Vayishev 5782 and the letter Hey Part 1
It looks like a window in the Paleo Hebrew and it means look, behold, window, revelation.
They hey has 2 parts, it has a disconnected leg which the sages say is when one of the legs of the aleph dislodged and ended up in the hey. The reason for this was because of the indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh, which is what the hey signifies - the indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh in the believer.
We see this revelation and increased indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh, when Avram became Avraham and Sarai become Sarah. The hey was added to their names when they stepped into the revelation of their journey with their Covenant Partner.
YHVH’s name is about revelation and divine understanding of him.
The letter hey represents the divine breath, revelation and light.
The word light is mentioned 5 times in Genesis 1:3 – 4 which is said to correspond to the letter hey.
[Source: Hebrew4Christians]
Two other letters that look similar to the hey, are the chet and the tav.
The hey is open which is very significant. In the picture language – the chet looks like a fence or an inner room and is closed. The tav has a “toe” and in the picture language is a sign of the covenant. These letters are closed. The hey is open which is very significant. 
The hey can look like a pitchfork but when turned it looks like is a man holding up his hands. This can mean “behold”.
Isaiah 26:4 4 “Trust in YAHWEH forever, for in Yah YAHWEH is an everlasting rock.”
Psalm 33: 6 “Through the Word of YAHWEH the heavens were made; and all their host were made by the breath of His mouth. (Ps 104:29-30)”
The hey represents HaShem’s creative power.
The sages say YAH, made up of the letters yud and hey and that He used these letters to form the divine name YAH to create the universe. With the yud He created the world tocome and with the hey He created this world, the physical world.
The dalet that has a vertical and horizontal component together with the yud makes up the letter hey, it is what represents the spiritual world. It teaches us that this world is combined and is both spiritual and physical.
There is a beautiful little message in the 5th word of Genesis 2:4. where we see that the hey is smaller than usual.
The word bet represents the Son, The Word of Adonai, we can read this is as, “The Son breathed forth creation.”
In Hebrew this word reads: “be·hib·ba·re·’am” meaning “when they were created”. This can be read as “in hey” they, the earth and the heavens, were created.
In the text it adds a hey to B’barim – : b’habarim. To bring attentions to the Spirit of Adonai being involved in the creation of the Heavens and the earth.
The hey makes clear that the nature itself was created by HaShem and it has no independent power other than to do haShem's will. This is what this little hey means, that HaShem and Him alone has the power to create and renew nature everyday!
The hey is also tied in with the word teshuva and also stands for freedom of choice. The dalet stands for brokenness and the yod stands for the hand of HaShem, opening the door of the heart then forms a picture of the Ruach HaKodesh living in the believer, forming the hey of revelation when we are walking in the Spirit.
The hey is a silent letter. It is quite profound that often revelation is too. It comes in a sweet softness of understanding and a quiet knowing. Sometimes silence is this sweet revelation and sometimes silence feels like an empty void.
Over the next few chapters, when you look closely you will see that the voice of HaShem is not heard. There is a silence across these chapters and it would almost seem as though HaShem has forgotten Ya'akov and his sons. When we find ourselves in these silent times it is when HaShem is drawing us closer to Him, this is when He is deeply desiring us to draw near, to seek His face with a greater degree of yearning and a realisation of how deeply we need Him. When we feel He is far from us, this is the time we need to sh’ma (listen and obey) more than ever before, to trust in His Word and the path he has directed for us.
Yeshua says in John 10 - that his sheep will know His voice. Well what do we do when he is silent? We remember His voice and his instructions and we choose to keep walking in faith until we once again hear his still, small voice.
In our Torah portion the word vayeshev is interpreted as “and he dwelt” but it also means “and he sat”. These beginning Scriptures of this parashat walk us through the time when Ya’akov was mourning his most precious wife Rachel and his father Yitschak. In the Jewish tradition when someone dies they sit sheva – this is a process of sitting for seven days and mourning those you love. The community comes to the mourners aid, bringing meals, helping in the house and serving those who are mourning, which in itself is an incredible act as by serving.
This dwelling time for Ya’akov was far more than just dwelling and it was far more than just sitting. If you add up the blows Ya’akov took from the time when he left his childhood home to working for Lavan (Laban), it was a deep place of sheva – of sitting and mourning not only the loss of his loved ones but perhaps the loss of what he thought would be and what he had hoped his life would look like. I am sure many can relate to this state of being, playing the 'what if's' over and over in your mind and especially when you have lost those you love. Perhaps he was wondering if there would ever be a respite for him?
From here on in Torah. it is young Yoseph that steps forward to fulfill the plan, to carry forward the covenant and be the bearer of promise. Yoseph is a beautiful parallel to Yeshua.
Yoseph carried the light of the covenant within him and Yeshua, was and is the embodiment of that light. John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
Are we light carriers? Do we reflect the glory of Yeshua our King?
At this time of Chanukah we are reminded of the light that shone before the sun, moon stars were placed in the heavens on the 4th day of creation. The primeval light that shone as a prophetic lamp stand that will shine again in the new Yerushalayem, when there will be no need sun, moon and stars but the glorious fullness of the light of our King Yeshua!
May we shine with an increased brightness for His Kingdom’s sake.
Baruch HaShem,
Michelle