Rabbi Benjamin Yudin Discusses Parshas Vayechi on JM in the AM (5786)

Good morning. Good shabas everybody. Whoa. What a privilege to bring to you Advar Torah from Shallayim Codesh. I am in the neighborhood of Baka and it's a privilege to be here. Each time I'm init, I tell you you can feel ar Shabas. So that's another one of those things to put on your list that when you come on aliyah, of course you're keeping shabas wherever you're listening to me. But here you can sense and feel Arab shabas, not just the praim that spring up on main thoroughare corners all over reminding us that it's shabas for everybody. But the the tone is one of getting ready for shabis kesh. This is paras vi is the last para in sa bacius. While there are no mitzvos of the tarag, there is a very important mitzvah that I'd like to talk about this morning which is a very important one namely the mitzvah of kavura that a Jew is to be buried in the ground as we find interestingly the two parios in the book of boratious. which talk about the death of sadikim be it the death of the surah and the death of Jacob in paras the name of the para is one of life because the Jew believes that death is a transition as part of life and that's a very important concept for us to be very comfortable with. The idea being that the Torah teaches us in chapter 2 of Batius, God formed manish and he blew into his nose a living soul. The nephesh man became a living being and the tarum says a speaking being. We have intelligence. Now very important for us to understand the same way that life came in through the nose. It was life leaving through the nose. Which is why there's a universal custom. Think about this. When I cough, you're going to say to me, "Cover your mouth." When I sneeze, you're going to say to me, "God bless you." Kazunite in any language. Why? Because it was that life came in through the nose. Life left through the nose. People were very nervous. People died with a sneeze. What happened? It changed in this week's para. The Torah tells us at the beginning of this week's para, the beginning of chapter 48, I'm sorry, listen carefully. After the strong plea that Yakov does to Yoseph, asking him that he not be buried in Eritim, but rather he be buried in Erit Israel in right after that. The Torah tells us that it was told to Yoseph, behold your father is sick. Now what does that mean? Behold your father is sick. So we don't simply mean behold that this is the latest news. But the word behold in the Torah he is something which is really a complete and total surprise. So for example, the Torah tells us that with all the giving of signs between Yakov and Rael, we know the righteousness of Rael who gives over these sim to Leia. And therefore boer when YaKob wakes up in the morning he wo this is in chapter 29 p of 25 in bacius behold what what a surprise unbelievable you thought you married Rael and he wakes up and who is it it's ino we have later on in we had two weeks ago in Beracius when it's time for Tamar to give birth at the time of her giving birth. They were twins. This was a surprise. What does that mean that they didn't have sonograms and they weren't aware that this would be twins? He a complete and total surprise. Similarly, when he comes over here, behold your father is sick. So unbelievable. The Gmoria says Tanya Yakov until Yakov there was not the phenomena of sickness in the world. Yakov Yakov comes and he asked Hashem for mercy. He asked Hashem to please change nature in what way? That there should be a weakness, a sickness, that people should have a warning. Okay, now watch. What does that mean? That people should have a warning. The purpose of this warning says in the Gmorra is that mo that man should have some warning. Ideally doesn't always happen but that often time man should have a warning before he or she passes via seso so he'll be able to literally get his home in order and specifically among getting his home in order making sure that there is halavai shalom to the best of their ability that don't wait for the last moment but here for sure As Yakov Au tells Yoseph what he wants done after he passes on. He wants to be buried specifically in Erit Israel. So the first thing that comes to mind is Israel. A Jew needs to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. We don't say what's the difference? As long as you're buried here or there. No, it makes a difference. Abrainu expends a great effort and an exorbitant amount of money to purchase that there should be this concept of a Jewish cemetery. That's number one. Number two, we strongly believe in the idea that there is quote life after death. What does that mean? There are 13 principles of faith as enumerated by the Rambam. The 12th principle of faith is I believe with perfect faith that there is Messiah in this world. Okay, good. That a Messiah will come. But the 13th and last is that there will be that the dead will come to life. Now I have to tell you everybody that when we recite the ha tora on shabis among the brahos that we say afterwards is every word of tanakh has and will come true. Take a look. We've come back to Israel. There's more than 7 million Jews living today in Erit Israel. No one could have seen this. No one could obviously visualize yet what it's going to be like. But there will be and I promise you and it's not that's saying this. It's the said literally wake up and sing says the who are lying in the ground. We say every day in God keeps his promise to those who are lying literally in the earth in the dust. Unbelievable. So how important is Kava? So I can only tell you that Ramal in his safer tells us that the body decomposes in the grave. And once this decomposition takes place, the body becomes purified in order to be reunited with the nishama. Whoa. This says the Ram is authentic Jewish belief. And now we know and understand that there is a process that's going on literally in the grave. And the first thing is let your children know what your wishes are. Be it init sayso amo or wherever the family is that you wish to be buried. That's number one. Number two, it's so important that we know and we communicate this to others and that is that we are absolutely forbidden to cremate a Jewish body. Now again I'm talking to everybody because many of us know persons who are not yet orthodox not yet traditional and unfortunately today the consumer has options. It might be cheaper. And for whatever the reason, the idea is remember it's not our body. It's on loan to us from Hashem. You are come from dust and you go back to dust. But that's not the end. Remember this is a process purifying and bringing back together that the shama that you have. Now as we say every morning in the braha God the soul that you have given me it is pure. You created it. You blew it within me. God, I know you're going to take it from me, but the you're going to give it back to me. This is something that we say every day and we believe in this is Jacob didn't die. What do you mean he didn't die? The Torah says they buried him. The Torah says that there's such a long um mourning for Yakov. How could you say he didn't die? The answer, my friends, is mazarim. As long as Yakov's children, descendants are alive, so too Yakov is Bim. Yakov is alive. The importance of Kadisha, the importance of a Jewish burial, the importance of Kev Israel is our connection to Jewish history and our connection with Jewish destiny. We end by a on a positive note is not just now but just as the Zohar teaches that God or his Torah and Israel or who and God is past, present, future. So too is our Torah eternal past, present, future. So too is our people past, present, future. And this has to give each and every one of us a tremendous feeling of Kazakh. Wishing everybody Shabbat shalom to all.