The Mortality of Man Leads to the Happiness of Man

The last verse in parshas Vayechi (50:26) seems to end on a sad and
negative note. “Joseph died at the age of 110, they embalmed him, and
he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.” The question is that normally a parsha
ends on a positive note and certainly here, where we are not just ending
the parsha, but rather the entire book of Bereishis, should it not end with
something a little more inspiring? The answer is that we are ending the
parsha on a positive note.
Yosef, as Viceroy of Egypt, was one of the richest and most powerful men
in the world. He had what every man can only dream about. Yet, with all
his power and wealth, in the end, like every mortal, he died, was placed
in a coffin, and buried. “Ok, Rabbi, so what’s the positive note here?” The
positive note is that many people during their lifetime run after power,
money, and honor, and are plagued with jealousy over what someone else
has. So, they are never really happy because there is always someone with
more. Yosef teaches us that no matter how much you have, in the end you
die, and you don’t take it with you. And all this power and money business
is just a puffed-up dream. In the end it’s all meaningless. All you take with
you are the good deeds that you did and the Torah that you studied. The
rest is all nonsense.
The book of Bereishis ends with the most inspiring lesson in life, which is
to wake up, smell the coffee, and focus your attention on the true priorities
in life, for this is what ultimately leads to real joy and happiness.
Wishing you an inspiring Shabbos,
Rabbi Moshe Gruenstein