When Did Yaakov Bless Ephraim and Menashe/2

When Did Yaakov Bless Ephraim and Menashe?

Exegetical Approaches

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

On His Deathbed

Yaakov blessed Ephraim and Menashe close to his death, when they were already in their early twenties.

Sources:RashiBereshit 48:8About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, RashbamBereshit 48:8About R. Shemuel b. Meir, Ibn EzraBereshit First Commentary 48:8Bereshit Third Commentary 48:8About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, RalbagBereshit Beur HaMilot 48:8About R. Levi b. Gershom, SefornoBereshit 48:8About R. Ovadyah Seforno, ShadalBereshit 48:8-10About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, NetzivBereshit 48:8About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin

Chronology – All of these sources maintain the order of the verses and assume that Yaakov's blessing took place where told, close to the end of Yaakov's life. The opening phrase of the chapter (""וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה ) explicitly links it to the previous one which states that Yaakov was in his last year and close to death ("וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת").  Moreover, the chapter is filled with allusions to Yaakov's frailty, telling the reader that Yaakov was sick and that his eyesight was failing due to "old age".  Finally, he himself says to Yosef, "הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מֵת".

"מִי אֵלֶּה" – These sources offer several different explanations as to why Yaakov did not recognize his grandsons:

• Poor eye-sight – Most of these commentators¹ assume that Yaakov's poor eyesight (and maybe simply old age)² prevented him from recognizing Menashe and Ephraim.³ Shadal explains that this is the reason that verse 10 shares, "וְעֵינֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּבְדוּ מִזֹּקֶן לֹא יוּכַל לִרְאוֹת".‎⁴‎ 
• Utilitarian question – Netziv maintains that Yaakov did know his grandchildren, but simply wanted Yosef to mention them by name since naming the object of a blessing helps channel the Divine spirit towards that object.
• Egyptian garb – Malbim suggests that Yaakov did not recognize Menashe and Ephraim since they wore Egyptian garb.  One might go even further to suggest that this dress was indicative of a larger difference in lifestyle.  Having grown up in Egyptian society, Yosef's sons might have begun to assimilate, preferring Egyptian culture to Yaakov' company.⁵  If so, it is possible that Yaakov did not identify Menashe and Ephraim because he did not have much of a relationship with them.⁶

"מֵעִם בִּרְכָּיו" – These sources might explain that the word "מֵעִם" does not mean "in between" but rather next to, or near.⁷  Menashe and Ephraim had been standing, not in between Yaakov's thighs,⁸ but close to them when he embraced them.

"וַיַּגֵּשׁ אֹתָם" and "וַיּוֹצֵא יוֹסֵף אֹתָם" – Yosef's continuous positioning of Menashe and Ephraim gives the impression that they were too young to know where to go on their own.  These sources might respond that their passivity stemmed not from youth but respect, as they waited for their father's cue before acting.

Upon Arrival in Egypt

Yaakov blessed his grandchildren when he first met them, soon after arriving in Egypt.

Sources:R. Yoel b. Nun⁹

Chronology – R. Yoel b. Nun maintains that the entire chapter is recorded out of chronological order and really took place seventeen years earlier when Yaakov had just arrived from Canaan.  He explains that the Torah changed the order in order to juxtapose Yaakov's blessing to Yosef's sons with the blessings to the tribes.

"וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה" – R. Yoel b. Nun suggests that the "דְבָרִים" referred to are not the immediately preceding events (Yaakov requesting that Yosef bury him in Canaan) but those described in Chapter 46, when Yaakov arrives. If so, however, the phrase "וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה" is misleading as the reader naturally assumes that the text is saying that the narrative is continuing from where it left off, and not that the reader is supposed to backtrack a couple of chapters.

"מִי אֵלֶּה" – Yaakov's question is understandable as Yaakov had never before met his grandchildren.

"רְאֹה פָנֶיךָ לֹא פִלָּלְתִּי וְהִנֵּה הֶרְאָה אֹתִי אֱלֹהִים גַּם אֶת זַרְעֶךָ" – From this comment, too, it sounds as if Yaakov is first meeting Menashe and Ephraim, and moreover, that it is only recently that he has had a chance to see Yosef again. The emotional response makes sense if this is just a few days after arrival.

"מֵעִם בִּרְכָּיו" – According to this chronology, Yosef's sons are young boys during the encounter, no more than 8 years old,¹⁰ and can easily fit between someone's thighs.

"וַיַּגֵּשׁ אֹתָם" and "וַיּוֹצֵא יוֹסֵף אֹתָם" – Due to the boy's young age, they likely have no sense of what is expected of them and thus Yosef guides them to or away from Yaakov.

"הִנֵּה אָבִיךָ חֹלֶה" and "הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מֵת" – These statements are somewhat difficult for his position as they suggests an infirm Yaakov who is on the verge of death.   R. Yoel b. Nun suggests that Yaakov might have become ill over the journey.  In addition, he might have personally felt that he was close to death, when in fact he later recuperated and lived many more years.¹¹

Both on Arrival and Before Death

Yaakov blesses Menashe and Ephraim with the blessing "בְּךָ יְבָרֵךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל"/ "וְיִדְגּוּ לָרֹב בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ" right after he arrives in Egypt, but only gives them tribal status ("אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה כִּרְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן יִהְיוּ לִי") close to his death.

Sources:R. Elchanan Samet¹²

Chronology – According to R"E Samet, the opening and closing verses of the chapters (1-7, 21-22) are recorded in their proper chronological place and occurred close to Yaakov's death, while the rest of the chapter took place years earlier, when Yaakov first arrived in Egypt. These middle verses immediately follow the events of Bereshit 46:29-30.

Two distinct stories – R"E Samet points out that verses 1-7 and 21-22 revolve round the tribal portion of Yosef vis-a-vis his brothers,¹³ whereas the intervening verses speak only of the status of Menashe and Ephraim vis-a-vis each other (unrelated to the nation as a whole). As such, the two units are really distinct and could have occurred at different times.

Evidence of achronology

• Incongruity: Awareness of Menashe and Ephraim? – R. Samet points out that in the opening verses of the chapter, Yaakov speaks of Menashe and Ephraim, apparently aware that they are present in the room,¹⁴ yet in verse 8 he questions "who are these" as if he has just noticed them. This leads Samet to conclude that verse 8 must not be a continuation of verses 1-7 but its own story.¹⁵
• Age of Menashe and Ephraim – The image of Yosef's sons being taken from between Yaakov's legs suggests that the two were still young children, and not 20 year old adults, as they would have been if this part of the story was taking place in its chronological place.

Why speak to Menashe and Ephraim in third person? According to R. Samet, it is not clear why, throughout verses 1-7 Yaakov speaks about Menashe and Ephraim in third person.  If he was aware of their presence (as Samet claims), why not speak to them directly?  In addition, if he was not going to address the two, why had Yosef brought them?

Why tell the story achronologically? R"E Samet suggests that the lack of chronological order stems from literary concerns.  Had the Torah included the blessing to Ephraim and Menashe back in Chapter 46 it would have interrupted the flow of the narrative whose focus was the settlement of the tribes in Goshen.¹⁶

Internal order in Chapter 48 – R. Samet's reconstruction raises a question regarding the internal order of Chapter 48.  If verses 21-22 are connected to verses 1-7, and not the rest of the chapter, why are they separated from one another?¹⁷

"וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה" – This phrase is not difficult for this position, as R"E Samet agrees that the opening of the chapter is connected to the previous one.

"הִנֵּה אָבִיךָ חֹלֶה" and "הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מֵת" – These phrases speak of Yaakov's frailty and near-death because these parts of the narrative really did take place in Yaakov's final days.

"מִי אֵלֶּה" – Since R. Samet posits that this part of the chapter relates to Yaakov's first meeting with his grandchildren, it is understandable why he needs to ask who they are.

"מֵעִם בִּרְכָּיו" – According to R. Samet, since the blessing of "" was given to Menashe and Ephraim right after Yaakov arrived in Egypt, they were young children at the time, easily fitting between Yaakov's legs.

¹ See Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, Seforno and Shadal.

² See Ibn Ezra's third commentary.

³ When Yosef first arrived by his father the messenger announced him, without mentioning his sons.  As such, it is possible that though Yaakov was aware of Yosef, he did not note his grandchildren's presence until later.

⁴ Though one might have expected this explanatory comment to precede Yaakov's question, Shadal suggests that doing so would only be necessary if there were many aspect of the plot that were dependent on the point. Since here the statement only comes to explain one small detail in the narrative, it follows that detail.

⁵ Malbim himself does not say this and in fact suggests that Yosef's response, "בָּנַי הֵם אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לִי אֱ-לֹהִים בָּזֶה" comes to reassure his father that despite their clothing, his sons are god-fearing like the rest of Yaakov's descendants and only dress in this manner since they were given to Yosef "here," in Egypt, under circumstances that dictate such garb.

⁶ See R. Z. Weitman,  "ויחי יעקב - בארץ מצרים" (Parashat Vayechi, 5773), that all of Yaakov's words and blessings in this chapter were meant to prevent Yosef and his children from being absorbed into Egyptian society and motivate him to return to the Land of Israel.  For a summary of his approach to the chapter, see Yaakov's Retrospective and Yosef's Double Portion.

⁷ See the phrases,"עִם בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי" (bereshit) and "וַיָּקׇם יְהוֹנָתָן מֵעִם הַשֻּׁלְחָן" (Shemuel I ) where the word "עִם" seems to mean "at" (close to) rather than between.  [Radak points this oput, but nonetheless explains the phrase here to mean "from in between his thighs"

⁸ These sources understand the verse to refer to Yaakov's thighs (and not Yosef's) since the previous verse already had Yosef push his children forward towards their grandfather.

⁹ See his article, "ברכת יעקב למנשה ואפרים"

¹⁰ They are born during the 7 years of plenty and Yaakov arrives two years into the famine.

¹¹ See Yitzchak who similarly gives blessings o his children many years before he dies, since "הִנֵּה נָא זָקַנְתִּי לֹא יָדַעְתִּי יוֹם מוֹתִי".

¹² See his article, "מי אלה?" – המפגש בין יעקב לבין יוסף ובניו".

¹³ In the opening verses Yosef's sons are each given tribal status, with Yosef thus meriting a "double portion" in the land.  At the end, Yaakov similarly states, "וַאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ שְׁכֶם אַחַד עַל אַחֶיךָ".

¹⁴ It should be noted, however, that when Yosef arrives by his father, he alone is announced, making it quite possible that Yosef had approached his father, while his sons remained in the background, leading Yaakov not to notice them.  R"E Samet suggests that it would be too much of a coincidence to suggest that Yosef just happened to bring his children and Yaakov just happened to speak about them, without knowing that they were there.

¹⁵ undefined

¹⁶ See verses 28, 33-34 and all of Chapter 47. However, once the narrative breaks in verses 29-30 to speak of Yaakov and Yosef's reunion, it is not clear what would have been lost if it continued with the story of Menashe and Ephraim's blessing. This is especially true considering that the request for Goshen really only starts afterwards regardless; verse 28 simply mentions that the family arrived in Goshen but is not really part of the upcoming interactions with Paroh.

¹⁷ This is much less of a problem for the other approaches who read the entire chapter as one unit.