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 48:1–49:26
- Isaiah 43:1–7
- John 16:25–33
Corresponding reading in 1-year cycle
Insights from the readings
God sovereignly chooses His people, redeems them through trials, and provides lasting hope and peace through the Messiah (Christ), Yeshua.
God’s sovereign choice
- Genesis 48–49: Jacob blesses Ephraim over Manasseh (Gen 48:14–20); Judah promised leadership (Gen 49:8–12).
- Isaiah 43:1: Israel called by name, chosen as God’s own.
- John 16:27: Disciples loved by the Father through belief in Yeshua.
- Key terms:
- בָּחַר bachar (“choose”) — Deut 7:6 “the LORD your God has chosen you”; Isa 44:1.
- ἐκλέγομαι eklegomai (“to choose”) — John 15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you”; Eph 1:4.
- Messianic insight: God’s election defies human order, fulfilled in Messiah from Judah.
- Cross references: Deut 7:6–8; Ps 135:4; Rom 9:10–13.
Redemption through suffering
- Genesis 49:23–25: Joseph’s trials preserve Israel.
- Isaiah 43:2: Israel passes through “waters and fire” but God is present.
- John 16:33: Yeshua warns of tribulation yet offers peace.
- Key terms:
- גָּאַל ga’al (“redeem”) — Isa 43:1 “I have redeemed you”; Ruth 4:14 “Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer.”
- θλῖψις thlipsis (“tribulation/pressure”) — John 16:33 “In the world you will have tribulation”; Acts 14:22 “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom.”
- Messianic insight: Messiah redeems through His own suffering; His people endure but are not consumed.
- Cross references: Exod 6:6; Isa 53:4–5; 2 Cor 4:8–10.
Promise of the Redeemer
- Genesis 49:10: Judah’s ruler brings obedience of nations.
- Isaiah 43:5–7: God gathers and redeems His scattered people.
- John 16:28: Yeshua declares He came from the Father and returns in victory.
- Key terms:
- שֵׁבֶט shevet (“scepter/tribe”) — Gen 49:10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah”; Ps 45:6 “Your throne… a scepter of uprightness.”
- ἀποστέλλω apostellō (“send”) — John 16:28 “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world”; Gal 4:4 “God sent forth His Son.”
- Messianic insight: Messiah is the promised King with divine authority, sent by the Father.
- Cross references: Num 24:17; Isa 11:1–10; Luke 1:32–33; Rev 5:5.
Inheritance and hope
- Genesis 48:3–4; 49:26: Jacob gives covenant blessings and inheritance.
- Isaiah 43:6–7: Israel called “sons and daughters” to be restored.
- John 16:33: Yeshua promises peace despite trials.
- Key terms:
- נַחֲלָה nachalah (“inheritance”) — Num 26:53 “the land shall be divided for an inheritance”; Ps 16:5 “The LORD is my portion and my inheritance.”
- εἰρήνη eirēnē (“peace/shalom”) — John 16:33 “In Me you may have peace”; Rom 5:1 “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Yeshua.”
- Messianic insight: In Messiah, Israel’s inheritance becomes eternal life and shalom for all nations.
- Cross references: Josh 21:43–45; Isa 54:13; Matt 5:5; Eph 1:11–14; 1 Pet 1:3–4.
Studies
Beyond the grudge: Choosing compassion over vengeance (Genesis 50; Luke 23; Zechariah 14)
This study explores forgiveness, restoration and reconciliation through the stories of Joseph and Yeshua (Jesus). Drawing from Genesis, Zechariah and Luke, we examine how Heaven models humility, letting go of grudges and embracing mercy. Messiah embodies the Yobel — the Jubilee release from debts (and related enslavement). Messiah also fleshes out the scriptural importance of community transformation and the need to welcome back those who have changed. Ultimately, we’re called to forgive as Heaven has forgiven us, modeling divine desire for compassion on the world.
‘You are Mine’: Finding belonging in God’s family (Isaiah 43; John 16)
Isaiah 43 and John 16 focus on how God calls us by name and shapes us through life’s challenges, just as He did with Israel in exile. This study explores the importance of trusting the Master’s plan (fulfilled in Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus), the meaning of true belonging and how prayer transforms us. No matter where we are, God’s redemption and love are personal, purposeful, and ongoing — inviting us to connect with Him and each other.
Shiloh or sham: Was the messianic message of Genesis 49:10 lost in translation?
“Jesus asked [a group of Pharisees] a question: ‘What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The son of David'” (Matthew 22:41–42 NASB95). The scribes and teachers of the Scriptures of Israel knew that the Messiah would descend from through King David thanks to a key phrase in the blessing the Patriarch Ya’akov (Jacob) gave to his son Yehudah (Judah) in the Torah passage וַיְחִי Vayechi (“he lived,” Genesis 47:28–50:26).
But in modern times, scholars have come to doubt that messianic interpretation, and some of the latest Bible translations no longer include “Shiloh”…
Torah reading Vayechi (ויחי): Genesis 47:28–50:26
We’ve been mining the account of the life of Yosef in Mitzraim over the past three weeks (see the sections Vayeshev, Miketz and Vayigash) to see foreshadowings of the coming Mashiakh.
These shadows grow even more defined in this week’s Torah portion, וַיְחִי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26). In it, we see parallels between pharaoh, Yosef and Ya’akov, and the Father, the Son and the people called Yisra’el.
How a righteous man’s dying words changed the world (Genesis 49)
The deathbed blessing–prophecies in the Torah reading ויחי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26) of Ya’akov (Jacob) to his 12 sons — especially, Yosef (Joseph) who was betrayed by his oldest brothers then reunited with the same but changed men — is a model for how Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) and we His followers give our all in mending the broken heart connection between Heaven and Earth.
One of the key lessons from the blessings of the 12 founders of the tribes of Israel in Torah reading ויחי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26) is that ancestry doesn’t mean much if each generation doesn’t carry on the legacy handed down. We can learn from these blessings and from the final messages of King David for Solomon (1Kings 2:1–12) and of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) for the Twelve (John 13–17) what Heaven wants us to pass on to our children and to the world.
We all have to choose spiritually and physically (belief in action) to follow what is right…
Why character of Israel’s 12 tribes matters for the ‘end of days’ (Genesis 49)
When some learn about the connection between the 12 tribes of Israel and the “end of days,” they can obsess over finding out their modern identities and whether one is part of said tribe. Yet a more important lesson from the blessings for the 12 sons of Israel in the Torah passage ויחי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26) is the character of each of the peoples that are the sons’ legacy.
Genesis 49:22–26: Yosef teaches us how to be ambassadors for Christ
How do we become righteous? Yosef’s life story shows the way. He walked in the path of righteousness, he did not “do in Rome as the Romans do” and refused to hold grudges against or plot revenge against those who persecuted and defamed him. What we can learn from the Torah reading ויחי Vayechi (“he lived,” Gen. 47:28–50:26) is this was the Messianic template that Yeshua walked too.
Embalming, Mourning, and Forgiving: The Story of Yosef’s Final Act of Grace
After the death of Yisra’el, fka Ya’akob (Jacob), 10 of his dozen sons approached Yosef (Joseph) with a message from their father: Don’t seek revenge for selling him as a slave. Yosef lived out the “second greatest commandment” in his response, showing he trusted God’s plan that had violently separated him from his family and landed him in prison for a few years.
Discover more from Hallel Fellowship
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.