Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 12 Tevet, 5784
Parsha Va-Yehi (Genesis 47:28 – 50:26)
First Portion: Genesis 47:28 – 48:9
Good morning! For many this is the day before Christmas; people are baking, wrapping presents still (some may even still be buying presents), and getting ready for a gathering this evening. Being Jewish, people will ask me about my stance on Christmas. I have a lot of thoughts about Christmas – and if you ever want to dig deep, let me know – I am happy to dig deep.
At the end of the day though, my thoughts on Christmas are most impacted by the television show “Community.” It’s a brilliant show (well the seasons Dan Harmon was in charge) and really created multiple layers of entertainment and learning. They did an AMAZING Christmas episode that if you ever get the chance to see, I highly encourage it.
One of the Characters, Abed – is trying to understand Christmas and the Holiday season because it is so confusing. From an outsider perspective, with all of the different traditions, meanings, etc, – it’s hard to figure out at its roots – what is Christmas? Is it Jesus? Is it Peace on Earth? Is it Goodwill towards men? Is it presents? Is it family? Is it unity? Is it service to others? Is it greed? So many questions.
Abed goes on a journey – through multiple forms of media (the episode features Claymation, CGI, etc). And Abed gets to the end of the Journey – and he makes the statement that I think most resonates with my thoughts:
“The Meaning of Christmas is that Christmas has meaning.”
I find this to be BEAUTIFUL. Tonight has meaning. As someone who doesn’t particularly prescribe to Christmas as a Holy Day – I can see it’s a time for us to remember what is meaningful to us. That should be each and EVERY moment – but like the Torah reminds us often – we tend to forget and need these annual reminders to keep us on the path.
So – I hope you are all enjoying the meaning of this time. For me, this is all a part of where we find ourselves in the Torah, and in the cycle. We are approaching the fullness of this Tevet Moon – which will happen officially on the evening of December 26th – Tuesday night. We will see it the night before and after though.
This light is meant to bring to fullness -the concepts of chaos and repair. If things have been chaotic for us, hopefully we will see this week the repair this is supposed to create within us.
It is with this energy, we begin the end of Genesis. Our final Parsha for 5784 in this book. Let’s dig in.
Va-Yehi means “And he Lived.”
There are a lot of interpretations around this (see my commentary from the past two years for some of these thoughts). But I want to come back to what I wrote yesterday – at the end of our last portion – “And he approached.”
One more thing. I am reflecting on home. The Israelites LEFT their homeland and went to Egypt. They settled in Egypt. They ENSLAVED the Egyptians in Egypt. This all turned around to where the Israelites BECAME enslaved in Egypt. And had to be rescued by Hashem and Moses before the long journey home.
And I reflect. The Torah NEVER gets the Israelites back home. Much like the Garden – Adam and Chavah ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil – and had to leave. Joseph’s brothers, while living in “the promised land” sold their brother into slavery – and they all ended up in Egypt.
The only time we get to go “home” in the Torah? Is by starting over. By beginning again. In each moment. Nothing we do gets us home. If we just arrive in the moment and begin again? We are home.
Reading this again, and then hearing “And he lived” sounds SUPER encouraging, doesn’t it? Because we might get discouraged to learn – “hey – you are NEVER making it to the promised land.”
Live anyway.
We approach Hashem and discover that there is no end. It’s a constant journey of positive change in our lives.
Live anyway.
That’s what I am processing as we dig into this final Parasha. Let’s goooooo!
28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years, and Jacob’s days, the years of his life, were a hundred and forty seven years.
My first thought here – Jacob spent about 12% of his life in Egypt. As I shared below in a commentary from two years ago, Jacob spent 12% of his life with Joseph before Joseph was sold into slavery. Although we don’t know SPECIFICALLY how old Jacob was when Joseph was born, you can do some math and get a ballpark to be around 70-74 years old. This puts it at around 48%
Look at this beauty – Jacob spent 48% of his life before Joseph. We see Jacob with power. If we go BACK to the passages of Jacob’s birth, we see a confident young man – connecting with Hashem. Joseph is born and Jacob decides to leave Laban. Laban requested Jacob to stay an additional 6 years. This is where we begin to see Jacob’s fear start to make decisions for him, doesn’t it? Joseph is born, Jacob is afraid.
He then spends 12% of his life being afraid until Joseph was taken away from him. If you go back to my commentaries here (from the Parsha “And He Departed” BTW) and reread them – we see this shift. It culminates in meeting Esau – and Jacob ghosting Esau. Esau had grieved. Jacob had not. Jacob was living in fear.
Then, after 60% of Jacob’s life was lived, Joseph is removed. Jacob is now FULLY in his fear. Until he is willing to grieve – and let go of the past, and release Benjamin. This allows him to be fully reconciled with Joseph and live the final 12% of his life in Egypt. This leaves 28% of Jacob’s life in a sort of exile, doesn’t it? Guess what 28% of 147 is? 41. Jacob lived about 40 years in exile – give or take (remember this is not exact math). This is the beauty of Torah. Jacob held onto his fear, and it took 40 years to release his grief and let go. And that brought him BACK to Joseph.
What is the takeaway for us?
For me personally? This is our life. We won’t reach the promise land. The human experience is a youth experience of power. Then that power being removed and feeling powerless. And trusting the universe to restore that power to us once we have grieved and can receive it. This seems to play out time after time in the Torah. This seems to be repeated time after time in our lives.
We aren’t broken, people. We aren’t broken people. We are here to have an experience for a purpose. Our souls are here – our Neshamas to have an experience to help us grow and develop.
As we wind down the book of Genesis – this seems to be the conclusion.
Live anyway.
Jacob could have given up. And – there are moments he likely did. But he took each step when living in exile – apart from Joseph. And he persevered. Hashem (the Universe, God, Love) was taking care of him. He didn’t even know it. For FORTY years.
Where are we today? Can we believe there is an alternate reality we are NOT aware of – where Hashem is working things out for us? Is that the source of hope for us?
I don’t know. And. It resonates. Ok – let’s keep going:
29When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, now place your hand beneath my thigh, and you shall deal with me with lovingkindness and truth; do not bury me now in Egypt.
Ok. Wow.
I don’t read ahead as I do these commentaries. I just write what comes to mind/heart as I read. This verse. 47:29. Would seem to indicate some confirmation on what I just wrote. At least for me.
Because the FIRST thing that jumps out? The Torah refers to Jacob as Israel. Jacob is no longer Jacob. He is Israel once again.
I have read the Torah SO MANY TIMES. And I was ALWAYS confused why the Torah sometimes refers to Jacob as Jacob, and other times as Israel. I feel like this year, these name changes have made so much sense to me.
Jacob received Esau’s blessing. To truly live – we need to let go. Release what we are holding onto. Grieve. And live in a moment. Have hope. This is the way out of slavery. Just live.
Ok. I am a little in shock right now, TBH. So I will just move forward here and then come back if we need to. Let’s keep going:
30I will lie with my forefathers, and you shall carry me out of Egypt, and you shall bury me in their grave.” And he said, “I will do as you say.”
31And he said, “Swear to me. ” So he swore to him, and Israel prostrated himself on the head of the bed.
Israel has called Joseph into his room. At the end of his life. Israel asks Joseph to swear to him. “Bring me home.”
Life is about home. Being home. Coming home. Life takes us far from home. We run away from home because he need to find our purpose, our independence, our meaning. And then life is about reflecting on the decisions we’ve made. And then deciding we want to go home.
This is not a physical home. Israel isn’t asking to go home before he dies. It’s a spiritual home. We will wander in the wilderness until we find a spiritual home. Israel found his. And grief seemed to be the fulcrum.
Maybe this life isn’t about AVOIDING slavery, as I had postulated in the beginning of Genesis. Maybe it’s to normalize the journey. To feel seen by Hashem. To be seen as sacred.
The Torah seems to be written in a way – that says “I see you.” We just need to have the eyes to see it, and the ears to hear it. (And yes, Christian friends, I understand THIS was the message of Jesus).
Ok. As we move forward, the chapter ends here and we go into chapter 48. Interesting. 48.
And.
I will share something personal.
At this moment. I cannot express enough the feeling I have.
My website is tikkunolam47.com.
People wonder why 47? I honestly never really knew. I had thoughts. The reasons why the number came to me. It is only in this moment I think I fully know why.
When I was 47, my marriage began to crumble. The truth is – it had been crumbling before then. It was when I was 47, my eyes were opened.
I started therapy on March 7, 2020. Right before COVID hit. I was about to turn 48.
I spent my 48th birthday with COVID.
My journey to freedom and liberation began. I was at my low. And as I stand here 3.5 years later? It makes sense.
I wrote in my journal for the first time. My first entry was on August 15, 2020. The 25th of Av, 5780. This was the beginning of my Torah journey. I wrote privately in my journal about the Torah in 5781. I felt called to begin posting in 5782. This year, I’ve been posting on this website.
48. 48%.
47 is the closing of a chapter. It’s the place of woundedness. Moving from 47 to 48 is where I have been. 48 is where I met Joseph.
Now – these are real numbers (my ages)– not percentages. I am not saying I will be living to 100. I am saying in this moment – this feels like a lot of confirmation.
Because 48? It’s where I started to realize I had the gift of dream interpretation.
And this morning? I connected with someone who has the same gift. 48 is when I met my Joseph. I feel a sense of awe as we move to chapter 48 of Genesis.
1Now it came to pass after these incidents that [someone] said to Joseph, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2And [someone] told Jacob and said, “Behold, your son Joseph is coming to you.” And Israel summoned his strength and sat up on the bed.
Whoa. Verse two. The Torah mentions Jacob and Israel in the same verse. And what is between the shift? “Behold, your son Joseph is coming to you.”
Joseph is the key between Jacob and Israel.
Joseph is the key to spiritual freedom and liberation.
Joseph is the key to take in all this information around us – and “live anyway.”
Let’s keep going:
3And Jacob said to Joseph, “Almighty God appeared to me in Luz, in the land of Canaan, and He blessed me.
Israel is now back to being Jacob. Joseph arrives. Jacob is now grounded in the reality around him. This is the context Jacob blesses Joseph – and I am wondering.
Is it possible, Jacob cannot be Israel when in Joseph’s presence anymore? That Joseph coming to Jacob transforms him into Israel, but when he is in Joseph’s physical presence, he will be Jacob? Something I am reflecting on.
It could be a sign of power dynamics – God is on top. Joseph is above Jacob. Jacob is back at the bottom of the ladder. As Jacob prepares to die; he sees his place. Let’s keep going:
4And He (God) said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and cause you to multiply, and I will make you into a congregation of peoples, and I will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting inheritance.’
5And now, [as for] your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt, until I came to you, to the land of Egypt they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine like Reuben and Simeon.
6But your children, if you beget [any] after them, shall be yours; by their brothers’ names they shall be called in their inheritance.
7As for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died to me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still a stretch of land to come to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.”
Jacob is recounting his life to Joseph.
- I met God in Canaan – and Hashem Blessed me
- Hashem made me a promise – I will be fruitful. My people will be a congregation.
- Hashem promised me the land of Canaan (the Promised Land) as an everlasting inheritance.
He then brings us back to the current moment:
- In this moment – your two sons, that were born to you while I was in exile – not even knowing you were alive. They are MY sons. Your reality IS my reality.
- But now we are connected again – you have your own reality again that I am connected to. Any more children belong to you. This period of your life is yours. It is not for the purpose of me.
- This acknowledges that Joseph’s purpose was healing and restoration of Jacob.
Then he connects us to the path, present, and future all at once. He shares how Rachel (Joseph’s mother) was buried outside the promised land. And foretells the future as they will pass by Rachel’s grave on the way back to the promised land.
There is more to this – I feel it. But I also feel like that is for the future. Or – for someone else to have an insight on. But I feel like I am missing something. Let’s conclude:
8Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and he said, “Who are these?”
9Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God gave me here.” So he said, “Now bring them near to me, so that I may bless them.”
We are back to Israel. So this confirms (in my opinion) that yes – there is more in verses 4-7. I am missing something. And. That’s ok.
Whew. This is a lot. If you have read this far, THANK YOU. This is a crucial entry in the Torah thoughts. I am curious to know what you think!
Here is my commentary from the past few days:
Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 8 Tevet, 5783.
It’s interesting that today is New Year’s Day across the world. The calendar we’ve currently adopted has today being special. A day of newness. A day of rebirth.
In many ways – as a collective, because we have adopted this it is very real. It shows the external power we all have in our beliefs.
For Jews, today is also the 8th of Tevet. Another day in the calendar. Jews celebrate four different new years. And today is not one of them.
What is interesting to me, is that today is the first day of the week. It’s Sunday. It’s the first day of the Jewish week. They line up.
And today we start a new portion. “and he lived.”
The Chumash I’m reading says this:
This Torah portion, which describes Jacob’s passing, is nevertheless named “and he lived,” because Jacob lives on within you. He is constantly whispering to you:
Do you want to know how to be fully human? Look here in the Torah.
Depending on one’s perspective- my 2022 was a challenging year, or it was a year of freedom and liberation. As I close the chapter of my life, the transition from yesterday to today is very appropriate.
Today begins a brand new chapter for me. I am living my dream as a 9 year old. I have spent a lot of my life ignoring my inner child. Being afraid of abandonment. Being afraid of listening to my inner child. Not trusting my gut.
Today I live. I will be in the Mummer’s Parade in my childhood area of Philadelphia.
2022 is the year of coming home. 2023 is the year I live.
Buckle up everyone. This is going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be educational. It’s going to be challenging. But we will live.
Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Tevet 8, 5782
This week we start “Va-Yehi” which means “and he lived.” This parsha is about the end of Jacobs life. The idea is “and he lived” is because Jacob lives on within us- constantly asking us whether we want to know how to be fully human- and if so, where to look; in the Torah!
Rashi writes that This parsha is unique in that usually between two Torah portions there is a space; but between last weeks and this weeks parsha, there is no space- it’s “closed.” This alludes to the fact that Jacob wished to reveal the end of days, when the Messiah would come, but the information was close (or concealed) from him.
Rabbi Judah Arusha Leib Alter if Gur adds to this thought; “Why did Jacob want to reveal this information to his sons? Jacob wanted to reach that there is Godliness hidden within the mundane world, making the Exile easier to endure. But God wanted us to come to this realization in our own. Therefore, He concealed Jacob’s vision.”
The portion starts out telling us Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for 17 years, and the total of his days was 147.
It is interesting that Joseph left Jacob after he was 17; and Jacob was now taken care of by Joseph for the same 17 years!
It was time for Jacob to die so he called Joseph to him. He asked Joseph to swear an oath not to let Jacob be buried in Egypt; he wanted to die with his fathers, and he buried in their grave.
It is interesting that Rashi writes one of the reasons Jacob didn’t want to be buried in Egypt was he was concerned that the Egyptians would make a deity of him. Rashi writes about this. I had always envisioned it was because of a disdain towards the Egyptians; but Jacob may have had other motives! But there are other explanations as well!
Joseph agreed to this, and swore and oath.
Why did Jacob make Joseph swear an oath? Didn’t he trust his son? Nachmanides writes it was because Jacob wanted to give Joseph something to convince Pharaoh who would have wanted Jacob buried in Egypt. Pharaoh would have respected Joseph saying “I swore an oath to my father to be buried out of Egypt.” That makes a lot of sense!
Finally, Rabbi Schneerson has some amazing deeper understandings of all of this; “The inner reason why Jacob did not want to be buried in Egypt is because he wished to provide the external (spiritual) solution for the Jewish people to leave exile. Being buried outside Egypt meant that Jacob remained higher than the Egyptian exile, empowering his children with the spiritual potential to rise above their confinement and eventually escape.” This is based on the Talmud; “A prisoner cannot free himself from jail”. There has to be an external solution for release from confinement!
Schneerson concludes; “But Joseph chose to allow his casket to remain in Egypt, wishing to remain with his people while they were exiled. Since Jacob understood that he and his son differed in their opinion as to where a Jewish leader should remain, he made Joseph swear an oath that he would bury his father outside the land of Egypt.”
Moving ahead, Joseph leaves and later returns after hearing his father is sick. He brings with him his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim.
Israel summons the strength to sit up upon hearing Joseph and his sons had arrived.
Jacob said to Joseph; “God almighty appeared to me in Luz, in the land of Canaan, and He blessed me.” Then he shared with Joseph what the blessing was;
- Hashem would make Jacob fruitful and multiply
- Hashem would make Jacob into a multitude of peoples
- Hashem would give Jacob the land of Canaan to Jacob’s descendants as an everlasting inheritance
He then tells Joseph that his two sons who were born in Egypt before Jacob came will be counted as Jacob’s; that Manasseh and Ephraim will be counted like Reuben and Simeon are counted. Jacob tells Joseph – moving forward, any other children born to Joseph are his and do not have the same identity as being Jacob’s sons. They will not be tribes themselves but counted according their brother’s names. This was the splitting of the tribe of Joseph into two tribes, Menassah and Ephraim.
Jacob then addresses the potential hypocrisy of his request to be buried outside of Egypt; because Jacob buried Rachel on the road. He explained to Joseph he should not be upset because he did as God asked.
Rashi writes this was to help her descendants. When the Jews get sent into Exile later on, they will pass by Rachel’s grave and she will cry and beseech God for mercy on them. Rashi cites Jeremiah 31:15-17; “A voice is heard in Raman, Rachel is weeping for her children….” And God answers her, “There is reward for your action,’ says God, ‘for your children will return to their borders.”
The portion today closes with Israel seeing Joseph’s two sons. He tries to bless them but doesn’t – because he felt the Devine presence depart from them. He asked Joseph “From where were these boys born?”
Joseph shows Jacob the marriage contracts and says “these are my sons, whom God gave through a marriage certified by this documentation.” Jacob felt the Devine spirit returning and told Joseph to bring his sons to Jacob so he can bless them!
Wow. What a start to the portion! I’m curious as to your thoughts!
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