Dr. Yitzhaq Hayut-Man. This Parashah deals with Ya’aqov’s death, yet the name of the Parashah – vaYehy-ויחי – suggests life – hayim. A somewhat similar case was in Parashat haye Sarah (“Lives of Sarah” – Gen. 23:1-25:18) which tells of Sarah’s death and burial.
In our full commentary of that Parashah, we explained the connection of the names of Sarah-שרה, Le’ah-לאה and Yisraelישראל-, and how Sarah pioneered the creation of Yisrael and their settlement in the land. Following this Parashah, we shall find in the end the possibility that “Ya’ạqov did not die” – and why so.
The first act Ya’ạqov does before his approaching death is to swear Yoseph to bury him at the burial estate in Hebron that was bought for Sarah, where his parents were buried.
It follows with Ya’ạqov’s illness, before his death. There the busy and shrewd Yoseph plays an act similar to what his father did – Ya’ạqov hurried to get the blessing from his blind father before Esau would return, and Yoseph hurries to receive from his blind father the blessings for his own sons before his brothers get their blessings and the situation of the tribes might be determined. This supposed Ẓadiq (righteous, saintly) actually exhibits an underhanded opportunism. The rivalry between Yoseph and his brothers is the fifth case of siblings’ rivalry in the Book of Genesis. Yoseph strives to get what according to the (later) stipulation of Moshe, that the firstborn child, even if from the hated wife (in this case, of Le’ah), should get a double portion (Deut. 21:15-17). This would be determined by the father’s will on his deathbed. Yoseph’s attempt at this occasion brings in the sixth story of siblings rivalry. Menashe was the firstborn, to him a double portion should be given. But here something shrewd happens.
First, Ya’ạqov as if takes possession of his two grandchildren “And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you to Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Shimeon, they shall be mine. And your issue, born to you after them, shall be yours, and shall be called after the name of their brothers in their inheritance” (Gen. 48:5-6). The real rivalry is over the leadership and eventual kingdom of the union of Israel. Yoseph, the young brother who aspired to dominate his brothers, now tries to get the blessing for his firstborn son. But Ya’ạqov crosses him by crossing his hands and giving his right-hand blessing to the younger son, Ephraim, who was placed to his left – and actually was at Yoseph’s right hand. The name “Menashe” has to do with Forgetting, and he is here told from his boyhood to forget about the leadership and eventual kingdom. The eventual outcome is that this sibling rivalry was cut at the bud, the future king of the Kingdom of Israel, Yerov’am, was from the Tribe of Ephraim (I Kings 11:26), whereas earlier, at the division of the Land, the Tribe of Menashe got a double portion – both East (Deut.3:13-15) and West (Joshua 17) of the Jordan River, so that from practical purposes, he got the firstborn’s share. Another consequence of this secret meeting is that Yoseph would not be included among the Twelve Tribes, but his two sons would, and he would be promoted to the status of a Patriarch like Abraham, Yiẓḥaq and Ya’ạqov.[1]
Next we come to the blessings to the Twelve Tribes. Ya’ạqov does not give them material inheritance but just semi-prophetic blessings. But we can infer how much of the blessing each one receives and his elative status according to the number of words addressed to him. In the following table the tribes are presented by their order in Ya’ạqov’s blessing – not only the chronological order but also their place according to Ya’ạqov’s regard to the mentioned son and the images that serve to tell his destiny.
|
The son |
Regard of the father |
Image |
# words/ sentences |
Status |
||
|
Re’uven |
Negative |
Unstable as water |
11/2 |
4 |
||
|
Shim’ọn |
Negative |
Instruments of cruelty are their swords. … in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they lamed an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel |
32/3 |
6-7 |
||
|
Levi |
Negative |
|||||
|
Yehudah |
Very good |
Yehudah is a lion’s whelp… He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? … Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass’s colt to the choice vine; he washes his garments in wine… His eyes are red with wine, and his teeth white with milk |
55/5 |
2 |
||
|
Zevulun |
Positive |
Haven for ships, and his border shall be upon Ẓidon. |
10/1 |
8 |
||
|
Yissakhar |
Negative |
strong ass couching down between the sheep-folds |
20/2 |
5 |
||
|
Dan |
Excellent |
A serpent in the way… that bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider shall fall backward |
23/3 |
3 |
||
|
Gad |
Positive |
Gad, raiders shall maraud him; but he shall overcome at the last. |
6/1 |
11 |
||
|
Asher |
Positive |
Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. |
7/1 |
10 |
||
|
Naphtali |
Positive |
Naphtali is a hind let loose: he gives goodly words |
6/1 |
12 |
||
|
Yoseph |
Excellent |
a fruitful bough (Porat), a fruitful bough by a well; its branches run over the wall… |
61/5 |
1 |
||
|
Binyamin |
Positive |
Binyamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil |
9/1 |
9 |
||
Altogether, there are 25 sentences and 250 words in these blessings, so it is easy to calculate the percentage of each tribe in the blessing.
Seemingly, Yoseph has the first relative place (with 61 words, versus Yehudah with 55, and the same number of sentences). But in effect Yehudah is the first among the tribes, because the blessings to Yoseph are actually blessings to two tribes (as was already promised to Yoseph earlier, and as would be stated explicitly in the blessing of Moshe). The part of the four sons of the maidservants is significant, when taken as one group whose members all receive a positive regard. While the blessings to Gad, Asher and Naphtali are short and almost just to have mention for all the twelve, and while the total number of words in the blessings for these four sons is just 42 words, compared with 61 for Yoseph and 55 for Yehudah, they nevertheless receive 6 (=24%) sentences in the blessings, more than Yoseph or Yehudah, who only receive 5 (=20%) each, so that they are a considerable balancing factor in the competition between Yoseph and Yehudah.
In just a few of instances, the blessing of the son comes from a new interpretation of his name, that is the case with Dan and Gad, but mainly with the main protagonists, Yoseph and Yehudah. Ostensibly, Yoesph’s name does not at first seems related to the blessing – Ben Porat Yoseph, ben Porat ạle Ạyin – where Porat (generally translated as a plentiful vine) has to do with Fertility (Piryon-פריון), which with some effort accords with “Yoseph”, as “the one who will add”. But as we remember the secret dealing of including Ephraim and Menashe among the Twelve Tribes, then it is clear that the Poratפורת- is the blessing for Ephraimאפרים-.
The most significant word-game and blessing, however, is in the first four words of the blessing given to Yehudahיהודה- in the words Yehudah ata yodukha Akekha יהודה אתה יודוך אחיך – translated as “Judah, you are him who your brothers will bless”. Here is Yehudah’s destiny, which has not yet been fulfilled. Judah-Yehudah is obviously “The Jewish People”. The Jewish people now live in a feeling of isolation, even of being “a lamb among seventy wolves”. Yehudah’s true fulfillment would come only when he (they/us) knows he has brothers whom he can help and who will give him their blessings. While Jews do contribute to the world out of any proportion to their number[2] and are characterized by “The Messiah Complex” of wanting to save the world, yet there is no awareness of brotherhood with the potential communities or “tribes” for a new 12-state Israel.
|
There is a curious discussion in the Talmud, claiming that Ya’aqov did not die: “Rabbi Yoḥanan stated, ‘Our father Jacob did not die.’ Rabbi Naḥman asked, ‘Was it in vain that they eulogized Jacob and embalmed his body and buried him?’ Rabbi Yoḥanan responded, ‘I derive this from a verse: ‘Fear not, Jacob My servant… for I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity’ (Jeremiah 30:10). The verse likens Jacob to his offspring: just as his offspring lives, so too, Jacob lives.'” (Ta’ạnit 5b). Rabbi Yoḥanan would have no grounds to claim so, if not for the exact wording of the text. The original Hebrew text does not state that Ya’ạqov encountered death – Mavet-מות (as is stated about Abraham (25:8) Yishma’ẹl (25:17) and Yiẓḥaq (25:29) who all “expired and died” – vaYigvaạ… vayamat-ויגוע.. וימת – but only that he expired, and the word “died” is not mentioned. What is the deeper reason for this change in text? It seems that by turning from “Ya’ạqov” – as the strict follower of the tradition (which for the last almost 2,000 years meant just the Jews), to become “Yisra’el” and to keeping (and for now restore) the whole-and-holy 12-fold structure, we can gain eternal life, instead of the precarious situation of being Yehudah alone. |
[1] The last two, as well as Yoseph, have Gematria that is a multiple of 26 – the Gematria of YHWH. In the Tree of the Sephirot, These Four patriarchs, are associated with specific Sefirot (divine attributes) – Abraham with Ḥesed (Mercy), Yiẓḥaq with Din (Judgment, rigor), Ya’ạqov with Raḥamim (Compassion), and Yoseph with Yesod (Foundation).
[2] An often quoted case is the percentage of Jews among Nobel Laureates in the sciences and medicine (where not the politics count) – about 22%, whereas Jews are 0.22% of the world’s population. In fact, among nominations for these prizes there are practically always some Jews.
