In the end of this week's Parsha, Parshat Vayechi we find that the last thing that Yaakov did before he was niftar was that he lifted up his legs onto the bed as it says in the pasuk וַיְכַל יַעֲקֹב לְצַוֺּת אֶת־בָּנָיו וַיֶּאֱסֹף רַגְלָיו אֶל־הַמִּטָּה וַיִּגְוַע וַיֵּאָסֶף אֶל־עַמָּיו׃ And when yaakov had finished commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his people. (49:33) the basic understanding that the commentators tell us is because until then he was sitting as it says earlier וַיַּגֵּד לְיַעֲקֹב וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה בִּנְךָ יוֹסֵף בָּא אֵלֶיךָ וַיִּתְחַזֵּק יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּשֶׁב עַל־הַמִּטָּה׃
And someone told Yaakov, and said, Behold, your son Yosef is coming to you: and Yisrael strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. (48:2) but why does the Torah Find a need to tell us this, do we really need to know every detail? To understand this we have to understand why Yaakov sat in the first place Rashi explains that it was because he was a king, even though Yosef was his son Yaakov sat up to honor him and from here we learn that we should honor the king. From this we can understand that the torah is telling us a fundamental concept, if a person makes the effort to do a mitzvah hashem will give us strength and siata deshemaya, Yaakov made the effort to sit so hashem helped him return his feet in the end. Indeed it says in the pasuk when he sat וַיִּתְחַזֵּק יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּשֶׁב עַל־הַמִּטָּה׃ and Yisrael strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. (48:2) meaning he gave an effort, it was not easy for him but when he retuned them it says וַיֶּאֱסֹף רַגְלָיו אֶל־הַמִּטָּה he gathered up his feet into the bed (49:33) meaning here is was not difficult because hashem helped him. Shabbat Shalom!
Rafael Avner Tirat-Gefen
