38 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 

T

his Shabbat Genesis con-
cludes with the death of 
patriarch Jacob. 
Until now, we hear only 
brief details regarding the 
deaths of personalities and 
there is no mention of any 
illnesses preceding a death. 
Jacob becomes the first of 
our ancestors to be identi-
fied as sick. 
As Jacob nears the end, 
his son Joseph is informed 
of his father’s illness, 
prompting Joseph to see 
Jacob. Joseph is told: Hineh 
Avicha Choleh — Behold, 
your father is sick. At first glance, 
the Hebrew word Hineh (behold) 
connotes surprise, urgency and 

indicates that something unusual 
is going on. But we have to imag-
ine that Joseph’s elderly 
father, terminally ill at 
age 147, should not have 
caught Joseph off guard. 
What could it mean?
Bereshit Rabbah, Toldot 
65 teaches that it was 
Jacob who demanded that 
sickness be put into the 
world. In this Midrash, 
Jacob is pictured as saying 
to the Holy One: “Master 
of the Universe, if a person 
should die without first 
being ill, he will not be able 
to resolve his affairs among his 
children and the members of his 
family. But if he is sick for a peri-

od of days, it would give the time 
needed to make arrangements.
” 
The Holy One responded: “By 
your life, you have demanded a 
good thing and it will begin with 
you.
”
The Midrash helps us under-
stand then the deathbed scene 
in Chapter 49 when Jacob is 
surrounded by his children and 
grandchildren, he uses those 
moments to speak honestly and 
to bless his family, conveying 
his values and an ethical will he 
hopes will guide all of them.
As a result of Jacob’s end-of-life 
plea that the Almighty not take 
his soul until his family assembles 
around him, we learn the gift of 
saying goodbye. This opportunity 
is not possible when a person 
dies suddenly and unexpectedly. 
When someone is terminally 
ill and their health is rapidly 
declining, usually there is a 
special opportunity to gather with 
loved ones and share memories 
as well as words of gratitude and 

love. 
It is particularly important for 
the dying person to hear that 
their life was meaningful and that 
their legacy will be perpetuated.
Thankfully, Jewish ritual 
contains a special prayer called 
the “Vidui,
” recited at end of 
life, often at the bedside, ideally 
by the person themselves or 
by a family member, friend or 
clergyperson on their behalf. 
This prayer expresses faith in 
God and creates a place for 
forgiveness and reconciliation, 
allowing for the healing of rifts 
and misunderstandings so one 
can leave this world in purity. 
The “Vidui” provides a powerful 
prayer experience of finality that 
will never be forgotten, and we 
have our patriarch Jacob to thank 
for giving us such a beautiful, 
meaningful and blessed way to 
say goodbye. 

Rabbi Joseph H. Krakoff is the senior 

director of the Jewish Hospice and 

Chaplaincy Network.

The Blessing Of 
Saying Goodbye

Rabbi 
Joseph 
Krakoff

Parshat 

Vayehi: 

Genesis 

47:28-50:26; 

I Kings 

2:1-12.

SPIRIT
TORAH PORTION

