What's in a blessing?
In this parshah, we read of Jacob blessing his children and grand children on his death bed. While many of these blessings are definitely criticisms and do not appear to be blessings at all, they provide us with strong take away messages from the four parshiot cycle of the story of Joseph, we can see the value in the words Jacob chooses.
Activity: Distribute cards named for each child and grandchild of Jacob:
1) Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn. He was the son of Leah, Jacob’s first wife.
Assemble and hearken, O sons of Jacob;
Hearken to Israel your father:
רְאוּבֵן בְּכֹרִי אַתָּה כֹּחִי וְרֵאשִׁית אוֹנִי יֶתֶר שְׂאֵת וְיֶתֶר עָז׃
Reuben, you are my first-born,
My might and first fruit of my vigor,
Exceeding in rank
And exceeding in honor.
פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם אַל־תּוֹתַר כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ אָז חִלַּלְתָּ יְצוּעִי עָלָה׃ {פ}
Unstable as water, you shall excel no longer;
For when you mounted your father’s bed,
You brought disgrace—my couch he mounted!
2) Simeon was second, and he was also a son of Leah.
3) Levi was the third of Jacob and Leah’s children.
שִׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי אַחִים כְּלֵי חָמָס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם׃
Simeon and Levi are a pair;
Their weapons are tools of lawlessness.
בְּסֹדָם אַל־תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל־תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְּרוּ־שׁוֹר׃
Let not my person be included in their council,
Let not my being be counted in their assembly.
For when angry they slay a man,
And when pleased they maim an ox.
אָרוּר אַפָּם כִּי עָז וְעֶבְרָתָם כִּי קָשָׁתָה אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב וַאֲפִיצֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל׃ {פ}
Cursed be their anger so fierce,
And their wrath so relentless.
I will divide them in Jacob,
Scatter them in Israel.
4) Judah was the next. After bearing Judah, Leah stopped bearing children for a time.
יְהוּדָה אַתָּה יוֹדוּךָ אַחֶיךָ יָדְךָ בְּעֹרֶף אֹיְבֶיךָ יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ בְּנֵי אָבִיךָ׃
You, O Judah, your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the nape of your foes;
Your father’s sons shall bow low to you.
גּוּר אַרְיֵה יְהוּדָה מִטֶּרֶף בְּנִי עָלִיתָ כָּרַע רָבַץ כְּאַרְיֵה וּכְלָבִיא מִי יְקִימֶנּוּ׃
Judah is a lion’s whelp;
On prey, my son, have you grown.
He crouches, lies down like a lion,
Like a lioness —who dare rouse him?
לֹא־יָסוּר שֵׁבֶט מִיהוּדָה וּמְחֹקֵק מִבֵּין רַגְלָיו עַד כִּי־יָבֹא שִׁילֹה וְלוֹ יִקְּהַת עַמִּים׃
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet;
So that tribute shall come to him
And the homage of peoples be his.
אֹסְרִי לַגֶּפֶן עִירֹה וְלַשֹּׂרֵקָה בְּנִי אֲתֹנוֹ כִּבֵּס בַּיַּיִן לְבֻשׁוֹ וּבְדַם־עֲנָבִים סוּתֹה׃
He tethers his ass to a vine,
His ass’s foal to a choice vine;
He washes his garment in wine,
His robe in blood of grapes.
חַכְלִילִי עֵינַיִם מִיָּיִן וּלְבֶן־שִׁנַּיִם מֵחָלָב׃ {פ}
His eyes are darker than wine;
His teeth are whiter than milk.
5) Dan was born to Jacob by Bilhah, his wife Rachel’s handmaid. It was common practice in that day for a wife to give her servant to her husband to bear children in her name.
דָּן יָדִין עַמּוֹ כְּאַחַד שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
Dan shall govern his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.
יְהִי־דָן נָחָשׁ עֲלֵי־דֶרֶךְ שְׁפִיפֹן עֲלֵי־אֹרַח הַנֹּשֵׁךְ עִקְּבֵי־סוּס וַיִּפֹּל רֹכְבוֹ אָחוֹר׃
Dan shall be a serpent by the road,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse’s heels
So that his rider is thrown backward.
לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּיתִי יהוה׃ {ס}
I wait for Your deliverance, O יהוה !
6) Naphtali was the next child and a son, also through Bilhah.
נַפְתָּלִי אַיָּלָה שְׁלֻחָה הַנֹּתֵן אִמְרֵי־שָׁפֶר׃ {ס}
Naphtali is a hind let loose,
Which yields lovely fawns.
8) Asher was the eighth son. He was the second son of Zilpah.
מֵאָשֵׁר שְׁמֵנָה לַחְמוֹ וְהוּא יִתֵּן מַעֲדַנֵּי־מֶלֶךְ׃ {ס}
Asher’s bread shall be rich,
And he shall yield royal dainties.
9) Issachar was another son to Leah.
יִשָּׂשכָר חֲמֹר גָּרֶם רֹבֵץ בֵּין הַמִּשְׁפְּתָיִם׃
Issachar is a strong-boned ass,
Crouching among the sheepfolds.
וַיַּרְא מְנֻחָה כִּי טוֹב וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ כִּי נָעֵמָה וַיֵּט שִׁכְמוֹ לִסְבֹּל וַיְהִי לְמַס־עֹבֵד׃ {ס}
When he saw how good was security,
And how pleasant was the country,
He bent his shoulder to the burden,
And became a toiling serf.
10) Zebulun was the next male child, Leah’s sixth.
זְבוּלֻן לְחוֹף יַמִּים יִשְׁכֹּן וְהוּא לְחוֹף אֳנִיֹּת וְיַרְכָתוֹ עַל־צִידֹן׃ {פ}
Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore;
He shall be a haven for ships,
And his flank shall rest on Sidon.
11) Dinah was Jacob’s only daughter, and her mother was Leah.
12) Joseph was Jacob’s twelfth child and Rachel’s first child.
בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי־עָיִן בָּנוֹת צָעֲדָה עֲלֵי־שׁוּר׃
Joseph is a wild ass,
A wild ass by a spring
—Wild colts on a hillside.
וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וָרֹבּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים׃
Archers bitterly assailed him;
They shot at him and harried him.
וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרֹעֵי יָדָיו מִידֵי אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב מִשָּׁם רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
Yet his bow stayed taut,
And his arms were made firm
By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob—
There, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel—
מֵאֵל אָבִיךָ וְיַעְזְרֶךָּ וְאֵת שַׁדַּי וִיבָרְכֶךָּ בִּרְכֹת שָׁמַיִם מֵעָל בִּרְכֹת תְּהוֹם רֹבֶצֶת תָּחַת בִּרְכֹת שָׁדַיִם וָרָחַם׃
The God of your father’s [house], who helps you,
And Shaddai who blesses you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that couches below,
Blessings of the breast and womb.
בִּרְכֹת אָבִיךָ גָּבְרוּ עַל־בִּרְכֹת הוֹרַי עַד־תַּאֲוַת גִּבְעֹת עוֹלָם תִּהְיֶיןָ לְרֹאשׁ יוֹסֵף וּלְקׇדְקֹד נְזִיר אֶחָיו׃ {פ}
The blessings of your father
Surpass the blessings of my ancestors,
To the utmost bounds of the eternal hills.
May they rest on the head of Joseph,
On the brow of the elect of his brothers.
7) Gad was son and child number seven. He was the child of Jacob and Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah.
גָּד גְּדוּד יְגוּדֶנּוּ וְהוּא יָגֻד עָקֵב׃ {ס}
Gad shall be raided by raiders,
But he shall raid at their heels.
13) Benjamin was Jacob’s last child. His mother, Rachel, who died during labor, named him Ben-Oni, which means “son of my trouble,” but Jacob renamed him Benjamin, which means “son of my right hand.”
בִּנְיָמִין זְאֵב יִטְרָף בַּבֹּקֶר יֹאכַל עַד וְלָעֶרֶב יְחַלֵּק שָׁלָל׃
Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
In the morning he consumes the foe,
And in the evening he divides the spoil.”
Summary of births: The first four of Jacob’s children belonged to Leah, and she later bore him two more sons and a daughter—seven children total. The last two of Jacob’s children were to Rachel. In between were two sons by Bilhah (Rachel’s maid) and two sons by Zilpah (Leah’s maid).
The Abrahamic covenant has now passed through four generations of patriarchs and matriarchs and their families. But it has not been easy - it has come through great hardship, to arrive now at the sons of Jacob (Israel) who will head the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jacob’s children were blessed according to the covenant God made with Abraham.
1. Take on the covenant (brit)
2. Receive the law
3. Promise of the land, Eretz Yisrael
4. Promise of the Peoplehood (B'nei Yisrael)
The Blessings from Jacob also showed how the father understood and saw his children and grandchildren. While potentially creating conflict and division, the words chosen showed growth for Jacob and the family in that the children were no longer objectified. They were seen by Jacob as whole, imperfect, and fallible, with strengths and weaknesses.
This contrasts with the central them that the story of Joseph navigates - the objectification of individuals and the conflict that arises. In Jacob's blessings, we arrive at the resolution of this inter-generational traumatic psychological journey.
The grand children of Jacob before he died:
Jacob's grandsons before he died were Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of his son Joseph. In a move that is reminiscent of Jacob (the younger) taking the elder (Esau's) birthright, Jacob crosses his hands so his right hand is on the head of the younger child not the older child when he blesses them.
Summary
Jacob was a Hebrew patriarch and the father of 12 tribes.
Jacob's sons included Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel.
Jacob's other sons included Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, the sons of Leah.
Jacob also had sons named Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, who were the sons of his concubines Bilhah and Zilpah.
Jacob and his sons migrated to Egypt during a famine, where Jacob died at the age of 147.
Over-view (My Jewish Learning)
The Patriarchs, or avot (אבות) in Hebrew, meaning “fathers,” refers to three generations of foundational figures in the Book of Genesis and Jewish tradition: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Matriarchs, or imahot (אמהות) in Hebrew, refers to the Torah’s four foundational women: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.
Abraham and Sarah were the parents of Isaac who, with Rebecca, parented Jacob. With his two wives Rachel and Leah (and two handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah), Jacob fathered 12 sons and one daughter, Dinah. The 12 sons would go on to form the 12 Tribes of Israel.
Israel is the name Jacob is given after he wrestles with an angel. Jacob is understood to be the common ancestor from which the Israelites and later, the Jewish people, are descended. This is why Jews are often referred to as Bnei Yisrael (the children of Israel) or Am Yisrael (the nation of Israel). Abraham and Sarah are still understood as the progenitors of the Jewish people, but other religions and nations also formed from their family tree, while the Jewish people trace their heritage through Jacob.
The three Patriarchs, as well as Sarah, Rebecca and Leah, are believed to be buried at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, a city in the southern West Bank (a region also known as Judea). The site is also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs or Cave of Machpelah — and to Muslims as the Sanctuary of Abraham. It is holy to both Jews and Muslims, and a synagogue and mosque are both located there.
Rachel is the only one of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs not buried in Cave of Machpelah. As Jacob and Rachel traveled south toward Hebron, Rachel gave birth to Benjamin and died shortly afterward during their journey. Rachel’s Tomb is located outside the city of Bethlehem, which is about 5.5 miles from the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
The Jewish people are reminded of their ongoing connection to the Patriarchs daily during the Amidah prayer; many prayer books also invoke the Matriarchs at this time. In the first blessing of the Amidah, the prayer begins: “Blessed are you, Lord, our God and God of our ancestors: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” This language is meant to serve as a reminder that the covenant between God and the Jewish people has not only survived for thousands of years, but can be traced all the way back to these foundational figures. (www.myjewishlearning.com)