And
He said to me, "I will make you fruitful and multiply your offspring. I will make you a congregation of
nations. I will give this land to your
descendants after you as a permanent possession." Now, your two that were born to you in
Egypt, before I came to you in Egypt, are mine. Ephraim and Menashe shall be to me as Reuven and Shimon. (Beresheit 48:4-5)
The
angel that redeemed me from all evil will bless these lads. They will be called by my name and the names
of my fathers Avraham and Yitzchak.
They will multiply in the land.
(Beresheit 48:16)
Yaakov and his family have descended to Egypt. Yosef rules the country and provides sustenance
for his father, his brothers, and their
households. Yaakov becomes ill. Yosef and his two sons – Ephraim and Menashe
– visit Yaakov. Yaakov addresses Yosef. He begins with a review of the pledges that
Hashem had made to him. Then, he tells
Yosef that Ephraim and Menashe will merit a special role in Bnai Yisrael. They will be treated as direct sons of
Yaakov. They will have the same status,
within Bnai Yisrael, as Reuven and Shimon.
In short, there are two parts to this portion of Yaakov’s comments. He begins with an introduction, reviewing
the promises Hashem had made to him. He
then bestows his own blessings upon Yosef and his sons.
In order to understand this portion of Yaakov’s
address, it is necessary to interpret his introduction, the blessings he
bestowed, and the relationship between these two elements. This process will begin with consideration
of the basic meaning of blessing Yaakov granted. Understanding this blessing requires a brief introduction.
The meaning of Yaakov’s blessing: Conferring upon Ephraim and Menashe the
status of Shevatim
Yaakov had twelve sons. These sons were the progenitors of the Shevatim – the Tribes of Israel.
Each was the founder or the patriarch of a separate tribe. Their descendants were members of the tribe
of their patriarch. These descendants
could not establish new Shevatim. According to this principle, Yosef's two
sons should have been members of the Tribe of Yosef. It should have been impossible for Ephraim and Menashe to be the
patriarchs of their own tribes. They
are Yosef's children, not the sons of Yaakov.
Now, Yaakov’s basic message to Yosef can be
understood. He told Yosef that Ephraim
and Menashe will be regarded as sons of Yaakov. They will be elevated to the level of Reuven and Shimon. There will not be a Tribe of Yosef. Instead, Yosef will be the progenitor of two
of the Shevatim – Ephraim and
Menashe.
Yaakov promised that his name and those of the
forefathers will be associated with Ephraim and Menashe.
However, there is another element to Yaakov’s
blessing. In closing his address,
Yaakov says that Ephraim and Menashe will be called by his name and the names
of his fathers Avraham and Yitzchak.
The meaning of this statement is not clear. Nachmanides offers an explanation. Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov
will always be identified with the descendants of Ephraim and Menashe. In other words, the forefathers will always
be remembered through the offspring of Ephraim and Menashe. Nachmanides explains that this promise has
far-reaching consequences. It implies
that the offspring of Ephraim and Menashe will never be lost or destroyed. Some remnant will always remain. This remnant is the fulfillment of Yaakov's
promise. Some remnant must always
survive because through this remnant the forefathers are identified with the
descendants of Ephraim and Menashe.[1] In short, this second element of Yaakov’s
blessing was a guarantee that the progeny of Ephraim and Menashe would survive
all challenges and tragedies that would befall Bnai Yisrael. Nachmanides’ comments require closer
scrutiny. What is the basis for his
interpretation?
Yaakov’s blessing can only be understood in the
context of the pledges he received from Hashem
Nachmanides’ comments can be understood in the
context of the first portion of Yaakov’s address – his introduction. In this preamble, Yaakov reviewed the
pledges that Hashem had made to him. He
explained that Hashem had appeared to him at Luz. There, Hashem made three pledges to Yaakov. First, He told Yaakov that He would have
many descendants. Second, Hashem
promised that Yaakov’s children would be a congregation of nations. Third, He told Yaakov that his descendants
would possess the Land of Israel. Apparently, these pledges establish the
context for the blessing that Yaakov bestowed upon Ephraim and Menashe. However, the relevance of this context to
the blessings must be explained.
Bnai Yisrael is an Assembly of Shevatim
In order to understand the relevance of these
pledges and their role in establishing the context of Yaakov’s blessings, the
meaning of the pledges must be clearly understood. The meaning of the first promise is clear. Yaakov will have many descendants. The last pledge is also easily
understood. Hashem promises Yaakov that
his descendants will possess the Land of Israel. However, the second promise is less easily interpreted. What is a “congregation of nations”? Unkelus explains this phrase. He translates it as “an Assembly of Shevatim.”[2] Bnai Yisrael will be composed of individual Shevatim. Through communicating this to Yaakov as a pledge, Hashem
indicated to him that the structure of Bnai Yisrael as an assembly of
individual Shevatim is not merely a practical,
political, or administrative measure.
The structure of the nation as an assemblage of Shevatim is an expression of the fundamental structure of the
nation. In other words, Bnai Yisrael is
not composed of individual tribes in order to facilitate the governance of the
nation or as a consequence of political forces that prevented the individual
tribes from fully integrating. The
existence of the Shevatim within the nation is an expression of the
nation’s design as decreed by Hashem.
In future generations, as the nation grew, these Shevatim did
emerge as Hashem promised. Their
emergence was the fulfillment of Hashem’s promise to Yaakov. Furthermore, this
system of shevatim is a permanent
fixture of Bnai Ysrael.
Now, we can begin to appreciate the relevance of
Yaakov’s introduction. Yaakov elevated
Ephraim and Menashe to the level of his own children. They would each establish a separate tribe. Yaakov introduced this blessing through
explaining the source for the system of Shevatim. He tells Yosef, that the institution of Shevatim was established by Hashem. It is an expression of the nation’s basic
design. The formation of the Tribe of
Ephraim and the Tribe of Menashe will represent the fulfillment of Hashem’s
promise; Bnai Yisrael will be an Assembly of Tribes.
The survival of Ephraim’s and Menashe’s descendants
is directly related to their status as Shevatim
Rav Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik Zt”l suggests
that Hashem’s promise to create a system of Shevatim
is the basis for Nachmanides’ interpretation of Yaakov’s blessing. Yaakov had
promised Yosef that Ephraim and Menashe would be the forerunners of Shevatim. Implicit in this promise was the second element of Yaakov’s
blessing – the guarantee that their descendants would survive throughout the
generations. How is this guarantee implied?
Rav Soloveitchik explains that there are two aspects
to Hashem’s promise to create an Assembly of Shevatim. First, as
explained above, the institution of Shevatim
is a permanent element of Bnai Yisrael.
The nation will always be composed of individual Shevatim. Second, each Shevet is a permanent element of the
nation. No tribe can be destroyed or
cease to exist.[3] On this basis,
Yaakov made two pledges to Yosef.
First, he promised Yosef that Ephraim and Menashe will be the
forerunners of Shevatim. Second, no tribe can ever cease to
exist. Therefore, the survival of
Ephraim and Menashe’s descendants is implicit in this blessing and assured.[4]