December 21, 2007

Parshat Hashavua:         Vay’hi Genesis 47:28-50:26

Hazak, Hazak, v’Nit hazek: Strength, Strength, May we all strengthen one another! We will stand at the end of this week’s Torah reading to recite these traditional words as we conclude the Book of Genesis, the longest of the five books of the Torah.

Now in Egypt, reunited with his beloved and powerful son Joseph, our Torah reading is primarily devoted to a description of the last part of Jacob’s life and concludes with Joseph’s death. Jacob actually lives another 17 years in Egypt to the age of 147, but when death is near he makes Joseph promise not to bury him in Egypt, but to bring him to his ancestral burial spot in Canaan, where his grandparents and parents are buried.

Joseph brings his sons, Menashe and Ephraim, to his father for a blessing. Jacob takes them as if they were his own sons. Jacob is overcome by emotion, never expecting to see his son Joseph, let alone Joseph’s offspring. Rather than placing his right hand on the oldest and the left on the youngest, he crossed his hands, providing Ephraim with the blessing of the oldest, rather than Menashe. Jacob said, “By you shall Israel invoke blessings, saying: God make you like Ephraim and Menashe”. To this day we continue to bless our sons with these words of Jacob.

Jacob summoned all of his sons and spoke to them. Though often thought of as Jacob’s blessing, it is nothing of the sort. Instead he speaks about each in turn concerning the future in terms of their various positive and negative characteristics and actions. He instructed all of his sons as he had Joseph to bury him in the cave in Hevron and then died.

Joseph had his father embalmed (as was Egyptian custom), a 40 day process and all of Egypt mourned him for 70 days. Joseph spoke to Pharaoh about the promise he made to his father concerning his burial. Pharaoh urged him to fulfill his father’s wishes and sent a large entourage to accompany them.

Fear struck the brothers that now that Jacob had died, Joseph would now punish them for what they had done to him so many years earlier. They even offered to be his slaves. Joseph, repeating what he had said when he revealed his identity to them, claimed that God had inspired all that had happened. They should have no fear.

Joseph lived 110 years. He spoke to his family and noted that someday God will someday return the people to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He made them promise that when that day comes that they will not leave his bones in Egypt. Joseph was also embalmed and buried in Egypt.

Hazak, Hazak, v’Nithazek

Shabbat Shalom
Candle lighting: Friday, December 21, 2007 4:12pm