Rabbi Freedman’s Shabbat Message

Vayechi is the 12th and final portion in the Book of Genesis. Containing a mere 85 verses, it is the shortest sidra in the book.

(Eight other sidrot in the Torah have fewer verses – Yitro with 75 verses, Kedoshim with 64, Behar with 57, Bechukotai with 78, Ha’azinu with 52, Nitzavim with 40 and Vayelech with a mere 30 verses. Some would argue however, that the last reading of the year, V’zot Habracha, read on Simchat Torah, can claim to be the shortest since although it has 41 verses, it has the fewest letters and words.)

Notwithstanding the relative brevity of this week’s portion, it contains quite a wide variety of topics including Jacob’s request to be buried in Canaan together with his ancestors in the family’s sepulchre in Hebron, known traditionally as the Cave of Machpelah; his grandfatherly blessing of Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh; Jacob blessing each of his own twelve sons prior to his death, using poetic imagery to convey his innermost feelings; the description of Jacob’s death and his forty day embalming process before being laid to rest, as he had requested, in the Cave of Machpelah; reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers following their father’s passing; and finally an account of Joseph’s death, how he was embalmed and then placed in a coffin in Egypt.

One of these sections is of particular interest to Biblical scholars. While most of the book of Bereishit is written in classical Hebrew prose, Parashat Vayechi is the first sidra to contain a lengthy section of classical Hebrew poetry. Elsewhere, other than the occasional poetic phrase, we find longer sections of poetry only in Beshallach, with Moses’ Shirat Hayam – the song sung by the Red Sea, in Parashat Balak which contains the oracles of the prophet Balaam, and in the final two sidrot of the year, Ha’azinu and V’zot Habracha which contain Moses’ farewell observations and blessings to the Children of Israel.

Poetry, by its very nature, is highly personal and less easy to understand. The unusual nature of poetry lies in its unique ability to use economical, musical, and figurative language to evoke intense emotions; create vivid imagery; and explore complex ideas in a condensed format that often transcends conventional grammar and structure.

This being the case, it is worth examining closely Jacob’s twelve blessings, each presented in poetic format, in an attempt to understand and appreciate the Hebrew and with it the message that Jacob wishes to convey to each one of his sons.

The blessings are constructed initially in order of age: so it is that Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn receives the first ‘blessing’ from his father.

רְאוּבֵן בְּכֹרִי אַתָּה, כֹּחִי וְרֵאשִׁית אוֹנִי–יֶתֶר שְׂאֵת, וְיֶתֶר עָז
פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם אַל-תּוֹתַר, כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ; אָז חִלַּלְתָּ יְצוּעִי עָלָה
Reuben, you are my first-born, my power and the beginning of my strength, first in pride and first in power. But because you are as wild as water, the first place will not be yours. It is because you went to your father’s bed and made it unclean.
(Genesis 49: 3-4)

The opening line of the blessing is predictable but its tone changes abruptly in the second half and can hardly be described as a blessing, more an admonition. Jacob compares Reuben to rushing water, a symbol of an uncontrollable, impetuous personality. This expression alludes to Reuben’s ill-conceived idea to sleep with Jacob’s concubine, Bilhah (see Genesis 35:22). Later, in 1 Chronicles 5:1, it states that even though Reuben was the firstborn, because of his irresponsible and inappropriate behaviour he could no longer be listed first in the genealogical order. Jacob is warning all those who seek power and authority that with ambition must come responsibility, restraint and discretion. Reuben who had been born to lead had acted recklessly – even though it might have been just once, the consequences were severe as he lost the right for all time to act as the firstborn in political terms.

שִׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי, אַחִים–כְּלֵי חָמָס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם
בְּסֹדָם אַל-תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל-תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְּרוּ-שׁוֹר
אָרוּר אַפָּם כִּי עָז, וְעֶבְרָתָם כִּי קָשָׁתָה; אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב, וַאֲפִיצֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל

Shimon and Levi were in league together. They hurt others with their swords. May my soul be detached from their scheming, my reputation from their name. In anger they killed men, just as they hurt animals. Their anger will be punished, for it is wrong. Their temper will be punished, for it is bad. I will keep them apart in the future – in Israel they will be forced to live separate lives. (Genesis 49: 5-7)

In Jacob’s second ‘blessing’ Shimon and Levi, sons two and three, stand accused. They are held responsible for the attack on Shechem and one can sense Jacob’s shame. The words כְּלֵי חָמָס lit. ‘Weapons of violence’ imply outrageous brutality of the sort that can never be justified. It is in reading these verses that it becomes clear that this chapter is not a typical ‘parental blessing’ but more like a ‘last will and testament’. It may well be that the tone of most of Jacob’s speech is positive, as he blesses his children with rich land, delicious crops, and victory in battle, but in this case, he addresses Shimon and Levi with words that are distinctively critical.

Jacob speaks of those who cannot control their violent temper and criticises the anti-social and violent behaviour that so often follows. There is no doubt that Jacob wished to dissociate himself entirely from the actions of these two sons and in so doing offers a timeless message that anger always has consequences and therefore should always be tempered with patience and kindness.

יְהוּדָ֗ה אַתָּה֙ יוֹד֣וּךָ אַחֶ֔יךָ יָֽדְךָ֖ בְּעֹ֣רֶף אֹֽיְבֶ֑יךָ יִשְׁתַּֽחֲו֥וּ לְךָ֖ בְּנֵ֥י אָבִֽיךָ: גּ֤וּר אַרְיֵה֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה מִטֶּ֖רֶף בְּנִ֣י עָלִ֑יתָ כָּרַ֨ע רָבַ֧ץ כְּאַרְיֵ֛ה וּכְלָבִ֖יא מִ֥י יְקִימֶֽנּוּ: לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר שֵׁ֨בֶט֙ מִֽיהוּדָ֔ה וּמְחֹקֵ֖ק מִבֵּ֣ין רַגְלָ֑יו עַ֚ד כִּֽי־יָבֹ֣א שִׁילֹ֔ה וְל֖וֹ יִקְּהַ֥ת עַמִּֽים: אֹֽסְרִ֤י לַגֶּ֨פֶן֙ עִירֹ֔ה [עִיר֔וֹ] וְלַשּֽׂרֵקָ֖ה בְּנִ֣י אֲתֹנ֑וֹ כִּבֵּ֤ס בַּיַּ֨יִן֙ לְבֻשׁ֔וֹ וּבְדַם־עֲנָבִ֖ים סוּתֹֽה [סוּתֽוֹ] : חַכְלִילִ֥י עֵינַ֖יִם מִיָּ֑יִן וּֽלְבֶן־שִׁנַּ֖יִם מֵֽחָלָֽב

Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of those who hate you. Your father’s sons will bow down to you. Judah is a young lion. Like a lion full of meat, you have become great, my son. He lies down and sleeps like a lion. And as a lion, who is willing to wake him? The right of a ruler will not leave Judah. The ruler’s special staff will not be removed from between his feet, until Shiloh comes. Then the people will obey Him. He ties his young donkey to the vine, his donkey’s young one to the best vine. He washes his clothes in wine, his coats in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine. And his teeth are whiter than milk. (Genesis 49: 8-12)

Judah was Jacob’s fourth son and he received the longest blessing. While both the contents and context of these verses seem to indicate that Judah is being assigned a position of leadership, many questions follow. While the comparison with a lion is understandable as nature’s supreme beast and one that all other creatures fear, it is not at all clear why שִׁילֹה is mentioned, or why there is a reference to a donkey being tied to the vine. Then there are descriptions of his appearance which do not seem entirely relevant.

Regarding שִׁילֹה most commentators assume the word refers to the city of Shiloh, where the Mishkan was situated when the concept of an Israelite monarchy first came about during the days of Samuel. But the Midrash in Bereshit Rabbah interprets it as if it were two words vocalized שַׁי לוֹ, i.e. the one to whom tribute belongs. Alternatively, the Targumim and Rashi read שִׁילֹה as if vocalized שֶׁלוֹ, or the one to whom kingship belongs. In TB Sanhedrin, the students of R. Sheila propose that שִׁילֹה is simply another name for the Messiah.

The donkey is said to represent the conveying of loads on behalf of another, which is surely the duty of any leader to carry on their shoulders the burdens of others. As for the description of a person with immaculate clothes, piercing eyes and gleaming teeth, it is a reminder that while humans tend to judge others by their outer appearance, God, it is said, looks upon the heart. When David was anointed king, God told the prophet Samuel: “Do not consider his appearance or his height ……. for the Lord does not look at such things. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

זְבוּלֻ֕ן לְח֥וֹף יַמִּ֖ים יִשְׁכֹּ֑ן וְהוּא֙ לְח֣וֹף אֳנִיֹּ֔ת וְיַרְכָת֖וֹ עַל־צִידֹֽן
יִשָּׂשׂכָ֖ר חֲמֹ֣ר גָּ֑רֶם רֹבֵ֖ץ בֵּ֥ין הַֽמִּשְׁפְּתָֽיִם:
וַיַּ֤רְא מְנֻחָה֙ כִּ֣י ט֔וֹב וְאֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ כִּ֣י נָעֵ֑מָה וַיֵּ֤ט שִׁכְמוֹ֙ לִסְבֹּ֔ל וַיְהִ֖י לְמַס־עֹבֵֽד
Zebulun will live beside the sea and be a safe place for ships. His land will lie beside Sidon. Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the loads. He saw that a resting place was good and that the land was pleasing. So he made his shoulder ready to carry loads.
He let himself be a servant. (Genesis 49: 13-15)

Zebulun is mentioned next even though others were born before him. Issachar and Zebulun, the remaining two sons of Leah, precede the sons of the handmaidens and Rachel’s two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Zebulun, in spite of being younger than his brother Issachar is blessed first because Issachar’s well-being depended on the prosperity of Zebulun. As we can see from the words of the blessing, Zebulun is told that his descendants will live by the sea and become a haven for ships. Jacob was foretelling that Zebulun’s affluence, through maritime trade and commerce, would also be able to support members of the tribe of Issachar, who in rabbinic literature are exemplified as Torah students. Zebulun’s blessing confirms that the tribe’s territory will be located near the Mediterranean Coast and the Sea of Galilee. Issachar is then described as a strong donkey – an allusion to the type of focus and concentration, i.e. hard work that is a prerequisite to success in scholarship and one’s academic pursuits.

דָּ֖ן יָדִ֣ין עַמּ֑וֹ כְּאַחַ֖ד שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל: יְהִי־דָן֙ נָחָ֣שׁ עֲלֵי־דֶ֔רֶךְ שְׁפִיפֹ֖ן עֲלֵי־אֹ֑רַח הַנּשֵׁךְ֙ עִקְּבֵי־ס֔וּס וַיִּפֹּ֥ל רֹֽכְב֖וֹ אָחֽוֹר: לִֽישׁוּעָֽתְךָ֖ קִוִּ֥יתִי ה’: גָּ֖ד גְּד֣וּד יְגוּדֶ֑נּוּ וְה֖וּא יָגֻ֥ד עָקֵֽב: מֵֽאָשֵׁ֖ר שְׁמֵנָ֣ה לַחְמ֑וֹ וְה֥וּא יִתֵּ֖ן מַֽעֲדַנֵּי־מֶֽלֶךְ: נַפְתָּלִ֖י אַיָּלָ֣ה שְׁלֻחָ֑ה הַנֹּתֵ֖ן אִמְרֵי־שָֽׁפֶר:

Dan will judge his people, as one of the families of Israel. Dan will be a snake in the way, a snake in the road that bites the horse’s heels so that the man falls off. I wait for Your saving power, O Lord. A group of soldiers will go against Gad. But he will go against them at their heels. Asher’s food will be rich. He will give pleasing food to kings. Naphtali is a female deer let loose who gives beautiful young ones. (Genesis 49: 16-21)

These verses are addressed to Dan, Gad, Asher and Naftali, the children of Jacob’s two handmaidens, Bilhah and Zilpah. Once again the order is somewhat confusing as Rachel’s handmaiden, Bilhah gave birth first to Dan and Naftali (according to Parashat Vayetze) and only after they were born, Leah presented her handmaiden Zilpah to Jacob, and she bore Gad and Asher.

One possible answer to this conundrum is to apply the rabbinic principle אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה– ein mukdam u’me’uchar ba-Torah – that there is no such thing as chronology in the Torah. That being the case, one might suggest that after Bilhah (Rachel’s handmaid) had given birth to Dan, that Leah, who had ceased bearing children herself, gave her handmaiden Zilpah to Jacob who gave birth to Gad and Asher. Only then did Bilhah have her 2nd child, Naftali.

If this is how it happened, then these four sons, Dan, Gad, Asher and Naftali, were born in the order related in Genesis 49, rather than how it is described in Parashat Vayetze (Genesis 30: 3-13).

The blessing of Dan, who is compared to a snake, is said to contain allusions to the curse of the snake found at the very beginning of Genesis. A snake may well have been seen as a symbol of one who is able to conduct a surprise attack on the enemy. This might hint to the ongoing, seemingly eternal enmity with foreign enemies, especially the Philistines, against whom Dan’s warriors had to contend during the days of the Judges. One may recall Samson, a judge from the tribe of Dan, whom God appointed to deliver Israel from Philistine oppression. The reference to Dan judging the people is simply a literary device linking the name of the tribe with the concept of justice – the Hebrew word דִּין din meaning ‘law’.

The same applies to the blessing of Gad, a tribe stationed in the border regions on the eastern side of the River Jordan and so linked linguistically and politically with the word גְּד֣וּד g’dud – referring to well-trained military troops required to defend the borders of Israel. Similarly, Asher is associated linguistically with the word מְאוּשָׁר me’ushar, meaning wealthy or rich – a reference to the promise made by Jacob that they would enjoy abundant and fertile farmland along the coastal strip north of Mt Carmel, areas known for wheat, olive oil, milk and butter (all delicacies at that time). The final tribe mentioned in this series of blessings is Naftali who is compared to a doe, perhaps a symbol of speed. Commentators debate to what this might refer – quick growth of crops (Rashi), fast and agile warriors (Rashbam), or speedy messengers in wartime (Hizkuni).

בֵּ֤ן פֹּרָת֙ יוֹסֵ֔ף בֵּ֥ן פֹּרָ֖ת עֲלֵי־עָ֑יִן בָּנ֕וֹת צָֽעֲדָ֖ה עֲלֵי־שֽׁוּר: וַֽיְמָֽרֲרֻ֖הוּ וָרֹ֑בּוּ וַֽיִּשְׂטְמֻ֖הוּ בַּֽעֲלֵ֥י חִצִּֽים: וַתֵּ֤שֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן֙ קַשְׁתּ֔וֹ וַיָּפֹ֖זּוּ זְרֹעֵ֣י יָדָ֑יו מִידֵי֙ אֲבִ֣יר יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב מִשָּׁ֥ם רֹעֶ֖ה אֶ֥בֶן יִשְׂרָאֵֽל: מֵאֵ֨’ל אָבִ֜יךָ וְיַעְזְרֶ֗ךָּ וְאֵ֤ת שַׁדַּי֙ וִֽיבָ֣רֲכֶ֔ךָּ בִּרְכֹ֤ת שָׁמַ֨יִם֙ מֵעָ֔ל בִּרְכֹ֥ת תְּה֖וֹם רֹבֶ֣צֶת תָּ֑חַת בִּרְכֹ֥ת שָׁדַ֖יִם וָרָֽחַם: בִּרְכֹ֣ת אָבִ֗יךָ גָּֽבְרוּ֙ עַל־בִּרְכֹ֣ת הוֹרַ֔י עַֽד־תַּֽאֲוַ֖ת גִּבְעֹ֣ת עוֹלָ֑ם תִּֽהְיֶ֨יןָ֙ לְרֹ֣אשׁ יוֹסֵ֔ף וּלְקָדְקֹ֖ד נְזִ֥יר אֶחָֽיו

Joseph is a branch with much fruit, a branch with much fruit by a well. It grows over the wall. The men fought against him with their bows. They sent arrows toward him and made it hard for him. But his bow did not shake. His arms were made strong by the hands of the Powerful One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, by the God of your father who helps you, and by the All-powerful who brings good to you. He brings good from heaven above, and from the deep that lies below, and from the body of a mother. More good has come to your father than to my fathers before me, as lasting as the hills that last forever. May this good be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of him who was divided from his brothers.
(Genesis 49: 22-26)

As could be expected, Jacob seems to reserve his most positive words for Joseph.

Nonetheless, from a literary perspective these few verses are among the most difficult to interpret – almost every verse contains enigmatic metaphors, rare words, or allusions to undefined events, making it difficult to identify both the meaning of individual phrases and the overarching message of the blessing as a whole.

The first sentence speaks of Joseph being fruitful and yet the word עַיִן generally means an eye rather than spring or well. Then there is the word בָּנ֕וֹת which normally means daughters, yet could be related to the verb לבנות to build, hence something that has developed, i.e. grown over the wall. The next difficulty is the statement that Joseph had been attacked with bows and arrows. Is this a metaphor for the brothers conspiring against him, or the treatment he received in Egypt when he was placed in prison, or some other event, about which we have no knowledge? One final example – the blessing closes with the phrase נְזִיר אֶחָיו – but we cannot be sure whether the word נְזִיר is related to נֶזֶר, a crown, or נָזִיר, one who is separated from others (as in the case of the Nazirite found in Numbers 6).

The truth is that Jacob had already blessed Joseph with abundant success at the end of the previous chapter, so in this blessing, it is suggested, Jacob is simply praising Joseph for his remarkable ability to stay strong under pressure and not succumb to adversity. If this is true, these verses are the equivalent of someone saying to another – shkoyach – kol hakavod – well done!

בִּנְיָמִין֙ זְאֵ֣ב יִטְרָ֔ף בַּבֹּ֖קֶר יֹ֣אכַל עַ֑ד וְלָעֶ֖רֶב יְחַלֵּ֥ק שָׁלָֽל:
Benjamin is a hungry wolf. In the morning he eats the animals he has caught.
And in the evening he divides what he has taken. (Genesis 49: 27)

The final blessing is reserved for Jacob’s youngest son Benjamin, who is described as a wolf, a symbol of stealth and strength. Perhaps Jacob was alluding to the period of the Judges when Ehud from the tribe of Benjamin, with guile and cunning, successfully took revenge on Eglon, king of the Moabites; or perhaps he was referring to the strength of character displayed by another Benjamite – Mordechai, who with incredible courage and determination saved his people from the genocidal plans of Haman as described in the Book of Esther.

So Jacob blessed his twelve sons, which the text explains, was for one purpose only – וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אוֹתָ֔ם אִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר כְּבִרְכָת֖וֹ – that each of them should receive the blessing due to them, no more and no less. What more should any parent expect when they come to bless their own children with love and sensitivity?

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi David Freedman