ויחי Vayechi

My Musing
What does it mean "your time is up"? From the seemingly innocuous word, 'Vayikrevu' which means and they neared, the rabbis drew two very solemn inferences. The word is the beginning of a phrase that it was time for the protagonist to die. Today's selection teaches that there is no power over the time of death. Not only (as many people say) is death inevitable (or certain like taxes) it is also not in our control. The second is a teaching that is an interesting commentary about even the slightest ambition. The use of the word implies to us that the protagonist did not live as long as their father, despite being more accomplished. We can look at this last teaching humbly, such that even the most accomplished of our patriarchs did not live as long as their fathers, or we can look and say that length of days is not necessarily the indicator of success, it is what we do with our time that is important.

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת ויחי סימן ב
(בראשית מז:כט) "וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת, וַיִּקְרָא לִבְנוֹ לְיוֹסֵף וַיֹּאמֶר לו,ֹ'אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ, שִׂים נָא יָדְךָ תַּחַת יְרֵכִי, וְעָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת, אַל נָא תִקְבְּרֵנִי בְּמִצְרָיִם"

And the days of Israel neared that he would die; and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him: 'If now I have found favor in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt.

"וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת": זה שאמר הכתוב (קהלת ח:ח) "אֵין אָדָם שַׁלִּיט בָּרוּחַ לִכְלוֹא אֶת הָרוּחַ וְאֵין שִׁלְטוֹן בְּיוֹם הַמָּוֶת וְאֵין מִשְׁלַחַת בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְלֹא יְמַלֵּט רֶשַׁע אֶת בְּעָלָיו"

This is what the scripture says, "There is no man that hath power over the wind to retain the wind; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it."

אמר רבי יהושע דסכנין בשם רבי לוי: חצוצרות שעשה משה במדבר כיון שהגיע למות גנזן הקדוש ברוך הוא שלא יהא תוקע אדם אחר בהן. והן באין אצלו לקיים מה שנאמר "וְאֵין שִׁלְטוֹן בְּיוֹם הַמָּוֶת"

Said Rabbi Yehoshua of Sichnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: The coronets that Moshe made in the wilderness, when the time came for him to due, the Holy One, blessed be He, hid them so that no

other man would blow them. And they demonstrate that " there is no power after death"

דבר אחר; "וְאֵין שִׁלְטוֹן בְּיוֹם הַמָּוֶת", כשעשה זמרי אותו מעשה מה כתיב שם? (במדבר כה:ח)
"וַיָּבֹא אַחַר אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל הַקֻּבָּה וַיִּדְקֹר אֶת שְׁנֵיהֶם אֵת אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת הָאִשָּׁה אֶל קֳבָתָהּ וַתֵּעָצַר הַמַּגֵּפָה מֵעַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל"

Another application; "and there is no power over the day of death", when Zimri committed

his heinous act, what is written there? "And he went after the man of Israel into the chamber, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel"

והיכן היה משה? והלא פנחס היה מדבר לפני משה! אלא לקיים מה שנאמר "וְאֵין שִׁלְטוֹן בְּיוֹם הַמָּוֶת",ואין מות אלא לשון השפלה. נתנה הישועה לפנחס והשפיל משה את עצמו.
ואף דוד כתיב בו (מלכים א;א:א) "וְהַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים וַיְכַסֻּהוּ בַּבְּגָדִים וְלֹא יִחַם לוֹ"כיון שנטה למות (מלכים א;ב:א) "וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי דָוִד לָמוּת וַיְצַו אֶת שְׁלֹמֹה בְנוֹ לֵאמֹר"

And where was Moshe? And was not Pinchas speaking (ruling) in fornt of Moshe! Rather, to fulfill what it says, "there us no power in the day of death", and there is no death except to understand as downfall. The salvation was given to Pinchas, and Moshe lowered himself.
And even David, it is written about him, "Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he could get no heat" Since he was tilting towards death "Now the days of David drew near that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 'I go the way of all the earth; be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man"

ואף יעקב כשנטה למות התחיל משפיל עצמו לפני יוסף שנאמר "וַיֹּאמֶר לו,ֹ'אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ"
אימתי? כשקרב למיתה. שנאמר, "וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת"
אמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש: אמר ליה הקדוש ברוך הוא 'חייך! אתה נטמן ואין אתה מת.' "וַיִּקְרְבוּ" מהו "וַיִּקְרְבוּ"? אמר ליה הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'היום קובל עליך לומר כי הוא יקום' כאדם שהוא אומר 'פלוני קרב על חבירו' הוי "וַיִּקְרְבוּ".

And even Yaakov, when he was tilting towards death, began to lower himself before Joseph as it says, 'If now I have found favor in thy sight" When? As he neared death. As it says, " And the days of Israel neared that he would die"
Said Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish (Reish Lakish): Said to him The Holy One, blessed be He, 'by your life! You will be buried but you will not die'
"And they (the days) neared", what is "And they (the days) neared"? Said The Holy One, blessed be He, 'today accept upon you because that is the fulfillment, like a person who says, so and so came near to his friend'

"וַיִּקְרְבוּ" אמרו רבותינו ז"ל, כל מי שנאמר בו קריבה למות לא הגיע לימי אבותיו.
דוד כתיב בו קריבה שנאמר "וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי דָוִד לָמוּת",לא הגיע לימי אבותיו בעז ועובד וישי. ועובד אמרו רבותינו ז"ל יותר מד' מאות שנה חיה, ודוד לא חיה אלא שבעים. לא הגיע לימי אבותיו לפיכך כתיב בו "וַיִּקְרְבוּ"

"And they (the days) neared", said our rabbis of blessed memory, anyone who it is said about them that they approached the time to die, did not achieve the length of days of their father. "Approaching" is written about David as it says, "Now the days of David drew near that he should die;", he did not achieve the days of his forefathers, Boaz, Obed, and Jesse. And our rabbis said that Obed lived over 400 years, and David lived only seventy. He did not achieve the days of his forefathers, therefore it says ""And they (the days) neared"

עמרם חיה קל"ז שנים ומשה לא חיה אלא מאה ועשרים. לפיכך כתיב בו (דברים לא:יד) "וַיֹּאמֶר יְדֹוָד אֶל מֹשֶׁה, הֵן קָרְבוּ יָמֶיךָ לָמוּת, קְרָא אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְהִתְיַצְּבוּ בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַאֲצַוֶּנּוּ וַיֵּלֶךְ מֹשֶׁה וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד"
יעקב כתיב בו קריבה שלא הגיע לימי אבותיו, אברהם חיה קע"ה, יצחק ק"פ, יעקב קמ"ז, לפיכך כתיב בו קריבה "וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת"

Amram lived 137 years and Moshe only lived 120. Therefore it says about him (Moshe) And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Behold, thy days approach that thou must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge.' And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of meeting"
Yaakov, it is written about him, "approaching" that he did not achieve the days of his fathers, Abraham lived 175, Isaac lived 180, and Yaakov, only 147, therefore it says about him "And the days of Israel neared that he would die"