34 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020 

SPIRIT

Blessing of Brothers
F

riday evening Shabbat 
dinners overflow with 
blessings. It’s a wonderful 
once-a-week opportunity to 
step back from our busy lives, 
express gratitude and count our 
blessings. 
We bless candles, our chil-
dren, spouses, wine and 
challah. When we bless 
our children, we ask 
that our girls grow up to 
be like the matriarchs, 
Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel 
and Leah, and that our 
boys grow up to be like 
Ephraim and Menashe. 
We can understand why 
we would look to the 
matriarchs as strong role 
models for our daugh-
ters; however, by what 
merits were Ephraim and 
Menashe chosen to be the role 
models for our sons?
In this week’s parshah we 
meet Ephraim and Menashe, 
Joseph’s two sons, born shortly 
after Joseph becomes Pharaoh’s 
second-in-command. We are 
given four reasons why Ephraim 
and Menashe are chosen for the 
Friday night blessing.
• Ephraim and Menashe are 
the first siblings in the Torah 
narrative who do not see each 
other as rivals. Even when Jacob, 
their grandfather, provides 
the preferential blessing to the 
younger Ephraim over the older 
Menashe, there is no jealousy 
and the brothers remain friends. 
• Though Ephraim and 
Menashe grew up in a world sur-
rounded by foreign cultural and 
religious beliefs, values and prac-
tices, they were strong enough 
to maintain and hold onto their 
own unique identity. They didn’t 
give in to peer pressure just to fit 
in and be like everyone else. 

• Ephraim and Menashe 
represent continuity of family 
heritage and values. On Jacob’s 
death bed, when he offers bless-
ings to his sons, he elevates his 
two grandsons Ephraim and 
Menashe to the same level as 
their uncles, the literal children 
of Israel. From dor l’dor, 
from generation to gen-
eration, the family legacy 
continues.
• Ephraim and Menashe 
represent two very posi-
tive, yet different types of 
personalities. Ephraim is 
perceived as being spiritual 
and a Torah scholar. On 
the other hand, Menashe is 
described as more of a man 
of the world who cared for 
and took care of his com-
munity. Scholarship, spiri-
tuality, worldliness, compassion 
and active disposition of caring 
for others, all attributes we 
would wish for our children.
As parents, we raise up our 
children with the hope that they 
will grow up not only as siblings, 
but as lifelong friends. In a world 
of peer pressures to conform, we 
hope to raise children who have 
the strength to be their best, 
unique selves. We model values 
and family traditions for our 
children with the hope that they 
are inculcated and passed down 
to future generations.
When we envision the adults 
our children will grow up to be, 
we hope that they will be wise, 
spiritual, worldly and compas-
sionate for others. This is the 
heritage, the characteristics of 
Ephraim and Menashe, with 
which we bless our sons. 

Jeffrey Lasday is the COO of the Jewish 

Community Center of Metro Detroit and 

the acting COO of Farber Hebrew Day 

School.

TORAH PORTION

Jeffrey 

Lasday

Parshat 

Mikketz: 

Genesis 

41:1-44:17; 

I Kings 

3:15-4:1.

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