Genesis · Weekly Torah portion
Parashat Vayigashוַיִּגַּשׁ
Torah reading
Genesis 44:18-47:27
Haftarah
Ezekiel 37:15-28
What happens in Vayigash
Judah steps forward — vayigash — and offers himself as a slave in place of Benjamin, proving how deeply the brothers have changed. Joseph can no longer hold back: 'I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?' The reunion shakes the room. Rather than revenge, Joseph reframes everything: 'It was not you who sent me here, but God.' Jacob and the whole family — seventy souls — descend to Egypt, where Jacob and Joseph embrace after twenty-two years apart.
Big themes
- Teshuvah — real change
- Forgiveness over revenge
- Family reunited
If this is your bar or bat mitzvah portion
Judah once suggested selling Joseph; now he offers his own life for Benjamin. The Torah is showing us real teshuvah — proving you've changed by acting differently when the same test comes around. People can grow. That includes the people who hurt us, and it includes us.
Learning to chant Vayigash?
Ready 13 builds a verse-by-verse practice plan for this exact portion — chanted reference audio, karaoke highlighting, trope games, and a countdown that keeps the big day on track.
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