Readings: June 7, 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 33:18–35:8
Nahum 1:12–2:5
Matthew 5:38–48

Corresponding portion in the 1-year cycle

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

Insights from the readings

Genesis 33:18–35:8; Nahum 1:12–2:5; and Matthew 5:38–48 reflect a unified message of repentance, divine justice, and covenantal love — central themes in both the TaNaKh¹ and the teachings of Messiah Yeshua.

When read together through a Messianic lens, reveal a unified call: to return to God in covenant faithfulness, trust in His justice and mercy, and reflect His character through Messiah Yeshua in both private and public life.

Repentance and return to god (teshuvah)

Genesis 33:18–35:8 depicts Ya’akov’s return to Bethel, where he calls his household to put away foreign gods and recommit to Adonai². This physical and spiritual return to covenant relationship mirrors Israel’s and humanity’s call to teshuvah (repentance).
Nahum 1:12–2:5 contrasts this with Nineveh, which had once repented (see Jonah) but now faces judgment for returning to violence. It warns that repentance must be sincere and lasting.
Yeshua in Matthew 5:38–48 calls His disciples to internal transformation — not just outward obedience, but heart-level teshuvah that reflects God’s character.

Judgment and deliverance

Nahum proclaims that although Assyria was once used by God, it will now be judged. This affirms God’s justice toward the oppressor and His deliverance for His people.
In Genesis, God protects Ya’akov from his enemies during his journey of obedience, showing the pattern of divine protection for those walking in covenant.
Yeshua’s teachings reframe justice — not through retaliation, but through love — pointing to a deeper deliverance from sin and the flesh.

God’s character revealed

Adonai is merciful and just, as seen in His dealings with both Ya’akov and Nineveh.
Yeshua reveals this same character in Matthew, urging His followers to “be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect”—showing mercy, even to enemies, just as God does.

Together, these passages call God’s people—especially within the Messianic community—to reflect His holiness, walk in repentance, and embody Yeshua’s radical love and justice.

Key Hebrew and Greek terms

תְּשׁוּבָה teshuvah — repentance, return

Root: שׁוּב shuv — to return, turn back.
Genesis 35:1 – God tells Ya’akov to “arise, go up to Bethel,” signaling a return not just geographically but spiritually.
Common in prophetic calls to repentance (e.g., Hosea 14:1).

אֱלֹהִים Elohim — God, gods

Seen throughout Genesis 35, emphasizing God’s covenantal identity.
Notably used in Genesis 35:7, where Ya’akov names the altar El-Bethel, acknowledging God’s faithfulness.

נָקַם naqam — vengeance, retribution

Nahum 1:2 — “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God (אֵל קַנָּא וְנֹקֵם El qana v’noqeym).”
Indicates God’s justice against evil, but it is His alone to execute — contrasting with Yeshua’s instruction not to seek personal vengeance.

ἀγάπη agapē — divine love

Matthew 5:44 — “Love your enemies (ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν).”
Reflects a self-sacrificing, covenantal love — a fulfillment of Torah in Messiah.

τέλειος teleios — perfect, complete

Matthew 5:48 — “Be perfect (τέλειοι teleioi), as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Rooted in the idea of maturity and covenant wholeness (cf. Deuteronomy 18:13 — תָּמִים tamim, “complete”).

Lessons

God initiates covenant renewal

Ya’akov’s return to Bethel is at God’s command. God seeks restored relationship and purity among His people.

God judges wickedness and delivers the faithful

Nahum proclaims both judgment and hope. Oppressors like Assyria fall, but Zion is promised peace and restoration (Nahum 1:15).

True righteousness surpasses human standards

Yeshua deepens Torah by calling His followers not only to resist vengeance (lex talionis, “eye for eye”) but to actively love and pray for enemies — showing God’s nature.

Messiah as the fulfillment of Torah’s ethics

Yeshua’s teaching in Matthew 5 is not replacing Torah but revealing its deepest intent — internal holiness and sacrificial love.

Restoration of Israel foreshadows Kingdom renewal

Ya’akov’s household cleansing themselves of foreign gods (Genesis 35:2) prefigures Israel’s future national teshuvah (cf. Zechariah 12:10–13:1).

Messiah’s role in judgment and mercy

As Nahum reveals God’s justice, Messiah will one day judge nations (cf. Revelation 19:11–16)—yet today He intercedes, calling people to repentance.

Calling to be set apart (kedushah)

Matthew 5:48 echoes Leviticus 19:2 (“Be holy”), reinforcing the Messianic call to live in the character of God—not by flesh, but by the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).

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.

Price of passivity: Jacob, David and the consequenes of inaction. When Israel didn't step up to defend Dinah (Genesis 34)

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.

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…

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).

Why the Kingdom of Heaven is both open-armed and divisive (Genesis 32-33; Romans 8)

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

"Jacob Wrestling With the Angel" by Rembrant

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.

A lady with long blonde wavy hair wearing a blue robe and walking sticks in both hands walks on a desert trail towards the horizon.

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…

The Rise and Fall of the House of Esau (Genesis 36)

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.

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.

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…

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.

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

Richard August 29, 2009