וַיֵּשֶׁב‎‎
Vayeshev / And He Settled
Genesis 37:1-40:23
Amos 2:6-3:8
Acts 7:9-16 

     The deception and drama within the family of Jacob continues in this parsha as sibling jealousy and rivalry is at its worst.  Vayeshev begins with a dream and a coat, both of which would be the root of Joseph ending up in Egypt. 
     Joseph caused his own demise by plaguing the brothers with his arrogance as he boldly told them of his dream in Genesis 37:5-7. But the colorful tunic was a gift from Jacob, and it was an obvious sign of parental favoritism. 
     The Torah states that Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons because ‘he had been born to him in his old age’ -Genesis 37:3. But, Jacob simply transferred his favoritism and deep love from Rachel onto Joseph
     The mere sight of this coat served as a constant prodding to the brothers. In addition, there were the bad reports Joseph brought to his father about his brothers.    In Genesis 37:4 the Torah states: ‘But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.’  In Hebrew: ‘When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him, velo yachlu dabro le-shalom.’ Literally it means, “they could not speak him to peace.”
     The hate that built up in the brother’s heart towards Joseph eventually came to a boiling point. They could no longer hide their jealousy and hate. They could not speak with peace to him, and instead first plotted to kill then decided to sell their brother; Genesis 37:18-28.
    The brothers, caught in a web of deception tricked Jacob into thinking Joseph was dead, as the coat for the favorite child was now stained with blood and lies, Genesis 37:31-32.  The garment was used for fraudulent evidence that led Jacob to believe his son was dead.
     Genesis 38 continues with deception as Tamar uses a garment to deceive Judah, Genesis 38:14-16. In Genesis 38:26 Judah realizes his fault and her righteousness. Twins are born, with the second being born first, Genesis 38:27-30, eventually assuming a role in authority as Matthew 1:3-6 states part of the genealogy of the Messiah. 
    In Genesis 39:7-10 we begin to see a shift in the character of Joseph. He is no longer the self-absorbed favorite, but rather a servant soon to be cast in prison. By denying his masters wife, and staying true to his master, he unleashed her rage. In Genesis 39:16-18 a garment again is used for deception.
    Garments represent identity, righteousness, status, authority, transformation, mourning and deception. The Hebrew word for garment is, beged, which is linked to bagad, meaning treachery, which can thus link clothing to deceit.
     Vayeshev ends with dreams in Genesis 40:1-19. The true prophecy of the dreams, a death and a false promise, Genesis 40:20-23. 
     Vayeshev is really about speech, as Genesis 37:4 stated that to speak with peace was absent. What causes speech to sink into darkness?  Ego. Ego begets jealousy and jealousy is the beginning of the end. 
     Through speech the seasons of our lives and inner hidden goals are revealed, as the garments hid the agendas. Speech reveals the garment one is wearing.  Statements reveal the root of our character, that can be hidden – for a season. 
    Speech and garments can be one and the same.  There are the garments of praise, Isaiah 61:3.  And the garments of deception and disguise, as Vayeshev reveals. There was another coat of many colors that represented a king’s daughter, revenge and death in 2Samuel 13:1-28. Mordechi wore a royal garment, Esther 8:15. A garment for covering, Genesis 9:23.  The priestly garments of Exodus 28, and the garment of Yeshua, John 19:23-24. And garments for deception, Genesis 27:13-19, and Zechariah 13:1-6 which is the prophetic robe of deception.
     Flattery is a form of speech, a metaphor for a glittery garment, which Torah warns against. Proverbs 29:5, Proverbs 26:24-28, Romans 16:18, Psalm 36:2, Psalm 55:20-21. 
      There is a difference between a compliment and flattery. A compliment is real, directed towards the person or item, as in ‘your song/teaching/meal/food/gift, etc was good/nice/helpful, etc’. It is authentic and real. Flattery usually inserts an I or a Me into the compliment which then becomes about the giver rather than the receiver. Flattery is insincere and self-serving. Flattery is often a disguise for flattery of the giver, as this Torah portion revealed with Joseph flattered himself regarding the dreams about his brothers.  There is always a motive and unlike genuine encouragement, flattery is manipulative. 
     Compliments usually come as a singular form; there is no addition or preset. Whereas with flattery there can be a precursor of anger, jealousy, or undermining, then the flattery drips. 
     Words as garments and garments as words reveal the hidden nature, whether for peace or not. Yeshua speaks of this in Matthew 12:35 and Matthew 15:18-20. 
      Proverbs 16:23-24 states that kind words are like honey. ‘The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.  Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.’
 

‎VaYeshev/And He Settled
Genesis 37:1-40:23
HafTorah Portion Amos 2:6-3:8
Brit Chadasha Acts 7:9-16

     Vayeshev is known for dreams. Dreams that Joseph had and dreams in Genesis 40 of the baker and the butler while in prison. Torah portion Miketz continues with the dreams of Pharoah   God uses dreams to impose His will, to lead, to warn, to prophesize, to rebuke, and to guide.  In Genesis 20:3 God came to Abimelek in a dream regarding Sarah.  Daniel 1:17 says that Daniel could understand visions and dreams. In Genesis 42:9 Joseph remembers his dreams and accuses his brothers of being spies. God is against false dreams as stated in Jeremiah 23:32, and in Numbers 12:6 God tells us that He reveals Himself through dreams.
     God assures Joseph in a dream in Matthew 1:20-23 not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. In Matthew 2:12 God warns the wise men not to return to Herod, and warns Joseph in Matthew 2:13 to flee to Egypt with Mary and Yeshua. This dream and journey fulfilled Hosea 11:1. Joel 2:28 is a prophecy for His people, and Daniel 7:13-14 is a dream about the Messiah. 
     Vayeshev is also known for the disguises and deception.  Tamar used a disguise to seduce Judah in Genesis 38:14-15.  Disguises were used for gain, and also for deceit. In 1 Samuel 21:12-15 David is fleeing from Saul and runs into a servant, disguising himself as a madman to avoid the King of Gath. In 1 Kings 22:30, the King of Israel disguises himself to go into battle. Rebecca disguises Jacob in Genesis 27:15-23.  Joseph disguised himself in Genesis 42:7.  
     Garments were also used to promote and deceive.
     Jacob’s coat has often been described as ‘a coat of many colors’, the Biblical text “ktonet passim’, has been translated as “a long colorful coat”, or “an ornamented tunic”.  Clearly it was something special, unusual, and meant to differentiate Joseph from his brothers.  The favor of this garment gave Joseph an identity as the favored son, adding to the jealousy of the brothers. 
           The garment was used to deceive Jacob. Before throwing Joseph into the pit, his brothers stripped him of his coat, thus removing his identity as the favored son.  It was the symbolism of the coat that the brothers wanted to destroy as well as Joseph.  To deceive Jacob, they dipped the coat in blood in Genesis 37:31-32; ‘Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?”  
     The deception was complete when Jacob was presented with the coat. By allowing Jacob to connect the coat with Joseph, such as if the coat was bloody, then so must Joseph be; that became the deception.   Fraudulent evidence led Jacob to the wrong conclusion.  The brothers had deceived Jacob. He tears his garments, a symbol of grief, and puts on sackcloth. 
     Tamar used garments to deceive Judah.  She doesn’t lie verbally but allows her clothing to lie for her.  The clothing becomes her identity. Her deception begins as the fraudulent evidence led Judah to perceive her as a harlot.
     In Genesis 39:11-18 Potiphar’s wife lusts after Joseph, then uses the garment to frame Joseph and deceive her husband.  
     Fraudulent evidence is fabricated, forged, and tainted evidence which all leads to deception to sway an outcome. 
     Leviticus 19:11: ‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.’ And Proverbs 20:17 ‘Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.’
     Deception is a snare either by listening or doing.  2 Corinthians 11:13-15 warns us of disguises, ‘For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Messiah. ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.’
     We can disguise ourselves by deceiving ourselves, by pretending to be something that we are not. We can pretend to be ‘holy’ disguising ourselves in garments of righteousness, or portray ourselves as loving and kind, but underneath, our heart is wicked, and our ego reigns. The outcome becomes our desire instead of the will of Abba. 
     Jeremiah 17:9 ‘The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?’ 1 Corinthians 3:18 ‘Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.’ Galatians 6:3 ‘For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.’ James 1:22-23 ‘But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. James 1:26, ‘If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.’ 1 John 1:8 ‘If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.’ 1 John 1:6 ‘If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth…’ 1 Corinthians 15:33 ‘Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Galatians 6:7 ‘Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.’ Deuteronomy 11:16 ‘Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them.’
     The month of December seems to be a season of deception. Prominent Bible Scholars run ads proclaiming the birth of ‘Christ’ on December 25^th.   Parents bring Santa into their homes or take their children to meet and greet the imposter in the red.  Trees are cut down, bought or purchased online in a box and set up in homes, decorated in complete defiance or blissful ignorance of Jeremiah 10:1-5. 
     For those that walk within the guidelines of Torah and Yeshua, this season grieves the spirit. It’s not the false date of His birth, the music, the tree, or even the Santa; it’s the lie that it all represents. Concerning the very foundation of the holiday, many realize that Christmas is an attempt to disguise old pagan winter solstice observances in honor of mythological “gods” (whom Scripture states as detestable and demons in Deuteronomy 32:16-17 and 1 Corinthians 10:18-22.) Most encyclopedias explain the decorations and traditions of mistletoe, holly wreaths, tree worship, gift-giving, and caroling, as having pagan backgrounds. Such symbols and practices were merely given new labels in the form of disguises and deception, covered in a garment of warm fuzzy memories. 
Numbers 23:19 ‘God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?’
Titus 1:2 ‘…in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began…’
Hebrews 6:18 ‘That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.’
Proverbs 12:22 ‘Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are His delight.’
     Truth is in the Torah, truth is Yeshua. May we follow and live in truth.