Starting after Sukkot 2024, Hallel Fellowship switched to a three-year cycle of Torah and parallel Bible readings (2024–2027), outlined by TorahResource. While there’s ancient evidence for a triennial cycle, a major benefit is to provide more time to mine more of Scripture for lessons.
Tools for study
Readings
- Genesis 29:31–30:21
- Isaiah 60:15–18
- Romans 11:25–36
Corresponding reading in the 1-year cycle
Insights into the readings
Connections between the readings
- Genesis 29:31–30:21: Leah, though unloved, becomes the mother of six sons, including Levi and Judah, from whom the priestly and kingly lines emerge. This underscores God’s tendency to elevate the marginalized, aligning with His redemptive nature.
- Isaiah 60:15–18: The prophet envisions a restored Zion, transformed from desolation to splendor, symbolizing hope and the gathering of nations to God’s light. This restoration reflects God’s promise to glorify His people.
- Romans 11:25–36: Paul discusses the mystery of Israel’s partial hardening, leading to the inclusion of Gentiles. Ultimately, all Israel will be saved, highlighting God’s mercy and the unity of His redemptive plan.
Key Hebrew & Greek terms
רָאָה ra’ah — “saw”
- Genesis 29:31: “The LORD saw that Leah was unloved…”
- Indicates divine perception and compassion. It is often used when God initiates redemptive action (e.g., Exodus 3:7).
רַחֵם rachem — “to have compassion/mercy”
- Root of the word for “womb,” implying nurturing love.
- Isaiah 60:10 (contextually related): “In My favor I had mercy on you.”
- Demonstrates God’s covenantal love and restoration.
כָּבוֹד kavod — “glory”
- Isaiah 60:15–18: God’s glorification of Zion.
- Used throughout Isaiah to refer to divine presence and majesty (cf. Isaiah 6:3).
μυστήριον mystērion — “mystery”
- Romans 11:25: “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery…”
- Refers to a divine truth once hidden, now revealed—namely, the inclusion of the Gentiles.
πλήρωμα plērōma — “fullness”
- Romans 11:25: “Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
- Also used in Ephesians 1:10, pointing to God’s completed redemptive plan.
ἐλεός eleos — “mercy”
- Romans 11:30–32: God shows mercy to all.
- A key Pauline term linking divine grace with covenant inclusion.
ἀμεταμέλητος ametamelētos — “irrevocable”
- Romans 11:29: “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
- Emphasizes God’s unchanging commitment to His promises.
Lessons
Divine sovereignty and compassion: God chooses the unloved (Leah), the desolate (Zion), and the hardened (Israel) to show His mercy and fulfill His promises.
Reversal of fortunes:
- Leah, though rejected, becomes a matriarch of key tribes (Judah, Levi).
- Zion moves from abandoned to glorified.
- Israel’s rejection leads to Gentile inclusion, but Israel’s own future salvation remains promised.
Unity of Jews and Gentiles: Paul stresses the ultimate inclusion of all believers in God’s plan — Israel and the Gentiles are part of one olive tree (Romans 11:17–24, contextually).
Messianic meaning
Genesis 29–30
- Judah’s birth (Gen 29:35) is foundational to the Davidic and messianic line (see Matthew 1:2).
- God’s pattern of working through the rejected foreshadows Messiah’s own rejection and exaltation.
- God has compassion for Leah, the unloved wife, by granting her children, including Judah, the ancestor of King David and ultimately Messiah Yeshua. This underscores the theme that God often chooses the marginalized to fulfill His purposes.
Isaiah 60
- Zion’s glory and the nations’ pilgrimage point toward the Messianic Kingdom. It is transformed from a place of abandonment to one of eternal glory. This is a vision of the Messianic Age, where Yeshua reigns, and Jerusalem becomes a light to the nations. The passage reflects the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel and the inclusion of Gentiles in the worship of the God of Israel.
- Revelation 21:24–26 echoes Isaiah, describing nations bringing glory to the New Jerusalem.
Romans 11
- Messiah (the “Deliverer from Zion,” Rom. 11:26) is central to the plan of restoring Israel.
- Paul’s doxology (Rom. 11:33–36) affirms the incomprehensible wisdom and mercy of God through Christ.
- The partial hardening of Israel and the eventual salvation of “all Israel” affirms God’s ongoing covenant with Israel and the belief that a future, collective turning of Jewish people to Yeshua will occur. The passage emphasizes God’s mercy and the unity of Jews and Gentiles in His redemptive plan.
Studies
No place too hidden: God’s all-present mercy (Genesis 28; Ephesians 5)
Jacob’s ladder vision in Genesis 28 shows how God sees everything and desires closeness with us. Using passages from Psalms, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ephesians, this study unpacked how nothing escapes God’s sight. The key message? God isn’t just watching to judge, but wants to connect with us. The Messiah bridges Heaven and Earth, transforming us from who we were to who He wants us to be.
Unveiling Jacob’s vision: The Suffering Servant links Heaven and Earth (Genesis 28:10–32:2)
This examination of וַיֵּצֵא Vayetze (“he went out,” Gen. 28:10–32:2), we delve into the crucial significance of Jacob’s vision at Bethel and the intricate dynamics within his family, particularly the rivalry between Leah and Rachel. By drawing parallels between Jacob’s wives and the relationship of Jacob and Esau, the scriptures highlight the emotional toll of polygamy on Rachel, Leah, and Jacob himself. The comparison of Jacob’s family struggles with scriptural teachings of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) underscores the importance of leaving one’s family to establish a new union in marriage. It is evident how Esau’s and Leah’s self-deception led…
Torah reading Vayetze (ויצא): Genesis 28:10–32:2
A founding father of Israel dreams of a ladder between Heaven and Earth while snoozing in God’s house. He then visits his uncle and gets duped into marrying the oldest sister over his beloved. Then the sisters wage a fertility war, resulting in 12 sons who would be the 12 tribes of Israel. Sprinkled through these accounts in the Torah reading (parashah) וַיֵּצֵא Vayetze or Vayetzei (“he went out,” Gen. 28:10–32:2) are prophetic breadcrumbs leading to the Son of God.
Jacob’s ladder vs. Babel’s tower: Choose what’s true; reject what’s false (Genesis 28)
Ever since the beginning, people have been trying to connect with the divine, that which transcends the drudgery of the common, that which helps us divine truth from falsehood.
The account of Jacob’s ladder in the Torah reading ויצא Vayetze/Vayetzei (“he went out,” Gen. 28:10–32:2) is a foreshadowing of Heaven reaching to Earth in Immanuel (“God with us”), Who is fully realized in Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus).
All-in bets on the Kingdom of God last a lifetime
The “easy days” of being a believer in God through Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) are fast coming to an end in Western nations. But in this accelerating shift, the people of God are learning what those in repressive areas today and in centuries past have clinged to in dark times: The “death” of the old way of life helps one remain standing as comfort and security crumble around.
These are some of the key lessons in this study of the Torah passage ויצא Vayetze/Vayetzei (“he went out,” Gen. 28:10–32:2).
Living in the ladder days of Jacob’s stick-with-it deliverance (Genesis 29–31; Hosea 12–14)
In Genesis 28-31, the transformation from Jacob the deceiver to Israel the overcomer is a lifelong journey and one that the book of Revelation underscores is essential for those who enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Discover in this study of the Torah reading ויצא Vayetze how our entry into the kingdom of the Messiah calls for a lifetime journey from slavery to freedom.
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