The ninth reading from the book of Genesis is named Vayeshev (וישב), which means “and he dwelt.” The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which says, “Now Jacob [dwelt] in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan” (Genesis 37:1). Despite the portion’s name and first verse, the story is actually about Jacob’s son Joseph and how he was removed from the land of Canaan and dwelt in Egypt. The narrative follows Joseph from Canaan to Egypt to prison. In addition, this week’s reading contains the story of Judah and Tamar.

The “story” over the next 3 weeks in The Torah is about Joseph and his time in Egypt.

Let, me STOP right here and tell you, again, why I am writing posts about The Torah. First, of all…..What is The Torah? The Torah is the first five books in the Bible. There is that number 5 again. The Torah is the story of Creation and “humanity’s role” in The Creation. It is presented here as a map. I was introduced to this map with a corresponding “key” of decoding and have been studying for over 12 years now.

Using the 3 wisdom levels of the Buddha….1.). I have become aware of The Torah. 2.). Have done some inquiry and have progressively widened and deepened what I understand. 3.). My direct personal experience of my awareness of The Torah has been a mix of Skepticism, Intrigue and Awe. I share what I know and I see regarding The Torah because I feel it to be relevant and potentially useful in our journey toward more expanded consciousness.

I recognize some of you may have little or no interest in The Torah or for anything associated with religion. I know some of you are attached to your current perspective on Scripture and anything religious. I am not an expert in the area. I am a student and a seeker of Truth. I think and I feel there is merit in at least looking at it. But, like anything we do in this group, if it is not for you then let it go and move on in your “pose.”

Back to The Torah. Egypt is code for EGO. The story is the story of the Israelites and their journey into captivity, their Exodus out of captivity and their search for “The Promised Land.”

That’s all for now…….

The eighth reading from the book of Genesis is named Vayishlach (וישלח), which means “and he sent.” The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which says, “Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom” (Genesis 32:3 [verse 4 in Jewish-published Bibles]). Jacob prepares to meet Esau as he returns to the Promised Land, but first he has a mysterious encounter with an angel in the darkness, who changes his name to Israel. The portion follows Jacob’s adventures in the land of Canaan, including the loss of his beloved wife, Rachel.

So each weekly Torah portion is looked at as a “window of opportunity” from a Kabbalistic map viewpoint. An opportunity to connect to the energy accessible during this time of the year. The “story” is important but a deeper dive reveals insights and awarenesses that heretofore may be hidden.

I have a brother. We are not twins like Esau and Jacob but we are only 15 months apart in age. I happen to visiting with him this week. Is he Esau or Jacob? What role am I playing? Esau and Jacob seemed to have direct opposing perspectives when it came to their approach to the questions of Creation. The story talks about Jacob tricking Esau out of his ‘first born’ birthright. He really didn’t trick him….he traded it for a bowl of lentil soup. Nevertheless, Esau was not happy. Jacob spent 14 years working for his uncle Laben and married Leah and Rachel and had many children. Jacob’s children would become the leaders of the tribes of the Israelites.

I previewed several videos and you can find them on YouTube by searching, however, our favorite Rabbi provides a very interesting and appropriate for the times we are in synopsis, I think.

The seventh reading from the book of Genesis is named Vayetze (ויצא), which means “and he went out.” The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which says, “And Jacob went out from Beersheba” (Genesis 28:10 KJV). This portion tells the story of Jacob’s flight from his brother Esau, his vision at Bethel, his employment with his uncle Laban and his marriage to the two sisters, Rachel and Leah. Jacob’s double marriage results in a baby-bearing contest that gives him eleven sons. At the end of the portion, Jacob leaves Laban and returns to the land of Canaan, but not before Laban tries to stop him.

The posting of the weekly Torah portion is brought with multiple intention. However, the first and foremost, is to simply to bring it each week to the table. Whether you inquire or not is up to you. I would not spend so much time on it if I didn’t think it part of exploring tight alignment. Here is a short video to get you started.