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Vayechi 5780

Vayechi

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SILENT PURITY CAN BE HEARD FROM AFAR

Excerpted from a talk from Rabbi Aharon Lopiansky

In this week’s Parsha, Vayechi, Yaakov gathers his 12 sons around him as he gives them their respective blessings. Each blessing reflects their unique qualities and responsibilities. In last week’s Parsha the Midrash identifies Yehudah and Yosef as the two kings of our people. Naturally, their qualities of kingship are reflected in the blessings that Yaakov bestowed upon them. Let us take note of the remarkable distinction between the blessings they received. Regarding Yehudah, Yaakov says that “Your brothers shall submit to you… your father’s sons shall bow to you.” This certainly draws a picture of a sovereign that is accepted by his people. Regarding Yosef however, Yaakov says “A charming son is Yosef, the girls climbed heights to gaze. His brother embittered him and became antagonists…From there he shepherded the stone of Israel.”

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Vayechi 5779

Vayechi

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THE ANATOMY OF TRUST

In this week’s Parsha, Vayechi, our father Yaakov lies on his deathbed giving blessings to each of his sons. To Dan he references the great leader, Shimshon, who singlehandedly brought down the Plishtim when they rose up against our people. Immediately after referencing Shimshon, Yaakov adds a prayer that he trusts in Ha-Shem for His salvation. One of the commentaries points out that Yaakov is clarifying to his children that although there will be an extremely powerful leader who will be able to bring down the enemy, nevertheless, the one in whom they must place their trust is HaShem and in nobody else.

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Vayechi 5778

Vayechi

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A PEOPLE, ETERNAL

This week’s Parsha, Vayechi, concludes the first Book of Torah, the Book of Breishis. Breishis is also referred to as the Book of the Straight, which is a reference to our fathers who set the straight path upon which we walk.

I would like share a perspective on our relationship to our fathers using an insight that someone gave me many years ago.

People ask how do we know that we are the chosen people, after all, there are many cultures and societies who believe in a god and each of them claim that they are the chosen people of that god. To answer this question I ask them for their reaction to the following two people.

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Vayechi 5777

Vayechi

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NOT MOTHER NATURE BUT HER FATHER

In this week’s Parsha, Vayechi, we find our father Yaakov on his deathbed surrounded by his 12 sons as he is about to reveal the date when his people will finally achieve their destiny. It was a divine inspiration by which he knew this date. However, before he shared it with them the inspiration stopped and he could not recall the date. Yaakov suspected that perhaps the date alluded him because one or some of his children were not steadfast in their commitment to HaShem thereby causing the divine connection to terminate. Even worse, perhaps that destiny would never be achieved. He therefore asked his 12 sons if there was anyone in the room whose commitment to HaShem was wavering. In response to this question all his children proclaimed, “Hear O Israel (Yaakov’s name was also Israel) HaShem is our God, HaShem is One!” Upon hearing these words Yaakov understood that the reason the information alluded him was because HaShem wanted it to remain a mystery.

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Vayigash 5783

Vayigosh

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SHEMA; IT’S ALL HIS WILL

Gleaned from the thoughts of Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky

Our Sages tell us that when Yaakov met his beloved son Yosef, the one on whom rested the destiny of his people, the one whom he thought had perished years earlier, he recited the Shema. Yosef, on the other hand, did not recite the Shema. If their first encounter generates inspiration for Shema, why does Yosef not recite the Shema?

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Vayigash 5782

Vayigosh

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WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT LIFT

In this week’s Parsha the brothers discover that Yosef is the viceroy in Egypt. When they tell their father, Yaakov, of the news he refuses to believe them. Only after seeing the wagons Yosef sent “did Yaakov’s spirit become alive.” What did Yaakov see in those wagons? Our Sages teach us that those wagons were sent by Yosef to remind Yaakov that the last verses of Torah they studied together before he left the house 22 years earlier were the laws of egla arufa. Therefore, when Yaakov saw those wagons he realized that it must have been Yosef who sent them and that he still remembers the Torah he learnt.

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Vayigash 5781

Vayigosh

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THE SAFETY LINE

This week’s Parsha, Vayigash, opens at the climax of the drama playing out between Yosef and Yehudah. In last week’s Parsha Benyomin was implicated in stealing Yosef’s goblet for which Yosef committed Benyomin to be his slave. The Parsha ended in the middle of a dialogue between Yehudah and Yosef in which Yehudah offered to serve as a slave instead of Benyomin and to allow Benyomin to go home to his father. Yosef, however, would not budge. He insisted that Benyomin serve as his slave and Yehudah return home. Our Parsha begins with the continuation of that dialogue as Yehudah tries to shake Yosef’s decision. The Torah’s opening verse states “And Yehudah approached him…” We must ask, Yehudah was already standing before Yosef and was already engaged in speaking with him, what is the intent of this additional “approach”?

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Vayigash 5780

Vayigosh

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THE SEED VAULT OF OUR PEOPLE

Excerpted from a talk from Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt’l

In the last 13 verses of our Parsha, Vayigosh, the Torah relates specific details regarding the manner in which Yosef managed the distribution of the food during the famine. It warrants investigation why should the Torah tell us of these details. There seems to be no relevance to the story of our people. Furthermore, if the Torah felt it was important why did she not mention these details in last week’s Parsha at the beginning of the famine, which would be its place chronologically.

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Vayigash 5779

Vayigosh

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HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

In this week’s Parsha, Vayigash, we find for the first time since the end of Vayishlach, that HaShem speaks to Yaakov and that Yaakov speaks to HaShem. It is striking that once Yaakov returns to the Land of his fathers, to the home of his father and establishes the monument which he promised, HaShem goes into hiding and does not reappear until Yaakov leaves the Land on his way to Egypt.

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Vayigash 5778

Vayigosh

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SURVIVAL IN THE WILD

As we read this week’s Parsha, Vayigash, the incredible righteousness of Yosef is revealed. To appreciate the depth of his character let us spend a paragraph reviewing what transpired so that we can appreciate Yosef’s reaction.

Yaakov showed favoritism to Yosef by choosing him from the other sons in grooming him to be the leader. As a result, his brothers harbored a deep hatred and jealousy for him. This jealousy moved them to convict Yosef to be sold into eternal slavery. Once a person was enslaved in Egypt there was never a hope of being freed.

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