Parashat:Vayeshev
וַיֵּשֶׁב
“And [Jacob] Dwelt”
Gen 37:1-40:23
Genesis 37:1–4; Genesis 38:27–30; Matthew 1:3–6
4 Women listed in the Genealogy of Matthew
- Tamar (who seduced the father of her late husband)
- Rahab – a prostitute
- Ruth a Moabitess
- And the wife of Uriah – Bathsheba, an adultress
“…Thus, before the “new Pharaoh” was born who would enslave Israel, the seed of the Messiah, Israel’s redeemer, was planted.”
– The Malbim
Back to the Basics – Oral Law
4 Areas of “The Basics”
א New Identity
ב Relational Habits
ג Vital Truths
ד Basic Symbols
The Word of God…
- The Scriptures
- Ben Elohim – the Son of God
The Scripture of God and the Son of God perfectly reveal God’s character and concern for you.
The Oral Law refers to all the writings made by the Sages, both Halacha (rabbinic law) and Agada (rabbinic legends and Midrash).
The destruction of the Temple Gave way to a new Judaism
Is Tradition Bad? No
Myth of the Oral Law
1. The terms: “oral law” and “rabbis” are completely absent from the Tanakh.
2. There is not even a hint of the Oral Law rulings in the Written Law.
3. There is no scriptural record of any biblical figure practicing the rules of the Oral Law
4. Scripture makes it perfectly clear, and in fact emphasizes, that the entire Torah was written down, so that it could be read aloud publicly
Exodus 24:3–4
5. The Oral Law has many quotations from the Bible, but the Bible never quotes the Mishnah or any other rabbinic literature.
6. There is no mention of the Oral Law in the apocrypha, in the Septuagint, in the Dead Sea Scrolls, or in Josephus’ writings.
Joshua 1:8; 2 Timothy 3:16
γραφὴ = graphei = writings
All writings (Scripture) are God-breathed
“If the Oral Law was not given by God to Moses – then it is an unreliable tradition, and not to be given divine authority.”
Nadler, Sam. Messianic Discipleship: Following Yeshua, Growing in Messiah
1 Kings 2:3; 2 Peter 3:15–16; John 20:30–31
“The Jewish Scriptures make it clear: there was not then, nor is there today, any Oral Law from Moses. The Oral Law are traditions of men, and should not be compared in authority to the written Word of God.”
Nadler, Sam. Messianic Discipleship: Following Yeshua, Growing in Messiah
The written Word of God (both Covenants) proves the validity of your faith in Yeshua.