Yaakov's Retrospective and Yosef's Double Portion/2

Yaakov's Retrospective

Exegetical Approaches

This topic is still being developed and updated

Justify Yosef's Double Portion

Yaakov's review of the past was meant to explain why he had the right to grant Yosef's two children the status of "tribes".

Sources:R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon, R. Saadia Gaon, RashiBereshit 48:4-7,22About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, RashbamBereshit 48:5-7,22About R. Shemuel b. Meir, Ibn EzraBereshit 48:4,7,22About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorBereshit 48:4-7,22About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, RalbagBereshit 48:4-5,7About R. Levi b. Gershon, Tzeror HaMorBereshit 48About R. Avraham Saba, SefornoBereshit 48:4-7About R. Ovadyah Seforno, Or HaChayyimBereshit 48:4-7About R. Chayyim b. Atar, R S"R Hirsch

Vision at Beit El – Yaakov calls on Hashem's promise in Beit El as proof that Hashem had given him permission to grant Yosef's sons equal status to his own, and to bequeath them rights to the land as he did for each tribe.

• "קְהַל עַמִּים" – According to Rashi, Ralbag, Seforno, and R. Hirsch, drawing on Bereshit Rabbah, Yaakov understood Hashem's words, "וּנְתַתִּיךָ לִקְהַל עַמִּים" to refer to sons that he had not yet born.¹  Since he had no future sons of his own, he recognized that the prophecy must have referred to his grandchildren.
• "וְנָתַתִּי אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לְזַרְעֲךָ" – Rashbam, Ibn Ezram,R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, and Radak²  instead suggest that Yaakov was simply pointing out that once the land was promised to him, he could split it however he desired.

Mention of Rachel's Burial – These exegetes disagree about the relevancy of Yaakov's mention of Rachel's burial.

• Intrinsic to the conversation –Most of these sources suggest that this point was intrinsically connected to Yaakov's main discussion regarding Menashe and Efraim:

• Proof that prophecy spoke of grandchildren – According to R. Saadia Gaon, R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon, Ibn Kaspi and Seforno, Yaakov is explaining that Rachel's death (which occurred immediately after the prophecy in Beit El) marked the end of his child bearing.  As such it was clear that Hashem's prophecy could not have been referring to Yaakov's own sons, but must have referred to Yosef's children.³
• Reason for choosing Yosef's sons – Tzeror HaMor asserts that Yaakov told Yosef that had it not been for her premature death, Rachel should have born him two more sons.  Since this was not to be, he requests to "adopt" Yosef's two eldest to take their place.⁴ R. Hirsch, instead, notes that Yaakov, in his old age, thinks of the death of his beloved, since it was his love for her which prompted him to give Yosef's son this exalted status.⁵
• Burial site in Yosef's inheritance – According to R. Yosef Bekhor Shor and Ralbag, Yaakov mentions burying Rachel at this point since the site of her grave is found within the border's of the future inheritance of his children.

• Irrelevant – Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra and Radak all assert that Yaakov's comment is related to Yaakov's earlier discussion with Yosef regarding his burial⁶ rather than this conversation regarding his sons.  As Yaakov requests that Yosef to take pains to bury him in Mearat HaMachpelah, he apologizes and explains to Yosef why he had not done the same for his mother, Rachel.

Choice of Efraim and Menashe

Relationship between recollections

Preference of Efraim

" וַאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ שְׁכֶם אַחַד עַל אַחֶיךָ"

Prevent Yosef's Family's Assimilation

Explain the Choice of Efraim

¹ R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon and Or HaChayyim explain similarly, but suggest that Yaakov understood this from the dual language of "הִנְנִי מַפְרְךָ וְהִרְבִּיתִךָ". [See also R. Saadia Gaon as paraphrased by R. Avraham b. HaRambam.] The doubling meant that there were to be two more tribes.  R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon suggests that the word "מַפְרְךָ" alluded to Efarim due to the shared root while the word "וְהִרְבִּיתִךָ" hinted to the future conquests of Menashe's descendents who say "וְהִרְבִּיתָ אֶת גְּבוּלִי" (Divrei HaYamim I 4:10).

² See Tzeror HaMor who similarly suggests that Yaakov realized that he had enough land also for grandchildren, but combines this with the above approach that the plural of "קְהַל עַמִּים" hinted that two portions should go to Efraim and Menashe.

³ Ibn Ezra questions how this proves anything about Yosef's sons specifically, pointing out that the prophecy could just as easily have referred to Reuven's children (or any grandchildren of Yaakov).  R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon claims that the words "הִנְנִי מַפְרְךָ וְהִרְבִּיתִךָ" contain a specific allusion to Efraim and Menashe (see above note).  Alternatively, the commentators could respond like Ralbag or Tzeror HaMor that the prophecy was indeed ambiguous, granting general permission to include more children as tribes, and it was Yaakov on his own who decided that it should refer to Yosef's children.  Ibn Kaspi goes in this direction at the end of his comments, suggesting that due both to his love for Rachel and Reuven's fall from grace, Yaakov decided to give Yosef rather than Reuven, the double portion due to the firstborn.

⁴ See Or HaChayyim similarly, who posits that Yaakov laments that it was his fault that Rachel died prematurely, and that had she not she would have born more children.  Thus, Yaakov wants the extra tribes to come from her progeny specifically.

⁵ He claims that Yaakov feared that sine she was not buried with the other patriarchs/matriarchs, she could easily be forgotten by the futurenation.  Moreover, she was to only have two tribes descend from her, no better than from Yaakov's lesser wives.  Yaakov, thus, decided to bequeath two more tribes from her line specifically, to keep her memory alive and honored.

⁶ See Bereshit 47:28-31.