Parshas Vayechi – December 31, 2025
Chabad of East Lakeview – My Sermon
Dr. Leonard Kranzler Memorial Shiur
Beautiful Explanation by Matt on Verse 48:20 – יָדַ֤עְתִּֽי בְנִי֙ יָדַ֔עְתִּי
Heated Debate at the Shiur
My Torah
The Good Hands People
Shabbos Day:
The Rabbi was away for Shabbos to attend Rabbi Hertz’s – his father-in-law’s 60th birthday. The 60th is a huge celebration because once a person hits 60 years old, he no longer is in the category of Karas, which is death with excommunication. The next milestone in a person’s life is 65 when one is eligible for medicare.
The Rabbi asked me to speak. I love speaking. During my 6-mile walk to Lakeview, I focused on my sermon and was peripherally aware of my surroundings. It was a “fast” two-hour walk. I spoke from the Torah below. Paul timed me and said I spoke for 17 minutes vs. the Rabbi who speaks for 15 minutes. I am not a proponent of Musser or Jewish thought. I love explaining the meaning of the Chumash, Rashi, and other Rishonim. The Rishonim (Hebrew for “the first ones”) were pivotal medieval rabbis and Jewish legal authorities (poskim) who lived roughly from the 11th to the 15th centuries, bridging the gap between the earlier Geonim (Babylonian leaders) and the later Acharonim (post-Shulchan Aruch scholars). I think my sermon went off well.
The Kiddush was at its usual excellence. The Professor came and was part of the Shiur. I davened at Anshei Sholem for Mincha and Maariv, and then Sholem picked me up.
Attending the Shiur were the Professor, Paul, Henry, Marcel, Peggy, Tamar, her brother Oren, Eva, and Ray. I was loaded with Diet Coke.
At the Shiur we had a heated debate on the authorship of the bible. We Frum Jews (it should be all Jews) know that the bible was composed by God and given to Moshe at Mount Sinai. Once you reject Torah from Sinai, everything is off the table, and Jews can do whatever they want and assimilate into the greater culture. This is what always happens. I was rolling my eyes when someone seemed to be saying that Torah is not from Sinai. He said, Mitch, stop rolling your eyes.
I present my Torah on the Sedra. Not to brag, but I think I outdid myself.
First Torah on the Parsha:
וַיְחִ֤י יַעֲקֹב֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם שְׁבַ֥ע עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה שָׁנָ֑ה וַיְהִ֤י יְמֵֽי־יַעֲקֹב֙ שְׁנֵ֣י חַיָּ֔יו שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֔ים וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּמְאַ֖ת שָׁנָֽה׃
Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. The years of his life were one hundred and forty-seven years.
When one reads this Pasuk, one has to feel the joy of Yaakov during these years. Every day he woke up every day he was ecstatic, on cloud 9. These were 17 glorious years. Yaakov had a very difficult life. Once Yaakov got to these 17 years, the previous 130 years melted away and were as if they never existed. Said another way, Yaakov felt that these 130 years were only a prelude to the 17 years. I saw this with my grandparents and my mother.
Da’as Zekanim continues on this theme:
ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים. למה הזכיר הכתוב סך חייו בארץ מצרים לפי שמצינו שיוסף היה עם אביו קודם מכירתו י”ז שנה וכשם שפרנס יעקב ליוסף י”ז שנה כך יוסף פרנסו וכלכלו י”ז שנה כנגדן הה”ד אלה תולדות יעקב יוסף בן שבע עשרה שנה:
‘ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים וגו, “Why did the Torah mention the number of years that Yaakov lived in Egypt? We could have figured this out from the data the Torah already provided us with about how old Joseph was when he left the house of his father (Genesis 37:2) how old he was when he was appointed as viceroy by Pharaoh, and from the age of Yaakov (130) at the time of his death which is listed in the same verse. The point the Torah wished us to appreciate is that just as for the first seventeen years of his life, Yaakov, his father, had provided for him, during the last seventeen years of his life, his son Joseph provided for his father.
I love the imagery and the words of this Da’as Zekanim. To extend the words of the Da’as Zekanim. Every day of these 17 years Yaakov woke up and smelled the roses.
The imagery of Yosef’s interaction with Yaakov and his family is from Allstate. Allstate used to have a commercial which they called their company the Good Hands People. I remember the image of a house within cupped hands. https://www.allstatecorporation.com/stories/good-hands-logo-slogan.aspx.
This is what Yosef did for his father and for his family. They were under his protection. Similarly, we Jews have to provide for our families, for our friends and for our community so that we have them under our protection.
Prologue:
Back in Vayeshev, 22 years earlier, Yaakov is reunited with his father and wants to retire. Yakov is 108 and what does Rashi say בִּקֵּשׁ יַעֲקֹב לֵישֵׁב בְּשַׁלְוָה, קָפַץ עָלָיו רָגְזוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף – צַדִּיקִים מְבַקְּשִׁים לֵישֵׁב בְּשַׁלְוָה, אָמַר הַקָּבָּ”ה לֹא דַיָּן לַצַּדִּיקִים מַה שֶּׁמְּתֻקָּן לָהֶם לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, אֶלָּא שֶׁמְּבַקְּשִׁים לֵישֵׁב בְּשַׁלְוָה בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה:
“Jacob wished to live at ease, but this trouble in connection with Joseph suddenly came upon him. When the righteous wish to live at ease, the Holy one, blessed be He, says to them: “Are not the righteous satisfied with what is stored up for them in the world to come that they wish to live at ease in this world too! (Genesis Rabbah)”
Twenty two years later, Yaakov can now retire and live a peaceful and great life under the protection of his favorite son.
I love the phrase רָגְזוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף – it is a very strong word and should be translated as the fury of Yosef. Artscroll translates as “the ordeal of Joseph” and JPS translates as “ but this trouble in connection with Joseph suddenly came upon him.” These are wrong translations and that ‘s why one has to know Hebrew. I have always loved the title of William Faulkner’s book, “The Sound and the Fury,” which I owned, started to read a few times, and never read. This Sound and Fury of Yosef took 22 years to pass and once it passed, how glorious it was. Yaakov got the life that he desired and not just playing golf every day or going on a cruise down the Nile, but love of family, love of Torah, and love of the success of the son of his favorite wife. Learning with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He embraced his entire family. He saw the growth in Yehuda and I would presume all of his sons. (Thanks to Leonard Grunstein for this concept of the growth and maturity of Yehuda and Yosef.) Yaakov saw his grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow and he taught them. He died seeing the success of his family. Yosef was still in power, and although there might have been signs of Yosef’s weakness, Yaakov was living what Martin Bordy would call “a glorious life.”
With Yaakov’s death, an era had ended. Yaakov died knowing that he had succeeded with his kids. The era of stability and complete freedom had ended, and a slow descent into brutal slavery had started. Yaakov hoped that he had mitigated the ultimate slavery to some extent but he knew that hard times were to come. He knew about the prophecy of Avrohom Avinu at the Bris Ben Habesarim that Avrohom’s descendants would end up in bitter slavery. As I argued based on a Rashi in next week’s Parsha, the slavery was going to be a benign 9 to 5 slavery, but through Jewish treachery, it turned into a brutal slavery.
This is the 3,000 year destiny of the Jewish people. Times of greatness were followed by times of slaughter, quite often precipitated by Jews themselves.
Perhaps this is the underlying message of verses 49:1 and 49:2. Be unified together and in the faith of Hashem. Be loyal to God and to your brothers. Obviously this is not how these Pesukim are learned. However, perhaps we can read this into the verses.
וַיִּקְרָ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב אֶל־בָּנָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ וְאַגִּ֣ידָה לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית הַיָּמִֽים׃
And Jacob called his sons and said, “Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come.
הִקָּבְצ֥וּ וְשִׁמְע֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְשִׁמְע֖וּ אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל אֲבִיכֶֽם׃
Assemble and hearken, O sons of Jacob;
Hearken to Israel your father:
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Second Torah on the Parsha:
Rashi is the first Pasuk says:
ויחי יעקב. לָמָּה פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ סְתוּמָה? לְפִי שֶׁכֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּפְטַר יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ נִסְתְּמוּ עֵינֵיהֶם וְלִבָּם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל מִצָּרַת הַשִּׁעְבּוּד, שֶׁהִתְחִילוּ לְשַׁעְבְּדָם; דָּבָר אַחֵר: שֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ לְגַלּוֹת אֶת הַקֵּץ לְבָנָיו, וְנִסְתַּם מִמֶּנּוּ. בִּבְ”רַ:
This commentary is based on a Midrash. However, the Medrash has three reasons, as follows:
וַיְחִי יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם (בראשית מז, כח), לָמָּה פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ סְתוּמָה מִכָּל הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת שֶׁל תּוֹרָה, אֶלָּא כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּפְטַר אָבִינוּ יַעֲקֹב הִתְחִילָה שִׁעְבּוּד מִצְרַיִם עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל. דָּבָר אַחֵר, לָמָּה הִיא סְתוּמָה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ לְגַלּוֹת אֶת הַקֵּץ וְנִסְתַּם מִמֶּנּוּ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, לָמָּה הִיא סְתוּמָה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁסָּתַם מִמֶּנּוּ כָּל צָרוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם.
“Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred and forty-seven years” (Genesis 47:28).
portions?* Why is this portion more closed than any of the Torah portions?* Typically between Torah portions there is a nine-letter long space in the Torah scroll. Leading into the Torah portion of Vayḥi, which begins with this verse, there is merely a one letter space. This is because the enslavement in Egypt began immediately after the death of our patriarch, Jacob.
Another reason, why is it closed [setuma]? It is because Jacob, our patriarch, sought to reveal the End of Days, and it was prevented [nistam] from him.
Another reason why it is closed [setuma]? Because he was shielded from all the troubles of the world.* Jacob had suffered greatly over the course of his life, but during these seventeen years, he was shielded from troubles.
Why doesn’t Rashi mention this third reason in the Midrash? Yet in the next verse, when Rashi quotes another Medresh as to why Yaakov did not want to be buried in Egypt, Rashi gives all three reasons stated in the Medresh.
Why did Yakov want to be buried in Chevron and not Egypt?
Verse 47:29
וַיִּקְרְב֣וּ יְמֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ לָמוּת֒ וַיִּקְרָ֣א ׀ לִבְנ֣וֹ לְיוֹסֵ֗ף וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ אִם־נָ֨א מָצָ֤אתִי חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ שִֽׂים־נָ֥א יָדְךָ֖ תַּ֣חַת יְרֵכִ֑י וְעָשִׂ֤יתָ עִמָּדִי֙ חֶ֣סֶד וֶאֱמֶ֔ת אַל־נָ֥א תִקְבְּרֵ֖נִי בְּמִצְרָֽיִם׃
And when the time approached for Israel to die, he summoned his son Joseph and said to him, “Do me this favor: place your hand under my thigh as a pledge of your steadfast loyalty; please do not bury me in Egypt.
Rashi provides three reasons from the Midrash:
אל נא תקברני במצרים. סוֹפָהּ לִהְיוֹת עֲפָרָהּ כִּנִּים, וּמְרַחֲשִׁין תַּחַת גּוּפִי, וְשֶׁאֵין מֵתֵי חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ חַיִּים אֶלָּא בְּצַעַר גִּלְגּוּל מְחִלּוֹת, וְשֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשׂוּנִי מִצְרַיִם עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה:
אל נא תקברני במצרים BURY ME NOT, I PRAY THEE, IN EGYPT — Because its soil will ultimately become lice, which would swarm beneath my body. Further, those who die outside the Land of Israel will not live again at the Resurrection except after the pain caused by the body rolling through underground passages until it reaches the Holy Land) And another reason is that the Egyptians should not make me (my corpse or my tomb) the object of idolatrous worship (Genesis Rabbah 76:3).
However, notwithstanding Rashi and the Midrash, the most obvious and simple reason is that the Cave of the Machpelah in Chevron was his burial spot. Of course he would want to be buried in Chevron, where his wife was buried along with his parents and grandparents. We can add that he was also afraid Eisav would take the spot. Even temporarily, like his sons, Yaakov did not want to wait until they left Egypt. Reb Moshe Soloveichik did not agree with what I said. He and the Ohr Hachaim say that it is reasonable for Yaakov to be buried temporarily in Egypt. I shout from the rooftops, no, no. Yaakov had a burial spot in Chevron and did not want to be buried in Egypt, even for one night.
There was another fundamental reason for Yaakov not wanting to be buried in Egypt. Yaakov knew that human nature is that having your family patriarch, grandfathers and ancestors buried in a country ties you to that country. You feel that you are part of the country; you are an Egyptian. Yaakov did not want his descendants to feel Egyptian. Yaakov insisted on being buried in the family’s homeland, in Israel. This is where we belong, in Eretz Yisroel. This was very important in keeping his family Jewish.
Yaakov knew it was a hard ask. His son Yosef was the viceroy and ran the country. It would be expected by Pharaoh that Yosef’s father would be buried in Egypt. Yosef was an Egyptian, ruled the country, “walked like an Egyptian and talked like an Egyptian,” so it should be natural for Yaakov to be buried in Egypt. Additionally, Yaakov brought blessing to Egypt and was revered by them. The Egyptians presumably wanted Yaakov to be buried in Egypt so that Yaakov in death would continue to bless Egypt. After all, the Egyptians believed in the afterlife, and ancient Egyptians strongly believed the dead continued to exist and actively influenced the living, acting as intermediaries, protectors, or even sources of trouble if neglected. They maintained this connection through offerings, rituals, and maintaining tombs so the deceased’s spirit (Ka and Ba) could thrive and help them.
When Yosef asked Pharaoh to bury Yaakov in Canaan, this came as a shock to Pharaoh and if not for the oath, Pharaoh may not have allowed Yosef to take Yaakov to Israel. Per Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Yosef paid a price for this and after Yaakov died, Yosef’s relationship with Pharaoh changed and going back to the first Rashi of the Parsha, the slavery started after Yaakov’s death.
Yaakov knew that it would be a hard ask for Yosef and made Yosef swear to Yaakov. The Gemora says that חכם עדיף מנביא, a wise man is greater than a prophet.
In the Sefer Mesoras Harav, page 307 on verse 50:5:
The following incident explains the significance of this exchange: Edmond de Rothschild, the well-known French philanthropist, wanted to be buried in Israel, but his wish could not be immediately acted upon because of hostilities related to the 1948 War of Independence. Although he was buried in France, when conditions in Israel permitted, Rothschild’s children made a request through the French interior ministry that he be reinterred in Israel.
Time passed and they did not receive a reply. After some inquiries they were told that President De Gaulle himself was delaying the response. When asked, De Gaulle responded that he was troubled by the request. He had considered de Rothschild a loyal Frenchman. A true Frenchman is born, lives, dies and is buried on French soil. Rothschild’s request was therefore troubling, and although De Gaulle eventually acceded to the family’s request, his opinion of the family Rothschild as Frenchmen was irrevocably diminished.
Joseph’s dilemma was similar. He had spent many years as the Viceroy of Egypt and was considered a true Egyptian. How could he possibly want to have his father buried in a foreign land? Joseph therefore wished to communicate to Pharaoh that it was because he took an oath to his father that he was compelled to accede to Jacob’s wish.
The question for me is: Why didn’t the Medresh and Rashi mention the two simple and obvious reasons for Yakov not wanting to be buried in Egypt? What authority do I have to present my explanations? My answer is that the Rashi and definitely the Medrash are not here to provide us with the obvious reasons. Rashi wants us to think and answer it ourselves. He then gives us three additional reasons we would not know and these are from the Medresh. These reasons are also true, and Rashi wants to inform us of the other reasons why Yaakov did not want to be buried in Egypt.
Perhaps this is also why the first Rashi omits the third reason from the Medresh, which is “because he was shielded from all the troubles of the world,” this was more obvious, and Rashi felt it unnecessary to state this reason and to also think for ourselves.
Third Torah on the Parsha:
Verse 48:20
וַיְמָאֵ֣ן אָבִ֗יו וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יָדַ֤עְתִּֽי בְנִי֙ יָדַ֔עְתִּי גַּם־ה֥וּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְּעָ֖ם וְגַם־ה֣וּא יִגְדָּ֑ל וְאוּלָ֗ם אָחִ֤יו הַקָּטֹן֙ יִגְדַּ֣ל מִמֶּ֔נּוּ וְזַרְע֖וֹ יִהְיֶ֥ה מְלֹֽא־הַגּוֹיִֽם׃
But his father objected, saying, “I know, my son, I know. He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great. Yet his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall be plentiful enough for nations.”
What does יָדַ֤עְתִּֽי בְנִי֙ יָדַ֔עְתִּי mean? Rashi says, “I KNOW IT, MY SON, I KNOW that he is the firstborn.
There is a major question here. How could Yaakov favor the younger son over the elder? He did this 39 years earlier and it created havoc. Why would he repeat this mistake? Matt in our Shiur mentioned an idea from Rabbi Nachman Kahana on this double language. Yaakov is in effect saying that I know what you are thinking: how can I repeat the same mistake again? On this Yaakov answered, I know the personality of Menashe; he is grounded and understands that Ephraim is destined for greatness and he accepts it. I have to give Ephraim the greater blessing because Yehoshua in the future (Rashi) needs this blessing. This is similar to King David and Yonasan, King Saul’s son. Yonasan should have been king, yet he recognized that David has greater potential and must be king. He saved Israel by recognizing his talents and David’s greater talents. How did Yaakov know that Menashe would accept what happened? This goes back to the 17 years of Yaakov living in peace. He learned with his children and grandchildren constantly and knew their personalities. He molded them into outstanding men.
Exploring Kotzk 