Chabad Research Unit Friday Night - Parasha Vayechi 5781

Friday 1 January 2021 - 17 Tevet 5781

Sedra Vayechi

WHO ARE WE? JACOB, JOSEPH OR BOTH?

I

N JEWISH TEACHING, LIFE IS ETERNAL: IF NOT IN THIS WORLD, THEN BEYOND it. Perhaps for this reason the Hebrew name of the Sedral concerns ‘life’ despite the fact that in the course of the Sedra two great people pass away: Jacob and Joseph.

After he passed away, Jacob’s body was carried to the Land of Israel where he was buried in the ancestral grave of the Patriarchs, in Hebron2. By contrast, Joseph’s body was embalmed and put in a coffin which was sunk in the Nile river in Egypt. Only much later would it be carried to Israel by the Jewish people during the Exodus3.

This difference between Jacob and Joseph expresses two different kinds of Jewish spiritual leadership and two contrasting aspects within each of us as an individual.

The ideal state for the Jewish people is to be free, settled and happily serving G-d in the Land of Israel. By contrast the time we spent in ancient Egypt represented exile, slavery and a sense of being remote from holiness.

Jacob spent much of his life in the Land of Israel and was distinctly uncomfortable when he was not there, such as the period of time in Laban’s household. By force of circumstances the last years of his life were spent in Egypt. However, he did not live in the central part of the country, but in its eastern region, the Land of Goshen, close to the Holy Land.

This was far from the glittering and distasteful main centres of In Loving Memory of Mrs Jeanne Gewolb-Sostrin (Yenta bas Devora) ‫ ע“ה‬- 15 Tevet 5772 Dedicated by her son Dr Roger Gewolb '‫שי‬ JUDAISM FOR TOMORROW’S WORLD cru@lubavitchuk.com - www.chabadresearch.net

commerce and hedonistic living. Goshen was mainly open, underpopulated, sheep-farming land. There Jacob lived, surrounded by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, studying Torah. He was, in a sense, beyond the exile of Egypt; he had succeeded in creating around him the spiritual atmosphere of Israel.

This helps us understand why Jacob was so insistent4 that he should not be buried in Egypt. He made his son Joseph vow to bury him in the Land of Israel. This, felt Jacob, was his rightful place.

Joseph, by contrast, was a man who succeeded in being close to G-d, a righteous Tzaddik, even though he was fully active in Egyptian society. When he died, his body remained in Egypt, so that his spiritual merit would reflect on the Jewish people enslaved there.

The figures of Jacob and Joseph in the Sedra present us with two examples of spiritual leadership through the ages. One can only function in a secluded atmosphere of holiness. The other has the power to descend into Egypt for the benefit of those who are forced to be there.

These two figures also tell us something about ourselves. On the one hand we have a Joseph within us, who necessarily gets involved in the material dimension of life, while striving – hopefully successfully - to preserve one’s spiritual integrity. At the same time, says the Lubavitcher Rebbe, we should recognise that we also have an inner Jacob. The Jacob within wants holiness pure and simple, prompting each person towards the sanctity of Jewish home life, Torah study, and the synagogue.

Ultimately the inner Jacob wants the Redemption, when the Jewish people as a whole will return to the Land of Israel and the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, for the benefit of humanity as a whole.

We may not always be aware of it, but as Jews this is our deepest wish. Hence, following the lead of his father Jacob, Joseph too gave instructions that he should be buried in the Land of Israel.

On leaving Egypt with the Israelites, Moses took with Joseph’s coffin, and eventually he was buried in Shechem (Nablus). His heart too, like ours, was in the Holy Land 5.

1. Genesis 47:28-50:26. The Sages tell us that the name of the Sedra suggests something about its general content. 2. See Gen.47:29-30. 50:4-13. 3. See Gen.50:24-26. Exodus 13:19.

4. Gen. 47:29. 5. Based freely on the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Likkutei Sichot, vo1.25 pp.272-4.

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SPONSORED BY DR REUVEN JOEL

SEDRA VAYECHI THE LEGO CONTEST! “Supper time! Jonah and Eli come down!” Mrs Cohen called up to her two boys.

Jonah and Eli had spent the last four hours cooped up in their room creating Lego projects connected to that week's Sedra, Vayechi.

Since they were in lockdown there was plenty of time and their older brother Benny had decided to make a fun contest for his younger brothers with a prize of a turn on his remote control helicopter. They each had to build something out of Lego that connected to the Sedra.

Eight year old Eli had just finished his unique and very professionally built castle like the one that Joseph had lived in in Egypt, and had gone downstairs to dinner whilst his older brother, ten year old Jonah looked on in admiration and also a bit of jealousy.

Jonah’s mind raced with all sorts of jealous thoughts. He had built a deer for the blessing that the tribe Naftali had received, ‘Naftali is a swift deer’, but it didn’t look as good as his little brother Eli’s castle!

It wasn’t fair! Eli would definitely win.

Should he ruin a bit of Eli’s skyscraper so it wouldn’t be as good?

Unsure, he started to play with some pieces.

Within minutes he’d taken apart half of what Eli had spent hours on.

Looking at the two projects now, his deer looked way better. Now he would definitely win.

After dinner, Jonah, Eli, their little brother Sammy, and the twins, Rachel and Debbie all went upstairs along with their older brother Benny and their parents, so that Benny could judge the Lego contest!

As they walked into the room, Jonah's heart beat very fast. Maybe

he shouldn’t have ruined it. Oh well he could always blame it on his little siblings.

Eli looked at his project in shock, half of it was missing! But he stayed quiet.

After Benny had examined the projects he said with a grin, “And the winner is Jonah! Well done to both of you!”

All the kids cheered and Jonah smiled proudly but felt guilty inside.

Maybe he shouldn’t have ruined his little brother's Lego project.

Later that night, Eli knocked on Jonah's door.

“Jonah, I want to tell you a bit about this week's Sedra. In Sedra Vayechi we learn about the greatness of Joseph. When Jacob died, and Joseph and all his brothers were living in Egypt, the brothers became very afraid that Joseph would treat them badly for the way they had sold him as a slave twenty odd years earlier - so they all came begging Joseph not to treat them harshly.” Eli explained.

“To this Joseph replied, "Do not fear my brothers, for when you thought you were doing bad to me, actually G‑d was doing something good, because if I had not come down to Egypt then I would not have been able to save the land from famine, and then we would have all starved, so you see - even though you thought you were treating me badly, in fact you were doing us all a favor.” Eli continued.

“This surprised Joseph's brothers, for they thought that he would wait until their father Jacob died and then he would pay them back for all their evil, but in fact he did not do anything of the sort, and he only treated his brother with the greatest of respect. My teacher said that this is a lesson to all of us, that when somebody is mean to us or they treat us badly, we must try to see the good, and always remember that everything is in the hands of G‑d. Jonah, I know you ruined my castle but I’m trying to see the good in it even though I am upset.” Eli said softly.

“Eli, I’m so sorry!” Jonah said shamefacedly. “Please forgive me. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was jealous and I know I was wrong, and thank you for not embarrassing me and teaching me a lesson instead.”

Benny who had been standing outside listening with a proud smile came in to find the brothers hugging. “Jonah, Eli I’m so impressed with both of you for your maturity! I think you both get a turn on my remote control helicopter!”

Both boys cheered happily. “Yay!” Torah teachings are holy – please treat this page with care