Yaakov's Blessing of Yosef/2
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Yaakov's Blessing of Yosef
Exegetical Approaches
Overview
Commentators disagree regarding what message Yaakov is trying to convey to Yosef in his blessing. According to one general approach, Yaakov's words are directed at Yosef as an individual, and focus on his overcoming personal trials and tribulations. Ibn Ezra asserts that Yaakov speaks of Yosef's struggles with his brothers, while Rashbam understands him to be focusing instead on the attempted seduction by Mrs. Potiphar.
Others assert that at least portions of the blessing relate to the future, rather than the past. Thus, Ralbag and Hoil Moshe read the entire blessing as referring to the ultimate successes of the tribes of Yosef. Abarbanel, in contrast, maintains that Yaakov needed to relate to personal events in the life of Yosef, but only in order to explain the destiny of the future tribes.
Personal Blessing – Past Events
Yaakov's blessing speaks of Yosef the individual and various events of his personal life. This approach subdivides regarding which particular incidents are described:
Conflict with Brothers
Yaakov recounts how Yosef managed to succeed despite his brothers' enmity.
Purpose of Yaakov's blessings as a whole – Ibn Ezra and Netziv view most of Yaakov's messages to his other sons as prophecies regarding the future fates of their tribes,1 rather than directed to each son as an individual.2 Nonetheless, they understand the address to Yosef to focus on personal events from Yosef's life, and not his future tribes.
Sale of Yosef – According to this position, Yaakov was aware that the brothers had sold Yosef, and he was likely worried about the potential for continued jealousy and hatred after his death.3 Thus, in Yaakov's parting address to Yosef he highlights the ability and need to overcome and rise above the conflict. According to Netziv, he even hints to Yosef that, despite all, he should continue providing for the brothers after his death.4 Perhaps, too, Yaakov is attempting to comprehend why such a fate befell his beloved Yosef, concluding that it was Hashem's guiding hand which led Yosef to a position of greatness from which he could provide for the family.5
"בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן" – Ibn Ezra6 understands "בֵּן פֹּרָת" to mean a "fruitful branch", with "פֹּרָת" being a poetic form of the word "פורה".7 The doubling is simply the Torah's way of expressing continuity or permanence.8 Yaakov perhaps opened with this blessing of progeny to highlight that the brothers' wish that Yosef perish and disappear without a trace was not fulfilled
"בָּנוֹת צָעֲדָה עֲלֵי שׁוּר" – According to Ibn Ezra,9 this phrase expands on the blessing for progeny, and means that Yosef's branches will produce others which will climb like a vine over the walls.10 The word "שׁוּר" may be related to the Aramaic "שורא" (wall).11
"וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וָרֹבּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים" – This verse describes Yosef's brothers' plot to sell him.12 According to Ibn Ezra, Yosef's siblings are described metaphorically as archers who, in their hatred, set Yosef's gallbladder (מררה) as a target at which to shoot רבה)).13 Netziv more simply suggests that "וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ" means that they embittered his life.
"וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרֹעֵי יָדָיו"
- Power – According to Ibn Ezra, Yosef proved too powerful, and his brothers 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").14
- Restraint – Netziv explains, in contrast, that although Yosef was capable of taking revenge and shooting back at his brothers, he instead showed them his "golden hands" ("וַיָּפֹזּוּ" from פז) and generously provided for them in Egypt.15
"מִידֵי אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב מִשָּׁם רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל"
- Strength from Hashem – Yaakov notes 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" ("רֹעֶה") who provided food for his family in Egypt.
- Love of peace from Yaakov – Netziv, in contrast, explains that Yosef's restraint was learned from his father, Yaakov, who was mighty in the attribute of peace. From this desire to overlook his brothers' faults and return them only good, Yosef would be able to ensure that Israel remained united and strong as a rock ("אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל").
"נְזִיר אֶחָיו"
- Crown – According to Ibn Ezra, this phrase depicts Yosef as the "crown of the brothers". It is not clear if Yaakov is referring to how Yosef ruled over them in Egypt, or if this is simply his metaphoric way of conveying that Yosef was the crowning glory of the brothers.
- Separate – Netziv asserts instead that the term relates to the fact that Yosef had been separated from his brothers for so many years. Netziv suggests, that as compensation, he was blessed with "בִּרְכֹת... עַד תַּאֲוַת גִּבְעֹת עוֹלָם".
Parallels to Moshe's blessing – The second half of Yaakov's blessing to Yosef (verses 25-26) contains several parallels to the blessing later given by Moshe to the tribes of Yosef. This position might suggest that Yosef paved the way for his progeny, and the individual blessings which he merited were later passed on to his tribe.
Mrs. Potiphar's Attempted Seduction
Yaakov describes Yosef's triumphant rise to power despite Mrs. Potiphar's slander.
Sources:Rashbam
Purpose of Yaakov's blessings as a whole – Rashbam asserts that Yaakov's blessings as a whole were tribal blessings related to the period of the Conquest and inheritance of the land.16 However, Yosef's blessing is exceptional, and refers only to his own personal tribulations.
Sale of Yosef – In contrast to Ibn Ezra and the Netziv, Rashbam does not present Yaakov as focusing on the sale of Yosef,17 because according to him, it was the Midianites rather than the brothers who sold Yosef.18 For elaboration, see Who Sold Yosef.19
"בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן" – According to Rashbam, the verse speaks of the beauty of Yosef, "a flourishing son" whose tall stature20 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 the first phrase only partially introduces a subject, with the thought being completed only by the end of the verse.21
"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 (שור) at Yosef's beauty. Rashbam understands the word "שׁוּר" to mean see, as in the verbal form "אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ" in Bemidbar 23:9. An advantage of this explanation is that it allows for a consistent reading of all the verses as referring to a particular event, thereby providing the background for Mrs. Potiphar's advances in the subsequent verse.
"וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וָרֹבּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים" – Rashbam explains that this verse follows from the previous one which alluded to Mrs. Potiphar's forbidden desires, and it refers to her slandering and subsequent imprisonment of Yosef. He reads the archers22 as a metaphor for those who cast aspersions on others23 and understands "וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ" to mean "embittered him". Drawing on the brief recap of the Yosef narrative in Tehillim 105, he suggest that this refers to his bitter oppression in prison, where "עִנּוּ בַכֶּבֶל רַגְלוֹ".
"וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרֹעֵי יָדָיו" – Rashbam reads the verse as a description of someone tightly gripping their bow,24 and explains that despite the Egyptian's attempts to hurt him, Yaakov's bow proved stronger than theirs. This put him in a position to imprison them as they had done to him.25
"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. In these words, Yaakov might be ensuring that Yosef realized that his rise was not due to his own greatness, but to Hashem, and was part of God's larger plan.26
"נְזִיר אֶחָיו" – According to Rashbam, this is a reference to the stature that Yosef achieved in Egypt, becoming king over his brethren (and the Egyptian nation).
"...בִּרְכֹת אָבִיךָ גָּבְרוּ עַל בִּרְכֹת הוֹרַי" – Yaakov blessed Yosef that he should receive the vast blessings of land "until the ends of the mountains" that Hashem had previously bequeathed to Yaakov. Rashbam is somewhat unique27 in understanding the word "הורי" to means hills rather than parents. As evidence, he points to the parallel phrase "גִּבְעֹת עוֹלָם", and to the almost identical 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 nowhere else in Tanakh does the noun "הורים" refer to parents; it is actually first in medieval times that this usage is found.28
Multiple Events
Yaakov alludes to multiple parties who attempted to harm Yosef, including: Yaakov's other sons, Mr. and Mrs. Potiphar, and the Egyptian sorcerers.
"בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן"
- Charm – According to Rashi, the word "פֹּרָת" is related to the Aramaic "אפרין" and the phrase speaks of Yosef's grace and ability to charm all those who looked (עֲלֵי עָיִן) at him.
- Self restraint – Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan), in contrast, explains the whole verse as speaking of Yosef's ability to control his evil inclination. He was like a strong vine planted near a spring, capable of breaking the rocks and trees (all obstacles) in its way. The doubling in the verse hints to the two groups to whom Yosef did not succumb, Mrs. Potiphar and the brothers.
"בָּנוֹת צָעֲדָה עֲלֵי שׁוּר" – According to both commentators, this is a continuation of the first half of the verse,29 and describes how the daughters of Egypt would walk on the walls to catch sight of Yosef.30 However, whereas Rashi implies that this might have caused the attempted seduction by Mrs. Potiphar,31 the Targum highlights how it demonstrates evidence of Yosef's self control. Despite the fact that the women were showering gifts upon Yosef, hoping to interest him, he did not look their way.
"...וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וָרֹבּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים" – Rashi maintains that the verse refers to both the belligerent brothers32 and Mrs. Potiphar, all of whom embittered Yosef's life, while Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan) suggests that it refers to the bitter and angry Egyptian magicians33 who slandered him with words as sharp as arrows.
"וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרֹעֵי יָדָיו"
- Rashi reads the word "וַיָּפֹזּוּ" as related to פז, or gold, and maintains that the verse alludes to Yosef's prevailing and ascending to royal status, when he was given Paroh's golden ring.34
- The Targum, in contrast, asserts that the phrase explains how Yosef returned to his inner strength ("וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן") ingrained in him from his father ("מִידֵי אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב") so as not to yield to sin and temptation.
" מִשָּׁם רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל" – Yaakov continues to describe how Yosef became the "cornerstone" of Israel ("אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל") as he ruled in Egypt.35
"נְזִיר אֶחָיו"
- Separate – Rashi understands this to mean that Yosef was distinct from his brothers. According to his reading of the blessing, Yaakov might be saying that Yosef was at first separated from his brothers by their hatred, but later was rewarded in kind, by being distinguished in his lofty status. Ralbag understands the verse to mean that Yosef was the most abstinent of the brothers, and this would work well with Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan)'s understanding of the blessing as a whole.
- Crown – The Targum, itself, however, explains the word to mean crown, asserting that Yaakov is blessing Yosef that all the blessings of the forefathers combine to form a crown upon Yosef's head.
Tribal Blessing – Future Events
Yaakov's blessing relates to the future roles Yosef's tribes were to play, rather than to past events in Yosef's personal life.
Purpose of Yaakov's blessings as a whole – The Hoil Moshe maintains that all of Yaakov's blessings to his children were prophecies regarding the future successes of their tribes. Yosef's blessing, too, thus related to the future and not the past.
"...בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן" – According to Onkelos and Ralbag, Yosef is compared to a flourishing branch or vine, whose daughter branches grew to climb over the wall.36 This represents the success and extensive progeny of Yosef, who merited to father two tribes both of whom received portions in the Land of Israel.37 It is possible that the doubling in the verse hints to this double portion.38
"...וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וָרֹבּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים" – This refers to future wars the tribe of Yosef was to fight against its enemies. Yaakov states that 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 ("אֶבֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל"), then a leader from the line of Yosef will emerge to be their shepherd and 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 Ephraim.
Parallels to Moshe – This position might suggest that parallels to Moshe's blessing are to be expected, given that both are statements relating to the tribes' future.
Combination
Yaakov's blessing to Yosef discusses events of both Yosef's personal past and the future of his tribes.
Purpose of Yaakov's blessings as a whole – Abarbanel asserts that Yaakov's main goal in his blessings was to demonstrate which of his sons and their tribe was worthy of kingship. As such, he at times spoke to the individual character of a specific son and at times of events that were to occur to their descendants. In speaking to Yosef, Yaakov mentions not only his worthy traits but also the brothers' jealousy and hatred, for it was these which made Yosef unsuitable. A king needs his people to be willing to follow him and Yosef did not have the love and loyalty of his brothers.39 However, despite not meriting kingship, Yosef was rewarded for his other qualities.
"...בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן" – All of these sources understand the phrase to refer to the flourishing of Yosef and the fact that he merited a double portion, with both sons becoming tribes and inheriting. Radak points out that the doubling in the verse hints to this two-fold inheritance.40
"...וַיְמָרְרֻהוּ וָרֹבּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים" – The commentators differ on this, with R. Avraham b. HaRambam explaining that the verse refers to the brothers' hatred, Radak asserting that it speaks of the actions of Mrs. Potiphar, and R"Y Bekhor Shor and Abarbanel claiming that it refers to both.
"וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵיתָן קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּפֹזּוּ זְרֹעֵי יָדָיו" – According to Abarbanel, the bow sitting strong is a metaphor for Yosef's self restraint vis-à-vis Mrs. Potiphar, while the description of golden hands ("וַיָּפֹזּוּ" is related to פז), refers to his generosity to his brothers, despite their wrongful actions towards him.
"בִּרְכֹת שָׁמַיִם מֵעָל... בִּרְכֹת שָׁדַיִם וָרָחַם" – According to Abarbanel, Yaakov blessed Yosef measure for measure, for his two special actions. In return for providing for the family, he was given a blessing of rain and produce. As a reward for his self-restraint, he was promised that his descendants would multiply.
"בִּרְכֹת אָבִיךָ גָּבְרוּ עַל בִּרְכֹת הוֹרַי" – According to R"Y Bekhor Shor, Yaakov tells Yosef that he (Yaakov) had been blessed more than Avraham and Yitzchak, because all twelve of his sons were chosen. This same blessing was to fall on Yosef, since both his children, too, were included in the blessing of inheriting the land.
