Parshas Vayechi Messages 5778

Parshas Vayechi:

The Sages Say: 

‘And he [Yaakov Avinu] expired, and he was gathered to his people.’ (Bereishis 49:33)

[It says that Yaakov Avinu expired], but it does not speak of death.  Our Rabbis of blessed memory (Taanis 5b) said that Yaakov Avinu did not die.

(Rashi HaKadosh)

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A Helpful Hint:

‘And Yosef said to his brothers; “I am going to die, and G-d will surely remember [פּקד יפקד] you and take you up from this land to the Land that He swore to Avraham, to Yitzchok and to Yaakov.”’ (Bereishis 50:24)

Says the Baal HaTurim two beautiful things:  1) What Yosef HaTzaddik was saying is that he is only flesh and blood; today he is here, and tomorrow [i.e. at some later time] he will be in the grave.  But HaKadosh Baruch Hu, the Living and Eternal King, He will remember them [and take them out of Egypt].

2) With the two פ’s (in פּקד יפקד), he alluded to them that just as he reigned [in Egypt] for 80 years, so too a redeemer who was 80 years old would come for them [i.e. Moshe Rabbeinu.  He is a redeemer in the fact that through him Hashem redeemed the Jews].

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Chassidishe Vort:

‘And Yaakov called to his sons and he said, “Gather and I will tell to you what will happen to you in the End of Days.”’ (Bereishis 49:1)

There is a very famous vort (lit. word -- usually a short Torah thought) that many bring from this verse:  Yaakov Avinu was trying to give his sons advice -- if they would gather together in unity and have Achdus (oneness), then that will bring the End of Days, i.e. Mashiach will come.  Indeed, may Hashem help us to do so, and send him very swiftly in our days.  

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A “Lamdanishe” Insight:

‘And he [Yaakov] blessed them [Ephraim and Menashe] on that day saying, “In you will Israel bless, saying: ‘May G-d put you like Ephraim and like Menashe’”’ (Bereishis 48:20)

Asks HaRav Shlomo Bloch zt”l; what did Yaakov Avinu see to set the blessing that Jews should be specifically like Ephraim and Menashe?  

And he answers; we find that Yaakov Avinu said to Yosef (earlier in this parsha -- 48:5), “Your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt… they are to me; Ephraim and Menashe like Reuven and Shimon they shall be to me.” When Yaakov Avinu said this, it was testimony and determined firmly that even though it is the way of the world (after Adam and Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad) that there is Yeridas HaDoros -- that each generation is on a lower spiritual level than the previous one, with these two, [i.e. Ephraim and Menashe], they were on the same level as the sons of Yaakov themselves.  They would literally be equal in level to Reuven and Shimon, and Yeridas HaDoros would not apply to them.  

Says Rav Bloch zt”l, therefore there is no more beautiful a beracha (blessing) than this, to bless someone that Hashem make them like Ephraim and Menashe (to whom Yeridas HaDoros did not apply).  

(Brought in M’Shulchan Govoha)

(NOTE:  Although as we spoke about, the spiritual level goes down from generation to generation, the Alter of Slabodka -- quoted in Sparks of Mussar -- tells us that nevertheless, we are still created in the Image of Hashem, and we have the ability to regain former heights.)

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Mussar Message:

‘And Yaakov called to his sons and he said, “Gather and I will tell to you what will happen to you in the End of Days.”’ (Bereishis 49:1)

Yaakov Avinu called his sons together right before he passed away, and blessed each one of them.  Each with an individual blessing.  On the other hand, he alluded to them (see Chassidishe Vort above) that they should come together in unity.

This is a lesson for us all:  We are all individuals, with unique abilities, gifts, etc. But on the other hand, it is our responsibility to be one with our fellow Jews.  We can both be individual and also together.  And what a beautiful thing this can be -- us all being so unique, and yet in unity.

Yet, if we look into the Jewish World, we can see that there is, Rachmana Litzlan, a lot of dissension; a lot of non-oneness.  But I think it in large part comes back to an interesting and important point:  

I was once speaking to one of my dear friends about two certain things in Judaism that are very different.  And I was saying how they aren’t really that different in my mind and they can be together.  My friend, however, said something very profound: He said to me that just because things are different doesn’t mean they are contradictory.  

And I think this is the message:  Many people, when they see others holding differently than them -- different customs, etc. they look at it as contradictory.  For example Chassidus and Mussar.

However, we must realize that it is not:  As my friend said, we are all going towards one goal.  And that is to serve Hashem.  We are all unique, but yet together as the Children of Hashem.  And when we take this to heart, and, B’Ezras Hashem, put it into practice, then we will see Mashiach very speedily.  May it be so.

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And there is another lesson on this which my mother, the Rebbetzin shetichyeh explained:  The sum is greater than the parts:  We all have individual powers and strengths, but when we come together as a People, the strength and greatness is much bigger than if we just measured all individuals alone.

And she compares it to a town:  You need a baker, a shoemaker, etc. etc. Everyone plays a part to make the town a town.

(Tal U’Matar)

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Chazak V’ematz:

‘And the days of Yisroel came close to die’ (Bereishis 47:29)

The Zohar asks; why does it say ‘days’ in the plural?  Doesn’t a person die on one day and furthermore at one moment?  So seemingly shouldn’t it have said ‘And the day of Yisroel came close to die’?

Answers the Zohar; when Hashem takes a person from this world, all the days of the person’s life come up before Him, and there is an accounting.  Fortunate [alt. praiseworthy] is the portion of a person, says the Zohar, whose days come close before HaKadosh Baruch Hu without any disgrace or shame… and therefore it is written with Tzaddikim (righteous people) that their days ‘came close’, because their days come close before Hashem without any shame [i.e. because the righteous used them well].  And that is why, explains the Zohar, it says ‘the days of Yisroel’; because it is not talking about the day of death, but rather about when a person’s days come before Hashem for an accounting [of how they were used].

Based upon what the Zohar says, we may get into a deep concept:  We are all given a certain amount of days -- and minutes -- of life.  And we have an obligation to try to use them well, i.e. for the Service of Hashem.  

But, time passes.  And we end up looking back at all the days in our past that are seemingly now gone… What can we do, though?  The past is the past and once a day -- or a moment for that matter -- is over, it’s gone, right?

The answer is no.  At least not necessarily.  The time that we squander on trivial things -- that is lost.  But the seconds, minutes, hours, etc. that we use to serve Hashem and for good things are never gone and never lost.  They all stay with us.

But what about the time we misused in the past?  Can we ever get it back?... The answer can be found in the Gemara (Yoma 86b): ‘Reish Lakish said: “Great is repentance for [through it] intentional sins become unintentional sins…” [Asks the Gemara], didn’t Reish Lakish say that ‘great is repentance for [through it] intentional sins become merits’...?  There is no difficulty; here [i.e. in the first place he was speaking of repentance] from love [of Hashem] and here [the second place] from fear [of Hashem].’

From this beautiful Gemara we can see that even time which we, Rachmana Litzlan, did not use properly in the past, we can almost transform into time well-used with Teshuva (repentance) from love for Hashem!  May we try to always use our time properly and thus take it all with us -- and upon the time that we didn’t use as well in the past, may we do complete Teshuva from Love of Hashem and get it back.

(NOTE:  Although this is true, we certainly cannot, Chas V’Shalom, use time on bad things and/or do bad and just think to ourselves that we will do Teshuva later, whether from love or fear.  Someone who does that has severe consequences -- see Mishnah Yoma 8:9).

(Rays of Light:  Adar -- based on many things)

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Maaseh B’Rabbi…

At Yeshiva Kesser Torah’s recent Hachnosas Sefer Torah, the Rosh Yeshiva, my Rebbe, HaRav Elyakim Rosenblatt shlit”a related a beautiful story that happened to him while he was studying in Beis Midrash Govoha under HaRav Aharon Kotler zt”l:

He was once walking through the Yeshiva, and he passed Rav Aharon’s office, which had glass on the outside that you could see through.  What he saw with his own eyes a person would hardly believe; Rav Aharon, who was sitting and learning, stood up and began -- for some unknown reason -- to dance!  

Rav Aharon soon noticed young Rav Rosenblatt and motioned him inside.  He told him to call Reb Chaim Epstein (now zt”l) -- who was one of the best talmidim (students) in the Yeshiva.  Rav Rosenblatt complied, and brought Reb Epstein.  He came in, and now, Rav Aharon and him sat down and began to learn for a little while!  

When they were finished and Reb Epstein left, Rav Rosenblatt, extremely curious, ran up to him to ask what was going on.  Reb Epstein told him something amazing:  There was a Beiur HaGra (commentary of the Vilna Gaon zt”l) that Rav Aharon had been struggling over for 25 years.  And at that moment (the moment when Rav Rosenblatt walked by and saw him) he had finally understood it!  So he got up and began to dance.  And as for why he asked in Reb Epstein to learn, it was apparently to share the solution with him.  

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Chazak Chazak V’Nischazeik!

A Gut Shabbos to all!