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 46:28–47:31
- 1Kings 2:1–4
- John 19:28–30
Corresponding reading in the 1-year cycle
Insights from the readings
Connections
Transitions of covenant leadership
- Genesis 46–47: Jacob entrusts his family’s future to Joseph’s care as they enter Egypt.
- 1Kings 2: David entrusts the kingdom to Solomon with a charge to walk in God’s ways.
- John 19: Yeshua, at His final moment, entrusts the completion of His mission to the Father.
➡ Sages and scholars see a thread of leaders preparing successors and sealing God’s covenant plan.
‘Finishing well’
- Jacob: prepares burial instructions and blesses Pharaoh, finishing his pilgrimage faithfully.
- David: near death, stresses Torah obedience as the path to covenant blessing.
- Yeshua: declares “It is finished,” completing redemption.
➡ Midrashic and Messianic insights stress that true covenant faithfulness is measured in how one ends one’s journey.
Fulfillment of divine promises
- Jacob’s move to Egypt: fulfillment of God’s word to Abraham about sojourning in a foreign land (Gen. 15:13).
- David’s words: reiteration of the promise to his dynasty if faithful (2 Sam. 7).
- Yeshua’s cry: fulfillment of Scripture (Ps. 69:21; Ps. 22) and God’s plan of salvation.
➡ Scholars note a progressive revelation of God’s promises unfolding through Israel’s patriarchs, kings, and Messiah.
Messianic mediation
- Judah (Gen. 46:28) guides Jacob’s family—a picture of the future Messiah from Judah’s line leading Israel.
- Solomon, David’s son, foreshadows the greater Son of David who would establish an everlasting kingdom.
- Yeshua, the Son of David and Lion of Judah, brings the covenant to completion at the cross.
➡ Rabbinic and Messianic voices connect these as stages of God’s redemptive plan converging in Messiah.
Hebrew & Greek terms
| Term | Passage & example of usage | Lessons |
|---|---|---|
| גֹּשֶׁן Goshen – “drawing near” | Gen. 46:28–47:31 Gen. 47:6 – land of provision for Jacob’s family | God provides refuge for His people even in exile. Judah guiding Jacob to Goshen foreshadows Messiah from Judah leading Israel into God’s provision. Messiah is the refuge and Good Shepherd who gathers His people (John 10:16). |
| חֵסֶד chesed – covenant loyalty, kindness | Gen. 47:29 Mic. 6:8 – “love mercy” | God’s covenant love secures His people’s future and burial hope in the land. Burial in Canaan points to resurrection hope fulfilled in Messiah’s victory over death. Messiah embodies God’s covenant love and secures resurrection hope (John 11:25). |
| שָׁמַר shamar – to keep/guard | 1Kings 2:3 Deut. 6:17 – “Keep diligently the commandments” | Covenant blessing requires guarding God’s ways. Messiah perfectly kept Torah, modeling covenant faithfulness (John 17:12). |
| תּוֹרָה Torah – instruction, law | 1Kings 2:3 Ps. 19:7 – “The Torah of the LORD is perfect” | Torah is the standard for covenant leadership. Messiah is the living Torah, embodying God’s instruction (Matt. 5:17–19; John 1:14). |
| דָּרֶךְ derekh – way, path | 1Kings 2:3 Prov. 3:6 – “He will direct your paths” | Walking in God’s way ensures blessing and stability. Messiah is “the Way” (John 14:6), embodying derekh Adonai (“way of the LORD”). On this righteous path, Israel and the nations find life (Isa. 35:8). |
| διψῶ dipsō – “I thirst” | John 19:28 Rev. 22:17 – “Let the one who thirsts come” | Yeshua’s thirst fulfills Scripture (Ps. 69:21) and reveals His full humanity. Points to the world’s spiritual thirst, satisfied in Messiah, the living water (John 7:37). Messiah’s thirst reflects His bearing of human suffering so living water could be poured out (John 4:14). |
| τετέλεσται tetelestai – “It is finished/fulfilled” | John 19:30 Col. 2:14 – debt canceled at the cross | Messiah’s death secures forgiveness, completing covenant promises through Abraham, David, and Israel. Messiah completes the covenant plan, sealing salvation for Israel and the nations (Jer. 31:31–34). |
| πληρόω plēroō – to fulfill, bring to completion | John 19:28 Matt. 5:17 – “I came to fulfill [plēroō]” | God’s Word is fully trustworthy; every prophecy finds completion. Yeshua, the fullness of God’s promises (2Cor. 1:20), embodies covenant fulfillment, sealing the Torah, Prophets, and Writings in Himself. |
Studies
In this study, we explore how Joseph, Caleb and Yeshua (Jesus) each faced suffering and testing, yet chose to trust God’s plan over their own desires. Judah’s heartfelt plea for Benjamin shows true repentance and growth, while Caleb’s wholehearted faith is rewarded after years of waiting. Yeshua’s suffering brings ultimate glory to Heaven and salvation available to all. Together, these accounts reveal how God orchestrates even our free will choices for His redemptive purposes, calling us to maturity, unity, and wholehearted devotion to Him.
Jacob, Joseph and good pharaoh: Dynamics of respect and trust in leadership (Genesis 46–47)
The Torah reading וַיִּגַּשׁ Vayigash (“he approached,” Genesis 44:18–47:27) explores respect, family responsibility and trust in God. There’s an emphasis on respecting parental authority as a reflection of honoring God and prioritizing obedience to God over obeying human authorities.
The narrative of Yosef (Joseph) in Egypt highlights trust in God amid adversity and concludes with a call to acknowledge and preserve family legacies, discarding traditions violating God’s standards. In this study, we will see that the accounts of Yosef and his older brother Yehudah (Judah) exemplify the importance of learning from one’s mistakes and the importance of standing up against…
Torah reading Vayigash (ויגש): Genesis 44:18–47:27
The ancient saying “familiarity breeds contempt” could easily sum up how Yosef’s brothers treated him in his early years and how many leaders of Yisra’el treated Yeshua. The prophetic parallels between Yosef and Yeshua the Mashiakh sharpen further in this week’s Torah section, וַיִּגַּשׁ Vayigash (“he approached,” Genesis 44:18–47:27).
In it, the brothers’ contempt turns to fear when they realize their plots against Yosef have put them at his mercy. It’s also a picture of the Day of the LORD, when Yisra’el then the world must confess, “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the LORD” (Psalm 118:26;…
The account of Yosef (Joseph) in Genesis 37–50 is key to unlocking the role of Israel and Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) in the world and throughout the Bible. And the Torah reading ויגש Vayigash (“he approached,” Gen. 44:18–47:27) is pivotal point in his story.
How we can join in on Heaven’s blessings for the world (Joshua 14:6–15; Matthew 10)
The account in the Torah reading ויגש Vayigash (“he approached,” Genesis 44:18–47:27) of Yosef’s (Joseph) accusing his brothers of being “spies” on Mitzraim (Egypt) can seem like ancient geopolitical intrigue or toxic sibling rivalry.
But when compared with parallel passages in Ezekiel 37, Joshua 14 and Matthew 10, we may start to see a pattern: Israel’s role on Earth is as Heaven’s delegate-spy-ambassador to bless and restore humankind. And Yeshua (Jesus) is the quintessential Son of God and Son of David is the ultimate Anointed One sent from Heaven in that role.
We may be jealous of a favored family member or co-worker and carry that bitterness into how we act around that person. We may regret what those feelings drove us to and the damage caused in the relationship.
In this Bible study, we explore the dramatic reconciliation of the biblical leader Joseph with his brothers, recorded in the Torah passage Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27), is an emotional journey from jealousy and abandonment to repentance and reconciliation.
Another rejected, favored son of Israel, Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus), also reunited with those close to Him after His resurrection, and in the case of…
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