Rav Moshe Feinstein explains that יעקב was alive because since he was reunited with יוסף he was happy, and when you are happy you are alive.   Alternatively, Rav Eliezer Ginsburg explains that the reason יעקב was able to live in happiness in מצרים was because he was ״ויצא מלפני פרעה״, he left פרעה.

Rav Moshe Wolfson asks: why is it called ויחי if יעקב dies and why is there no break between ויגש and ויחי?  Because we are now going to גלות and we are scared that parts of the תורה שבעל פה would start being forgotten, so we quickly wrote it down without any spaces and that תורה kept יעקב alive, and so we are alive even in גלות through the תורה of יעקב.

Various explanations on the Bracha to Efraim and Menashe:  The חזקוני explains that the reason that יעקב didn’t just ask מנשה and אפרים to switch sides is because he didn’t want מנשה to feel bad. The חזקוני also explains that ויקרא בהם שמי means that they will get כבוד by people saying that they are clearly following in that path of their ancestor יעקב.   The חפץ חיים  says that when יעקב said toיוסף  the words ״מי הם״ he was actually asking whether they are keeping the מסורה and frum? יוסף responded by saying ״בני הם״, that they are keeping the מסורה.   Rav Hexter explains that by calling אפרים young the תורה is praising him that he knew that he always had room to grow.  The רל״ג explains that יעקב crossed his hands because eventually they would cross paths and יעקב was telling them not to fight.  The רל״ג also explains that יברך את הנערים is a ברכה to always be youthful.   One of the Slonim Rebbes said that ״ויברכם ביום ההוא״ means that יעקב was telling מנשה ואפרים that he was blessing with the “day”, that each day should be used productively and not wasted.  The חתם סופר explains that the idea of ״וידגו לרוב״ means like fish who continue to multiply even though they might be in גלות.   The פורת יוסף explains that bigger fish eat the smaller fish. So the ברכה is that they should multiply without anybody eating them.  The רל״ג explains that he compared them to fish because they live in water and cannot get influenced by the world, so too כלל ישראל should not be influenced by the world.   Rav Moshe explains that we bless our kids like אפרים and מנשה because we need to shoot for the stars.  Rav Dushinsky explains that יעקב blessed אפרים first because he was learning at the time and מנשה was working with a plan to learn later in life, so we see that תורה being learned now is more important and maybe he would never learn later anyway.   Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky said that יעקב giving ברכות to מנשה and אפרים would not cause jealousy among the אחים because since they grew up in מצרים the brothers knew that they needed the ברכות. This is what it means that they should be like ראובן ושמעון that it should be like they grew up in ארץ ישראל.

Various Explanations behind brachot to different children of Yaakov.  The חידושי הרי״ם explains that the ברכה to יהודה was that he is like a lion in that even when he falls he will get back up because a lion never really falls.  The ראשונים explain that the ברכה that יעקב gave יוסף was the fact that he blessed his children. Rav Yerucham Levovitz says that even שמעון  and לוי got ברכות because by not getting ברכות they knew what was lacking in their עבודת ה׳.  The רל״ג explained that יששכר is compared to a חמור because donkeys are stubborn. So one פשט is that יששכר should be stubborn and keep learning until he gets פשט. Another פשט is that even though there will be times that are very hard to learn he should never give up learning and תורה.   A third explanation offered by the רל״ג on whyיששכר is compared to a donkey is because a donkey is simple and one should be simple and not run after גשמיות.  Rabbi Gluck says that a תלמיד חכם wants to be alone and learn. But we know that sometimes he needs to carry כלל ישראל. So Rav Yaakov Meir Schechter praised יששכר by say וירא מנוחה כי טוב ויט שכמו לסבול to mean that even though יששכר will want מנוחה, still he will help כלל ישראל.   Rav Moshe explains that when יעקב was giving תוכחה to ראובן we see that you need to praise them and within the praise you criticize.

Rav Shlomo Mendel explains that יוסף never went to יעקב because he knew יעקב would bow down and that is not respectful to his father.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky quoted the זוהר who says that המלאך is ה׳. Rabbi Ungar explains that המלאך is 96, but if you spell out each letter and put it together with 96 you get שכינה because sometimes the שכינה is hidden.

The קרן הצבי asks: why is burying someone else called חסד של אמת because he doesn’t get paid back from the dead person — if חז״ל tell us that if you bury someone and cause people to be מספיד him then you will also have people be מספיד you? He answers that you still don’t look forward to getting paid back because that means that you die.