Vayechi: Chapter 35

"And Israel saw Joseph's sons"

Synopsis

Rabbi Yitzchak begins this discussion by explaining the title verse. We learn that through the Holy Spirit, the righteous Israel was able to see that Joseph's sons would one day worship idols. We also learn that all the generations of the world stand in the presence of God before they are born into the world.

Relevance

The strength and wisdom to free oneself from idol - worshipping is bestowed upon the reader through the righteousness of Israel. Idol-worshipping refers to any form of egocentric behavior where pleasure is derived from external sources as opposed to true contentment that is generated internally in our souls. Before a soul enters this world, all the secrets of the Torah are revealed to it. The soul promises The Creator that during physical existence, it will pursue the path of Torah and spiritual growth. Prior to the moment of birth, the wisdom of the Torah is then forgotten, along with our promise, and thus begins the true work of "remembering" our commitment and "reacquiring" our spiritual knowledge. This passage helps us to remain true to our promise to walk the path of the Light, and it regenerates the seeds of mystical wisdom implanted within our soul prior to our birth.