Table for Five: Vayechi

Table for Five: Vayechi One verse, five voices. Edited by Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, place your hand beneath my thigh, and deal with me with lovingkindness and truth; please do not bury me in Egypt.” -Gen 47:29 Rabbi Pinchas Winston Thirtysix.org For centuries, Jews who have died in the Diaspora have asked to be buried in Israel. One reason is in this week’s reading, when Ya’akov requests it of his son, Yosef. But what’s the big deal if a person gets buried elsewhere, just as long as the deceased gets buried according to Jewish law?