This weeks Torah portion Vayechi translated to English is: and he lived…the best years of his life…Jacob asked his sons to gather themselves together so he can relate to them what will happen in later days. Jacob wished to reveal to his sons the end of days, but the Divine Presence which gave him his power of prophecy departed from him. Jacob wanted to relate to his sons which comes from the depths of a man’s being… it’s the voice of the soul vs. speaking or saying which is merely a verbal act. Jacob thinking that after the brothers had gathered and united themselves together they would be worthy of such a disclosure but they could not receive the divine presence… so it departed not from Jacob who could still see the end of days and could still prophesize but from his attempt to “relate” to his sons. the very fact that we feel that our time is unworthy of redemption is itself proof of Messianic nearness. The Messiah will come when he is not expected… when the mind is turned elsewhere. it means rather that, without regard for the fact that our minds cannot envision it, we have a faith that goes beyond rational expectation and this faith itself will speedily bring the redemption of the end of days!
Torah Studies…Lubavitch
