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his last sedrah of
Genesis brings us full
sweep in the career of
Jacob. He has lived a
long life. He is not afraid to
die but the thoughts that
come to his mind are the
thoughts of an old man.
Where will he be buried?
What will happen when he
dies? These are thoughts that
come to all people as they
grow older and realize their
time on earth is drawing to a
close.
But what a life Jacob has
had! He is part of the Joseph
saga, but now this story
comes to an end with the
death of Jacob.
The sedrah holds many
thoughts about old age and
what Jacob's final end sug-
gests. Today people are more
and more concerned with the
problems of older people.
Newspapers run daily feature
columns on the "Golden
Years." Social clubs for older
people have been set up in
community centers.
Older people need a purpose
for living. They need:
understanding, love, a sense
of being useful, and the
stimulation of new ex-
periences and new relation-
ships. They are living longer
today thanks to the miracles
of medicine, but often they
feel they are the lost genera-
tion. For aging is more a ques-
tion of how old society says
you are. It's not how old you
are but how you are old.
No matter what age, it is
important to keep on growing.
Life is growth and when
growth ceases, life begins to
end. No matter at what age,
it is important to keep on
learning, studying, reading,
discussing, keeping up with
the world. These are the
vitamins of youth no less
necessary in later years than
in early life.
Jacob inspires high
reverence for an older person.
The Bible says in the words of
Job, "Is wisdom with aged
men and understanding in
length of days." (Job 12:12)
The true measure of life and
Jewish values is not how long
we live, but how we live.
You have to realize if you
want to live longer, you must
be willing to grow older. The
processes of time bring many

Richard Hertz is rabbi emeritus

of Temple Beth El.

plus changes as well as minus
ones. You are never too old to
modify an attitude, render a
service, create something
beautiful, and say about a
new idea "I'll try it!" Not
every new idea is bad, and not
every change is a revolution.
Learning is never a stale
delight. If it cultivates the
pleasures of the mind, they
will remain habitual compa-
nions long after the pleasures
of the body have diminished.
Above all, you should seek
the quiet peace of mind that
comes with sureness of
religious faith, of being at one
with God and man.
This is what happened to
Jacob. He felt an inner
spiritual peace of getting
ready for the end. He did not
lament the past nor dread the
future. He still felt the en-

Shabbat Vayechi:
Genesis
47:28-50:26
I Kings 2:1-12

chantment of life's beckoning
road.
Jacob gives us a role model
to the old as we finish the cy-
cle of the Joseph stories.
These are among the most
beautiful in the entire Bible.
We can't help but identify
with Jacob on his deathbed as
he gathers together his sons
and his grandsons for a final
blessing. The sedrah closes
with a blessing that Jacob
bestowed upon each of his
children.
And so Jacob lived and died
surrounded by Joseph and his
brothers weeping in their
grief yet grateful that Jacob
had lived to see his son
Joseph prosper in Egypt.
One final word. Jacob
wanted to be sure that he
would not be buried in Egypt
but rather that Joseph would
carry up his mortal remains
and be buried in Machpe lah.
The last words of Genesis,
"And they embalmed him and
he was put in a coffin in
Egypt." This is the only place
in all of Scripture that men-
tions the Egyptian custom of
embalming. a

Nothing reduces misfortune
like patience.

—Solomon Ibn Gabirol