Articles in Vayechi
Vayechi: Food for Thought at your Dinner Table
Sunday: Jacob Lived
Many Torah commentaries have concluded based on the verse, “And Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years,” that Jacob’s best years, the years that he truly lived, were the ones he spent in Egypt. How did Jacob, a man devoted to G-d, enjoy living in so depraved a …
Vayechi: Is Judaism Dogmatic?
Fact or Myth?
Judaism encourages us to think for ourselves and to question everything. We are not meant to blindly accept, but to explore, analyze, debate and conclude. True or false?
Two Names
Joseph had two sons. He named the first one, Menashe because “Nashani Elokim,” G-d allowed me to forget my …
Vayechi: The Freedom to Serve
Priorities
I recently asked a young man if he would like to undertake a particular mitzvah. His reply, “It’s not my cup of tea,” caught me by surprise. It made me wonder if we Jews are limited to a pre-determined direction or if we are really capable of more.
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Vayechi: To Know or Not to Know
Revealing the Date
In this week’s Parsha we learn that Jacob thought to reveal the actual date of his children’s future redemption from Egypt but was prevented by G-d. That Jacob desired to reveal this date indicates that there is value in such knowledge. That he was ultimately barred from doing …
Vayechi: Inspiring our Children
And He Lived
This week’s Parsha describes Jacob’s passing and the events that transpired immediately before and after. Ironically, the Parsha’s name is Vayechi, which means and he lived. Is preparation for death aptly described as living? As we shall soon see, it depends on the kind of life one has …
Vayechi: Oasis in the Desert
Jacob in Egypt
The very first time the Torah testifies that our patriarch Jacob fully enjoyed and appreciated life is during the period of time that he lived in Egypt.
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Vayechi : Where Did the Disconnect Occur?
Growing Into Our Own
His parents want him to apply for business school but he is committed to music. Throughout college he is subjected to veiled comments and nuanced complaints but the young man holds firm. Four years later he graduates with honors and his parents attend the commencement ceremony. They …
