Vayechi 48:10 · unit 1

Parashas Vayechi · Passuk 48:10

The Complete Passuk

וְעֵינֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ כָּבְד֣וּ מִזֹּ֔קֶן לֹ֥א יוּכַ֖ל לִרְא֑וֹת וַיַּגֵּ֤שׁ אֹתָם֙ אֵלָ֔יו וַיִּשַּׁ֥ק לָהֶ֖ם וַיְחַבֵּ֥ק לָהֶֽם׃

Now the eyes of Yisrael were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Yoma 28b.

TT lemma: כבדו מזקן.

Sefaria — Yoma 28b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמַר רַבִּי חָמָא בַּר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: מִימֵיהֶם שֶׁל אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לֹא פָּסְקָה יְשִׁיבָה מֵהֶם. יַעֲקֹב זָקֵן וְיוֹשֵׁב בִּישִׁיבָה הָיָה, דִּכְתִיב וְעֵינֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּבְדוּ מִזֹּקֶן.

English: R’ Chama bar R’ Chanina said: In the days of our fathers the yeshivah never ceased from them. Yaakov was an elder and sat in the yeshivah, as it is written: “And the eyes of Yisrael were dim for age.”

On the daf / in context: The phrase is read as an asmachta that the dimming of the eyes came from the labour of Torah study. The fathers maintained continuous houses of study; Yaakov in his old age was still occupied with Torah.

Type of Learning

Asmachta / aggadic derash — “כבדו מזקן” is understood as the result of intensive Torah labour rather than ordinary physical senescence.

What Is Learned

The patriarchs maintained uninterrupted yeshivos. Yaakov’s dimmed eyesight is taken as evidence of lifelong devotion to Torah study.