Vayechi: The Vision That Survives Exile

In this episode, I explore Parshat Vayechi, the final Parsha of Sefer Bereishit, the moment where exile quietly begins. As Yaakov and Yosef prepare to leave this world, the Torah shifts us into a new phase: one where G-d is no longer revealed from above, but discovered from within.

I reflect on Yosef’s descent into Mitzrayim as the original map for Jewish exile, and on the role of Rachel as the hidden mother who accompanies her children through darkness. Through Midrash and Chassidic teachings, I look at how Yosef learned to see G-d in the pit, in betrayal, and in displacement, and how that vision becomes the foundation for our survival in golus.

We explore Yaakov’s insistence on burial in the land of his fathers and the blessing of Menashe and Efraim as two stages of avodah: restraint and transformation. I also reflect on the idea that tzaddikim do not truly die, and what it means to live with inner vision even when the light feels concealed.

This episode is an invitation to approach exile not as a punishment, but as a compassionate path through which the soul learns to see more clearly.

Lea
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