Overview of the Weekly Reading,
Vayechi
To be read on Shabbat Vayechi
- 16 Tevet 5767 /January 6, 2007 Torah:
47:28-50:26; Haftorah: Kings I 2:1-12 (David's deathbed
words) Vayechi, 12th out of 12 in Genesis,
12th overall, 44th out of 54 in overall length. Vayechi:Yaacov
realized that he would soon die, so he asked Yosef to swear that he would bury
him with Yitzchak and Avraham in Machpeleh Cave in Hevron. Yaacov blessed Yosef's
sons, Efraim and Menashe, and told Yosef that the city Shechem would be his eternal
inheritance. Yaacov prophetically blessed each of his 12 sons in turn. After he
died and the mourning period, Yosef got Pharaoh's permission to leave Egypt to
bury his father in Israel. An entourage of Yaacov's family and Pharaoh's courtiers
went to Israel with Yaacov's coffin. After returning
to Egypt, the brothers worried that Yosef might still hold a grudge against then
for having sold him. Yosef assured them that what occurred was Divine Providence
and for the best, and promised to fully sustain them and their families. Yosef
lived long and saw his great grandchildren. He made his offspring swear to take
his remains out of Egypt when they would eventually return to Israel. "Chazak,
Chazak, Venitchazek!"
FROM
THE MASTERS OF KABBALA (K:1267/Vayechi)
From the holy
Zohar, teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
(Z:1267/Vayechi) When
the soul returns above, the feminine waters [the waters of malchut, the well]
are aroused towards the masculine waters [the waters of yesod, which flow] and
flow from below to above so that the [stagnant] well becomes a reservoir of flowing
water. Then unity and harmony and the divine will are present, for the soul of
the Tzadik brings perfection on high. For
the full article, click to the "Weekly Holidays" section on our KabbalaOnline
site. * * * * * From
the holy Ari, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed
(A:1267/Vayechi)
Jacob is also referred to as "the choicest
of the forefathers", indicating that his way of serving G-d was in some way
superior to that of Abraham and Isaac. As holy as Abraham and Isaac (and their
respective ways of relating to and serving G-d) were, they each contained an element
of imbalance that eventually surfaces as an imperfection For
the full article, click to the "Weekly Holidays" section on our KabbalaOnline
site. * * * * * From
Rabbi Chaim (ben Moshe) Ibn Atar (S:1267/Vayechi)
Whenever
Jacob experienced the kind of spiritual serenity we are meant to experience every
Shabbat, he qualified for the name "Israel". The Torah therefore informs
us about all these occasions by referring to him by his additional name. Whenever
Jacob experienced worries, etc. this serenity departed from him similar to the
departure of the additional soul from every Jew at the end of the Shabbat. At
such times the Torah reverts to referring to our patriarch as being merely "Jacob".
For
the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on our KabbalaOnline
site.
FROM
THE CHASSIDIC REBBES (V:1267/Vayechi) He
blessed Joseph, and he said, "G-d...bless the lads..." (48:15, 16)
This
verse opens by saying that Jacob blessed Joseph. Yet, we see from the next verse
that Jacob blessed Joseph's children! However, "G-d bless the lads"
is really Joseph's blessing. For what greater blessing can one have than that
one's children would be blessed? (The Zohar)
A
MYSTICAL CHASSIDIC DISCOURSE from
the Chabad Master series, produced by
Rabbi Yosef Marcus for www.ascentofsafed.com
and www.kabbalaonline.org
MOSHIACH
THIS WEEK (M:1267/Vayechi) "Gather
yourselves together, and I will tell you what will befall you in the last days."
(Gen. 49:1) Jacob spoke to his sons in a seemingly spontaneous manner.
This is the manner in which Moshiach will arrive - with people paying no attention,
seemingly by chance. A person will be involved with his work, and all of a sudden,
he will see that Moshiach has arrived. Baal Shem Tov
(from L'Chaim
#802)
An
essay from Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter, director of Ascent
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here) (W:1267/Vayechi)
Yaacov's blessings to his children were
more than prophesies for them individually, they were teachings about the inner
life of all of the Jewish people. Each line and phrase has numerous commentaries.
To Yehuda, Yaacov says that he will wash his 'clothing' in wine. Rashi explains
that this is a reference to the abundance of wine that will be found in the land
allotted to Yehuda. Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the founder of the Chabad movement,
takes this further. The word levush, garment or clothing, is a code
word for the three vehicles of expression of the soul: thought, speech and action.
Every positive thought, speech or action (and, unfortunately, the negative of
the same) that a person does all through their life becomes a garment for
their soul, in this world and in the world to come. There are those who can see
these "garments" in this life, but certainly, in our afterlife, everything
we have done will be seen on us like a "class tie" or the type of jacket
we are wearing. Our good deeds will be like a dress uniform or shine like medals,
connecting a person to the true life team, the divine dimension. What is
Yaacov teaching us with the expression, washing our clothing in wine? Wine is
also a code word. Wine hints to us about happiness, as the verse says, (Psalms
24) "Wine makes the heart of man happy". Only when our "garments"
i.e. our thought, speech or actions are imbued with "wine" i.e. happiness,
are we able to draw down the maximum divine energy to fully empower us in this
physical world. This is the intention of the verse. Yaacov is instructing us to
demand of ourselves that every thought, speech or action we do be "washed
in wine" - thoroughly imbued with joy! This is a lot to require of
ourselves and often it is not easy. Some people can do it easily, others always
find it hard. How do we, normal people, overwhelmed by the pressures of day to
day life, arrive at this great joy, the happiness of the commandments in all we
do? The Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch, said that wine is also a hint to the secrets
of the Torah. Just like the juice is hidden inside the peel of the grape, the
secrets of the Torah are hidden. Our job is to reveal them. When we delve into
the secrets of the Torah, through our own vigorous study, or with the right teachers,
and meditate into what part G-d really plays in our lives, this arouses in the
heart of man a love and a connection to G-dliness. When you really love someone
or something, anything you do for them is done with great joy and a special liveliness.
The best way to guarantee that your "garment" will be washed in wine
is to make sure you are studying Torah, especially the inner dimensions of the
Torah, on a regular basis.
Shabbat Shalom, Shaul
P.S.
Please also read my weekly Shabbat Law, below.
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here) For all our insights for this parsha:from four years ago |