[Par-reg] VAYCHI - QUESTIONS FOR SELF STUDY

Mon Jan 2 02:47:45 EST 2012

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     THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]

          In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag

     Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag

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                PARSHAT VAYECHI

PART I - QUESTIONS FOR THE 'SHABBOS TABLE'

'LUZ' OR 'BET EL'?

1.  In 48:3, before Yaakov blesses his
grandchildren, he first

reminds Yosef of how God had once blessed him
in the city of

Luz.  Note, however, that God had appeared to
Yaakov at Luz

twice, i.e. in 28:10-22 and 35:9-15.

     Based on this pasuk and its context,
which 'hitgalut' at

Luz is Yaakov referring to (and why)?

  Can you explain why Yaakov relates
primarily to God's

special Name of 'Kel Sha-dai'?  [Relate to
Ramban on 17:1!]

2.  As you should remember, Luz was the
original name of this

site, but Yaakov had since named that place
'Bet El' (see

28:19 & 35:15).  Can you explain why Yaakov
(of all people)

still calls this city Luz, instead of its
'new name' Bet El?

     In your answer, relate to why Yaakov
called that site Bet

El, and his vow to build a Bet Elokim at that
site (see 28:20-

22).

  Did Yaakov ever build a Bet Elokim, as he
had promised?  Is

there a good reason why he didn't?  Does he
hope that some day

in the future, that one of his offspring may
fulfill his

original vow?

  If so, how would that explain his calling
this site Luz at

this time?

BLESSING, PROPHECIES, OR PREDICTIONS?

1.  In your opinion, would you consider
Yaakov's 'blessings'

to his children (see 49:1-28) as 'hopes' or
'predictions'?

  Support your answer based on their content.
For example, do

any of these 'blessings' relate to the future
inheritance of

the Land of Israel?  Do any of them relate to
leadership

qualities?  Are any of the 'blessings'
actually 'curses'?

  Be sure to relate as well to 49:28!

     Then see Ibn Ezra on 49:1!

  [See also Rashbam and Chizkuni on 49:1.]

2.  Using a Tanach Koren [or similar], note
how Yaakov's

blessings to sons are divided into
'parshiot'.  Note

especially how this entire unit begins and
ends!  Can you

explain the logic of these divisions?

  Does each shevet have its own 'parshia', or
are there

exceptions?  If so, can you identify which
tribes, and explain

why?

  Similarly, can you explain the logic of the
order of the

tribes in these blessings?  [See Chizkuni on
49:13.]

     Finally, compare these 'blessings' to
Moshe Rabbeinu's

blessings to the tribes in Parshat Ve-zot
Ha-bracha - in

regard to their content, order, and style.
What is similar

and what is different?

  In your explanation, relate to the purpose
and setting for

each set of blessings.

PASSING ON A TRADITION

1.  Review 48:21, noting how Yaakov informs
Yosef that God

will one-day bring them back to the Eretz
Canaan.  Attempt to

explain why Yaakov mentions this point
specifically now in the

context of what has transpired in chapter 48.
Relate to 48:3-

4!

     Recall how Sefer Breishit concludes by
telling us how

Yosef relays this message to his brothers
(see 50:24-26).  In

your opinion, why do you think that Sefer
Breishit concludes

specifically with this message?

     Finally, based on Shmot 3:6-9, 3:13-17,
4:1 and 4:28-31,

prove that even several hundred years later,
Bnei Yisrael

remain aware of this message (as well as the
various earlier

promises that God had made to the Avot).  [In
our shiur on

Parshat Shmot, we will return to this topic.]

BURIAL IN CANAAN

1.  Two times in Parshat Vayechi, Yaakov
Avinu asks his

children that he be buried in Eretz Canaan,
but each time to

different children:

     1) First he commands Yosef - see
47:29-31.

               [Note as well Breishit
46:2-4.]

     2) Later on, he commands his other sons
- see 49:28-33.

  Review these two sources, noting their
context, and then

attempt to explain why Yaakov finds it
necessary to make this

request twice.  Pay careful attention to what
Yaakov commands

Yosef to do, in contrast to what he commands
his other

children. What is different, and what is the
same?

  Relate this difference to 48:7.  [In other
words, why is

Rachel's burial a 'touchy issue'?  See Ramban
on 48:7.]

     Review 50:1-14.  Were both requests
fulfilled?

2.  This story of Yaakov's burial contains
two puzzling

details:

  a)  Yosef appears to fear that Pharaoh may
not allow him

  to bury his father in Eretz Canaan.  [See
50:4-5.]

  b)  The official Egyptian funeral
procession never enters

  Eretz Canaan.  Instead, the ceremony takes
place in 'ever

  ha-yarden' (on the 'other side' [i.e.
eastern side] of

  the Jordan River).  [See 50:7-12.]

     Before you attempt to explain why,
relate to the

following questions as you formulate an
answer.

     First, review 47:28-31.

     Then, explain why (in 50:4-5) Yosef
speaks to 'beit

Pharaoh' and not to Pharaoh himself?  [or
does he? - see

50:6.]  Does this leave the impression that
he is not as

'powerful' as he was before?

     Now read 50:6-11.  Based on these
details, does it appear

that Yosef's position remains as important as
it had been

during the time of the famine?

     Why does Yaakov receive such honor from
the Egyptians?

3.  When the Egyptian delegation goes to bury
Yaakov, note how

the Egyptian escort stops at 'Goren Atad',
while only Yaakov's

children ascend to Eretz Canaan to bury him
(see 50:11-13).

Can you explain why?

     Note that 'Goren ha-Atad' (where the
public mourning

takes place) is located on the other bank of
the Jordan River,

not in Eretz Canaan (50:10)!  Can you explain
why?

     Could it be that the Egyptians are
intentionally avoiding

entering Eretz Canaan?  In other words, would
it not have been

much shorter for everyone to travel directly
to Hebron!

     Relate your answer to the attitude of
the Egyptians

towards 'foreigners', based on Breishit 43:32
(& 39:14 & Shmot

8:22).

     What appears to be the opinion of the
Egyptians towards

the people of Canaan?

     Relate as well to Vayikra 18:1-3& 18:27!

     Finally, relate this to why Yosef
himself does not ask to

be buried in Eretz Canaan, rather he only
asks that his bones

be taken when Bnei Yisrael will leave Egypt
several hundred

years later (see 50:24-26).

=======

PART II - QUESTIONS FOR PREPARATION (for the
shiur)

1.  In your opinion, what was Yosef's
original intention when

he brought his two sons to his father's
deathbed?

  [In other words, was he expecting to
receive a blessing,

  or was this simply an understandable visit
by a concerned

  son?]

  If he does expect a blessing, would it be
for himself or for

his children?  Finally, what type of blessing
should he

expect?

  [In your opinion, did Yosef hear what he
expected?  If

  not, was he pleasantly 'surprised', or was
he possibly

  'disappointed'?]

2.  Have there been any earlier precedents in
Sefer Breishit

where a father has blessed his children
before his death?  If

so, in what manner is this situation similar,
and in what

manner is it different?

     Based on 48:1-20, what type of blessing
does Yaakov

grant?  Is there a precedent for this type of
blessing in

Sefer Breishit?

  Would you consider this a blessing to
Yosef, or is it simply

a blessing to Efraim and Menashe.

3.  In relation to 48:5 (that Efraim &
Menashe will be like

Reuven & Shimon) - would you consider this
yet another

fatherly 'blessing', or might this relate to
the concept of

'bechora' [right of the first-born]?  If so,
explain how and

why, i.e. explain how it relates to 48:3-4.
Then, see Rashbam

on 48:5, as well as Ibn Ezra on 48:4-6,
noting how they

understand this blessing!

4.  Attempt to categorize the different types
of blessings

that we have found thus far in Sefer
Breishit, including both

those bestowed by God as well as those
bestowed by an

[elderly] father to his children.  [For
example, note 9:24-27;

12:1-3, 13:14-16; 26:1-5; 27:26-40; and
35:9-13.]

  Relate your answer to the theme of
'bechira', which we have

been following thus far in our study of Sefer
Breishit, as

well as the concept of 'bechora' and
'bracha'.

5.  Before Yaakov blesses Efraim and Menashe,
in 48:3-4 he

reminds Yosef of an earlier prophecy that he
received.

     How does this explain the background for
his 'promise'

(or 'blessing') to Yosef regarding his sons
in 48:5-6?

         [Relate this blessing to Devarim
21:17.]

How does all of this relate to Yaakov's
statement in 48:7?

     [Or, maybe it doesn't?  If not, what
does 48:7 relate

to?]

6.  What is the essence of Yaakov's actual
blessing to Efraim

& Menashe themselves in 48:15-20?  How does
this blessing

relate to his earlier blessing in 48:5-6?

     Would you consider this bracha or
bechora?

     In relation to 48:16, is there any
reason why someone

would have thought that Efraim & Menashe
would not be

identified with Yaakov's name?  [Relate to
when and where they

were born!]

7.  In your opinion, is 48:21-22 an
additional blessing to

Yosef?

     If not, what is it?  [See Rashbam
48:21.]

8.  What is the nature of Yaakov's blessings
to his children

in 49:1-28?  Are they all 'blessings'?  If
not, what is common

to all of them?  [Note carefully Yaakov's
opening statement in

49:1!

     See also 49:34 & Ibn Ezra on 49:1!

9.  Note 48:21, compare with 50:24-25.

     How does this relate to 46:1-4?

    Why is 50:24-25 an appropriate ending for
Sefer Breishit?

          How will it relate to what will
transpire in Sefer

Shmot?

               [Relate to Shmot 3:15-18.]

PART III - PARSHANUT

SHECHEM - A CITY or a PORTION?

1.  Review 48:22.  What is difficult about
this pasuk?  Relate

it to 33:18, and the word 'shchem' in each of
these psukim.

     What does the word shchem mean?  Is
there more than one

possibility?  How does the remainder of this
pasuk affect the

explanation of this word?  How does the
context of the entire

chapter relate to the meaning of this word?

     What did Yaakov take with his sword &
bow?

          When did this happen and why?

     After answering these questions (on your
own), go through

the various commentators and try to organize
their different

approaches into at least two categories.  As
you study:

a.  See Rashi, noting how does he answer the
above questions?

     Why does he bring two interpretations?

  What is difficult about each one?

  In your opinion, which interpretation does
Rashi prefer?

b.  See Rashbam (& Rasa"g)!

  How do they answer these questions?

     How (and why) is this interpretation
different?

  See also Radak!  How (and why) is his
interpretation

  similar, and how is it different?

c.  Next, see Ibn Ezra.  How does he relate
to these opinions

(as discussed above)?

     Which peirush [interpretation] does he
prefer?

    Can you explain why?

     How is his answer 'better' (or
different) than Rashbam's?

d.  Now see Seforno?  How is his peirush
different?

          Relate his peirush to Rashi's!

     Would you consider his peirush 'pshat' -
or more

Midrashic?

     Why do you think Seforno doesn't prefer
the above

peirushim?

e.  Finally see Ramban!  In what manner is
his peirush totally

different than the others?  To whom is his
peirush most

similar?

     How (and why) does he connect his
peirush to Yaakov's

original blessing of Efraim & Menashe?

     Is this typical of Ramban's
comprehensive approach to

pshat?

     Note his comparison of this pasuk to
Melachim II 13:16-

17!

          How does this 'solve' the most
difficult aspect of

the peirush of Ibn Ezra and Rashbam?

'ACHARIT HA-YAMIM'

2.  Read 49:1.

     In your opinion, what does the phrase
'acharit ha-yamim'

imply?    [i.e. how many years into the
future]

  a. See first Chizkuni's interpretation!
Why does he relate

this to 'brit bein ha-btarim'?  What is the
basis of his

peirush?

  b. Next see Ramban.  How is his opinion
different?

          What does Ramban base his opinion
on?

  c. Now see Seforno.  Is his peirush the
same as Ramban's or

different?  What pasuk does he base his
peirush on?

  d. See also Rashbam in 49:1 who explains
'et asher yikra

etchem..' - about their strength [in battle]
and their

inheritance [nachalatam].  Can you infer from
this how Rashbam

understands acharit ha-yamim?  Which of the
opinions discussed

above would this be more similar to -
Chizkuni or Ramban?

  e. Finally see Rashi on 49:1.  Even though
Rashi doesn't

explain acharit ha-yamim specifically, how
does his commentary

relate to his understanding of this phrase?

'SEEING' OR 'RECOGNIZING'

3.  In 48:8, when Yaakov sees Yosef's two
sons, he asks: "Who

are these children?"  [& in 48:9, Yosef
informs him that these

are his two sons.]  How could it be that
after living in Egypt

for some seventeen years, Yaakov did not know
who Yosef's

children were?

     First, see Rashi on 48:8.  Note how he
'solves' this

problem by re-interpreting this pasuk.  In
your opinion, is

this 'drash' or 'pshat'?

     Next, see Chizkuni, noting how he begins
with 'lefi

pshuto'.  Why is Chizkuni's interpretation
more 'pshat' than

Rashi's?

     See also Rashbam and Radak.  Are they
basically the same

peirush as Chizkuni, or different?  Explain.

4.  In answer to Yaakov's questions 'mi
eileh' (in 48:8),

Yosef answers (in 48:9) that these are his
sons who God gave

him 'ba-zeh'.  In your opinion, what does is
Yosef referring

to when he says ba-zeh?  How does it relate
to the context of

what Yaakov has said in 48:1-8?

     See Rashi, noting how he explains that
Yosef showed his

fathers some 'official documents'?  Can you
explain what led

Rashi to prefer this Midrashic
interpretation?

     Then see Rashbam, Ramban, Chizkuni and
Seforno.  Note how

each commentator offers a slightly different
interpretation,

yet all of them relate to what transpires in
48:1-8.

                              be-hatzlacha,

                              menachem

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