Weekly Torah Portion

Vayechi, the last portion of the book of Bereishit, is unique in that there is no space between it and the preceding portion, contrary every other portion of the Torah. This, as Rashi tells us in his first comment on the portion, is thus called a “closed portion.” Rashi gives two reasons. The first is that due to Jacob’s death “the eyes and hearts of Israel were closed” because of the slavery that was about to begin. As long as Jacob and Joseph were alive their merit and power protected Israel. The second reason given is that Jacob wanted to reveal to his sons that which would occur in the end of the days but at the critical moment the Shechina left him, therefore the ability and permission to transmit this information was “closed” to him.

We sense a subtle but jarring juxtaposition between this being a “closed portion” and the fact that the first word vayechi, after which the portion is named means “and he lived.” This word according to Chassidic thought denotes much more than “dwelt” or “settled,” rather the connotation is of Jacob experiencing a vibrant, energetic and dynamic love of life. It seems a bit paradoxical though that only in the exile of Egypt is it written that Jacob “lived.” In addition, the very last verse of the previous portion states that it was in Goshen in the land of Egypt that Israel multiplied greatly and was transformed from a family into a nation.

In light of the archetypal nature of the Torah we see that Jacob and Israel’s ability to “live” in Egypt, the paradigm of all future exiles, was paving the way for Israel to not only survive but actually thrive in exile. Jacob saw in prophecy that most of Jewish history would unfortunately take place outside of Israel. Therefore the Torah is emphasizing that he “lived” in Egypt as he wanted to infuse within Israel the strength to turn exile into a place of dynamic growth and development.

But this blessing that Jacob, and in a sense Joseph as well, planted within Jewish consciousness can be a double edged sword if not related to properly. When exile becomes too comfortable and Jews attain too much power and success two scenarios classically take place. Jews begin to assimilate into the host culture and the people become jealous of Jewish success, leading to a host of negative and murderous consequences.

On a more practical level we see that the last seventeen years of Jacob’s life in Egypt were in a sense his most rewarding in that he no longer faced constant challenges as he had all his life, and even more so, he saw his sons brought back together and the fulfillment of his life’s work to build the foundation for the nation of Israel. Many commentators point out that seventeen, the number of years Jacob lived in Egypt, equals tov, “good,” symbolizing the essential goodness that surrounded Jacob during the last stage of his life.

When delving further into the idea of Veyechi being a “closed portion” there is yet another deep realization. In the bigger picture of existential reality every person lives in a “closed portion,” where a pure, eternal soul comes to dwell in a temporal, relatively frail body and in a material world fraught with trials and challenges. This juxtaposition in fact is symbolized in the Jewish people going down to Egypt, whose root in Hebrew means a narrow place, a place of confinement and limits. For a pristine, Godly soul the greatest experience of limitation is within a physical body.

Yet Jacob “lives” in Egypt, he learns to navigate the narrow straits of existential reality. The slavery in Egypt symbolizes the manner in which the spiritual soul is enslaved within a physical body, pulled endlessly after the temptations and the desires of the animal soul that cling to the body. Ultimately though Israel is redeemed and taken out of Egypt in order to receive the Torah and serve God. This represents the promise of redemption for every soul from its own private slavery.

Freedom in Judaism is defined by the ability of the soul to rule over the body, for the mind to rule over the heart. Not that the body and the heart are to be denigrated or ignored, rather trained and channeled in the proper direction. Paradoxically, from an outside view of things, following the precepts of the Torah may appear to be the epitome of slavery in that the individual must fit into an orderly structure of commandments that affect virtually every area of life on an ongoing basis. Yet from an insider view following Torah frees one from the tyrannical grasp of our lower instincts and baser desires, allowing us to develop our true essence and potential. From a Torah point of view a person could have great talents, power over others, and all the physical comforts money can buy, but if their basic decision process is still driven by their lower behavioral instincts they are essentially still a slave. Torah is the instruction manual and road map taking us from slavery to ultimate freedom.