Torah Portion

Spiritual, Material Bequests:
Tradition Of Ethical Wills

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funds they will inherit from him to
continue to maintain the synagogue
and other Jewish institutions. And
he blesses them in the name of God.
The son of this patriarch writes
the second will. He expresses the
hope that his children will read
And when time approached for Israel
books or, failing this, at least pres-
to die, he summoned his son Joseph ...
ent
them to a good library. The
(Genesis 47:29)
financial inheritance should be
properly invested and utilized, and
here is a midrash that tells
it is his wish that his children con-
that, until the death of
tinue
their membership in the
Jacob, death had always
come upon men suddenly. Jewish community.
The grandson writes the third
They were taken away before
document,
and it is far removed in
there was a warning of their
tone
and
content
from his ancestors.
approaching end. The patriarch
"The
funds
I
bequeath
are to be
spoke to God, saying, "Oh, Lord, a
held
in
escrow
and
in
trust
and
man dies suddenly. He is not laid
properly
used
for
the
education
of
low first by sickness. He cannot
any children and the ultimate estab-
acquaint his children with
lishment of trust funds."
his wishes regarding all he
The final will is that of
leaves behind if Your world
the
great-grandson. The
were different, if a man first
references
to Jewish books
fell sick and realized that
and
learning
are gone. No
his end were near, he would
mention
is
made
of the loy-
have time to set his house
alty to, and the need to
in order." God responded,
support, the synagogue or
Your request is intelligent
Jewish
educational institu-
and you shall be the first to
tions.
The
fourth will in
profit by a new arrange-
RABBI DAVID Peretz' story is indeed very
ment." So it happened.
NEL SON
sad. "I have all this money
Jacob fell sick shortly before
Specia 1 to the
—
yet I have no one to
his death. He had an oppor-
Jewis h News
give
it to, no one to share
tunity to speak candidly
it with, no meaning in my
and forthrightly to his chil-
life, no roots, no past, no
dren.
present,
no
future."
The heritage that Jacob promised
And
after
signing the will, he
in his final words was more than an
ends
his
existence
by his own hand.
assurance that the land of Canaan,
These
four
statements
point to a
which belonged to Abraham and
progressive
disintegration
of values.
Isaac, would some day be the pos-
We
must
be
mindful
of
what
we
session of his children.
have
and
what
we
will
leave
to
our
His message in the form of a tes-
posterity
—
we,
who
are
more
fully
tament is essentially a spiritual one.
emancipated than the generations of
Jacob hoped that his family would
the story. We must return to the val-
follow the "God before whom my
ues and ideals that have always sus-
ancestors walked;" that his children
tained the Jewish people through
would be strong enough like their
their spiritual journey.
forebears, to walk before God, con-

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

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Financial Planning, Investments, IRA's, Rollovers, 401k, Life Insurance

Jonathan Citrin, Financial Advisor

Morgan

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(248) 258-2712

12/28
2001

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tinuing the spiritual adventure
begun by his grandfather, Abraham,
then by Isaac and then by himself.
This pattern of leaving behind a
spiritual bequest, in addition to a
material one, is part of a rich Jewish
literature of ethical wills.
There is an insightful story by
Peretz called "Four Generations,
Four Wills." The first is simple, no
more than 10 lines of text, written
by a traditional Jew of the Middle
Ages. He bequeaths his books to his
children and asks that they use the

David Nelson is rabbi of Congregation
Beth Shalom.

Conversations

What would be the best things to
leave to our children? What
inheritances are more important
than a good stock portfolio?
How do we strengthen the intan-
gibles that we should leave in
addition to the material posses-
sions?