Torah Thoughts
Vayechi is the last parsha of the book of Genesis / Bereishit. Beraishit covers the period from the creation of the earth through the covenant made with Abraham, and the lives Abraham’s great-grandsons, the founders of the 12 tribes. (Dina, the only great-granddaughter, continues be part of the story only in that, according to tradition, her daughter is adopted by Potiphar, and ultimately marries Joseph).
In Vayechi, Jacob, the last of the patriarchs, blesses each of his sons (though some of the blessings do not seem entirely positive). As we all know, it is important to know not only your strengths but also your weaknesses, so that one may account for them.
Two hundred years pass before the next book, Exodus / Shmot, begins. By this point the descendants of each brother are a separate tribe. And though we become a single people upon entering into the covenant at Mount Sinai, these tribal identities remain. Each tribe carries a flag that reflects the blessing given to its ancestor, and, when we enter the land of Israel, each tribe settles according to the lottery.