Vayechi – Page 6 – Peninim on the Torah

כל אלה שבטי ישראל שנים עשר... ויברך אותם איש אשר כברכתו ברך אתם

All these are the twelve tribes of Yisrael… and he (Yaakov) blessed them. Everyone according to his blessing did he bless them. (49:28)

Changing one’s direction in life is difficult. Once one has either chosen a specific path, or has ended up living a certain lifestyle because it just evolved, he finds change difficult. Many factors are involved. Complacency often prevails; and depression, the mounting feeling that “change” is something one cannot handle or in which will not be successful, is a powerful deterrent. Therefore, we often remain in a bind, doing the same thing, sticking to the same mold – and being miserable. Horav Yeruchem Levovitz, zl, derives a lesson from Yaakov Avinu which will invariably save the day for many of…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Vayechi

“Shimon and Levi are brothers… Into their conspiracy, may my soul not enter…Accursed is their rage for it is intense… I will separate them within Yaakov, and I will disperse them in Yisrael.” (49:5-7)

Horav S. R. Hirsch, z.l., notes that Shimon and Levi exhibited a distinctive character trait that under normal circumstances would have constituted a basis for granting them a dominant role over Klal Yisrael: They were “achim,” brothers. They had elevated the value of communal brotherhood to an extremely high level. Completely free of egoism, both of them were affected by any wrong done to even the least important member of the family circle. To hurt a member of the family was to injure each one of them personally. In response, their collective rage, although perfectly justified, was unharnessed. They killed…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Vayechi

“Into their conspiracy, may my soul not enter! With their congregation do not unite, O’ my honor! For in their rage they killed a man and in their wish they hamstrung an ox.” (49:6)

Rashi cites Chazal, who explain that “b’sodam”, into their conspiracy, is a reference to the incident of Zimri. The tribe of Shimon, following their leader, Zimri, gathered together conspiratorially to Cosbi, the Midyanite princess, before Moshe. Zimri asked, “Is it forbidden to take a non-Jewess as a wife or not? If it is forbidden, who permitted Yisro’s daughter to you?” Yaakov did not want his name involved in this matter. Consequently, when the Torah records Zimri’s lineage, Yaakov’s name is not mentioned, nor regarding Korach. The word “b’kehalam,” with their congregation, is a reference to Korach, a member of the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Vayechi

“Although you intended me harm, G-d intended it for good: in order to accomplish–it is as clear as this day – that a vast people be kept alive.” (50:20)

Yosef was assuaging his brothers’ guilt, saying that Hashem “caused” him to be brought to Egypt in order to set in motion the vehicle for ultimately saving them. They were simply pawns in Hashem’s Divine plan. The commentators question the meaning and purpose of the words, “It is clear as this day.” What is the reference to “this day”? The Ozrover Rebbe, z.l., in his sefer Be’er Moshe, posits that the “kayom ha’zeh,” “this day,” is a reference to another instance in which the phrase “this day” is used: In Parashas Vayeishev, when recalling the incident of Yosef Ha’tzaddik and…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Vayechi

“He (Yosef) comforted them and spoke to their heart.” (50:21)

Yosef comforted his brothers. It seems that he had forgiven them for selling him as a slave. In a similar statement, Yosef said to his brothers, “Do not be distressed and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, for it was as a provider that G-d sent me ahead of you” (Bereishis 45:5). Once again, it seems apparent that Yosef was not angry with his brothers. Indeed, he asserted that the sale was a G-d-send. Hashem placed him in Egypt, so that he would be in a position to help his family. Both of these pesukim apparently imply…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Vayechi

“Ephraim and Menasheh shall be mine like Reuven and Shimon… By you shall Yisrael bless… ‘May G-d make you like Ephraim and Menasheh.’” (48:5,20)

At best, Ephraim and Menasheh are considered equal to Reuven and Shimon, two of the Shivtei Kah, Tribes. However, when fathers and mothers bless their children they do not bless them, “May you be like Reuven and Shimon” (or any of the other Shevatim). Why, then, do Ephraim and Menasheh serve as paradigms for blessing? Surely, they were not better people than Reuven and Shimon. Sefas Emes explains the distinction. Although Ephraim and Menasheh were “second generation,” and therefore at birth were not on the same spiritual plateau as the Shevatim, they achieved their elevated status by developing themselves to reach…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Vayechi

“But as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan on the road… and I buried her there on the road to Efras.” (48:7)

Earlier, Yaakov Avinu had asked to be buried in the Meoras Ha’Machpeilah. In all fairness, how could Yaakov expect Yosef to do something for him which he himself had not done for Yosef’s mother, Rachel? Sensing that this might be bothering Yosef, the Patriarch explained his actions: It was not his choice to bury the Matriarch on the road, when they were only a short distance from Bais Lechem. Hashem had commanded him to bury her there in preparation for the future, when she would be a source of solace to the Jewish People being led into captivity, following the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Vayechi

“But as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me… and I buried her there on the road to Efras.” (48:7)

Yaakov Avinu explains to his son Yosef, why he did not bury Rachel in the Meoras HaMachpelah. It was Hashem’s decision that Yaakov bury Rachel on the side of the road, so that the exiled Jews would pass by the Matriarch’s grave on the way to Bavel. Her neshamah, soul, would weep and pray for their safe passage and eventual return. Rachel’s heartfelt prayers will effect a positive response from Hashem. But, we wonder why Rachel was selected for this mission? Clearly, she was virtuous and saintly, and her prayers would have great efficacy, but is that all? Horav Dovid…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Vayechi

Reuven, you are my firstborn…water-like impetuosity – you cannot be foremost… Shimon and Levi are comrades, their weaponry is a stolen craft. (49:3,4,5)

Yaakov Avinu’s blessing to his sons commenced with words of rebuke to his first three sons. The reproof was not pretty – but then, it never really is. It was succinct and to the point, focusing on their errors, expressed without embellishment. It must have hurt. These were grown men, leaders of distinction, from whom the future Klal Yisrael would descend. To their father, however, they were sons, as such, he was obligated to rebuke them. It was not a time for coddling or sugar-coating. Yaakov told it like it was. Chazal laud the brothers’ reaction to their father’s critique. In…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Vayechi

“So now, please forgive the spiteful deeds of the servants of your father’s G-d.” And Yosef wept when they spoke to him. (50:17)

Yaakov Avinu had passed from this world. Feeling a sense of foreboding, the brothers asked Yosef to forgive them for what they had done to him. They recalled the suffering which had resulted from his sale to a degenerate nation that relegated him to live in miserable dungeons with individuals of base character. Their choice of words (“so now”) intimates that from now on – since Yaakov’s death – they will be seeking Yosef’s forgiveness. What does Yaakov’s passing have to do with the need for forgiveness? In his volume, A Vort From Rav Pam, Rabbi Shalom Smith quotes the Rosh…

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כל אלה שבטי ישראל שנים עשר... ויברך אותם איש אשר כברכתו ברך אתם

All these are the twelve tribes of Yisrael… and he (Yaakov) blessed them. Everyone according to his blessing did he bless them. (49:28)

“Shimon and Levi are brothers… Into their conspiracy, may my soul not enter…Accursed is their rage for it is intense… I will separate them within Yaakov, and I will disperse them in Yisrael.” (49:5-7)

“Into their conspiracy, may my soul not enter! With their congregation do not unite, O’ my honor! For in their rage they killed a man and in their wish they hamstrung an ox.” (49:6)

“Although you intended me harm, G-d intended it for good: in order to accomplish–it is as clear as this day – that a vast people be kept alive.” (50:20)

“He (Yosef) comforted them and spoke to their heart.” (50:21)

“Ephraim and Menasheh shall be mine like Reuven and Shimon… By you shall Yisrael bless… ‘May G-d make you like Ephraim and Menasheh.’” (48:5,20)

“But as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan on the road… and I buried her there on the road to Efras.” (48:7)

“But as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me… and I buried her there on the road to Efras.” (48:7)

Reuven, you are my firstborn…water-like impetuosity – you cannot be foremost… Shimon and Levi are comrades, their weaponry is a stolen craft. (49:3,4,5)

“So now, please forgive the spiteful deeds of the servants of your father’s G-d.” And Yosef wept when they spoke to him. (50:17)

YEARS

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