Yaakov's Blessing of Yosef/2
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This topic has not yet undergone editorial review
Yaakov's Blessing of Yosef
Exegetical Approaches
Individual Blessing for the Present
Yaakov's blessing was aimed at Yosef the individual and related to events that transpired in his lifetime. The sources disagree regarding which incidents are alluded to and form the focus of the blessing:
Conflict with the Brothers
Yaakov told Yosef that despite his brothers' enmity, he had prevailed and managed to rise above them.
Sources:Ibn Ezra
"בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן" – Ibn Ezra understands "בֵּן פֹּרָת" to mean a "fruitful branch", with "פֹּרָת" being a poetic form of the word "פורה".1 The doubling is simply Tanakh's way to express continuity or permanence.2 Perhaps Yaakov opened with this blessing of progeny to highlight how the brothers' wish that Yosef perish and disappear without a trace, was not fulfilled.
"בָּנוֹת צָעֲדָה עֲלֵי שׁוּר" – This phrase expands on the first blessing for descendants, and means that Yosef's branches will make others which will climb like a vine over the walls.3 The word "שׁוּר" might be related to the Aramaic "שורא" (wall).4
"וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וָרֹבּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים" – This verse describes the brothers plot to sell Yosef. The siblings are described metaphorically as archers who set Yosef's gallbladder (מְרֵרָה) as a target to shoot (רבה) at.5
"וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרֹעֵי יָדָיו" – Yosef proved too strong for the brothers who could not prevail over him. Yaakov expresses this by describing Yosef's bow as sitting in a place of strength and his arms as being mighty (וַיָּפֹזּוּ).6
"מִידֵי אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב מִשָּׁם רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל" – Yaakov points out that Yosef's strength emanated from Hashem, the might of Israel (אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב), and it was from Him that Yosef was able to rise and become the "shepherd" who provided food for his family in Egypt.
"נְזִיר אֶחָיו" – According to Ibn Ezra this phrase sets up Yosef as the "crown of the brothers". It is not clear if he is referring to the fact that Yosef became king over them in Egypt or if this is just Yaakov's metaphoric way of saying that Yosef was the crowning glory of the brothers.
Purpose of Yaakov's blessings as a whole – Ibn Ezra views Yaakov's other statements to the brothers as being prophecies regarding the future of the tribes.7 He understands "אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים" to refer not to the distant future and times of the Mashiach but the close future
Parallels to Moshe's blessing – The second half of Yaakov's blessing to Yosef (vs. 25-26) contains several parallels to the blessing later given by Moshe to the tribe of Yosef. Ibn Ezra might suggest that Yosef paved the way for his progeny and the individual blessings that he merited were passed on to his later tribe.
Mrs. Potiphar's Attempted Seduction
Yaakov spoke of Yosef's triumphant rise to power despite the slandering of Mrs. Potiphar.
Sources:Rashbam
"בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן"
– According to Rashbam the verse speaks of the beauty of Yosef, "a flourishing son" whose tall stature8 and good looks caught the eyes (עֲלֵי עָיִן) of those around him. He understands the doubling to be a common literary phenomenon in Biblical poetry in which a phrase introduces a subject, and is then repeated with some sort of conclusion.9"בָּנוֹת צָעֲדָה עֲלֵי שׁוּר" – This phrase is parallel to the first half of the verse, and speaks of the daughters of Egypt, including Mrs. Potiphar, who went to peek (שׁוּר) at Yosef's beauty. Rashbam understand the word "שׁוּר" to mean see, as in the verbal form "אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ" in Bemidbar 23:9.
"וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וָרֹבּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים" – According to Rashbam the verse refers to Mrs. Potiphar' slandering and subsequent imprisonment of Yosef.10 He reads the archers11 as a metaphor for those who spread aspersions about others12. He takes "וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ" to mean embitter and draws on the short review of the Yosef narrative in Tehillim 105 to suggest that it refers to his oppression in prison, where עִנּוּ בַכֶּבֶל [רַגְלוֹ] (רגליו).
"וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרֹעֵי יָדָיו" – Rashbam reads the verse as a description of someone holding tightly onto their bow,13 and explains that despite the Egyptian's attempts to lower him, Yaakov's bow proved stronger than theirs
"מִידֵי אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב מִשָּׁם רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל" – Rashbam is somewhat ambiguous in his explanation of the verse, but appears to suggest that Yaakov told Yosef that his strength to prevail emanated from Hashem, the head and shepherd of Israel, who used Yosef as a tool by which to feed the family during the famine.
"נזיר אחיו" – According to Rashbam, this i a reference to the stattur Ysoef achieved in Egypt, that he became a king over his brothers.
"...בִּרְכֹת אָבִיךָ גָּבְרוּ עַל בִּרְכֹת הוֹרַי" – According to Rashbam, Yaakov blessed Yosef that he should receive the vast blessings of land "until the ends of the mountains", that he himself had received. Rashbam is somewhat unique14 in understanding the word "הורי" to means hills rather than parents. As evidence, he points to the parallel phrase "גִּבְעֹת עוֹלָם", and to the same dual language used by Moshe when blessing Yosef's tribe ("וּמֵרֹאשׁ הַרְרֵי קֶדֶם וּמִמֶּגֶד גִּבְעוֹת עוֹלָם"). Further support for Rashbam can be found in the fact that no where else in Tanakh does the noun "הורים" refer to parents; it is actually first in medieval times that this usage is apparent.15
Purpose of Yaakov's blessings as a whole – Rashbam asserts that Yaakov's blessings as a whole related to the period of conquest and inheritance. This does not come across in his explanation of Yosef's blessing, however, perhaps because Yaakov himself worded part of it in the past tense.
Multiple Events
Tribal Blessing for the Future
Yaakov's blessing to Yosef related to the future role his tribe would play, and not to past events in his personal life.
"...בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן" – According to Targum Onkelos and Ralbag, Yosef is compared to a flourishing branch or vine, whose daughter branches grew to climb over the wall.16 This represents the success and extensive progeny of Yosef, who merited to father two tribes which would both inherit. It is possible that the doubling in the verse hints to this double portion.17
"וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וָרֹבּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים" – This refers to future wars the tribe of Yosef was to fight with its enemies. Though others would attack, they would not be able to prevail over the strong bow of Yosef.
"מִידֵי אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב מִשָּׁם רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל" – Ralbag maintains that this hints to Mashiach ben Yosef. When the nation will suffer and be degraded to the extent that they are lifeless, like a stone, then a shepherd will sprout from the line of Yosef to begin their salvation.
"עַד תַּאֲוַת גִּבְעֹת עוֹלָם" – Yaakov blessed the tribe with extensive borders, until the "edges of the earth". This is an apt description of the vast amount of land later inherited by Menashe and Efraim.
Purpose of Yaakov's blessings as a whole
