B"H

Tuesday, Tevet 14, 5781 / December 29, 2020

The first time that the Torah mentions someone being sick, is in this week's Parsha, Vayechi. The Parsha tells about the last seventeen years of Yaakov’s (Jacob’s) life, which he spent in Egypt. In total, Yaakov lived 147 years.

In the beginning of the Parsha we read that Yosef (Joseph), who was the ruler of Egypt at that time, is told "Behold your father is sick."  Immediately, upon hearing this, Joseph took his two sons, Menashe and Ephraim, and went to visit his father, Yaakov, in Goshen.  When Yaakov learns that Joseph has arrived, "he strengthened himself and sat upon the bed."

On his sick bed, Yaakov says to Joseph, "Your two sons who were born to you in Egypt, before I came to Egypt, are like my own sons; Ephraim and Menashe as Reuben and Shimon shall be unto me." As a result, Ephraim and Menashe are the only grandchildren of Yaakov to be numbered among the twelve tribes of Israel.

Q.  What was special about these two grandchildren of Yaakov over the other grandchildren?

A.  Menashe and Ephraim were the only grandchildren who were born in Egypt, before Yaakov and his family moved to Egypt. Although, they didn’t grow up in their grandfather’s traditional G-d fearing environment, as his other grandchildren did, they were nevertheless committed to the values of their grandfather as taught to them by their father, Yosef. When Yaakov came to Egypt he was surprised to find these two grandchildren as being so much part of his family.

In fact, Yaakov expresses his great Nachas and joy from these two grandchildren by saying to his son, Joseph, “I didn’t expect to see your face, and now G-d has shown me your children too!” To have been raised in an Egyptian environment and culture and still be connected and so attached to their grandfather’s belief and tradition was something which Yaakov greatly appreciated. As a result, Ephraim and Menashe are the only grandchildren of Yaakov to be identified as individual tribes to make up the twelve tribes of Israel.

Q.Why isn’t there any mention in the Torah of someone becoming ill before Yaakov?

A.The Midrash says that before Yaakov, people would not become sick but would pass away when their time came, without any warning. Yaakov prayed that G-d let him know when his death was near so that he could pass along his last will and testament to his children and bless them before his passing.  Thus, Yaakov was the first person to become sick before passing away.

Visiting the sick is a great mitzvah.  This mitzvah is called "Bikur Cholim."  Our sages state that by performing this mitzvah, a person "enjoys its fruits-reward in this world while the principal reward remains intact in the World-to-Come."

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY