I attended my niece’s wedding recently and enjoyed a beautiful weekend with family and various people in their community. During the wedding reception, family members from both sides shared a toast to the newly wedded couple. They shared stories from childhood up to the present day to emphasize the wonderful young man and young woman they each had become. Each toast was personal and spoke volumes in regard to the character of both the bride and groom. 

The words we speak are powerful. Sharing the right words at the right time is important, it is priceless. In the book of Proverbs we read the following:

Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. – Proverbs 25:11

A timely word spoken in the right situation is compared to the sweetness of an apple portrayed as a beautiful ornament of gold, the most precious metal, set in silver. Whatever our status in life or our financial means in this world, each one of us has the ability to choose our words well in order to share with others timely words of value and encouragement. This subject of timely words spoken in the right circumstances is wonderfully illustrated in this week’s Torah Portion.

The Life of Jacob

This week’s reading brings to an end the first book of Moses, the book of Genesis. The name of this week’s Torah Portion is ויחי – Vayechi – and he lived… which is the first part of the first verse of this week’s reading:

Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. – Gen. 47:28

This verse tells us how long Jacob lived in the land of Egypt and how old Jacob was when he died. The majority of the remaining chapters and verses of the book of Genesis from this verse onward document Jacob’s final words, his death, and his burial.

As Jacob’s life was drawing to a close, he knew that his days were limited and was  therefore proactive in communicating with his children. Sometime before his death, Jacob (Israel) called for Joseph:

When the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your sight, place now your hand under my thigh and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.” He said, “Swear to me.” So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed. – Gen. 47:29-31

Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son and since he held such a high position of prominence in the land of Egypt, Jacob made sure to communicate to Joseph exactly where he desired to be buried. Joseph promised his father to fulfill this wish after his death.

Important Last Words

Beyond his desire to be buried in the cave of Machpelah in the Land of Promise together with his father and grandfather, Jacob spoke meaningful and timely words to each of his children and to two of his grandchildren, the two sons of Joseph. All of Genesis chapter forty-eight and chapter forty-nine record the final words that Jacob spoke to his offspring. 

Right before Jacob died, he was very intentional and invited his children to listen to his last words:

Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come.” – Gen. 49:1

The verses that follow in Genesis chapter forty-nine are “Like apples of gold in settings of silver…” as Jacob spoke over each one of his sons, from oldest to youngest. Jacob recalled the highlights from each of their lives, the good and the bad, and also spoke of things to come. Some of the prophetic words that he spoke to his son Judah are still being fulfilled today (Gen. 49:10). 

The record of Jacob’s final words to his offspring (Gen. 47:28 – 49:27) are a significant reminder to us not only to choose our words well but also to intentionally speak into the lives of the people around us so as to leave nothing unsaid. We do not always know the exact day that one will pass from this life to the next, however, in the normal course of life we do know that each one of us has limited days and years. As we near the end or our days, we need to do our best to speak timely words of life to those whom we leave behind so as to remind them how much they mean to us and to encourage them to make the most of their time on this earth.

The Last Words of Yeshua

In the New Testament we have many recorded words of Yeshua that He spoke to His disciples before He was crucified and we also have recorded words that He spoke after His resurrection. Yeshua spoke the following words to His disciples after His resurrection and before He ascended to heaven: 

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” – Acts 1:6-8   

Yeshua, as our Lord and Messiah, had unique knowledge of knowing exactly when He would be taken from this earth. It was for this reason that Yeshua spoke specific last words to His disciples: to receive the Holy Spirit in all of His power and to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. These last words of Yeshua to His disciples are still as relevant to us today as they were 2000 years ago.

It is during significant life events that we generally contemplate the past and look toward the future in a more intentional manner. The hustle and bustle of life often distract us from the most important things. We need to remember why we are here, pursue our unique God-given calling, and live our lives in light of God’s ultimate plans for this world. In the midst of it all, we also need to be intentional with our words and continue to pass on the blessing and purpose of God to those around us. 

Timely Words

Since none of us know the future or when we will pass from this life to the next, it is wise to keep short accounts with others and to continually speak good words to those in our family and community. This is one highlight of the Sabbath celebration that I thoroughly enjoy. The Sabbath provides a weekly time to cease from the busyness of life, thank God for all that He has done, and to speak words of life into those who are around the table. 

In the book of Proverbs we read the following verse: “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Proverbs 16:24) All of the words that we speak to others are important, however, we need to be deliberate in choosing pleasant words and speak life to the people closest to us. Let us be reminded from the life of Jacob to choose our words well and to speak at the right time so that our words can be compared to “apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).

Shabbat Shalom!

If you enjoyed reading this article, share it today with friends! We also invite you to sign up for our weekly Torah Portion commentary on the sidebar to the right.  

Help keep our weekly commentaries free and available to all. Click here to donate today:

*All Scripture take from NASB Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Torah Portion: Gen. 47:28-50:26

Haftara: 1 Kings 2:1-12

Return to Torah Portion Homepage

Copyright Jewels of Judaism.  All rights reserved 2020