Rabbi's Sermons

 Shabbat shalom!

This week's portion, VayeHi - is the closing Parasha of the Book of Genesis. The Parasha handles the subject of endings, as it completes the personal and family history of the book of Genesis, before making a sudden transition - from the family level to the national and historical level.

With the beginning of this civil year 2026, I have read all kinds of forums predicting that this year will be an even more difficult one for the state of Israel, facing perhaps a second war against Iran, which despite the dubious agreements and the sanctions against it, openly continues with its missiles and nuclear program. One of the comments I have read, was wondering about Judaism's view regarding the haunting theme of Og and Magog wars, the end of the world, the end of times, the coming of the Messiah and other similar questions. The liberal movements do not normally deal with these complex issues, because in the end, I do not believe that there is someone who can offer a convincing and satisfactory answer. First of all, God reminds us through the rainbow in the sky, that the world will not be destroyed, at least, not by a flood.

However, in this week's portion there are indications that seem to strengthen the opinions of mystics, who search among the texts for signs of the end of the world. At the beginning of chapter 49, we read the blessings with which our father Yaacov blessed the children of Israel: "And Jacob called unto his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days". And during the blessing to Yehuda he said: "The scepter shall not depart from Yehuda, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes". These two concepts, "in the last days" and "until Shiloh comes", have evoked many interpretations, many of them mystical.

Regarding "Shiloh", Rashi's comment in the Midrash Rabbah indicates: “The scepter that will not depart from Yehuda is from now on. They are the leaders of the exiles in Babylon... until Shiloh who is King Messiah”. The Targum Onkelus also translates - “Shiloh”, as - “Messiah”. That is, the scepter of control will never be removed from the people of Yehuda, until the coming of the Messiah, and this is the most familiar interpretation. The interpretation is correct, if we consider the SANHEDRIN in the exile, as a continuation of the generation of the house of David. After all, tradition points to Hillel and Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi as descendants of King David! But all of this was true for THAT period of our people's history. Historically, there is a problem, because during the next two thousand years of exile, the institution of the SANHEDRIN in the exiles was lost, and we know that the Messiah has not yet arrived... Therefore, this interpretation makes Yaacov, a false prophet! So, to solve the problem, there is another Midrash Michtav Yad 155, which explains that - "until Shiloh comes", refers to the prophet Achiyah Shilonite, who announced, in the 1^st Book of Kings Ch. 11, the division of David's Kingdom into two parts: the kingdom of Yehuda and the kingdom of Israel. At that time, Yehuda's power was removed, making Jeroboam of the tribe of Yosef, king of the ten tribes of Israel in the North. From here, we learn that the term - "until Shiloh comes", does not necessarily refer to a Messiah, or prophecies of the future. In relation to Yaacov, it is future tense, but in relation to us, it is past tense.

Regarding - "in the last days" or Revelation, this is a generic name for the prophecies about the end of humanity in the different religions, not just in Judaism. In Christianity, it is called The Book of Revelation. In Judaism, it is the vision of the prophet Isaiah, in the verses of the Bible about the war of Gog and Magog, or in the words of the sages about the coming of the Messiah. The end of days appears in Judaism in several sources:

• In the book of Numbers 24:14 - Bilaam's prophecy: "And now, behold, I go unto my people. Come therefore, and I will warn thee what this people shall do to thy people in the last days";
• In Deuteronomy 4:30, Moses says to the people: "When thou art in tribulation and all these things have come upon thee, even in the last days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God and shalt be obedient unto His voice";
• In Deuteronomy 31:29: “For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the last days".

It seems that the concept of - "in the last days", is a process that includes several stages: the war of Gog and Magog, the revelation of the prophet Elijah, the resurrection of the dead, the coming of the Messiah and the world to come. Maimonides explains, that it does not necessarily have to be carried out in that order, and that it is ultimately, an account for something that may be accepted or not, by faith.

Judaism does not believe in magic sorcerers. The prophets, unlike the stargazers and the readers in the cafe, prophesied, with intention that those who listened to them would repent of their deeds, and so the calamity they prophesied would be averted, and will never actually happen! Prophecies do not require a specific and certain future, but rather, present a future possibility, a choice. When, for example, Isaiah prophesied to King Hezekiah, that he was going to die in the 2^nd Book of Kings Ch. 20 - it was not a prophecy - in fact - when Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed, God answered his prayer and told him that many more years were added to his life. The prophet Jonah's prophecy was not fulfilled, regarding the destruction of the city of Nineveh, after its inhabitants repented of their wrongdoings. Here, too, in Yaacov's blessing, the words - "in the last days", did not necessarily predict the future, but were a key to knowing which behavior promises a better future. The details of future events depend solely on the behavior of the people!

All prophecies foreign to the Jewish people assume that there is no other way than the prophecy itself, and that there is no alternative but to wait for a certain date and pray for good. But the message of the Bible on the subject of prophecy is clear, and it is about of what could happen, but not necessarily what will happen. The famous prophecy that we read in our prayer: "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" - is not an exclusive activity of the Messiah, it is a call to our action. It is a plan for the benefit of all humanity. Let us learn from the words of the prophet Zechariah Ch. 8: “These are the things that you shall do: Speak every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; ¹⁷ and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath”. Hopefully, in this year 2026, which is starting, each one of us will be able to actively contribute our grain of sand, inside and outside our community, to achieve that plan, to achieve that prophecy, for a better era for the people of Israel and for the whole world. With each action, with each study, with each prayer, with each message that we transmit, we will bring the longed-for redemption closer. Our future is not a mystery, it is here in our hands, we just have to work for it!

Shabat Shalom!

Rabbi David Laor

January 2^nd 2026