Parashat Vayechi

And God created humankind in the divine image,
creating it in the image of God—
creating them male and female.
(Sefaria: Genesis: 1:27)

When thinking back to my years in Hebrew School and to my becoming a bat mitzvah at the age of thirteen, I realize that I never learned the concept of “B’tzelem Elohim,” in the image of God, until I was an adult. Were my teachers fearful that we teenagers could never, would never, comprehend a monotheistic God who was unseen? Perhaps our rabbis were afraid that we could not understand the concept of moral potential, of trying to become like God. Were those rabbis concerned that we, thinking of what the image of God might be, could be – a powerful one, albeit one that could not be seen – might become bored?  Or, more simply, were we too young to truly comprehend the concept and its many layers of meaning?

What’s even odder is the fact that the term sibling rivalry, created in 1941, was never discussed by the rabbis as we studied the Book of Genesis, almost twenty years later. “B’tzelem Elohim” and “sibling rivalry” were simply not in our Hebrew School lexicon. Yet, as we studied Genesis, the concept of sibling rivalry was certainly woven through the parashot (weekly readings). From Cain and Abel to Joseph and his brothers, the Book of Genesis is replete with cases, and those often had deadly consequences. As I learned about “B’tzelem Elohim,” I began to question why the humans in Genesis could not unlock the potential inherent in “B’tzelem Elohim” and seek the good in each other. Perhaps one could not truly understand goodness unless they understood that which is bad.

At the beginning of Parashat Vayechi, Jacob knows he is going to die, and he elicits a promise from Joseph to bury him with his fathers. Jacob also calls his sons to his side: “Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come” (Etz Hayim: Vayechi: 49:1). We already know the drama that has occurred in the Joseph story, but it is time for Jacob to bless his sons. It is apparent from Jacob’s words that some of his sons have not worked hard enough on their moral potential. Jacob begins with his son, Reuben, and the voice of the old man seems less than pleasant:

         
 “Unstable as water, you shall excel no longer;
For when you mounted your father’s bed
You brought disgrace – my couch he mounted!”

   

Similarly, Jacob speaks with acrimony to a few of the others:

          

           “Simeon and Levi are a pair;
            Their weapons are tools of lawlessness.
            .  .  .  . For when angry, they slay men,
            And when pleased they maim oxen.
           Cursed be their anger so fierce, 
           And their wrath so relentless.”

         
“Dan shall be a serpent by the road,
           A viper by the path,
           That bites the horse’s heels
           So that his rider is thrown backward.”

Of course, there are the other brothers who fare somewhat better, but after Jacob’s death, the brothers worry that Joseph will harbor a grudge against them and take revenge against them for their past behavior. The brothers send a message to Joseph: “Before his death your father left this instruction: So shall you say to Joseph, ‘Forgive, I urge you, the offense and guilt of your brothers who treated you so harshly.’ .  .  .” (Etz Hayim, 50:16-17).

However, Joseph’s brothers “went to him themselves, flung themselves before him, and said, ‘We are prepared to be your slaves.’  .  .  . Joseph responded to them, “Have no fear! Am I a substitute for God? Besides, although you intended me harm, God intended it for good, so as to bring about the present result — the survival of many people. And so, fear not, I will sustain you and your children.’ Thus, he reassured them, speaking kindly to them” (Etz Hayim, 50:18-21). 

At the end of Parashat Vayechi, we see how the Book of Genesis puts closure on “B’tzelem Elohim.” The brothers and Joseph have changed their behaviors and seem to be on a solid track toward familial bonding. The sibling rivalry that has caused so much of the hatred within Jacob’s family seems to have morphed into a peace that will ultimately take the family back to the land that Joseph bought in Shechem.

The peace brought about by forgiveness in Parashat Vayechi lays the groundwork for the nation-building that will begin in the Book of Exodus. There will be some family drama in the upcoming Torah portions, but the creation of a free people, a people who finally throw off the chains of enslavement, a people with a faith based on law and morality become the most important motif in Torah: “I the Lord am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: You shall have no other gods besides me” (Exod.: 20:2).  

Shabbat Shalom.