Vayechi. Golus starts, but Yaakov is above it. Breishis ends with the deaths of Yaakov and Yoseif and the Yidden are left with their words of encouragement.

15. Yehuda Ata 5738This Maamar has two parts:Part One: Yehuda (Hoda’a) can only come after Reuvain, Shimon, and Levi (we connected it to last week, where Yosef is before Yehuda). Only after giluyim can Etzem be revealed.We tied this to Talmud and Ma’aseh Gadol.Part Two: though the Hoda’a is only revealed after Giluyim, it is…

Parshas Vayechi really is about Ya’akov’s passing, yet it is called Vayechi- that Ya’akov lived his best years there! The idea is that life is eternity and that is only in and with God, and only when Ya’akov showed his true connectedness was he truly alive and it happened as he passed in Egypt and…

Yosef’s death marks the end of Braishis because the substance of Shmos- exile to conquer the world must be inspired and initiated by the avos. Yosef’s death and Golus empower those who follow after him.

Ya’akov wishes to tell his children when the Geula will come and they will leave Egypt. But God doesn’t let him. How could they both be correct [as Ya’akov is a Merkava and above error]?? The answer is perspective: Ya’akov hopes to encourage harder work to earn and maybe even expedite the Geula. But God…

In Galus there are two ‘first borns’: Yosef’s first born is Menashe: to remember from where you come and not to be influenced by the environment you are in. Ya’akov’s first born is Ephrayim: to succeed and prosper and take something from the Exile and to ultimately transform it. Yosef therefore objects to the switching…

Parshas Vayechi really is about Ya’akov’s passing, yet it is called Vayechi- that Ya’akov lived his best years there! The idea is that life is eternity and that is only in and with God, and only when Ya’akov showed his true connectedness was he truly alive and it happened as he passed in Egypt and…

This class explains the unique place of Yosef in Galus: he is both a part of it (not like Yaakov) but altogether above it (not like his brothers). As a result he can initiate it and he can predict it’s end.

Yehuda is Bittul. This is only experienced when it follows Reuvain (Seeing, Love), Shimon (Hearing, Fear), Levi (Connection, Joy).