Vayechi (ויחי – And he lived)
Genesis 47:28 – 50:26 • I Kings 2:1–12
The parashah recounts Jacob’s final days in Egypt: he blesses Ephraim and Manasseh, delivers his last words to his sons, and asks to be buried in Hebron. After his death, Joseph arranges his transfer to the Cave of Machpelah. Then Joseph makes the children of Israel swear to carry his bones to the Land of Israel before he dies.
The haftarah reports King David’s last instructions to his son Solomon before his death, emphasizing the transmission of wisdom and the continuity of kingship.
Genesis 50:25
וַיַּשְׁבַּע יוֹסֵף, אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר:
פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹקים אֶתְכֶם, וְהַעֲלִתֶם אֶת-עַצְמֹתַי מִזֶּה.
Joseph made the children of Israel swear:
God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.
This oath will be fulfilled centuries later, when Joseph’s bones are laid to rest in Shechem, at the entrance to the valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.
The current structure of the tomb—a small room topped by a dome—dates from the 19th century. Israel took control of the site in 1967, then, after the Oslo Accords, it came under Palestinian authority. In 2000, at the start of the Second Intifada, the tomb was set on fire. Restored in 2009–2010, it remained accessible only at night under heavy protection.
Since December 29, 2025, a historic decision has allowed daytime visits, up to 8:00 a.m. for the Shacharit prayer, marking a turning point after twenty-five years of nighttime restrictions.