Vayechi - ויחי : "And he lived"
Torah : Genesis 47:28-50:26
Haftarah : 1 Kings 2:1-12
Gospel : Luke 4:31-5:11

Thought for the Week:

What does it mean when it says, "Judah, your brothers shall praise you..."? (Genesis 49:8) Shimon bar Yochai said, "It means that all your brethren will be called by your name. A man does not say, 'I am a Reubenite' or 'I am a Simeonite', but he says, 'I am a Yehudi [Judahite; Jew].'" (Genesis Rabbah 98:6)

Commentary:

In his final blessings over his sons, Jacob compares his son Judah to a young lion and blesses him with the throne, or rule over the tribes. (Genesis 49:8-12) He prophesied that Judah would be the tribe from which the rulers of Israel would come by declaring, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes..." (Genesis 49:10) However, the Torah does not tell us what "Shiloh" means.

Jewish interpretation is not united about the specific meaning of the word Shiloh, but it is quite united about to whom it refer...