Of Blessings & Predictions (Parshat Vayechi) by Rabbi David Walk

hi good morning good morning um we're still we're still hanging in there but I I do want everyone to please pay close attention to all of the announcements coming out of the Israel Center uh of the OU because they are going to try to start having some classes back at the center not the full program but uh but please you know pay attention and uh stay tuned for uh for the developments after we get into uh to January they are going to start uh some classes back at the Israel Center okay this morning we uh we want to talk about uh this week's parure so this week's Torah reading is uh is interesting I can say it that way for me the most Salient point about this week's parure is the sadness we we're saying good b goodbye to so many uh great characters of course yakoo but then yose and the rest of of theim don't appear again when the scene sets next week in in seot but it's also a mysterious par um our sages have pointed out they also formed this phenomenon that they wanted you to feel that par was a bit mysterious a bit of an enigma because they arranged it so that the paraa begins para begins without an open space between our par and last week's Torah reading of Vos so they they the only time this happens in the Torah is this week and they say that it is a parasa it's a closed par it's a closed situation we're cut off from something we're missing something and I feel strongly that the greatest mystery in this week's Torah reading is really in ch chapter 49 a chapter later than the beginning of the para when Abraham excuse me when Yakov ainu invites the shiv his 12 sons to come together and the tsim that introduce what becomes known as the BR the blessings for the 12 tribes um begins with with something looks a little bit different and the PK says El and yov calls to his sons he sends for them uh he summons them if you will and this is what he says heyu gather together and I will relate to you what's going to happen to you at the end of day so I think that shot in this in this PUK is that he's going to tell them what's going to be going on after he's gone and relaying to them the message of breim of the Covenant of the parts that a Rino already knew the Jews would go down to Egypt and become slaves there and then be be redeemed get the Torah so I think means that it doesn't mean the end of uh the end of creation doesn't mean be at the mashia but kazal and Rashi quotes the famous garim about this that they say that he really wanted to tell them what was going to happen and then the the divine presence departed for him and he no longer was able to relate to them this information okay that's Rashi famous position I'm going to say something different in a minute but we have to look at the next next verse the next verse sounds like it's repeating the first verse but not quite Isel first one was heyu gathered together now I'm going to trans like this join together make a a cohesive unit and listen oh sons of Jacob and listen to your father the individual that gazes them together is the more physical side of the third of the Patriarchs and that is yakob but the message is going to come from the more spiritual side of this patriarch and that's Israel but why does he changed the language and I think this is what motivates the midis and Rashi that what happens is initially he is gathering together to tell them what to do the next verse is I'm gathering you together so that you will shimao listen and decide what to do it's fascinating in Judaism the term shma doesn't just mean listen it means listen and then do something I'm giving you information and then you have to carry it through Isel listen to Israel and I'm now I'm G to talk to you about things IM and if you will heed listen pay attention follow the mitzvot a Tish since you have listen slashed followed all of the mitzvot so the first first half is very passive I'm going to do it all the second half the second verse is very active it's up to you so thees a very famous who died in 1825 his name was Comm clonus Hali he says that the difference between the two uh between the [Music] twoim is because he really did Yu Isel Sabah our great great grandfather wanted to tell them what the future held because he first saw that the boys his children theim were gathered together he saw them and he said oh wow it's time to turn the page we've gotten rid of all of the arguments and all of the fighting that led to the sail of yoseph and led to Y Yehuda also going away from the family for for many years to marry a Canaanite and to move away but now I see you've all come back together it's time to tell you what's going to be and then Hashem says no no you're right they did come together but they didn't come together to find out this secret information they came together to get in instructions from you shim tell them to listen so yaku changes from giving them some glimpse into the future Destiny of clly Israel and instead each individual tribe except for shim and Le you get this together but all of the tribes are getting their instructions their marching orders instead so that's the change of language from from agida I'm just going to tell you to shimu pay attention carefully I'm giving you instructions that you're supposed to follow and pay attention to this is a very beautiful idea um that first of all Yakov was inspired by seeing his sons Al together it just meant a lot to him and then he couldn't tell them what's going to happen and Rabbi saaks Al shalam explains to us why he couldn't just tell them X Y and Z is going to happen in the following order he shouldn't or couldn't do that God stopped them from doing it because we're not supposed to know Judaism isn't about giving you the entire picture Judaism is about dealing you the hand and then you play it um rev saxs a few years ago on this um on on this very Point said uh he pointed out that Judaism has no word for tragedy really in modern Hebrew we say tragedia which is just you know like the English word just the Greek word for a tragedy what's a tragedy a tragedy is a drama with a sad outcome involving a hero disted to experience downfall of Destruction through a character flaw or a conflict trag is something that happens to a hero that is inevitable where he has no choice we don't believe in that kind of Destiny or inevitability and now I'm quoting again from by acts we are free we can choose and then he quotes Isaac bashev Singer I mean it's a funny sort of funny person to quote who wasn't exactly you know on the same page as uh as the chief Rabbi but okay but he was you know he was very smart fellow Isaac bashev sing used to say we must be free we have no choice being Jewish means we must choose our path we're not about you know everything has been decided in advance for you we're all about the fact that we must true choose for ourselves RAB SAS goes on to explain the difference between a prediction and a prophecy a prediction is this is what's going to happen and when it happens you succeeded a prophecy is the opposite a prophecy tells you be careful do the right thing or something bad will happen a prediction is good when it comes true uh prophecy generally is good when it doesn't come true the famous in nve he says 30 days the city's going to be destroyed no it's not because they all did chuva prophecy is a warning that's what eventually uh Yakov Vino tells the sons the prophet speaks to human Freedom not to fate we don't believe that we should just be told what to do we're supposed to be free to make mistakes to make choices to live our lives to be ourselves and hopefully defy all of the dire predictions we truly believe that every human being has total capacity to control their Destiny and I just want to read one more one more short quote from Rabbi sex the Jewish people people has been written off many times in our history but it remains here and strong almost four Millennia later still young and strong that is why when Jacob wanted to tell his children what would happen to them in the future The Departed he wasn't allowed to sustained by the blessings of God we can become greater than anyone even ourselves could ever foresee that's how Rabbi saaks concludes I would like to conclude by saying right now we are in one of these hidden mysterious sections of Jewish history we don't know what tomorrow is going to bring we are really right now in the midst of a terrible struggle between good and evil and the decision is in our hands I know we depend on sahal on the IDF and they're terrific and they're great and they're wonderful and they will succeed but the true future of our nation lies in our hands to choose the right path to make sure that our country is not only strong and viable and economically sound but to make sure it's also good and honest and ethical and moral it's all up to us the way the Medina will turn out isn't just about how sahal fights on the battlefield they're wonderful I mean the sadness is overwhelming when when some fall but their power is inspiring the F the true future of the nation lies in our hands to make decisions Shima listening careful to Y sabba to our great great grandfather yov who told us that we have to listen to the Torah to the Mitzvah to a kades and then not only will be will we be strong we'll also be good and that's what we pray for and that's what we're working making the right choices in terms of morality ethics as well as the tremendous strength to destroy the evil on our borders we're at a Crossroads in the history of arm medinaa and the fate of the Medina and our people again lies in our hands to make the right decisions it looks like we're on the right path fighting so strongly and the nation pitching in when Yakov looked at the TW Sons together he saw Unity that's what we need more than anything else please God will maintain this Unity through the Victory and then to a great growth of our wonderful Medina in the wake of all of these difficult times thank you so so very much for joining this morning and um please pay attention to the ANS from the uh from the Israel Center for things coming up and when you listen to uh Israel sabber in this week's para be inspired and make the right choices bye-bye thank you so much for joining today