Parashat Vayechi

Yackov lived in Egypt for 17 years until he passed away at age 147. These years were the most prosperous of his life, where he attained great levels in happiness and satisfactions.<ref name="Likutay Halachos">Likutay Halachos</ref> Despite the fact that he had spent years in the Holy Land, Yackov was only able to fully attain these levels in the impure Egypt, at the onset of the horrible Egyptian exile that was already beginning to manifest. The main completion of 'happiness' is not when a person manages to push aside bitterness and suffering but rather when he grabs this pain and transforms that itself into happiness. Using these methods Yackov caused great clarifications in the spiritual 'Chambers of Exchange', paving way for the Tikkunim of the later generations. During these years Yackov fully grasped how the 'final redemption' could only arrive once the Tzadikim descend to the lowest places and collect the elements of holiness from there.<ref name="Likutay Halachos"/>

 

==Yackov's Request to Yosef==

Yackov's prosperous years of life in Egypt draw to an end. Having reached age 147, Yackov fears he will soon pass away despite that his father Yitzchak had lived to be 180.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 47:29">Rashi Berashis 47:29</ref> He called his son Yosef who had the actual power to carry out his request.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 47:29"/> Yackov asking Yosef that if he found favor in his eyes, that Yosef should place his hand under his thigh and make an oath<ref name="Rashi Berashis 47:29"/> by covenant of the circumcision, out of kindness and truth to not bury him in Egypt, when he passes away to the next world to lay<ref>Rashi Berashis 47:30</ref> with his forefathers. Yosef is then to carry him from Egypt and bury him in the Mearos Hamachpala burial plot of his forefathers in Chevron. Yosef committed to carry out his father's request. Yackov asked that Yosef swear to this and he did. Yackov (Yisroel) then prostrated himself on the head of the bed he was laying on.

 

Yosef had to be summoned since he always tried to avoid being alone with his father out of fear he would question him about the past and expose the story of his sale, causing Yackov to willingly curse his brothers.<ref>Sefer Avosanu, Vayechi / Hadar Zikanim</ref> Yosef agrees and then upon Yackov's request, swears by his fathers Bris Milah . Yackov then bows to his son.

Yackov did not wish to be buried in Egypt so his tomb would not become an object of idolatrous worship.<ref name="Rashi Shemos 47:29"/> Aside for the obvious issue with this, he was also aware that all idolatrous objects would be destroyed during the 'plague of the first born'.<ref>Sefer Avosanu, Vayechi</ref>

 

This would also allow him to be spared the suffering of Gilgul Mechilos<ref name="Rashi Shemos 47:29"/> during the time of Resurrection, where Jews buried in Diaspora must first roll through underground passages to Eretz Yisroel before being resurrected. He was also aware that during the future Ten Plagues that would afflict Egypt, all its top soil would turn to lice and Yackov did not wish to them crawl under his body.<ref name="Rashi Shemos 47:29"/> Additionally it would prevent Jews from hesitating to leave Egypt and saying it must contain some holiness if Yackov agreed to be buried there.<ref>Sefer Avosanu, Vayechi/ Mishnas Rebbe Eliezer 19</ref> Yackov requested that he be buried with his forefathers in Mearos Hamachpela. He had previously purchased the rights to the last remaining plot in Mearos Hamachpela from his brother Esav.

 

As traditional to hold an object of a Mitzvah to reinforce an oath at the time it is taken, Yosef placed his hand near his fathers Milah. Although the Avos practiced many of the Mitzvos, either in their final form, in other manifestations or at their root levels, Mila was the only physical Mitzvah which had officially been issued by Hashem to date. It was also a very cherished Mitzva for them as Tikun Habris yields the great power to take their decedents out of Gehinum and bring them to Olam Haba.<ref>Sefer Avosanu, Vayechi / Tanchuma Chayi Sara 6</ref>

Often people do kind acts calculating that in some form they will be repaid by the person. This does not apply to a dead person, where one does not expect any payment or reward.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 47:29"/> and any act of kindness done with him is called a 'chesed of truth'. Similarly some people honor their father out of fear or embarrassment, by carrying out Yackov's will Yosef would show all that he truthfully honored his father.<ref>Sefer Avosanu, Vayechi / Berashis Rabba 96 5</ref>

Yackov bowed towards the head of his bed, turning himself toward the Shchina,<ref name="Rashi Berashis 47:31"/> which tends to hover above the head of the ill,<ref name="Rashi Berashis 47:31"/> at the same time<ref name="Shover Zadim Parashat Vayechi"/> giving honor to Yosef. Although Yosef was his son, he held a position of royalty and was therefore given honor, just as the lion must bow to the fox when the hour allows him to have a position of power.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 47:31">Rashi Berashis 47:31</ref> In truth Yaakov was really bowing to Hashem thanking him that his offspring were perfect and none ended up wicked, as was evidenced by the fact that Yosef was a king and had been captured among the heathens, yet remained steadfast in his righteousness.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 47:31"/>

Yeravam, Achav and Yehu were more then black sheep in the family, hundreds of years later. Them and their descendants were personally responsible for causing the bulk of the Jewish Nation to commit horrible sins for periods lasting generations and for the eventual exile of the Ten tribes and their almost obliteration off the face of active participation in the spiritual history of the world. Their entire ability to lead and control the nation was through corrupting the powers of Yosef that were enchanted by the blessing. Yackov's refusal to bless was to prevent the very power he was giving over from later be misused.<ref name="Shover Zadim Parashat Vayechi">Shover Zadim Parashat Vayechi</ref>

There is a very hard spiritual service of trying to find the good points in each Jew despite their extreme wickedness. Even big Tzadikim such as [[Yeshayahu HaNavi|Yeshayahu]], Hoshea and Eliyahu had difficulty doing this properly in certain cases. When Yackov encountered the eminence wickedness of Achav and Yehu, his ability to find their good points became exhausted. Yosef then went ahead and expanded on the good points that were contained in these very sinners, showing how these elements alone would make them befitting of the blessing.<ref name="Likutay Halachos"/> Display of his Ketuva reiterated; that as legal Jews it is impossible that they would not contain good points, despite their many sins.<ref name="Shover Zadim Parashat Vayechi"/>

At the time of his passing, Yosef instructed the Jews never to change their Hebrew names and adopt Egyptian names,<ref name="Baal Haturim Shemos 1:1">Baal Haturim Shemos 1:1 </ref>despite the fact that he himself was given the Egyptian name of Tzafnat Paneach.<ref name="Baal Haturim Shemos 1:1"/>