Vayechi

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Vayechi, Vayehi, or Vayhi (ויחי — Hebrew for “and he lived,” the first word of the parshah) is the twelfth weekly parshah or portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the last in the book of Genesis. It constitutes Genesis 47:28–50:26. Jews in the Diaspora read it the twelfth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in December or January.

Jacob Blessing Joseph's Sons (painting by Jan Victors)

1 Summary
2 In Rabbinic interpretation
3 Commandments
4 Haftarah
5 The Weekly Maqam
6 Further reading
7 External links

[edit] Summary

[edit] Burial in Canaan

Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years, and lived to be 147 years old. (Gen. 47:28.) When Jacob’s death drew near, he called his son Joseph and asked him to put his hand under Jacob’s thigh and swear not to bury him in Egypt, but to bury him with his father and grandfather. (Gen. 47:29–30.) Joseph agreed, but Jacob insisted that he swear to, and so he did, and Jacob bowed. (Gen. 47:30–31.)

[edit] The blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh

Later, when one told Joseph that his father was sick, Joseph took his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to see him. (Gen. 48:1.) Jacob sat up and told Joseph that God appeared to him at Luz, blessed him, and told him that God would multiply his descendants and give them that land forever. (Gen. 48:2–4.) Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons as his own and granted them inheritance with his own sons. (Gen. 48:5–6.) Jacob recalled how when he came from Paddan, Rachel died on the way, and he buried her on the way to Ephrath, near Bethlehem. (Gen. 48:7.) Jacob saw Joseph's sons and asked who they were, and Joseph told him that they were the sons whom God had given him in Egypt, so Jacob asked Joseph to bring them near so that he might bless them. (Gen. 48:8–9.)

Jacob Blesses the Sons of Joseph (painting by Rembrandt)

Jacob’s sight had dimmed with age, so Joseph brought his sons near, and Jacob kissed them and embraced them. (Gen. 48:10.) Jacob told Joseph that he had not thought to see his face, and now God had let him see his children, as well. (Gen. 48:11.) Joseph took them from between his knees, bowed deeply, and brought them to Jacob, with Ephraim in his right hand toward Jacob's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Jacob's right hand. (Gen. 48:12–13.) But Jacob laid his right hand on Ephraim, the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh, the firstborn, and prayed that God bless the lads, let Jacob’s name be named in them, and let them grow into a multitude. (Gen. 48:14–16.) It displeased Joseph that Jacob laid his right hand on Ephraim, and he lifted Jacob’s right hand to move it to Manasseh the firstborn, but Jacob refused, saying that Manasseh would also become a great people, but his younger brother would be greater. (Gen. 48:17–19.) Jacob blessed them, saying Israel would bless by invoking God to make one like Ephraim and as Manasseh. (Gen. 48:20.) Jacob told Joseph that he was dying, but God would be with him and bring him back to the land of his fathers, and Jacob had given him a portion (shechem) above his brothers, which he took from the Amorites with his sword and bow. (Gen. 48:21–22.)

[edit] Jacob’s blessing

Jacob gathered his sons and asked them to listen to what would befall them in time. (Gen. 49:1–2.) Jacob called Reuben his firstborn, his might, and the first-fruits of his strength; unstable as water, he would not have the best because he defiled his father’s bed. (Gen. 49:3–4.) Jacob called Simeon and Levi brothers in violence, prayed that his soul not come into their council — for in their anger they slew men and beasts — and cursed their descendants to be scattered throughout Israel. (Gen. 49:5–7.) Jacob called Judah a lion's whelp and told him that he would dominate his enemies, his brothers would bow before him, and his descendants would rule as long as men came to Shiloh. (Gen. 49:8–10.) Zebulun’s descendants would dwell at the shore near Sidon, and would work the ships. (Gen. 49:13.) Jacob called Issachar a large-boned donkey couching between the sheep-folds, he bowed his shoulder to work, and his descendants would dwell in a pleasant land. (Gen. 49:14–15.) Jacob called Dan a serpent in the road that bites the horse's heels, and he would judge his people. (Gen. 49:16–17.) Raiders would raid Gad, but he would raid on their heels. (Gen. 49:19.) Asher’s bread would be the richest, and he would yield royal dainties. (Gen. 49:20.) Jacob called Naphtali a hind let loose, and he would give good words. (Gen. 49:21.) Jacob called Joseph a fruitful vine by a fountain whose branches ran over the wall, archers shot at him, but his bow remained firm; Jacob blessed him with blessings of heaven above and the deep below, blessings of the breasts and womb, and mighty blessings on the head of the prince among his brethren. (Gen. 49:22–26.) Jacob called Benjamin a ravenous wolf that devours its prey. (Gen. 49:27.)

And Jacob charged his sons to bury him with his fathers in the cave of Machpelah that Abraham bought and where they buried Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and where he buried Leah. (Gen. 49:29–32.) And then Jacob gathered his feet into his bed and died. (Gen. 49:33.)

[edit] The burial of Jacob

Joseph kissed his father's face and wept. (Gen. 50:1.) Joseph commanded the physicians to embalm Jacob, and they did so over the next 40 days, and the Egyptians wept for Jacob 70 days. (Gen. 50:2–3.) Thereafter, Joseph asked Pharaoh’s courtiers to tell Pharaoh that Jacob had made Joseph swear to bury him in the land of Canaan and ask that he might go up, bury his father, and return. (Gen. 50:4–5.) Pharaoh consented, and Joseph went up with all Pharaoh’s court, Egypt’s elders, chariots, horsemen, and all Joseph’s relatives, leaving only the little ones and the flocks and herds behind in the land of Goshen. (Gen. 50:6–9.) At the threshing-floor of Atad, beyond the Jordan River, they mourned for his father seven days, and the Canaanites remarked at how grievous the mourning was for the Egyptians, and thus the place was named Abel-mizraim. (Gen. 50:10–11.) Jacob’s sons carried out his command and buried him in the cave of Machpelah, and the funeral party returned to Egypt. (Gen. 50:12–14.)

With Jacob’s death, Joseph's brothers grew concerned that Joseph would repay them for the evil that they had done, and they sent Joseph a message that Jacob had commanded him to forgive them. (Gen. 50:15–17.) When the brothers spoke to Joseph, he wept, and his brothers fell down before him and declared that they were his bondmen. (Gen. 50:17–18.) Joseph told them not to fear, for he was not God, and even though they had intended him evil, God meant it for good, to save many people. (Gen. 50:19–20.) Joseph spoke kindly to them, comforted them, and committed to sustain them and their little ones. (Gen. 50:21.)

[edit] The death of Joseph

Joseph lived 110 years, saw Ephraim's children of the third generation, and grandchildren of Manasseh were born on Joseph's knees. (Gen. 50:22–23.) Joseph told his brothers that he was dying, but God would surely remember them and bring them out of Egypt to the land that God had sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Gen. 50:24.) Joseph made the children of Israel swear to carry his bones to that land. (Gen. 50:25.) So Joseph died, and they embalmed him, and put him in a coffin in Egypt. (Gen. 50:26.)

[edit] In Rabbinic interpretation

[edit] Genesis Chapter 47

Rabbi Johanan taught that trouble follows whenever Scripture employs the word vayeishev, meaning “and he settled.” Thus “Israel settled” in Genesis 47:27 presaged trouble in the report of Genesis 47:29 that Israel’s death drew near. (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 106a.)

Karna deduced from Genesis 47:30 that Jacob sought burial in Israel to ensure his resurrection. Karna reasoned that Jacob knew that he was an entirely righteous man, and that the dead outside Israel will also be resurrected, so Jacob must have troubled his sons to carry him to Canaan because he feared that he might be unworthy to travel through subterranean tunnels to the site of resurrection in Israel. Similarly, Rabbi Hanina explained that the same reason prompted Joseph to seek burial in Israel in Genesis 50:25. (Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 111a.)

Rav Judah cited Genesis 47:30 to support the proposition that gravediggers must remove surrounding earth when they rebury a body. Rav Judah interpreted the verse to mean “carry with me [earth] of Egypt.” (Babylonian Talmud Nazir 65a.)

Rabbi Elazar read Genesis 47:31 to report that Jacob bowed to Joseph because Joseph was in power. The Gemara read Jacob’s action to illustrate a saying then popular: “When the fox has its hour, bow down to it.” That is, even though one would ordinarily expect the lion to be the king of beasts, when the fox has its turn to rule, one should bow to it as well. The Gemara thus viewed Joseph as the fox, to whom, in his day, even the senior Jacob bowed down. (Babylonian Talmud Megilah 16b.)

[edit] Genesis Chapter 48

Rav Judah said in the name of Samuel that Genesis 48:5, where grandchildren are equated with children, serves to remind the reader that cursing a husband’s parents in the presence of the husband’s children is just as bad as cursing them in the husband’s presence. Rabbah said that an example of such a curse would be where a woman told her husband’s son, “May a lion devour your grandfather.” (Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 72b.)

Rav Papa cited Genesis 48:5 to demonstrate that the word “noladim,” meaning “born,” applies to lives already in being, not just to children to be born in the future, as “nolad” appears to refer in 1Kings 13:2. (Babylonian Talmud Nedarim 30b.)

A baraita used Genesis 48:6 to illustrate the effect of the law of levirate marriage, where a brother marries his dead brother’s wife and raises a child in the dead brother’s name. Just as in Genesis 48:6 Ephraim and Manasseh were to inherit from Jacob, so in levirate marriage the brother who marries his dead brother’s wife and their children thereafter were to inherit from the dead brother. (Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 24a.)

The Gemara noted that in Genesis 48:7, Jacob exclaimed about Rachel’s death as a loss to him, supporting the proposition stated by a baraita that the death of a woman is felt by none so much as by her husband. (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 22b.)

Rabbi Johanan deduced from Genesis 48:15–16 that sustenance is more difficult to achieve than redemption. Rabbi Johanan noted that in Genesis 48:16 a mere angel sufficed to bring about redemption, whereas Genesis 48:16 reported that God provided sustenance. (Babylonian Talmud Pesachim 118a.)

Rabbi Jose son of Rabbi Hanina deduced from Genesis 48:16 that the descendants of Joseph did not have to fear the evil eye. In Genesis 48:16, Jacob blessed Joseph’s descendants to grow like fishes. Rabbi Jose son of Rabbi Hanina interpreted that just the eye cannot see fish in the sea that are covered by water, so the evil eye would have no power to reach Joseph’s descendants. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 118b.)

The Gemara read the reference in Genesis 48:22 to “one portion above your brothers” to mean that like a firstborn son, Joseph received a double portion. Rav Papa asked Abaye whether perhaps Jacob merely gave Joseph an extra palm tree. Abaye answered that Genesis 48:5 demonstrated that Jacob intended that Joseph would get two full portions “even as Reuben and Simeon.” Rabbi Helbo asked Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani why Jacob took the firstborn’s birthright from Reuben and gave it to Joseph. The Gemara answered by citing Genesis 49:4 to show that Reuben lost the birthright when he defiled Jacob’s bed. The Gemara asked why Joseph benefited from Reuben’s disqualification. Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani responded with a parable of an orphan who was brought up by an adoptive father, and when he became rich he chose to give to his adoptive father from his wealth. Similarly, because Joseph cared for Jacob, Jacob chose to give to Joseph. Rabbi Helbo challenged that reason, arguing instead that Rabbi Jonathan said that Rachel should have born the firstborn, as indicated by the naming of Joseph in Genesis 37:2, and God restored the right of the firstborn to Rachel because of her modesty. And a baraita read the reference in Genesis 48:22 to “my sword and . . . my bow” to mean Jacob’s spiritual weapons, interpreting “my sword” to mean prayer and “my bow” to mean supplication. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 123a.)

[edit] Genesis Chapter 49

The Tosefta interpreted Genesis 49:27 to allude to produce yields of Bethel and Jericho. The Tosefta interpreted “Benjamin is a wolf that pounces” to mean that the land of Benjamin, the area of Bethel, jumped to produce crops early in the growing season. The Tosefta interpreted “in the morning he devours the prey” to mean that in Jericho produce was gone from the fields early in the seventh year. And the Tosefta interpreted “and in the evening he divides the spoil” to mean that in Bethel produce remained in the fields until late in the seventh year. (Tosefta Sheviit 7:12.)

[edit] Genesis Chapter 50

The Mishnah cited Genesis 50:7–9 for the proposition that Providence treats a person measure for measure as that person treats others. And so because, as Genesis 50:7–9 relates, Joseph had the merit to bury his father and none of his brothers were greater than he was, so Joseph merited the greatest of Jews, Moses, to attend to his bones, as reported in Exodus 13:19. (Mishnah Sotah 1:7–9.)

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel read Genesis 50:15–17 to report that Joseph’s brothers fabricated Jacob’s request that Joseph forgive them in order to preserve peace in the family. (Jerusalem Talmud Peah 8b.)

Rabbi Benjamin bar Japhet said in the name of Rabbi Elazar that Genesis 50:18 bore out the popular saying: “When the fox has its hour, bow down to it.” But the Gemara questioned how Joseph was, like the fox relative to the lion, somehow inferior to his brothers. Rather, the Gemara applied the saying to Genesis 47:31, as discussed above. (Babylonian Talmud Megilah 16b.)

Rabbi Jose deduced from Joseph’s talk of providing in Genesis 50:21 that when Jacob died, the famine returned. (Tosefta Sotah 10:9.)

Rav Judah asked in the name of Rav why Joseph referred to himself as “bones” during his lifetime (in Gen. 50:25), and explained that it was because he did not protect his father's honor when in Genesis 44:31 his brothers called Jacob “your servant our father” and Joseph failed to protest. And Rav Judah also said in the name of Rav (and others say that it was Rabbi Hama bar Hanina who said) that Joseph died before his brothers because he put on superior airs. (Babylonian Talmud Sotah 13b.)

[edit] Commandments

According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are no commandments in the parshah. (See, e.g., Maimonides. The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, 2 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1967. ISBN 0-900689-71-4. Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, vol. 1, 91. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1991. ISBN 0-87306-179-9.)

King David (statue in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore)

[edit] Haftarah

The haftarah for the parshah is 1 Kings 2:1–12. The parshah and haftarah both report the testaments of seminal leaders of Israel to their sons, the parshah of Jacob (in Genesis 49) and the haftarah of David. Both the parshah and the haftarah precede the testament with the phrase “the time drew near that [the leader] must die.” (Gen. 47:29; 1Kings 2:1.) Both the parshah and the haftarah employ the word “va-yetzav,” “he instructed.” (Gen. 47:29; 1Kings 2:1.) A midrash notes that both the parshah and the haftarah use language reflecting the leader’s diminution of authority: the parshah reports Jacob entreating his son, “If now I have found favor in your sight . . . I pray thee” (Gen. 47:29); the haftarah describes David simply as “David” (in 1Kings 2:1) instead of the title of honor “King David” used a chapter before (in 1Kings 1:1). (Midrash Tanchuma Vayechi 2.) In both the parshah and the haftarah, the leaders brought up unpleasant slights that haunted them to their last days: Jacob brought up that his son Rueben defiled Jacob’s bed (Gen. 49:4) and that his sons Simeon and Levi slew men and beast in their anger (Gen. 49:5–6); David brought up that his nephew Joab killed Abner and Amasa (1Kings 2:5) and that Shemei insulted David on the way to Mahanaim. (1Kings 2:8.) In so doing, both leaders complained of subordinate family members who acted too zealously on what others might have viewed as the leader’s behalf: Jacob with regard to Simeon and Levi (Gen. 49:5–6) and David with regard to Joab. (1Kings 2:5.)

[edit] The Weekly Maqam

In the Weekly Maqam, Sephardic Jews each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parshah. For Parshah Vayechi, Sephardic Jews apply Maqam Hijaz, the maqam that expresses mourning and sadness. This maqam is appropriate in this parasha because it is the parasha that contains the death of the patriach Jacob.

[edit] Further reading

The parshah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:

Deuteronomy 33:1–29 (Moses’s blessing).
Judges 5:1–31 (Deborah’s song).
1 Kings 2:1–12 (David's testament).
Jeremiah 31:8 in JPS; 31:9 in NJPS (Ephraim as firstborn).
Homer. The Iliad Book 9. Greece, 8th–6th Century B.C.E. (Phoenix’s father curses Phoenix for sleeping with his concubine).
Philo. Allegorical Interpretation, I 26:80; Allegorical Interpretation, II 24:94, 26:103; Allegorical Interpretation, III 8:26, 30:90–93, 62:177–81; On the Birth of Abel and the Sacrifices Offered by Him and by His Brother Cain 2:5; On the Migration of Abraham 5:22, 29:159–161; On Dreams 2:15:107–108; On Joseph 42:255–44:270. Alexandria, Egypt, early 1st Century. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by Charles Duke Yonge, 34, 48–49, 53, 60, 70–71, 94, 171, 182, 185, 228–29, 233, 250, 254–55, 268–69, 273, 275, 299, 327, 344, 349, 395, 456–58. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1993. ISBN 0-943575-93-1.
Hebrews 11:21-22. Late 1st Century.
Josephus. Antiquities 2:7:5–2:8:2. Circa 93–94. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William Whiston, 64–66. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1987. ISBN 0-913573-86-8.
Mishnah Sotah 1:7–9. 3rd Century. Reprinted in, e.g., The Mishnah: A New Translation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 449. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-300-05022-4.
Tosefta: Sheviit 7:12; Sotah 10:9. 3rd–4th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 242, 877. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 2002. ISBN 1-56563-642-2.
Jerusalem Talmud Peah 8b. 4th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Talmud Yerushalmi: Tractate Peah. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus. Vol. 3. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006. ISBN 1-4226-0236-2.
Genesis Rabbah 6:4, 9; 12:2; 20:9; 30:10; 37:7; 39:12; 40:6; 47:5; 65:9; 66:4; 70:7; 71:2, 7; 72:5; 75:12; 78:10; 80:6, 10; 82:4–5, 10; 87:7; 90:4, 6; 93:7; 95:1; 96:1–100:13; 105. 5th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Genesis. Translated by H. Freedman and Maurice Simon, Vol. 1: 44, 48, 89, 168, 238, 300, 402; vol. 2: 585, 603, 640, 653, 658, 665, 698, 722, 739, 743, 754–56, 777, 812, 830–31, 863, 866, 881, 885–1003. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
Babylonian Talmud: Berakhot 20a, 55b, 57a; Shabbat 55b, 139a, 152a; Eruvin 53a; Pesachim 4a, 56a, 118a; Yoma 52b, 87a; Sukkah 25a; Rosh Hashanah 26a; Megilah 16b; Chagigah 3b; Yevamot 24a, 65b, 76a; Ketubot 72b, 111a–12a; Nedarim 20b, 30b; Nazir 65a; Sotah 9b–10a, 11b, 13a–b, 36b; Kiddushin 2a; Bava Kamma 17a, 92a, 113b; Bava Metzia 84a; Bava Batra 118a–b, 123a; Sanhedrin 5a, 22a, 95a, 98b, 105a, 106a, 109b; Avodah Zarah 11b, 25a; Horayot 5b, 6b, 11b; Zevachim 53b, 54b, 118b; Menachot 37a, 93b; Chullin 92a; Niddah 36b. Babylonia, 6th Century.
Qur'an 12:94–101. Arabia, 7th Century.
Rashi on Genesis 47–50. Troyes, France, late 11th Century.
Nahmanides. The Disputation at Barcelona, 11-18. Spain, 1263. Reprinted in, e.g., Nahmanides. The Disputation at Barcelona. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, 6–10. New York: Shilo Publishing, 1983. ISBN 088328-025-6.
Zohar 1:216a–51a. Spain, late 13th Century.
Thomas Mann. Joseph and His Brothers. Translated by John E. Woods, 53, 102–03, 257, 306, 314, 396, 401, 407, 448–49, 456, 458, 463, 485, 493, 503, 541–42, 547, 568–69, 1447–92. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. ISBN 1-4000-4001-9. Originally published as Joseph und seine Brüder. Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1943.