Vatigash: January 2009 Archives

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We are Dwelling Here Today but We are Desiring to Return to a Higher Place of Spirituality!


Bring Me Up Out of that Place! ©


Bring Me Up Out of that Place!.pdf

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µyrxm  ≈rab  Larcy  bvyw

And he, Yisroel, dwelt in the land of Mitzriam / Egypt


By Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk


Our Devri Torah is in the loving Memory of Mr. George Belk, Mrs Ethel Channah Sakash Belk and Donald Wayne Belk, Mr. Gary Lee Belk, and Mr. Arnold Student Litman may they rest in peace.


Parshat Vatigash

Bereisheit [Genesis] 44.18 - 47.27


Last week in our Limood of Bereisheit 14 I discussed how due to famine in Eretz Canaan that Avram went down into Mitzriam / Egypt, see Bereisheit 13.10.  Then after a short time their he went up out of Mitzriam.  He returned to the place of where he experienced a high level of Spirituality.  It was the place near Bethel and Ai where Avram had originally built an altar and worshipped the Holy One, Blessed is The Name.  Our focus was on returning to the place of higher Spirituality then we presently are at.  In this weeks Parshat we are examining a similar situation with Avraham's grandson, Yaakov / Yisroel.  We notice in Bereisheit 46. Yisroel travels to Beer Sheva.  This is a very special place for his grandfather, Avraham and for him.  This is the place Avraham made peace with Avimelech, king of Gerar and his general Pichol. Avraham took seven ewes of the flock to give to Avimelech.  [bæv, Sheh Vah means seven, corresponding to the h[;Wbv] oath.  raeb] Bih Ayar means to make clear.  So the meaning of  h[;Wbv]  raeb means Avraham took seven ewes to make a clear oath with Avimelech.   See Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and Rabbi Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Tanach Series - Bereishis Vol. I(a) (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 3rd Impression, 1989), pp 774 -776  


It is in the dessert of Beer Sheva that the Melech of Elokim appeared to Hagar.  G-d Called to Hagar from heaven.  G-d Heard the cry of Yishmael. G-d Promises to make Yishmael a great nation from Yishmael, see Bereisheit 21.14 - 21.  It was here in Beer Sheva that the grand daughter of Noach, the daughter of Shem / Malki Zedek {Bereisheit 14.18} , Tamar waited at the crossroads for Yehudah to come sheer his sheep. Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and Rabbi Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Tanach Series - Bereishis Vol. I(a) (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 3rd Impression, 1989), p 1673  Ha Torah Says, 'She sat at the crossroads...' Bereisheit 38.17. What crossroads?  It was the crossroads in which one went to Avraham's home. {ibid 1628}. It was here that Yaakov traveled to speak with 'the G-d of his father, Yitzchok, Bereisheit 46.1. Yisroel was very concerned about going down to Mitzriam.   Elokim Said to 'Yisroel, Do not be afraid to go down to Mitzriam... I Will surely bring you up again...', Bereisheit 46.2-4.  Yisroel was deeply concerned about going down to Mitzriam.  He was greatly concerned about coming back up from Mitzriam.  See Bereisheit 47.28-31 Yoseif keep his promise to his father.  In Bereisheit 50.5 - 7 Ha Torah Says [Yoseif requested of Pharaoh] '...please [let me] go up and bury my father...' Pharaoh said, 'Go up and bury your father...' 'Yoseif went up to bury his father...'  This was the fulfillment of G-d's Promises to Yisroel that 'I Will surely bring you up again', Bereisheit 46.4. 


What is the point? It is possible that anyone of us may find it necessary to descend into a place like Mitzriam. It is not pleasant!  Yet, it is necessary.  Yisroel gave us a pattern to follow.  Talk to Elokim =before going down.  Portion Elokim to go with you. Make others promise to help bring you up out of that place.  Lets begin our Gematria with Bereisheit 47.27.


 Wrìp]YIw" Hb;+ Wz§j}a;YEw" ˆv,GO= ≈r<a≤¢B] µyIr"¡x]mi ≈r<a≤àB] la´ör:c]yI bv,YEéw"

.daoêm] WB¡r"YIw


318 = b2 v300 y10 w6    318 = 2 + 300 + 10 + 6

318 = y10 b2 w6 v300    318 = 2 + 300 + 10 + 6

The first Word of Bereisheit 47.27 is bv,yEwæ Vah Yay Shehv meaning 'And he [Yaakov / Yisroel] dwelt. The first Letter is a w {Vav}. The Vav is a connecting Letter meaning 'And'. The Gematria of the Vav is 6.  The second Letter is a y {Yud}. The Gematria of Yud is 10.  Yud is the smallest Hebrew Letter in size.  The Yud Represents power. The third Letter is v {Shin}. The Gematria of Shin is 300. The fourth Letter is B {Bet}. The Gematria of Bet is 2.  Notice Example Above.

In Bereisheit the following Passukim have related Gematrias: Bereisheit 2.5; 4.16; 14.16; 15.2; 15.11; 16.9; 22.19; 24.3; 27.41; 37.38; 42.38; 47.4 and 48.2.  We will zoom in on Bereisheit 16.9.  Please notice the fifth Word ybiWv {Shoo Vee} meaning 'Return'.  Shoo Vee is what Yaakov requested of his Yoseif.  Ha Torah Records, [Yaakov said to Yoseif], Please, do not bury me in Mitzriam. [Instead] let me lie with my fathers.  Carry me out of Mitzriam and bury me in their grave, Bereisheit 47.29,30.  The word ybiWv {Shoo Vee} is not used yet the action of return is state.  Yaakov's request to Yoseif is that he be buried in the cave of Machpeilah.  This is where Yaakov desired to dwell after his death.  It is interesting that bv,yEwæ Vah Yay Shehv and  ybiWv {Shoo Vee} share the same Letters. If one rearranges the Letters of Vah Yay Shev [Yisroel] they could be Shoo Vee Return [Yisroel]. Both are the Gematria of 318.  


.h;yd<êy: tj'Tæà yNI¡['t]hiw" ËT´-r"biG"Ala, ybiWv¡ hw:±hy" Ëaæ¢l]m' H~l; rm,aOYªw"

The Rebbetzin wrote in her notes, '318 rings a bell, it is the number of members of Avraham's household that went out as his army to rescue Lot in the siege of Sedom (Bereisheit/Genesis Perek/Chapter 14'.  Also 318 represents the number of Passukim  Yaakov's name is mentioned in all of Ha Tenach.


There is an important relationship between bv,yEwæ Vah Yay Shehv meaning 'And he [Yaakov / Yisroel] dwelt, ybiWv {Shoo Vee} meaning 'Return' and Wbv]yE Yaysh Voo meaning 'they dwelt'.  This is reference to all of Yaakov's children grandchildren and relatives that came down with him to Mitzriam.  Ha Torah States. 'All the soul [not souls] to Yaakov's house that came to Mitzriam were seventy', Bereisheit 46.27.  These descendants of Yaakov would multiply to many descendants while in Egypt.  They would also need to return to Eretz Canaan.  So the Gematria of 318 is very fitting for them also.  Why?   Wbv]yE Yaysh Voo means 'they dwelt'.   So they needed to ybiWv {Shoo Vee} 'Return' also.  Please notice the nineteenth word of Bereisheit 47.4.


\ ˆŸaOXl' h[,%r"mi ˆya´¢AyKi W‹naB; ≈Jr<a;B; rWg§l; h[o%r"P'Ala, Wr§m]aOYw"

hT...ö['w" ˆ['n:-K] ≈r<a≤¢B] b[...`r:h; db´àk;AyKiâ Úyd<+b;[}l' rv≤¢a}

 .ˆv,GOî ≈r<a≤àB Úyd<¡b;[} an:èAWbv]yE


This is what was prophesied to Avraham in Bereisheit 15.13 - 15.  In Passuk 15 the Word Yaw Shoo Voo meaning 'they will return' here [to Eretz Canaan] is prophesied 430 before the full fillment begins.  The point is that they i.e. Yaakov and his descendants dwelt in Mitzriam.  Then after dwelling in Mitzriam they returned to Eretz Canaan.  This is noted through the Gematria 318.  In Shemot [Exodus] 12.40 Ha Torah Says, ''The habitation of B'nei Yisroel dwelt Wbv]yE Yaysh Voo {'meaning 'they dwelt'} in Mitzriam lasted four hundred and thirty years.''

What is the point?  The same word Wbv]yE Yaysh Voo means 'they dwelt' is used in Bereisheit 47.4 and Shemot 12.40.  Both are spelled the same.  Both are the Gematria 318.



541 = L30 a1 r200 c300 y10

541 = h5 r200 c300 l30 w6

551 = t400 w6 x90 m40 h5

Now lets Observe a related Gematria for laer:c]yI Yisroel.  Ha Torah Says, Yisroel dwelt.  This means the man Yisroel dwelt in Mitzriam.  This also means the people who are referred to as B'nei Yisroel dwelt in Mitzriam.   The Gematria of Yisroel is 541.  As stated above in the Gematria 318 both Yaakov {Yisroel} and his descendants needed to return.  The Gematria for hr:c;l]W Voo Lih Saw Rawh means 'and to Sarah' is also the Gematria of 541.  Why is this significant?  Ha Torah Says, laer:c]yI  bv,yEwæ Vah Yay Shehv Yisroel 'And he Yisroel dwelt.  When we use related Gematrias we Mystically understand this also means, And he [Yisroel] returned to Sarah.  How did Yisroel return to Sarah?  He was buried in the Cave of Machpeilah.  Ha Torah Says, 'Avraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the Machpeilah field...' Bereisheit 23.19.  This is where Yisroel was buried.  Ha Torah Says, 'His sons carried him to Eretz Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpeilah which Avraham purchased...' Bereisheit 50.13.  We see this fulfilled in the words  hr:c;l]W Voo Lih Saw Rawh means 'and to Sarah'.  See Bereisheit 18.14. Yisroel was to return to Sarah.  We also observe that the Gematria of  µt,ax;y" Yih Tzaw Tehm meaning 'when you came out' from Mitzriam, Shemot 13.3 is the Gematria 541. So in this Gematria we Observe the beginning of the fulfillment of Bereisheit 15.16 with Yisroel the nation coming out of Mitzriam.  We also Observe a connection to the Gematria 541 in the greatest sense, in the Spiritual sense with the word. twOx]Mihæ Ha Mitzvot meaning the Commands.  When anyone Observes the Commands of Ha Torah they are leaving one way of life for a better way of life. So Yisroel Mystically became free from the slavery of sin and Mitzriam by Observance of the Commands of Ha Torah.  This took us out of one state of mind to a higher Spiritual state of being.


May each of us desire to return to that higher place of study, of prayer of learning of observance.  May be be blessed by our Creator in so doing.


Blessings and peace,


Dr. Akiva Gamliel


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