Torah Portion - December 20, 2007

Vayechi

The name of this week’s Torah portion means “and he lived,” but, like other Torah portions that summarize the life of a great personality, this section is more about the death of Jacob. It is the closing parasha of the book of Genesis, and in its final words, Jacob’s son Joseph also passes away.

In between the death of the father and the son, many fragmented aspects of this large and problematic family are brought together. The spiritual as well as the material generosity of Joseph allow an extremely fractured family to heal.

Jacob’s problems began at birth, and a fierce rivalry with his twin brother, Esau. Jacob manipulated his brother into getting the birthright from him, and later tricked his father Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing meant for the firstborn son. Then, terrified that Esau’s anger might become lethal, Jacob runs away.

Jacob ends up at the home of his uncle, Laban, and is smitten by Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel. But the trickster receives a taste of his own medicine when Jacob finds himself deceived by Laban, who gives him Leah as a wife instead of Rachel. Professor Richard Elliot Friedman points out the irony in Laban’s reasoning to Jacob: "It's not done like that in our place, to give the younger before the FIRSTBORN." (Genesis 29:26) Now that Jacob has stolen the birthright from the firstborn in his family of origin, he is repaid with another deception involving switching the siblings and birth order.

Friedman also points out the irony in the fact that when Jacob appropriates Esau’s blessing, it is by masquerading in his brother's clothing and using a goat skin to make him hairy enough to deceive Isaac into thinking he’s touching Esau. Later, Jacob himself is deceived via clothing — when his own sons lie about what they've done to Joseph by dipping Joseph's "coat of many colors" into the blood of a goat to make it appear as if Joseph were attacked by an animal.

This family is plagued by a continued long chain of deceptions and retributions. Parashat Vayechi is the culmination of all of these interwoven tales. It is Joseph who terminates the lies and manipulations. Joseph — who has never forgotten what his brothers did to him — seems entitled to settle the score. Instead, he forgives his brothers.

When Joseph’s brothers see that their father is dead, they fear that Jacob was the only reason that Joseph had not exacted any revenge. They worry, saying, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrong that we did him?”

They send the following message to Joseph: “Before his death your father left this instruction: So shall you say to Joseph, ‘Forgive, I urge you, the offense and guilt of your brothers, who treated you so harshly.’ Therefore, please forgive the offense of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph was in tears as they spoke to him.

The brothers then went to Joseph themselves, flinging themselves before him, and said, “We are prepared to be your slaves.”

But Joseph said to them, “Have no fear! Am I a substitute for God? Besides, although you intended me harm, God intended it for good so as to sustain you and your children.” Rather than retaliating, Joseph reassured them, speaking only kindly to them. (Genesis 50:15–21)

It is possible for generations of conflict, retaliation and hurt to be ended, but only when at least one person has the courage of a Joseph. Forgiveness can heal a family. As we conclude the book of Genesis, once again we realize that our ancestors were not saints; they were not even always nice people. Their stories remind us that our task is not to try to be perfect, but to do the very hard work that being good people — being mentschen — requires.

Hazak, hazak — may we grow stronger by studying Torah!