B"H

This Shabbat we will read Parshat Vayechi -the final Parsha in the Book of Breishis (Genesis).

The last four Parshiot of Breishis tell the story of how Joseph was sold by his brothers into Egyptian slavery and how he later interprets Pharaoh’s dreams and becomes viceroy of Egypt. 

When the famine years begin, his brothers come to Egypt to purchase food. Joseph recognizes them, but they don’t recognize him. He tests them to see if their hate for him is gone.  When he sees how they care for their youngest brother, Binyamin, and realizes that they truly regret what they have done to him, he reveals his identity to them.  He urges them to bring their father, Yaakov, and the entire family down to Egypt, where he will take care of all their needs.

With Yaakov’s coming to Egypt began the 210 years of the Egyptian exile. As long as Yaakov or any of his children were alive the Egyptians didn’t physically enslave the Jewish people. Yet, even these years are counted as part of the Egyptian exile because they were not in their own homeland.

Yaakov’s life was a very difficult one. Yaakov’s struggles began while still in his mother’s womb, when he and his brother Eisav were struggling.  

At the age of 63, he had to flee from his brother who wanted to kill him and then he suffered for 20 years in his father-in-law’s home. Later, his son Joseph, at the age of 17, was sold and for 22 years Yaakov mourned for him, thinking that he was dead.

Parshat Vayechi is about the last seventeen years of Yaakov’s life in Egypt when his family was reunited.  These were the best years of Yaakov’s life.

When Joseph introduced his father to Pharaoh, he asked him, “How old are you?” Yaakov answered, "The days of the years of my life are a hundred and thirty years; few and bad have been the days of my life and they have not attained the days of the years of the life of my fathers …" 

At the end of this Parsha we read about Yaakov’s passing at the age of 147.  He lived 33 years less than his father, Isaac, who lived to the age of 180.

Q.  Is there a reason why Yaakov lived 33 years less than his father?

A.   The verse in which Yaakov complains to Pharaoh about his misfortunes in life contains 33 Hebrew words. Our sages explain that a person should accept and thank G-d for the bad the same as for good.  Due to the 33 words Yaakov used to complain about his misfortunes, his life was shortened by 33 years! 

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

UNITED WE STAND WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY. MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW