Vayechi

Vayechi, Vayehi, or Vayhi (ויחי — Hebrew for “and he lived,” the first word of the parshah) is the twelfth weekly Torah portion ("parshah") in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the last in the book of Genesis. It constitutes ) Joseph agreed, but Jacob insisted that he swear to, and so he did, and Jacob bowed. () Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons as his own and granted them inheritance with his own sons. ()Jacob’s sight had dimmed with age, so Joseph brought his sons near, and Jacob kissed them and embraced them. () 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. () 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. () 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. () 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. () Asher’s bread would be the richest, and he would yield royal dainties. () Jacob called Benjamin a ravenous wolf that devours its prey. ()

The burial of Jacob

Joseph kissed his father's face and wept. () 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. ()

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. () Joseph spoke kindly to them, comforted them, and committed to sustain them and their little ones. () Joseph made the children of Israel swear to carry his bones to that land. ( presaged trouble in the report of . (Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 111a.)

Rav Judah cited 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 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 that sustenance is more difficult to achieve than redemption. Rabbi Johanan noted that in that the descendants of Joseph did not have to fear the evil eye. In 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 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.)

Genesis Chapter 49

The Gemara asked why 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.)

Genesis Chapter 50

The Mishnah cited (Mishnah )

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel read as discussed above. (Babylonian Talmud Megilah 16b.)

Rabbi Jose deduced from Joseph’s talk of providing in 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.)

Commandments

According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are no commandments in the parshah. (Maimonides. "Mishneh Torah". Cairo, Egypt, 1170–1180. Reprinted in 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, 1:91. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1991. ISBN 0-87306-179-9.)

Haftarah

The haftarah for the parshah is 1 Kings [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt09a02.htm 2:1–12.] The parshah and haftarah both report the testaments of seminal leaders of Israel to their sons, the parshah of Jacob (in ) Both the parshah and the haftarah employ the word “"va-yetzav",” “he instructed.” (); the haftarah describes David simply as “David” (in ) and that his sons Simeon and Levi slew men and beast in their anger () 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 () and David with regard to Joab. ()

The Weekly Maqam

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

Further reading

The parshah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:

Biblical

*Deuteronomy [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0533.htm 33:1–29] (Moses’s blessing).
*Judges [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0705.htm 5:1–31] (Deborah’s song).
*1 Kings [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt09a02.htm 2:1–12] (David's testament).
*Jeremiah [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1131.htm#8 31:8 in JPS;] 31:9 in NJPS (Ephraim as firstborn).

Ancient

*Homer. "The Iliad" . Greece, 8th–6th Century B.C.E. (Phoenix’s father curses Phoenix for sleeping with his concubine).

Early nonrabbinic

*Philo. [http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book2.html "Allegorical Interpretation, I"] 26:80; [http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book3.html "Allegorical Interpretation, II"] 24:94, 26:103; [http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book4.html "Allegorical Interpretation, III"] 8:26, 30:90–93, 62:177–81; [http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book6.html "On the Birth of Abel and the Sacrifices Offered by Him and by His Brother Cain"] 2:5; [http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book16.html "On the Migration of Abraham"] 5:22, 29:159–161; [http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book21.html "On Dreams"] 2:15:107–108; [http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book23.html "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 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%2011:21-22;&version=31; 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.
*Qur'an Arabia, 7th Century.

Classical rabbinic

*Mishnah Land of Israel, circa 200 C.E. 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. Land of Israel, circa 300 C.E. 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. Land of Israel, circa 400 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., "Talmud Yerushalmi". Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, vol. 3. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.
*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. Land of Israel, 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. Reprinted in, e.g., "Talmud Bavli". Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 vols. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.

Medieval

*Rashi. "Commentary". [http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=8242&showrashi=true Genesis 47–50.] Troyes, France, late 11th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Rashi. "The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated". Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, 1:521–70. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-89906-026-9.
*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 [http://www.kabbalah.com/k/index.php/p=zohar/zohar&vol=14 1:216a–51a.] Spain, late 13th Century. Reprinted in, e.g, "The Zohar". Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1934.

Modern

*Thomas Hobbes. "Leviathan", England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, 572. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. ISBN 0140431950.
*Irving Fineman. "Jacob, An Autobiograhical Novel". New York: Random House, 1941.
*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, 663, 668, 672, 717–18, 722, 758, 788, 792–94, 796–97, 803–04, 852–53, 859, 878, 881, 886, 923, 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.
*Donald A. Seybold. “Paradox and Symmetry in the Joseph Narrative.” In "Literary Interpretations of Biblical Narratives". Edited by Kenneth R.R. Gros Louis, with James S. Ackerman & Thayer S. Warshaw, 59–73. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1974. ISBN 0-687-22131-5.
*R. David Freedman. “‘Put Your Hand Under My Thigh’—The Patriarchal Oath.” "Biblical Archaeology Review" 2 (2) (June 1976).

External links

Texts

* [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0147.htm#28 Masoretic text and 1917 JPS translation]
* [http://bible.ort.org/books/torahd5.asp?action=displaypage&book=1&chapter=47&verse=28&portion=12 Hear the parshah chanted]

Commentaries

* [http://www.jtsa.edu/x1941.xml Commentaries] from the Jewish Theological Seminary
* [http://judaism.uj.edu/Content/InfoUnits.asp?CID=907 Commentaries] from the University of Judaism
* [http://www.uscj.org/Vayehi_57677109.html Torah Sparks] from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
* [http://www.ou.org/torah/archive1.htm Commentaries] from the Orthodox Union
* [http://ajrsem.org/index.php?id=199 Commentaries] from the Academy for Jewish Religion
* [http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=15558 Commentaries] from Chabad.org
* [http://urj.org/torah/genesis/index.cfm? Commentaries] and [http://urj.org/shabbat/genesis/ Family Shabbat Table Talk] from the Union for Reform Judaism
* [http://www2.jrf.org/recon-dt/index.php Commentaries] from Reconstructionist Judaism
* [http://www.torah.org/learning/parsha/parsha.html?id1=12 Commentaries] from [http://www.torah.org/ Torah.org]
* [http://www.aish.com/torahPortion/pArchive.asp?eventType=12&eventName=Vayechi Commentaries] from [http://www.aish.com/ Aish.com]
* [http://www.shiur.com/index.php?id=C0_146_6&spar=146&s_id=146 Commentaries] from [http://www.shiur.com/ Shiur.com]
* [http://www.tfdixie.com/parshat/vayechi/ Commentaries] from [http://www.tfdixie.com/ Torah from Dixie]
* [http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/2459 Commentary] from [http://ohr.edu/index.php Ohr Sameach]
* [http://www.myjewishlearning.com/texts/Weekly_Torah_Commentary/vayechi_index.htm Commentaries] from [http://www.myjewishlearning.com/index.htm MyJewishLearning.com]
* [http://www.judaic.org/addtl_files/vayhi.htm Commentaries] and [http://www.judaic.org/tabletalk/vayehi5762.htm Shabbat Table Talk] from [http://www.judaic.org/ The Sephardic Institute]
* [http://www.parshaparts.com/archive/5767/vayechi.php Commentaries] from [http://www.parshaparts.com/index.php Parshah Parts]
* [http://www.anshe.org/parsha/vayechi.htm Commentary] from [http://www.anshe.org/ Anshe Emes Synagogue, Los Angeles]
* [http://www.rabbishmuel.com/browse.cgi?type=torah_tidbits Torah Tidbits] from [http://www.ostt.org/ Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah]
* [http://www.teach613.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=26 Commentary] from [http://www.teach613.org/index.php Teach613.org, Torah Education at Cherry Hill]