Vayechi: The Song of Israel's Life
D'var Torah by Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman
With this
week's Torah portion (Vayechi,
Genesis 47:28--50:26), the first book of the Torah comes to its conclusion. As
the third Patriarch of the Jewish people, Jacob, prepares to die, he asks his
sons to gather around his deathbed. He looks around, remembering the long
journey that had brought them to that moment. Even as he recalls the many
travails, he is also keenly aware of the many blessings that had enriched his
life. Hardship, exile and separation are done and over. His family is reunited,
reconciled and looking forward to a new chapter in the story that is about to
unfold--their life not merely as individuals, nor even as tribes united by a
common heritage and past. From this moment on they will no longer b'nai
Israel--the children of Israel--but rather B'nai Israel, the People of Israel.
Individual yet united, they are about to embark on a path that will take them
far and wide, to places and times yet unexplored and unimagined.
Always a dreamer and visionary, Jacob musters his last strength to bless his
children, continuing a tradition he knew yet from his father's and
grandfather's home. Yet his words don't replicate the words spoke to him by his
own father, Isaac. Each son receives his own blessing, one that embodies past,
present and future. Jacob knows his sons well. He remembers their past deeds
and misdeeds, the arrogance of Reuben, the violence of Shimon and Levi, the
courage and wisdom of Judah. It is Joseph however, first-born of Jacob's
beloved Rachel, who receives the double portion. Jacob's love knows no bounds
as he embraces Joseph's two children, Ephraim and Menashe, and accepts them as
his own.
One family, comprising so many individuals and so much history, all unite at
this moment to become one people.
From early on, Jacob had seen visions. But whereas in the past these visions
were of God and angels, now he can see into the far future of the people who
will bear his name: Israel. Individual, stubborn, determined, independent, they
will outlast empires and outlive civilizations; they will become builders,
explorers, scholars, poets, philosophers and healers. Yet, while remaining one
nation, they will remain, as at this moment, fiercely individual.
This glorious vision was no more evident to me as this evening, as I sat with
my mother, brother and sister-in law around a table in the dining room of a
hotel in Eilat, a resort town on the Red Sea, on the southern tip of the Land
of Israel. The table was covered with a white tablecloth, a bottle of wine and challah
at the center, next to a fresh and sweet smelling red rose. We welcomed Shabbat
with blessing and song, one of many families that came to enjoy a weekend of
R&R, away from the daily pressures and tensions of the workweek.
They came from all over Israel, some from other countries as well. You could
hear Hebrew of course, but also French, English, Arabic and many other
languages. Yet, as each family in its generations gathered around the tables,
one commonality united all--Shabbat. Fathers blessed their children with
ancient words and chants they had learned from their own fathers and
grandfathers. Shabbat songs from different communities blended together in
strange and wonderful harmonies and rhythms; more versions of L'cha Dodi than could be imagined
intertwined. Shalom Aleichem invited
angels of peace to dwell at some tables while Birkat Hamazon-- the blessings at the end of meals-- rose from yet
other tables. The amazing variety of foods at the long buffet tables
represented this richness and diversity of cultures. Gefitle fish resided next
to majadra, braised lamb lay side by
side with mafrum, chopped liver along
with baked tilapia.
Parashat Vayechi is so much more than
about Jacob's death. It's about the life that continues past him, beyond his
own "few and sorrow-laden" days. It is really about the history of
Israel, the people. It's about their diversity, the richness of their heritage,
the beauty of their many traditions--and even more: it's about their unity. The
recognition of our common past and heritage is what has kept us together
despite our many journeys and exiles. Only here and now can we understand more
fully the blessings Jacob bestows upon his children. The Land of Israel is
where our past and future coalesce into one luminous present. It is an eternal
blessing, as rich and varied today as it was thousands of years ago, as filled
with life and song as it will ever continue to be. It is the song of Israel's
eternal presence.
© 2015 by Boaz D. Heilman
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