B”H
BESTOWING
BLESSINGS: PARSHAT VEYECHI
Shira Smiles shiur
2020/5780
Adapted by Channie
Koplowitz Stein
Please excuse
technical delay
Parshat
Vayechi,
by the very nature of its name, records the end of life events of our Patriarch
Yaakov Avinu, with a strong focus on the blessings he gives his children and
grandchildren. When Yosef Hatzadik hears that his father is ailing, he takes
his two sons and rushes to his father’s bedside. There Yaakov Avinu blesses
Yosef Hatzadik and his sons, Ephraim and Menashe. Both the positioning of
Yaakov Avinu’s hands and the words of the blessings themselves offer many areas
for contemplation.
Ordinarily,
one would rest his right hand on the elder son and his left hand on the
younger. Although this was the position Yosef Hatzadik presented his sons to
Yaakov Avinu, Yaakov Avinu purposefully crossed his hands to put his right hand
on the younger son Ephraim, and his left hand on the older son, Menashe. As
Yaakov Avinu is blessing the sons, another question arises regarding the actual
terminology of the blessings. Vayevorchem/[Yaakov Avinu] blessed
them that day, saying, “Becha/By you (singular) shall Israel
bless, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe.’ ”
Whom
was Yaakov Avinu blessing? The switch from the singular to the plural raises
that question. While Yaakov Avinu blessed them on that day, when do we use this
blessing? Most of us are aware that this is a blessing parents bestow upon
their sons on Friday night. It is also a blessing Sephardim recite at the
circumcision ceremony. Further, as ArtScroll infers, it is a blessing a parent
can use any time he wishes to bless his son.
What
is interesting, notes Rabbi Frand, is that the parallel blessing for our
daughters references our Matriarchs, Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah. Why are
Ephraim and Menashe substituted here for the names of our Patriarchs? Further,
why is this the quintessential blessing for our children?
Let
us begin by discussing why it has become an ingrained custom to bless our
children this way on Friday night before the family sits down to its Shabbat
meal. While Friday night is an auspicious time for blessings and requests, it
is so because Shabbat itself is the source of blessings, as we sing in Lecha
Dodi, writes Rabbi Yaakov Avinu Emden. Shabbat also brings a sense of peace
into the home, adds Rabbi Gamliel Rabinowitz. During the week, parents may
often get frustrated and annoyed with their children, but when Shabbat arrives,
we want to remove any negative feelings and create the sense of serenity the
arrival of Shabbat augurs.
Rabbi
Belsky z”l offers a simple, logical interpretation of what seems to be a
contradiction from blessing them, Ephraim and Menashe, to “through you
(singular)”, Yosef Hatzadik himself, will Bnei Yisroel bless others. It is
human nature for parents to feel pride and indeed blessed when their children
carry on their legacy. When Yaakov Avinu declared that Ephraim and Menashe
would be a source of blessing for Bnei Yisroel, this was indeed the greatest
blessing and source of Yiddishe naches for Yosef Hatzadik himself,
attesting to the fact that there was indeed no contradiction in the
terminology. The specific blessing for Ephraim and Menashe, adds Vayovenu
Bamikra, is that the angel that rescued me [Yaakov Avinu] from all evil
should bless these boys so that they will continue the legacy of the
forefathers. Further, Ephraim and Menashe will have such power to bless others,
as was promised to Avraham Avinu, that whoever invokers their name in blessing
others will have generated a powerful force in fulfilling the blessing, adds Daas
Torah.
What
is the essence of the word berachah, which we translate as blessing?
Rabbi Zweig in Infinity of Torah explains that the root of our word is bereichah/pool/source.
In this context, a blessing can only occur when the item we wish to bless
retains its connection to its source. Therefore, as the Gemarra recounts, if a
farmer blesses his grain after he has counted the bushels, the blessing over
his grain loses its effectiveness, as the farmer has claimed it as his own and
severed its relationship of ownership from its Source, Hakodosh Boruch Hu. If
he blesses the grain before he counts it, while he still attributes ownership
to Hashem, its value may indeed increase (although not its quantity). Since all
we have comes from Hashem, we want that relationship to continue, so that
Hashem will increase it, and then we may derive benefit from the “grain” or
from the stocks and bonds we follow.
The
purpose of man, continues Rabbi Zweig, is to recognize that everything in our
world should be traced back to Hashem. That is why we recite berachot
before enjoying food or any other entity. That is why the Torah begins with the
letter beis, to signify berachah/blessing/connection, whereas aleph,
the first letter of our alphabet, signifies separation and accursedness.
How
then can aleph be the first letter with which Hashem revealed Himself to
us at Sinai with the word Anochi? Chazal interpret Anochi
to be an acronym for Ana Nafshi Chetvat Yehevit/I
Myself translated and gave. But our commentators offer a more cogent
translation; those four words mean, “I wrote and gave over Myself.” By
definition, the Torah is always connected to Hashem. Therefore, Hashem had to
create some separation between the complete Torah and mankind so that we would
not be subsumed within Him. Therefore, the narrative of creation with which the
Torah begins starts with the letter beis, the blessing still connected
to its Source, but not its essence. As Chazal state, Yisroel, veOrayta,
veHakodosh Boruch Hu/Israel, the Torah and Hashem are inextricably linked,
and each is a source of blessing because of this connection. And Yosef Hatzadik
Hatzadik is the strongest human paradigm of this Divinity.
Ephraim
and Menashe continued this legacy. Even though they were raised in the impure,
decadent society of Egypt, Yosef Hatzadik was able to instill in them the
values of his father and grandfather, and remain a source of blessing to
others. They retained their connection to Hashem despite all odds. They even
exceeded their potential, replacing their father Yosef Hatzadik as not one, but
two of the Tribes of God. We bless our children that they too should maintain
that legacy. By declaring that Jews will bless their children this way, Yaakov
Avinu was empowering all Jewish parents to be connected to the Divine and be a
source of blessing, continues Rabbi Zweig. In fact, Yaakov Avinu placed his
hands on the heads of Ephraim and Menashe, invoking the rite of semichah,
of continuing the legacy just as our rabbis receive their ordination. This
ritual was not part of Yaakov Avinu’s blessings later to the other tribes.
Since
Shabbat is the source of blessings and of our connection to Hashem, we invoke
these blessings on Shabbat. It is part of our tradition that Yosef Hatzadik
epitomized. Similarly, at a bris/circumcision, we are establishing our
physical connection to our Creator. And if we want to counteract the effect of
a possible ayin horo, perhaps when someone compliments us, we should
immediately attribute that blessing or achievement to Hashem.
How
do Menashe and Ephraim give us the secret to connecting to Hashem? As Rav
Kofman z”l points out, Menashe and Ephraim, although they were not raised in
Eretz Yisroel but in exile in Egypt, present a model of survival to
overcome the obstacles in our diaspora and remain dedicated to living a life of
connection to Hashem. In this respect, adds Rabbi Druck in Aish Tamid,
Menashe and Ephraim reached even greater heights than the other tribes and represent
spiritual growth rather than spiritual decline so often associated with
subsequent generations.
As
part of the blessing, Yaakov Avinu compares Ephraim and Menashe to fish, “… And
may they proliferate abundantly as fish within the land.” This too is a message
of how we are to survive our exile, writes the Ner Uziel Milevsky z”l.
Like fish who survive unseen under the cover of water, we too should keep a low
profile and remain out of the public eye for ultimate survival in the diaspora.
But
we strive not just for physical survival. Ephraim and Menashe showed us that
even in exile, we can continue the study of Torah. While Ephraim studied Torah
with his grandfather Yaakov Avinu, Menashe took on the role of Zevulun.
Nevertheless, even in that role, he made time to study Torah. Therefore, every
time a member of Bnei Yisroel studies Torah in our current exile, he is
elevating the souls of Ephraim and Menashe who showed us the way, continues
Rabbi Druck z”l. What Yiddishe naches the souls of Ephraim and Menashe
must have experienced in heaven as they witnessed the recent siyum haShas!
Rabbi
Frand presents us with a more social reason for using Ephraim and Menashe as
paradigms for blessing our children. These brothers could certainly have been
jealous of each other. After all, the younger brother got top billing in the
blessing. Yet neither brother complained. They had learned how to overcome the
sibling rivalry that seems to be the theme of all the relationships in Sefer
Bereishit, adds Rabbi Roberts. This is the blessing we wish upon our
children. What a wonderful note for Sefer Bereishit to end on.
The
Meged Yosef Hatzadik, Rabbi Yosef Hatzadik Sorotzkin, points out how
what we originally thought was a contradiction, actually supports this point. “Becha
yevoreich Yisroel…/In you[singular] will Israel bless...” The use of the
singular reinforces the idea that there was unity between the brothers [just as
the singular vayichan/and [he] camped at the foot of Sinai to receive
the Torah refers to Bnei Yisroel who were totally united in heart and spirit
CKS].
To
survive in the world, we must have people involved in the physical aspects of
survival as well as in the spiritual aspects. While Ephraim sat and learned
with Yaakov Avinu, Menashe was Yosef Hatzadik’s chief of staff in running the
Egyptian economy writes Rabbi Frand. Both are important, but we can impart to
our children the necessity of making Torah primary in our lives even when we
need to go out to earn a living. This is the message Yaakov Avinu was imparting
for future generations. Yes, you may need to be a Menashe, but keep your
focus on the Torah of Ephraim. Verbalize your aspirations for them as future talmidei
chachamim, even if they train to earn their living as a doctor or lawyer.
By crossing his hands over the two, Yosef Hatzadik was connecting the two
aspects of Yosef Hatzadik’s life, communal leadership and Torah study, writes
Rabbi Schwab z”l.
Rabbi
Matlin in Netivot Chaim gives us further insight into Yaakov Avinu’s
message with the use of the singular becha. Yaakov Avinu recognized that
Ephraim and Menashe were individuals, each with his own area of expertise. So
should we recognize the individuality of each of our children. Some may indeed
be more suited to the outer pursuits of Menashe, while others will be more
suited to the confines of study in the beis medrash. We bless each to be
successful in his pursuits while always remembering the primacy of Torah. Do
not compare yourself to what others accomplish in their spheres, only what you
can aspire to in yours. This has to be your goal, to accomplish and exceed
expectations, as Ephraim and Menashe did, writes the Ohel Moshe. When we
bless a baby at his bris, we bless him that he become “big/great,” to reach his
personal potential, as Ephraim and Menashe did.
Becha, through you,
Yosef Hatzadik, will Israel bless, writes Rabbi Yosef Hatzadik Salant z”l. A
parent may question his ability to bless his children, but just as Yosef
Hatzadik was able to withstand and overcome, so can we, as long as we connect
ourselves to the peace that Godliness brings. Reconnect your children to Torah
and to Hakodosh Boruch Hu in spite of the challenges that life brings. That
will create the blessing in their lives.