Gather yourselves together that I may tell you what will befall you in the end of days (Gen. 49:1)
Rashi explains that Jacob wished to tell his children when Moshiach would come. However, "the Divine Presence departed" and he was thus unable to do so. But why was it necessary for the Divine Presence to depart? Why didn't G-d simply forbid Jacob from revealing this information? What happened, however, was that Jacob foresaw all the suffering his children would be forced to endure throughout the exile, and became sad. As "the Divine Presence only rests on a joyful person," it departed as a result of his mood. (Rabbi Chanoch Tzvi of Bendin)
Let them grow into a multitude (yidgu) in the midst of the earth (Gen. 48:16)
This blessing alludes to the fact that the existence of the Jewish people is not dependent on the forces of nature, but is supernatural. The word "yidgu" is derived from the Hebrew word for fish - "dag," the intent being that there should be as many Jews as there are fish. Fish, however, cannot live "in the midst of the earth"; Jacob's blessing therefore intimates that his children will survive even under conditions that would annihilate another nation. (Chatam Sofer)
And Joseph went up to bury his father (Gen. 50:7)
A person is judged with the same yardstick he uses to judge others. Joseph, the most respected of the brothers, involved himself personally in the burial of his father. He thereby merited that none other than Moses himself would later carry his bones back to the land of Israel. (Sotah, 9:4)
Reprinted from the Parashat Vayechi - December 20, 2002 - 15 Tevet, 5763 edition of L’Chaim, a publication of the Lubavitch Youth Organization.
