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Bereshit
Vayechi (Genesis 47:28–50:26)
Jacob spends his final seventeen years in Egypt and, sensing the end, makes Joseph swear to bury him in the Cave of Machpelah—returning the family’s story to its promised land. He blesses Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, crossing his hands to give the younger the firstborn blessing and adopting both grandsons into the tribal count. Jacob then gathers all twelve sons, offering vivid words that both bless and reveal their distinct destinies—leadership for Judah, priestly zeal for Levi to be tempered later, the seafaring future of Zebulun, the scholarly tents of Issachar, and more. After Jacob dies, an elaborate Egyptian mourning period and a royal funeral procession accompany his body back to Hebron for burial beside the patriarchs and matriarchs.
Back in Egypt, Joseph’s brothers fear revenge. They plead for mercy, and Joseph answers with humility and faith: “Am I in God’s place? You intended me harm, but God intended it for good—to save many lives.” He provides for them, ensuring the family’s security. Joseph lives to see great-grandchildren, then charges his kin to carry his bones up from Egypt when God “surely remembers” them. With Joseph’s death and his coffin awaiting redemption, the book of Bereshit closes—turning a family saga into the seed of a nation and setting the stage for Exodus. Themes to listen for: legacy and return, blessing as both vision and responsibility, forgiveness that reframes the past, and hope carried forward as a promise to the future.
