Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 18 Tevet, 5784
Parsha Va-Yehi (Genesis 47:28 – 50:26)
Seventh Portion: Genesis 50:21 – 50:26

Shabbat Shalom! Today is the FINAL Shabbat of 2023!  And it is interesting that we are FINISHING the book of Genesis today!  For me, this is my fourth in depth pass through. My first year (5781) I did this privately. The next (5782) I started posting on facebook my thoughts. Then last year (5783)  I took these thoughts and expanded them.  This year? I started the website and have been posting them here – with getting back to a line by line read.  I hope you have enjoyed the journey!  I am excited to dig into Exodus next.  But let’s finish out Genesis!

The context of today’s portion was Jacob passing away, and Joseph’s brothers FREAKING OUT.  They were worried that Joseph was merely acting in front of pops – and now that dad was out of the way? They were worried about Joseph’s wrath for what they had done to him. Joseph ended yesterday’s portion with “guys – look – you meant harm, but Hashem is bigger than all of us- if you didn’t do what you did?  We’d likely be dead. Instead? I am king of Egypt!

This is the context for today’s portion.  And think about this.  How much do we hold onto our shame and guilt? Worried it is hiding behind every corner to ensnare us!  How much energy do we spend trying to protect ourselves from the consequences of our past actions?

As we have approached Genesis – and discussed Spiritual Liberation and Freedom – we cannot be free if we are afraid. Fear keeps us closed. We need to open ourselves up to navigating tough emotions – disappointment, anger, sadness, GRIEF.  The more we are AFRAID of those and try to PROTECT ourselves from feeling those emotions? The safer we may feel – but also the prison we end up building for ourselves.  It is time to come out of the ark.  And listen to the words of Joseph:

21So now do not fear. I will sustain you and your small children.” And he comforted them and spoke to their hearts.

22So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years.

23Joseph saw children of a third generation [born] to Ephraim; also the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh were born on Joseph’s knees.

Do. Not. Fear.  The beginning (Genesis) is about navigating our fears. Our flight or fight response. Will we allow ourselves to feel safe? In a space/time that CLEARLY doesn’t engender safety? When we look around us – war, conflict, poverty, violence, etc. There is a LOT to be afraid of.  This is VALID.  We can JUDGE that fear, or we can be curious about it. This is freedom.

Joseph promises – “I will sustain you.” Consider this. Joseph was a human. His brothers SOLD him into SLAVERY.  But Joseph (for the most part) remained free.  And Joseph is willing to say to his brothers – “I will sustain you.”  WHY? That is our life journey.  To figure out WHY and HOW Joseph could come to this place? That is the secret to freedom and liberation. And. Let’s keep going:

24Joseph said to his brothers, “I am going to die; God will surely remember you and take you up out of this land to the land that He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

25And Joseph adjured the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely remember you, and you shall take up my bones out of here.”

26And Joseph died at the age of one hundred ten years, and they embalmed him and he was placed into the coffin in Egypt.

Genesis ends with an ending. The death of Joseph. The death of curiosity. And this is the BEGINNING of Exodus. We cannot be freed if we are never enslaved.

This morning, I read something profound in the “Book of Awakening” by Mark Nepo:

I have always been amazed how the deepest things are intangible: love, doubt, faith, confusion, peace, wisdom, passion.  Where are they?  They can’t be help in the hand like fruit or turned in the lap like pages of a sacred text.  Yet they shape our lives. This has ALWAYS been the driving mystery of all sacred wisdom: The only things worth saying are those thing that are unsayable.

Perhaps this is the most poignant of paradoxes, nature’s safeguard against letting too much of the mystery out.  We take years of living to squeeze a few precious words from all that will not speak, and steadily, being shaped by our suffering and polished by our joy, we become the Earth, knowing more and saying less.

It feels inevitable and holy that we should become what we seek. We start out wanting to know love and living long enough, we become love. We start out wanting to know God, and suffering long enough, we become God. Over time, the heart expands from within and all our skins thin until we become something elemental, rounding to the next grain of wisdom to be found.

We become what we seek.

Seek judgment – we will be judgement.

Seek curiosity – we will be curiosity.

Seek wonder – we will be wonder.

Seek love – we will be love.

This (I think) is the message Mark Nepo is conveying to us.

And. I think the Torah turns this on it’s head.

Be afraid – and we will seek fear.

Be judgment – and we will seek judgment.

Be love – and we will seek love.

Be wonder – and we will seek wonder.

Be curious – and we will seek curiosity.

This is the beginning of the end. The end of the beginning.

These are my thoughts.  And. As I mention below from last year’s thoughts. When we come to the end of a book of the Torah

It is tradition for Jews to say when finishing a book of the Torah; “Chazak, Chazak, V’NeetChazek.” The Ch is the same sound as Chanukah.

This means; “Be Strong! Be Strong! And may we be strengthened!”

May this Torah discussion strengthen us all!

Be strong. Seek strength. From within.

Seek Strength. And we will become strong.

The Torah is the source.

Seek Torah, and we will become Torah.

Be Torah, and we will seek Torah.

Shabbat Shalom.

As always – I’d love your thoughts.

Here are my thoughts from the past two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 14 Tevet, 5783

Shabbat Shalom! Today we finish off the book of Genesis! It is hard to believe we are already through on book of the Torah again.

This morning I’m reflecting on Joseph’s provision. He promises to provide for his brothers. Think about the redemptive aspect of this.

His brothers. Didn’t deserve this. The way they treated Joseph. But Joseph loved them still. It was unconditional.

And Joseph’s liberation and freedom story was rewarded by not hoarding his wealth and freedom and liberation. But by loving and helping free others.

We know we are about to enter into a dark time after Joseph’s death in the Torah. We have achieved momentary peace, joy, and prosperity.

What is interesting to me is how little space the Torah gives this. It’s just a few paragraphs and then we move to Joseph passing away.

And this seems to be a theme. As we discovered recently. Even the Torah never takes us into the promised land.

My takeaway? We are to enjoy these moments of peace and joy; and just experience them. That’s not when we need wisdom. We need wisdom on the journey to those moments.

What are your thoughts?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Tevet 14, 5782

Shabbat Shalom! Today, we finish the first book of the Torah, Genesis! What a fun journey it has been with you!

Todays portion begins with Joseph’s brothers pleading with Joseph to not be angry with them now that Jacob has died. Joseph just explained that everything that happened was for the families good.

Joseph says “So don’t be afraid now. I will provide for you and your children.” He continued to comfort them and spoke more words of encouragement to them.

Let’s stop here. If, after EVERYTHING Joseph’s brothers did to him, he can see his brothers with love; and tell them he will provide for them and their children; how much MORE will Hashem take care of us, provide for us and our children after everything we’ve done to HIM? The story of Joseph, in the end, is a story of forgiveness. And let’s be honest, it’s a story of forgiveness without much sacrifice on the part of Joseph’s brothers, because Hashem worked it all out for their good.

That’s something worth chewing on and reflecting on as we leave the book of Genesis. It is interesting to me that the book begins with Creation, and the creation of humanity. Humanity betrays Hashem almost immediately. But the book ends with a story of forgiveness on how everything works for our good. We often think of the Torah as a story of Hashem’s wrath; but it appears if we dig just a little bit, we see his love and forgiveness!

The book closes with Joseph passing away. But there’s more here;

Joseph lives to see children of a third generation as Ephraim has children. The sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh was born and Joseph raised the children on his knee.

Joseph tells his brothers he is going to die soon. He tells them God will take them out of Egypt at some point, and back to the land God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Joseph then makes the brothers swear to take his bones out of Egypt. Joseph dies at 110. He was embalmed and placed into a coffin.

So we conclude with a redemption story. Joseph’s bones die in Egypt, but will eventually be buried in The Promised Land!

What a book! What are your thoughts? What has been the biggest take away from joining me on this journey? I’d love to know!

It is tradition for Jews to say when finishing a book of the Torah; “Chazak, Chazak, V’NeetChazek.” The Ch is the same sound as Chanukah.

This means; “Be Strong! Be Strong! And may we be strengthened!”

May this Torah discussion strengthen us all!

Let me know what you think! As happens every Shabbat, I’ll leave Haftorah thoughts in the comments below!

Haftorah Thoughts:

Todays Haftorah is 1 Kings 2:1-12

This Haftorah Parallels Jacob’s words to his children right before he dies. David is about to die (remembering that David is from the tribe of Judah is something I’m reflecting on as I enter this passage).

David is about to die and he brings his son Solomon (who is 12 at this point) near. He instructs his son before he dies;

1. Be strong
2. Though you are young, be mature like a man
3. Look after the things that God said to safeguard
4. Follow in God’s ways of mercy and kindness
5. Keep God’s suprarational laws (more on this in a bit)
6. Keep God’s rational commandments of conduct between man and God
7. Keep God’s laws of conduct between man and his fellow man
8. Keep God’s testimonial laws that commemorate various events written in the Torah

So 8 things David tells Solomon to keep in mind.

Now; some of this may be new to us. Why does David break up the Torah like this? He basically says there are four parts of the Torah to keep in mind;

1. Suprarational laws. What is this? These are laws that completely defy logic. They are beyond rationality. We tend to dismiss these mitzvahs BECAUSE we don’t understand them. It makes no sense. David acknowledges to Solomon some of the Torah doesn’t make sense; but that should not be an excuse to not follow them. Here’s an interesting article on the subject from Chabad: https://www.chabad.org/…/We-Might-Not-Understand-But-it…
2. Rational mitzvahs between man and God. These are laws that “make sense” to us in our relationship with Hashem. Honoring the sabbath is an example – rest is rational.
3. Rational laws between man and fellow man. These are laws that ALSO make sense between human beings. Not stealing would be one of these.
4. Testimonial laws. These are mitzvahs Hashem asks us to keep to remember what he’s done. We have a tendency to forget. Keeping Passover would be an example.

So these are the mitzvahs David tells Solomon to keep.

Question. Which of the four do you have the easiest time following? Which do you have the most difficult?

David then tells Solomon what will happen if he does this;

1. You will become wise
2. Hashem will fulfill his word about keeping the children of David on the throne

We know how well that went. We can see that at some point, the children of David stopped keeping the mitzvahs.

David then speaks of a rival -Joab. David laments two men he promised safety to; Amasa and Abner. We learn that Joab killed these two in a time of peace.

He basically tells Solomon to be wise – but to not let Joab have honor for his old age, and he does not have a peaceful death.

Thanks, dad!

He tells Solomon to be kind to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite. He tells Solomon; Barzillai fed David when he was fleeing from Solomon’s brother Absalom.

He speaks about Shimei son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin. Shimei was Solomon’s Torah teacher. He shares that Shimei cursed David when he was fleeing from Absalom. But later on met David at the Jordan and appeased him, and David made an oath not to kill him with the sword. But David (the kind man he is) tells Solomon he is not under that oath. He tells Solomon not to free Shimei from punishment. And from a scene straight out of the Sopranos, tells Solomon “you’re a wise boy; you know what to do.” He basically tells Solomon to do to Shimei what he told him to do to Joab.

Dang, David. That’s some pressure to put on your 12 year old son.

David then dies, and Solomon sits on the throne.

So; my takeaway. David lays everything out pretty wisely at the beginning of the Haftorah; but in the end succumbs to his bitter anger. This is potentially why David’s descendants have a limited reign on the throne.

What are your thoughts?