Readings: June 14, 2025

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.

Readings

• Genesis 35:9–36:43
• Isaiah 43:1–7
• Matthew 11:25–30

Corresponding reading in the 1-year cycle

Insights from the readings

Genesis 35:9–36:43; Isaiah 43:1–7; and Matthew 11:25–30 are connected through themes of identity, covenant, divine calling and rest in God’s presence.

1. Covenantal identity & calling
   • In Genesis 35, God reaffirms Jacob’s name as Israel and renews His covenant promise to make a nation from him.
   • In Isaiah 43, God says, “I have called you by name, you are Mine,” echoing Jacob’s renaming and showing that Israel’s identity is rooted in God’s purpose.
   • In Matthew 11, Yeshua affirms the Father’s sovereign revelation and extends a personal invitation to find identity and rest in Him, the promised Messiah of Israel.
2. Divine presence & restoration
   • God appears to Jacob and calls him to dwell in Bethel (“House of God”), signifying divine presence and worship.
   • Isaiah assures Israel that God will be with them through fire and flood — a promise of preservation and restoration.
   • Yeshua offers rest, not just physical but spiritual—restoration of soul, echoing prophetic hope for peace through the Messiah.
3. Comfort in suffering
   • Jacob faces loss and transition in Genesis.
   • Isaiah speaks to exiles facing trials but promises redemption.
   • Yeshua’s words in Matthew speak directly to the weary and burdened, offering comfort.

Key Hebrew & Greek terms

שֵׁם shem — name

• Genesis 35:10: “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.”
• Theological insight: Naming signifies identity, purpose, and covenant destiny.
• Messianic insight: Just as Jacob is renamed Israel, Messiah redefines identity — Jew and Gentile — within the Kingdom of God (Gal. 3:28).

יִשְׂרָאֵל Yisra’el — Israel

• Derived from sarah (to strive) and El (God).
• Genesis 35:10: Israel means “one who struggles with God.”
• Messianic insight: Israel embodies the struggle and destiny of the Jewish people, through whom the Messiah would come. Yeshua is the ultimate Israelite, faithful where others faltered (Isa. 49:3–6).

גָּאַל ga’al — redeem

• Isaiah 43:1: “I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.”
• Used in Exodus and Ruth for deliverance and kinship.
• Messianic insight: Yeshua is our Goel (kinsman-redeemer), fulfilling Isaiah’s vision of redemption (Luke 24:21; Titus 2:14).

ἀναπαύω anapauō — rest

• Matthew 11:28: “I will give you rest.”
• Reflects Sabbath peace (Shabbat shalom) and eternal spiritual rest.
• Messianic insight: Yeshua offers the true Sabbath rest promised in the Torah (Hebrews 4:9–10), fulfilling both physical and spiritual rest in the Messiah.

עִמָּנוּ אֵל Immanu El — God with us

• Echoed in Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23.
• Relevance: Isaiah 43 and Genesis 35 show God’s presence with His people.
• Messianic insight: This is fulfilled in Yeshua, literally Immanu El (John 1:14).

Lessons

God’s covenant is unbreakable

Even amid human failure (Jacob, exile), God remains faithful.

The Messiah is the guarantor of this new and everlasting covenant (Jer. 31:31–34; Luke 22:20). Yeshua doesn’t replace Israel but fulfills God’s promises to her.

God redeems with intimacy

“I have called you by name” shows God’s personal relationship with His people.

Yeshua mirrors this in Matthew 11, knowing the Father and inviting others into that intimacy.

Identity transformed through encounter

Jacob’s name change symbolizes inner transformation.

Messianic believers experience renewed identity (Romans 8:15–17) through Yeshua.

Messiah brings true rest

Not just physical or political relief, but soul-level peace (Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 11:29).

This aligns with the Jewish expectation of the Messianic Age bringing shalom.

Exile and shuv (to return)

Isaiah’s promise of regathering prefigures both the physical return to the land and spiritual return through Messiah — a dual fulfillment still unfolding today.

Personal calling and teshuvah (a returning, repentance)

The calling “by name” in Isaiah mirrors Jacob’s return to Bethel. Messianic Jews see this as a call for Jewish people to return both to God and to Messiah.

Yeshua as the Living Torah

His invitation in Matthew 11 is seen as the heart of Torah — offering rest, mercy and a “yoke” (discipleship) that teaches us how to walk in God’s ways (Matthew 5:17–20).

Studies

Transformed by struggle: God’s refining process (Genesis 32; James 1; Obadiah)

Jeff May 31, 2025

This study explores spiritual growth through struggle, using biblical examples like Jacob’s wrestling with the divine messenger and apostle James’ instructions for encountering and conquering difficulties in life. The key themes include trusting God during trials, maintaining faith amid challenges, and understanding that struggles refine our character. These passages highlight how believers in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah are transformed through perseverance, seeking wisdom and clinging to God’s promises, ultimately preparing for the fullness of redemption.

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Price of passivity: Jacob, David & the consequences of inaction (Genesis 34)

Jeff December 2, 2023

This study on Torah reading וַיִּשְׁלַח Vayishlach (“he sent,” Gen. 32:3–36:43) discusses the importance of living according to God’s will and obeying His laws. The biblical lessons of biblical stories of Dinah, Jacob, Simeon/Levi, Esau and King David teach us that the Body of Messiah must beware of toxic elements in the community. There are disastrous consequences to the spiritual health of individuals and the community of ignoring evil within and shirking personal responsibility for competently and lovingly dealing with it.

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Torah reading Vayishlach (וישלח): Genesis 32:3–36:43

Hallel Fellowship November 25, 2023

In Torah section וַיִּשְׁלַח Vayishlach (“he sent,” Gen. 32:3–36:43), Ya’akov is back at Beit ’El, this time wrestling with Heaven over blessing. He buries the hatchet with his brother, yet two of his sons bury their hatchets into townsmen to avenge their ravaged sister. These three hardly have the makings of “pillars” of the people of Holy One of Yisra’el, right? Not as they are but as they would be after “conversion.” Have you ever wrestled with your desire to do something that deep down you know you shouldn’t? “Conversion” sometimes get so spiritualized that what’s actually happening to you…

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When divisiveness is toxic to the people of God but essential to humanity’s survival (Genesis 32–36; 1Corinthians 5)

Jeff December 10, 2022

God hates divorce — schism in what should be a supportive whole. But Heaven also brings division to separate truth from falsehood — good from bad — for the sake of all humanity. That’s a key lesson from the Torah reading וַיִּשְׁלַח Vayishlach (“and He sent,” Genesis 32:4–36:43) that shows why those who live like Eysau (Esau) can’t be part of the legacy of Israel: Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus).

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Why the Way to the Kingdom of God is both open-armed and divisive (Genesis 32–33; Romans 8)

Daniel November 20, 2021

One would think that a direct encounter with Heaven would have made Ya’akov (Jacob), an ancient founder of Israel, more bold in how he acted in life. But what we see recorded in the Torah reading וַיִּשְׁלַח Vayishlach (“and he sent,” Gen. 32:3–36:43) looks more like fear than faith. After all, he sent his stuff and those closest to him on ahead in a meeting with his enraged brother Esau. But one key lesson from this division and many others in the Bible is why God separates the righteous and the wicked. Yet we learn from the Prophets, Gospels and Apostles…

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Reconcile by your actions, not just words (Genesis 32–33; Obadiah; Matthew 5)

Daniel December 5, 2020

“Love is a verb.” That couldn’t be truer than in the Hebrew of the Bible. And we see that lived out in Jacob’s heartfelt and wallet-open reconciliation with his brother, Esau, as recorded in the Torah section וישלח Vayishlach (“he sent,” Genesis 32:3–36:43). This study will explore the parallels with the teachings on reconciliation by Yeshua (Jesus) in the Sermon on the Mount and the prophetic warnings about unforgiveness that echo down to the Day of the LORD in Revelation 18.

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Genesis 32–33; Hosea 11–12: Sick of the false allure of the temporary?

Jeff December 14, 2019

The Torah reading וַיִּשְׁלַח Vayishlach (“and he sent,” Gen. 32:4-36:43) gives us an active example of what the apostle Paul calls the “ministry of reconciliation” (2Cor. 5:18). What we see in Jacob and Esau is a profound message for us today, buried amongst sibling rivalry. We should strive to live at peace with everyone, but there still must be a division between the Kingdom of the Eternal and the Kingdom of the Temporary. God wants everyone to leave the Kingdom of the Temporary and join Him in the Kingdom of the Eternal, because the Kingdom of the Temporary will be…

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Genesis 32:3–36:43: How to wrestle with and wait on God together joyfully

Jeff November 24, 2018

The LORD sends us into the world to be His ambassadors (2Cor. 5:20) and part of the kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:5–6; 1Pet. 2:9–10; Rev. 5:9–10). Will we go? Will we face challenges of our own making or ones that are out of our control? Division is toxic to the Kingdom of God. How are we living this out? In this study of the Torah reading וישלח Vayishlach (Genesis 32:3–36:43), we will go over a few of Yeshua’s parables that will make Ya’akov’s WWE match with the Angel of the LORD look logical. We will learn more about how God teaches us. We have been…

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Genesis 32:3–36:43: Peace on Earth depends on a transformed you

Jeff December 2, 2017

The LORD sends us into the world to be His ambassadors and part of the kingdom of priests. Will we go? How will we face challenges of our own making or ones that are out of our control? There will be times when we reap the consequences of our behavior and times we are victims of injustice inflicted on us. In scenarios, we need to look to the only one who can give us wisdom to react to those situations. That’s one lesson threaded through the Torah reading וישלח Vayishlach (“[and] he sent”, Genesis 32:3–36:43). Another lesson is how division is…

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Genesis 32:4–36:43: Face up to your past, so Mashiakh can purge it

Daniel December 17, 2016

Ya’akov meets with Eysau and becomes one again with his family. From there, Ya’akov’s family has to clean out the wickedness from their household. As we see in Torah section Vayishlach (“and he sent,” Genesis 32:4–36:43), there’s messianic symbolism of the “son forever.” It points to God’s Son, the Mashiakh Yeshua, Who died in sorrow but was resurrected and sits at God’s right hand forever.

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Genesis 32:3-36:43: God has sent us, but are we going?

Jeff November 28, 2015

They were all sent: Patriarchs Abraham, Ya’akov and Yosef, prophet Moshe, Mashiakh Yeshua, apostle Peter and deacon Stephen. They were sent out with a message from the Holy One of Yisrael. So too, Yeshua has sent us to the people around us with the message that God wants reconciliation with humanity, and Yeshua’s atonement makes that happen. That’s the legacy these great figures in Scripture have passed to us. The following recorded discussion is on the Torah section Vayishlakh, which means “and He sent.” We explore the drama between Ya’akob and Eysau. It’s referred to throughout Scripture, and the conflict…

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Names of the descendants of Esau and Edom reveal Israel’s past, present, future (Genesis 36)

Richard July 20, 2013

We sometimes gloss over long lists in the Bible of hard-to-pronounce names and places. Yet the meanings of names in God’s word are part of the lessons He wants us to learn. The names in this chapter point to reasons why “Esau” and “Edom” are mentioned continually in the prophets as an adversary to Israel.

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Ya’acov returns to Beit ’El; messianic last words of Rachel (Genesis 35)

Richard July 13, 2013

We boast in our pride, we constantly demand our rights, we put our trust in our government to protect these rights, but we don’t ask God to protect us. Ya’akov (Jacob) needed to return to Beit ’El (Bethel) to fulfill the vow he had made to the LORD when he was fleeing from Esau. God protected Ya’akov and his entourage from being pursued by those who would have wanted to take revenge on Ya’akov’s family for what happened in Shechem (Genesis 34). He put a great terror on those who wanted to pursue them and convinced them to leave them alone.

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The Tragedy and Injustice of Dinah and Shechem (Genesis 33-34)

Richard July 6, 2013

Humility and loyalty are underlying teachings of Genesis 33-34. The phrase “women and children first” is held up as selfless chivalry, but it it seems Ya’akov (Jacob) wasn’t so chivalric in his sending his wives and children ahead of him toward what he thought would be his heavily armed and bloodthirsty brother, Esau. Then there’s the disaster that followed the defilement of Ya’akov’s daughter, Dinah, whose forceable conquering at the hands of a city’s “first son” led to the deaths of all the men and the enslavement of the women and children of that city by the hands of two…

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God converts Ya’akov the supplanter into Yisra’el the ruler (Genesis 32)

Richard June 29, 2013

Ya’akov (Jacob) had a conversion experience the night he wrestled with a Heavenly visitor. Not only did he receive a new name, but also he received a new “vision” for what his future would hold.

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Yaakov goes to Bethel; Rachel weeps in Raamah; sons of Esau (Genesis 35–36)

Richard August 29, 2009

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