Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”LTo sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email itistaught@gmail.comYaakov Prepares for the End of His LifeIntroductory note: Usually, the parshas are divided from one another by a number of blank spaces. In this case, this new parsha of VaYechi is only separated from the previous one by one space. When this happens, the parsha is called סתומה (i.e "Closed"). Rashi brings two reasons as to why this is the case here:1)This is the parsha in which Yaakov dies, at which point the enslavement of the Israelites began (while the official physical enslavement only really began later after all of Yaakov's son's died, the death of Yaakov was the start of it, in the sense that the Egyptians began cajoling the Israelites). This change happened so suddenly, that it was as if the Israelites eyes were "closed" to it.2)Alternatively, according to the Breishis Rabbah, this parsha is "closed" because Yaakov wanted to reveal the end of all exiles to his family, but the ability to do so was "closed off from him"And now back to the story:Yaakov resides in Egypt for 17 years and at the age of 147, prepares for his death*.*side note: this is written in the text as "the time approached for (Israel) to die". This wording of the "time approached" is only used when a son does not outlive his fathers (his father Yitzchak lived to be 180). This is why similar wording is not used when describing the death of Yitzchak (who outlived his father Avraham) and Avraham (who outlived his grandfather Nachor.He calls Yosef over to him and asks him to place his hand under his thigh so that he can bless him. He specifically picks Yosef as he knows that due to Yosef's authority in Egypt, he'll be able to fulfill what is being asked.Yaakov asks Yosef to bury him outside of Egypt, in Maharat HaMachpela with his fathers. This is for a few reasons:1)Yaakov foresaw the 3rd plague of lice and knew that the soil in Egypt would turn to lice2)At the time of the resurrection of the dead, anyone who was buried outside of Israel will have to roll through tunnels to get to Israel and emerge there.3)He did not want the Egyptians to deify him after he died.Yosef agrees that he will do as Yaakov asked. Yaakov tells Yosef to swear on this and Yosef does.Yaakov turns around and prostrates himself towards the head of the bed. This is for a few possible reasons:* Yaakov was bowing to Yosef as an acknowledgment that he needed him* Alternatively, Yaakov not bowing to Yosef but rather towards the head of the bed because:* The Divine Presence rests at the head of a sick person's bed.* This was an indication that Yaakov's bed was "Complete". i.e. none of his children were wicked. Even Yosef who was held captive in Egypt for so many years, didn't sink into their ways and remained righteous throughout.After a little while, a messenger (some say it was Yosef's son Ephraim), came to Yosef to inform him that his father was getting very sick. Yosef brings his two sons to Yaakov so that Yaakov can bless them.Side note: Yaakov was the first human to ever be sick. Yosef prayed for his father to become sick before he died so he would have some warning and be able to get blessings from him for his children.A messenger (this time definitely not Ephraim) announces to Yaakov that Yosef has arrived. Out of respect for Yosef's royal status, Yaakov exerts himself and sits up in bed.Yaakov relates to Yosef how G-d (called in this instance by the name "E-l Sha-dai" appeared to him during his travels in Luz, Canaan and blessed him with numerous progeny that will become a "nation" (from Binyamin) and a "congregation of nations" (from Yosef - who's tribe split into two via his two sons Ephraim and Menashe). He also relates how G-d blessed him that that land of Canaan would be given to his family to have eternally.Yaakov continues and says that Yosef's two sons whom he begot after being separated from Yaakov will be considered as Yaakov's own sons and will inherit land on par with the rest of the brothers. However any further sons which Yosef may have will not be considered as such. I.e. they will be considered as part of either Ephraim or Menashe's tribe, not be leaders of their own tribes.Side note, other than the firstborn, who received a double portion, all of the tribes received land in equal measure in accordance with their number. So it would seem that there would not be a practical difference in terms of land inheritance whether a son was considered a tribe head or not. However a key difference was that each tribe received certain geographical features such as ...
