Parsha Vayigash וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ is translated as “and drew near” and is the eleventh Torah reading in the annual reading cycle. I found two ways to spell it – “vayigash” and “vaigash”
Parsha Vayigash Summary
Parsha Vayigash begins with Judah approaching Joseph. He tells him the back story of his personal pledge for Benejamin to their father. Joseph breaks down and reveals himself to his brothers. He explains about the famine and how God sent him into Egypt.
The Pharoah hears the news of Joseph’s brothers being here in Egypt. Joseph tells his brothers his story in Egypt. He gives them supplies and tell them to bring their father to him. The brothers return to Canaan and tell their father about Joseph in Egypt. Israel agrees to leave Canaan to go to Egypt. He wants to see his son before he dies.
Before leaving Canaan, he goes to Beersheba to offer a sacrifice to God. God speaks to him through night visions. God promises to be with him in Egypt. God also promises Israel will become a nation in Egypt.
Once in Egypt, Israel sees Joseph his son, meets the Pharoah and is given the land of Goshen. Thereafter, we see the continued works of Joseph for the Pharoah.
Vayigash וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ is the first word and in the Hebrew text (see text below).
Parsha Vayigash Readings
Torah: Genesis (Bereshit) 44.18-47.10
Halftorah: Ezekiel 37.15-28
Brit Hahagaddah: Lu. 6.12-16
Parsha Vayigash Aliyah
First reading — Genesis (Bereshit) 44.18-30
Second reading — Genesis (Bereshit) 44.31-45.7
Third reading — Genesis (Bereshit) 45.8-18
Fourth reading — Genesis (Bereshit) 45.19-27
Fifth reading — Genesis (Bereshit) 45.28-46.27
Sixth reading — Genesis (Bereshit) 46.28-47.10
Seventh reading — Genesis (Bereshit) 47.11-27
Parsha Vayigash Stats
- Hebrew letters – 5,680
- Hebrew words – 1,480
- Pesukim (sentences) – 106
- Lines in a Torah Scroll- 178
- Double Count – 2 (44.28; 46.2)
- Scribal Practices – 0
- See Hebrew text for Parsha Vayigash
- Number of Mitzvot in Parsha Vayigash- 0
- Maimonides says: 0
- Positive – 0
- Negative – 0
- Sefer ha-Chinuch says: 0
- Positive – 0
- Negative – 0
Parsha Vayigash Scriptures
Genesis (Bereshit) 44.18-30 (Parsha Vayigash, Aliyah 1)
Gen 44:18 Then Judah came near unto him, and said: ‘Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh.
Gen 44:19 My lord asked his servants, saying: Have ye a father, or a brother?
Gen 44:20 And we said unto my lord: We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.
Gen 44:21 And thou saidst unto thy servants: Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.
Gen 44:22 And we said unto my lord: The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would die.
Gen 44:23 And thou saidst unto thy servants: Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.
Gen 44:24 And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
Gen 44:25 And our father said: Go again, buy us a little food.
Gen 44:26 And we said: We cannot go down; if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down; for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother be with us.
Gen 44:27 And thy servant my father said unto us: Ye know that my wife bore me two sons;
Gen 44:28 and the one went out from me, and I said: Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since;
Gen 44:29 and if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Gen 44:30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us; seeing that his soul is bound up with the lad’s soul;
Genesis (Bereshit) 44.31-34 (Parsha Vayigash, Aliyah 2)
Gen 44:31 it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
Gen 44:32 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying: If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my father for ever.
Gen 44:33 Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.
Gen 44:34 For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I look upon the evil that shall come on my father.’
Genesis (Bereshit) 45.1-7 (Parsha Vayigash, Aliyah 2)
Gen 45:1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: ‘Cause every man to go out from me.’ And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.
Gen 45:2 And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.
Gen 45:3 And Joseph said unto his brethren: ‘I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?’ And his brethren could not answer him; for they were affrighted at his presence.
Gen 45:4 And Joseph said unto his brethren: ‘Come near to me, I pray you.’ And they came near. And he said: ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Gen 45:5 And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Gen 45:6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land; and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest.
Gen 45:7 And God sent me before you to give you a remnant on the earth, and to save you alive for a great deliverance.
Genesis (Bereshit) 45.8-18 (Parsha Vayigash, Aliyah 3)
Gen 45:8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God; and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Gen 45:9 Hasten ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him: Thus saith thy son Joseph: God hath made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto me, tarry not.
Gen 45:10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast;
Gen 45:11 and there will I sustain thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou come to poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast.
Gen 45:12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
Gen 45:13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall hasten and bring down my father hither.’
Gen 45:14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
Gen 45:15 And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with him.
Gen 45:16 And the report thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying: ‘Joseph’s brethren are come’; and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.
Gen 45:17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: ‘Say unto thy brethren: This do ye: lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;
Gen 45:18 and take your father and your households, and come unto me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
Genesis (Bereshit) 45.19-27 (Parsha Vayigash, Aliyah 4)
Gen 45:19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye: take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
Gen 45:20 Also regard not your stuff; for the good things of all the land of Egypt are yours.’
Gen 45:21 And the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
Gen 45:22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver, and five changes of raiment.
Gen 45:23 And to his father he sent in like manner ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and victual for his father by the way.
Gen 45:24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said unto them: ‘See that ye fall not out by the way.’
Gen 45:25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father.
Gen 45:26 And they told him, saying: ‘Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.’ And his heart fainted, for he believed them not.
Gen 45:27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.
Genesis (Bereshit) 45.28 (Parsha Vayigash, Aliyah 5)
Gen 45:28 And Israel said: ‘It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.’
Genesis (Bereshit) 46.1-27 (Parsha Vayigash, Aliyah 5)
Gen 46:1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
Gen 46:2 And God spoke unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said: ‘Jacob, Jacob.’ And he said: ‘Here am I.’
Gen 46:3 And He said: ‘I am God, the God of thy father; fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.
Gen 46:4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.’
Gen 46:5 And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
Gen 46:6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him;
Gen 46:7 his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.
Gen 46:8 And these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s first-born.
Gen 46:9 And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
Gen 46:10 And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.
Gen 46:11 And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Gen 46:12 And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
Gen 46:13 And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron.
Gen 46:14 And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.
Gen 46:15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.
Gen 46:16 And the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.
Gen 46:17 And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel.
Gen 46:18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.
Gen 46:19 The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin.
Gen 46:20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him.
Gen 46:21 And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.
Gen 46:22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; all the souls were fourteen.
Gen 46:23 And the sons of Dan: Hushim.
Gen 46:24 And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.
Gen 46:25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob; all the souls were seven.
Gen 46:26 All the souls belonging to Jacob that came into Egypt, that came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six.
Gen 46:27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.
Genesis (Bereshit) 46.28-34 (Parsha Vayigash, Aliyah 6)
Gen 46:28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show the way before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.
Gen 46:29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.
Gen 46:30 And Israel said unto Joseph: ‘Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive.’
Gen 46:31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house: ‘I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him: My brethren, and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;
Gen 46:32 and the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.
Gen 46:33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say: What is your occupation?
Gen 46:34 that ye shall say: Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers; that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.’
Genesis (Bereshit) 47.1-10 (Parsha Vayigash, Aliyah 6)
Gen 47:1 Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said: ‘My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.’
Gen 47:2 And from among his brethren he took five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.
Gen 47:3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren: ‘What is your occupation?’ And they said unto Pharaoh: ‘Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.’
Gen 47:4 And they said unto Pharaoh: ‘To sojourn in the land are we come; for there is no pasture for thy servants’ flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.’
Gen 47:5 And Pharaoh spoke unto Joseph, saying: ‘Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee;
Gen 47:6 the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and thy brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell. And if thou knowest any able men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.’
Gen 47:7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Gen 47:8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob: ‘How many are the days of the years of thy life?’
Gen 47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh: ‘The days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.’
Gen 47:10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
Gen 47:11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
Genesis (Bereshit) 47.11-27 (Parsha Vayigash, Aliyah 7)
Gen 47:11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
Gen 47:12 And Joseph sustained his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to the want of their little ones.
Gen 47:13 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine.
Gen 47:14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
Gen 47:15 And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said: ‘Give us bread; for why should we die in thy presence? for our money faileth.’
Gen 47:16 And Joseph said: ‘Give your cattle, and I will give you bread for your cattle, if money fail.’
Gen 47:17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph. And Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the asses; and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their cattle for that year.
Gen 47:18 And when that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him: ‘We will not hide from my lord, how that our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lord’s; there is nought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands.
Gen 47:19 Wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be bondmen unto Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.’
Gen 47:20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine was sore upon them; and the land became Pharaoh’s.
Gen 47:21 And as for the people, he removed them city by city, from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end thereof.
Gen 47:22 Only the land of the priests bought he not, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them; wherefore they sold not their land.
Gen 47:23 Then Joseph said unto the people: ‘Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh. Lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
Gen 47:24 And it shall come to pass at the ingatherings, that ye shall give a fifth unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.’
Gen 47:25 And they said: ‘Thou hast saved our lives. Let us find favour in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s bondmen.’
Gen 47:26 And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests alone became not Pharaoh’s.
Gen 47:27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got them possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
Ezekiel 37.15-28 (Parsha Vayigash, Haftarah)
Eze 37:15 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:
Eze 37:16 ‘And thou, son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it: For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it: For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel his companions;
Eze 37:17 and join them for thee one to another into one stick, that they may become one in thy hand.
Eze 37:18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying: Wilt thou not tell us what thou meanest by these?
Eze 37:19 say into them: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will put them unto him together with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in My hand.
Eze 37:20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes.
Eze 37:21 And say unto them: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, whither they are gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land;
Eze 37:22 and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all;
Eze 37:23 neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling-places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them; so shall they be My people, and I will be their God.
Eze 37:24 And My servant David shall be king over them, and they all shall have one shepherd; they shall also walk in Mine ordinances, and observe My statutes, and do them.
Eze 37:25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children’s children, for ever; and David My servant shall be their prince for ever.
Eze 37:26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them – it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will establish them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for ever.
Eze 37:27 My dwelling-place also shall be over them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Eze 37:28 And the nations shall know that I am the LORD that sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever.’
Luke 6.12-16 (Parsha Vayigash, Renewed Covenant)
Luk 6:12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.
Luk 6:13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:
Luk 6:14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,
Luk 6:15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot,
Luk 6:16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Offline Resources:
- Covenant & Conversation Commentary – Rabbi Sacks book on Amazon. Parsha Chayei Sarah contains a total of four different articles on pages 303 – 327.
- The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon – One of the most used Hebrew and English Lexicons among serious Bible students.
WSB Resources:
Worksheets
- None
WSB Show Podcast
- None
Scripture Text
- Genesis (Bereshit) Introduction
- Genesis 44 (Bereshit) | Bible Hub Interlinear Genesis 44
- Genesis 45 (Bereshit) | Bible Hub Interlinear Genesis 45
- Genesis 46 (Bereshit) | Bible Hub Interlinear Genesis 47
- Genesis 47 (Bereshit) | Bible Hub Interlinear Genesis 47
Parshoit List
- Bereshit – 1st Parsha – Gen. 1.1 – 6.8
- Noach – 2nd Parsha – Gen. 6.9 – 11.32
- Lech Lecha – 3rd Parsha – Gen. 12.1 – 17.27
- Vayera – 4th Parsha – Gen. 13.1 – 22.24
- Chayei Sarah – 5th Parsha – Gen. 23.1 – 25.18
- Toledot – 6th Parsha – Gen. 25.29 – 28.9
- Vavetze – 7th Parsha – Gen. 28.20 -32.2(3)
- Vayishlach – 8th Parsha – Gen. 32.3(4) -36.43
- Vayeshev – 9th Parsha – Gen. 37.1 -40.23
- Miketz – 10th Parsha -Gen. 41.1 -44.17
- Vayigash – 11th Parsha – Gen. 44.18 – 47.27
- Vayechi – 12th Parsha – Gen. 47.28 – 50.26
Additional Links:
Articles:
Media:
AUDIO
- Hebrew in Israel – Torah Portion Vayigash – Yoel HaLevi’s teaching series Learn Torah on Parsha Vayigash
- Hebrew in Israel – Haftarah Portion Vayigash – Yoel HaLevi teaching series Learn Torah on the Haftarah on Parsha Vayigash
- Torah Pearls #11 – Vayigash– Nehemia Gordan’s teaching on Parsha Vayigash
- Prophet Pearls #11 – Vayigash– Nehemia Gordan’s teaching series on the Haftarah for Parsha Vayigash
VIDEO
- Covenant and Conversion – Rabbi Sacks Video teaching in 5771/2010 on Vayigash.