Jacob lives the final 17 years of his life in Egypt. Before his passing, he asks Joseph to take an oath that he will bury him in the Holy Land. He blesses Joseph’s two sons, Menashe and Ephraim, elevating them to the status of his own sons to be among the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jacob desires to reveal the end of days to his children, but is prevented from doing so. Jacob blesses his sons, assigning to each his role as a tribe: Judah will produce leaders, legislators and kings; priests will come from Levi, scholars from Issachar, sea-merchants from Zebulun, schoolteachers from Shimon, soldiers from Gad, judges from Dan, olive growers from Asher. Reuben is rebuked for “confusing his father’s marriage”; Shimon and Levi for the massacre of Shechem and the plot against Joseph. Naphtali is granted the swiftness of a deer, Benjamin the ferociousness of a wolf, and Joseph is blessed with beauty and fertility.
A large funeral ceremony consisting of Jacob’s descendants, Pharaoh’s ministers and the leading citizens of Egypt accompanies Jacob on his final journey to the Holy Land, where he is buried in the Machpeilah Cave in Hebron.
Joseph, too, dies in Egypt, at the age of 110. He, too, instructs that his bones be taken out of Egypt and buried in the Holy Land. Before his passing, Joseph tells the Children of Israel not to loose hope and faith in the Almighty in the difficult years to come: “G-d will surely remember you, and bring you up out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
” Dvar Torah “
“Blessings” played a major role in the lives of our Patriarchs. Each one of our Forefathers had the ability to pass down powerful blessings to their children before they passed away. Their blessings were so powerful that their children would have done anything in their power to get them. Jacob himself had to steal his father’s blessing from his brother Eisav, risking his life. All the twelve children of Jacob, each received a blessing from their father just before he passed away. But you may ask yourself, what was so special about their deathbed blessings that their children desperately seek to get them?! After all, we all know that ultimately, ALL the blessings comes from the heaven above, from the G-d Almighty Himself! The Chachamim explain that Hashem protects and blesses a Tzadik throughout his lifetime, and because of his “zechut”, merit, his children are blessed and protected too. Once the Tzadik leaves this world, his merit to protect his family leaves with him too. So, it’s only the blessings that he leaves behind which has the power to continue to protect his children!!
In this week’s Parsha, once again, we see a fine demonstration of giving and receiving blessings from one generation to another. When Joseph heard that his father, Jacob, is ill and his days are numbered, he immediately took his two sons, Ephraim and Menashe, and went together to visit him in order to receive his final blessings for himself and his children. Once they arrived, Jacob raises himself in his bed and after identifying the two children as Joseph’s sons, he gives them the blessing of a lifetime! He gives his most powerful blessing to his favorite grandsons, Ephraim and Menashe, and not to his favorite son, Joseph. He blesses them with the following: “With your (names) will the Jewish people bless (their children) saying: May G-d make you be like Ephraim and Menashe…”
A very peculiar kind of blessing, won’t you think so? It doesn’t even sound like a blessing?! Usually, you bless someone with health, prosperity, happiness and things alike. But Jacob did not actually bless Ephraim and Menashe with anything?! He just says that every Jew should wish their children to be like Ephraim and Menashe. It seems that Ephraim and Menashe have been blessed already, and Jacob just wants to pass on the blessing to the future generations!
So what were Ephraim and Menashe already blessed with? What was so special about them that we should all want our children to be like them? What special characteristics did they have that Jacob could not find it in his own children? After all, why didn’t Jacob want us to wish our children to be like “Shimon and Levi”, or “Joseph and Binyamin”?
After a little research, I came across a beautiful explanation given by Rabbi Yissachar Frand. He says that the answer can be found in the Parsha itself. At the time of the blessing, Jacob specifically crisscrossed his hands and put his right hand on the younger child Ephraim, giving him the preference. Joseph, noticing his father’s action, tells him that he has his right hand on the younger son by mistake. Menasheh is the older son and he should get the preferred blessing. Jacob says: ” I know my son, I know. He will be a great nation too, but the younger will be greater…”. Yet Menasheh, the older son, did not utter any words of complaint. He did not turn around and complain to his father. He did not issue any words of protest to his grandfather. And above all, he did not feel any jealousy towards his brother who was getting the preferred blessing. He accepted his brother’s superiority with a cheerful attitude. He respected his grandfather’s blessing and he accepted it wholeheartedly.
But let’s not give all the credit to Menasheh. After all, we want our children to be like Ephraim too. So what did Ephraim do that was so special? The answer is, when a person receives a preferential treatment, such as a higher status, he might flaunt it. He might think that he’s a more important person now and he might look down on others. He might even think that he has got to this position because of his own strength and intelligence. He might boost his ego and become haughty. But we see that Ephraim received his blessing with humility and modesty. He didn’t take a pride in himself for his superiority. He didn’t come up with a dream that his brother is bowing down to him! He still considered Menasheh as his older brother, and he gave him the respect that he deserved.
Given the sibling rivalry that Jacob witnessed with himself and his brother, and with his own sons, when he saw such model behavior in his grandchildren, he was thrilled that they got along so well with each other. So he could not find any better blessing to give them other than what they are blessed with already. So all he could say was that every Jew should be inspired to have them as role models for their own children.
Yes my friends, ” May G-d make you like Ephraim and Menashe” is the greatest blessing we can give to our children. It means that they should not be jealous of one another, and they should get along and respect each other. No two children are the same. Some succeed more in life, financially. Some succeed more spirituality. Some are more intellectual and some are more athletic. Some are more beautiful and some are more charismatic. But the children must learn to respect each other for what they are. Being jealous of each other can only mean that you are not happy with what Hashem has given you. Looking down on people also shows a lack of faith since you may think that you have achieved all this on your own. To respect one another, on the other hand, is a sign of humility and faith. It means that you happy with what Hashem has given you and your brother.
There is no greater joy for any parents to see their children living in peace and harmony together. This is what Jacob longed to see in his children, but could only find it in his grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe.
Shabbat Shalom & Regards;
Martin