Hard work pays off. In this week’s parsha, a coda to that Jacob’s life, he makes his final request to his family in Egypt that he be buried with his fathers, the other two patriarchs. As Devora Weinstock, former New Haven Chapter president and current director of programs for New England NCSY, explains, although the language of the parsha is different here, opening with a more tranquil verb than usual (VaYechi meaning “and he lived”), Jacob’s last request still propels the Jewish people forward through hardship.
