Parshat Vayhi; Genesis 47:28-50:26 by Rabbi Denise L. Eger

The last portion in the book of Genesis includes the death of both the father and son, patriarchs each, Jacob and Joseph. Our portion begins with Jacob extracting a promise from his son Joseph that he would be buried in the land of Israel. Jacob asks Joseph for Chesed v’Emet, Kindness and truth. This loving act, of a child seeing to his father’s last wishes is an act, which can never be repaid by the father. Jewish tradition has continued to call the act of burial and the placement of earth in the gravesite as a chesed shel emet, an act of true loving kindness. Joseph the mighty son agrees to this final loving and loyal act for his father.

In the terse wording of the text, we see Joseph, I think and Jacob too, trying to make up for the lost years and time. Not only does Joseph promise his father the proper burial, but as his father’s life fades into illness, makes sure that his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, pay their respects to their grandfather. The grandfather, Jacob has little left to give to these royal grandchildren, other than the legacy of family and inclusion in the covenant of God. Thus Jacob describes his encounter with the Divine at Beth-El to Joseph and his sons, thus including them in the covenantal promise. Jacob formally adopts Ephraim and Manasseh and blesses them. Thus they are now not just grandsons but inheritors of the tradition and the covenant. Thus Manasseh and Ephraim will later become one of the 12 tribes, each representing a half-tribe.

But during the blessing interesting echoes arise of Jacob’s own blessing by his father Isaac. First, like his father Isaac before him, Jacob’s own eyes fail him. He cannot recognize his grandsons even though he has talked about them. “Now Israel’s eyes were dim with age; he could not see. So he brought them close to him and he kissed them and embraced them” (Gen. 48:10). Then just as happened to Jacob, the younger son of Isaac who was blessed with a special blessing, while the older, Esau did not receive the same one. Jacob crosses his hands and blesses the younger, Ephraim with his right hand and Manasseh the older, the first born, with his left. Jacob maintains the pattern of the younger child receiving the special blessing, as Isaac had been the preferred child over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over his brothers (and later Benjamin) and now his Joseph’s own children as well.

Thus parsha continues with blessings. Jacob gives his final testament, as a blessing and prophecy to his sons. Sometimes harsh, sometimes loving, Jacob gives an ethical will to his children. He speaks of their strengths and weaknesses, and speaks of their futures as a people, as a tribe and as individuals. It is a fitting end to Genesis that shapes the story of a new people and lays the foundation for the exodus from Egypt.

The parsha concludes with both Jacob’s death and burial in Canaan and finally the death of Joseph in Egypt. Joseph lived a long life, as the Torah says, “Joseph lived to see children of the third generation of Ephraim;” (Gen 50:23). He makes his family promise as his father did, not to bury him in Egypt but to eventually bury him among the patriarchs of Israel, thus concluding the story in a fitting manner.

Whenever we end the reading of a book of the Torah we recite, Chazak Chazak v’ Nitchazek—Be strong, be Strong and be strengthened. The inspirational stories of Genesis give shape to our lives and our beginnings as the Jewish people. Surely, they have strengthened us and continue to make us strong!

Posted by Lee at December 21, 2004 11:06 AM