Who was Asenath?

Dinah the wife of Lavan was the mother of Leah and Rachel, both of whom married Jacob. Lavan motivated a deception of Jacob to first marry Leah although Jacob always considered Rachel his first wife, his first choice. Leah's daughter was said to have been swapped from Rachel who instead bore Joseph, her first son, Leah named her daughter Dinah, presumably after her mother. 

At 8 years old, Jacob's daughter Dinah was raped by Shechem and she conceived. The teenage sons of Jacob wanted to kill the baby to cover their shame, but Jacob objected, instead he placed the baby in a 'sneh', written as סנה - a 'bush' in Midian. The region of Midian was named after the son of Abraham, it roughly stretched from modern Medina (Saudi Arabia) along the Gulf of Arabia to Eilat (Israel).  

The baby was raised by priests in Midian and at age 9 it was transferred, most likely by Midianites on a caravan traveling along the trade route north, then west at Gilead, toward Shechem, the Mediterranean coast and south to Egypt. On their journey the Midianites encountered an Ishmaelite caravan also travelling west through Gilead to the coast and Egypt, they began trading while they travelled to their ultimate destination. 

Joseph was disliked by his brothers. At age 17, near Shechem they threw him into a pit (Genesis 37:25). They concocted an idea to sell him to the approaching Ishmaelite caravan coming from Gilead (Genesis 37:28). Unusually the Ishmaelites were carrying sweet smelling balms when they would normally carry tanning hides and tar. The Midianite caravan arrived at the pit before the Ishmaelite caravan to whom the brothers intended the sale, they removed Joseph from the pit and abducted him.

In the middle of the Joseph story Torah interrupts with a seemingly unrelated story about Joseph's brother Yehuda's (Judah) one-time relationship with the daughter-in-law of his deceased son. Tamar, who was the daughter of a high-priest, disguised as a prostitute expressed her right over Yehuda to procreate from the blood line of her deceased husband. This led to the birth of Peretz from whom the Messianic House of David lineage arose (Genesis 38:1).

Then, just as suddenly Torah returns to the continuation of Joseph's story. The Midianites traded with the Ishmaelites several times on the way to Egypt, ultimately they delivered Joseph to the house of Egypt's designated high priest and chief slaughterer Potiphar.  

Joseph was 30 when Pharaoh made him Viceroy over Egypt and blessed him to marry Asenath, the adopted daughter of Potiphar. Joseph had recognized Aesnath as being Hebrew by the amulet around her neck. Asenath - אסנת, is written using the same two letter source as 'sneh' and 'Sinai'. Jacob named her when he placed an amulet around her neck and left her in the 'sneh' on Mount 'Sinai' for the priestly caste of Midian to care for her. 

Many commentators declare Asenath the daughter of Dinah from the rape by Shechem. One Yemenite source adds that the unusual balm's carried by the Ishmaelites was a hint to Asenath being on the same transport with Joseph to the House of Potiphar, the high priest in Egypt. Considering Torah's juxtaposition of Judah-Tamar and the prospect that Joseph-Asenath were on the same caravan motivates deeper enquiry for such blatant interjection and suggestion. 

Although Judah was Jacob's fourth son to Leah, he rose above the rights of his older brothers to obtain the status of Leah's firstborn. Joseph was firstborn to Jacobs chosen wife Rachel. Jacob's progeny would eventually give rise to the Messianic lineage through penultimate Joseph and ultimate Judah. This is a central tenant of Judaism, the lens through which many of the interpersonal relationships recorded in the Torah can be better understood. 

Providence ensured Asenath would be on the caravan with Joseph to Egypt, to the same home and their marriage some thirteen years later. This was the first intermarriage between Leah and Rachel's bloodlines and Torah's interjection of Judah-Tamar confirms the subtle messianic allusion to Aesenath daughter of Dinah, granddaughter of Jacob. 

The tumultuous journey of Dinah's soul, its intermingling with Shechem, elevation through Asenath and eventual ascension with Joseph in Egypt preceded the messianic moment of Judah and Tamar that gave rise to Peretz, Boaz (Ruth), Yishai and David who was crowned King and from whom future kings descend. 

The word 'toledot' refers to generations, it is used dozens of times in the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible. However, it is spelled perfectly in only two places; once in the first verses of Genesis (2:4) in reference to the creation of the souls of heaven and earth and once in the book of Ruth, naming the descendants of Peretz.

Torahs' finely woven words preserves the record of its deep seated interest in the messianic root for all who care to learn of its complete wisdom.

 

   

Jacob Knows!

The story of Yehuda and Tamar is a very strange juxtaposition to the kidnap and sale of Joseph. Many reasons are given, but I'd like to add more.

Joseph was 17 when he was sold, by his brothers to the Ishmaelites who traded with Midianites on their caravan journey to the house of Potiphar in Egypt. 

Genesis 37:25

(25) Then they (the brothers) sat down to a meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels bearing gum, balm, and ladanum to be taken to Egypt.

כה) וַיֵּשְׁבוּ֮ לֶֽאֱכָל־לֶחֶם֒ וַיִּשְׂא֤וּ עֵֽינֵיהֶם֙ וַיִּרְא֔וּ וְהִנֵּה֙ אֹרְחַ֣ת יִשְׁמְעֵאלִ֔ים בָּאָ֖ה מִגִּלְעָ֑ד וּגְמַלֵּיהֶ֣ם נֹֽשְׂאִ֗ים נְכֹאת֙ וּצְרִ֣י וָלֹ֔ט הוֹלְכִ֖ים לְהוֹרִ֥יד מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃

Commentators raise the oddity of the Ishmaelite load, which would normally have been tars, not the fine balm's mentioned. A Yemenite midrashic source backs up my view that Torah is hinting at something very special.

The Ishmaelite caravan was trading with a Midianite caravan, traveling through Gilead as they separately journeyed to Egypt. The gum, balm and ladanum (נְכֹאת֙ וּצְרִ֣י וָלֹ֔ט - sweet smelling balm's) were a hint that Joseph's niece Aesnath (אסנת) who, 9 years earlier Jacob had placed in a 'sneh' (סנה), a bush in Midyan (perhaps Mount Sinai - סיניה) was traveling on the same caravan. Sneh is in fact the source of her name. Ultimately Joseph and Aesnath were traded into the House of Potiphar in Egypt.

However, the story of their journey is interjected and juxtaposed to the story about the death of Yehuda's two sons that led him to a relationship with is daughter in law, Tamar who birthed Peretz. Then oddly, immediately after the interjection, Torah returns to Joseph (of Rachel) who at 30 years was blessed by Pharaoh to marry Aesnath (from Dinah-Leah). This was the first time the bloodline of Jacob's two wives intermarried. 

Mystical Judaism introduces the idea that the Messianic son of Joseph will precede the Messianic son of Yehuda (David). That seems to be borne out of and supported by Joseph and Aesnath, on the same Caravan being interjected by and adjacent to Yehuda and Tamar (read the link for more about the Messianic soul).  

Later in the story, Joseph encountered his brothers and demanded they fetch the youngest brother  Binyamin from their father Jacob and bring him to Egypt. Reluctantly Jacob conceded, but he commanded his sons to return baring gifts of the land.

Genesis 43:11

(11) Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, do this: take some of the choice products of the land in your baggage, and carry them down as a gift for the man—some balm and some honey, gum, ladanum, pistachio nuts, and almonds.

יא) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֜ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל אֲבִיהֶ֗ם אִם־כֵּ֣ן ׀ אֵפוֹא֮ זֹ֣את עֲשׂוּ֒ קְח֞וּ מִזִּמְרַ֤ת הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ בִּכְלֵיכֶ֔ם וְהוֹרִ֥ידוּ לָאִ֖ישׁ מִנְחָ֑ה מְעַ֤ט צֳרִי֙ וּמְעַ֣ט דְּבַ֔שׁ נְכֹ֣את וָלֹ֔ט בָּטְנִ֖ים וּשְׁקֵדִֽים׃

Three of the six gifts connect to the land, Honey (from dates), Pistachio and Almonds, but the remaining three are identical to and directly relate to the fine balm load carried by the Ishmaelites. Was Jacob hinting at something by sending these three specific gifts to Joseph? By Jacob connecting his gift to Aesnath he was hinting that he knew of her dispatch on the Midianite caravan to Egypt. 

The lofty, mystical pieces of this deeply spiritual world begin to be seen by us mortals. Jacob dispatched Aesnath and sent Joseph to find his brothers, the angel of Dothan delivered him into their hands. Torah juxtaposed the important event of Yehuda and Tamar. Jacob ultimately sent all his sons to Egypt and later the family of Israel immigrated. On Jacob's death bed, he anxiously wanted to tell them of the messianic roots he had set, but in unison his sons settled him saying "Hear O' Israel (as in Jacob) the Lord is God, the Lord is One" to which he responded "Blessed be the name of the glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever" then he left this world.