גַּם הָעוֹלֶה לַתּוֹרָה אוֹמֵר חֲזַק חֲזַק וְנִתְחֲזֵק. בַּאֲמִירַת וִיהִי נוֹעַם בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת קוֹדֶשׁ כּוֹפְלִים פָּסוּק אוֹרֶךְ יָמִים גו', אֲבָל לֹא בִּתְּפִלַּת שַׁחֲרִית.

[Like all the other congregants,] the person who receives the [final] aliyah [at the end of any of the Five Books of the Chumash] says Chazak, chazak, venis’chazek.1

[At Maariv] on Motzaei Shabbos, when reciting the passage that begins Viy’hi noam [and continues with the following chapter of Tehillim, which begins Yoshev beseiser],we repeat the final verse, which begins Orech yamim.2 That verse is not repeated [when this chapter is recited] in the [Shabbos] morning prayers.3

בִּהְיוֹת הַצֶּמַח צֶדֶק יֶלֶד וְלָמַד אֶת הַכָּתוּב וַיְחִי יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה, תִּירְגֵם לוֹ מוֹרוֹ — עַל פִּי פִּירוּשׁ בַּעַל הַטוּרִים — יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ האָט געֶלעֶבּט דִי זִיבּעֶצעהן בּעֶסטעֶ יאָהרעֶן אִין מִצְרַיִם. כְּשֶׁבָּא הַבַּיְתָה מֵהַחֵדֶר שָׁאַל אֶת זְקֵנוֹ אַדְמוּ"ר הַזָּקֵן: הֲיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ, בְּחִיר הָאָבוֹת, יִהְיוּ מִבְחַר שְׁנוֹת חַיָּיו יז שָׁנָה שֶׁגָּר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עֶרְוַת הָאָרֶץ. וַיַּעֲנֵהוּ אַדְמוּ"ר הַזָּקֵן: כְּתִיב וְאֶת יְהוּדָה שָׁלַח לְפָנָיו אֶל יוֹסֵף לְהוֹרוֹת לְפָנָיו גֹּשְׁנָה, וְאִיתָא בְמִדְרָשׁ — מוּבָא בְּרַשִׁ"י — אָמַר רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה לְהַתְקִין לוֹ בֵּית תַּלְמוּד, שֶׁתְּהֵא שָׁם תּוֹרָה וְשֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַשְּׁבָטִים הוֹגִים בַּתּוֹרָה. לְהוֹרוֹת לְפָנָיו גֹּשְׁנָה, אַז מעֶן לעֶרעֶנט תּוֹרָה וועֶרט מעֶן נעֶהנטעֶר צוּם אוֹיבּעֶרשׁטעֶן בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אוּן אוֹיך אִין מִצְרַיִם אִיז געֶוועֶן וַיְחִי געֶלעֶבּט.

When the Tzemach Tzedek was a child and learned the verse,4 “And Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years,” his teacher translated it for him according to the commentary of Baal HaTurim: Yaakov Avinulived his seventeen best years in Egypt.5

When [the Tzemach Tzedek] came home from cheder he asked his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe: “How could it be that the best years in the life of Yaakov Avinu, the most eminent of the Patriarchs, were the seventeen years that he lived in Egypt, ‘the obscenity of the earth’?”6

The Alter Rebbe answered him: “It is written that7 ‘[Yaakov] sent Yehudah before him to Yosef, to show him (lehoros lefanav) the way to Goshen.’ The Midrash, as cited by Rashi,8 relates that R. Nechemiah said, ‘[Yehudah’s task was] to prepare a House of Study for him, so that the Torah would be [studied] there, and [his sons9 ] would meditate upon its teachings.’ “10

[The Alter Rebbe added: “This is implied11 by the above-quoted phrase,] lehoros lefanav Goshnah — ‘To show him the way to Goshen.’12 Through Torah study, one draws closer to G‑d. In such circumstances, even in Egypt, there was life and vitality.”13

Probing Beneath the Surface

The Rebbe asks an obvious question about this teaching.14 While it is true that Torah study enables one to draw closer to G‑d and can bring a person genuine vitality, even in Egypt, why did Yaakov have to experience this vitality precisely there?

A simple answer would be that in Egypt, due to the position of authority that Yosef enjoyed, he was able to grant his father and brothers everything they needed to study Torah without worry. Surely, though, G‑d could have arranged for them to find the same degree of prosperity in Eretz Yisrael, and to study Torah there.

The Rebbe explains: While Torah study leads to closeness to G‑d and spiritual vitality wherever it takes place, the Torah that Yaakov studied in Egypt possessed the additional virtue of overcoming the challenges of exile and transforming darkness into light. This was Yaakov’s primary achievement and his greatest source of satisfaction. For this reason, these were the best years of his life.