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 Torah Thoughts
This week we read the Torah portion
"VaYechi" (Genesis
47:28-50).
It contains 85 verses and no commandments.
It is a custom in Jewish households for parents to bless
their children on Friday nights, before beginning the Shabbat meal. Sons are
blessed with the words, “May G-d make you like Ephraim and like Menashe”; daughters are blessed, “May G-d make you like
Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.”
It is interesting to note the disparity in the
blessings. One would expect that sons would be blessed that they emulate the
patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, just as girls are blessed to follow in
the path of our matriarchs.
Many commentaries explain that there is something unique
about Ephraim and Menashe, that makes them the template for this blessing.
We see in our Torah portion, Jacob regards Ephraim and Menashe as if they were actually his own sons and not
Joseph’s. They receive a special blessing not given to the other
grandchildren. Indeed, they are counted as separate tribes among the twelve
tribes of Israel,
a sign of Joseph’s status of “firstborn”, receiving double the portion of his
brothers.
(See Genesis Chapter 48) As he is blessing the boys,
Jacob places his right hand on Ephraim’s head, although Ephraim stood to his
left, and crossed his left arm over and placed his left hand on Menashe’s head, who was standing
on Jacob’s right. Joseph had positioned them thus so that his father would give
the first blessing to Menashe, the firstborn. When
Joseph attempts to correct his father, Jacob tells him that he is aware of
the boys’ identities, and that although Menashe
will be great, his younger brother will be even greater.
According to our Sages, Ephraim and Menashe,
despite being raised in exile away from Jacob’s family, became great men and
servants of G-d. Ephraim excelled in the realm of Torah and Menashe, also G-d-fearing and pious, was involved in
temporal matters, assisting his father in the world of government.
There is no sign of rivalry between Ephraim and Menashe. Unlike the generations that preceded them, these
brothers respected each other’s position and achievements. Menashe was not envious of his younger brother’s
pre-eminence.
It is thus fitting for Jewish parents to bless their
sons that each should attain excellence in the realm that G-d has blessed him
with potential, and that their fraternal love should be unaffected by status
and rank in the family and in society. May we all be blessed to resemble
Ephraim and his older brother Menashe.
Haftara
(I Kings 2:1-12) Echoing the scene of Jacob’s
farewell monologue and blessings to his sons described in our Torah portion,
the Haftara describes the great King David’s
parting words to his son, Solomon.
King David exhorts Solomon to follow in the ways of G-d,
reminding him of his covenant with G-d, that if David’s descendants walk with
G-d in truth, they will never be cut off from the throne of Israel. The dying king reminds
his son to exact justice from those who had harmed the national interest or
David personally. He asks him to deal kindly and to reward those who helped
David in his time of need.
After a tumultuous and
spectacular reign of forty years, the great king passes away and is buried in
his beloved City of David, Jerusalem. Solomon accedes to the throne,
and a period of peace and prosperity for Israel begins.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Baruch Price
Technical
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