May You Be Blessed

As he approached the end of his days, Yaakov Avinu spoke to each of his sons. His final words to each are recorded in our Parsha, and are collectively known as Birchos Yaakov. We know that Yaakov was no the first to institute this practice—Yitzchok similarly gave his sons Brachos as he felt himself nearing the end of his life, and Yaakov seems to be carrying on this Hanhaga in this week’s Parsha.

The first Brachos that Yaakov gave, however, were not to one of his sons, but to his grandsons--Menashe and Ephraim—the sons of Yosef. The sequence of events surrounding this set of Brachos is described in the Pessukim, and expanded upon in the Medrash.

Upon being told that his father war ill, Yosef brought his two sons to Yaakov’s bedside. Yaakov begins by tellin Yosef that Hashem appeared to him in Luz “VaYivarech Osi” and he expands on the exact Bracha he was given. Yaakov then tells Yosef that Ephraim and Menashe are like Reuven and Shimon—that they will be counted among the Shivtei Kah. After describing some of the other events that occurred in his lifetime, Yaakov notices Ephraim and Menashe and asks Yosef: “Mi Eleh Lach? Who are these (to you)?” and Yosef responds “Banei Hem Asher Nasan Li Elokim BaZeh: These are my sons, whom Hahsem gave me in this place.” Yaakov responds: “Kachem Nah Elai, V’avarechem: Bring them close to me and I will give them a Bracha.”

This exchange is a little difficult to understand. First, why does Yaakov begin by specifically telling of the Bracha he received from Hashem in Luz? Yosef presumably knew about that Bracha, and Yaakov was surely not merely reminiscing about his life—why did he tell Yosef about this Bracha at this time?

The Medrash Tanchuma, which is briefly brought by Rashi, asks an even more basic question: why did Yaakov ask Yosef “Mi Eleh Lach?” As the Medrash says, they came to Yaakov each day to learn Torah, he certainly knew them. The explanation given by the Medrash is that Yaakov wanted to give Brachos to Ephraim and Menashe, but he saw that they would have offspring that did not go in the Derech Hashem, and he was unable to give the Brachos-the Medrash says that his Ruach Hakodesh went away from him.

This too begs explanation. Why would the fact that the descendants of Ephraim and Menashe, who lived many generations later, were less than perfect affect their qualification to receive Brachos? Later in the Parsha Yaakov gives Brachos to the rest of his children, and none of them seem to be disqualified based on the quality of their eventual progeny? Why in this case was Yaakov unable to give the Brachos to Ephraim and Menashe because of their offspring?

We must also understand Yosef’s answer to his father. Why did his reply: “Banei Hem Asher Nasan Li Elokim BaZeh” satisfy Yaakov, to the point that the Piska Zutrasi says “Miyad Barichem: he immediately gave them the Brachos?” If Yaakov’s question of “Mi Eleh Lach” referred to their future offspring, how did Yosef’s reply solve the problem, so to speak?

Further, we must understand the meaning of the eventual Bracha that Yaakov gave his grandsons. After further discussion with Yosef, including a Bracha—Hamalah HaGoel--given to Yosef himself, Yaakov finally turns his attention to Menashe and Ephraim. His Bracha to them is: “Bicha Yevorach Yisroel: Bnei Yisroel will be given Brachos with your name” Yaakov then proceeds to say the words that many use each Friday night to give their own children Brachos: “Yisimcha Elokim K’Ephraim V’chiMinashe.”

Why is this a Bracha? After Yaakov’s entire introduction, and his discussions with Yosef, after he questions their qualification to receive Brachos, the Bracha he does give them seems rather underwhelming. There is no mention of riches or long lives, no promises of spiritual gifts or even discussion of their role within Klal Yisroel. Why is the fact that Brachos will be given in their name itself a Bracha?

I would like to suggest a possible explanation for these Pessukim that can better help us understand not only the exchange between Yaakov and Yosef, but also the power of the Brachos.

The Ohr Chaim Hakadosh points out that as an introduction to the Pessukim of “Hamalach HaGoel,” the Torah says “Vayivarech Es Yosef.” The Bracha, however, is for Menashe and Ephraim: “Yivarech es Hanearim.” Why then is this called a Bracha for Yosef? It would seem to be a Bracha for his children.

The Ohr Chaim explains that there is something referred to as the Mafteach HaBrachos, the ‘key’ of Brachos. Chazal tell us that Avraham Avinu received this “Mafteach” as a gift from Hashem, as it says at the beginning of Parshas Lech Lecha “V’heyeh Bracha.” Avraham in turn gave this gift to his son, Yitzchok, as the Passuk says “V’Yiten Avraham es Kol Asher Lo, L’yitzchok.” Yaakov received this Mafteach from Yitzchok and was at this point in his life handing over the gift of Bracha to Yosef. The implication of the Ohr Chaim is that in giving the power of Bracha to Yosef, Yaakov enabled him to give Brachos to his children as well.

I think that we can therefore understand why the future offspring of Menashe and Ephraim were therefore a reason not to give them Brachos. Yaakov was not only handing over the Mafteach of Bracha to Yosef, but he knew that this meant that Yosef would pass the gift on to his children, and they to theirs. Therefore, Yaakov felt that if either of Yosef’s sons were destined to have children who were unworthy of the Mafteach Shel Bracha, he should begin the chain by giving the Mafteach to Yosef himself.

Bearing this in mind, we can understand Yosef’s response to his father, with the hep of a beautiful insight from the Sefer Yalkut Yehudah. The future children that Yaakov saw B’Ruach Hakodesh were Achav and Yeravam—both of whom who terrible Reshaim in their own right. But the Yalkut Yehuda explains that they each also had certain Ma’alos, they accomplished some level of good in their lives as well. Yosef said to Yaakov: “Banei Hem Asher Nasan Li Elokim BaZeh.” These children were born in Mitzrayim, they were not Zoche to be born in the Machane Shechina as the Avos all were, and therefore it is impossible for them to not to have some level of “Pegam,” and this is true of their offspring as well. Says the Yalkut Yehudah, Yosef was telling Yaakov: “Focus not on the negative that exists, but on all they were able to accomplish in the circumstances they were born into.”

This answer satisfied Yaakov, and as the Piska Zutrasi said, he gave the Bracha without delay. But as we see from the Pessukim, the Bracha he immediately gave was not the one that was given directly to Menashe and Ephraim—it was the Bracha of Hamalach HaGoel, which as the Ohr Chaim explains, was the moment that Yaakov handed the Mafteach of Bracha to Yosef. Once he was secure in the knowledge that Yosef and his offspring were in fact appropriate bearers of this gift, he gave the Bracha without a moment’s hesitation.

Perhaps taking this one step further we can understand the Bracha that Yaakov eventually gave directly to Menashe and Ephraim. Yaakov realized that these two grandsons in a way represented many generations of his future offspring: they were born into less than ideal circumstances, far removed from the Machene Shechina. Nonetheless they had endured, not only surviving but in fact excelling, growing in their Ruchiniyas to the point that “K’Reuven V’Shimon Yihiyu Li.” Yaakov understood that this achievement, the fact that they were “Banei Hem Asher Nasan Li Elokim BaZeh” but still attained such eights was something that many generations of Klal Yisroel would struggle with.

He therefore gave us all a gift: “Bicha Yivorech Yisroel.”

The Nefesh HaChaim explains that a Bracha is actually a type of Bakasha—for example, in the case of Birchas Hanehenin we ask Hashem to continue giving forth fruit from trees. When we make a Bracha, or when we give a Bracha, we are in fact making a request of Hashem.

Our children also come into this world in a less than ideal situation—we are in the depths of Galus, surrounded by physical and spiritual threats. Yet we each yearn for our own children to grow in Ruchnias, to reach the level of “K’Reuven V’Shimon Yihiyu Li.” Yaakov Avinu therefore gave us all the power to give our own children Brachos—to request of Hashem “Yisimcha Elokim K’Ephraim V’chiMinashe.” In this way he gave us all a Mafteach of Bracha to be used with the hopes of allowing our own children to grow beyond the “BaZeh” that they are born into.