(1) And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: ‘Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days. (2) Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; And hearken unto Israel your father.
| Son | Description |
|---|---|
| Reuben | As the first born, he should be mighty and have excellency, but Jacob points out that he is “unstable as water” based on his inappropriate behaviors |
| Simeon | Use violence, quick to anger -- "lawlessness" and "fierce anger" |
|
Levi |
Use violence, quick to anger -- "lawlessness" and "fierce anger" |
| Judah | Trusted and accepted by his brothers, brave and successful in battle, steady, thoughtful, dependable, fair and just ruler, clear about his goals and determined to fulfill them, a good host (wine drinker), lives in plenty of wealth |
| Zebulun | Only cares about making a quick buck |
| Issachar | LAZY! Uses others to fight his battles, he hides from work -- "strong-boned ass" |
| Dan | Tells lies about people behind their back – "serpent" |
| Gad | Weakly gives into his opponents, he is a follower |
| Asher | Serves others, lives well, but does nothing to command respect. |
| Naphtali | He says nice things, but he has no control and doesn’t command respect. |
| Joseph | While he seems like the best to his father, he is hated and distrusted by his brothers. He sees himself as better than everyone else. -- "wild ass" |
| Benjamin | He has no patience, doesn’t care about the well-being of others, and can only make snap judgments. -- "ravenous wolf" |
"Modern interpreter Pinchas Peli believes that Jacob's evaluation was meant to be helpful to them. His honesty taught them important lessons about their strengths and weaknesses.... He claims that Jacob's evaluation of his sons "was meant to help his children find their proper identity. Such a criticism of them," Peli comments, "would help them find their way towards the future, in which they were destined to assume the roles as heads of the tribes of Israel."
Do you think that Jacob was trying to be honest with his sons to make them stronger? Do you feel that this is the best approach? Would this type of evaluation be better coming from someone else or is it better coming from a parent?
(כח) כָּל־אֵ֛לֶּה שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל שְׁנֵ֣ים עָשָׂ֑ר וְ֠זֹאת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֨ר לָהֶ֤ם אֲבִיהֶם֙ וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אוֹתָ֔ם אִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר כְּבִרְכָת֖וֹ בֵּרַ֥ךְ אֹתָֽם׃
(28) All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is it that their father spoke unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
Ibn Ezra and Rashi both noted that the reason it had to be repeated so many times that Jacob blessed his sons was because some of the things he said about his sons did not sound like blessings at all. Instead, these commentators felt that Jacob was prophesizing what was to come for these sons and the tribes named after them.
Does it make sense why Ibn Ezra and Rashi clarified this verse? Do you feel like Jacob's comments are blessings?
"[Don Isaac] Abravanel's theory is that, when it came time for Jacob to die, he decided to pass on the leadership (or rule) of his family to the son who was most qualified.... [H]e assessed carefully the strengths and weaknesses of each son. When he reached his conclusion about how was the most qualified leader, he then gathered his sons together and announced it to them. Because he wanted them to appreciate his conclusions, he honestly shared his evaluation with them. Jacob wanted each of them to understand why he had disqualified him for leadership of the Jewish people."
Does this make more sense to you? Who did Jacob choose? Why? Does it make sense?
Cited: Fields, Harvey. "Vayechi." A Torah Commentary for Our Times. Volume 1: Genesis.