Parshas Vayechi: Jacob's Legacy of Holiness

This week’s Torah portion, Vayechi: Genesis 47:28 - 50:26, focuses on Jacob’s extraordinary, long lasting legacy. Before the Patriarch draws his last breath, he adopts and blesses Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 

Jacob's Legacy of Holiness

Jacob gathers all of his sons together intending to reveal to them the final Redemption, the time when each individual Jew will have cast off secular attitudes, repented and turned back to holiness. When this occurs, the Holy Temple will be built and the Messianic Era can begin.

Our Patriarch knows this will occur thousands of years hence, the lengthy delay due to the passage of time necessary for generations of his offspring to fully understand the futility of self imposed suffering, and finally embrace God centered living and its blessings. Jacob believes his sons can help hasten these events by making sure their progeny continue to live the godly life he lived. He feels compelled to plead his case to his sons while he still has breath in his body. 

An episode of Divinely caused forgetfulness sidelines his plan. His revelation and plea go unspoken. Instead, the sons receive his blessings, as well as a review of past actions and how they will effect the future. Each son’s lineage fulfills a role necessary to insure the survival of the Jewish people. 

Joseph's  Last Days

Joseph swears to bury his father in the family’s burial plot, the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. According to legend, Esau shows up there to oppose Jacob’s burial. He claims the last burial chamber in the cave as his own. His assertion proves fatal, however, and Jacob’s burial proceeds.

Once back in Egypt, Joseph completes his earthly chores and prepares to die. He exacts an oath from this brothers to bring his remains out of Egypt during the future exodus. His coffin is entombed in the Nile River. The passing of these two consequential leaders marks a spiritual zenith of Jewish spirituality and culture a return to which many Jews still aspire. 

King David's Legacy

In our Haftorah portion this week, Melachim I, 2:1-12, (I Kings), we witness King David, Jacob’s descendant, giving deathbed instructions to Solomon, his son and successor, In addition to practical matters, David stresses belief in God as essential for Solomon’s successful reign and the continuation of Jewish destiny.

End Times Predictions

Redemption stories and end times narratives now capture our attention during this time of tumultuous global events.

Messianic End Times From Christian and Jewish Perspectives https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/messianic-end-times-from-christian-and-jewish-perspectives/

Popular among them is the belief that the thousands of years delay until the Final Redemption that Jacob anticipated nears its completion at the end of the Jewish calendar’s millennium.

We are now in 5786. Because each thousand years correlates to one day of creation, the sixth day ends at year 6000, and the seventh day of rest begins. According to this prediction, 214 years remain to complete the spiritual maturity of humankind, beginning with the collective spiritual transformation of the Jewish people.

Living Jacob's Legacy of Holiness 

All Jews living outside of Israel will end their spiritual exile by casting off secularism and embracing Torah based morals and ethics. In Israel, Torah centered governance will replace secular political power. The peace and blessings that happen there will spread throughout the world.

Much work must be done in a short amount of time. Each person who possesses a moral and religious sensibility needs to do their part to make sure Israel abandons unholy Torah practices, first among them prohibited child sacrifice in the form of abortion.

Religious Jews must use their influence in Israel to stop it and Christian Zionists motivated to bless Israel need to recognize their responsibility, too. All lovers of Israel must leverage the millions of dollars of financial help sent to Israel with pressure to stop abortion there. That would be the greatest blessing possible and the most expedient way to facilitate a messianic event.

We do our part at the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation to bring about this transformation. We believe that our Torah based, pro-life education and healing programs produce a change for the better around the world and especially in Israel. Though our influence may be only a small one at his time due to real world constraints, working in concert with others who work for morally centered change around the world and in Israel can hasten the coming of Moshiach.

If we all do our part, Jacob's legacy of holiness will happen soon!

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Cecily Routman

May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and good life upon us and upon all Israel. Amen.

Cecily Routman is the founder and president of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation. She opposes abortion homicide in general and among Jews in particular and laments secular policy making in Israel that results in loss of Jewish life and delays the messianic redemption. Cecily envisions a Torah based holy Land of Israel and a world that respects the life of every human being from conception.

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