Vayechi: Chapter 67

"Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the seas"

Synopsis

Rabbi Yehuda discourses on the title verse, explaining that the merchant Zebulun made an agreement with Issachar, promising to support him while Issachar studied the Torah. Zebulun was a merchant of the sea and he therefore dwelled among seamen for purposes of commerce. His border, we're told, reached Tzidion, a place of commerce. Although he did not occupy himself with the Torah, Zebulun is always placed before Issachar during the blessings, because he took bread from his own mouth and gave to Issachar. He who supports scholars of the Torah receives blessings from above and below, meriting wealth in this world and a portion in the World to Come. Rabbi Aba then quotes the verse, "Nor shall you suffer the salt of the Covenant." We learn that salt is important because it washes away and perfumes bitterness to give it taste. Without salt, the world would be unable to endure the bitterness of judgment, and it is through judgment that the world learns righteousness. Salt signifies Yesod, the Covenant that supports the world. Therefore, a meal lacking salt symbolically separates Yesod and the Female Principle, a division that brings death. Rabbi Aba and Rabbi Yosi conclude with a discussion of the verse, "And that you will save alive my father and my mother." Their interpretation reveals that Rachav asked for a token of life, which, she said, rests upon the letter of truth. She was given a cord of scarlet thread, a token of Joshua, because the time had come for the moon to rule. She thus received a token of the moon, signifying Malchut.

Relevance

A profound spiritual truth emerges from this text concerning the ultimate purpose of Torah and the dangers of blind religiosity. The purpose of Torah study is not in any way related to academic, religious, or scholarly pursuits. Rather, the Torah is a tool for spiritual development with the sole intention of leading one to the ultimate objective of "loving thy neighbor as thyself." Remarkably, many "devout" and religious men will behave with intolerance towards others in the name of God and for the sake of their own religious objectives. This is completely contrary to the underlying purpose of the Torah. The Zohar stresses this point by explaining that the Biblical character of Zebulun, who was not a student of the Torah, is always placed before Issachar during the blessings because he took bread from his own mouth and gave to a man named Issachar. Additionally, this passage helps sweeten the judgments that must appear in our lives, demonstrating that the Torah and the Light of the Zohar offer mankind a path to spiritual perfection that is most merciful and meaningful.