VaYichi Excerpts

ויחי

Shabbat Shalom 

Last in Bereishit. So happy. Finally. we are getting closer to talking about the laws that most of you don't keep...Have you ever built a Tabernacle, Bernie? Exactly. 

Quick announcement: Clean up after your children at Kiddush. You leave a mess...Then the Schwezingbaum family should teach their kids to clean. You don't blame it on your kids. You raised them wrong, to think it is fine to keep food on the floor...It's an obstacle course. And you think the sisterhood has to be the ones bending? Fran is 102 years old...

One guy dropped a chickpea and just left it in the clean plates. This is an issue that must be dealt with. You clean your chickpeas. It is as if everybody in this congregation expect the rest of the congregation to clean up after them...No. The custodian doesn't like to work.

Now the university started the Institution Center for Public Affairs. What does this mean? Every institution deals with public affairs. It is all public affairs. Dr. Katzenvolt, ask the university if they will give the shul funding, for  dealing with public affairs.

After Yakov blesses his children, he tells them to bury him in Cana'an. Where his ancestors and Rivka are buried. Ma'art HaMachpela in the field of Ephron. He doesn't go with the 'Just embalm me,' like so many members in our congregation. We have just passed the cremation fad. Now everybody is into embalming...There is a ban on paper mache. 

Things are meaningful to Yakov. Connection to family. not like the name, 'Rick'...they have no ancestors named Rick. Might as well name your kid after an athlete or a kitchen utensil. The Frediberg's Bris was a let down. We were routing for Grandpa Harry and nobody came through for the man. Now the kid's name is Rick Heath....Heath is not another name for his ancestor, Harry. You named the kid after a random guy at the grocery, and a candy bar....

(49:33) 'and he was gathered to his people.' That is what is said about Yakov's death. Gathered to his people. They cared about his death. He was a good man. And they cared. Did anybody care about Minchuck's death? No. Not that great of a guy. Nobody gathered for him...Max on the other hand, should've been gathered for. It is a two way connection. He gave to the community, and what did you all do? Nothing. You could've named the kid Max. Connection to the people. Care. You don't leave chickpeas on clean plates.

(50:5-7) After the days of mourning for Yakov, Yosef tells Paroh that he swore to his father that he would bury him in Cana'an. 

All of the servants of Paroh and the elders went with Yosef and his family. The gathering continues. And even though it might be a slap in the face to Egypt, Paroh respects the wishes of a dead righteous man who wants to connect with his ancestors. He doesn't asked to get buried in Vancouver. That is not an ancestral connection...

(50:10-11) They mourned Yakov for seven days at the entrance to Israel somewhere...I don't know all the exacts. I wsn't there Frank. Wword got around that this was 'a serious mourning for Egypt.' When people mourn, it shows loss. But nobody cared about Simy when he passed on, because nobody mourned the guy. Yes. Vancouver was a mistake. But we should have been at the boarder of Canada, mourning for hum. Canada would've known he was a great member of the congregation. The only one who showed up to minyin every day...It would've been a minyin if people showed.

The point is that nobody in this congregation cares about the past. About tradition. About caring for community and not leaving Fran with the plates on the floor. Family had responsibility.

(50:15) Now that Yakov is dead, Yosef's brothers are worried he is going to take revenge. Kind of like the Minchuck children, who don't love each other. 

There are issues. And sometimes we should worry. One of our congregants wants to take out their neighbors. For good reason. I am also thinking that my neighbors are evil and revenge must be taken. Not revenge, but justice. Revenge is forbidden...I got no sleep last week. Neighbors had Shabbat lunch. First problem, living in a building. Dragging stuff...But they throw down their couch...They have been moving in for the past 8 months. 

 I can empathize. The renovations on our home have us living in the building with the Kollel families. Point is, you do something wrong, you should be taken out. You have guests for Shabbis...

That is a public affair. It should be a lunch, but it turns into a public affair, when you start with the dragging the couches. And teh Zmirot, Shabbat songs, with the worst harmony. Not cleaning up after your children at Kiddush, turns Kiddush into a public affair. 

(50:19-20) Yosef says, 'Do not worry, for I am under H.' You thought bad upon me, but H' thought for good, so that a great nation be kept alive.' That is my translation, because a nation is only kept alive because of H.' Definitely not because of the Friedberg's connection to the past.

Now that they are kept alive, would H' want the neighbor to live? Making noise and stealing everybody's sleep.

Can the wronging of the sisterhood having to clean up the mess the parents do not clean up at Kiddush?

The Public Affairs center stealing money. Doing the crowdfund now. Crowdfunding has to stop...

Can a nation be kept alive when a chickpea is abandoned on clean plates?

The end of Bereishit is here. That doesn't mean that it has to be the end of our tradition and connection with our ancestors and caring about our people. Rick?!