Blessing on Those Who Fear Elohim
Psalm 128

A Song of Ascents.

Happy is everyone who stands in awe of Yahuah, who walks in His ways.
For you will eat the labor of your hands;
you will be blessed, and it will be good for you.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house.
Your children will be like olive saplings around your table.

Behold, this is how the man will be blessed who fears Yahuah.

Yahuah will bless you out of Zion,
and you will see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
You will see your children’s children. Shalom upon Israel.

Bonus

Diligence and Laziness
Proverbs 10

The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son gives joy to his father, but a foolish son is grief to his mother.
Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.
Yahuah will not let a righteous soul go hungry, but He thwarts the cravings of the wicked.
Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
One who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

Sayings of the Mouth Matter

Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
The wise in heart accept commands, but a babbling fool comes to ruin.
One who walks in integrity walks securely, but one who takes crooked paths will be found out.
One who winks an eye maliciously causes grief, and a babbling fool comes to ruin.
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.
Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of one lacking sense.
Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool is near ruin.
The wealth of a rich man is his strong city; poverty is the ruin of the poor.
The wages of the righteous are life; the income of the wicked is sin.
One who heeds discipline is on the path of life, but whoever ignores correction goes astray.
One who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
When words abound, transgression is unavoidable, but whoever restrains his lips is wise.
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little value.
The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of understanding.

Dread or Hope

The blessing of Yahuah brings wealth, and He adds no trouble with it.
As wickedness is delight to a fool, so wisdom is to a man of discernment.
What the wicked dread will fall upon them; the desire of the righteous will be granted.
When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the foundation of the righteous is everlasting.
Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a slacker to those who send him.
The fear of Yahuah prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.
The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hope of the wicked perishes.
The way of Yahuah is a stronghold to the upright, but it is ruin to evildoers.
The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
The mouth of the righteous bears the fruit of wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.

Parshah Vayetze Genesis 28:10–32:3

Parashat Vayetze opens with Yaakov’s departure from Be’er Sheva as he journeys toward Haran. This journey is not merely geographic; it marks a turning point in his life. Yaakov is fleeing the anger of his brother Esav, who seeks to kill him after Yaakov received the blessing from Isaac. He is also traveling in obedience to the instruction given by his parents—to find a wife not from the daughters of Canaan but from the family of his mother in Padan Aram. This mixture of fear, purpose, and destiny sets the tone for a parashah filled with divine encounters, personal growth, challenges, and the unfolding of covenant promises.

As night falls on his journey, Yaakov stops to rest in a place that will become one of the most spiritually significant sites in Scripture. Using a stone as a pillow, he lies down and experiences a dream that alters his understanding of his calling and relationship with Yahuah. In his vision, he sees a ladder or stairway reaching from earth to heaven, with messengers of Elohim ascending and descending. Above the ladder stands Yahuah, who speaks to Yaakov, reaffirming the covenant made with Avraham and Isaac. Yahuah promises that the land on which Yaakov lies will belong to him and his descendants, who will become as numerous as the dust of the earth. He further assures Yaakov that He will be with him, will guard him wherever he goes, and will bring him back to the land. This divine promise of protection and an eventual return anchors Yaakov’s faith for years to come.

Awakening from the dream, Yaakov is filled with awe and declares that Yahuah’s presence was in that place though he had not known it. He names the location Bethel, meaning “House of Elohim,” and sets up the stone he slept on as a standing pillar, pouring oil upon it. He then makes a vow: if Elohim protects him, provides for him, and returns him safely to his father’s house, then Yahuah will indeed be his Elohim, and he will dedicate a tenth of all he receives.

Yaakov continues his journey and arrives in the region of Haran, coming upon a well where shepherds are waiting to water their flocks. While there, he sees Rachel approaching with her sheep. Moved with strength and emotion, Yaakov rolls the large stone from the well—a task typically requiring multiple men—and waters Rachel’s flock. He then reveals that he is Rebekah’s son. Rachel runs to tell her father Lavan, who warmly welcomes Yaakov into his home.

For a month, Yaakov works for Lavan until Lavan suggests that he should not serve him without wages. When asked what he desires, Yaakov expresses his love for Rachel and offers seven years of labor in exchange for her hand in marriage. Lavan agrees, and the seven years pass quickly because of Yaakov’s deep affection for Rachel.

However, when the time for marriage arrives, Lavan deceives Yaakov. Under the cover of night and with veiling, he presents Leah instead of Rachel. Yaakov discovers the deception the next morning and confronts Lavan, who excuses his actions by citing local custom—that the younger daughter cannot be given before the elder. Lavan then offers Rachel as well, provided Yaakov completes a week with Leah and agrees to serve another seven years. Despite the deception, Yaakov accepts, and Rachel becomes his wife.

The Torah then shifts attention to the dynamics within Yaakov’s growing family. Yahuah sees that Leah is unloved and opens her womb, granting her a series of sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Meanwhile, Rachel remains barren and deeply grieved. In her desperation, she gives her maidservant Bilhah to Yaakov, who bears Dan and Naphtali. Leah responds by giving her maidservant Zilpah, who bears Gad and Asher. A competition between the sisters intensifies as each seeks validation and affection through childbearing. Leah eventually bears Issachar and Zebulun and later gives birth to Dinah. Finally, in a moment of divine remembrance, Elohim opens Rachel’s womb, and she bears Joseph, whom she names with hope for another son in the future.

After Joseph’s birth, Yaakov expresses his desire to return to his homeland. Lavan, however, having recognized that Yahuah has blessed him because of Yaakov’s presence, persuades him to stay by offering to set new wages. Yaakov proposes a system involving the speckled, spotted, and dark-colored animals, which would be his, while the solid-colored ones would remain Lavan’s. Through a combination of selective breeding, practical strategy, and divine favor, Yaakov’s flocks multiply and become strong, while Lavan’s decline. This prosperity leads to tension, especially as Lavan’s sons accuse Yaakov of taking their father’s wealth. Yaakov notices Lavan’s attitude shift, and Elohim appears to him, instructing him to return to the land of his fathers.

Yaakov calls Rachel and Leah into the field and shares the situation with them, including Lavan’s repeated attempts to cheat him. Both sisters agree that they have no inheritance left in their father’s house and support Yaakov’s decision to leave. They acknowledge that their father has treated them like strangers and consumed what should have belonged to them. With unity, the family prepares to depart.

Yaakov leaves secretly with his wives, children, servants, and massive flocks. Unbeknownst to him, Rachel takes her father’s household idols. When Lavan discovers their departure after three days, he pursues them for seven days, catching up with them in the hill country of Gilead. But Elohim appears to Lavan in a dream, warning him not to speak to Yaakov either good or bad.

Upon reaching Yaakov, Lavan accuses him of fleeing like a thief and stealing the household gods. Yaakov denies any knowledge of the theft and declares that whoever is found with the idols shall not live. Lavan searches the tents but finds nothing, as Rachel hides the idols in a camel saddle and sits upon it, claiming she cannot rise because of her monthly cycle. With the search unsuccessful, Yaakov becomes angry and rebukes Lavan for years of mistreatment, recounting how he endured the heat, cold, sleepless nights, and constant losses while faithfully serving him.

The tension eventually softens, and the two men establish a covenant for the sake of peace. They set up a stone and a mound as witnesses, agreeing neither will cross the boundary to harm the other. The place is named Mizpah, symbolizing Yahuah’s watchfulness between them. Lavan kisses his daughters and grandchildren goodbye and returns home, while Yaakov continues his journey. As the parashah concludes, messengers of Elohim meet him, a reminder that divine protection surrounds him as he heads toward the next great challenge—reuniting with Esav.