic and give reproof, where necessary.

A large retinue from Pharaoh's court accompanies the family to Hebron to bury Jacob in the Ma'arat Hamachpela, the burial cave purchased by Abraham. The Torah portion ends with the death of Joseph and his binding the Israelites to bring his remains with them for burial when they are redeemed from slavery and go to the land of Israel. Thus ends the book of Genesis!

Dvar Torah based on Growth Through Torah by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

When Jacob blesses his children before he dies, he says about his son, Yissachar:

"And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and he bowed his shoulders to bear" (Genesis 49:15).

What does this mean?

Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz explains that the tribe of Yissachar was noted for its devotion to Torah study. Yissachar "knew that rest was good" and peace of mind were necessary to master the Torah. What did he do? "He bowed his shoulder to bear" - by training himself to bear any difficulties, he was able to reach the highest levels of peace of mind in all situations.People seek peace of mind by trying to obtain physical peace, to seek comfort. This is exactly what creates so much stress and tension in people's lives. A person who becomes used to having peace of mind only when nothing is missing in his life is more inclined to be stressed by unusual circumstances. A person who seeks peace of mind by having physical comforts is similar to a person who drinks salt water to quench his thirst. For a moment it appears that he is quenching his thirst, but very soon his thirst will be stronger than ever. When a person experiences one stressful situation after the other, they add up and can become overwhelming. How can one develop peace of mind? Be aware of your ultimate goals in life - developing your character, doing acts of kindness, emulating the Almighty and cleaving to Him. When you are aware of what life is really about and keep your focus on this, you are constantly in one situation: traveling towards your goal. When you internalize this awareness you will never be overly disturbed or distressed. The person who views all life situations as a means to reach his ultimate goals experiences less stress and will be able to cope with difficulties. Soldiers are trained for battle. A prerequisite is to have peace of mind though they are in danger and in chaos. They are trained by removing all comforts - to cope with situations when all the comforts of home are missing - to ignore difficulties and to focus on their goal to win. Likewise, for peace of mind, we need to focus on the goal and to know that physical comfort is neither the goal nor the means.

VaYechi "and He lived"Genesis 47:28-50:28       

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.

Come sit at the table

 

Once there was a Church or Assembly that instead of sitting in rows sat at a horseshoe table, now this assembly was waiting for a certain preacher to come and teach them.  

When he arrived he did not look or act in the manner that they thought he should. Some realized just who he was but others clearly did not. They all should have known him as he sent his description in a book all about him and the way of the people of the table, but it had been too long in waiting and they formed their own idea's of what he should be like and say. So because of disbelief they were asked to get up from the table, that left some blank seats at the table so under the preachers instructions the people at the table that were believers went out and told others about their new preacher, so any that would believe were invited to the great table and joined the group. If some had not left the table there would have been no empty seats...The new group at the table learned the way of the table from the book the preacher had sent and testimony of what the preacher had said while he was among them. The preacher warned the newcomers not to speak against or about those that had left, he said  just before he would return they would believe and be grafted back in among them. Once at the table they were taught the way of the preacher and the way of those already at the table. Those that came were grafted in among the others.

 

The Preacher had to go on to prepare even a greater table for those at the table were to tell others about him and graft them in also. Some of the new comers tried to form their own way after the preacher left trying to create their own church or assembly, in fact they even spoke badly of the original assembly and created their own way even changing the meaning of the very words the preacher taught while he was among them, in fact they changed the book he sent or in some case threw it away. It was the time just before the return of the preacher, the ones that had been cast out because of non-belief, looked back at the table how it had grown, they realized that truly the preacher that they had been waiting had indeed came and was about to come again, so they repented and were invited back to the table or rather grafted back in. Now along the same time many of those who had followed the new assembly realized that what they had been taught for generations was indeed an untruth, so they repented and were called back to the table or rather grafted back in, you see they had not realized that their forefathers had been broken off.

 

The preacher returned to take everyone that had accepted his way back to the great table he had prepared for them. Some that had formed there own way came running back to him saying, we have been waiting and doing all these things in your name, but he said get away from be as you do not know the way of the table, the way of the book I sent and my teachings. So they were cast away. Now all those that were now seated at the original table were invited to come sit at the Great Table he had prepared for them.

 

Let those with ears hear....

In His Perfect Peace, Pastor Dan Catlin

Messiah's Branch Jan. 5, 2009

 

 

 

Mission Update: 

Proverbs 16:4-6

⁴ The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. ⁵ Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. ⁶ By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

Shalom In Yeshua Messiah, I pray you all are well warm and in His Will. In December we made 230 food boxes and continue to make 18 to 42 everyday we open. I need to find a source where I can buy meat products cheap enough for the food boxes. It adds up quick even at cheap prices in November I spent 1150.00 at the food bank and December 658.12 I know Yahweh will provide no matter what. I just placed an order today that will probley be around 200 and I have 100 of that but need the rest. PRAY ABOUT SUPPORTING the FOOD BOX program so we can continue to offer boxes to the poor.

I managed to pay all bills due up to Jan 9^th but I have three due the and several due the following week and Radio still needs paid. You should be receiving the newsletter by Friday it went out late Tuesday night. This was a double issue due to very low funds in December. I'm gonna close for now cause I have to make it to office Depo before they close to get the prison weekly out for this week. Please pray about helping these works and Be blessed we love you all keep us in Prayer……….

Shalom B'Shem Yeshua HaMashiach

    Peace in the Name of Yeshua, the Messiah

&Mark 9:23,10:27

 " THE Truth will set you FREE"  Y