This Week In The Torah



Parsha Vayechi Bereishis/Genesis Ch.47/28 - 50/26


Sword and Bow
by Rabbi Yechezkel Fox

And I have given you Shechem - one (portion) more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow. Ch.48/8

After Shimon and Levi killed all the men in Shechem, the surrounding nations gathered to fight with Yaakov. Here Yaakov tells us that he single-handedly defeated them with his sword and bow. Rashi quotes the Sages that his sword refers to his wisdom, his bow was his prayer.

But how did the Sages know that these terms were not to be taken literally? Perhaps Yaakov was a mighty warrior, like Dovid HaMelech (King David) or Shimshon?

A battle normally starts at a distance, each side firing missiles at the other. Only later, as the belligerents draw closer, hand-to-hand combat ensues. Accordingly, the Torah should have first mentioned Yaakov's bow (the long-range weapon), and then his sword (for close combat), following the normal course of events. The Torah mentioned Yaakov's sword first, to teach us that Yaakov prepared for the conflict by fortifying himself spiritually with Torah wisdom, which is sharp and penetrating like a sword. Then he prayed to G-d, which requires careful concentration, to direct one's heart like an archer.

And why does Torah come first? This accords with the teaching of Shlomo HaMelech (KIng Solomon): If one turns his ear from hearing the Torah, his prayer, too, will be considered an abomination. (Proverbs 28/9)

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Of Revenge and Burning Shame

And Yosef's brothers saw that their father was dead, and they said "Perhaps Yosef will nurse hatred against us and then he will surely repay us all the evil that we did to him." Ch.50/15

The word in the Torah for perhaps is lu, which Rashi says can sometimes be translated as if only. The translation would then read: If only Yosef would nurse evil against us and then he would surely repay us all the evil that we did. This translation seems to make no sense. Why would they want Yosef to hate them and take revenge against them? The Malbim explains as follows:

King Solomon said, If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap coals on his head and G-d will reward you. (Proverbs Ch25/21-22). This is the only type of revenge which is permissible: to do kindness to your enemy. If you are good to your enemy, ignoring his animosity against you, he will look back with burning shame upon his behaviour to you.

The brothers had only received goodness from Yosef after settling in Egypt. He provided all the support needed for them and their families. The brothers felt this like burning coals. They would have actually preferred Yosef to have taken active revenge against them than to receive his benefits. That is why they approached Yosef to attempt to clear the air and receive his complete forgiveness. In that way they would be able to accept his support without the burning shame.

Sources: Malbim on Chumash, From The Wisdom of Mishle, Rav S.R.Hirsch

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Dead Men Tell No Tales, Or Do They?

Yosef died at the age of one hundred and ten years; they embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt. Ch.47/26

The ancient Egyptians were great embalmers, as the mummy departments of our museums testify. Why was this so important to them?

Mummifying was a means of communicating with the dead. While the corpse is still intact, part of the soul known as the nefesh, stays with the body. Once decomposition has taken its course, the nefesh is freed from the body and communication with it is lost. They mummified the body in order to permanently trap the nefesh within the body. Once the nefesh was trapped, they would be able to use their powers to communicate with it whenever they wished. (It should be noted that this is strictly forbidden by Jewish law. See Devorim 18/10-11).

Having said this, what happened to Yosef's nefesh? Did it never leave his body? Did the Egyptians communicate with it?

We have a tradition that the bodies of tzaddikim (very righteous Jews) do not suffer decomposition. The reason for this is that the nefesh of an ordinary person, having been dominated by his body while alive, is very attached to his body and reluctant to leave even after death. Thus, the body must be broken down in order to free the nefesh. However, a tzaddik's nefesh, which dominated his body during his life, can leave without any decomposition. And therefore the tzaddik's body can remain intact, ready for techias hamaysim (resurrection of the dead). So even though Yosef was embalmed, because he was a great tzaddik, his nefesh was able to leave and the Egyptians were not able to communicate with him.

Sources: The Gaon Yaakov



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