Vayechi: Blessings?
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SharePrayer for Torah Study:
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu laasok b’divrei Torah.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us to engage with words of Torah.
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu laasok b’divrei Torah.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us to engage with words of Torah.
Summary: (ReformJudaism.org) Genesis 47:28–50:26
- Jacob blesses his grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh. (48:1-20)
- Jacob's twelve sons gather around his deathbed, and each receives an evaluation and a prediction of his future. (49:1-33)
- Joseph mourns his father's death and has Jacob embalmed. Jacob is buried in Hebron in the cave of the field of the Machpelah in the land of Canaan. (50:1-14)
- Joseph assures his concerned brothers that he has forgiven them and promises to care for them and their families. (50:15-21)
- Just before he dies, Joseph tells his brothers that God will return them to the Land God promised to the patriarchs. The Children of Israel promise Joseph that they will take his bones with them when they leave Egypt. (50:22-26)
(א) וַיִּקְרָ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב אֶל־בָּנָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ וְאַגִּ֣ידָה לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית הַיָּמִֽים׃ (ב) הִקָּבְצ֥וּ וְשִׁמְע֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְשִׁמְע֖וּ אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל אֲבִיכֶֽם׃
(1) And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: ‘Gather yourselves together, so that I may tell you what will befall you in the end of days.
(2) Assemble yourselves, and hear sons of Jacob; And hearken unto Israel your father.
| Son | Description |
|---|---|
| Reuben | As the first born, he should be mighty and have excellency, but Jacob points out that he is “unstable as water” based on his inappropriate behaviors |
| Simeon | Use violence, quick to anger -- "lawlessness" and "fierce anger" |
|
Levi |
Use violence, quick to anger -- "lawlessness" and "fierce anger" |
| Judah | Trusted and accepted by his brothers, brave and successful in battle, steady, thoughtful, dependable, fair and just ruler, clear about his goals and determined to fulfill them, a good host (wine drinker), lives in plenty of wealth |
| Zebulun | Only cares about making a quick buck |
| Issachar | LAZY! Uses others to fight his battles, he hides from work -- "strong-boned ass" |
| Dan | Tells lies about people behind their back – "serpent" |
| Gad | Weakly gives into his opponents, he is a follower |
| Asher | Serves others, lives well, but does nothing to command respect. |
| Naphtali | He says nice things, but he has no control and doesn’t command respect. |
| Joseph | While he seems like the best to his father, he is hated and distrusted by his brothers. He sees himself as better than everyone else. -- "wild ass" |
| Benjamin | He has no patience, doesn’t care about the well-being of others, and can only make snap judgments. -- "ravenous wolf" |
Pinchas Peli: (1930-1989, Israeli rabbi and essayist) (Paraphrased)
Jacob's evaluation was meant to be helpful to them. His honesty taught them important lessons about their strengths and weaknesses...
Jacob's blessings "were meant to help his children find their proper identity. Such criticism would help them find their way towards the future, in which they were destined to assume the roles as heads of the tribes of Israel."
Jacob's evaluation was meant to be helpful to them. His honesty taught them important lessons about their strengths and weaknesses...
Jacob's blessings "were meant to help his children find their proper identity. Such criticism would help them find their way towards the future, in which they were destined to assume the roles as heads of the tribes of Israel."
(כח) כָּל־אֵ֛לֶּה שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל שְׁנֵ֣ים עָשָׂ֑ר וְ֠זֹאת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֨ר לָהֶ֤ם אֲבִיהֶם֙ וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אוֹתָ֔ם אִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר כְּבִרְכָת֖וֹ בֵּרַ֥ךְ אֹתָֽם׃
(28) All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is it that their father spoke unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
-Do you think that Jacob was trying to be honest with his sons to make them stronger?
-Do you feel that this is the best approach? Would this type of evaluation be better coming from someone else, or is it better coming from a parent?
-Do you feel that this is the best approach? Would this type of evaluation be better coming from someone else, or is it better coming from a parent?
Paraphrased from "Vayechi." A Torah Commentary for Our Times. Vol. 1.
Don Isaac Abravanel, a prominent 15th-century Jewish commentator, offers a distinctive interpretation of Jacob's blessings to his sons in Genesis 49. He posits that Jacob's pronouncements were not merely blessings but deliberate evaluations of each son's suitability for leadership. Abravanel suggests that Jacob assessed his sons' strengths and weaknesses to determine the most qualified leader for the future nation. He then gathered his sons to convey his judgments, providing candid feedback to ensure they understood why certain individuals were chosen or passed over for leadership roles.
Don Isaac Abravanel, a prominent 15th-century Jewish commentator, offers a distinctive interpretation of Jacob's blessings to his sons in Genesis 49. He posits that Jacob's pronouncements were not merely blessings but deliberate evaluations of each son's suitability for leadership. Abravanel suggests that Jacob assessed his sons' strengths and weaknesses to determine the most qualified leader for the future nation. He then gathered his sons to convey his judgments, providing candid feedback to ensure they understood why certain individuals were chosen or passed over for leadership roles.
Does this make sense to you?
Who did Jacob choose? Why? Does it make sense?
Who did Jacob choose? Why? Does it make sense?
איש אשר כברכתו. בְּרָכָה הָעֲתִידָה לָבֹא עַל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד:
EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS BLESSING — according to the blessing that was to come in future to each and every one. (Cf. Rashi on Genesis 40:5, איש כפתרון חלמו.)
ברך אותם. לֹא הָיָה לוֹ לוֹמַר אֶלָּא אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר כְּבִרְכָתוֹ בֵּרַךְ אוֹתוֹ, מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר בֵּרַךְ אוֹתָם? לְפִי שֶׁנָּתַן לִיהוּדָה גְּבוּרַת אֲרִי וּלְבִנְיָמִין חֲטִיפָתוֹ שֶׁל זְאֵב וּלְנַפְתָּלִי קַלּוּתוֹ שֶׁל אַיָּל, יָכוֹל שֶׁלֹּא כְלָלָן כֻּלָּם בְּכָל הַבְּרָכוֹת, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר בֵּרַךְ אוֹתָם:
ברך אתם HE BLESSED THEM — It should have said, “every man according to his blessing he blessed him”; why, then does it say “he blessed them”? But since in the blessings he ascribed to Judah personally “the strength of a lion”, to Benjamin “the rapacity of a wolf” and to Naphtali “the swiftness of a hind”, one might think that he did not include all of them in all the blessings, Scripture therefore states “he blessed them” (i.e. each of them personally and all of them together — extending all the personal blessings to each of them) (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayechi 16; cf. Rashi on Exodus 1:19).
איש אשר כברכתו. כאשר באה לכל אחד מהברכות כן ברך אותם כטעם "איש כפתרון חלומו":
EVERY ONE ACCORDING TO HIS BLESSING. The blessing which Jacob gave each one of his sons came to pass upon each one. The meaning of every one according to his blessing is similar in meaning to each man according to the interpretation of his dream (Gen. 41:11).
וַיִּקְרָ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב אֶל־בָּנָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ וְאַגִּ֣ידָה לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית הַיָּמִֽים׃
And Jacob called his sons and said, “Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come.
את אשר יקרא אתכם. דבר הנביא לעתיד, ותעו האומרים שהם ברכות בעבור שמצאו בסוף "ויברך אותם" (בראשית מט כח), ואיה ברכות ראובן שמעון ולוי, ועל דרך הנבואה אמר "וזאת אשר דבר להם אביהם ואחר כן ברך אותם, ולא הזכיר הכתוב הברכות:
THAT WHICH SHALL BEFALL YOU. Prophecies foretelling that which shall befall you in the future. Those who base themselves on Scripture’s closing remark, and this is that their father spoke unto them and blessed them (v. 28), and conclude that they (Jacob’s words) are blessings, err. For if it were so, where are the blessings of Reuben, Simeon and Levi? The way to understand and this is that their father spoke unto them and blessed them is as follows: and this (v. 3-27) is what their father spoke unto them by way of prophecy after which he blessed them. Scripture omits the blessings.
Does it make sense why Ibn Ezra and Rashi clarified this verse? Do you feel like Jacob's comments are blessings?
