Vayechi - Rebirthing Into Our True Essence

Jack Levy
Dec 26, 2023
8 min read

"Rebirthing Into Our True Essence

The journey of personal and spiritual transformation, a process of stripping away the roles and masks we have built, and reconnecting with our authentic essence. This search for identity and personal rebirth finds a profound parallel in the parashah 'VaYechi', the last portion of the Book of Genesis, which narrates the final days of Jacob and Joseph.

Just like the characters in our daily lives, Jacob and Joseph represent complex figures, whose lives were marked by transformation and personal discovery. In 'VaYechi', we observe how Jacob, in his final moments, blesses his children, recognizing the uniqueness of each and establishing a legacy that goes beyond their familial and social roles. This blessing is an act of revelation, where the true nature of each son is recognized and celebrated.

Similarly, Joseph, whose life was a series of dramatic transformations — from being a young dreamer to becoming a leader in Egypt — illustrates the concept of personal resurrection through his multiple rebirths. His story teaches us that, regardless of external circumstances, our true essence remains, waiting to be rediscovered and embraced.

Thus, 'VaYechi' not only marks the end of a cycle in the biblical narrative but also symbolizes the continual search for identity, a central theme of our essay. Like Jacob and Joseph, we all face moments of transition and transformation, instances where our true identities can shine through the masks life makes us wear. Reflecting on 'VaYechi', we embark on a journey towards understanding how, like these biblical patriarchs, we can rebirth into our true essence.

I: The Process of Personal Resurrection:

In our busy daily life, we often construct a series of characters, like a band of superheroes, to represent what we want to project to others. Often, we define ourselves by our titles, skills, or professions, though, in reality, these characters can be more limiting than a cape stuck in a revolving door and distance us from our true essence. In this essay, we will explore how the teachings of Judaism and Kabbalah can help us unmask these characters and reconnect with our essence, overcoming the fear of death and discovering our true potential, all while enjoying a bit of humor.

II: The Creation of Characters and Their Limitation.

A person's attire, like the titles or talents we adopt, can be a reflection of a character we wish to represent. By dressing in a certain way or defining ourselves by a profession, we seek to project an image that often hides our true essence, as if we were wearing an invisibility suit. The problem arises when we identify so much with these characters that we forget that we are much more than our appearances, talents, or achievements. As if we were actors in an endless tragicomedy, we get trapped in roles that prevent us from growing.

III: The Teaching of Kabbalah and Identity in Construction

Kabbalah teaches us that God says 'I will be what I will be,'[1] referring to His timeless and unlimited nature. This idea invites us to reflect on our own identity and recognize that, like God, we cannot define ourselves as a simple 'I am.' Instead, we should adopt the perspective of 'I am being,' [2] recognizing that we are in constant evolution and that we are much more than we appear. It's like saying: 'Today I am a shrimp, but tomorrow I could be a shark.'

IV: Life as a Deconstructor of Characters.

Throughout our lives, fate and experiences can challenge and dismantle the characters we have built. This allows us to confront our true essence and understand that we are much more than we thought we were. By freeing ourselves from our self-imposed limitations, we can begin to explore our true potential and live a fuller and more authentic life. In a sense, life is like a casting director that makes us audition for different roles until we find the one that really belongs to us, let's hope we don't get cast as an extra!

V: The Death of a Righteous Person and the Liberation of the Character

Judaism teaches that the death of a righteous person is like pulling a hair from a glass of milk[3]: easy to see and easy to extract. This illustrates how those who have left behind the characters they built throughout their lives can face death with ease, as they understand that death is simply the transition from one character to another, from being body to being soul. We might imagine death as a theater critic who finally frees us from an unconvincing performance and allows us to explore a new role. Something like a 'Thank you for participating, but it's time for you to go and transform into something better.'

VI: Personal Resurrection.

By facing and subduing our ego and the masks that cover us, we surrender to a 'new being,' a process that in itself can be seen as a resurrection. It's as if God himself grants us a new life, allowing us to be reborn and experience a profound transformation. And, with a touch of sour humor, we might see this resurrection as a 'spiritual express rebirth,' where we leave behind our old characters and embrace a new path without the need for a slow metamorphosis, a bit like a quick costume change on the stage of life!

By confronting our limitations and shedding the characters with which we define ourselves, we open ourselves to the possibility of experiencing a personal resurrection, a rebirth that allows us to live a fuller life in tune with our true essence. Ultimately, it is this transformation that brings us closer to God and helps us understand the meaning of 'Blessed are You who revives the dead' (Tefilah, Amidah). So, whether we are dealing with a life change or simply facing a bad day, let's remember that we can always find humor in our ability to overcome our limitations and discover who we really are, and that's something worth celebrating!

VII: Tell Me Your Name, and I'll Tell You Who You Are.

Now, it is important to reflect on how we can develop a strong inner life that allows us to resist dehumanization and become who we really are. In this sense, the topic of personal names and their meaning takes on particular relevance.

Let me share an anecdote from Rabbi Dr. Marc Angel[4] :

When I was a student at Yeshiva College many years ago, I saw a passage scribbled on the subway wall at the IRT 181st Street station. That passage had a great impact on me then and continues to be important to me many years later. The passage was a quote from Alan Watts: 'For when a man no longer confuses himself with the definition of himself that others have given him, he is at once universal and unique.'

Just like in our previous essay, where we talked about the importance of shedding the characters with which we define ourselves and experiencing a personal resurrection, Alan Watts' quote reminds us of the importance of not letting ourselves be defined by the opinions of others. It's very easy to confuse ourselves with the definitions of ourselves that others give us. People can stereotype us, can impose their standards on us, can treat us as 'things' rather than as autonomous human beings. They can judge us by our religion or race, by our political opinions; they can see us as 'the other' without even bothering to see who we really are. When we are constantly being dehumanized or stereotyped by others, it is very possible that we internalize the external definitions of ourselves imposed by friends and enemies alike.

The Torah portion (in Shemot) recounts that Pharaoh feared the growing number of Israelites in Egypt and decided to enslave them and murder their male children. Rabbi Hayyim Angel has pointed out that the Torah notably avoids mentioning the names of the Israelites or Egyptians, except for Shifra and Puah, from the time Joseph died until the birth of Moses. (Pharaoh is a title, not a personal name). People, both Egyptian and Israelite, had become nameless 'things': oppressors and oppressed, masters and slaves. When humans are reduced to 'things,' both the oppressor and the oppressed are dehumanized; they internalize false ideas about who they are and about their true value as human beings. To be universal and unique, to be who we really are, we need to develop a strong inner life that allows us to resist becoming victims of dehumanization. Dr. Bruno Bettelheim, who had been a Jewish prisoner in a German concentration camp, wrote that prisoners feared not only for their physical lives; they feared coming to see themselves as the Nazis saw them: as animals.

'The main problem is to stay alive and unchanged... the more absolute the tyranny, the weaker the subject.'

A Midrash (Tanhuma, Vayakhel) teaches that each person has three names: the name given by the parents, the name given by human beings, and the name one acquires for oneself. The name given by the parents represents their hopes for the child. The name may link the child to an ancestor; or it may be something untraditional. This name reflects the values and traditions of the parents. Each of us is shaped by the name our parents gave us. This is good and valuable to us, but it should not be allowed to undermine our own freedom and individual choices. Parents should give us roots; but also wings.

The name given by other human beings represents our reputation in our community and in the world.

The name may tend to idealize or demonize us; it may be true to who we are, or it may be a total misinterpretation of who we are by people who do not know us or do not understand us.

If we live our lives according to the definitions others have given us, we live a life of shadows and illusions. These first two names are given to us by others. The third name, however, is the one we acquire for ourselves. This name is based on what we have learned from our parents and neighbors, but its ultimate source is our own individual minds and souls. Within each of us is our own "name," our true self. This is who we really are when we rise above the externally imposed definitions of ourselves. Throughout our life, we learn, grow, and strive. Each of us is a work of art in progress.

If we want to develop the full potential of our life, we must focus on the name we acquire for ourselves: our true self. We need to foster inner strength and wisdom to be both universal and unique. We must answer the question: What is your name? So, what is your name? Are you ready to confront your true self and shed the definitions imposed on you by others? Like in the previous essay, it is essential to free ourselves from masks and personas and experience that personal resurrection, to live a fuller life in tune with our true essence.

So, the next time someone asks you, "What's your name?", do you already have an answer in mind?.

In summary: We have explored how we can help ourselves deconstruct the characters we build in our everyday lives and connect with our true essence. Kabbalah teaches us to adopt the perspective of "I am being" instead of saying "I am," as we are constantly evolving and are much more than we appear. Life can challenge and dismantle the characters we have built, allowing us to face our true essence and understand that we are much more than we thought we were. To develop a strong inner life that allows us to resist dehumanization and connect with our true identity, we must focus on the name we acquire for ourselves: our true self. We must foster inner strength and wisdom to be both universal and unique.

Practical advice: Learning new things will allow you to discover aspects of yourself you had not explored before and will help you develop a deeper understanding of your true essence. Also, try to view the ideas you have rooted from different perspectives, to challenge your assumptions and expand your understanding of the world. By questioning what you think you know, you will be opening your mind and heart to new possibilities.

Practical exercise: Let's deeply reflect on the characters we have built throughout our lives and how they affect us. What characters did you cling to in the past? What characters did society or the expectations of my environment cling to me? What are the characters that still define me today? Why do I cling so much to these characters?

Texto extraido de La Voz Del Alma- Jack Levy 2023

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Referencias y Bibliografía

[1] Exodo 3:14 [2] Saban, M. (2006). La Cábala: Psicología del misticismo judío. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Ediciones Granica. [3] Talmud, Berajot 8a [4] Angel, M. (s.f.). What is Your Name? Thoughts on Parashat Shemot. Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. Recuperado de https://www.jewishideas.org/what-your-name-thoughts-parashat-shemot Traduccion libre.