Vayechi (5769) – The White Lie
Is it permitted to tell a white lie? If a murderer is at large, brandishing a gun, and his intended victim takes refuge in your house, are you obligated to tell the truth when the would-be killer...
View ArticleVayechi (5770) – Jewish Time
Different cultures tell different stories. The great novelists of the nineteenth century wrote fiction that is essentially ethical. Jane Austen and George Eliot explored the connection between...
View ArticleVayechi (5772) – The Last Tears
At almost every stage of fraught encounter between Joseph and his family in Egypt, Joseph weeps. There are seven scenes of tears: 1. When the brothers came before him in Egypt for the first time: They...
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When is it permitted to tell a lie? (Vayechi 5775)
After the death of Jacob, Joseph’s brothers were afraid. Years earlier, when he had revealed his true identity to them, he appeared to have forgiven them for selling him as a slave. That was the theme...
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On Not Predicting the Future (Vayechi 5776)
Jacob was on his death-bed. He summoned his children. He wanted to bless them before he died. But the text begins with a strange semi-repetition: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to...
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Jewish Time (Vayechi 5777)
Different cultures tell different stories. The great novelists of the nineteenth century wrote fiction that is essentially ethical. Jane Austen and George Eliot explored the connection between...
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What it Takes to Forgive (Vayechi 5778)
Joseph forgives. That, as I have argued before, was a turning point in history. For this was the first recorded act of forgiveness in literature. It is important here to make a key distinction between...
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The Future of the Past (Vayechi 5779)
Download the accompanying Family Edition here. The scene that brings the book of Genesis to a close is intensely significant. Joseph’s brothers were terrified that, after the death of their father...
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C&C Family Edition: The Future of the Past (Vayechi 5779)
VAYECHI: THE FUTURE OF THE PAST Covenant & Conversation: Family Edition is a new and exciting initiative from The Office of Rabbi Sacks for 5779. Written as an accompaniment to Rabbi Sacks’ weekly...
View ArticleSpanish: Vayechi – Family Edition 5779
Click Here to Download: SPANISH TRANSLATION OF VAYECHI 5779: FAMILY EDITION ________________ For the Main Edition of the Spanish Covenant & Conversation Essay, please click here The post...
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Family, Faith and Freedom (Vayechi 5780)
Download the accompanying Family Edition here! If you want to understand what a book is about, look carefully at how it ends. Genesis ends with three deeply significant scenes. First, Jacob blesses...
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Family, Faith and Freedom – Vayechi 5780, Family Edition
Click on the image below to download this week’s Family Edition of Covenant & Conversation for Vayechi. The Family Edition is an accompaniment to the main Covenant & Conversation and is aimed...
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Moving Forwards (Vayechi 5781)
Rabbi Sacks zt’’l had prepared a full year of Covenant & Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in Leadership. The Office of Rabbi Sacks will continue to distribute these weekly essays,...
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