A Hidden Wholeness (Shabbat Vayechi)
Here we are, on the first day of 2021. An end point to the pandemic is on the horizon as the vaccine begins to be administered. As we look to the future, we begin to think about how we’ll look back on and make sense of this time.
In this week’s Torah portion, Jacob, too, looks back on his life. The final portion of Genesis, begins with the words “Jacob lived”. The achievements of Jacob’s life are the focus, not the fact of his mortality. As Jacob looks back on his life, he reflects on his failures and achievements, the people he loved and lost, the lives his children will live without him.
In Jacob’s desire to offer his children reassurance about their future, he says: “Gather around and I will tell you what will occur to you in the end of days” (Gen 49:1). Jacob wants to tell his sons about a time when the world would be completely redeemed, when peace and abundance will pervade the land.
But as he begins to speak, his sense of meaning — of the way everything fits together — falls apart. He falls silent under the weight of all he does not know.
According to a midrash, what happens next is remarkable.
Calling their father by the name he got after wrestling an angel, they say, “Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad – Hear Israel, our father, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.” Listen, dad, they say – we still believe we are connected to something greater than each of us, and through this connection, our sufferings and joys, your life and ours, are all bound together as one.
Perhaps it’s no surprise this reminder of a hidden wholeness, some deeper meaning that connects the seemingly disparate fragments of our lives — this affirmation of our capacity to live through difficulty without losing hope for healing and redemption — has become the watchword of our people, an affirmation we are instructed to say three times a day.
After his children address these words to him, Jacob is able to speak again. This time, rather than trying to reassure them by predicting the future, he instead blesses his sons, naming each one’s gifts. He understands now whatever meaning his children will find will come through the vulnerability and confusion ahead – and their gifts, their character, is what will allow them to navigate and make meaning out of their struggles.
As we conclude our reflection on this week’s reading, I wonder:
How do you imagine you will look back, and make meaning of this chapter of your life? Who can you speak with to help you see how the pieces of your life fit together? As we reflect on these questions, we affirm our faith in our capacity to eventually make sense of 2020, and look forward to the hope and possibility 2021 holds for us.