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 remained in Egyptian bondage, they needed the presence of Joseph, from whom they would draw inspiration and spiritual sustenance.

Difference between Jacob and Joseph

In this week’s Torah portion, Vayechi, Jacob, on his deathbed, makes a last request of his son Joseph. “Bury me not, I pray you, in Egypt!” he implores.

“I will do as you have said,” Joseph promises his father.

This exchange between father and son underscores an important difference between Jacob and Joseph:

Jacob refused to be interred in Egypt, insisting that his body be brought back to the land of Israel for burial. Joseph, however, before his death, made the Jews swear they would take his bones back with them to Israel when the time for Redemption came. His casket remained in Egypt for the duration of the exile.

Why didn’t Joseph want to be transported back to Israel as did Jacob? Shouldn’t Jacob’s request not to be buried in Egypt resonated with Joseph that he too would want to be buried in Israel?

Parallel Approaches

The Rebbe explains that both approaches were necessary.

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 remained in Egyptian bondage, they needed the presence of Joseph, from whom they would draw inspiration and spiritual sustenance.

Two Sources of Inspiration in Our Day and Age

We are living on the threshold of Galus-exile and Geulah- Redemption.

We too need to draw our inspiration from two sources to help us get over the hump and make the final trek into a world of Moshiach.

The “inside” Galus influence and inspiration comes from our past. As was discussed in many of these essays, we possess the cumulative energy of all preceding generations.

However that influence is behind us; it has already been internalized and lives with us in these last days of Galus. These energies were generated mostly within the confines of our exile experience. This parallels the support the Jewish people received from Joseph.

But we also need to get support from the “outside” source; from the future Redemption that is waiting for us to enter into it; but has so far proven elusive. And although we eagerly await Moshiach’s coming every day, it is still difficult to feel the effects of the future; but we must know that it is there. We can enjoy the inspiration of the future even now.

The Light before Sunrise

This has been compared to the dawn of day. Even before the sun rises we can already see the light emerging from the future sun. And it is this light of the future that gives us hope and inspiration; knowing that we will soon cross over into the world of Redemption.

The source of inspiration that comes from the future parallels the inspiration that came from Jacob who was buried in Israel and preceded the Jewish people’s entry into their land.

When we reflect on what we have accumulated in Exile through thick and thin and look into the glorious future that awaits us, imminently, we can only be strengthened to practice our Judaism with great joy and optimism.

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayechi by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.