Last Updated on December 30, 2021
Parshat Hashavuah Vayechi
By: Rabbi Nissim Mordechai Makor
Parshat Hashavuah Vayechi in a nutshell: Vayechi is the Hebrew for “and he lived,” the first word of this parashah, it is the twelfth weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the last in the Book of Genesis. The parashah tells of Jacob’s request for burial in Canaan, Jacob’s blessing of Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob’s blessing of his sons, Jacob’s death and burial, and Joseph’s death.
King David’s life was drawing to a close, and he gave his final instructions to (Solomon), his son… (Kings I 2:1).
Guided Tour
Parashat Vayechi relates the details of Jacob’s final words and blessings to his children, which assigned each son their respective ultimate roles in shaping the Israelite nation. The Haftara recalls King David’s final words.
They differ from Jacob’s in three fundamental ways. Firstly, unlike Jacob, he communicated his message to one son only – Solomon. Secondly, he stressed that his future success would be dependent in his ‘following the right path’ – Jacob, by contrast, seems to have taken the future good deeds of his progeny for granted. Thirdly, he left his son some ‘unfinished business’ to take care of, and most of it was of a highly unpleasant nature.
That unfinished business was to liquidate certain individuals who caused David great distress. They were Joab, his chief general, and Shimi ben Geira, who, according to the Talmud (Berachot 17a) was David’s teacher, and also confidante and advisor.
Shabbat candle lighting times for Parshat HaShavuah Vayechi
Joab killed Abner and Amasa – two military commanders. Abner, as the text relates, had originally been Saul’s premier general, but after his death and some unseemly ‘goings-on’ at the court of his successor, decided to leave that household and move over to David. Joab knew nothing about David’s acceptance of Abner, and on his first meeting with him stabbed him to death ‘in the fifth rib’. In so doing, Joab assumed that Abner was David’s deadly enemy – as he had been in the time of Saul.
Near the end of his life, David wished to replace Joab with Amasa. That was because he was furious that Joab had dealt the final deathblow to his son Absalom following Absalom’s almost successful rebellion against David. On a later campaign, Joab met Amasa and stabbed him to death – again ‘in the fifth rib’. In both cases the text implies that he murdered them in a cowardly and treacherous way after gaining their confidence.
Shimi ben Geira had sided with Absalom in his rebellion against David, and, in so doing, publicly execrated him with vile curses. Although he profusely apologized to him after Absalom’s rebellion proved to have failed, and later on sided with David and Solomon during Adonijah’s rebellion, David nevertheless told Solomon to ‘put him on the list’ to be ‘dealt with’.
On a kindlier note, David urged Solomon to show special kindness to the family of Barzilai of Gilead – who in his old age had gone out of his way to supply David with board and lodging during the hardest time of his life. That was when his and his followers’ lives were in grave danger as he fled from his patricidal son, Absalom. Solomon was to include Barzilai’s family amongst ‘those who sat at his table’. His loyalty to David was to be rewarded publicly, so that people would draw proper lessons for their own behavior.
D’var Torah
The obvious question: why did King David leave those unpleasant tasks for his son? Why did he not issue the royal decree for Joab’s removal from office after he murdered Abner – or Amasa? And why did he promise on oath to spare Shimi’s life after his apology, instead of putting him to death under the royal privilege?
In answering this question, it is essential to look at the stages of David’s life as king, and at his relationship with G-d during those respective stages.
When Abner moved over to David’s side and Joab murdered him, David himself was in a very vulnerable situation. He was not king over all Israel – Israel was a divided kingdom, and he ruled, rather tenuously, over Judah only. The northern part of the country was until then loyal to the ruling house of Saul, which at that time was ‘becoming weaker and weaker’.
Thus David had to establish his credibility to those loyal to the House of Saul – Saul himself had been his murderous enemy. He did this by publicly mourning Abner, who was their beloved commander, and in joining his funeral procession. At the same time his position in the south of the country was not yet strong enough to demand Joab’s removal from office. His own position as king was not well established, and Joab seems to have already been enjoying public confidence and popularity. In short, David needed him.
David’s lament for Abner finished with the words: ‘I am tender, and anointed as king. These men (Joab and his family) are too strong for me. May G-d pay he that did this act of wickedness in a manner commensurate with his wickedness.’ (Sam. II 3:39) In other words he handed the matter over to G-d, requesting Him to intervene personally.
In having to please both parts of the country, David used his skills as a political tightrope walker. In fact, subsequent events suggest that David never ruled over a united Israelite kingdom in the same way as his son, but rather, he ruled over two separate entities – each having entered into a separate personal contract with him.
But the words ‘I am tender’ may also mean tender in faith. Deep down, David felt that he should have removed Joab in some way or other, but his faith was too ‘tender’ to hand his own need for popular acclaim over to G-d. That was his test from G-d. And in saying that he was tender, he expressed regret that he was spiritually too weak at that early stage of his monarchy
Shabbat candle lighting times for Parshat HaShavuah Vayechi
Gratitude for the Tzaddikim [Righteous]
The Pearls of Life quotes the Garden of Gratitude that brings this General Rule, that a person should be connected to all the tzaddikim. Nonetheless, it is good and worthy for a person to have one main Rabbi from whom he receives guidance in life and in their service to Hashem, as our Sages say: “Make a Rabbi from whom one receives guidance in life and in his service of Hashem, as our Sages say” “Make a Rabbi for yourself and avoid any doubt.” If a person asks the opinions of many Rabbis all at once, he can create confusion. But the person must love all the other Rabbis, including those he does not feel close too. In addition, one must love all the holy books that were written by the Rabbis and not denigrate them, Heaven Forbid. We must thank Hashem profusely for the tzaddikim in our generation and pray that Hashem will give them strength, health, wisdom and understanding so that they may bring us close to Him and infuse the Nation of Israel with Emuna. Every person must thank Hashem daily for the tzaddikim who brought him close to Hashem. How much we must thank Hashem for the tzaddikim who bring us to the truth and enlighten our eyes!
Yeshiva Pirchei Shoshanim.
