Torah Tidbits

23 May 2012 / 2 Sivan 5772
Issue 984
Issue 984- Shabbat Parshat Vaychi - Chazak
January 08, 2012

How often does RH fall on Shabbat?

A look at Vaychi Blessing the Lads

The words with which Yaakov blessed his grandsons Menashe and Efrayim are among the most beautiful we have: “The God before whom my fathers Avraham and Yitzchak walked, the God who was my shepherd all my life until today, the angel who saved me from all evil - may he bless the lads; may they be called by my name and the name of my fathers Avraham and Yitzchak, and may they grow into a great people on earth” (B’reishit 48:15-16). Here are some interesting features of the blessing:
“It commences,” He blessed Yosef, and said…”because when children receive a blessing it gives a parent joy: parents” great pleasure is in their children.
The reference to Avraham and Yitzchak walking before God indicates that they lived in God’s presence. The righteous follow T’hilim 16:8, “I set the Lord always before me.” Living is walking - hence the word “halacha,” from “halach”, to walk.
God is a shepherd since shepherds care for each of their flock and save them from harm. This verse is the origin of T’hilim 23:1, “HaShem is my shepherd.”
The blessing first talks about God and then an angel because angels are God’s agents. “Malach,” an angel, literally means “a messenger.”
When Yaakov said that his grandchildren would be called by the names of Yaakov, Avraham and Yitzchak, he prayed that Menashe and Efrayim would honour their ancestors tradition.
What does “grow into a great people” mean? Here “great” denotes numerous. Yaakov’s family would have been much larger if not for centuries of persecution.

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