We live our lives as if we are immortal. We imagine death to be such a downer – so depressive, so scary – that we spend our lives trying to outrun it, or pretending it away. Or in death's shadow we become fatalistic, disconnected. Yet our awareness that all earthly life must die is an unceasing wellspring of wisdom, power and meaning. This week's final Torah portion of the Book of Genesis, our Book of Beginnings, aims directly here.
The point of it all, the meaning of life, the ultimate "why" – It's humanity's proverbial Holy Grail, the omega of our alpha. A life with a "why" gives our lives power and purpose. A life with a "why" can sustain and even transform through adversity. As inspirational Holocaust scholar Victor Frankl put it, "A 'why' to live can bear most any 'how.'"
Torah uplifts this essential truth in many ways. Last week's Torah portion (Vayigash) evoked a meaning of life that reframes life's negatives into opportunities for positives and drives our search for justice and blessings. This week's Torah portion, the last of the Book of Genesis, frames the meaning of life by Jacob's blessing his children as he prepares for his death.
Our mortality is plenty poignant, but it's awareness of our mortality that makes meaning. And in Jewish tradition, most every moment, every experience and especially every transition is an opportunity for blessing and meaning. (Think about it: Judaism offers blessings over foods, special times and even doorways.)
So too for our lives, and so too for death – or, more precisely, our awareness of mortality. This ending portion of the Book of Genesis (“Book of Beginning”) begins not with Jacob's death but with his awareness that his days were numbered.
The portion's first words, Vayehi / "[Jacob] lived" (Gen. 47:28) sets up a pivotal next sentence (Gen. 47:29): ויקרבו ימי-ישראל למות / Vayikrevu y’mei-Yisrael lamut. Often translated as “When the time came for Israel to die,” a more precise translation is “When Israel’s days approached to die” – not the man but his days, his sense of time, his sense of his time. Only “some time later” did Jacob become fatally sick (Gen. 48:1) and say that his actual death was approaching (Gen. 48:21). His awareness of mortality came well before – and the awareness mattered.
Awareness of mortality is part of life’s journey and a catalyst for life’s potency. Spiritually, mortality awareness is not a consolation prize but a goal, a good in itself, a way to live fully: “Teach us to number our days that we may attain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). In that spirit, this entire portion charts this spiritually fertile phase of Jacob’s life – starting with his awareness that his days were numbered. Torah’s order of what unfolded next may look familiar to anyone who experiences a loved one’s aging or expected death:
(Yes, this week's Torah portion is the source of Judaism's rituals and philosophies of death.)
We learn that Jacob's life had meaning, and that his life stage that ultimately led to death had meaning. One of the Biblical Jacob's great contributions to spiritual life is that he pioneered this sacred path for all of spiritual posterity. He pioneered a path to fulfilling life's meaning. Even amidst his death, notice again the name of this Torah portion: Vayehi / "He lived."
We learn that the richest and most meaningful lives come by making death awareness a true part of life, ideally long before circumstances force our focus. And we learn that the avoidant impulse to distance our sense of mortality robs us of the chance to live most fully. Jacob’s awareness of his mortality, and openly speaking it, catalyzed emotional intimacy. Jacob’s transparency to mortality catalyzed the spiritual blessings of his life review and ethical will. By numbering his days, Jacob attained a heart of wisdom.
And as for Jacob, so for the entire Book of Genesis that also reaches its end. To fulfill God’s vow to Abraham about a miraculous liberation forging a new spiritual path (Gen. 15:13), Abraham's descendants had to get to Egypt, where "next week" those generations (Ex. 1:1-6) will meet a new Pharaoh who knew not Joseph (Ex. 1:8). Centuries of bondage will commingle death and life until only supernatural deaths – the Tenth Plague and the drowning of Egypt’s hosts in the Sea – will bring new life to liberated Israelites who would become Jews. It all had a purpose. Somehow, it all has a purpose.
Genesis: from Creation to humanity to monotheism to a tribal legacy to Egypt. The meaning of it all. The meaning of our lives. A future. Life's journey, including death's journey, is not truly an end. It never is – not at all.
So don't fear to speak mortality. Live like you’re dying. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. It is only by becoming ever more present to our eventual dying that we can most fully live.
Torah uplifts this essential truth in many ways. Last week's Torah portion (Vayigash) evoked a meaning of life that reframes life's negatives into opportunities for positives and drives our search for justice and blessings. This week's Torah portion, the last of the Book of Genesis, frames the meaning of life by Jacob's blessing his children as he prepares for his death.
Our mortality is plenty poignant, but it's awareness of our mortality that makes meaning. And in Jewish tradition, most every moment, every experience and especially every transition is an opportunity for blessing and meaning. (Think about it: Judaism offers blessings over foods, special times and even doorways.)
So too for our lives, and so too for death – or, more precisely, our awareness of mortality. This ending portion of the Book of Genesis (“Book of Beginning”) begins not with Jacob's death but with his awareness that his days were numbered.
The portion's first words, Vayehi / "[Jacob] lived" (Gen. 47:28) sets up a pivotal next sentence (Gen. 47:29): ויקרבו ימי-ישראל למות / Vayikrevu y’mei-Yisrael lamut. Often translated as “When the time came for Israel to die,” a more precise translation is “When Israel’s days approached to die” – not the man but his days, his sense of time, his sense of his time. Only “some time later” did Jacob become fatally sick (Gen. 48:1) and say that his actual death was approaching (Gen. 48:21). His awareness of mortality came well before – and the awareness mattered.
Awareness of mortality is part of life’s journey and a catalyst for life’s potency. Spiritually, mortality awareness is not a consolation prize but a goal, a good in itself, a way to live fully: “Teach us to number our days that we may attain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). In that spirit, this entire portion charts this spiritually fertile phase of Jacob’s life – starting with his awareness that his days were numbered. Torah’s order of what unfolded next may look familiar to anyone who experiences a loved one’s aging or expected death:
- Immediately after Jacob spoke his mortality awareness, Jacob gave burial instructions (Gen. 47:29-31).
- "Some time later," Jacob took ill, summoning Joseph and his sons to the sickbed (Gen. 48:1-2).
- Jacob spoke his life review – his sense of his life’s meaning (Gen. 48:3-4). Life review expands awareness and lifts consciousness above routine.
- From expanded consciousness, Jacob invoked angels and blessing (Gen. 48:16).
- With this invocation, Jacob gave his sons an ethical will – not a physical will transmitting physical possessions, but a download of values (Gen. 49:1-28). An ethical will is the truly unique gift we can give, the true legacy we can leave behind to power the future of our loved ones. (Here's a national news article about ethical wills in spiritual life.)
- Jacob gave final instructions (Gen. 49:29-32), then died (Gen. 49:33).
- Joseph wailed in the first suffering of aninut, Judaism's first stage of grief (Gen. 50:1).
- Joseph summoned himself to make arrangements (Gen. 50:2-6).
- Jacob’s sons buried him and honored a seven-day shiva (Gen. 50:7-14).
(Yes, this week's Torah portion is the source of Judaism's rituals and philosophies of death.)
We learn that Jacob's life had meaning, and that his life stage that ultimately led to death had meaning. One of the Biblical Jacob's great contributions to spiritual life is that he pioneered this sacred path for all of spiritual posterity. He pioneered a path to fulfilling life's meaning. Even amidst his death, notice again the name of this Torah portion: Vayehi / "He lived."
We learn that the richest and most meaningful lives come by making death awareness a true part of life, ideally long before circumstances force our focus. And we learn that the avoidant impulse to distance our sense of mortality robs us of the chance to live most fully. Jacob’s awareness of his mortality, and openly speaking it, catalyzed emotional intimacy. Jacob’s transparency to mortality catalyzed the spiritual blessings of his life review and ethical will. By numbering his days, Jacob attained a heart of wisdom.
And as for Jacob, so for the entire Book of Genesis that also reaches its end. To fulfill God’s vow to Abraham about a miraculous liberation forging a new spiritual path (Gen. 15:13), Abraham's descendants had to get to Egypt, where "next week" those generations (Ex. 1:1-6) will meet a new Pharaoh who knew not Joseph (Ex. 1:8). Centuries of bondage will commingle death and life until only supernatural deaths – the Tenth Plague and the drowning of Egypt’s hosts in the Sea – will bring new life to liberated Israelites who would become Jews. It all had a purpose. Somehow, it all has a purpose.
Genesis: from Creation to humanity to monotheism to a tribal legacy to Egypt. The meaning of it all. The meaning of our lives. A future. Life's journey, including death's journey, is not truly an end. It never is – not at all.
So don't fear to speak mortality. Live like you’re dying. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. It is only by becoming ever more present to our eventual dying that we can most fully live.
RSS Feed