Parshas Vayechi – The Crown

By: Chaya Sora Jungreis-Gertzulin

Pashas Vayechi. The closing of Sefer Bereishis. The end of an era.

“Vayikrivu yemei Yisroel lamus, When the end of Yisroel’s (Yaakov) life approached, Vayikra l’vno, l’Yosef, he called upon his son, Yosef. (Bereishis 47:29). Ramban comments that although Yaakov was not ill at this point, he felt weak and experienced a loss of strength. He realized that it was time to make end-of-life decisions.

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Yaakov doesn’t call a lawyer or a financial planner, but calls upon Yosef. Yosef, who held a position of power of Egypt and had the ability to fulfill Yaakov’s wishes.

Yaakov asked for a “chesed ve’emes, kindness and truth.” He doesn’t want to be buried in Egypt, but in Eretz Yisroel, the Holy Land, alongside his fathers, Avrohom and Yitzchok.

Chesed shel emes, kindness of truth. The ultimate kindness, for it is a kindness that one does not anticipate receiving any reward from the beneficiary.

Even though Yosef accepts the responsibility, Yaakov asks him to “swear to me”.

Does Yaakov not trust Yosef? The Talmud teaches, “Eizehu chacham, haroeh es hanolad, Who is a wise man, one who contemplates the future.” As a father, Yaakov trusted Yosef unequivocally, but was afraid of Pharaoh giving Yosef a hard time leaving the country to bury his father. If so, Yosef would be able to tell Pharaoh, I promised my father, I took a vow. Even Pharaoh would not deny Yosef fulfilling his father’s last request.

“Please don’t bury me in Egypt.” Not just a wish to be buried in Eretz Yisroel, in Meoras Hamachpela, but a strong wish not to be buried in Egypt.

Rashi gives us reasons for Yaakov’s request. One is, that knowing that Egyptians worship the dead, Yaakov feared the Egyptians would worship him – being that blessing came upon Egypt when he arrived.

When asking Yosef to bury him in Chevron, the name Yisroel is used in place of Yaakov. Yisroel, from the word sar, a prince, a leader, a position of authority. A name that symbolizes our nation, Bnei Yisroel. Yaakov’s request to Yosef was a message not only to his family in Egypt, but a message to all future generations. Yaakov is telling his descendants, don’t be mistaken, Egypt is not your land, not your country. While you may now be living comfortably in Goshen, or anywhere in exile, with all your needs being taken care of, never forget who you are and where you come from. Never forget that your true homeland is Eretz Yisroel.

The war in Eretz Yisroel that began on October 7 is hard and painful for every person living there. Israel is a small country, where everyone is affected. A country where everyone is a brother. The unending tension and constant barrage of rockets cannot be minimized.  However, the repercussions of October 7 have spread world-wide. It’s spawned an explosion of blatant anti-Semitism. We are witness to acts of hate, even violence, directed towards our people. Hate meant to intimidate.

From out-of-control demonstrations, to bomb threats against yeshivas and shuls, to swastikas painted on Jewish-owned businesses, the Israeli flag being burned, and sadly to people who are visibly Jewish being attacked. We have seen it all.

Commentary magazine featured an article entitled They forgot to be Afraid, in which James B. Miegs writes of Israel becoming too comfortable with their surroundings pre-October 7. They forgot to be afraid. Living in a land surrounded by enemies, one must always be on high alert, with eyes laser-focused 24/7 on the borders.

They forgot to be afraid. Maybe we too, forgot to be afraid. It’s not just “they”, but “we”. We have become very much part of the culture and society around us. We are comfortable with our homes, our jobs, our lives. We are living in our own “Goshen”, a life of both material and spiritual comfort. But it is not our home.

My mother’s words echo in my mind. “Chaya Sarale… I am so afraid it will happen again.” I didn’t think I would see anti-Semitism in a country that welcomes its immigrants with the Statue of Liberty, a country that hosts the Liberty Bell. A country whose founding fathers guaranteed liberty and justice for all.

But then I see the calls of hate, the downplaying, ignoring, even denying (like the Holocaust deniers before them) the atrocities of October 7. We too forgot to be afraid. Our father Yaakov’s request is a message to all of us. We are in galus. As good as things may seem, be mindful, be cognizant, and remember that this is not our true home.

Yaakov asked Yosef to “carry me out of Egypt”. Me – my entire body, not to wait until the body decomposes and becomes bones.

There is a deeper understanding. A message for generations. “Carry me”. Carry my teachings, my life lessons with you. As a nation you will experience many exiles, but remember my teachings. Remember Eretz Yisroel.

The parsha closes with yet another loss. The death of Yosef HaTzadik. Like his father before him, he too requests to be buried in Eretz Yisroel – but with one big difference. “You shall carry my bones from here.”

Yosef was very much aware that hard days were on the horizon. Days fraught with pain, suffering, and loss of freedom. Days that will not allow Bnei Yisroel to leave Egypt. Unlike Yaakov who said “carry me out”, Yosef said “carry my bones” (Bereishis 51:25).

Yosef’s body was placed in a lead casket and sunk into the Nile. Yosef, who brought blessing to Egypt during the years of famine was lowered into the Nile, with the Egyptians hoping that he would bring blessing to the Nile, the source of water and vegetation for all of Egypt.

Years later, it was Moshe who searched the Nile for Yosef’s casket before the Exodus. And it was Moshe who carried the bones for forty years in the desert, transporting them from resting stop to resting stop. Yosef’s bones found their final resting spot in the city of Shechem (Nablus). How tragically sad that the final resting place of this great Tzadik was vandalized, burnt, violated time and time again by Palestinians. It became a hotspot of Arab terror. Even more chilling is that on October 7, 2000, — yes, the same day, October 7 – a mob of Palestinian rioters, armed with sledgehammers,  smashed the kever, setting it ablaze, destroying seforim and other holy articles.

Today, the terror continues. We are faced with an enemy that vows to come back again and again.

Yosef took off his crown, and placed it on the coffin of Yaakov. An honor to his father, as if saying – you, my dear father, are a true king. You represent the kesser Torah, the crown of Torah.

Parshas Vayechi tells us of the death of Yaakov. Yet, the word Vayechi denotes life. As the Talmud states, Yaakov lo meis, Yaakov didn’t die. His name lives on. His teachings live on. He is part of us.

Shabbat Shalom!

Chaya Sora

Chaya Sora can reached at [email protected]

This article was written L’zecher Nishmas /In Memory Of HaRav Meshulem ben HaRav Osher Anshil HaLevi, zt”l and Rebbetzin Esther bas HaRav Avraham HaLevi, zt”l