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Surf A Little Torah
PARASHAT VAYECHI
At the end of his life, Ya'akov calls Yosef to him and asks him to ensure that he be buried with his forefathers in Cana'an. He requests that Yosef swear to him, which he does, at which time Ya'akov (here called Yisrael) bows at the head of his bed (47:31). The significance of this bowing is unclear and Rashi brings a few different possibilities from the Midrash: (1) He was bowing to Yosef. This seems to be the simple meaning of the verse. Even though Yosef is Ya'akov's son, he is also viceroy to Egypt and must be treated with respect. Perhaps this is intended to convey to us the nature of the changing father-son relationship - the natural consequence of a father descending from his prime while his son remains at the height of his, leading to the dependence of the father upon the child. The original relationship, in which the child was completely dependent on the parent, is now reversed totally. The interplay between father and son is inevitably altered as a new power structure emerges. There is no longer the same sense of comfort and trust between them. This may be why Ya'akov is not satisfied with Yosef's agreement to do this kindness for him, but requests his oath. Another of the explanations: (2) He was bowing before the Shekhina, which is above the head of the sick. This teaches us about the nature of Hashem's role toward the sick - "Rofeh cholim." Sickness and death reflect the ultimate vulnerability of man in the world into which God has placed him. Man is master of many things, but no matter what great heights he may reach, he must ultimately recognize his limitations and his dependence on Hashem. Hashem's response to one who recognizes this dependence is one of compassion. He doesn't abandon man in his time of weakness, and though He may not necessarily save him from his current plight (for whatever reasons He may have), at the very least He shares in his suffering - "I am with him in his sorrow" (Tehillim 91). Here Ya'akov shows gratitude to Hashem for securing him a proper burial at the time of his greatest vulnerability. [Prepared by Danny Eisenberg]
Yaakov blesses Yehuda by comparing him to a lion: "He crouches, lies down like a lion, like the king of beasts - who dare rouse him?" Yaakov then continues, "The scepter shall not depart from Yehuda, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet…" According to simple "peshat," the comparison to the lion's peaceful, reclining position relates to the security with which the tribe of Yehuda will reside. Having established itself as a formidable military machine, Yehuda will enjoy the ability to live safely and soundly, without the threat of unprovoked assault. The Chiddushei HaRi'm, however, suggests a novel interpretation along the lines of "derash." The "crouching" and "lying down" symbolize spiritual descent or even collapse. It refers to a time when Yehuda's descendants find themselves falling to the ground in terms of their religious observance. Yaakov here acknowledges Yehuda's ability to emerge from even such a situation with a "scepter" that will never depart from his hand, with the "ruler's staff" that will remain with him forever. As he demonstrated in the incident with Tamar, Yehuda has the ability to pick himself up, no matter how far he has fallen. Several weeks ago, we noted Yehuda's willingness to admit his mistakes. According to the Chiddushei HaRi'm's interpretation, this quality of Yehuda may be seen within a broader context - his ability to pick himself up when knocked down. The tribe chosen for leadership is the one that makes mistakes, but acknowledges the mistakes and recovers from them. If Yehuda is our leader, then we must follow his lead. We can never resort to despair and frustration, no matter what mistakes we may have committed. Even when it seems as though "who dare rouse him?" - that there is no way to get back up, there is. That is why "the scepter shall not depart from Yehuda," because no matter how hard he gets knocked down, he always gets back up. [Prepared by David Silverberg.]
After Yaacov dies, Yosef's brothers fall before him regretting their behavior towards him and concerned by his possible future revenge. Yosef opens his response by asking rhetorically, "Am I in the place of God?" (Bereishit 50:19). Before Yosef's birth his mother Rachel approached his father desperate for children and he answered with the very same expression, "Am I in the place of God?" (Bereishit 30:2) There undoubtedly is meaning in that these two different episodes contain the identical reaction in the same formulation and various explanations have been suggested for this. (See Torah Sheleima.) It may be suggested that Yosef, by reacting in this manner, gave a positive context to his father's words before his own birth. Our Rabbis criticized Yaacov for not expressing himself to his wife in a more understanding and compassionate manner. (Bereishit Raba 71:7) Often one may find that a religious or moral principle may stand in the way of acting or reacting in a manner that one would have otherwise considered to be correct. In these situations, there is always a question whether the reasons for one's behavior were really the religious or moral principles or whether these were rather excuses covering over the non-idealistic reasons for refraining from a positive response. The litmus test may be one's reaction in a different situation where whatever reasons that may have previously been present do not apply. Yaacov was in effect "escaping" responsibility and withholding support for his wife by expressing the religious belief that only God can grant our wishes, that only He may reward or punish and that man must not try to stand in His place by considering himself able to take over such responsibilities. Yosef, immediately after his father's death, uses the same words to relinquish his "rights" to take revenge over his brothers' behavior towards him. In so doing, he showed that his father's problematic response to his mother was based on a religious and moral perspective which he himself had internalized and continued. [Prepared by Shlomo Dov Rosen.]
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