Voices of WRJ: Va-y'chi

by Carol S. LeBovidge This week’s parashah is Va-y’chi. As I was reading the portion, I began to wonder how this would fit into our lives today. Va-y’chi starts by telling us the length of Jacob’s life, 147 years, 17 of which were spent in Egypt. The story almost appears as the last will and testament of Jacob. He instructs Joseph, his favorite son, to bury him in Canaan with his ancestors. We next learn of the blessings that Jacob makes on his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh. They are Joseph’s sons who Jacob adopts so that they will be counted among the tribes with Jacob’s other sons. Then Jacob blesses them, first the younger son, Ephraim, and then Menasseh. This reminded me of Isaac blessing Jacob, the younger, first and then Esau. Of course, that involved a little treachery on Rebekkah’s behalf. After blessing his grandsons, Jacob then blesses his own 12 sons, who represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Some are praised for what they have done; others are merely mentioned. Again, at the end of the blessings Jacob instructs them all to bury him with his ancestors. After Jacob dies, the brothers get permission from Pharaoh and proceed to Canaan to bury Jacob. When they return to Egypt, the brothers again ask for Joseph’s forgiveness for having betrayed him many years earlier. Joseph does forgive them and says that this was always God’s will. Joseph, too, asks to be buried in Canaan and then he dies. So, how does this relate to us today? As I write this, I am about to enter the next decade of my life, just under half of Jacob’s life. At this time it seems natural to reflect on our lives past and dream of life yet to come. We all begin to focus on what has transpired in our lives. We think about parents who may or may not still be alive. We think about our children and how we brought them up and where they are in their lives. If we are so blessed, we think about grandchildren, born and maybe yet to come. Have we lived our lives in such a way that they have become the best people that they can be? Shall we give them our blessing on our deathbeds or on a daily basis? Although we may not stand in front of them and bless them in person, I’m sure that we bless and praise them on a daily basis. Many of us have already written our Last Wills and Testaments and may be reviewing them to make sure they are up to date and are actually what we want to leave as a legacy to our family, whether we are talking about tangible goods or an ethical will. It has always been a pleasure for me to be a part of Women of Reform Judaism, the Northeast District, and my own sisterhood. We always have good times together and even during rough patches in our lives we are able to spend quality time with each other. We always leave our meetings with a blessing to be well until we meet again. This seems to work because we leave our gatherings with smiles on our faces. As we begin a new year, I hope that we can all be like Jacob and our sisters in WRJ, Districts and locals, and bless everyone. I hope that we all are able to forgive and forget any disagreements that we have had with brothers, sisters, children, etc. And I hope that we all are remembered for all the good things that we have done over the years. May we all continue to go from strength to strength. Carol S. LeBovidge is a WRJ Board of Directors member and is the WRJ Northeast District membership secretary.  She is a member of Temple Emanuel in Andover, MA and is treasurer of its sisterhood.