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2. The 3rd Torah Portion Reading 3rd reading in the Book of Genesis
Lech Lecha
Lech Lecha
“Go forth yourself”
The 3rd Torah Portion Reading
3rd reading in the Book of Genesis
Genesis 12:1 – 17:27
Isaiah 40:27 – 41:16
Matthew 1:1-17

3. The Shadows of the Messiah Selected Titles of Messiah
Lech Lecha
The Shadows of the Messiah
Selected Titles of Messiah
• Son of Abraham Matthew 1:1
• Seed of Abraham Galatians 3:16
• King of Righteousness Hebrews 7:2
• King of Peace Hebrews 7:2
• King of Jerusalem Hebrews 7:2
• Priest in the Order of Melchizedek Hebrews 5:10
• The Sojourner Genesis 15:13
• The Torch Isaiah 62: 1

4. Before Abraham was Born
Son of Abraham
Before Abraham was Born
John 8: Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
In Abraham's day the entire world practiced idolatry, but somehow Abraham recognized his Creator.
God chose Abraham out of the sea of humanity two thousand years before the birth of Yeshua. He chose Him to be the father of the Jewish people and the father of the line of Messiah. This explains why the Messiah is called the "Son of Abraham," i.e., Ben Avraham, at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. According to Paul's teachings, the Messiah is the "Seed of Abraham.” God chose a childless man married to a barren woman to become the father of the Messiah, the father of the Jewish people, and the father of many nations.
Jesus then affirmed His superiority over the prophets and Abraham. Abraham came into being; but when he was born, Jesus was already existing. I Am is a title of Deity (cf. Ex. 3:14; Isa. 41:4; 43:11-13; John 8:28); the Jews’ response (v. 59) showed they understood it that way. Jesus, because of His equality with God (5:18; 20:28; Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9), existed from all eternity (John 1:1).
I am is the ego ami, the voice from the burning bush, the answer to the question who shall I say sent me, tell them I am sent you.

5. Son of Abraham When Abraham was Born
Genesis 11: And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
Since Abraham's destiny was wrapped up in Messiah (the Seed of Abraham, we should expect to find that the story of Abraham foreshadows Messiah. The Talmud teaches that the deeds of the forefathers are portents for the children. This means that the things that happened to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob prophetically forecast the things that would happen to the Jewish people. This same principle applies to Messiah, the ultimate son of Abraham. The things that befell Abraham prophetically forecast the story of Messiah. Remember for the Jewish Rabbis prophecy is pattern.
As the forerunner of Messiah, Abraham's life foreshadows many aspects of Messiah.
Disciples of Yeshua will recognize that the story of the birth of the Messiah shares several details with the legend of the birth of Abraham.

6. Call of Abraham
Genesis 12: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

7. Call of Abraham
Genesis 11: And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
(Acts 7:2-4) 2And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. 4Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

8. Abraham’s Disobedience
Abram did not fully obey he took his father (from thy father's house) and he took Lot his (kindred). Lot became the proverbial albatross around the neck of Abram.
Abram didn’t move out west he moved up north. M It would be about 25 years before Abram obeyed God.

9. Abraham’s Disobedience
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Hebrews 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
It is interesting that Abraham gave land to Lot that was given to Abraham from God as his inheritance. Abraham lost land given to him through disobedience.

10. Seven Blessings Plus One
Son of Abraham
Seven Blessings Plus One
1. I will make you a great nation.
2. I will bless you.
3. I will make your name great.
4. You shall be a blessing.
5. I will bless those who bless you.
6. The one who curses you I will curse.
7. In you all the families of the earth will be
blessed. (Genesis 12:2- 3)
8. To your descendants I will give this land.
(Genesis 12:7)

11. Seven Blessings Plus One
Son of Abraham
Seven Blessings Plus One
I will make you a great nation.
Genesis 12:2 2 And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee,
and make thy name great; and thou shalt
be a blessing:
Even if we counted only the Jewish people. we would have to concede that God has made Abraham a great nation. What other nation has survived against such terrible odds. made such great contributions to society, and thrived through so many centuries? The Jewish people. however, are not the only nation that looks to Abraham's patrimony. The Arab world also calls Abraham father. adding many millions to the ranks through Ishmael. More than these. the followers of Jesus. the Seed of Abraham. have become as uncountable as the stars of heaven.
They have joined themselves to Abraham's legacy by practicing the faith of Abraham, and through the Messiah, they have become children of Abraham. The Messiah has become a great nation. In the Messianic Era, all nations will be one great kingdom under the great nation of Israel and King Messiah.

12. Seven Blessings Plus One
Son of Abraham
Seven Blessings Plus One
I will bless you.
Genesis 12:2 2 And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee,
and make thy name great; and thou shalt
be a blessing:
Both the natural children of Abraham and the spiritual children of Abraham inherit the blessing: "I will bless you." Through the agency of Messiah, God bestows grace and blessing upon Abraham's seed. God blesses them with every spiritual blessing, as Paul says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Master Yeshua Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Messiah“ (Ephesians 1:3).
As a son of Abraham, Yeshua inherited the blessing that God bestowed on Abraham. He is both the recipient of the blessing and the agent of the blessing. This can be compared to the priests that lift their hands and bless Israel with the priestly blessing. As they do, they also bless themselves because the priests are part of Israel.

13. Seven Blessings Plus One
Son of Abraham
Seven Blessings Plus One
3. I will make your name great.
Genesis 12:2 2 And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee,
and make thy name great; and thou shalt
be a blessing:
God has magnified Abraham's name and made it great. The name of Abraham is famous throughout the world. The Almighty has made Abraham famous primarily through Abraham's most famous son, Yeshua of Nazareth. Christianity has spread monotheism, the Bible, and even the name of Abraham to the whole world. Though Muslims might not want to admit it, even Islam sprouted from a cross-pollination of Christianity and Judaism.

14. Seven Blessings Plus One
Son of Abraham
Seven Blessings Plus One
4. You shall be a blessing.
Genesis 12:2 2 And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee,
and make thy name great; and thou shalt
be a blessing:
Abraham brings blessing to the entire world in that his faith has introduced humanity to the one, true God. Moreover, through Abraham and his seed, the Messiah has come into the world, bringing the light of salvation to all mankind.
Messiah brings blessing to the world in that the grace afforded through Messiah makes it possible for all men to be reconciled to the God of Abraham: "In order that in the Messiah Yeshua the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14).

15. Seven Blessings Plus One
Son of Abraham
Seven Blessings Plus One
5. I will bless those who bless you.
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Those who do kindness and goodness to the Jewish people, the legal descendants of Abraham, receive blessing from God.
The Almighty blesses those who show the Jewish people kindness as if they paid a kindness to Yeshua Himself.
Anyone who receives one of the Master's disciples receives Him, and anyone who visits a kindness upon even the least of Yeshua's disciples will not lose his reward.
Matthew 10:41-42 (KJV) Mt 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

16. Seven Blessings Plus One
Son of Abraham
Seven Blessings Plus One
6. The one who curses you I will curse.
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Those who curse the children of Abraham find themselves under the curse of God. Similarly, those who curse the true Messiah of Israel find themselves accursed.
Matthew 25:40-41 (KJV) Mt 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

17. Seven Blessings Plus One
Son of Abraham
Seven Blessings Plus One
7. In you all the families of the earth will be
blessed.
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and : and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
All the families of the earth find blessing in Abraham in that, within the faith of Abraham, all mankind can find salvation and the knowledge of the LORD.
What does it mean that "all families of the earth will be blessed" in Abraham? The Talmud explains that it refers to Gentiles who are grafted in to Abraham.
Paul calls Yeshua the "Seed of Abraham." In Messiah, the ultimate Seed of Abraham, believers from the nations can be grafted into Abraham's family. Paul says, "If you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise" (Galatians 3:29) . In the Messiah,
all the families of the earth are blessed.

18. Seven Blessings Plus One
Son of Abraham
Seven Blessings Plus One
8. To your descendants I will give this land.
Genesis 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
The LORD promised to give the Land of Israel to Abraham's seed, that is, to his legal descendants, the people of Israel, as their inheritance. This is why it is called "the promised land.
The Torah refers to Canaan as "the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance" (Deuteronomy 24:4). This promise is not limited to Israel in the past: this is also a promise for the Jewish people today and in the future.

19. Righteous Lot
Genesis 13:1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
2 Peter 2: And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
Abraham brought his nephew Lot along with him on his journey to Canaan. Abraham and Lot had their own herds and flocks and their own shepherds and servants. As their flocks grew, so did tensions between the two men. Limited water supplies, particularly in the arid Negev regions and the wilderness of Judah, led to conflict between Lot's shepherds and Abraham's shepherds. Abraham chose to end the conflict by parting ways with Lot. He gave Lot the first choice of the land, and Lot chose to live in the fertile plains of Sodom.
Lot does not come across as a paragon of moral virtue. He chose the most fertile land for himself, and he chose to live among the wicked and sensually depraved people of Sodom.
Why does the Torah tell us the stories about Lot? Those stories relate the origin of the Moabites and the Ammonites, two peoples who became tied into the genealogy of Messiah. Boaz of Judah married Ruth the Moabitess, and King Solomon married Naamah the Ammonitess. This means that part of the line of Messiah stems from Lot, and Lot is an ancestor of Yeshua.

20. Righteous Lot
Genesis 14:12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
Genesis 14:13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
Genesis 14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
Use of brother’s son – nephew and then the use of brother
Abram the Hebrew (ʿib̠r Gen. 14:13) was now recognized as a clan leader. This is the first occurrence in the Bible of the word “Hebrew.” Though the term “Hebrew” is not to be equated with the later group of marauding soldiers known as the “Habiru,” it may be etymologically related. In fact Abram’s military activity in this chapter shows that this meaningful designation fits. He was thus a force to be reckoned with among the nations.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

21. The Wars of the Lord
Genesis 14: And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
The prophets say that when the Messiah comes, He will fight the wars of the LORD by defeating the enemies of Israel and rescuing the Jewish people from their hands. "Prom His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations“ (Revelation 19:15). He will defeat the enemies of the LORD, striking down Gog and the armies of Magog at Armageddon. The Torah tells a story about Abraham that seems to foreshadow the wars of Messiah. Abraham’s war with the four kings alludes to the redemption.
Abraham rescued Lot because Abraham saw that the spark of Messiah was in Lot. The Holy Spirit indicated to him that David was to go forth from him through Ruth the Moabite. Moreover, he foresaw that the line of Messiah would include Naamah the Ammonite.! The rescue of Lot alludes to the coming of the Messiah who will rescue the captives and return the exiles.

22. Melchizedek
Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
As Abraham returned from the slaughter of the kings, a local chief came out to meet him. He offered Abraham and his men provisions, and he blessed Abraham. The chief is called Melchizedek, the king of Salem.
The Torah does not tell us much about Melchizedek. We know that Melchizedek ruled as a king; he ministered as a priest of God; he ruled a city called Salem; he worshipped God Most High; he blessed Abraham, and he received tribute from Abraham. The Torah does not provide any further information beyond those few, sparse details. Like Enoch's character in Genesis 5, the mysterious Melchizedek invites embellishment, and both Jewish and Christian traditions have generously bestowed it.
The name Melchizedek means "King of Righteousness." For that reason alone the character suggests some association with the Messiah, the ultimate King of Righteousness. The prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 23:5, spoke of the coming Messiah as the King who will accomplish righteousness:
Melchizedek was not a personal name. It seems to have functioned as an honorific, enthronement title, like the name Abimelech (Father of a King). We do not know the personal name of the Melchizedek who met Abraham in Genesis 14. Similarly, the word Messiah (i.e., Christ) functions as a title, not a personal name. The Bible refers to any king over Israel as "messiah“ (anointed one). In the same way that we call Yeshua
the Messiah, one might call Him the Melchizedek. He is the King of Righteousness.

23. Melchizedek and the Kingdom
Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Jewish eschatology teaches that in the Messianic Era, the Messiah will host a great banquet in Jerusalem. The resurrected righteous will sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the meaning of the passage that says, "[Abraham) was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10).
In Genesis 14, he received a foretaste of that great Jerusalem banquet as the king of righteousness came out from Jerusalem and set a table of "bread and wine" before Abraham and his men. Bread and wine allude to the Last Seder at which the Master broke the unleavened bread and
shared the cup, declaring a remembrance of Himself. At that meal, the Master promised His disciples that He would take the Passover meal and the cup again with them at the banquet in the kingdom of God.

24. Bread and Wine Law of First Mention – profound significance
Matt 26:26 Jesus identifies bread as His Body (Type)
Matt 26:28 Jesus identifies wine as His Blood (Type)
Gen 40:1-4 Baker and Wine Steward are put in jail
with Joseph – dreams with three days etc.
Boaz offers bread and wine to Ruth (Ruth 2:14)
Ecc 9:7 eat bread with joy, drink wine with a merry
heart
Isa 36:17 Israel is the “land of bread and vineyards”
Passover meal – bread and wine
Melchizedek and the patriarchs may have understood
the doctrine of atonement

25. Was Melchizedek Yeshua?
Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
It is easy to see why many believers have concluded that Me1chizedek was a pre-incarnate appearance of Yeshua in the Old Testament, but there are some problems with this idea.
Notice that the Torah states that Me1chizedek really was the king over the city of Salem. This implies a real government over that Jebusite city. Was Messiah really a Canaanite king, ruling over the Jebusites for a generation or so, sometime in the distant past? The Torah does not actually indicate that Melchizedek was anything but a normal human being. The writer of the book of Hebrews never states that Me1chizedek is Messiah or that Messiah is Melchizedek. Instead, he carefully drafts an argument that places Messiah in the priesthood of Me1chizedek. Regarding
Melchizedek's supposed immortality, he says that Melchizedek was "made like the Son of God" and therefore "he remains a priest perpetually" (Hebrews 7:3). He did not say that Me1chizedek "is the Son of God." The writer of Hebrews says Melchizedek had no ancestry. Messiah, on the other hand, comes from the house of David and the tribe of Judah: "For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah“ (Hebrews 7:14).
According to the writer of the book of Hebrews,
Messiah is not Me1chizedek; instead He is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. He is "another priest ... according to the likeness ofMelchizedek" (Hebrews 7: 15). The Messiah did not enter that priesthood on the basis of his ancestry but on the criteria of an indestructible
life:
The Me1chizedek character who met Abraham in Genesis 14 probably was not Yeshua of Nazareth in disguise in the Old Testament. Nevertheless, the enigmatic Melchizedek of Genesis 14 definitely foreshadowed the coming Messiah, the King of Righteousness, the King of Peace, and the King of Jerusalem.

26. Abraham’s Belief
Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
The Apostle Paul taught that Abraham is the father of all "who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham" (Romans 4: 12). In other words, if we have the faith of Abraham, we are reckoned as spiritual sons of Abraham. What is the faith of Abraham? Genesis 15:6 says, "Then [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.“ The faith of Abraham is faith in God and faith in His promises. Abraham believed God when He said, "One who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir" (Genesis 15:4).
According to Paul's interpretation, the faith of Abraham includes faith in the Messiah. When we believe in the Seed of Abraham (Messiah), even as
Abraham believed God's promise, we participate in Abraham's faith.

27. The Torch
Genesis 15:17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
Isaiah 62:1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
Burning lamp = torch
The Torch (lappid,) is a title for Messiah,
The LORD appeared to Abraham as like the blazing fire of a torch and the billowing smoke of an oven.
At the end of each Sabbath, during the ritual of Havdalah, we remember the death and resurrection of the Messiah by extinguishing the Torch (lappidJ in the wine.

28. From Abram to Abraham
Genesis 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Genesis 17:15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
Abram means "exalted father." Abraham means "father of many."
In the Bible name-changes signify a change in status or destiny. God named all of the patriarchs. He renamed Abram as Abraham. He named Isaac
before his conception. He renamed Jacob as Israel.
Paul taught that the God-fearing Gentile believers from the nations became "sons of Abraham" by faith in Yeshua, the Seed of Abraham, and therefore, Abraham became a father of many nations through them.
The LORD changed Sarai's name from Sarai "meaning my princess," to "Sarah “ which is the fuller feminine form of "princess." Rashi explains that Sarai was a term of endearment, akin to "my little princess" whereas "Sarah" indicated royalty akin to "princess" or "governess“ without any limiting modifier:

29. From Abram to Abraham Abram to Abraham Sarai to Sarah
Both names were changed by adding the ra.
Ra is the short form of Ruch a cadasch or the Holy Spirit.
It is the ruch = the breath or wind
The he, is the sound of a breath and is associated with the Holy Spirit. There may be a connection with God filling Abraham with the Holy Spirit and putting the Holy Spirit in his name. It is interesting to look at the names of God, and see that abba means Father, a familiar term. Ab, Ben, Ruch a cadasch – The words for Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This may be where the magic word Abracadabra originated.

30. The Signature Abraham and Ishmael are circumcised
The last words of the torah portion introduces Israel, the Hebrews, a people set apart to be the chosen ones, the blood line to the Messiah. Chasidic teaching associates these closing words with Messiah.
The last words of a Torah portion are called the "signature." One Chasidic teaching states, "Everything goes before the signature." That means that the essence of the Torah portion is contained in the last few words.
Chasidic = a sect of Jewish mystics founded in Poland about 1750, characterized by religious zeal and a spirit of prayer, joy, and charity

31. The Signature
Lech Lecha