Vayekhi -- 5756

This week's portion in the Torah is vayekhi, the last portion in the book of Genesis. It begins with the last verses in chapter 47: "Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven years." These must have been the best seventeen years of his entire existence. He did not have to fear the wrath of his brother Esau; he did not have to contend with his bickering wives and concubines, each vying for his love, his favor, his male child to bear; he did not have to worry about his flocks or his sons -- the first were no longer his concern, since he was the father of the viceroy of Egypt, the latter, well, he was "the old man," and they were grown up, heads of families, nay, clans. Jacob lived to see God's promise come true: he had become a "blessing unto kings and nations," and had the pleasure of living his last days without a worry or a care. Still, he had a request of his son, his favorite, Joseph.

"When the time of Israel's death drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor with you, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal loyally and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt. When I lie down with my ancestors, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place..." What is the reason for this strange request? What do we all want, when we get old and we know that the end is near? We want to be remembered. One of the ways that we know of remembering is by creating a place and a time when one can "commune" with us. Thus we have a monument placed over our grave, and our religion has established that each year, on the yahrziet, the time of our departure from this world, the family visits the monument to recite a prayer of thanks to God for our lives and our existence, and to commune with us. Also, before the new year, families visit and commune with their loved ones.

However, this is not done all that much anymore -- and why? Because we are a mobile community, and most of us live far away from where I dear ones were buried. Now, it does not mean that we can't remember them or commune with them -- but we cannot visit their graves. For some people this is a great problem, a great disappointment.

Yet there was Jacob, some three thousand years ago, and HE did not concern himself with whether or not the "kids" would come to visit his grave. In fact, he was just about making sure that they could not visit him -- at least not very often. Why? Was it because he wanted to "rest in peace?"

Probably not. He wanted to avoid giving the wrong message, long after he would be gone, that he and his came to settle in Egypt. This was not His land, this was not the place of the promise. He had seen the mighty guiding hand of God, as he was taken from his father's tents and made to work for his livelihood, made to earn his wives, his flocks, so that no one could say, "here goes his father's son..." Jacob became Israel, and his sons would become a pivotal player on the stage of history. Egypt had its own place in history, as did his mother's birthplace in the great and fertile valley of Mesopotamia. He, Jacob knew, was bound by history and by the covenant of the God of his grandfather Abraham to the Land of the promise. He stayed away from thence twice, once in his youth, in the north, and once in old age in the south. He had to spend eternity next to Abraham and Yitzkhak, in the Cave of Makhpela, in Hebron. And so, he got Joseph's commitment, and so it came to be.

Vayekhi -- 5757

This week's portion in the Torah is called vayekhi, the last portion in the book of Genesis. It begins with the last verses in chapter 47: "Vayekhi Ya'akov be'eretz Mitzra'yim sheva esre shana -- Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years;" The text continue with the words, "Vayehi yemey Ya'akov, shney kha'yav, sheva shanim v'arba'im ume'at shana... -- So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven years."

It is very interesting to note a number of things about the subject, as well as the name, of the portion. What does this portion discuss? The impending death of the third patriarch. The text continues with the words, "When the time of Israel's death drew near..." Yet the name of the portion is not "unto death" but "and he lived." We have seen something similar in the case of Sarah, where the name of the portion that deals with her demise was "Kha'yey Sarah" -- ' the life of Sarah.'

We have a life oriented tradition, and we concentrate on the living much more than we do on the dead. Yet, we do have a most elaborate and complete set of beliefs concerning the hereafter, how we get there, what it is -- and what are the relations of the living to those who have gone on beyond life.

This is as good a time as any, when we begin reading about the death of our third founding father, to speak of death and dying. I cannot tell you how many times I have been to visit the sick in the hospital to be told that they have a "terminal" or "life threatening disease. Of course I am pained to hear when a person becomes aware of his or her impending demise -- but I am also quick to remind them that we are all of us mortals, and that the most common "life threatening" procedure in the hospital is called "birthing." We live our lives in the tension between what we know -- which is existence, and what we don't know -- which is death and the hereafter.

Oh yes, it is true, we are -- or at least most of us are -- afraid of death. We try to avoid it like the plague, pardon the paradox... Yet, what is it that we fear? In the realm of known fears we abhor that which gives us pain, travail or remorse. We are afraid of fire because we have all had some exposure to the pain-laden result of coming to close to it. We avoid hard labor whenever possible because we know how taxing it is on our physical existence, robbing us of life sustaining energy, leaving our frail frame racked with pain from over extension of our muscles' and bones' capacity to perform in the hostile environment that is our world. We steer clear of acts that we know we shall regret, maybe not right away, but soon, and for the rest of our lives... There is good reason for all this.

But our fear of death... Well, there is no way to explain it. We have never had a real report of a death experience. Near death, yes -- but the real thing, the complete and final thing, somehow reversed and yet still carried on in memory, no! Hence, by reason, we can say, there is nothing to suggest that the experience is painful, demanding of the limits of our abilities, or remorseful. Quite the contrary, -- in the words of the poet John Donne, "From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow..." But this reasoning does not alleviate our anxieties. So, what can we learn from our faith to try and make us feel less stressed?

We approach the issue of death and the 'hereafter' on a number of levels in our teaching. In the most basic level we are told, "life is for the living and death if for the dead." Be concerned with what you do in life for life. Have faith in God and He will do whatever is necessary after you die. As far as 'life after death,' in this basic approach, we are told that we leave our footprint on the sands of time in the influence we have on life around us. The more influence we have, the more of a life after death we have. The more good we do, the more will the future be built on our foundation. The more bad we do, the more time will it take to correct it, and so the longer will we be judged and condemned for our evil.

But this is not enough, not for all of us. Some ask, "what happens to me, to my personhood, my character, my essence, when I die?" Judaism teaches that God created the world in the beginning for all times. All life was created at that time, with everything that will ever be prepared at that time. We are given a role to play and a time to play it. When that time begins, we enter the picture at birth, and we travel the path of life to the point where we exit the stage, at the moment of death -- to dwell for the rest of eternity in the presence of God in His way. We believe that those who live a life of evil destroy their living spirit, and therefore they do not continue in the life of the spirit. This belief is based on the passage in Genesis 15, " And he said to Abram, Know for a certainty that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great wealth. And you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age." [Genesis 15:13-15]

Finally there are those who ask, "but I don't know about a life of the spirit -- I want to know if I shall have a chance to live, again, as I do here and now?" Judaism says, "yes! If God wills it. God is capable of anything and everything. Therefore he is capable of bringing the dead back to life. If you wish to believe that you will be revived, know that God is capable of it, and will do it, if that is His plan and His will. So Jews have a choice of a view on death. They can think of death as a natural last step in the life cycle; they can see it as a change from a physical to a spiritual existence; or they can see it as a stage before one goes into a "waiting stage" for the resurrection and eternal life as we know it, here and now. Which ever way you choose, the most important thing, we are taught, is not to linger in our concern with it. You have been given a great gift, life -- and you need not pollute it with thoughts, concerns, or fear of the inevitable next stage. While you are alive -- celebrate, live!

Vayekhi -- 5759

This week's portion in the Torah is called vayekhi, the last portion in the book of Genesis. It begins with the last verses in chapter 47: "Vayekhi Ya'akov be'eretz Mitzra'yim sheva esre shana -- Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years." What does this portion discuss? The impending death of the third patriarch. The text continues with the words, ""When the time of Israel's death drew near..." Yet the name of the portion is not "unto death" but "and he lived." We have seen something similar in the case of Sarah, where the name of the portion that deals with her demise was "Kha'yey Sarah" -- ' the life of Sarah.' So, you will note, life is a continuum which sees one generation leaving the scene as the next one takes center stage. We have a life oriented tradition, and we concentrate on the living much more than we do on the dead. This is because we are taught that "proper life" is firmly established in the present, while keeping one eye on the past to learn from our mistakes and repeat our successes -- and while we also keep a sharp lookout to all the tomorrows that are yet to come. According to the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey, beside the high rate of intermarriage -- nearly fifty percent -- some 210,000 adult American Jews have converted out of our faith, nearly 35,000 more than those who converted to Judaism. Where, then, is the future taking us?

In is in this regard that I wish to quote an article I recently read that I thought was doing just what I have stated above: Recognize the present, examine the past, and plan for the future. It deals with American Jewry on the verge of the millennium, and was authored by Jonathan Rosenblum, a columnist for the Jerusalem Post.

"In certain circles it has become fashionable to poke fun at Jewish federation life --- the perpetual fund-raising, the vulgarity of money translated into social status. But I find something profoundly moving about the billions of dollars raised every year by the vast panoply of Jewish charitable organizations.

The extent of Jewish giving confirms our Sages’ statement that generosity and mercy are inherited characteristics of the Jewish people. Better that social status should come from Jewish charity than from the conspicuous consumption of consumer baubles. Nevertheless it is by now clear that the so-called "civil religion" of American Jews, which substitutes ethnic identity for Judaism, and which is exemplified by the federations, cannot perpetuate itself. American Jews consistently attach less importance to religion than any other American group. What is most striking, writes Jonathan Woocher, "is the thoroughly insignificant role which any God-concept plays in the civil religion."

Only 40 percent of American Jewish households belong to a synagogue, and even those who do rarely attend. Among those whose great-grandparents came to America, only 8% of Conservative Jews and 2.5% of Reform Jews attend at least once a month. One-fifth of American Jews do not even consider Judaism to be their religion. Nonetheless, Jews have been much more active in preserving their ethnic identity than any other immigrant group, creating an unparalleled web of charitable, cultural, and defense organizations. Philanthropy and good works, support for Israel, and Holocaust remembrance have become, in the words of Steven Cohen and Charles Liebman, "the core religion of American Jews."

Yet this ethnic identity is proving to be largely a one- or two-generation affair. The strong sense of Jewish identity that immigrants brought with them to America or that was nurtured in immigrant enclaves cannot be transmitted. Lacking any account of why the continued existence of Jews is itself important, ethnic identity inevitably wanes. For if Judaism is an increasingly trivial affair, why show any particular concern with the fate of fellow Jews. And indeed, younger Jews give much smaller percentages of their incomes to charity than older Jews, and when they do give are far more likely to contribute to non-Jewish charities. For all the rhetoric of "One People," American Jews are increasingly unlikely to view themselves as part of a brotherhood of Jews. Only 20%, according to a recent study, strongly identify with Israel; only 11% view Jewish philanthropy as an essential element of being a "good Jew"; and only 27% would actively oppose a child’s intermarriage. (And even these figures significantly overstate the percentages by excluding from the study the 20% who do not consider themselves Jewish by religion.)

Jews once knew why it was important to be Jewish. They knew that they had been chosen by God to be a holy nation; that they had been uniquely privileged to hear the unmediated word of God; and that His word was embodied in their sacred texts. Today less than 7% of American Jews even describe the study of those texts as a crucial aspect of Jewish life, and far fewer actually engage in such study. Every aspect of our ancestors’ lives was connected to God through His commandments. That connection could not have been summarized in a few ritual observances on a sociologist’s questionnaire - e.g., Do you light Shabbat candles?

Because they knew why Judaism was important, our ancestors knew why fellow Jews were important. The feelings of ethnic solidarity that still bind Jews are a residuum of our ancestors’ understanding of their relationship to one another as bearers of a common mission. The truth is that the American Jewish community knows what it must do to survive. It must once again begin to speak about God as a commanding, living force in Jewish lives. It can be done. The Lilly Foundation recently commissioned a study of the impact on teenagers of membership in youth groups sponsored by the National Council of Synagogue Youth.

NCSY has traditionally reached out to many from public school backgrounds and nonreligious homes. Of this group, an amazing 80% of NCSY alumni continued serious textual studies in college and beyond; 90% belong to synagogues; only 2% intermarry; and even though many of those surveyed are still in their childbearing years, they average 3.2 children per family. Their Jewish continuity is secure.

If we excite teenagers about Judaism, they will come to Israel on their own. The average NCSYer has visited three times, compared to the 70% of American Jews who have not been even once. There would be no need for expensive gimmicks to bring them. Yet the American Jewish community continues its search for something - anything - besides Judaism itself upon which to base Jewish identity. "Continuity without content," Steven Bayme of the American Jewish Committee calls it. American Jews have grown comfortable with a religion that, in the words of former Conservative rabbi Howard Singer, "entails no restrictive personal requirements, does not interfere with their social lives, and yet, on demand, can put them in touch with their past."

The Holocaust is by far the strongest element of American Jewish identity precisely because it has no implications for everyday life and does not exact, as Jacob Neusner puts it, "much cost in meaningful everyday difference from others." Historian Edward Shapiro notes that American Jews wildly overestimate the threat of antisemitism to avoid having to redefine themselves as Jews in more positive ways. More American Jews would actively oppose their child’s marriage to an Orthodox Jew than currently oppose intermarriage. The latter might entail changes in life-style; the former rarely does.

Feminist icon Germaine Greer was once asked if Teddy Kennedy and Norman Mailer were the only men left in the world, with whom would she prefer to perpetuate the species. She replied that she would prefer to let it perish. American Jewry is similarly confronted with a choice between a renewed commitment to serious Jewish learning and living or disappearance. Let us hope it does not follow Greer." To which I can only add -- Amen!

Vayekhi 5760

5762

This week's Torah reading is the last portion in the first book, Beresheet, beginning with the words, "Va'yekhi ya'akov be'eretz Mitzra'yim - And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the whole age of Jacob was a hundred and forty seven years." [Gen 47:28] As in the account of the demise of our first matriarch, called "Kha'yey Sarah," meaning ‘Sarah's life' – so, also this portion deals not with the life but with the death of the person who is the object of the verb "to live." Jacob has ‘lived his life' in the last three portions – now his life is coming to an end with the end of our first Torah book, and in our second book the drama changes its very character from the tale of an individual's family to the history of a people, of a nation.
There is just one more "life-cycle" event that must take place before the curtain comes down on ‘the age of the patriarchs.' Jacob, like his father and grandfather before him, must bless his offsprings and pass the mantle to his successor. We are told two anecdotes, one concerning the two sons of Joseph, and the other concerning the blessing of all the children.
Jacob falls ill, and Joseph comes to see him with his two sons. Jacob speaks to Joseph, and says, "And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you to Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine." [Gen. 48:5] Unlike his father who "only had one blessing" - which he, Jacob, received by pretending to be Esav, Jacob accepts the sons of Joseph, to be blessed with his own eleven sons, so that one "heritage" will be split among the thirteen of them! He then proceeds to lay his hands on the two, to bless them, as we read on, "And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, changing his hands; for Manasseh was the firstborn." [Gen. 48:14] Here Joseph intervenes and protests, "Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn; put your right hand upon his head." [Gen. 48:18] Jacob accepts his son's words, and in a good natured manner replies, "I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations." [Gen. 48:19] Jacob may not be a dreamer, but he is certainly in touch with his inner self, and he knows that the accident of chronological age will not determine anyone's role in life.
In fact, one is led to question the behavior of the vice-Roy of Egypt. After all, Joseph is a wise and sensitive man. Surely he knew his family's history. He was very aware that his grandfather, Yitzkhak, was the younger child of his father, whose brother, Yishma'el, had to be exiled because of brotherly rivalry, tearing the fabric of the family, breaking Abraham's heart. He was also aware that his own father was one of twins, the younger child who was favored by his mother and by God. He knew that his father achieved his leadership of the family by besting his brother with cunning and with guile – and condemning himself to years of exile and the fear of death at the hand of his vengeful sibling. Finally, his own life's experience, his preferential treatment by his father, the hatred of his brothers which brought about his sale into slavery and years of humiliation and servitude. All this history was well known and on Joseph's mind as he saw his father perpetuating the root of strife – preferring the young child over the older one. Furthermore, why question the choice of the hands when he did not question the father's willingness to give him a double portion in the heritage of the sons of Israel?
Be that as it may, the unfolding evens prove that the times of strife between brothers were done. Ephraim and Manasseh were not Yitzkhak and Yishma'el, nor were they Ya'akov and Esav. This is the generation of the Sons of Yisrael, educated in the school of hard knocks and hard luck, seasoned by events that unfolded before them to teach them an indelible lesson of interdependency among siblings. Fashioned in the house of Laban, who tried to steal them away from their father and make them insignificant members of his idol worshiping Aramean household; maturing in the battle to save the honor of their sister Dina; making their horrendous error in the selling of their brother to the Ishma'elites; and coming full circle when they confronted their past and lived it down when Joseph made himself known to them - they were a united and well knit brotherhood. There were so many of them that one more would not make any difference. They were beyond individual concerns, they had transcended this stage, and became a family, a peoplehood. Their strength, they realized, lay in numbers. Separately, they were weak and vulnerable. United they were a force to reckon with. We have here a new phenomenon: a clan, made up of men who are inter-dependent and sure of themselves, devoid of petty jealousies and vain ambitions. In this week's text from the Torah, their father called them to his death-bed and spoke to them: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, you sons of Jacob; and listen to Israel your father." [Gen. 50:1,2] Father Jacob shows a great depth of knowledge and understanding of his children, their past deeds and their nature as he proceeds to bless them.
"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power; Unstable as water, you shall not excel... Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are their swords... Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise... Your father's children shall bow down in your presence... The staff shall not depart from Judah, nor the scepter from between his feet, until Shiloh come... Zebulun shall live at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be to Sidon. Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens... Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel... Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at the last. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. Naphtali is a hind let loose; he gives goodly words. Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well... His hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob... By the Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above... The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the booty. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel; and this is it what their father spoke to them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them..." [Gen 49:3...28]
The brothers, all twelve of them, accept and acquiesce to their father's last words and blessing. They travel together to bury and mourn their father's death; they welcome Joseph's two sons as brothers, and they unite to make a success of their life in Egypt. In three generations the seed of Abraham has gone from being a voice in the wilderness to being a pivotal playher in antiquity's march to the future, a future they were to help shape even as God had promised Abraham in their first encounter, "...and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed." [Gen. 12:3]

Amen

5763

This week's reading in the Torah concludes the first of the five book, which began "in the beginning" and ends here with the death of Ya'akov and Yoseph and that whole generation. As in the portion called "Kha'yey Sarah," meaning ‘Sarah's life,' which tells us about our first matriarch's death and burial – so, also this portion, called "Va'yekhi," deals not with the life but with the death of the person who is the object of the verb "to live."
Jacob falls ill, and Yoseph comes to see him with his two sons. Jacob speaks to Yoseph, and says, "And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you to Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine." [Gen. 48:5] Unlike his father who "only had one blessing" - which he, Jacob, received by pretending to be Esav, Jacob accepts the sons of Yoseph, to be blessed with his own eleven sons. Doing this, Ya'akov gives his son Yoseph a "double portion" of the inheritance of the other eleven brothers – thus making him, in practice if not in title, "first born."
Next we read the part that is called "the blessing of Ya'akov." The third patriarch knows that his days are numbered, and he sends a message to his sons: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, you sons of Jacob; and listen to Israel your father." [Gen. 50:1,2] Father Jacob shows a great depth of knowledge and understanding of his children, their past deeds and their nature as he proceeds to speak to them for the last time. However, if you listen to the words, you may wonder about the content and ask yourself, "where is the blessing?"
"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power; Unstable as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father's bed; then defiled you it; he went up to my couch. Shimeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are their swords. O my soul, do not come into their council; to their assembly, let my honor not be united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their wanton will they lamed an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." [Gen. 49:3-7]
I would like to suggest to you that Ya'akov is not really blessing his sons as much as explaining to them their strengths and deficiencies, and why he has planned for their future in one way and not another.
Reuben was his eldest, and by right should have been master over his brothers. However, he had shown himself unworthy of leadership or preference. He has shown poor judgement and lack of self control, taking liberties with a married woman – and a further lack of respect and honor to his father, whose concubine she was. We know from the text something that Ya'akov may not have been aware of: he failed to protect his brothers. His scheme to save Yoseph by having him dropped in a well rather than killed was a half-baked idea that turned out badly. When he asked Ya'akov to let Benyamin go with the brothers to Egypt he suggested leaving his two sons with Ya'akov as a "deposit" – showing a lack of respect for his own sons' lives. That is why Ya'akov turned down his offer. Finally, when confronted by the viceroy of Egypt with Benyamin's culpability in the theft of the divining cup, he was speechless.
As for Shimeon and Levi, their tempers were well known. They were the oldest brothers (after Reuven, to be sure), sons of Leah, and jealous for their place in the family as the "reals sons and the primary wife." They "led the pack" by word and by use of force. It was they who conceived the plan to punish the people of Shkhem whose ruling scion raped their sister. Ya'akov suspected, or maybe knew for a fact, that they were responsible for Yoseph's disappearance from his life for all those sad years of his old age. This is evident from the words he uses, "for in their anger they slew a man, and in their wanton will they lamed an ox." Commentary says that "slew a man" is a reference to Shkhem - while "lamed an ox" is a reference to Yoseph. Ya'akov figures that of all the brothers, the ones that really wanted, maybe even needed to be rid of Yoseph, were Shimeon and Levi. Yet he feels that separated from one another, and assigned specific tasks in the community of his son - they will be productive members contributing to the whole. Thus he concludes with the words, "I will divide them in Ya'akov, and scatter them in Israel."
Father Ya'akov next deals with Yehuda: "Yehudah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be in the neck of your enemies; your father's children shall bow down in your presence. Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you are gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The staff shall not depart from Judah, nor the scepter from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to him shall the obedience of the people be. Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass's colt to the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes; His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk." [ibid. 49:8-12]
Ya'akov recognizes both Yehuda's strength and his shortcoming. He must have heard how this son of his stood up to the vice-roy of Egypt to plead for Benyamin's freedom – for the sake of his father. He showed initiative, courage and leadership qualities among the brothers. Surely Ya'akov was aware of how Yehudah showed grace and nobility in the matter of his daughter in law, Tamar, admitting his own fault in not allowing his only remaining son, Shelah, to redeem her from being a childless widow. Again, commentary suggests that he knew of his part in the loss of Yoseph for all those years. When presented with the blood-soaked coat he had given his favorite son, we read, "and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Yoseph is without doubt torn in pieces." [ibid. 37:33] In our portion Ya'akov calls his son Yehuda, "lion's whelp" – which is, of course a wild animal, an "evil beast" that devours prey. But yet he says, "from the prey, my son, you are gone up." This , again, suggests to our commentators and sages that Ya'akov knew what happened to Yoseph. Using the "old excuse" of the sons, who brough the coat to make their father conclude that Yoseph was killed by a wild beast - he now tells Yehuda, "from the prey" – from that unfortunate lie that was told me, you, " my son," Yehuda, have elevated yourself, "you are gone up." That is why you are deserving of leadership. In time of crisis you rise to the occasion, you think of a solution and you follow through. These are leadership qualities.
Having relieved Reuven of the duties and rewards of the first born, having dealt with Shimeon and Levi and vested leadership in Yehuda, Ya'akov continues appraising his sons. "Zebulun shall live at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be to Sidon. Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens... Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel... Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at the last. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. Naphtali is a hind let loose; he gives goodly words." [ibid. 49:13...21]
Coming to Yoseph, Ya'akov cannot say enough of him. "Yoseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall; The archers fiercely attacked him, and shot at him, and hated him; But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Ya'akov; from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel; By the God of your father, who shall help you; and by the Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb; The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Yoseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers." [ibid. 49:22-26] Almost in an afterthought, Ya'akov mentions the last of his son, "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the booty." Now he is done. Now the family of Avraham and of Yitzkhak becomes "tribes of Israel" mentioned in the blessing of Dan. The first age is over. There will be no more fathers, no more originators. The time of the Children of Israel is at hand – and we must go back to the opening words of father Ya'akov as he called his children to his death bed: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, you sons of Ya'akov; and listen to Israel your father." [Gen. 50:1,2]
I believe that the primary message is found in these first words. Ya'akov makes an appeal to the brothers, and to all coming generations – a call to unity. The key phrase is "Gather yourselves together." If you are together, you shall be able to avoid the pitfalls that will devour you one by one. If you wish to hear my words, and if you wish to be blessed – then be together, be as one. Kol Yisrael arevim ze baze. All Israel are responsible for one another. Separately, we are as grains of sand on the sea shore – moved by every wind burst, licked by every wave. Together we are a rock, strong as the basalt black rocks of Sinai. Neither the winds of time nor the tides of fortune: enemies, invaders and despoilers from the sea or from the desert can harm us. Am Yisrael Kha'y – the People Israel Lives!
Amen

Vayekhi -- 5764

This week's portion in the Torah is vayekhi, the last portion in the book of Genesis. It begins with the last verses in chapter 47: "Ya'akov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the days of Ya'akov, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven years." Once again, as in the report on the death of our first matriarch, which is called "Kha'yey Sarah - the life of Sarah," this week's title, "He lived," speaks of the end of life.
The text tells us that Ya'akov called Yosef to his death bed, and blesses his two sons. Then he invites all his sons, and blesses them. Then he dies.
We have a life oriented tradition, and we concentrate on the living much more than we do on the dead. Yet, we do have a most elaborate and complete set of beliefs and practices concerning the hereafter, how we get there, what it is -- and what are the relations of the living to those who have gone on beyond life.
I firmly believe that our religion did not want people to concern themselves with the hereafter. That is why we did not teach about death or develop a lore of "life after death." Not that we didn't believe in it - we just refuse to talk about it and make a fetish of it. The fact is that we DO believe in "Olan Haba – the World to Come," which is a spiritual existence that follows the departure of the soul from the body. The way I understand it, Judaism teaches that God created all existence, from the beginning of time till the end of time, whenever that may or may not come to be... That means that in God's plan, and in His foreknowledge of everything that was ever to take place – He placed each of us in our "time-slot." He is not "the God of the beginning," at least not only that! He is "Eheye asher eheye, I shall be what I shall be," for all of the future that there is yet to take place. God is the future, with feet planted firmly in the past since creation.
So He placed us here, bringing us into life at His bidding, and we fulfill our allotted role upon this earth – or we don't, and then we must suffer the consequences. Life is to be lived, as Ya'akov did, as Yosef did - and even as the eleven other sons of Yisrael did. And we are rewarded for our good deeds, and we pay for our transgressions.
Many times I have to visited the sick in the hospital and was told that they have a "terminal" or "life threatening" disease. Of course I am pained to hear when a person becomes aware of his or her impending demise -- but I am also quick to remind them that we are all of us mortals, and that, actually, the first (and maybe only) "life threatening" medical procedure is none other than birthing. We live our lives in the tension between what we know – which is our existence, our experience upon this earth – and what we don't know, which is what is beyond the realm of this world and our experience, the mystery of the beyond, of death and the hereafter.
There is no way to explain our fear of death. We have never had a real report of a death experience. Near death, yes -- but the real thing, the complete and final thing, somehow reversed and yet still carried on in memory, no! Hence, by reason, we would have to say that there is nothing to suggest that the experience is painful, demeaning or demanding of the limits of our abilities to endure. Quite the contrary, -- in the words of the poet John Donne, "from rest and sleep, which by thy pictures be, much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow. And soonest our best men with thee do go, rest their bones, and soul's delivery." [Death Be Not Proud] But the poet's reasoning does not alleviate our anxieties. So, what can we learn from our faith to try and make us feel less stressed?
We are taught in our tradition that we leave our footprint on the "sands of time" in the influence we have had on life around us. The more influence we have, the more of a life after death we have. The more good we do, the more will the future be built upon us and our past deeds as a foundation. Of course, the opposite is also true. The more bad we do, the more time will it take to correct it, and so the longer will we be judged and condemned for our evil. Still, some people ask, "what happens to me, to my personhood, my character, my essence, when I die?" Judaism teaches that when the time of our existence comes to an end, at the moment of death, our "spirit," that unknown something that makes the difference between a live person and a cadaver of someone who has just died, departs this "reality" to dwell for the rest of eternity in the presence of God in His ‘world.'
We are instructed that disposing of the remains of the dead is one of the most important mitzvot a person can engage in. Judaism teaches that the body, which was the "temple" where the spirit dwells, must be returned to the earth, from whence it came. Death is the "great emancipator," striking rich and poor alike, and the grave makes the tall and the short, the fat and the skinny, the handsome and the plain equal. Therefore, we set a simple standard procedure for burial: The body of the departed is washed in a ritual of purification called "taharah ;" it is dressed in a shroud; it is placed in a wooden coffin, and it is entombed in the ground as soon as possible. It is considered a desecration to delay a funeral except in the more dire matters – a funeral may be delayed if a direct relative will attend the funeral and takes longer in transit. In many cemeteries, these days, there is a rule about a "liner" to prevent cave-ins, and Judaism does not have an issue with this practice. The preparations for burial (washing and dressing) are done by Jews. Those who volunteer to do the work are called "Khevra kaddisha — gmilat khessed shel emet" — a holy society to render true loving-kindness. In Israel and in many countries the remains of the dead are not buried in a coffin. Instead, they are wrapped in a linen sheet and placed between two planks of wood, making death much more real to the mourners, making the "dust unto dust" happen much more quickly, and preventing exorbitant expenses.
Because of the "dread" of death, many strange traditions developed: one does not greet another at the cemetery with "how do you do?" One merely says, "Shalom aleykhem" - because no one does well in a cemetery. Upon leaving a cemetery one washes the hands, signifying that we "wash our hands of the whole business." One puts earth in the grave with the "flip side" of a shovel, to indicate displeasure at having to put the earth over the body of the one that was so dear and "so alive."
The dead are mourned by their direct relatives: sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, parents and spouses. The relatives exhibit their mourning by rending their clothes, by sitting in mourning for a period of seven days ("shiv'a"), by restricting their activities to the bare necessities of life for thirty days ("shloshim"), and by reciting the "mourners' Kaddish" for a year less a month.
I would like to conclude this week's lesson with a brief comment. John Donne, in the poem I quoted earlier, made a most profound comment about death: "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more. Death, thou shalt die." [Ibid.] Our own tradition, in the Mishna, teaches that death is better than a life of sickness, and final rest to constant pain and suffering. We must accept God's decree with grace and faith that He will remeem the soul, and that, in time, we shall all rejoin those we love and lose in His World of the spirit, where we shall dwell in joy for all eternity.

Vayekhi 5765

This week’s Torah reading is the last portion in the first book, from the end of chapter 47 to the end of the book. The reading starts with the words, “Va’yekhi Ya’akov be’eretz Mitzra’yim - And Ya’akov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the whole age of Ya’akov was a hundred and forty seven years.” [Genesis 47:28] The name of our portion, taken from the first word of the text, is “va’yekhi,” meaning ‘and he lived’ – though, as in the account of the demise of our first matriarch, which you will recall was named “Kha’yey Sarah,” meaning ‘Sarah’s life’ – so, also this portion deals not with the life but with the impending death of the person who is the object of the verb “to live.” Ya’akov has ‘lived his life’ in the last three portions – now his life is coming to an end with the end of first volume in our Torah, and in our second book the drama changes its very character from the tale of a family to the history of a people, of a nation.
Our portion’s narrative begins with Ya’akov falling ill, and Yosef coming to see him with his two sons. Ya’akov is very much aware of his impending death as he speaks to Yosef. He knows that there is very little that he can offer to his favorite son. Everything that had been promised to him had already been given to him – success and fame, power and prestige. Truly he was a man whose every dream had come true. So Ya’akov our father speaks to Yosef, and says, “And now your two sons, Ephra’yim and Menasheh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you to Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.” [Gen. 48:5] Unlike his father who “only had one blessing” – which he, Ya’akov, received by pretending to be Esav, Ya’akov accepts the sons of Yosef, to be blessed with his own eleven sons, so that one “heritage” will be split among the thirteen of them! He then proceeds to lay his hands on the two, to bless them, as we read on, “And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephra’yim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Menasheh’s head, changing his hands; for Menasheh was the firstborn.” [Gen. 48:14] Here Yosef intervenes and protests, “Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn; put your right hand upon his head.” [Gen. 48:18] Ya’akov accepts his son’s words, and in a good natured manner replies, “I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.” [Gen. 48:19] Ya’akov may not be a dreamer like his beloved son, but he knows from his own experience that the ‘accident’ of chronological age will certainly not determine anyone’s role in life.
Yosef is caught between his wish to be ‘fair’ to his two sons and his desire to hyumor his old father. His experience in life should have made him a wise and sensitive man. Surely he knew his family history. He was very aware that his grandfather, Yitzkhak, was the younger child of Father Abraham, whose [half] brother, Yishma’el, had to be exiled because of brotherly rivalry, tearing the fabric of the family, breaking Abraham’s heart. He was also aware that his own father was one of twins – the younger child who was favored by his mother and by God. He must have known that his father achieved his leadership of the Abrahamic family by besting his brother with cunning and with guile – and condemning himself to years of exile, years of hard labor in the midst of Laban and his family, who interests were certainly not those of Ya’acov – and the constant and nagging fear of death at the hand of his vengeful sibling. Finally, his own life’s experience, the preferential treatment he received in his youth by his father, which brought about the hatred of his brothers, and which, in turn, caused his sale into slavery and years of humiliation and servitude. All this history was well known by Yosef – and surely it weighed on his mind as he saw his father perpetuating the root of strife – preferring the young child over the older one. Finally, we must ask why he questions the father’s choice of which hand he places on which son – when he did not question the father’s willingness to give him a double portion in the heritage of the sons of Israel, a portion he could not claim as the first born of his own father any more than Ephra’yim could in his turn?
Well, the saga of the patriarchs is coming to an end, and Ya’akov is left one task, that of blessing all his sons, who were born and given their first ‘training’ in the house of Laban, their grandfather, who tried to steal them away from their father and make them insignificant members of his idol worshiping Aramean household; maturing in the battle to save the honor of their sister Dina; making their horrendous and fateful transgression in the selling of their brother to the Ishma’elites; and coming full circle when they confronted their past and lived it down when Yosef made himself known to them – they were a united and well knit brotherhood. Ya’akov, their father, called them to his death-bed and spoke to them: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, you sons of Ya’akov; and listen to Israel your father.” [Gen. 50:1,2]
Father Ya’akov, the last of the ‘founding fathers,’ proceeds to bless his progeny with a great depth of knowledge and understanding of his children, their past deeds and their nature.
“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power; Unstable as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father’s bed; then defiled you it; he went up to my couch. Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are their swords. O my soul, do not come into their council; to their assembly, let my honor not be united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their wanton will they lamed an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be in the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down in your presence. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you are gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The staff shall not depart from Judah, nor the scepter from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to him shall the obedience of the people be. Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass’s colt to the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes; His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Zebulun shall live at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be to Sidon. Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens; And he saw that resting was good, and that the land was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute. Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that bites the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for your salvation, O Lord. Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at the last. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. Naphtali is a hind let loose; he gives goodly words. Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall; The archers fiercely attacked him, and shot at him, and hated him; But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel; By the God of your father, who shall help you; and by the Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb; The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the booty. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel; and this is it what their father spoke to them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.” [Gen 49:3 -28]
All twelve brothers accept and acquiesce to their father’s last words and blessing. They welcome Yosef’s two sons as brothers, and they travel together to bury and mourn their father’s death; they return unite to make a success of their life in Egypt, and eventually fall into bondage. In three generations the seed of Abraham had gone from being a voice in the wilderness to being a pivotal player in antiquity’s march toward the future, a future they were to help shape even as God had promised Abraham in their first encounter, “...and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.” [Gen. 12:3] What a grand story is their early beginnings, and how very proud we can be of our ancestors. Khazak khazak venitkhazek, may we continue to go from strength to strength in the service of our God and his continuing creation.

Amen

Return Home or go to Offering