Parshat Vayechi: Genesis 47:28 – Genesis 50:26 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Parshat Vayechi is the last portion in the book of Genesis. It brings us the death of both Jacob and his son Joseph. On Jacob’s death bed he recites a kind of last will and testament. Not a distribution of his wealth but words of blessing and difficult truths about his sons. Some would call these deathbed words an ethical will.

Jacob calls his death bed words as a prediction of his sons’ future based upon their character and their history. He isn’t kind and isn’t prone to just stating fluff. But Jacob delivers what some would seem as harsh and bitter final words. We haven’t really known Jacob’s thoughts since the death of his beloved Rachel. Only that he doted on Joseph as a young man. But we haven’t really seen much of or heard of the details of his feelings or relationship with his other sons until now. One can only imagine the urgency Jacob must feel as death awaits him. Perhaps he is prodded by the memory of his own blessing by his father, Isaac.

Nevertheless, Jacob’s vision of his children is laid out as a poem. And of course these twelve sons become the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel. Some scholar’s teach that this poem attributed to Jacob is a much later addition to the text and may be from the time of the early formation of the tribes in the era of the Judges.

The famous Chagall windows in the Hadassah hospital in Ein Kerem, next to Jerusalem are based in part upon this section of Genesis and upon Moses’ blessing of the twelve tribes in Deuteronomy 33. He used many of the colors on the panes of glass that are described in Exodus as part of the High Priest’s breastplate.

The twelve windows that grace the synagogue were dedicated in the presence of the artist on February 6, 1962 as part of Hadassah’s Golden Anniversary Celebration. The artist depicted the twelve tribes using the imagery of Jacob’s “blessing”. Thus Benjamin’s window depicts a wolf; Zebulon has a ship; Dan’s window depicts a viper that is nipping at the horse’s heels. Chagall transformed Jacob’s words into beautiful art that have provided lasting images for the world.

You can still visit the Chagall windows and see for yourself the beauty of his art. Next time you are in Israel see this section of Torah come alive.

Posted by Jimmy at January 5, 2009 09:51 AM