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Orchard of Delights Vayechi
be totally contradictory. Nonetheless, each feeling or attitude seems them much thought. The Mashiach will break the existing paradigms,
very “real” and justified, in response to the passing circumstances or flooding the world with a new consciousness that will overthrow the
our moods at any particular moment. routine manner in which we experience reality and comprehend the
These conflicting emotions can sometimes surface unconsciously Torah, opening up an entirely new level of Divine consciousness. In the
or consciously to our benefit or detriment. Sometimes we intend to Messianic era the Divinity that has always infused every moment will
make a neutral comment and our emotions well up, changing the tone finally be felt and every moment will be new and revitalizing.
to a critical, sarcastic, or demeaning one. The tone of our voices or Along with Jacob’s praise of Judah’s leadership and bravery
our body language – all too often, without our even realizing it – can symbolized by the image of a lion, the “king of the beasts,” there
turn an innocuous or even complimentary remark into something else are also a number of references to donkeys and grape vines or wine
altogether. However, sometimes we actually use these various modes in Judah’s blessing. These too are highly symbolic and allude, in
of communicating to simultaneously convey a number of different particular, to Mashiach, who will descend from Judah. Indeed, in the
messages. Thus, the Midrash teaches us that Judah’s speech was prophet Zechariah, Mashiach is described as “riding upon a donkey,
both a plea for mercy and a warning at the very same time. and upon a colt, the foal of an ass” (9:9), and the Messianic era is
described as a fertile period in which the Land will blossom and peace
This passage also teaches us that not only can a speech or
text simultaneously convey two different messages, it can even will fill the world: “On that day says the Lord of Hosts, everyone of
surreptitiously address two different individuals. Recognizing this you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his
truth, the tradition picks up on the word “my lord,” with which fig tree” (3:10). The abundance of wine likewise refers to the great
Judah addresses Joseph, for this very same word, vowelized slightly productivity of the Land in the future and the immense change of
differently, is one of God’s names. Furthermore, the Sages note consciousness that will be ushered in by Mashiach.
that the Hebrew word denoting Judah’s “approach” (vayigash) to In fact, both physical and spiritual abundance are alluded to in the
Joseph is used elsewhere to denote prayer. Indeed, the verse never image Jacob painted of Shiloh laundering his garments in wine. The
even explicitly states who Judah is approaching, but only says, “and numerical equivalent of the Hebrew word for wine (yayin) is seventy,
Judah approached him.” Thus, a certain ambiguity is maintained reminding us of the dictum of the Sages that the Torah has seventy
throughout his speech. Just as on a mundane level, we may be faces. The Hebrew word for the secret teachings of the Torah, sod,
speaking to one person, but actually crafting our words so that others also equals seventy. The Mashiach will, as it were, wash and soak
receive our real message, Judah’s plea for mercy may not have been the Torah’s straightforward peshat understanding in the wine of the
directed at Joseph alone, but also at God. secret teachings of the Torah, imbuing them with a higher level of
Judah in praying to God while speaking to Joseph imparts a spirituality. This metaphor is particularly apt from a Kabbalistic or
number of important lessons about prayer. First and foremost, Chassidic perspective as these schools of thought often refer to the
he teaches us that prayer is not merely the act of reciting certain exterior level of the text and physicality itself as “garments.”
passages at certain points in time. Prayer is a constant state of According to tradition there are seventy archetypal nations. The
consciousness, in which human beings are always talking, pleading, image of Shiloh washing his garments in wine also foretells another
praising, questioning, conversing with, singing to, and longing for important facet of the Messianic era: the seventy nations of the world
God. As Judah’s descendant, King David, wrote in the Psalms, “I will also benefit from Mashiach’s teachings and leadership. Here is
am prayer”; thus prayer is much more than something that I do, it is another allusion to the Jewish belief that Mashiach will ultimately bring
the entire world together in a true spiritual and physical global village.
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