Vayechi 5776

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Parshat Vayechi

13 Tevet 5776 25 December 2015

Service Times Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat

15:35

(Candle Lighting)

15:35

Shacharit

09:15

Leining

10:15

Page No.s Artscroll Gutnick Hertz

Mincha follows kiddush Shabbat terminates

16:53

Ma’ariv

17:10

Weekday Ma’ariv Only

Sun

09:00

19:30

Mon

08:00

19:30

We are told that the name of each week’s

Tues

08:00

19:30

Wed

08:00

19:30

parsha encapsulates the theme that con-

Thur

08:00

19:30

Fri

09:00

15:40* 15:40

*Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat

Chayim Arukim

to all those who have Yarzheit in the coming week as follows

268 318 180

1145 1396 191

Thought For The Week

Shacharit

Candle Lighting

Leining Haftarah

A Matter Of Life and Death accomplishment.

nects all the stories and topics that are

Vayechi and Chayei Sarah teach us that

contained within. This week’s parsha is

our accomplishments lie in the legacy that

called ‘Vayechi’, which means ‘And he

we leave behind when we die. What have

[Jacob] lived’. This is quite an odd choice,

we contributed to the world? Who have

given that the focus of the parsha is

we helped? Have we been good people?

largely on Jacob’s death. Thematically,

Have we brought G-dliness into the world,

this is also inconsistent, since we learn of

or have we brought shame and disgrace to Hashem’s name through our actions,

Martine Akka Lionel Ross Sandra Feingold

Mother Mother Father

Joseph’s death at the end of the parsha.

Louise Leinhardt Harvey Beaver Anne Rosenfield Ruth Glass Ian Glass Melanie Woolf

Mother Father Mother Husband Father Father

We find a similar anomaly in parshat

Tues

Sheila Green Neil Allweis

Mother Father

Wed

Helen Morris Father Sammy Menachem Father Johnny Hammond Father

One of the main answers is that the Torah

us to consider our priorities when we our

is trying to hint to us how Judaism really

placed in conflicting situations.

Neil Rosenthal Susan Lentin Marc Levene Ryan Levene

Mother Father Father Father

views life. Nowadays, society teaches us

Bernice Green Cynthia Cowan

Mother Mother

paying jobs; to earn enough money to

Shabbat Weather

afford the greatest material pleasures

AM Rainy

available, and this will be our crowning

14o High

Sun

27 December 15 Tevet

Mon

28 December 16 Tevet

29 December 17 Tevet

30 December 18 Tevet

Thurs

31 December 19 Tevet

Fri

1 January 20 Tevet

‫שבת‬

2 January 21 Tevet

Hilary Black Paul Cohen

Mother Father

G-d forbid?

Chayei Sarah. The parsha does not focus

These two perspectives do not always

on her life, rather on her death. So what is

clash with each other. One can combine

the Torah trying to teach us?

an affluent lifestyle and still come close to Hashem. However, this parsha challenges

Rabbi Nick

to concentrate on our material needs in this world. We are taught to seek high

8o Overnight Low

Parsha

S L E W

verview

JE

First Aliyah - 13 verses Jacob lived his last seventeen years in Egypt. Towards the end, Jacob summons Joseph and asks him to promise that he would bury him in Israel. Joseph acceded to the request. Jacob confers upon Ephraim and Menashe the status of tribal progenitors, a status until now enjoyed only by Jacob’s sons.

Joseph asks his father to bless Ephraim and Menashe.

Second Aliyah - 7 verses Joseph presents Menashe, the firstborn, to Jacob’s right, and Ephraim to Jacob’s left. Jacob, who is nearly blind at this point, crosses his hands, placing his right – more prestigious – hand on Ephraim’s head. He blesses them.

Third Aliyah - 6 verses Joseph tries to correct Jacob, but he explains that the younger brother will be greater. Jacob blesses the two boys further, saying that all of Israel will bless each other to be like Ephraim and Menashe.

Fourth Aliyah - 17 verses Jacob summons all his sons, and delivers a poetic, and somewhat cryptic, personal message.

Reuben is chastised. Shimon and Levi are rebuked for their anger.

Judah is blessed with monarchy and success. Zevulun is blessed in trade. Yissachar and Dan are also blessed.

Fifth Aliyah - 8 verses Gad is blessed with bravery.

Asher, Naphtali and Joseph are also blessed.

Sixth Aliyah - 27 verses Benjamin is blessed. Jacob passes away at the age of 147. After an extended mourning period, they bury him in the Cave of Machpelah.

Joseph reassures his brothers that he will not harm them in Jacob’s absence.

Seventh Aliyah - 6 verses Joseph dies at the age of 110. He tells his brothers that Hashem will eventually take them out of Egypt and return them to the Promised Land. Joseph asks his brothers to promise that they will bury him there.

will Joseph’s bones of t ou n ke ta be Egypt by Moses leave when the Jews e Egypt after th plagues.

M S I DA

U J F O

Delve into the deeper side of Judaism This week we focus on our Forefather’s outlook on life

Final Requests Joseph received a message stating, “Your father is seriously ill!” This news was brought to him by his son Ephraim who frequented Jacob’s house in Goshen in order to study Torah. He now came travelling to the Egyptian cpital to report to his father that Jacob’s condition was critical.

Jacob was the first person in history to become seriously ill before his death.

His illness was of his own doing, however, a result of his request to Hashem. In fact, all of our forefathers made similar requests to Hashem: Before Abraham’s time, all people looked young until they died. Abraham demanded from Hashem that he should be given physical signs of old age, arguing, “If a father and a son look alike, how will people know which of them to honour if they enter a place together?

Distinguish a man by signs of old age such as white hair and wrinkles, and then people will know whom to respect.”

to look like an old man, and all mankind afterhim was given external signs of old age.  Before Isaac’s time, no one every experienced pain. Then Isaac came and demanded suffering.

He said to Hashem, “If a person dies without the experience of pain, the full strictness of Heavenly judgement will be applied against him. But pains in this world will spare him

We attribute major importance to well-being in this world.



Hashem answered Abraham, and he began

from punishment in the World to Come”.

Hashem answered Isaac, and he subsequently became blind.

Until King Chizkiyahu’s time, there was no fatal sickness from which people recuperated. Chizkiyahu prayed to Hashem, “If a man remains healthy until his death, he will be forgetful of repentance. But someone who becomes dangerously ill will do teshuva in the hope that he



will then recover.

Hashem answered Chizkiyahu and he was then stricken with a severe illness and later recuperated.

This Midrash is a most striking guide for our day and age. If we would be allowed to utter one wish to Hashem, for what would we ask? We would most certainly ask for eternal youth, health, happiness, and so on. The Midrash tells us that our forefathers demanded just the opposite; they demanded to look old, to be given suffering and illness!

We attribute major importance to well-being in this world. Our forefathers, however, were constantly aware that the goal of our existence is the World to Come. They therefore requested whatever would promote spiritual well-being and rejected anything that might be detrimental to the welfare of the soul.

Based on ‘The Midrash Says’

by Rabbi M. Weissman

If you would like to share your words of wisdom, please submit your article of no more than 500 words to nick@hale-community.org.uk

Forging a Connection

TEFIL

Parsha Stats

LAH

Vayechi is the 12th of 54 sedras 12th of 12 in Bereshit

TIPS

Some ideas based on Rabbi H. Kleinman’s book, ‘Praying With Meaning’

Written on 148.33 lines in a Torah (ranks 45th) 85 verses - ranks 44th (12th in Bereshit) 1158 words - ranks 44th (12th in Bereshit)

The Power Of Habit Someone who is praying for his life has no trouble praying with focus and sincerity. The essential challenge in praying with ‘kavannah’ (concentration) is to not only understand the meaning of the words, but to feel, deep down, that we are praying for our lives - and the blessings in our lives - every time we pray.

This is not a challenge that has only arisen in recent generations. It extends at least as far back as the times of the Talmud, since our Sages count prayer as one of four aspects of spirituality that require strengthening.

Why do we find it so difficult to do the very

QA &

thing we need to do to bring every kind of goodness into our lives? If we think about this question, we realise that it permeates many other aspects of human behaviour. Why do people fail to do what they know will improve their health? Why do people fail to treat others in ways that they know will improve their relationships? People often fail to act in their own self interet, even when they know which actions to take.

The greatest obstacle to making the right moves is habit. We fall into certain behaviours, often when we are too young to appreciate their long-

4448 letters - ranks 43rd (12th in Bereshit)

term impact, and we find it difficult to break free.

This is certainly the case with prayer which most of us are exposed to as children. As children, we either watched adults with little or no appreciation of prayer, or we have learnt the words, sometimes even the meaning of the words, but we have learnt to just rattle them off, without contemplating their meaning.

Did You Know More than 26% of the Torah’s verses are found in the book of Bereishit (1533 of 5846).

When Jacob originally asked his sons to gather round,, his intention was to reveal details about the End of Days, but Hashem did not permit him to tell them.

Until we instill in ourselves the fact that it is our prayers that draw Hashem’s response into our lives and our world, we do not have the motivation we need to seriousl work on changing our habits of prayer.

Egyptian burial procedures involved a lengthy mourning period. Therefore, Jacob agreed to be embalmed, so that nobody would see that his body would not decay since he was so righteous The brothers died over 22 years in the following order: Joseph, Shimon, Yehudah, Reuben, Benjamin, Yissachar, Asher, Zevulun, Gad, Dan, Naftali, Levi.

Read through the Parsha in English and find answers to the questions.

LOLLIPOPS WILL BE AWARDED TO ANYONE WHO READS THROUGH IT, AND TELLS RABBI NICK THE CORRECT ANSWERS!

Where did Hashem appear to Jacob when he blessed him to be prosperous?

Just For Fun

Which hand did Jacob use to bless Menashe?

In which order did Jacob bless hils children?

What was Jacob’s final request?

How many days passed before they were able to bury Jacob?

Question: What language did brave Egyptians write in?

Can you think of two places where we say the prayer ‘Hamalach Hagoel’?

Answer: In hero-glyphics!

L EDUCATION

KING AHEAD

In The Spotlight Anne Stanley Messages of thanks and goodwill have been flooding in to Anne - our Shule secretary - who retired this week after eighteen years of loyal service.

YOUTH

Anne has worked tirelessly during the time she has spent in Hale, and has been a crucial asset behind the scenes, ensuring that services, programmes and events at the Shule run smoothly. She takes great pride in the knowledge of Jewish laws and practices that she has accumulated over the years.

Adult Education programmes close for the winter break on Wednesday 23 December and will resume on Sunday 3 January

BEYOND HALE

Over the years, she has forged close connections with many families; celebrating the good times, and supporting during the hard times. Anne’s retirement will now give her the opportunity to spend more time with her family, and we wish her many happy and healthy years ahead.

Cheshire Friends of Alyn present A premiere theatre production ....

Take a trip down memory lane for a great night out, music by all the old faves, Choreography by Arlene Phillips.

We have a block booking of the best seats for The Premiere night..

The Opera House, Manchester Tuesday May 17th 2016 £40pp including Cheshire Friends Goodie Bags.

Tickets very limited and only on sale until 8th Jan, so secure yours now.

Contact cheshirefriendsofalyn@gmail.com 07976276777 For tickets.

In an emotional farewell gathering with those who have worked closest with her, she was presented with an inscribed carriage clock by the Executive and Trustees.

For more details on all events visit www.halehype.com or contact youth@hale-community.org.uk

If you would like to sponsor an edition of ‘Something For Everyone’, in honour of a simcha or for a yahrzeit, or for any reason, please contact the Shule office on 0161 980 8846 or admin@hale-community.org.uk

Kiddushim 26 December Unsponsored 2 January Unsponsored 9 January Gillian & Tony Raynes