Parashat Vayechi: All for One & One for All
[This is part twelve in a series of analyses on appearances of ‘name,’ AKA shem in Hebrew, in the weekly Torah portion. This is the last parasha of sefer Bereishit. See all Bereishit here]
The third and final Patriarch, Jacob knows he is responsible for carrying on the Abrahamic legacy and the associated shem — he is responsible for passing on God‘s mission to the next generation, just as each generation had done before him. But it had always been passed to just one son and, whereas his forebears had but few primary children, Jacob is blessed with 12 sons. How is he to choose?
From the dawn of time this has been the struggle. The eldest son is the presumptive heir but time and again in the Torah we see the firstborn fall and the younger shine.
The twelve tribes are no different. Jacob’s personal preference seems to be Joseph though Judah, in his own right, also features prominently in the Torah. The (10) brothers gang up to confront these issues of legacy their own way and try to get rid of their top threat, Joseph.
They reconcile decades later in Egypt, where Joseph’s legacy had blossomed and he wielded undisputed [governmental] authority over his family, just as he dreamed all those years earlier.
Now what of the Abrahamic legacy — does it get passed to Joseph even though his main occupation is government, or does Joseph’s personal legacy strike out on its own? Would shem then get passed through Judah, for his leadership abilities? What of the remaining sons — must they be sent away and separated from the chosen one, just like Abraham’s and Isaac’s children?
We must wait until the very end of the story to find out.
The final parasha of sefer Bereishit is named Vayechi, referring to the life of Jacob whose personal legacy and extended legacies— his children — dominate the second half of Bereishit. It’s somewhat ironic, then, that the parasha begins with his final arrangements before his death. This is reminiscent of parashat Chayei Sarah when we are informed of the Matriarch’s passing in the parasha’s opening words.
וַיְחִ֤י יַעֲקֹב֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם שְׁבַ֥ע עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה שָׁנָ֑ה וַיְהִ֤י יְמֵֽי־יַעֲקֹב֙ שְׁנֵ֣י חַיָּ֔יו שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֔ים וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּמְאַ֖ת שָׁנָֽה׃ וַיִּקְרְב֣וּ יְמֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ לָמוּת֒ וַיִּקְרָ֣א ׀ לִבְנ֣וֹ לְיוֹסֵ֗ף וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ אִם־נָ֨א מָצָ֤אתִי חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ שִֽׂים־נָ֥א יָדְךָ֖ תַּ֣חַת יְרֵכִ֑י וְעָשִׂ֤יתָ עִמָּדִי֙ חֶ֣סֶד וֶאֱמֶ֔ת אַל־נָ֥א תִקְבְּרֵ֖נִי בְּמִצְרָֽיִם׃ וְשָֽׁכַבְתִּי֙ עִם־אֲבֹתַ֔י וּנְשָׂאתַ֙נִי֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם וּקְבַרְתַּ֖נִי בִּקְבֻרָתָ֑ם וַיֹּאמַ֕ר אָנֹכִ֖י אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה כִדְבָרֶֽךָ׃ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִשָּֽׁבְעָה֙ לִ֔י וַיִּשָּׁבַ֖ע ל֑וֹ וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ הַמִּטָּֽה׃
Jacob lived seventeen years in the land of Egypt, so that the span of Jacob’s life came to one hundred and forty-seven years. And when the time approached for Israel to die, he summoned his son Joseph and said to him, “Do me this favor, place your hand under my thigh as a pledge of your steadfast loyalty: please do not bury me in Egypt. When I lie down with my fathers, take me up from Egypt and bury me in their burial-place.” He replied, “I will do as you have spoken.” And he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. Then Israel bowed at the head of the bed. (Genesis 47:28–31)
Notables:
- Jacob’s first order of business — just like Abraham’s in Chayei Sarah — is the burial spot.
- Also reminiscent of Abraham’s language in Chayei Sarah: the phrasing of “place your hand under my thigh as a pledge of your steadfast loyalty.”
- Joseph agreed to the request but Jacob required him to take a formal oath.
- Question1: Why is his burial location so important to Jacob?
- Question2: Did Joseph place his hand under the thigh immediately or was that part of the swearing process?
In Jacob’s next order of business he meets with Joseph again and now Joseph brings his sons along. Jacob recounts how God blessed him with great legacy and land, and declares that Joseph’s sons born to him in a different land will still qualify for that legacy. More than that, they will count as Jacob’s own children. So the (12) tribes of Israel include each of Joseph’s two sons, giving him the double inheritance traditionally given to the firstborn.
Then Jacob says something a bit strange:
וּמוֹלַדְתְּךָ֛ אֲשֶׁר־הוֹלַ֥דְתָּ אַחֲרֵיהֶ֖ם לְךָ֣ יִהְי֑וּ עַ֣ל שֵׁ֧ם אֲחֵיהֶ֛ם יִקָּרְא֖וּ בְּנַחֲלָתָֽם׃
But progeny born to you after them shall be yours; by their brothers’ names they shall be called in their inheritance. (Gen. 48:6)
This verse doesn’t translate smoothly, AKA it begets slightly varied translations. The crux is that Jacob drew a line in the sand in adopting Joseph’s two current sons, clarifying that any future children are of a different status.
Now that he’s claimed Joseph’s sons as his own, he moves on to blessing them:
הַמַּלְאָךְ֩ הַגֹּאֵ֨ל אֹתִ֜י מִכׇּל־רָ֗ע יְבָרֵךְ֮ אֶת־הַנְּעָרִים֒ וְיִקָּרֵ֤א בָהֶם֙ שְׁמִ֔י וְשֵׁ֥ם אֲבֹתַ֖י אַבְרָהָ֣ם וְיִצְחָ֑ק וְיִדְגּ֥וּ לָרֹ֖ב בְּקֶ֥רֶב הָאָֽרֶץ׃ וַיַּ֣רְא יוֹסֵ֗ף כִּי־יָשִׁ֨ית אָבִ֧יו יַד־יְמִינ֛וֹ עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ אֶפְרַ֖יִם וַיֵּ֣רַע בְּעֵינָ֑יו וַיִּתְמֹ֣ךְ יַד־אָבִ֗יו לְהָסִ֥יר אֹתָ֛הּ מֵעַ֥ל רֹאשׁ־אֶפְרַ֖יִם עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ מְנַשֶּֽׁה׃
The Angel who has redeemed me from all harm — Bless the lads. In them may my name be recalled, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they be teeming multitudes upon the earth.” When Joseph saw that his father was placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it wrong; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. (Gen. 48:16–17)
Jacob seals the deal, so to speak, linking their names with his own name — using shem — and that of his forefathers.
We again encounter the theme of sibling rivalry appearing with Joseph’s children — including the younger taking the older’s spotlight — though it appears to be handled smoothly in the ensuing verses.
Jacob moves on with blessing each of his 12 sons roughly in order of birth. The blessings for Judah and Joseph are noticeably longer than the others.
Afterward, he discusses his burial arrangements with them, at length, just as he had done with Joseph earlier. Why does he repeat his dying wish to his other sons, did he not trust Joseph to get the job done? Maybe he was trying to fix an earlier mistake he made in clearly favoriting Joseph over the others, and wanted to ensure all his sons felt included in his dying wish.
Joseph begins to make funeral arrangements immediately following his father’s death, dutifully carrying out his request. He formally requests permission from Pharaoh to leave Egypt for this mission and Pharaoh permits him, citing the oath he made to his father. Perhaps Jacob understood Joseph’s new political status all too well and that’s why he earlier insisted on the formal oath.
וַיַּ֡רְא יוֹשֵׁב֩ הָאָ֨רֶץ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֜י אֶת־הָאֵ֗בֶל בְּגֹ֙רֶן֙ הָֽאָטָ֔ד וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵֽבֶל־כָּבֵ֥ד זֶ֖ה לְמִצְרָ֑יִם עַל־כֵּ֞ן קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ אָבֵ֣ל מִצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּעֵ֥בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃
And when the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning at Goren ha-Atad, they said, “This is a solemn mourning on the part of the Egyptians.” That is why it was named Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. (Gen. 50:11)
It was the world’s first great diplomatic funeral, attended by foreign heads of state and admirers alike. The entire Egyptian nobility and more accompanied viceroy Joseph and his illustrious family all the way to Canaan/Israel.
Ironically, the location gets named after the Egyptians’ suffering rather than Jacob’s own family’s. This indicates the great respect accorded to Jacob in Egypt.
Quite a ‘way to go’ for Jacob — quite a legacy he lived, quite a legacy he left behind, and quite a legacy still quite unfinished.
After Jacob’s passing, the brothers fear Joseph’s wrath over their past wrongdoings and decide to dispatch a message begging forgiveness, thinly dressing up the request as their father’s dying wish. Joseph cries when he hears it. He assures them he harbors them no ill will — first reminding them to fear God not him, then essentially repeating his faith in the dictum ‘it’s all part of God’s plan.’
It’s a sad episode that leaves the reader with a foreboding feeling. The brief reconciliation after Joseph’s big reveal didn’t inspire, and this final piece certainly doesn’t feel like a real reconciliation between brothers in arms.
Still, after what we’ve witnessed in sefer Bereishit, civility among brothers isn’t to be taken for granted. More than that, Joseph and his brothers stay together until the end. This marks a contrast against the previous generations where just one son was singled out to carry on the tradition and all the rest were sent away.
Jacob succeeds in bringing his entire family into God’s inner circle — they each serve the One true God. Instead of just one male serving as humanity’s generational link, all do. God’s mission goes from one torchbearer to a dozen family branches of torchbearers. And from there, beginning in the book of Shemot, literally: ‘names,’ we meet a nation of torchbearers.
In the book’s final verses Joseph follows his father’s lead and asks his brothers — by solemn oath — to bury him in Israel. Unlike his father, though, Joseph understands that he wont actually be buried in Israel for a long time. Rather, he would be buried in Egypt and his remains would need to be carried up. Why must he be buried in Egypt?
Joseph lives a mixed legacy pulled in two directions. On the one hand, he’s the son of a Patriarch and chosen heir of the Abrahamic legacy. On the other, he’s the second-in-command and CEO of the world’s greatest empire. We meet this tension in naming his sons, in his Egyptian residency, and generally with the Torah’s accounting of his various governmental maneuvers.
At the end, though, he makes his loyalties clear:
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יוֹסֵף֙ אֶל־אֶחָ֔יו אָֽנֹכִ֖י מֵ֑ת וֵֽאלֹהִ֞ים פָּקֹ֧ד יִפְקֹ֣ד אֶתְכֶ֗ם וְהֶֽעֱלָ֤ה אֶתְכֶם֙ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֛ע לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּלְיַֽעֲקֹֽב: וַיַּשְׁבַּ֣ע יוֹסֵ֔ף אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר פָּקֹ֨ד יִפְקֹ֤ד אֱלֹקים֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְהַֽעֲלִתֶ֥ם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַ֖י מִזֶּֽה
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am going to die; God will surely remember you and take you up out of this land to the land that He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” And Joseph adjured the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely remember you, and you shall take up my bones out of here.” (Gen. 50:24-25)
Joseph realizes his influence and Egyptian legacy is too great to afford him the foreign burial granted to his father, and settles for his ‘bones’ to be carried up in the eventual exodus — the secular name of sefer Shemot — when God will return His people to the promised land.
It’s Israel or bust, the legacy of sefer Bereishit in a nutshell.
