SAN DIEGO – On Saturday, Jews around the world read Parshah Vayechi, the last Parshah in the first book of the Torah. We’ve gone from the creation of the world all the way through to the lives of our three forefathers. We end with the final words of Jacob, our last forefather. Jacob asks Joseph to take his body our of Egypt and bury it in the cave with Abraham and Isaac. Joseph promises to fulfill his father’s request. Jacob then blesses Joseph’s two sons. Just as Jacob tricks his father into blessing him, he now switches the blessings for Joseph’s sons. Ephraim. the younger son is given the blessing to become the father of a great nation. Menasseh, the older son, will also be important, but Ephraim with be head of the greater nation.
Jacob is old and all of his sons gather around him to be blessed. Jacob tells each son exactly what he thinks of them and what their future will hold. Some sons receive a blessing but some do not. When Jacob finishes his blessings, he dies. Joseph takes him to the land of Canaan and buries him. Joseph lives a long life. When he is about to die, he asks that his bones be taken out of Egypt to the land God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
What this means: There are two messages in this Parshah. The first surrounds both Jacob’s and Joseph’s request to be taken care of after they die. This is a request that neither will know if it happens or not, since it must occur after they die. This is the highest kindness anyone can do for someone. In Jewish tradition, taking care of a person after they die, meaning to make sure they have the proper burial, is a true good deed.
The second message comes when Jacob recognizes both the good and the bad behaviors of his sons. There are consequences for the sons who made poor choices in their lives. Jacob doesn’t bless them. Only the sons who made good choices receive their father’s blessings.
What you can do: It is up to the grownups to take care of loved ones after they pass away. You can, however, treat your older relatives with respect and kindness while they are alive.
It is also important when you have a choice in how you behave, that you make good decisions to avoid the consequences of a poor choice. It isn’t just that you might be punished, though. It is something that can affect you far into the future. If you treat a friend badly, you could lose that friendship. If you choose not to study, you could lose opportunities in the future based on the knowledge you didn’t learn. Making good choices, on the other hand, can lead to many positive outcomes. As we enter the new year, it is a good time to think about the choices you make and the consequences, both good and bad, that can come from those choices.
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Marcia Berneger is a retired elementary school teacher. She loves writing stories for children. She is the author of such children’s books as Buster the Little Garbage Truck, and A Dreidel in Time.