Devar/5768/Vayechi
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And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years… (Gen 47:28)
And the time drew near that Israel must die… (Gen 47:28)
Sometimes he is called by his prior name, "Jacob", and sometimes by the name which God gave him, "Israel". From the time his son Joseph disappeared, until he was informed he was still alive, he was called "Jacob". And in our parasha, he's called "Israel" most of the time. In order to understand the difference between these names, one must look at the first usage of the name Israel: when he battled an angel of God - that is, in a prophetic vision.
All the years he was separated from his son, he was in mourning. Our Sages said: Prophecy does not reside in one who is sad, or lazy, but rather in one who is happy. (Laws of the Fundamentals of Torah 7:8). And there is no greater sorrow than thinking one's child is dead.
Our Sages also said: One may not cry over the dead more than three days, nor eulogize them more than seven days. (Laws of Mourning 13:10). To tell us there is a limit to mourning, and one should not keep the pain inside indefinitely - rather, one should mourn as our Sages direct, and continue with life and not ignore one's obligations to the living nor to oneself. Likewise did King David of blessed memory say to his son Solomon in this week's haftarah: I go the way of all the earth; be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man (Kings 1 2:2).
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