VaYechi Excerpts

ויחי

Shabbat Shalom

Let me begin this weeks sermon with a parable:

Yaakov comes to the end of his life and he cannot see. Even so, he can feel. Unlike the shule board, he has feelings.

Yosef places the firstborn, Menashe, by Yaakov's right side. But Yaakov puts his right hand on Efraim. Yosef later gets involveded, like the shule board, and tells Yaakov that he put the right hand on... 

But first, before the blessing, he kisses them and hugs them

(48:11) Yaakov never expected to see Yosef again. And then he sees his sons Efraim and Menashe too.

That is how you start a conversation. You begin with excitement. You start with 'Hello rabbi.'

You start with an 'It is great to see you.' You hug family. You kiss your family. You ask them for favors.

You bless them. Just like Yaakov, we have no idea if we will ever see them again. As in the case of the Feldman's child, we hope that is true. That one is a hard one to bless. 

Yaakov is lucky, he gets his chance to bless them.

You bless your grandchildren as they are your own. Not like the Klugawitz family who seems to curse every person that passes him... Mr. Klugawitz, We here you. The mumbling you pieces of....

You pass it on to the next generation. The traditions, the forefathers. As Yaakov stresses in his monumental blessing of 'HaMalach HaGoel Oti.'...

Most of you grandparents just gave up. Look at the way the kippah is flying off your head. It is an embarrassment...the only tradition you are passing on is a story about how everything used to cost a nickel. Did Yaakov start his blessing with, 'Back in the day, everything was just one piastre. One. That is it...Oh, the way...' No he didn't Mr. Klugawitz. Because his grandchildren would have fallen asleep...

Your stories: up hill in the snow, all three ways...You didn't even come to shule today, because of the snow. We are talking about commitment to a tradition. Not wet roads.

We know it is hard to bless some of these grandchildren. Mendy Feldman is a problem child...That is what happens when you have parents like yourselves, who do not put in a Yosef effort in the galus (diaspora)...Yaakov couldn't see. So it was easier...Couldn't see the problems the grandchildren's generation was causing. Just in this congregation. The hair...Back in the day, haircuts used to cost a nickel.

 

Then he blesses Yosef (48:15). But his hands are on Efraim and Menash.

He blesses his son, through his grandchildren....Yes, most of you messed up with your own children. Mr. Kligawitz...We look to the next generation for redemption...

As we bless this congregation, on behalf of our president, Mr. Feldman. Maybe the next generation...not see Mendy back in shule.

(next week we are going to talk about how Yosef tries to move his father's hands, to give the blessings differently and how everybody in this congregation thinks they know what is best. Even though, they are very wrong and the rabbi, as Yaakov, is right)

***These are excerpts from the sermon. For the sermon in its entirety, come see David Kilimnick perform at the Off The Wall Comedy Basement, in downtown Jerusalem.

David also tours as a Maggid with very few stories, if you invite him.

Shabbat Shalom uMvorach