T ORAH P ORTION
In the Room Where it Happens
BY RABBI DAVID LEVIN
Parshat Vayechi
IN THE HIT MUSICAL
“Hamilton,” Aaron Burr aches
to be in the room where it
happens. Th e song contextual-
ized two focal learning points
of Parshat Vayechi: Like Aaron
Burr, not everyone is in the
room where it happens and,
even if you are there, you may
not like what you hear.

Both of these are critical
complications to the classic
story of Jacob off ering bless-
ings on his deathbed and
off er profound lessons for us.

Vayechi asks us to consider the
following: What do you have to say, to
whom and why?
Vayechi has me thinking
more deeply about these
questions and how they aff ect
me. Th is relationship with the
text is meaningful because the
Torah’s actual value is in how it
relates to us, to stories helping
us to refl ect and to live more
meaningfully, including what
we leave behind as our legacy.

Vayechi is Jacob’s deathbed
scene. He gathers his sons and
two grandsons Menashe and
Ephraim, to off er fi nal words.

Th e Midrash helps us under-
stand Jacob’s motivation:
Genesis Rabbah shares as
Jacob prepares for death; he
gathers his sons and Joseph’s
children around him to off er
final thoughts and bless-
ings. Jacob (whose name was
changed to Israel) wonders if
his life was worthwhile and
if his children embraced the
lessons of the One God to be
carried forward to the next
generations. Th e sons proclaim, “Shema
Yisrael, Adonai Eloheynu,
Adonai Echad,” poetically
translated, “Listen, father,
we embrace the lessons of
Adonai.” Upon hearing this,
Jacob declares with his fi nal
breath, “Blessed be His Name
— My children have learned
and embraced the most
important thing I tried to teach
them.” Jacob dies knowing his
life had a purpose; it has been
“for a blessing.”
And indeed, it has, but is
this the only message Jacob
leaves behind? Unfortunately,
in reality, it is more compli-
cated than this somewhat
romanticized retelling of our
Patriarch’s end. What Jacob
says to those who are in the
room is pretty telling. But,
we also must ask what his
purpose was?
As noted, Jacob’s 12 sons and
two grandsons are in the room.

But his daughter Dinah is not
present. Her absence creates
questions for us as to why was
she excluded, particularly in
light of the eff ect the trauma
of her rape had on two of her
brothers and the “blessing” left
for them.

The final words are
powerful. Can one temper the
harshness of din, judgment,
with rachamim, compassion?
Once Jacob dies, there is
nothing left to say. Jacob’s
assessment of Shimon and
Levi, as well as Reuven carries
with them; there is no redemp-
tion in their father’s eyes,
which can be too weighty a
burden. Could Jacob have
found a way to help them fi nd
a path toward teshuva? Perhaps
Jacob could even off er forgive-
ness to those who have strayed
so far and disappointed so
profoundly. For this was more
than a gentle, loving rebuke,
a tochecha, this was a harsh
judgment. As noted, Dinah is not
present at this intimate hour
of reconciliation and death.

Dinah, the rape victim, is not
in the room. Th is assault was
the pretext for slaughtering an
entire group in alleged revenge.

Such trauma notwith-
standing, what is the eff ect of
being left out of such a momen-
tous occasion as her father’s
fi nal goodbye? How would it
feel to be omitted from such
a critical moment in family
life, eff ectively marginalized,
unseen and unheard?
CAN DL E L IGHTIN G
Dec. 17
Dec. 24
Many writers have tried
to grapple with the biblical
text and the implications for
a Judaism that is supposed
to embrace everyone but
here falls far short. Learned
rabbis, historic and contem-
porary, have tried to reconcile
Jacob’s words.

In “Th e Torah, A Women’s
Commentary,” Rabbi Laura
Geller understands
the omission of daughters from
blessing as the opportunity
to consciously include them
in our prayers for our daugh-
ters to be their best versions of
themselves. Th e graciousness of this
reading of our text reframes
the pain of exclusion into
something profound and
beautiful. This
reimag- ining teaches us to be more
thoughtful in proactive ways to
make even the diffi cult things
received as constructive and
caring. Jacob concludes with his
desired funeral arrangements,
asking to be buried with
the ancestors in the cave of
Machpelah. His last breaths
are instructions for his sons
to carry out Jacob’s wishes.

Th ese directives give everyone
there the opportunity to fulfi ll
their fi lial obligation and to
honor their father, focusing on
this fi nal act, regardless of the
complicated relationships that
4:19 p.m.

4:23 p.m.

might have existed.

Like Jacob’s, our fi nal words
are profoundly powerful. Th ey
can be among the most infl uen-
tial things we do, an enduring
if not indelible impression on
those we leave behind. In the
beginning, God gave human-
kind the ability to speak and
name things.

Our words are our precious
legacy, and as such, we should
be judicious in choosing our
words carefully, understanding
the impact they will have.

What we say and to whom we
say it carries long aft er we are
gone, to another lifetime. ●
Rabbi David Levin is the founder
of Jewish Relationships Initiative, a
not-for-profi t dedicated to helping
seekers fi nd meaning. His recently
published book, co-edited with
Rabbi Dayle Friedman and Reb
Simcha Raphael, “Jewish End of
Life Care in a Virtual Age: Our
Traditions Reimagined” is available
on Amazon.com. The Board of
Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia
is proud to provide diverse
perspectives on Torah commentary
for the Jewish Exponent. The
opinions expressed in this column
are the author’s own and do not
refl ect the view of the Board of
Rabbis. Be heard.

Email your letters to the editor.

letters@jewishexponent.com 20
DECEMBER 16, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
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C ommunity / mazel tovs
COMMUNITYBRIEFS JEVS CEO to Retire, Successor Named
JAY SPECTOR, the longtime president and CEO of
JEVS Human Services, Inc., will retire in June and
be succeeded by Cynthia Figueroa, deputy mayor of
the Office of Children and Families, the nonprofit
announced on Dec. 7.

Figueroa will start on Feb. 7; her last day with the
city is Jan. 10. She will work together with Spector for
four months before he retires.

“I’m so excited to have this opportunity to
build upon the inspirational history and legacy of
its founders and work with an exceptional team
to expand opportunities for those it serves,”
Figueroa said.

JEVS was founded in 1941 to help Jewish refugees
from war-torn Europe restart their lives. Today, it is
the largest human services and employment nonprofit
in the region, helping those facing socio-economic
challenges to lead independent lives. It annually
assists more than 30,000 individuals with a staff of
more than 1,000.

Spector has spent the last 26 years as president
and CEO.

He joined JEVS in 1979 to expand the organization’s
workforce programs and helped the organization
build programs to help people with intellectual,
physical and mental health disabilities to remain in
their homes.

Spector helped design a welfare-to-work program
that brought attention to the significant barriers that
confronted those on welfare, according to a JEVS
news release.

Under his leadership, JEVS grew from a $5 million
nonprofit into one with a budget of more than
$100 million.

“I am very excited about this next chapter in JEVS’
history and am confident that Cynthia is the very best
choice to lead this extraordinary organization into
its next 80 years,” Spector said. “Her commitment to
our region’s families is underscored by her impres-
sive background and the passion with which she has
worked on behalf of the communities we serve.”
Figueroa was a member of Mayor Jim Kenney’s
cabinet and “is widely credited with transforming the
Jay Spector
Photo by Linette Kielinski
City’s Department of Human Services into a national
model as a high-performing, outcomes-driven child
welfare system,” the release said.

“Under her leadership, family involvement in the
child welfare and juvenile justice systems decreased,
prevention services increased, PHLpreK expanded
to 4,000 annual seats and more family supports are
available at community schools,” Kenney said in a
statement. “In response to the pandemic, Cynthia
successfully led programs that provided food access
and created safe spaces for young students while they
transitioned to virtual learning.”
92Y, Curtis Institute Announce Collaboration
The 92nd Street Y in New York City and Philadelphia’s
Curtis Institute of Music announced a collaboration
entitled Curtis at 92Y.

Curtis will work with 92Y to develop adult educa-
tion classes taught by Curtis faculty and alumni,
which will be featured on 92Y’s global adult education
and culture platforms.

92Y is a Jewish cultural and community center on
Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Curtis at 92Y launches on Jan. 19 with a multi-ses-
sion, online adult education course taught by Jonathan
Coopersmith, chair of Musical Studies at Curtis. The
course will center on Franz Schubert’s ”Quintet in
C Major.”
Cynthia Figueroa
Photo by Gabrielle Mahler
On Feb. 18, the first of two annual Curtis on
Tour concerts premieres with a Curtis ensemble
performing Schubert’s work on the stage of
92Y’s Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York City.

A second Curtis on Tour offering at 92Y will be
announced later.

In addition, Curtis and 92Y will work together
to develop educational activities around Curtis on
Tour appearances on 92Y’s concert series for students
enrolled in 92Y’s School of Music and in the larger
New York City community. It will focus on the
community served by 92Y’s Center for Arts Learning
& Leadership; pre-pandemic, the program served
more than 15,000 primarily under-resourced NYC
public school students in person.

In the summer, selected students from 92Y’s
Recanati-Kaplan Program for Excellence in the Arts
will study with Curtis alumni teaching artists in
an online intensive instructional and mentorship
program. l
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
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