wa-Yᵊkhi: 3rd Eve

wa-Yᵊkhi 3^rd Eve

Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ Begins Reciting His Will To His Sons

ca. B.C.E. 1737

Then Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ summoned the rest of his sons to apportion the remaining inheritance and convey his wishes for their future.

1 – Bequeathal Bᵊrâkh•ōtꞋ Rᵊu•veinꞋ Bën-Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ

Degel Shevet1-Ruvein: water symbol on red background

DëgꞋël Rᵊu•veinꞋ – Biblical: water symbol

"Rᵊu•veinꞋ," he began, "you were my firstborn. But you're like water — wanton. Having defiled your father's bed with your step-mother you are not permitted the double inheritance due the firstborn."

2 & 3 – Bequeathal Bᵊrâkh•ōtꞋ Shi•mᵊōnꞋ & Lei•wiꞋ Bën-Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ

Degel Shevet2-Shimon: weapons on green background

DëgꞋël Shi•mᵊōnꞋ & Lei•wiꞋ – Biblical: weapons

"Shi•mᵊōnꞋ and Lei•wiꞋ," he continued, "your familiarity is with weapons. May my nëphꞋësh never be on the same page with your tribal secret service unit, nor shall your congregation ever be identified with respect for me; because they killed men in anger rather than necessity, and hamstrung oxen just for fun. Let their anger be damned. I will disperse them within Ya•a•qovꞋ, scatter them among Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ."

4 – Bequeathal Bᵊrâkh•ōtꞋ YᵊhudꞋâh Bën-Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ

Presaging The Mâ•shiꞋakh

DëgꞋël YᵊhudꞋâh – Biblical: lion cub (not lion-king)

"YᵊhudꞋâh, it is you to whom your brothers yōd•uꞋkhâ. May your hand be upon the necks of your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow down to you. YᵊhudꞋâh is a lion's cub. From being a 4^th in line self-sacrificing brother, you've now risen to overcome, my son. The lion cub crouches, then stretches like a lion or lioness – who shall dare provoke him? The sheivꞋët shall not deviate from YᵊhudꞋâh, nor the legislative-arm from between his legs, until Shil•ōhꞋ shall come. The blunting of the am•imꞋ is for him.

5 – Bequeathal Bᵊrâkh•ōtꞋ Zᵊvul•unꞋ Bën-Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ

DëgꞋël Zᵊvul•unꞋ – ship (symbolizing coastal residents, fishing and ports)

Zᵊvul•unꞋ shall inhabit the coastal region and operate Israel's ports, flanking Tzid•ōnꞋ, Lᵊvân•ōnꞋ.

6 – Bequeathal Bᵊrâkh•ōtꞋ Yi•sâ•khârꞋ Bën-Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ

DëgꞋël Yi•sâ•khârꞋ – "heavy-hauler" donkey lying down between sheep-cotes

Yi•sâ•khârꞋ is the "heavy-hauler" donkey, crouching down between the sheep-cotes.

7 – Bequeathal Bᵊrâkh•ōtꞋ Dân Bën-Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ

horned-viper (Pseudocerastes persicus) www.eyalbartov.com

DëgꞋël Dân –

שְׁפִיפֹן

Dân yâ•dinꞋ his am, as one of Shi•vᵊt•eiꞋ Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ. May Dân be a snake in the dërꞋëkh, a horned-viper in the path, which strikes at the horse's fetlocks, causing the horse to rear and the rider to fall backward."

Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ paused thoughtfully, then interjected, "For Your yᵊshu•âhꞋ I've hoped, י‑‑ה."

8 – Bequeathal Bᵊrâkh•ōtꞋ God Bën-Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ

DëgꞋël ~~God~~ – soldiers

~~God~~ yᵊgud•ënꞋu gᵊdudꞋ; and he yâ•gudꞋ â•qeivꞋ.

9 – Bequeathal Bᵊrâkh•ōtꞋ Â•sheirꞋ Bën-Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ

DëgꞋël ~~Â•sheirꞋ~~ – ancient bread with olive tree (symbol of ruꞋakh and prosperity) in background.

~~Â•sheirꞋ~~ – his bread shall be rich in olive-oil and he shall provide the baked delicacies of the king.

10 – Bequeathal Bᵊrâkh•ōtꞋ Na•phᵊtalꞋi Bën-Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ

DëgꞋël Na•phᵊtalꞋi – a•yâl•âhꞋ

Na•phᵊtalꞋi is an a•yâl•âhꞋ sent forth, and he gives shâ•phërꞋ sayings.

Optional parental preparation:

Remainder of Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ's Bequeathal Bᵊrâkh•ōtꞋ YᵊhudꞋâh describes a distant future:

Binding his donkey-colt to the grape-vine, the colt of his jenny-donkey to the vine of the red-grape, he laundered his clothes in wine, and his camo-suit in the blood of grapes. His eyes are more burgundy-amber than wine and his teeth whiter than milk."

As early as the 2^nd century C.E., ŌꞋnᵊqᵊlōs interpreted the symbolism of this passage into Aramaic as:

"Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ shall commute among his cities and his kindred shall build his House. Those around him shall be tza•diq•imꞋ and doers of Tor•âhꞋ according to his interpretation. His clothes shall be of goodly purple, and his vesture of crimson wool with colors. His mountains shall flow red with his vineyards. His hills shall be dropping with wine; his valleys white with corn and flocks of tzon."
How might you wish to explain the phrase "defiled your father's bed with your step-mother"?
What does it mean to hamstring oxen?
Is there any importance to the distinction that YᵊhudꞋâh is symbolized not by the popular adult lion king, but by a lion cub?
What's the difference between the sheivꞋët branch of government and the legislative-arm?
How might you prefer to explain the phrase "nor the legislative-arm from between his legs"?

Questions you might anticipate that your child might raise and be prepared to discuss:

What does summon mean?
What does apportion mean?
What does convey mean?
What does wanton mean?
What does defile mean?
What does disperse mean?
What does presage mean?
What does the verb blunt mean?
What is a coastal region? A port?
What does the verb mean to flank something?
What are sheep-cotes?
What are fetlocks on a horse?
What does interject mean?
What are baked delicacies?

wa-Yᵊkhi 3rd Eve