The United Kingdom of Israel

There are only two instances in the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible where the commonly used word 'toldot' (generations) is perfected. The first relates creation as a preparation for the souls that would follow into the world. The second declared the purpose of the first; a soul, through Judah and Tamar of the generations from Peretz to Boaz and Ruth (the second perfect spelling) from whom King David, the Messianic root descended. But, according to Kabbala, this would be preceded by the messianic soul of Joseph.

R'Shmuel, ben Nachman said: "The brothers were busy selling Joseph; Reuben was busy with his sackcloth and fasting; Jacob was busy with his sackcloth and fasting; Judah was busy taking a wife for himself; and God was busy creating the light of King Messiah. 'And it came to pass at that time and Judah went down...' before the first slave is born, before the final redeemer is born.

Jacob's only daughter Dinah was raped, but Jacob delayed telling his sons until they returned from the fields. They were outraged by the defilement, but also their father's delay. They hated Dinah's baby and wanted to kill it. Jacob placed an amulet around her neck, took her to a mountain near the priests of Midyan, placed her in a 'SNeh' (bush) and sent a request to the high priest to care for her. She was named AeSNath, from 'SNeh' and SiNai (meaning hatred).

When Aesnath reached the age her mother was violated, the Midianite priests began transporting her to the ancestral home of Jacob's wives. Along that route they changed plans, traded her to Ishmaelites and joined their caravan heading south to Egypt. Curiously Torah tells the Ishmaelites were carrying an unusual cargo, נְכֹאת֙ וּצְרִ֣י וָלֹ֔ט : Spice, Gum and Balm. Rabbi Moses Ha-Kohen the Spaniard relates the word for Spice to a 'treasure house'. Separately Joseph's brothers kidnapped him and along that route to Egypt sold him to Midianites. Thus two caravans were separately transporting the people the brothers hated most; 17 year old Joseph and his 8 year old niece Aesnath, who he would later discover and marry.

Then, in the midst of the Joseph story Torah interjects the apparently unrelated story of Judah's descent from his brothers, his legitimate interlude with his ingenious daughter-in-law Tamar and the birth of their son Peretz that rescued the messianic line. The interjection exposed a low point of Judah's life juxtaposed with heights of immoveable messianic destiny. Jacob's wives, the house of Leah (through Dinah's daughter Aesnath) and the house of Rachel (Joseph) were ultimately united in marriage and the preceding messianic light of Joseph became firmly rooted for the Messianic redemption of Israel's tribes, the Jewish people.

The Torah returns us to the story. 22 years later, confronted by drought, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy supplies. They did not recognize Joseph who had become the Viceroy of Egypt, they presented him with Jacob's gift and bowed to him. At that moment Joseph realized his prophetic dreams, that had caused such hatred. But, Jacob's gift surprised him because it contained three of the same "unusual" elements צֳרִי֙ וּמְעַ֣ט דְּבַ֔שׁ נְכֹ֣את וָלֹ֔ט בָּטְנִ֖ים וּשְׁקֵדִֽים: of the "treasure house" that accompanied him on his caravan to Egypt. Perhaps a hint that his prophetic father had orchestrated the regional priestly diplomacy to ensure Aesnath accompanied Joseph on his exile in Egypt.

If even prophetically Jacob knew Joseph was alive, why did he mourn the 22 years of Joseph's absence? Because, his son's collectively lied about selling Joseph. And, Joseph was not innocent, free to communicate he chose not to reach out, for 22 years! In the brothers final confrontation with Joseph Judah assumed responsibility for Benjamin who was too young to be implicated in the devilish scheme his brothers perpetrated against Joseph. With that collective realization Judah bound Benjamin to the oath their brothers had once entered, never to reveal their darkest secret, about the sale of Joseph to their father and Joseph, admitting his own shortcoming, fell on the necks (Torah uses the plural) of his younger brother Benjamin. Together they wept over the trauma of their brotherly fracture that would result in the future destruction of Jerusalem's temples. But, the sons of Israel (Jacob) were united, bound by their collective silence.

Still seeking assurance, on his death bed Israel's sons assured him "Hear us, O' Israel The Lord is our God, The Lord is One" and Israel's final, parting response: Blessed be the glory of His kingdom for ever and ever! 

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.