Va-y'chi
Jacob and Joseph Father, son, die in Egypt "The beginning" ends
This Shabbat we finish reading Genesis (in Hebrew, Bereshit - "In the beginning") and the story of the origins of the Jewish people comes to an end. Things will quickly get worse for our ancestors in Egypt, but in Exodus (Shemot) we'll learn about the building of the Hebrew nation.At the conclusion of our reading of each of the five books of Torah, we say "Chazak, chazak, v'nitchazek" - Be strong, be strong, and may we gain strength together.