In blessing his sons, Jacob in fact criticises three of the twelve. Reuben he criticises for not being steadfast enough in purpose and failing the test of leadership. Shimon and Levi are rebuked for their attack on Shechem. Yet, interestingly enough, the actual attack is not what is directly criticised or even mentioned. Rather, Jacob curses their anger and prays that his name not be associated with their deception. How are we to understand this obliqueness? Jacob seems to be making a statement about the evaluation of human actions. He is not so concerned about the actual actions of his children as about the motivations that lie behind them. He thus curses the unrestrained desire for revenge that caused them to indiscriminately massacre a whole city. He disassociates himself from their intention, which was from the first, not a true peace with Shechem but a ruse to lead them to destruction. It is these intentions he excoriates. This attitude can seem counterintuitive. Judaism is, indeed, mostly concerned with actions rather than motivations. And is not the road to hell paved with good intentions? It is true that good intentions cannot normally excuse clearly bad actions. Neither do suspect motivations necessarily blemish worthy deeds. Yet most of our actions are not black or white. Rather they are some shade of grey, and it is in this moral boundary that intention plays a crucial role. As Jacob understood, this is nowhere more so than in the realm of conflict. He thus criticises most of all, his sons ’ motivations in the method of warfare, deception and massacre, they chose. This discernment is especially important and unfortunately often lacking, in modern conflict. It is generally agreed that killing civilians is a bad thing. It is also generally acknowledged that it is often an unavoidable consequence of modern warfare. Intention thus becomes crucial. There is a world of moral difference between deliberately targeting civilians and killing civilians as an undesired consequence of hitting military targets. Unfortunately this moral distinction is often blurred by naïveté or moral blindness. This, paradoxically, gives more power to those rejoice in civilian casualties, than those who seek to avoid them. In times of conflict, only by taking into account intention, can we truly judge morally.
ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS
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Rishon |
Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury him in Hebron. He adopts Joseph’s sons as equal inheritors. |
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Sheni |
Jacob blesses Joseph‘s sons; blessing the younger before the elder. |
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Shelishi |
Jacob tells Joseph that G-d will eventually return them home. |
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Revi’i |
Jacob blesses his sons: Reuben, Shimon, Levi, Judah, Zevulun, Issachar and Dan. |
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Chamishi |
Jacob blesses Gad, Asher, Naphtali and Joseph. |
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Shishi |
Benjamin is blessed. Jacob dies and is buried with great pomp in the Cave of Machpelah. Joseph’s brothers worry he will now get revenge. |
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Shevi’i |
Joseph reassures them. He dies and is buried in Egypt. |
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Haftorah |
I Kings: 2;1-12: David’s final instructions to Solomon. |
Sidra Statistics
Sidra Statistics: Parshat Vayehi
· has 85 verses ;
· is the 12th in Genesis, 12th in the Torah
· shortest in Genesis, 43rd longest in the Torah
· has no mitzvot.
· Genesis: has:
· 1534 verses, 12 parshiot, 3 mitzvot
