Parashas Vayechi

As Yaakov fell ill prior to his death, Yosef came with his sons, so that might receive their grandfather’s blessing.

Yaakov told Yosef: And now, your two sons that you have borne in the land of Egypt, until I came to you to Egypt, they are mine. Efraim and Menasheh will be to me like Reuven and Shimon – Yaakov declared that the two sons of Joseph would, like his own sons, be the progenitors of Tribes.

After a discussion, he asks that Efraim and Menasheh approach him to be blessed, but as they do, he suddenly asks: Who are these [men]?  

What does that mean? He knew who they were; he had just appointed them as Fathers of Tribes, he just asked that they come over to him. What does his question mean?

Chazal explain that as they approached, the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, suddenly abandoned Yaakov. Yaakov sensed that these two young men would have wicked descendants, and he now doubted whether he should bless them. Yosef prayed, the Divine Presence returned, and Yaakov blessed his grandchildren with Hamalach Hagoel, a blessing that we continue to use to this very day.

We find a similar episode later in the parashah. Yaakov is about to bless his sons. Those blessings outlined the personalities of each son and encapsulated the role and destiny of the Tribe that was to descend from him.

Before those blessings, Yaakov asks his sons to gather so that he might share with them “what would transpire to them at the end of the days.”

They gather and the Shechinah again departs from Yaakov.

Now Yaakov is concerned that perhaps they have abandoned their faith, so they cry out in unison the phrase Shema Yirsael.  Yaakov responds by saying Baruch Shem... . He then proceeds to bless them.

Our sages explain that the Yaakov intended to reveal to them when the ultimate End of Days would commence, but Hashem did not want him to.

It is interesting that before each set of blessings, the departure of the Shechinah caused Yaakov to question the righteousness of those he was about to bless.

Just before Yitzchok blessed Yaakov – transmitting the power of Divine blessing invested in him by Avrohom – we are told וַיָּרַח אֶת רֵיחַ בְּגָדָיו וַיְבָרֲכֵהוּ..., and [Yitzchok] smelled the scent of [Yaakov’s] clothes and he blessed him…. Our sages teach (Sanhedrin 37a) that the word בגדיו can also be vowelized בֹּגְדָיו, his traitors, the sinners.

Why was it important for Yitzchok to sense the sinners before he gave the blessing?

The commentators explain that had Yitzchok given the blessing to a son he felt was fully righteous, with no whiff of sinners, those blessings would have been in effect only as long as the descendants were completely good. Hashem wanted him to smell the traitors, so that the blessings would remain effective even when the Jews would be remiss in their spiritual duties.

In our parshah, too, Hashem wanted Yaakov’s blessings -- first to Efraim and Menasheh then to his sons – to always remain in effect. So as he was about to give the berachos, their was the suggestion that they may not be fully righteous. And although they really were, the berachos were given with the recognition that although the Shechinah may depart, the blessings will remain.

May we always be worthy of all the blessings, but even when we fall short, may we always be the beneficiaries of the spiritual and material bounty they offer.

Gut Shabbos.