DECEMBER 28 • 2023 | 53
J
N
SPIRIT
Blessings & Heritage
W
hen this was
originally written
(in 2018), we had
just completed the celebra-
tion of Chanukah. Our con-
gregation had held its annual
Chanukah/Shabbat
dinner. The social
hall was overflowing
with members of the
congregational family
and community.
We began with the
blessing of the chil-
dren. To listen to so
many parents bless
their children with
the words of our tra-
dition was beautiful
and heart-warming.
The idea of bless-
ing the children comes from
the blessings that Jacob
offered to two of his grand-
sons and sons (in that order)
in this week’s portion. After
17 years of living in Egypt,
Jacob is on his deathbed.
He blesses his son Joseph
through the blessing of
Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim. “And he blessed
Joseph saying, ‘The God
in whose ways my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my
shepherd from my birth to
this day, the angel who has
redeemed me from all harm,
bless the boys. In them, may
my name be recalled and
the names of my fathers,
Abraham and Isaac, and may
they be teeming multitudes
upon the Earth,’” (Genesis
48:15-16)
Joseph does not receive a
direct blessing from Jacob as
do his brothers; through his
sons, Jospeh is blessed by his
father. The portion contin-
ues, “So he [Jacob] blessed
them that day saying: ‘By you
shall Israel invoke blessings,
saying, God make you like
Ephraim and Manasseh.’”
(Genesis 48:20). To this day,
we use these words to bless
our sons.
You may wonder why
we offer blessings in the
name of two biblical fig-
ures whom we know next
to nothing about. You
would be in good com-
pany. Throughout the
ages, scholars have asked
the same question.
Two main reasons are
offered by commenta-
tors. The first is that
Manasseh and Ephraim
were the first siblings
who did not fight with
each other. There are many
instances of sibling rivalry
in Genesis, but the rabbis say
that those two did not fight.
(Since we do not know any-
thing about them other than
their births and blessings in
this text, I find this reason
difficult to understand.)
The other reason given is
that while they were born
in Egypt, to Joseph and his
Egyptian wife, they remained
faithful to their father’s
Israelite faith. Although they
lived in the diaspora, they
remained, in modern termi-
nology, faithful Jews.
We know well the chal-
lenges of living as Jews in a
non-Jewish world. Manasseh
and Ephraim are credited
as having done so. We, too,
must remain true to our-
selves and our heritage.
Rabbi Amy B. Bigman is rabbi at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
East Lansing. This article originally
appeared in the Jewish News on Dec.
20, 2018.
TORAH PORTION
Rabbi Amy
Bigman
Parshat
Vayehi:
Genesis
47:28-50:26;
I Kings 2:1-12.
Solution to puzzle in 12/21 issue.
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