Reply To: Short & Sweet

Vayechi: See What You Can Be

The first Rashi in this weeks parsha famously tells us that when Yaakov Avinu died, ????? ?????? ???? ?? ?????, the eyes and hearts of the Jewish nation were closed up. But what does that mean?

Perhaps we can suggest that as long as Yaakov Avinu was alive, all of his descendants had somebody to look up to. They could see in front of their eyes what a perfect Jew looked like, and they could aspire to emulate him. But once Yaakov Avinu was no longer with them, they lost their living role model, and they lost their constant reminder of all that they could become.

This was the beginning of the ????? of ?????. It has been pointed out that ????? comes from the root of ???, which means a boundary or a limitation. Mitzrayim told us that we were nothing but slaves, and we would never amount to anything. Once we allow these types boundaries to be imposed on us, we lose sight of our limitless potential, of all that we can become.

In order to not to lose sight of all that we can become, it is crucial that we stay in the presence of those who are greater than us.

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