[Par-reg] for Parshat Vaychi

Thu Jan 1 14:10:24 EST 2015

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     THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]

          In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag

     Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag

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                PARSHAT VAYECHI

     Blessings - we find so many of them in
Sefer Breishit,

particularly in Parshat Vayechi.  What are
they all about?

     In our shiur, we will first distinguish
between three

different types of blessings that we have
encountered thus far

in Sefer Breishit ('bechira', 'bechora' and
'bracha').  Based

on these distinctions, we will then attempt
to better

understand what transpires when Yaakov
blesses Yosef in the

first chapter of Parshat Vayechi.

INTRODUCTION

     Recall (from our shiur on Parshat
Toldot) that we

identified two categories of blessings to
explain the nature

of Yitzchak's blessings to Yaakov and Esav.
Those were: (1)

'bechira' and (2) 'bracha'.

     We used the name 'bechira' to classify
God's special

blessing to Avraham Avinu that his offspring
('zera') would

inherit the 'promised' land ('eretz').  God
first bestowed

this blessing upon Avraham Avinu at the
beginning of Parshat

Lech Lecha (see 12:1-3) and subsequently
repeated it numerous

times not only to Avraham, but also to
Yitzchak and Yaakov.

By tracing these blessings, we were able to
show how the

'bechira' process emerged as a primary theme
in Sefer

Breishit.

     In contrast, we used the more general
term 'bracha' to

classify a blessing of personal destiny
bestowed by a father

onto his son [or sons].  As examples, we
cited Noach's

blessings to his three sons (see 9:26-27),
and Yitzchak's

blessing of prosperity and leadership that
were intended for

Esav, but 'stolen' by Yaakov [see chapter
27].

     Now, in Parshat Vayechi, as the
'bechira' process nears

its conclusion, we find how Yaakov bestows
blessings of

prosperity and success upon his children.
Even though these

would seem to fall under our category of
'bracha', when we

take a closer look at these blessings, we
will need to add an

additional category to better appreciate
their meaning.

YAAKOV'S BLESSING TO YOSEF - BECHIRA or
BECHORA?

     Before Yaakov blesses all of his
children in chapter 49,

he first bestows a special blessing upon
Yosef and his two

children, as described in chapter 48.

     To understand the purpose of this
special blessing, we

must consider not only its content, but also
its context.

     We begin our study by examining Yaakov's
opening

statement to Yosef, when he arrives with his
two sons (see

48:1-2).  We quote this pasuk in Hebrew in
order to highlight

its textual parallels to earlier blessings to
the Avot:

  [And Yaakov said to Yosef]: "KEL SHAKAI
nir'ah eilai

  [appeared to me] be-Luz be-eretz Canaan
va-yevarech oti, va-

  yomer eilai, [and blessed me saying:]

  'Hineni MAFRECHA ve-HIRBITICHA u-netaticha
li-khal amim, ve-

  natati et ha-ARETZ ha-zot le-ZAR'ACHA
acharecha achuzat

  olam'" (see 48:3-4).

     At first glance, this blessing appears
to resemble the

blessings that we have defined thus far as
'bechira'.  To show

how, let's quote the almost identically
blessing of 'bechira'

that Yitzchak had bestowed upon Yaakov prior
to his departure

from Eretz Canaan (when running away from
Esav):

    [Textual parallels are highlighted by
CAPS.]

  [And Yitzchak said to Yaakov]: "ve-KEL
SHAKAI yevarech otcha

  ve-YAFRECHA ve-YARBECHA ve-hayita li-khal
amim - va-yiten

  lecha et birkat Avraham lecha u-leZAR'ACHA
itach, le-

  rishtecha et ERETZ megurecha... " (see
28:3-4).

     Similarly, we find an additional
parallel blessing when

God officially confirmed this 'bechira' (to
Yaakov) upon his

return to Eretz Canaan (again at Bet El):

  [And God spoke to Yaakov saying] "ani KEL
SHAKAI, PREH u-

  RVEH, goy u-khal amim yhiyeh mi-meka...
ve-et ha-ARETZ asher

  natati le-Avraham u-leYitzchak lecha
etnena, u-leZAR'ACHA

  acharecha eten et ha-ARETZ" (35:11-12).

     Considering these parallels, Yaakov's
opening statement

to Yosef in Parshat Vayechi would appear to
convey this same

message, i.e. that Yaakov is now bestowing
the blessing of

'bechira' upon Yosef - and hence, possibly to
the exclusion of

his brothers!  [If so, this would be quite
problematic, for it

implies that the 'bechira' process will now
continue only

through Yosef.]

     However, when we consider the context of
these psukim

(i.e. 48:3-5), it becomes quite clear that
Yaakov is not

blessing Yosef with the 'bechira'.  [Recall
that only God can

confirm 'bechira', and not the Avot
themselves.]  Rather,

Yaakov first informs Yosef about his own
'bechira' as

background for the new blessing that is about
to bestow - a

blessing which we will now categorize as
'bechora':

'BECHORA'  - TO THE SON OF RACHEL

     To explain this point, let's take a
careful look at what

Yaakov now states concerning the status of
Yosef's two

children:

  "Now, your two sons, who were born to you
in the land of

  Egypt... shall be mine; Efraim and Menashe
are to me like

  Reuven and Shimon" (48:5).

     For some reason, Yaakov decides to grant
Yosef a special

status.  Indeed, all twelve brothers are
'chosen'; nonetheless

Yosef receives a DOUBLE portion
("pi-shnayim").  Efraim and

Menashe are to be considered 'shvatim'
(tribes) - a status

equal to that of Reuven and Shimon.  In
'Torah terms', we

conclude that Yaakov has awarded Yosef the
'bechora' - for "pi-

shnayim" [the double portion] is the special
Biblical rights

of the firstborn son.  [See Devarim 21:17 re:
'mishpat ha-

bechora'.]

     This neatly explains why Yaakov prefaces
this blessing of

'bechora' by first quoting God's blessing of
'bechira'.

Before bestowing the 'bechora', Yaakov must
first explain to

Yosef that his special status of 'bechor' is
being granted

within the framework of the 'bechira' process
(see 48:4).  It

is because the 'bechira' process has reached
its completion

(with God's choice of Yaakov and all of his
children), that it

is now incumbent upon Yaakov to grant the
'bechora' to one of

his twelve children.

     Yaakov thus neither chooses nor rejects
any of his

children.  He simply awards Yosef with the
'bechora', even

though Reuven was born first.  In essence,
Yaakov has chosen

the first-born child of Rachel over the
first-born child of

Leah.

  To prove that Yaakov's blessing is
'bechora' (and not

'bechira'), simply note Yaakov's next
statement:

  "But children born to you after them shall
be yours; their

  inheritance shall be included under the
name of their

  brothers" (48:6).

     Should Yosef have any additional
children, their portion

must be included within the portions of
Menashe and Efraim.

Had Yosef been the only chosen son; then all
of his children

should have received special status.
However, since he has

now become the family 'bechor', he receives a
double portion,

but no more.  Any other children that he may
have must be

included within this double portion.

     [See Rashbam 48:5 & Ibn Eza 48:4-6!]

A 'FLASHBACK' FROM PARSHAT VA'YISHLACH

     This interpretation also neatly explains
the reason for

Yaakov's next statement concerning Rachel's
death (which

otherwise would seem to be totally
unrelated):

  "When I was returning from Padan, Rachel
died suddenly

  during that journey, while we were still
some distance from

  Efrata [and thus even farther away from
Chevron!], and

  therefore I buried her on the road..."
(48:7).

     This mention of Rachel's burial most
probably relates

directly to Yaakov's choice of Yosef as the
'bechor'.  By

choosing Yosef over Reuven, Yaakov has
essentially chosen

Rachel over Leah as his primary wife.
However, this may come

as a surprise to Yosef, for not only was
Reuven born first,

but Yosef's own mother (Rachel) was buried
along the roadside,

while Reuven's mother Leah was buried in
Ma'arat Ha-Machpela -

in the same burial spot where Yaakov himself
wishes to be

buried!  [See 47:29-30.]

     Therefore, Yaakov now explains to Yosef
that Rachel's

burial on the roadside (rather than in
Ma'arat Ha-Machpela)

was due to unforeseen circumstances, and thus
should not be

interpreted as an indication of a lower
status.  On the

contrary, despite Rachel's somewhat
disrespectful burial,

Yaakov still considers her as having been his
'primary' wife.

  [Note then when Yaakov had earlier
expressed his concern

  about sending Binyamin to Egypt, he had
made a similar

  statement: "And your servant, my father,
said to us: As you

  know, MY WIFE bore me two sons, but one is
gone..." (Yehuda

  quoting his father in 44:27).]

     Therefore, even though Reuven is the
firstborn of Leah,

Yosef is awarded the family 'bechora', since
he is the

firstborn of Yaakov's primary wife, the
"isha" whom he had

originally intended to marry.

A 'FLASHBACK' FROM PARSHAT TOLDOT

     At this point in the narrative (i.e.
after 48:7), we find

an interesting transition.  Now that Yaakov
has completed

bestowing the 'bechora' upon Yosef, the focus
of his blessing

now shifts to his grandchildren, Efraim and
Menashe - who

consequently have now attained the status of
'shvatim'

(tribes).  As such, they also deserve
blessings of personal

destiny from Yaakov (i.e. 'bracha'), just as
he will later

bless all of the tribes (in chapter 49).

     However, when we read how Yaakov grants
these blessings

(in 48:8-20), we find several rather obvious
'flashbacks' to

the blessings of Yitzchak in Parshat Toldot
(see chapter 27).

     For example, both narratives describe an
aging father who

can barely see (48:10 vs. 27:1), and the
'switching' of

blessing between two sons to the
consternation of their father

(48:17-19 vs. 27:6-9).  Furthermore, in both
narratives, we

find the use of many similar verbs.

     One could suggest that the manner by
which Yaakov grants

these blessing to Menashe and Efraim reflects
his own

traumatic experience, when he was instructed
by Rivka to

'steal' the blessing that Yitzchak had
intended for Esav.

Even though Yaakov understands that Efraim
may reach higher

levels than Menashe, he insists upon blessing
both of them

together.  Yaakov does not want these slight
differences

between Efraim and Menashe to cause strife
between them in the

future (as was the case between Yaakov and
Esav).  At this

initial stage, he places both children
together, bestowing

upon them a joint blessing, while providing a
small indication

(by switching his hands) regarding the
potential prominence of

Efraim.  Despite their different destinies,
Efraim and Menashe

will need to work together, as they will be
part of the same

nation, and Yaakov would like this unity to
begin already at

this initial stage.

'HA-MAL'ACH HA-GOEL'

     Now that we have discussed the general
framework of

Yaakov's blessing to Efraim and Menashe,
let's take a closer

look at the blessing itself (familiar to us
from "kriyat shema

al ha-mita").  To appreciate this blessing,
we must consider

the fact that Efraim and Menashe had grown up
with no contact

with their uncles and cousins.  To facilitate
their

integration with the rest of the family,
Yaakov adds a special

blessing:

     "ha-mal'ach ha-goel oti mi-kol ra -
yevarech et ha-

nearim"

    [God's angel who protected me (Yaakov)
from all those who

    wanted to harm me, He should bless these
children (to

    help them 'blend in')],

  "ve-yikare ba-hem shmi, ve-shem avotai  -
Avraham ve-

  Yitzchak..."

    [And they should be known by my name, and
by the names of

    Avraham and Yitzchak (for they are part
of the chosen

    family.]

     "ve-yidgu la-rov be-kerev ha-aretz"

          [and they should multiply within
the land...]

     (see 48:15-16).

     Yaakov very much wants Yosef's two sons
to be identified

with the rest of his family name; he
therefore blesses them so

that God should look over them with the same
providence that

helped Yaakov survive his confrontations with
Esav and Lavan.

A TIME WILL COME...

     Yaakov concludes his blessing to Yosef
by reminding him

that a time will come when the 'chosen
family' will return

home:

  "And Yisrael said to Yosef: I am about to
die, but God will

  be with you and return you to the land of
your fathers..."

  (48:21).

     Now that Yosef has been appointed as
'bechor', it becomes

his responsibility to inform the future
generations of this

Divine promise.  Yaakov is not sure how long
it will be until

God will lead them back to Eretz Canaan.
Nevertheless, his

children must transmit this tradition to
THEIR children, so

that when the time comes, they will be
prepared to meet their

destiny.

     It is precisely this message that Yosef
repeats to his

brothers and family on his deathbed, at the
conclusion of

Sefer Breishit:

  "And Yosef told his brothers, behold I am
about to die, 've-

  Elokim pakod yifkod etchem' [God will
surely remember you]

  and bring you from this land to the land
which He promised

  by oath to give to Avraham, Yitzchak..."
(50:24).

          [Compare with 48:21, 46:3-4 & Shmot
13:13-22.]

     Yaakov concludes this blessing with one
last 'cryptic'

statement to Yosef (that obviously requires
some explanation):

  "And I am granting you one - SHCHEM - over
your brothers,

  that I [will] have taken from the Amorites
with my sword and

  bow" (see 48:22).

     The commentators argue in regard the
meaning of the word

SHCHEM in this pasuk.  Some understand that
Yaakov is now

giving the city Shchem to Yosef as an
inheritance, but most

explain that 'shchem' in this pasuk refers to
an extra portion

of inheritance that will be given to Yosef
AFTER the conquest

of the land.

     According to the latter interpretation,
this final

blessing forms an appropriate conclusion.
After mentioning

that God will one day return his offspring to
Eretz Canaan

(fulfilling 'brit bein ha-btarim' - 48:21),
Yaakov explains

that when that time comes, Yosef will receive
an extra portion

in the inheritance of the land, for the
simple reason that he

is the 'bechor' - congruent with the opening
section of this

blessing to Yosef.

THE BLESSINGS OF PERSONAL DESTINY

     As the family 'bechora' has been awarded
to Yosef, Yaakov

now summons his entire family (see 49:1) in
order to give a

personal blessing to each of his sons.
Although each son

receives what the Torah describes as a
'bracha' (see 49:28 /

"ish asher ke-virchato beirach otam"), not
all these 'brachot'

appear to be what one would call a
'blessing'.

  For example, Reuven is told: "You are
unstable as water, you

shall no longer excel..." (49:4).

     Shimon and Levi are rebuked: "Let not my
person be

included in their council... For when angry
they slay men, and

when pleased they maim oxen.  Cursed be their
anger..." (49:6-

7).

     On the other hand, Yehuda and Yosef are
emphatically

blessed with both prosperity and leadership.
Other brothers

also receive blessings, albeit less promising
than those of

Yosef and Yehuda, but blessings nonetheless,
as opposed to the

sharp criticism hurled upon Shimon and Levi.

     What is the meaning of these 'brachot'?
Do the

individual traits of the brothers
predetermine the fate of

their offspring?  Do Yaakov's blessings
reflect the principle

of determinism and negate the concept of
'bechira chofshit'

(free will)?

     One could suggest that Yaakov assumes
the role of a

'father' (in his blessings to his children)
more than the role

of a 'prophet'.  Let's explain:

  As a parent, and the last forefather of
God's special

Nation, Yaakov must blend the goals of his
family destiny with

the realities of his life experience.  His
blessings,

therefore, reflect the potential he sees
within each of his

children.

     The fulfillment of life-long goals
requires a person to

recognize his potential by considering both
his good qualities

and shortcomings.  As Yaakov recognizes his
children's varying

strengths and weaknesses, he blesses them
according to their

individual capabilities and talents.
Although these blessings

do not necessarily guarantee the final
outcome, they form a

guide that can provide each son with a proper
direction that

can help achieve his potential.

     Yaakov does not intend his harsh
castigation of Reuven,

Shimon and Levi to result in ultimate
condemnation.  Rather,

he hopes that they will recognize their
weakness of character

and work towards its improvement.  [Note that
Yaakov curses

Reuven's anger, but not Reuven himself.]

  Similarly, Yaakov's sharp rebuke of Levi
turns later on into

a blessing, as the Tribe of Levi later
assumed an important

leadership position (see Devarim 33:8-12!).

     In contrast, Yehuda and Yosef possess a
potential for

leadership that should be recognized by their
offspring.

However, this blessing does not guarantee
that every

descendant of Yehuda or Yosef will become a
great later.  Even

the kings of the House of David must be
constantly conscious

of their conduct, in order that they be
worthy of exercising

their leadership (see Yirmiyahu 22:1-5!).

  [This idea can help us understand most
blessings (even

  'birkat kohanim'!).  A 'bracha' is not a
simply mystic chant

  that determines a future set of events,
rather it serves as

  a reminder to a person that he carries the
potential to

  achieve a certain goal.]

     Undoubtedly, the 'brachot' of Yaakov
contain additional

prophetic and metaphysical significance as
well.  Nonetheless,

they do not negate the basic principle of
'bechira chofshit'

[freedom of choice].

UNITY OR HARMONY

     In conclusion, our discussion can help
us understand the

underlying reason why God wanted Am Yisrael
to consist of

twelve distinct tribes.  After all, if this
nation's goal is

to represent the ONE God, it would have been
more logical that

there be simply one tribe - thus forming one
homogenous

society! Furthermore, why must there continue
to be friction

between Yosef and Yehuda throughout the
entire Tanach?

    To explain why, recall our explanation of
God's purpose

in choosing a special nation (in wake of the
events at Migdal

Bavel).  It was God's hope that this special
Nation would lead

all Seventy Nations towards a theocentric
existence.  For this

purpose Avraham Avinu was chosen, and for
this purpose the

existence of 'shvatim' can serve as a model.
Let's explain

why:

     People, by their very nature, tend to
group into

individual societies, each developing its own
national

character, personality, goals and
aspirations.  These

societies eventually develop into nations who
may occasionally

fight over opposing goals, or cooperate in
working towards the

realization of common goals.

     Through His agent, Am Yisrael, God hopes
that all

nations, while remaining distinct, will
recognizing God's

purpose in His creation of mankind - and
hence cooperate with

each other towards the achievement of that
goal.

     As we see in Yaakov's 'brachot' to his
sons, each

'shevet' possesses its own unique character
and singularity.

The composite of all these qualities can be
harnessed towards

a common good.  As God's model Nation, the
cooperation between

the 'Twelve Tribes of Israel' in the
fulfillment of their

Divine and national goals can serve as an
archetype for the

Seventy Nations to emulate.  Through
harmonious cooperation

and the unifying force of a common goal (and
with help of some

good leadership), the Nation of Avraham
becomes a 'blessing'

to all nations (see 12:1-3).  Mankind thus
realizes its

potential, and Am Yisrael fulfills its Divine
destiny.

                              shabbat shalom,

                              menachem

====================

FOR FURTHER IYUN

A.  In his blessing to Efraim and Menashe,
"ha-mal'ach ha-

goel...," Yaakov makes reference to a
"mal'ach Elokim" who

consistently saved him from all 'ra' (evil).
Explain this

reference in light of 31:7,24,29! (note the
use of the word

"ra").

  Why do you think that this blessing is
appropriate

specifically for Efraim and Menashe (based on
the above

shiur)?

B.  HA-TACHAT ELOKIM ANI?

     After Yaakov's death, the brothers beg
Yosef to forgive

them for their animosity towards him.  Yosef
assures them that

they need not worry, for whereas he is not
God, he has neither

the responsibility nor the right to punish
them.  [This is the

simple and standard explanation].  Yet, if we
examine those

psukim carefully, we may uncover an added
dimension to Yosef's

response, "ha-tachat Elokim ani"?  Let's
explain:

     When the brothers ask Yosef's
forgiveness, they explain

that their father instructed them to say as
follows (50:17):

  "Forgive the offense and guilt of your
brothers...  Please

  forgive the offense of the SERVANTS OF THE
GOD of your

  father..."

Immediately thereafter, the brothers suggest
their own

punishment, that they be SLAVES to Yosef.
Yosef refuses this

offer by explaining, "Do not fear, for am I
IN THE PLACE OF

GOD?"  Yosef's answer responds directly to
his brothers'

comments. First, they ask to be forgiven on
account of their

being the SERVANTS of GOD.  Then, they offer
themselves as

SERVANTS to YOSEF.  Yosef answers them
accordingly: should

they become his servants, they will no longer
be servants of

God.  Therefore, Yosef tells his brothers -
"ha-tachat Elokim

ani?" - should he consider himself a
replacement or

'substitute' for God?  The brothers must
remain God's

servants, not Yosef's!

C.  "PAKOD YIFKOD" AND SEFER SHMOT

     An obvious question that arises when
studying Parshat

Vayechi is, why didn't Yaakov's family return
to Eretz Canaan

once the famine ended?  One could suggest
that although they

could and should have returned, they opted
instead for the

'good life' in Eretz Mitzrayim (see the story
of Avraham and

Lot, 13:4-14).  One could even suggest that
their enslavement

in Egypt was a punishment for this
'unzionistic' attitude.

     Nevertheless, it seems as though Bnei
Yisrael felt it

their Divine destiny to stay in Egypt.  This
conception most

likely evolved as a result of God's promise
to Yaakov prior to

his departure to Egypt: "Do not fear going
down to Egypt, for

you will become a great nation there.  I will
go down with

you, and I will bring you back..." (46:3-4).

1.  Compare these psukim, as well as 48:21,
50:24 and the

psukim of Brit Bein Ha-btarim (15:13-19),
with God's

revelation to Moshe Rabeinu at the 'sneh' in
Shmot perek 3.

2.  Note God's Name in the various psukim in
Sefer Breishit

noted above, and relate it to Shmot 3:13-22.

3.  At what point did it become unrealistic
for Bnei Yisrael

to leave Egypt and return to Eretz Canaan?
Had they returned,

to what area would they have returned?  Who
owned the land,

etc.?

D.  Between Reuven and Yosef

It is interesting to note that Yaakov himself
later refers to

Reuven as his 'bechor' - see 49:3), even
though he had earlier

granted the 'bechora' to Yosef (as we
explained in our shiur

above).  To support our conclusion, there is
a pasuk in Divrei

Ha-yamim Aleph (see 5:1-2), that explains
that Reuven was

supposed to be the 'bechor' but because of
his sin (when he

took his father's 'pilegesh') - he lost his
special status.

Within the family of Leah, that status was
given to Yehuda,

but in regard to the entire family of Yaakov,
the status of

bechor was granted to Yosef.  If you have
time, I recommend

that you see those psukim inside.

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