A cruise ship traveling through the Pacific encountered a raging storm and subsequently sank. Three Jews survived by holding onto boards and floating to a deserted island. As their initial joy of surviving faded, the reality of their hopeless situation set in. Two of the Jews began to pray with all their hearts. They recited every psalm they knew by heart as they swayed and begged for some form of survival. After some time they turned to find their friend lying against a tree comfortably in a very relaxed state. They were shocked, "How can you be so calm in such a situation? Don’t you understand that we may very well be spending the rest of our lives on this forsaken island?" The third man turned to his friends and smiled, "Two years ago I gave a million dollars to the Jewish Federation. Last year I gave two million and this year I pledged three million. Don’t worry, they’ll find me!"
    As Yaakov felt his strength ebbing away he came to the realization that his time was limited. He summoned his twelve holy sons and blessed each one respectively, focusing on each of their individual strengths and weaknesses. When he completed his blessings the pasuk states, (49:28) "Kol ayleh shivtei Yisroel shnaym asar v’zos asher diber lahem avihem vayivarech osam ish asher k’birchaso bayrach osam- All these are the tribes of Yisroel- twelve- and this is what their father spoke to them and he blessed them; each according to his blessing he blessed them." The end of the pasuk seems to be grammatically incorrect. First the pasuk seems to address each tribe individually, "each according to HIS blessing," but the pasuk concludes by making a reference to the collective group, "he blessed THEM"?
    A person is inherently a selfish being. When a baby is born it cries whenever it desires something. At two o’clock in the morning if the baby is hungry he’ll scream until his weary parents wake up, their need to wake up early the next morning not withstanding. This nature of a young baby reflects the inner essence of every human being and that is for instant and constant self-gratification. The Ramban explains that the mitzvah of, "V’ahavta l’rayacha kamocha- Love your friend as you love yourself," (Vayikra 19:18) means that although it is humanly impossible to physically love someone else more than one loves himself, one is obligated to fulfill the needs and desires of his friend as he would like done for himself. Based on Yaakov’s respective blessings each of the tribes understood that he had a responsibility to focus on his specific blessing and to develop his potential to the utmost. But ultimately they had to utilize all their individual strengths for the sake of Klal Yisroel. On the one hand it was "ish asher k’birchaso," each received his own personal blessing. Nevertheless the ultimate goal was "bayrach osam," for them to realize that the blessings had to be used for the sake of Klal Yisroel.
    A number of years ago, the New York Telephone Company made a detailed study of phone conversations to find out which word was the most frequently used. Their conclusion was that the personal pronoun "I" was by far the most commonly used word. It was repeated 3,900 times in 500 telephone conversations. I once heard an interesting point. In the English language the possessive is expressed by using the letter, "I". It stands tall and proud and commences the sentence. In Loshon Hakodesh however it is almost the complete opposite. The possessive is expressed with a small letter "Yud" appearing at the end of the word, (e.g. "halachti", "yashavti", "asisi"). This is because the holy language of the Torah stresses the importance of humility even in the very letters it uses.
    In Parshas Vayigash when Yosef finally revealed himself to the brothers he told them to return to Cana’an and bring Yaakov down to Egypt. Yosef sent wagons with the brothers to bring to Yaakov. When the brothers returned and told Yaakov that Yosef was alive and well in Egypt, he could not believe them. The pasuk (45:27) says that it was only when Yaakov saw the wagons that Yosef sent him that he finally believed them. Rashi explains that the last Torah topic Yaakov and Yosef had learned together twenty-two years earlier was that of "Eglah arufah- the calf whose neck was broken" (see Devorim 21:1-9). Yosef sent the "Agalos- wagons" to symbolize that last topic. When Yaakov saw the wagons he understood the hidden message and was convinced that Yosef was still alive, for only he could have known what they had learned privately together.
    What was the meaning of this hint that Yosef was sending to Yaakov. "Agalos" and "Eglah" may sound alike but they still have two distinct meanings (i.e. one is a calf and one is a wagon). It’s a nice play on words but what was the deeper message behind those wagons? The Da’as Z’kenim Miba’alei Hatosfos argues with Rashi and quotes the Medrash that states that the final Torah topic Yaakov and Yosef had learned was not that of "Eglah Arufah" but rather about the "Eglos haNesi’im," the wagons that the princes of Klal Yisroel brought on the day of the dedication of the Mishkan in order to transport the vessels of the Mishkan.
    Thus, when Yaakov saw the wagons he understood that Yosef was sending him a direct reminder of the last topic they had learned together, i.e. the wagons of the princes. What was there to learn about those wagons that the princes donated? Also, what deeper message was Yosef sending to Yaakov? The Minchas Oni explains that a person has two distinct tasks in this world that seem to directly conflict. On the one hand, Chazal say that one is obligated to have an attitude that ‘the world was created for me’ and therefore it is incumbent upon me exclusively to be a unique individual and to do all in my power to improve the world and my surroundings. But on the other hand, one is obligated to be part of a greater community and to blend in with all they seek to accomplish (see Avos 2:5).
    The key to fulfilling both paradoxical obligations is to find the median between them. On the one hand one must truly develop himself into an outstanding individual with his own great aspirations and hopes. But on the other hand his goals must ultimately coincide with the goals of the public. He must fulfill his obligations in a manner that will assist the public in meeting their needs and obligations. In regard to the wagons of the princes, the pasuk states (Bamidbar 7:3) "…Agalah al shnei haNesi’im v’shor l’echad…- One wagon for every two princes and an ox for each one." The S’forno comments, "This was an indication of the brotherhood existing between them through which they would be worthy that the Divine Presence would rest between them…" The princes understood the necessary balance between the aforementioned ideas. Each prince brought his own personal ox on the altar as his own sacrifice. However the wagons were purchased and brought in unison to show that ultimately they were all in it together with the same goal in mind.
    Yosef was afraid that Yaakov would not believe the brothers when they told him that he was still alive for two reasons: Firstly, Yaakov knew that the brothers had feelings of disdain and animosity for Yosef which had initiated the whole ordeal. Therefore Yaakov would never believe that this same Yosef who had been on the brothers’ "Most Wanted" list was now inviting all of them to peacefully descend to Egypt and be reunited. Secondly, even if Yosef was truly still alive and well, if he was living in Egypt for so long, there was no way he was still a proper Jew. Therefore he would surely be embarrassed for his holy father to see him in such a state and would never summon him to come. To disprove both of those doubts, Yosef sent the wagons to symbolize the wagons of the princes. Yosef was relaying a message to his father that just as there was unconditional love between the princes though they each retained their own levels of individuality, so too Yosef was still able to feel a love for them as a collective group, "the Children of Yaakov". Also symbolizing the last topic they learned showed that Yosef had indeed retained his learning and was still a devout Jew.
    In general, the parsha of Vayechi marks the end of an era. At this point the tribes could no longer only be individuals. Now as they descended to Egypt where the groundwork was being laid for their becoming a nation, they had to learn how to merge into a group called "Klal Yisroel".
    This idea can best be compared to a sports team. There are many different players on each team with each having individual responsibilities. Yet ultimately they have one goal in mind, i.e. to win the ultimate showdown and to become the World Champions. On a far greater level we are all individuals with tremendous potential and specific goals. However we are all on a team called, "Klal Yisroel" seeking to spread the word of G-d throughout the world and to eventually defeat the forces of impurity that reign supreme in our society. We must learn the art of balancing these two vital tasks so that not only will we fulfill our unique goals but we will help Klal Yisroel elevate one more step up toward the ultimate redemption.