~Teaching from. Torah~ Shavuah Tov! Parashah 12 Vayechi (He Lived) Genesis/B'resheet 47:28 50:26. strengthened!

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1 Parashah 12 Vayechi (He Lived) Genesis/B'resheet 47:28 50:26 This week, in Parashah Vayechi we begin with Ya'akov in his 147 th year and his knowing that he is nearing his last days. Ya'akov asks Yosef to make an oath to him, that he will see to it that he is buried in the cave of Machpelah, with his ancestors and not in Egypt. We see Ya'akov giving his final blessings to his sons (and grandsons) as well as the end of Ya'akov's life. This is where we get the blessing of the children on erev Shabbat by the fathers. Read carefully, each blessing; the prophetic meaning of the blessing for each son/tribe is amazing! As we finish the book of Genesis/ B'resheet, we also see the end of Yosef's life. At the end of the reading of each book of the Torah, we say in a joyous, strong chorus Hazak, hazak, v'nit'chazek! Which translates to: Be strong, be strong and let us be strengthened! The Scriptures are YHVH's love letter to His children, His Mishpocha (Hebrew: family). The Bible is His word, His loving instruction and example for us, to live by and obey. This is so we can live in Shalom (Hebrew: peace), to show reverence to our King, to praise Him and receive His blessings! Shavuah Tov!

2 Memory Verses for this Week Each day we will read, study and write our verse; committing it to memory. Adjust the assigned verses based on your child. If you know your older ones can do more than one verse, by all means challenge them to aim higher! We will work all week toward our goal of coming to the erev Shabbat table ready to recite and talk about our verse(s). Psalm 115:12-13 Adonai has kept us in mind, and he will bless. He will bless the house of Isra'el; he will bless the house of Aharon; he will bless those who fear Adonai, great and small alike.

3 Day 1: READING: Read the entire Torah Portion as a family and assign this week's verse: Psalm 115:12-13 (and more for the older children) and read it together. Have an open discussion time. PROJECT: Look ahead to Day 5, to see if you need any supplies for your project this week. Notes/Discussion/Research:

4 Day 2: READING: Genesis/ B'resheet 47:28-48:11 COPYWORK of this week's verse: Psalm 115:12-13 WORD STUDY: Use e-sword, Dictionaries, or other sources to research the deeper meanings. Younger Students: ill, bowed, increased, blessing, buried, mourning, suddenly, posses, embraced, greater, ancestors, strength, vigor, scatter, fury, council Older Students: embalmed, acharit-hayamim, descendants, numerous, dim with age, your seed, intentionally, vigor, superior, fierce, maimed QUESTIONS & Discussion Time: Younger Ones: Who were Yosef s two sons? (Efrayim & M nasheh) If you are sick, do people come visit you? Why / why not? What does the word ill mean? (Ill means sick) How old was Ya akov? (147) Why did Ya akov want to be buried in Ke na an? What was wrong with Egypt? (Egypt was a pagan land, and Yehovah promised Ke na an to Ya akov and his descendants)

5 Older Ones: Why do older people tend to get sick easier / more often? (Older people have weaker immune systems, making them susceptible to viruses, etc.) Ya akov tells his grandsons, May they remember who I am, and what I stand for. Who is Ya akov? (Ya akov is a patriarch, the son of the promise, forefather of the Mashiach, father of the 12 tribes of Israel; etc.) Why did Ya akov want to be buried in Ke na an? What was wrong with Egypt? (Egypt was a pagan land, and Yehovah promised Ke na an to Ya akov and his descendants)

6 Day 3: READING: Genesis/B'resheet 48:12-49:11 COPYWORK of this week s verse: Psalm 115:12-13 While children are writing, make sure they understand the verse. Discuss. QUESTIONS & Discussion Time: Younger Ones: Why do you think Ya akov gave his sons a blessing? Does your father bless you? Why did Yosef get more than his brothers? (Because he was the favorite son.) Why was Ya akov angry with his sons? (Because they disobeyed.) Are your parents happy or mad when you disobey? Why did Efrayim & M nasheh get a special blessing separate from the other sons? (Because they were the sons of the favorite, Yosef.) What is special about the tribe of Y hudah? (Y hudah is the tribe that Yeshua comes from.) Why do you think Ya akov told his sons about what would happen at the end of time?

7 Older Ones: Why does Ya akov call his grandsons boys, even though they are about 19 years old? [Gen 48:16 the angel who has rescued me from all harm, bless these boys. May they remember who I am and what I stand for, and likewise my fathers Avraham and Yitz'chak, who they were and what they stood for. And may they grow into teeming multitudes on the earth."] (Because you are not a man until the age of 20.) If you were one of the brothers, how would you feel, seeing Yosef for the first time in over 20 years? How do you think the sons felt about each of their blessings? When did Ya akov go to war? (We are not told when he did, just that he did, against the Emori; and captured a certain section of land.)

8 Day 4: READING: Genesis/B'resheet 49:12-49:33 COPYWORK of this week's verse: Psalm 115:12-13 (Try dictation of the verse today. Have the children write it down by listening to you read it aloud. QUESTIONS & Discussion Time : Younger Ones: What do you think kings do? What do you think soldiers do? What is a viper? (A viper is a snake) What is special about the tribe of Levi? (From the tribe of Levi comes the priesthood) Can we judge people? (Yes, if Torah is our standard) What is the difference between a lion s cub, and a lioness? Why did Ya akov choose two different words, but the same animal? (This indicates that there are 3 stages of development in Y hudah lion-like characteristics. The lion's whelp or young lion is fearless and dangerous. It has not lived long enough to have learned some of the lessons necessary to succeed) Older Ones: What is significant about the tribe of Dan? (Shimshon, an important judge of Israel came from Dan)

9 Who are some famous people from the tribe of Binyamin? (King Saul, Rav Sh aul, Y honaton, Ehud, (a judge) Elyada (a soldier) It says that Gad is a troop what do soldiers do? (Soldiers defend the country and protect the people) Day 5: READING: Genesis/B'resheet 50 COPYWORK of this week's verse: Psalm 115:12-13 PROJECT: Yosef & Yeshua Story Board All Students: Write out your verse in your finest handwriting and illustrate it. Get creative. You can use any art medium-- paint, colored pencil, chalk, torn paper collage, etc. You can add this to a wall in your room, or the center of your story board! QUESTIONS & Discussion Time: Younger Ones: What do doctors (or physicians) do? (They take care of sick people) How would you take care of people if you were a doctor? How old was Yosef when he died? (110) Do you think that Yosef saw slavery? Explain your answer. What is death? (Death is an occurrence when your soul goes to be with God, (if you are a believer) and you no longer exist on earth in the flesh) What happens to your body after it dies? (It decomposes and eventually turns back to dust) Older Ones: Do you think that Yosef saw slavery?

10 What kind of economic standard did Yosef mandate, that held true for a longstanding period of time, even after Yosef s death? (That Pharaoh should have 20% of all income) Explain the mummification / embalming process. Day 6: READING: Personal or Family Reading Time Study / Memorize this week's verse, and be ready to recite at the Shabbat table: Psalm 115:12-13 OR all of PSALM 115 (and/or additional verses depending on age). Help prepare for Shabbat what can you do to help and serve YHVH and your family today? Shabbat Shalom!