Genesis 47:28–50:26
Parshat Vayechi
Vayechi — “and he lived” — tells of the last seventeen years of Jacob's life in Egypt. Jacob blesses Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Menashe, then gathers his twelve sons and blesses each one, foretelling the future of the tribes. He is buried in the Cave of Machpelah, Joseph reassures his brothers that he bears them no grudge, and the Book of Bereishit closes with Joseph's death and his promise that G-d will bring the people out of Egypt.
Essays
Parsha Vayechi – All of Jacob: Not Just Memories As we stand on the threshold of the “Messianic Age” we must be aware of our role as “Josephs” whose destiny it is to forge ahead into a new world. To accomplish this, we must be rooted in the past traditions of Judaism. We must also remember that nice memories of the past do not suffice to guarantee Parsha Vayechi – Creative Blessings Whenever possible we should make an attempt to bless one another, because the mere exercise of blessing has the capacity to actualize latent positive qualities. Our wanting behavior may belie the true positive motivation behind our actions. All that we have to do is remove the negative crust that di Parsha Vayechi – Did You Bring a Gift for Moshiach? Moshiach is the ultimate synthesis of the greatest power of leadership and the ultimate level of goodness and holiness. Moshiach is called Peretz because, as the word suggests, he can break through all barriers. He can therefore penetrate even the toughest personality and excavate that individual’s Parsha Vayechi – Don’t Inhibit It is crucial that our diverse talents and competing approaches do not lead to disharmony. It is imperative that there is a sense that all these different roads roads must lead to one goal: making the world a place where G-d’s presence is revealed, which is Judaism’s view of the Messianic Age. To fa Parsha Vayechi – Fish on Dry Land There are hidden realms of our personality that we may never discover that they exist. While Freud spoke of how the subconscious affects our conscious minds, there are hidden parts of our psyche and soul that will forever defy exposure. The greatest blessing we can give someone is that they realize Parsha Vayechi – Haste Does Not (Always) Make Waste In these last moments of exile, every Mitzvah carries far more weight than at any other time in our history. Even one seemingly “insignificant” gesture—consistent with G-d’s will conveyed to us through the Torah—can forever alter the nature of existence. One Mitzvah, the Talmud writes, can transport Parsha Vayechi – Jacob and Joseph For the Jews to have the spiritual capacity to be liberated from Egypt, they needed an "outside" force. Jacob, in his rightful place - the Holy Land of Israel - served as the reservoir of strength, hope and inspiration for his children. For the Jews to have the spiritual capacity to cope while they Parsha Vayechi – Jacob Never Died! The definition of truth is not simply the opposite of a lie. The “true” meaning of truth is that it is consistent. If something ceases at a certain point then it is not pure and unadulterated truth. Parsha Vayechi – Messianic Beauty and Harmony Jacob’s trait of tiferes, translated as beauty or harmony could not degenerate into evil. When a trait is so nuanced and balanced it leaves no room for degeneration. Gevurah-judgment limits the excessive potential of chesed- kindness and, conversely, chesed suppresses the explosive potential of gevu Parsha Vayechi – Miracles and Nature The fact that we survived our difficult exile can be attributed to two causes: miraculous or natural. It was a miracle that “one lamb surrounded by seventy wolves” survived, as the Midrash puts it. There is also a “natural” explanation for this phenomenon. The dedication of the Jewish people to the Parsha Vayechi – No Evil Eye! Optimism brings positive results. This does not mean that optimistic people cannot be harmed. Joseph is a perfect refutation of this notion. He was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, and tossed into prison. What optimism does help is to deflect the negative energy—not negative actions—generated b Parsha Vayechi – Open Eyes and Hearts When we look around us, we might imagine that the world is in state of spiritual decline and that we are so far from the state of Redemption. Despite all the negative phenomena of recent times we must realize that, on the contrary, the world has changed for the good. Parsha Vayechi – Probing the Inner Recesses of the Soul Joseph’s crying was a cathartic process that enabled him to search his own soul for any trace of revenge that he might have possessed in his subconscious. Parsha Vayechi – Right and Left No matter how great, glorious and spiritual it was when we had the Holy Temple in Jerusalem; we have now reached even greater heights in exile. We have thrived and been fruitful in spite of all the obstacles and tribulations that we encountered throughout the last 2,000 years of exile. Particularly, Parsha Vayechi – Spread the Inspiration Jacob went beyond the platitudinous well-wishing of many a loving parent. He blessed his sons Shimon and Levi with the ability to transform their energy into a positive force. Moreover, he gave them the ultimate blessing that they share this heightened energy with all the other tribes. This indeed i Parsha Vayechi – Swords and Arrows Three times a day, even the most spiritually unskilled person, with minimal preparation and emotion, can accomplish much in procuring from G-d the needs for which we pray. We should never underestimate the power of our daily prayers, even if they appear routine and perfunctory. Parsha Vayechi – Swords and Bows Of all the requests that a Jew makes in his daily prayers — specifically, in the Amidah, or the Shemoneh Esrei as it is also known — the most significant one is the request for Moshiach and Redemption. This is true not only because Redemption is the most important request, but also because all our o Parsha Vayechi – The Moral Family Morality defines the way we behave vis-à-vis G-d. When a person engages in forbidden relationships it may not be a direct crime against humanity but it is considered to be a moral abomination and an affront to G-d. The second form of morality involves one’s relationship with others. Adultery and abu Parsha Vayechi – The Ultimate Blessing Our Sages tell us that when truly righteous people pursue a certain goal, it will inevitably be reached. Jacob’s efforts to instill true brotherly love in the DNA of the souls of his children finally paid off in the next generation with Ephraim and Menasheh. These two symbolize the ideal of King Dav Parsha Vayechi – True Life-Dual Goodness There are those who feel a very close relationship with G-d; while others feel a sense of affinity and responsibility for others. Any good one does in either of these two directions stands on its own, but falls short of its goal if it is not combined with the other. It is not simply that two is bett Parsha Vayechi – You Have Reached Your Destination Chassidic sources, based on the teachings of the Zohar, there is some indication that Moshiach ben Yoseph and Moshiach ben Dovid may actually be one and the same person. The different titles he is given represent different phases in the process of the Redemption. The Moshiach ben Yoseph phase is the Parsha Vayechi – Where’s the Blessing? “Water,” in general, and the “sea” in particular are metaphors for Torah. More specifically, the Messianic Age is characterized as an age in which Divine knowledge will deluge the world. In the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the seabed is covered