Last week we
noted that much of what is recounted in our weekly Parashot (plural for
“Parasha”) bears direct relationship to present-day situations and
circumstances, and even to our own lives. Parashat Va’ye'chi, which centers
around Ya'acov's prophetic benedictions over his sons and grandsons, is a good
example of this, as these ‘benedictions’ are much more than mere ‘well wishing’
or ‘hopes’ directed at the Patriarch’s progeny. The words pronounced by
Jacob constitute the Word of YHVH embossed upon the destiny and life of His
people. The last verse of last week’s Parashat Va’yigash (47:27), as well as
two more references in the current one (49:28,29) point out that the vision for
a nation, the People of Yisrael, has already been cast. “And Israel dwelt
in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they
had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly”, is the first of
these. Notice, “Yisrael… and they”. The relatively small band of Ya’acov’s
family is already named by thei collective title of “Yisrael”. Lter, once the
patriarch ends his pronouncements over his sons, we read: “All these are the
twelve tribes of Israel”, much before these individuals had actually
transformed into tribal groups. Finally, when Ya’acov charges his sons regarding
his burial he uses the term, “gathered to my people” – “el ami” – to my
nation.
The Parasha
opens with the words, "And Jacob lived (va'ye’chi)
in the land of Egypt seventeen years… when the time
for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph" (47:18
emphasis added). Back in Parashat Va’yeshev we noted that the "record of
the generations of Jacob" was linked directly to "Joseph [who] when
seventeen years of age was pasturing with his brothers…
[and] Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons…" (37:2,3).
These seemingly casual statements, tying Ya'acov's "record of
generations" to Yoseph's life, as well as the reference to his attitude
toward this son, are seen in a different light at the close of the cycle. From
the present vantage point, those statements appear to have described the cause
that yielded the results which are apparent in the present Parasha. The
symmetry of two lots of "seventeen years", the first ones of Yoseph's
life, and the last of Ya'acov's, along with the usage of the name "Yisrael"
in both instances serves to enhance this impression of cause and effect, and of
the cycle completed. In fact, the current situation constitutes only the first
part of the "effect", with the rest (as for example the lot that is
about to 'befall' the people of Yisrael in Egypt) still to follow for many
generations to come.
The second part
of verse 29 (Ch. 47), where Yaacov addresses his son, bidding him: "put
your hand under my thigh…", takes us all the way back to Avraham and his
servant, who was charged by his master in the same manner (ref. Gen.
24:2). The strength and power of life, represented by the thigh, is to be
expressed through the hand of another – the one who promises to be faithful and
loyal to his oath. Here it is Yoseph who promises his father to bury him with
his ancestors, in the Land of Yisrael.
Ya'acov's heart
is thus set at rest, while in the next episode, sick and nearing death, he
starts to confer his blessings. Yoseph, who is summoned to his bed, brings with
him his two sons who end up being the first ones to receive the blessing. Hence
the sequel of blessings of the sons of Yisrael starts out with his grandsons,
Ephraim, the youngest, and then Menashe. Yeshua's familiar words concerning
“the last being first” and vice versa (ref. Mt. 20:16), are certainly relevant
in this instance! However, Ya'acov does not start blessing Yoseph's sons before
he recounts, albeit in a somewhat modified version, what El Shaddai said to him
in Luz - Beit El: “... Be fruitful and multiply;
a nation and a company of nations shall
proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land
which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you
I give this land" (35:11-12 italics added). The words that Yaacov is about
to utter now are based on that auspicious word of long ago. When blessing the
boys, he includes the "fruitfulness" and the "numerousness",
of the roots p.r.h - fruit - and r.b.h - much, great, plenty. "A
nation - goy - and a company – kahal - of nations – goyim", in the
original blessing, become now "company - kahal again
- of people” – “amim” (48:4a). We shall soon see how these
two terms, "goy" and "am", are dispensed between the two
grandsons. "Kings shall come forth from you" in the original is
omitted entirely, and rightly so, because Yoseph's sons were not to be the
recipients of the kingly portion. The final part of the original blessing had
to do with the Land. In the episode at hand Ya'acov qualifies the original word
“land” with the words "an everlasting possession”
– “achuzat olam" (v. 4b). Achuza (“possession”),
is from the root a.ch.z (alef, chet, zayin), meaning “to grasp, take hold, possess”.
Being in exile, Ya'acov chooses words that would be powerfully imprinted upon
the minds of his listeners. In last week’s Parasha the root a.ch.z appears in
27:11 and 27 (trans. “possession”) associated with Yisrael’s sons taking
possession, or taking hold, of land in… Egypt. Its emphasis by Ya’acov here is
an attempt to offset the temptation of getting too comfortable in their current
situation. Without taking a repose, Ya’acov adopts his two grandsons (ref.
48:5), while ensuring that the promises just given will be fulfilled down
through their successive generations. He then goes on to say to Yoseph,
"but your offspring that have been born after them shall be yours"
(48: 6). "Offspring" here is "moledet", of
the root y.l.d (yod, lamed, dalet) “to give birth” or
“beget”. Hence, most times "moledet" is used in a
sense of “biological family". This was the term employed when
Avraham was told to leave his "family" (Gen. 12:1). In B’resheet
31:13, the angel of Elohim ordered Ya'acov to go back to the “land of his
moledet". The citing of "moledet" may be one more reminder,
given the circumstances, of what is no doubt an important issue with which he
wishes to inculcate his posterity (that is, regarding their family origins and
homeland).
It was after
Ya’acov had been given the blessings and promises in Beit El-Luz that Rachel
gave birth to Binyamin, in Ephrata, on the road to Beit Lechem. This was the
place where she also died. Although engaged in matters of great import,
pertaining to the future of the Nation, Ya’acov is clearly compelled to pause
and allow the whole sad episode to engulf him all over again. And thus he makes
mention of it. Incidentally, the literal meaning of "Ephratah"
is "toward Ephrat". "Ephrat" shares the
root of “fruitfulness” with “Ephraim”. According to Ya'acov's words here (48:7,
and Micha 5:2), Ephrat and Beit Lechem are synonymous.
All during this
time, while Ya'acov is pronouncing his adoption of Yoseph's two sons, he is not
aware of their presence in the room (being extremely nearsighted). But once he
realizes that the two are there, Yisrael says to Yoseph, "I never
expected to see your face, and behold, Elohim has let me see your seed
as well" (48:11 italics added). "Expected" here is "pilalti".
The root is p.l.l (pey, lamed, lamed), with its primal meaning to “intervene, interpose,
or arbitrate”, and by implication, “to judge”, giving
rise to "hitpalel" which is “to pray” and to
"tfila" – “prayer” (e.g. 1 Sam. 1:10, 12, 26, 27; 2:1).
The usage of it here, as "expect", is the only one of its kind in the
entire Tanach. Ya'acov had so completely given up any hope of seeing his son
that, according to his own admission, he did not (dare to) intercede or pray on
his behalf, since his only 'judgement' on the matter was that
Yoseph had departed this life.
Ya'acov blesses
the lads while crossing his arms over them (48:14). The verb used there – “sikel”
- originates from the widely used root s.ch.l (sin, chaf, lamed) which means
“to understand, succeed, instruction”, thus
pointing to the far-reaching implications that this action was to have in the
future. The essence of the blessing is put in a few words, "…may my name
("shem") and the name of my fathers… be named in them" (v. 16).
Yisrael is conferring upon his ‘adopted sons’ the blessings and promises given
to Avraham, Yitzchak, and to himself, which in this context are tantamount to
the "name" he wishes to bestow upon them. The blessings, therefore,
constitute an all-powerful 'stamp', a "name" embossed, as it were,
upon the lads and upon their posterity (cf. Numbers 6:27). The Patriarch goes
on to pronounce the following: "And may they grow into a multitude in the
midst of the earth" (48:16). The original wording for "grow into a
multitude"- va'yidgu"- is a verb which appears nowhere
else and means, "they will become fish", referring
to this creature's rate of breeding. The usage of this unusual verb is designed
to call attention to the blessing, and to this specific detail. When Yoseph
expresses disapproval of his father's birth order ‘confusion’, the latter
explains his action, telling his bewildered son that Menashe will be a
"people" ("am"), echoing the terminology he used above; but
that Ephraim, now making use of "goy", another of his above-mentioned
terms, will become "the fullness of the gentiles" – or
"m'lo ha'goyim" in Hebrew (ref. 48:17-19 italics added).
The Brit
Chadasha (New or Renewed Covenant) interprets for us the meaning of
"becoming fish", far beyond a mere numerical property. "Now as
Yeshua was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers… casting a
net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, 'follow me, and
I will make you fishers of men'" (Mat. 4:19). Ephraim and Menashe’s
descendants had to become ‘fish’, so that when the fishermen would be ready to
cast their 'gospel nets' there would be a catch out there (see also Jer.
16:16a). When enough fish fill up the quota (according to the number determined
by their Creator, ref. also Deut. 32:8) - in other words, when they become
"the fullness of the Gentiles" - then "all Israel will
be saved" (Rom. 11:25).
The "one
portion (over his brothers)", which Ya'acov grants Yoseph at the end of
this scene (48: 22), is signified by the word "shechem",
meaning a “shoulder”, the specific reference being to the two
‘shoulders’ (mountains) on each side of the city by that name (i.e. Sh’chem).
Thus, Ephraim's lot includes the 'shoulder' in the form of Grizim, the Mount of
the Blessing, and Menahse's, the other 'shoulder,' Eival, the Mount of Curse.
It is now time
for Ya'acov's twelve sons to receive a word from their father, or as put by Ya'acov,
that which "will befall you in the latter days" (49:1). “Befall” in
the Hebrew text is couched in a more direct term- “happen” – yikra. However,
whereas the standard spelling for this word is, yod, kof, resh, hey, here the
hey is replaced by an alef, thus rendering it “shall be read” or “called”. Was
Ya’acov/Yisrael taking into consideration the written version of his
pronouncements? This is the first time the expression "latter – end
of - days" - "a'charit ha'yamim"
- appears in the Bible. If compared to the usage of the same term in Isaiah
2:2, it may relate to a time in which Yisrael's calling as a Nation of Elohim's
choosing will be fulfilled. [1] Let
us pause to examine the root of “a’charit”, being a.ch.r (alef, chet,
resh), from which are derived, “after, last, tomorrow, other, another”, and
also… “achar”, “acharey” or “achoranit” -
meaning “behind” or “backwords”. Thus, when reference is made to
“acharit” (the “end”) there is also a “remez” (hint) to that which was
“behind”, that which had already occurred “beforehand”, indicating a
circulatory movement that links the past to the future – “worlds without end”
(see also Yisha’ya’hu – Isaiah – 46:9, 10). (We noticed a similar concept In
Parashat Lech Lecha – Beresheet 12-17 in 13:14, regarding the root k.d.m
– east, antiquity and forward -
that which is “ahead” being related to that which was.) Just as
“kedem” also stands for “east”, there are several references to “acharon”
(literally “last”) meaning “west” (the “last” – “acharon” – sea is the western
sea in Yisrael that is the Mediterranean, as compared to the eastern sea –
the Dead Sea). In Eeyov (Job) 18:20 we read: “Those in the west
– “achronim” last - are astonished at his day, as those in the east –
“kadmonim” earliest ones - are frightened”.
Thus acharit ha’yamim”
– end of days – conveys to us movement from the east toward
the west (remember “acharon” also means “west”), just as was the direction of
entering the tabernacle/temple all the way to the holy of holies which was
situated in its westernmost section. This directional movement is confirmed by
Matthew 24:27: "For as the lightning comes from the east and
flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be”
(italics added).
The words given
to the second and third sons (Shimon and Levi), predicting their dispersion
among their brethren, have amazingly come to pass (ref. 49:7). Following
on the heels of that is the word given to Yehuda (Judah), which starts off with
a word play on the meaning of his name, different from the original meaning
given to him by his mother (ref. Gen. 29:35). The root of the word and its
meanings are not clear-cut. It appears to be yadah (of the
root y.d.h., yod, dalet, hey), and is probably related to the word "yad"
- “hand”, and thus means “to cast (such as in casting a
stone or a lot), as well as to “confess or to praise”,
again being connected to the imagery of raised hands. “Your brothers
shall praise you - yo'du'cha" - (v. 8), seems therefore to flow into the
next expression, which is "your hand - yad'cha - shall be on the neck of
your enemies" (who in the future will turn out many times to be the descendants
of his own brothers!). And again, Yehuda's brothers, according to Ya'acov's
prediction, are also destined to "bow down" before him”. Yes, this
son is destined for the "scepter" (“shevet”), but also
for the judicial position, as we see by "me'chokek" (v. 10),
from “chok” – “law or decree”, the root being
ch.k.k. (chet, kof, kof), stemming from a verb which means “to carve” (ref. Is.
22:16) and “engrave”, and by implication to “enact laws” and thus to “dispense
justice”.
But the
predictions concerning Yehuda’s destiny do not stop here! The above promises
are to hold true "until Shilo comes, and to him shall be the obedience of
the peoples" (49:10). The term Shilo has been interpreted
in a variety of ways; the most likely one is "to whom it belongs".
Who truly is that one, and what is it that belongs to him? Ezekiel 21:27 helps
us clarify what appears here as a mystery.[2] There
we find the expression "until He comes to whom belongs ("asher
lo") judgment [or justice]". If we were to read
"shilo" as "sheh'lo", it would convey the same meaning as
"asher lo" in the above, namely "to whom it belongs". In
both cases what ‘belongs’ to this one is something which is related to judgment
and justice, and of course, according to our present text also the position of
leadership (see also Jeremiah 30:21a).
Already in verse
9, even before the Shilo-sheh’lo citation, the imagery of the lion’s whelp, the
young lion and the (mature) lion already evokes the expression “the Lion of the
Tribe of Judah” (ref. Revelation 5:5). The next part of the blessing (49:11,
12) contains metaphors of the “donkey” and the “donkey’s colt”, both mentioned
in Zechariah’s 9:9 Messianic prophecy, later to come to its fulfillment by
Yeshua (ref. Matt. 21:1ff; Mark 11:1ff; Luke 19:28-35; John 12:14). Not only is
the donkey mentioned, but also the “vine”. Here is where Yeshua’s declaration
“I am the vine…” comes to mind (ref. John 15:5). The repeated imagery of wine
may be compared to Isaiah 63:1-3, where there are several references to wine,
to its color, and to the winepress. Moreover, the connection of wine to blood
also takes us of course to Yeshua’s analogy (ref. Matthew 26:27-29, etc.), and
to the terrifying judgment scene of Revelation 19:12-15, where his eyes are
also mentioned, and described as being “like flames of fire”. In verse 12 of
our text, the Hebrew for the color of the eyes (“kach’lili”) is “red” (“redder
than wine”), clarifying this analogy. Thusly Yehuda’s destined future is
strongly interwoven with his Messiah.
The word given
to Dan contains a reference to the meaning of his name, which is "judge"
(49:16). When it comes to Gad, Ya’acov changes the meaning of his name. Whereas
his mother related the name to "luck" (Gen. 30:11), here Ya'acov
relates it to “raiding bands”, the verb being, g.d.d (gimel,
dalet, dalet), the original meaning of which is “cutting and making
inroads”. [3] It
is said of Gad that “a troop shall raid him”, but that (literally) “he shall
raid their heel” (49:19 italics added). And of his half brother, Dan,
it says that he will “bite the horse’s heel, so that his rider
falls backwards” (v. 17 italics added). Thus the sons of Yaacov, the one who
held the heel at birth and who followed (also connected to the root a.k.v and
hence to his name and to heel), are, or will be, displaying the same ‘a.k.v.’
trait.
Fruitfulness is
alluded to in Yoseph's blessing, as he is twice named here "ben
porat", literally "son of fruitfulness" (49: 22). The word to
Yoseph is replete with blessings of plenty, fruitfulness, might, prowess, and
honor; but also refers to the hatred which was and will be directed toward him.
Yoseph is to be a "nah'zir" (v. 26) to his brothers (translated
“separated from, or distinguished among his brothers”). A "nah'zir"
is one especially consecrated and dedicated to YHVH. This title can refer to
anyone with a special calling, such as Shimshon (Samson, Jud. 13:5), or to a
person who takes upon himself a Nazarite vow (Num. 6:21). The noun of the same
root is “neh’zer”, and means a “crown” and in that way is also connected to the
priesthood (see Ex. 29:6 regarding the priest’s “miter of holiness”).
Interestingly, “nah’zir” is mentioned here in the same breath as the “top of
Joseph’s head” (49:26), which literally makes Yoseph the “crown” of his
brothers.*
If the word to
Yehuda points so clearly to the Messiah, some of what is being said to Yoseph,
and of him, may also be interpreted as referring to a greater figure. It is no
wonder then that in Jewish tradition, alongside the victorious Messiah ben
David (from Yehuda's house), there is also a Messiah ben Yoseph, who is in the
image of the 'literal' Yoseph, who according to his prophetic blessing will be
hated and experience agony (49:23), yet is also powerful (v. 24), fruitful, and
distinguished. After Ya'acov's death, his sons express fear lest
their brother Yoseph would take the opportunity to avenge himself of them. They
therefore approach him with a statement, which their father had supposedly made
before he died, asking Yoseph to forgive them. Not only is there no record of
such a statement, there is also no record of Ya'acov ever finding out what his
sons had committed. Upon hearing these words and the sentiment behind them,
"Joseph wept" (ref. 50:17), recalling to mind Yeshua's reaction to
the lack of faith and trust displayed by His closest friends
(ref. John 11:35).
With Parashat
Va'ye’chi ("and he lived"), the entire book of B’resheet comes to a
close. "Va’ye'chi," "and he lived", is symbolic of Elohim’s
sovereign intentions regarding the fulfillment of His covenant with Avraham,
Yitzchak, and Ya'acov. Thus, not only do they live on in their seed, in the
next phase of their ‘existence’ they also become numerous, multiplying in the
land of their sojourning.
Notes:
1 Moses on the Witness Stand, Shlomo Ostrovski, Keren
Ahava Meshichit, Jerusalem, 1976, 1999.
2 Ibid
3 The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon,
Francis Brown Hendrickson.
Publishers, Peabody, Mass. 1979.
*Compare 49: 26, in Ya’acov’s blessing of Yoseph to D’varim
(Deuteronomy) 33;15-16 (Moses’ blessing): “With the best things of the ancient
mountains, With the precious things of the everlasting hills, 1With the precious things of the
earth and its fullness, and the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come 'on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate [nazir] from his brothers.' “Everlasting hills”, “the
crown of the head of Yoseph, the nazir of his brothers”, are identical terms
appearing in both blessings. In our
Parasha the “hills” are qualified by “utmost bound” (or “bounties” in another
translation). However, the Hebrew word for “utmost bound” or “bounties” is
really quite different, it is “ta’avah” which actually means “desire”, as used,
for example, in B’resheet 3:6 where it says about Chava that she saw “the tree
was desirable to make one wise”.
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