Parashat Vayechi
„When life has no purpose, death is bound to be dreaded.”From Shemonah Kevatzim 1:486
Parashat "Vayechi" ("And he lived") deals with the end of Yaakov's life and his death, and yet it is given a title of life. Many of us are occupied day by day with escaping death, with "surviving." The Rav offers a different orientation toward the end of life. He speaks of the concept of "length of days," and he places the end of life at the very peak of the love of life. When our lives have a dimension of values and spirit accompanying them, the daily attainments are not the point. Accordingly, the need to survive is not what fills life, but rather the ongoing, never-ending worth of values and spirit — something that does not end and that can even grow stronger after a person's death. "The righteous, in their death, are called living." We learn these things in our own flesh in these hard days, when in our victory over the enemy we also experience losses — losses that command us to live!
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This study is dedicated to the safety and return of Noa Argamani (26), who was abducted from the party in Re'im together with her partner.
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From the community archive of Mishpetei HaRav Kook — studying Rav Kook's teachings since 2011.