# 61 - Jacob's Blessings - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Jacob imparts prophetic blessings to his sons, weaving a legacy of destiny, redemption, and divine promise. Explore how these ancient words resonate today, offering hope and insight for living a life of faith and purpose.
Episode 61 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Genesis.
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For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/
Today's opening prayer is inspired by Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favor rather than silver and gold.”
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Show Notes:
(02:22) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(03:22) Jacob's Blessings - Cinematic Retelling
(27:02) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen people.
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Speaker 2: Actually, that will no longer be Esau's decision. He sold
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Speaker 2: me his birthright.
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Speaker 3: Esau sold you his birthright. What do you mean for
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Speaker 3: what price?
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Speaker 2: It's Esau who isn't serious. I, on the other hand,
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Speaker 2: know exactly what I want and the value this birthright
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Speaker 2: holds in the future. If he despises his birthright so much,
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Speaker 2: isn't it better that it's in my hand. I'm the
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Speaker 2: one who wants it.
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Speaker 3: May people and nations bowed down to you and serve you.
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Speaker 3: You will be lord over your brother's and your mother's
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Speaker 3: son will bend a knee to you.
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Speaker 1: Jacob opened his eyes to a vision. He found himself
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Speaker 1: standing at the base of a monumental staircase, wretched upwards
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Speaker 1: into the infinite expanse of the heavens.
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Speaker 4: The land on which you lie I will give to
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Speaker 4: you and your descendants. Your offspring shall be like the
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Speaker 4: dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to
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Speaker 4: the west and to the east, and to the north
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Speaker 4: and to the south. Through you and your descendants, all
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Speaker 4: families of the earth who will be blessed.
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Speaker 1: So you have blessed me, there would be no more
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Speaker 1: running tricks or lies. If Jacob wanted a blessing from God,
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Speaker 1: he would have to face him. The man's pace quickened
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Speaker 1: from a walk to a run. Jacob rolled his neck back,
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Speaker 1: drew a deep breath, and charged. The damp earth slid
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Speaker 1: under each stride. Jacob knew what he had to do.
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Speaker 1: He felt sure that he had to wrestle with God
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Speaker 1: himself and prevail.
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Speaker 5: Please bless me.
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Speaker 6: I won't know you go until you bless me.
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Speaker 5: What is your name, Jacob?
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Speaker 6: Your name shall no longer be Jacob, shall be called Israel,
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Speaker 6: for you have struggled with God and have prevailed.
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Speaker 7: Jacob, the patriarch who wrestled with both God and man,
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Speaker 7: now faced the greatest challenge, blessing his sons with a
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Speaker 7: vision of a future that he would never see the shallow,
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Speaker 7: My friends, from here in the Holy Land of Israel,
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Speaker 7: Amya l Exstein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews,
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Speaker 7: and welcome to the Chosen People. In today's episode, we
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Speaker 7: returned to Jacob, our ancestor, who faced both divine and
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Speaker 7: human trials. Jacob's life wasn't a straight path, but a
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Speaker 7: winding journey of struggle and redemption. As Jacob nerrors the
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Speaker 7: end of his days. He gathers his sons to impart
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Speaker 7: blessings that would echo through the generations. So let's learn
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Speaker 7: how a father's blessing can change the entire course of history,
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Speaker 7: and how our words today hold the power to shape tomorrow.
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Speaker 1: Joseph held up his father as they walked beside the stream.
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Speaker 1: Israel leaned on his son's arm, steadily moving and talking.
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Speaker 1: They spoke about Joseph's dreams, the ones that foretold the
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Speaker 1: future and shaped the past. Joseph asked questions about Jacob's
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Speaker 1: heritage and untold stories that remained untouched, like buried treasure.
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Speaker 1: Joseph relished every moment with his father. Each stroll made
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Speaker 1: up for lost time. Seventeen years had passed since Jacob
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Speaker 1: arrived in Egypt. The famine finally released its grip on
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Speaker 1: the land, but its effects still lingered in the minds
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Speaker 1: and bodies of those who survived. Even More, the nation
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Speaker 1: of Egypt wasn't the same. Pharaoh had total power and
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Speaker 1: ownership over each Egyptian. The citizens had turned to serfs,
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Speaker 1: but at least they were alive thanks to Joseph.
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Speaker 6: Who done well. My son so so well. I always
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Speaker 6: knew you rise to greatness. I give myself some credit
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Speaker 6: as your father, but we both know Judah gets the
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Speaker 6: lion's share of that.
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Speaker 5: Judah and I have repaired what was broken between us.
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Speaker 5: All has been forgiven.
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Speaker 2: Ah.
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Speaker 6: Yes, you inherited a pure heart from your grandfather. He
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Speaker 6: wasn't innocent soul. He was more innocent than I.
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Speaker 5: You're a pure soul as well, father.
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Speaker 6: Ah. No no, no, here, boy, I am many things,
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Speaker 6: but pure is far from one of them. No, no, no,
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Speaker 6: I cheated and stole my weight blessing. Ask my own brother, Esau.
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Speaker 6: You may not remember this, but there was a time
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Speaker 6: when I thought he was going to kill me. I
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Speaker 6: even thought of using you and your brothers as human
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Speaker 6: shields to ward off his attacks. Ha ha ah.
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Speaker 5: But he didn't.
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Speaker 6: He showed me mercy, just as you did to your brothers.
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Speaker 5: Do you regret the choices you've made.
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Speaker 6: When you live long as I have? Regret is inevitable.
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Speaker 6: I regret some choices I've made, people I've hurt, and
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Speaker 6: opportunities I not purspy. But but look that where I
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Speaker 6: am strolling beside a quiet stream, talking to my son,
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Speaker 6: the governor of Egypt.
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Speaker 7: Ha ha.
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Speaker 6: Ha I have wrestled in what with God and man
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Speaker 6: looked at the end of it all I feel.
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Speaker 5: Victorious.
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Speaker 1: Israel rested on a large stone beside the brook. He
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Speaker 1: dipped the tip of his staff in the water, watching
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Speaker 1: it split and bend around. A sly grin curled on
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Speaker 1: the side of his face. Then he flicked his staff
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Speaker 1: up and splashed his son.
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Speaker 6: Ah ha ha, A king of Egypt or not, I'm
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Speaker 6: still your father.
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Speaker 5: Age hasn't aimed you at all, has it?
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Speaker 6: No? No, but it has made me more content. My
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Speaker 6: youth was marked by ambition. Now all I desire is
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Speaker 6: to rest.
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Speaker 5: When the time comes, I will have a monument built
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Speaker 5: over your grave. It will be brilliant and beautiful.
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Speaker 6: My son, that come close to me, put your hand
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Speaker 6: under my thigh and make a promise to me.
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Speaker 1: Joseph placed a hand on his father's thigh, signifying a
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Speaker 1: promise both binding and intimate.
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Speaker 6: If I have found any favor in your sight, you
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Speaker 6: will deal kindly and honestly with me. Do not bury
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Speaker 6: me in Egypt. I don't want monuments. Ah, I don't
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Speaker 6: want a palace. My dead body's brought in. No. No,
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Speaker 6: let me lie with my father's placed me in the
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Speaker 6: hills beside Abraham and Isaac.
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Speaker 5: I will see it done, Joseph, swear to me.
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Speaker 1: Joseph looked at his father for a long while, intensity
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Speaker 1: creasing his brow on the sides of his eyes. In
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Speaker 1: his expression betrayed something sad. It had now dawned on
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Speaker 1: Joseph that Jacob had settled his people outside the land
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Speaker 1: promised to him and his forefathers. Although Egypt was an oasis,
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Speaker 1: it wasn't the land God promised. It wasn't Canaan. Jacob
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Speaker 1: must have felt like a failure. He clasped his father's
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Speaker 1: thigh and nodded, I swear. Joseph fled his father back
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Speaker 1: home and rested him on the bed. Then Jacob bowed
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Speaker 1: to Joseph. In that instant, Joseph was taken back to
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Speaker 1: his dream, where the sun and moon bowed to him.
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Speaker 1: His brothers had bowed, but now the patriarch of God's
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Speaker 1: chosen people was prostrate before him. Joseph's eyes moistened at
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Speaker 1: the edges and his throat clenched. He kissed his father
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Speaker 1: and laid him down. Jacob slept. He slept with long,
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Speaker 1: deep and peaceful breaths.
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Speaker 6: Enter Zavi it not, Pania.
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Speaker 3: Your brother Benjamin is here to see you.
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Speaker 5: Send him in.
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Speaker 1: Benjamin inched his way into the door. Joseph smiled and
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Speaker 1: stood from his desk. He held his little brother's shoulders.
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Speaker 5: What can I help you with, Benji?
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Speaker 6: I've come to tell you father's time as approaching.
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Speaker 1: He's grown very ill these past weeks.
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Speaker 5: I'll come to him immediately.
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Speaker 6: He's asked that your children come as well. He's going
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Speaker 6: to bestow a blessing.
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Speaker 5: I see they haven't really met their grandfather yet. It's complicated,
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Speaker 5: you see them being half Egyptian. There are customs I
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Speaker 5: must uphold, but I suppose Ah, No, this is right.
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Speaker 5: I will bring my sons to him at once.
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Speaker 1: Joseph took Manassa and Ephraim to Dothan. They walked the
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Speaker 1: grassy hills, scaling upward to Israel's estate. Joseph was proud
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Speaker 1: of what he could build for his father, although he
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Speaker 1: knew Israel longed to dwell in a tent. Again content
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Speaker 1: in Canaan, Joseph entered with his sons, holding their hands
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Speaker 1: as they entered the dark room, warmed by torches. Israel
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Speaker 1: lay in his bed with Benjamin at his side He
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Speaker 1: stared out his window with foggy aged eyes.
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Speaker 6: Father, your son Joseph is here to see you.
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Speaker 1: Israel strained to sit up. Benjamin helped him, padded his
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Speaker 1: pillow under his back, and left. Joseph brought Manassa and
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Speaker 1: Ephraim close. Joseph took a place by Israel's bedside, with
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Speaker 1: his sons on his lap.
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Speaker 6: God Almighty appeared to me at laws in the land
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Speaker 6: of Canaan. There he blessed me and said, behold, I
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Speaker 6: will make you fruitful and multiply you. I will make
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Speaker 6: your people great and give this land to your offspring.
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Speaker 6: It will be there ever lasht in possession.
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Speaker 5: I know the story well, Father, you've inherited the land
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Speaker 5: promised to Isaac Abraham.
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Speaker 6: No, my son, we have inherited it my son's army,
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Speaker 6: and I he my sons. We are Israel. Now who
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Speaker 6: are these I have before me?
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Speaker 5: These are the sons God has given me, Manassah and Ephraim.
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Speaker 6: Yes, my eyes are dim. Come closer to me, Efraim,
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Speaker 6: manassa Ah, Sweet children, Joseph, these two sons born to
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Speaker 6: you in the land of Egypt are mine, just as
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Speaker 6: Reuben and Simeon are mine. They will bear the promise
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Speaker 6: of our people. Ephraim and Manassa will be brothers to
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Speaker 6: my sons and receive an inheritance.
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Speaker 5: Will they be given what I was owed before? Well
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Speaker 5: before all this?
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Speaker 6: Yes.
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Speaker 1: Jacob held out a trembling hand to his son's face.
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Speaker 1: His eyes had turned bluish gray, like mineral pools in
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Speaker 1: deep canyons. Reflected in those pools, Joseph saw a lifetime
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Speaker 1: of love, loss, triumph, and terror. Jacob had lived a rich,
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Speaker 1: full life of adventure. What a cruel thing death was
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Speaker 1: to rob the world of such a spirit. Jacob stroked
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Speaker 1: Joseph's cheek.
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Speaker 6: You always favored the looks of your mother, my love, Rachel.
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Speaker 6: When I came from Hardan, to my sorrow, she had
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Speaker 6: died in Canaan along the way. We were too far away,
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Speaker 6: so I had to bury her in Ephrath. Some call
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Speaker 6: it the more beautiful name Betha Maham.
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Speaker 5: I wish I could have said good bye to her, Ah,
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Speaker 5: though so much time lost, she loved.
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Speaker 6: You, dear Joseph.
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Speaker 5: As do I.
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Speaker 6: Bring your sons close to me so that I may
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Speaker 6: bless them.
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Speaker 1: Joseph brought the boy's near while they still sat on
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Speaker 1: his lap. Israel wrapped them both in his arms and
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Speaker 1: kissed them. A gentle, innocent tinge of jealousy pricked Joseph
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Speaker 1: for a brief moment. He longed to be that small again,
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Speaker 1: so he too could be wrapped in his father's arms.
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Speaker 6: I never thought i'd see your face again, Joseph. And behold,
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Speaker 6: God has let me see your children's faces also.
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Speaker 1: Joseph removed his boys from his knees and bowed. He
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Speaker 1: pressed his face against the floor, moistening it with his tears.
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Speaker 5: God promised you that you'd be great, and here you are,
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Speaker 5: with a small nation forming before your very eyes.
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Speaker 6: Ah, and now my time has come. Bring your sons closer.
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Speaker 1: Joseph brought Ephraim for Israel to bless him with his
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Speaker 1: left hand. He brought in Manassah so that Israel would
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Speaker 1: bless him with his right hand. But Israel crossed his
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Speaker 1: arms and placed his left hand on Manassa and his
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Speaker 1: right on Ephraim. Joseph's head cocked to the side in confusion.
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Speaker 1: The eldest son was supposed to be blessed with the
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Speaker 1: right hand. Jacob spoke with as much energy as he
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Speaker 1: could muster in his old age.
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Speaker 6: May the God before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac walked,
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Speaker 6: the God who has been my shepherd for all the
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Speaker 6: days of my life, and the Angel who has redeemed
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Speaker 6: me from evil, bless these boys. May my name carry
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Speaker 6: out through him as did the names of Abraham and Isaac.
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Speaker 6: Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of
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Speaker 6: the earth. Father, this isn't the way. Manassa is my
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Speaker 6: first born. Put your right hand on his head. I know,
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Speaker 6: my son, I know Vanassa shall become a great tribe. Nevertheless,
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Speaker 6: his younger brother shall be greater than he. His offspring
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Speaker 6: shall become a multitude of nations, stretching further than the
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Speaker 6: reaches of the plains.
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Speaker 1: It was just like Jacob to give one last blessing
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Speaker 1: to a younger brother. Some things never changed. Yet interwoven
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Speaker 1: in Jacob's blessing was a thread of God's character, the
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Speaker 1: younger rising up to rule over and save the older.
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Speaker 1: A slight smile twitched on the sides of Joseph's face.
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Speaker 6: Ay, I am about to die, Joseph, but I know
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Speaker 6: God will go before you. You will dwell in Canaan.
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Speaker 6: Once again. I have given you the mountain slope that
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Speaker 6: I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.
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Speaker 6: It is mine to give, and you, my sweet Joseph,
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Speaker 6: it is given.
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Speaker 5: In this life or the next, I shall go to
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Speaker 5: that mountain.
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Speaker 6: Father, Ah, it's time. Go fetch your brothers. Gather yourselves together,
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Speaker 6: so I may tell you what is to happen in
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Speaker 6: the days to come.
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Speaker 1: The twelve sons of Israel gathered at their father's bedside.
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Speaker 1: The sun's radiant gaze turned downward, diving into the verdant
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Speaker 1: plains of Goshen. Dusk's glow painted the men faces as
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Speaker 1: they looked down at their dying father. Joseph looked at
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Speaker 1: each of them in this light. He could see the
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Speaker 1: cracks in their brows, the leathering of their cheeks, and
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Speaker 1: the dark rings beneath their eyes. They were no longer
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Speaker 1: young men, but patriarchs in their own rights, bearing the
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Speaker 1: weight and wisdom of years. Israel turned his chin upward
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Speaker 1: and raised his voice. It was quieter, but no longer
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Speaker 1: quivering like a steady stream.
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Speaker 6: Resemble. Listen, o, sons of Jacob, Listen to your father Reuben.
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Speaker 6: You are my first born, my might, and the first
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Speaker 6: fruits of my strength, pre eminent in dignity and power.
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Speaker 6: Yet you are unstable as water. You shall not have
00:18:53
Speaker 6: pre eminence. Because you went up to your father's bed,
00:18:57
Speaker 6: then you defiled it. Simeon and Levi brothers and warriors.
00:19:04
Speaker 6: Weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come
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Speaker 6: not into their counsel. Oh, my glory, be not joined
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Speaker 6: to their company. They're angry men and have shed blood
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Speaker 6: in rage. In their stubbornness, they've hamstrung even oxen. Cursed
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Speaker 6: be their anger, for it is fierce, and cursed be
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Speaker 6: their wrath, for it is cruel. I will divide them
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Speaker 6: in my name and scatter them in Israel.
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Speaker 1: It wasn't a great start. Reuben, Simeon, and Levi dipped
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Speaker 1: their heads in shame. Israel's harsh tone softened for a moment.
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Speaker 1: Judah was next. Judah tensed, anticipating a similar blow from
00:19:51
Speaker 1: his father.
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Speaker 6: Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hands shall be
00:19:58
Speaker 6: on the neck of your enemies, and all my sons
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Speaker 6: shall bow down before you.
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Speaker 1: Judah's tight shoulders relaxed momentarily, and the creases on his
00:20:08
Speaker 1: brow gave way to glistening eyes. He and Israel locked
00:20:13
Speaker 1: eyes for a long drawn out moment. Finally, at the
00:20:17
Speaker 1: end of his life, Jacob saw his son Judah, for
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Speaker 1: who he was meant to be great.
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Speaker 6: Judah is a lion cub from the prey. My son,
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Speaker 6: you have gone up, who would dare rouse you? The
00:20:33
Speaker 6: scepter shall not depart from the house of Judah, nor
00:20:37
Speaker 6: the ruler's staff from between his feet, until a tribute
00:20:41
Speaker 6: comes to him. To Judah has given the gift of obedience,
00:20:46
Speaker 6: all the people shall heed his words. Your planes shall
00:20:51
Speaker 6: be filled with verdant wine, so much so that donkeys
00:20:55
Speaker 6: will be bound to the vines.
00:20:58
Speaker 1: Judah bowed his head in reverence for his father. For
00:21:01
Speaker 1: the first time in his life, he felt a sense
00:21:04
Speaker 1: of greatness upon him. His lineage would hold the line
00:21:09
Speaker 1: of kings.
00:21:10
Speaker 6: Zebulon shall dwell at the shore of the sea. He
00:21:14
Speaker 6: shall become a haven for ships, and his borders shall
00:21:18
Speaker 6: be at saidon. His Sakhar is a strong donkey, but
00:21:25
Speaker 6: lazy and passive. For this reason, his shoulders will bear
00:21:30
Speaker 6: the weight of others, and forced labor will be his burden. Dan,
00:21:36
Speaker 6: you shall be a judge of the people, But from
00:21:41
Speaker 6: Dan shall come a serpent, a viper by the path
00:21:45
Speaker 6: that bites the horses heels ah Er. I will wait
00:21:50
Speaker 6: for the Lord's salvation. Gad ha ha, oh, my Gad.
00:21:56
Speaker 6: Raiders shall come for Gad, but he shall have the
00:21:59
Speaker 6: final word. Yes, he will be stricken down, but rise
00:22:04
Speaker 6: again to fight back ashes. Food shall be rich and abundant.
00:22:11
Speaker 6: Blessing will flow from Asher. From his land will spring
00:22:15
Speaker 6: forth not only necessities, but luxuries enough. Tolly is a
00:22:21
Speaker 6: deer on the loose who bears beautiful fawns. Beautiful words
00:22:26
Speaker 6: will grace your land one day, words of truth and healing.
00:22:31
Speaker 1: Israel placed his palms on the bed and rose himself
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Speaker 1: up slightly. His body was weak, but his resolve was strong.
00:22:41
Speaker 1: Israel looked at Joseph. Behind the Egyptian head dress and markings.
00:22:46
Speaker 1: Was the young boy he splashed by the streams in Canaan.
00:22:50
Speaker 1: What a strong man he had become, trustworthy and righteous.
00:22:55
Speaker 1: Israel's smile created small canyons on his cheeks.
00:23:00
Speaker 6: Joseph is a fruitful branch. He is the sea that
00:23:05
Speaker 6: was planted by a stream to grow and run over
00:23:08
Speaker 6: the wall. Though archers bitterly attacked him, shot him, and
00:23:13
Speaker 6: harassed him to the point of death, he remained unmoved.
00:23:17
Speaker 6: His bow was steady, and his aim was true. His
00:23:22
Speaker 6: arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty
00:23:25
Speaker 6: One of Jacob, the shepherd stone of Israel was with you.
00:23:31
Speaker 6: By the God of your father, who will help you.
00:23:34
Speaker 6: By God Almighty, who will bless you with blessings from
00:23:39
Speaker 6: heaven above, blessings of the deep, the crouches beneath, blessings
00:23:44
Speaker 6: of the breasts and of the womb. My blessings have
00:23:48
Speaker 6: been greater than that of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac.
00:23:53
Speaker 6: A ha a scoundrel, I am yet blessed. My blessings
00:24:01
Speaker 6: stretch across the everlasting hills. May those blessings be on
00:24:06
Speaker 6: the head of you, Joseph, and may they rest on
00:24:09
Speaker 6: you like a crown, for you have been set apart
00:24:14
Speaker 6: from your brothers, to rule, to save, to redeem. Now, Oh,
00:24:21
Speaker 6: where is Benjamin Ah, Yes, Benji, my ravenous wolf. In
00:24:28
Speaker 6: the morning you devour your prey, and in the evening
00:24:31
Speaker 6: divine a spoil. Fierce you will be, but also generous.
00:24:38
Speaker 1: Thus the twelve tribes of Israel were established, given blessings
00:24:43
Speaker 1: and curses. Israel's words foretold of their extraordinary rise, and
00:24:49
Speaker 1: for some their devastating foe.
00:24:53
Speaker 6: I have already commissioned Joseph to see to it that
00:24:57
Speaker 6: I am buried with my forefathers. I would be buried
00:25:01
Speaker 6: in the cave that belonged to Ephron the Hittite. It
00:25:05
Speaker 6: is east of Mayre, in the field at mark Pala.
00:25:10
Speaker 6: It is where Abraham was buried with Sarah. Isaac was
00:25:14
Speaker 6: buried with Rebecca.
00:25:15
Speaker 1: And Jacob paused. His eyes glistened with something he had
00:25:21
Speaker 1: not expected. His throat clenched, his voice rocked like a
00:25:25
Speaker 1: ship at sea.
00:25:27
Speaker 6: Ah, I will be buried beside my wife Lee.
00:25:31
Speaker 1: Here Israel nodded, sighed, and stretched his legs under the blankets.
00:25:38
Speaker 1: His son stood above him, the amber glow of sunset
00:25:42
Speaker 1: warming their somber smiles. Tears rolled down a few of
00:25:46
Speaker 1: their faces, while others held back anger.
00:25:50
Speaker 5: He chuckled.
00:25:51
Speaker 1: It was fitting that his final moments on earth would
00:25:54
Speaker 1: be spent stirring the pot. No matter how much time passed,
00:25:59
Speaker 1: he was still a trouble maker at heart. He had
00:26:02
Speaker 1: once been Jacob the Deceiver, a fitting title for a
00:26:07
Speaker 1: man who held lies and truth in close company together.
00:26:12
Speaker 1: Yet at the end of his days, there was no
00:26:14
Speaker 1: need for tricks, no use for lies. Now he was Israel,
00:26:21
Speaker 1: he who wrestles with God. He looked at his sons.
00:26:25
Speaker 1: It was their title. Now they would wrestle with God.
00:26:30
Speaker 1: They would struggle to follow, obey, and yield, Yet in
00:26:35
Speaker 1: the end they would be victorious. They were keepers of
00:26:39
Speaker 1: the promise, God's chosen people. Israel's eyes dipped with the
00:26:46
Speaker 1: sun as its final light receded from the valley, so
00:26:51
Speaker 1: did Israel's soul. He breathed his last, his final words,
00:26:58
Speaker 1: a whisper of promise.
00:27:04
Speaker 7: Every Friday night, as Shabbab begins, as Jewish families around
00:27:08
Speaker 7: the world gather around the table, the flicker of candlelight
00:27:11
Speaker 7: illuminates our children's faces. The aroma of halabread fills the air,
00:27:17
Speaker 7: and we prepare my husband and I to bless them.
00:27:22
Speaker 7: To our daughters, we say this blessing. May God make
00:27:26
Speaker 7: you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah you sime lam Kesara, rifka,
00:27:33
Speaker 7: Rachel velea, that's how you say it in Hebrew. And
00:27:36
Speaker 7: to our sons we say something a little bit different.
00:27:39
Speaker 7: We say ivarre Hashem, frime kamenasha, may God make you
00:27:45
Speaker 7: like a frime and nnasse. It's always struck me. Why
00:27:49
Speaker 7: don't we say, may God make you like Abraham, Isaac
00:27:52
Speaker 7: or Jacob for our boys? Why do we invoke Joseph's
00:27:56
Speaker 7: sons In today's Bible story, Joseph bring Ephrime and Manassa
00:28:01
Speaker 7: to their grandfather Jacob for a blessing. Manassa, the first born,
00:28:06
Speaker 7: is placed under Jacob's right hand, the hand of strength
00:28:09
Speaker 7: and prominence, and Efriam, the younger, is placed under the left.
00:28:14
Speaker 7: But Jacob does something unexpected. Suddenly he crosses his hands.
00:28:20
Speaker 7: The right hand, the hand of power, rests on Ephriam,
00:28:23
Speaker 7: the younger son, and the left hand on Manassa. Joseph
00:28:28
Speaker 7: is confused, maybe even frustrated, but Jacob and his wisdom
00:28:33
Speaker 7: sees what no one else can. If i Am is
00:28:36
Speaker 7: destined for something greater. And here's the most extraordinary part.
00:28:41
Speaker 7: Manassa doesn't even protest. There's absolutely no jealousy, no rivalry.
00:28:49
Speaker 7: He accepts the blessing that was destined for him. You see,
00:28:54
Speaker 7: Ephriam and Manassa are the first brothers in the story
00:28:58
Speaker 7: of our people who love each other without competition, without conflict.
00:29:03
Speaker 7: And that's why we bless our sons to be like them.
00:29:06
Speaker 7: Because as important as it is to be righteous. It's
00:29:09
Speaker 7: just as important to live in peace. As David proclaimed
00:29:13
Speaker 7: in Psalms one thirty three, he named matovo manaim scheve
00:29:18
Speaker 7: t rihiem gamjagad, how good and how pleasant it is
00:29:22
Speaker 7: when brothers lived together in unity. I was once at
00:29:27
Speaker 7: the mall with my son. We saw a boy, maybe
00:29:29
Speaker 7: ten or eleven, misbehaving in the food court. His mother,
00:29:33
Speaker 7: clearly at her wits end, dragged him over to a
00:29:36
Speaker 7: mall employee who had cleaning supplies. The mother handed her
00:29:39
Speaker 7: son some paper towels and made him clean up his mess.
00:29:43
Speaker 7: My son looked up at me and said, wow, that
00:29:46
Speaker 7: mom looks really angry. Look what she's making him do.
00:29:50
Speaker 7: And I looked at my son and said, she did
00:29:53
Speaker 7: that because she loves him. She saw him make a mess,
00:29:56
Speaker 7: And yes, she's angry, but she's teaching him something important.
00:30:00
Speaker 7: She's teaching him he has to take accountability for his actions,
00:30:04
Speaker 7: and he needs to clean up after himself. The Hebrew
00:30:07
Speaker 7: word for parent is horeh, and it means to teach.
00:30:13
Speaker 7: Love isn't always soft. Sometimes it's a lesson, sometimes it's
00:30:17
Speaker 7: a rebuke. And today we see Jacob blessing his sons
00:30:21
Speaker 7: but it's not all of Jacob's words that are easy
00:30:26
Speaker 7: to hear to reoven. Jacob said leadership won't be his
00:30:31
Speaker 7: because he defiled his father's bed, and Jacob rebukes Simeon
00:30:35
Speaker 7: and Levy for their violence. But even rebuke, when it
00:30:39
Speaker 7: comes from love, is a blessing. It's our responsibility to
00:30:44
Speaker 7: be the horeh, to be the teacher, which means to teach,
00:30:48
Speaker 7: and to be the parent. It's our responsibility to be
00:30:52
Speaker 7: the horeh, to be the parent, which literally translates in
00:30:57
Speaker 7: Hebrew as to teach like the mother and the mall
00:31:02
Speaker 7: that me and my son saw. Jacob's harsh words weren't
00:31:05
Speaker 7: meant to punish. They were meant to teach, to guide
00:31:08
Speaker 7: his sons towards who God wants them to be. A
00:31:15
Speaker 7: year after my abba, my father, Abriil Ekstein, passed away,
00:31:19
Speaker 7: I attended a memorial service in his honor. I remember
00:31:23
Speaker 7: watching a film about his life, and as I sat there,
00:31:26
Speaker 7: moments of my father's life passed before my eyes, and
00:31:30
Speaker 7: I realized something really deep and powerful that continues to
00:31:34
Speaker 7: give me strength to this day. My father lives on
00:31:39
Speaker 7: long after he passed. I see him everywhere I see
00:31:43
Speaker 7: him in the smiles of the elderly that the Fellowship helps.
00:31:46
Speaker 7: I see him in the gratitude of the hungry families
00:31:49
Speaker 7: that the Fellowship feeds. I see him in the joy
00:31:52
Speaker 7: of the new immigrants that the Fellowship brings to Israel.
00:31:55
Speaker 7: And I see my Abba and my own children as
00:31:58
Speaker 7: they carry on our family values and the values of
00:32:01
Speaker 7: our people. Very strangely, the portion of the tour that
00:32:06
Speaker 7: begins with Jacob's death is called Vayechrie. That literally translates
00:32:12
Speaker 7: in Hebrew as and he lived. Isn't that interesting? When
00:32:18
Speaker 7: we learn about Jacob's death, the Tora portion is called
00:32:21
Speaker 7: and he lived. The Talmud teaches us that our father
00:32:26
Speaker 7: Jacob never really died, because the righteous live on through
00:32:31
Speaker 7: their good deeds and the legacy that they leave behind.
00:32:36
Speaker 7: You see, our lives aren't measured by how many years
00:32:38
Speaker 7: we live, but how deeply we impacted those around us.
00:32:43
Speaker 7: Some lives, though very short, ripple across generations. So as
00:32:49
Speaker 7: we live the days that God grants us, let's just
00:32:53
Speaker 7: make them count. Let's leave a legacy that lives on
00:32:56
Speaker 7: long after we're gone, just as my Appa did and
00:32:59
Speaker 7: just as Jacob did. Right in the middle of all
00:33:03
Speaker 7: of Jacob's blessings to his children, there's one moment I
00:33:06
Speaker 7: want to take a look at with you. Right there
00:33:09
Speaker 7: among all the blessings, we find very short verse. It's
00:33:11
Speaker 7: in Genesis, chapter forty nine, verse eighteen, and it says, quote,
00:33:16
Speaker 7: I look for your deliverance Lord, end quote. I wonder
00:33:22
Speaker 7: why did Jacob utter this prayer right in the middle
00:33:25
Speaker 7: of blessing his children. Well, Jewish traditions suggests one powerful
00:33:30
Speaker 7: answer that even with all of the blessings that the
00:33:33
Speaker 7: Great and Holy Jacob could pronounce upon his children for
00:33:37
Speaker 7: success and achievement, the fulfillment of those blessings actually depends
00:33:41
Speaker 7: on just one thing, trust in God, on whom all
00:33:46
Speaker 7: these achievements would ultimately and exclusively depend. And it's the
00:33:51
Speaker 7: same for all of us. Our family and our friends
00:33:53
Speaker 7: can wish us well and bless us and even want
00:33:56
Speaker 7: to help us, but in the end, it's our faith
00:33:59
Speaker 7: in God that will bring all of these wonderful wishes
00:34:02
Speaker 7: and blessings on our lives to fruition. So let's embrace
00:34:08
Speaker 7: the journey with all of its twists and turns, knowing
00:34:11
Speaker 7: that we are deeply blessed. We are blessed to be
00:34:14
Speaker 7: part of God's story as the Chosen People. And I
00:34:19
Speaker 7: want to leave you now with this special biblical blessing
00:34:22
Speaker 7: that my father would give us ever, that my father
00:34:25
Speaker 7: would give me and my sisters every Friday night, and
00:34:28
Speaker 7: now me and my husband give to our children. Yvare
00:34:33
Speaker 7: Hashem vishmerechra ya her hashempanave ele y sa hashempanavelera Salon.
00:34:43
Speaker 7: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the
00:34:45
Speaker 7: Lord make his face shine upon you. May he be
00:34:49
Speaker 7: gracious to you. Made the Lord turn his face towards
00:34:52
Speaker 7: you and give you peace.
00:34:54
Speaker 6: Amen.
00:34:56
Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with You al
00:34:59
Speaker 1: Exstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey
00:35:03
Speaker 1: dot Com app today. This Prey dot Com production is
00:35:07
Speaker 1: only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents.
00:35:11
Speaker 1: Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabager and Ben Gammon are
00:35:15
Speaker 1: the executive producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein,
00:35:19
Speaker 1: edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are
00:35:24
Speaker 1: voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,
00:35:29
Speaker 1: Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced
00:35:33
Speaker 1: by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by
00:35:37
Speaker 1: Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier,
00:35:41
Speaker 1: Robin van Ettin, KAYLEB Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team
00:35:45
Speaker 1: at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear
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