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Why does Rashi (רש"י) say the eyes and heart of the Jewish people were "sealed" when Yaakov died? The shiur develops a fundamental yesod: eyes and heart can either broker sin or facilitate spirituality—depending on whether one's identity is rooted in the physical or spiritual. When Yaakov died, the Shevatim faced a unique nisayon: diminished physicality that had been elevated to spirituality.
Rabbi Zweig opens with Rashi (רש"י)'s question on Parshas Vayechi: why does this parsha begin with a "stum" (no break from the previous parsha)? Rashi offers two explanations: (1) because Yaakov's death brought "tzoros hashibud"—the eyes and heart of the Jewish people were sealed due to the agony of enslavement that began, and (2) because Yaakov wanted to reveal the ketz (end of days) but was prevented. Rabbi Zweig identifies several difficulties: First, Rashi elsewhere (Parshas Vayeira) states clearly that the enslavement did not begin until after all the brothers died, not just Yaakov. Second, if the explanation relates to Yaakov's death, why is the stum written at the beginning of Vayechi when Yaakov is still alive throughout the entire parsha? Third, what does Rashi mean by the poetic phrase "the eyes and heart were sealed"? The shiur develops a fundamental chakira about the nature of eyes and heart. In Parshas Shelach, Rashi explains that the eye sees, the heart covets, and the body sins—eyes and heart are "meraglim leguf," spies that broker sins for the body. Yet elsewhere, Chazal present eyes and heart positively: prayer requires eyes looking down and heart directed toward heaven (Yevamos); a good eye (ayin tova) is praised as an ideal quality; "einei ha'edah" (eyes of the community) refers to the Sanhedrin who care for communal needs; and the heart is the seat of generosity (nediv lev) and divine service (Rachmana liba ba'i). How can the same organs be both vehicles of sin and instruments of holiness?
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Bereishis 47:28 (Parshas Vayechi), Rashi
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