Yeshivat Ma`alot Parashat Va`yechi Rav Yehoshua Weitzman shlit"a

‫בס"ד‬
Yeshivat Ma'alot
Parashat Va'yechi
Rav Yehoshua Weitzman shlit"a
‫ישיבת מעלות‬
‫פרשת ויחי‬
‫הרב יהושע ויצמן שליט"א‬
A Closed Parasha- An Opening to the Beyond
In this week’s parasha, we find a very interesting occurrence. As opposed to
the rest of the parshiot of the Torah, Parashat Va’yechi is “satum”, or closed. When
writing a Sefer Torah, a gap is left between two parshiot in order to differentiate
between them. Yet Parashat Va’yechi is written as a continuation of last week’s
parasha. What is the reason for this and what can we learn from it?
Chazal in the Midrash1 ask these same questions. They give three explanations
for why no gap is left before Parashat Va’yechi. The first reason given is that because
Parashat Va’yechi tells of Ya’akov Avinu’s death, the parasha is left closed. Another
explanation offered is that Ya’akov Avinu wanted to reveal the “ketz”, literally the
end. He wanted to disclose when the Mashiach will arrive, but before he was able to
tell his sons, it was concealed or “satum” from him. The third explanation that Chazal
offer is that all of the hardships in the world were closed off or “satum” from
Ya’akov.
Before delving into each of the explanations of Chazal, the concept of a closed
parasha needs clarification. The Sfat Emet2, the second Rebbe of Gur, elaborates on
an idea that is brought down from the Holy Zohar- Hashem, the Torah, and Yisrael
are all one. The fact that the parasha is closed reflects the fact that at that point in
history the eyes and hearts of Bnei Yisrael were closed. This is parallel to the fact that
Hashem was with Klal Yisrael as they descended into Egypt, and He was with them
throughout all of the trials and tribulations that they had to endure.
The fact that sometimes the Torah is written in an open form and sometimes in
a closed form teaches that at times things are written in a clear and direct manner
while at other times things are written in a hidden and concealed way. The three ideas
offered in the Midrash are three hidden reasons as to why the parasha is written
“satum”.
The first idea in the Midrash is that after Ya’akov Avinu’s death the actual
exile began and Bnei Yisrael were taken as slaves. From a deeper perspective, exile is
not just a time of forced labor or hardships of the sort, but it is a time of turning
inward. Up until the death of Ya’akov Avinu, Bnei Yisrael in Egypt were a source of
1
2
Beresheit Rabba 96, 1
Sfat Emet, Va’yechi 1885
‫בס"ד‬
abundance and blessing. When Ya’akov Avinu met Pharoh for the first time, the
Torah says that he blessed him3. The fact that Ya’akov was able to bless Pharoh
exemplifies Ya’akov’s spiritual superiority. It was obvious to all who were present
that Ya’akov was the source of blessing. However, upon his death, this outward
influence turned inward, and as the exile began, Bnei Yisrael’s source of blessing was
only apparent to them, and not to the outside world.
Harav Kook zt”l4 relates to the two different types of influence, hidden and
revealed. There is an active type of influence that a person can have, one that is
revealed and recognizable. Yet there is also another type of influence, something that
is more concealed from the eye. A person can radiate influence just by being who he
his, without making an active effort to touch others. This is true of Am Yisrael- their
existence by itself uplifts the entire world. This type of influence that characterizes
Am Yisrael began when Ya’akov Avinu died; Am Yisrael turned inwards to refine
themselves, and as a result the entire world benefited.
The second explanation offered as to why the parasha is “satum” is because
Ya’akov wanted to reveal the “ketz” and it was closed to him. The “ketz” is a
fantastically bright and blinding light. This light is so bright that to the eye it seems to
be darkness, it seems to be something “satum”, or closed. The End of Days may
appear like darkness because they are too bright to gaze at and understand. It is
something beyond human comprehension therefore it is “satum”.
Two weeks ago the parasha also began with a “ketz”, an end, as it is called
“Miketz”. There the Torah refers to the end of Yosef’s time in prison, and how he was
brought before Pharoh. The culmination of Yosef’s time in prison and his appearance
before Pharoh sheds new light onto what he had went through up until this point. It is
the turning point of his personal life and the beginning of the materialization of his
dreams. The same is true of the “ketz” for the entire world. When humanity stands at
the End of Days, all of history will be enlightened, everything that Klal Yisrael has
experienced will be made clear and all what was unable to be explained will be
elucidated. This light was too great for Ya’akov Avinu to reveal; therefore the “ketz”
was hidden away from him, and as an indication of this, Parashat Va’yechi is written
“satum”.
The third reason that Chazal attribute to the closed parasha is that it is
representative of the fact that all the troubles of the world were closed away from
Ya’akov Avinu. Many times in a person’s life, there is a feeling that everything is
going well, and that things are running smoothly. Yet when this same person will be
reminded that at some point he will pass away from this world and that this state of
wholeness will not last for eternity, his happiness can be ruined. Chazal5 explain that
while in Egypt, Ya’akov Avinu attained this higher, exalted level of good, and
because of this he was able to give the brachot that are found in the parasha. From his
state of good, Ya’akov was able to look at all of the reality and see that even things
which to the naked eye seem bad are ultimately good. This is the deeper meaning
behind the “parasha stuma”. Outwardly Ya’akov was nearing the end as the pasuk
states “And Yisrael’s days to pass away neared,” yet inwardly he saw only good.
3
Beresheit 47, 7
Orot Hakodesh, vol. 1, p.86
5
Zohar, 211, 2
4
‫בס"ד‬
True goodness does not mean that one ignores the bad. Rather, it offers a person a
deeper perspective from the source where everything is good, where everything is
complete. When a person looks at the world and at reality from this place, he is able
to also see the bad in a good light. From this “parasha stuma” we learn that as
individuals we must look for the hidden good which is concealed in the world, the
same good that brought Ya’akov Avinu to a place where no hardships could harm
him.