~ Sforno sees that the scene of the first blessing, in which Israel blesses Efrayim and Menashe, has a hidden blessing for Yosef. How does he see it? Where does he add a period?
~ How does the Chizkuni reinterpret this as a blessing to Yosef?
~ Which of the two possibilities you thought at first?
~ What is Rashi's first explanation for the word "Shechem"? What happened in Shechem in Genesis? In that context, what or who are sword and bow?
~ What happened in Shechem in the book of Joshua?
~ What is Rashi's second explanation?
~ How does the Talmud understand Shechem, Sword and Bow?
~ What do you make of this? Why would the rabbinic mind prefer this reading?
~ Note how Reb Nachman of Bretzlav continues the idea in the Talmud and in Rashi towards the messianic age.
Nachman of Bretzlav: 1772 - 1810 CE, Poland. He was a great-grandson of the founder of Chassidut, R. Yisrael Ba'al Shem Tov
(א) ב וְזֶה הַכְּלִי־זַיִן צָרִיךְ לְקַבֵּל עַל־יְדֵי בְּחִינַת יוֹסֵף, הַיְנוּ שְׁמִירַת הַבְּרִית, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (תהילים מ״ה:ד׳): חֲגוֹר חַרְבְּךָ עַל יָרֵךְ. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (תהילים קל״ב:י״א): מִפְּרִי בִטְנְךָ אָשִׁית לְכִסֵּא לָךְ – זֶה בְּחִינַת מָשִׁיחַ, בְּחִינַת תְּפִלָּה. אִם יִשְׁמְרוּ בָנֶיךָ בְּרִיתִי, הַיְנוּ עַל־יְדֵי בְּחִינַת יוֹסֵף.
(ב) וְיוֹסֵף שֶׁשָּׁמַר אֶת הַבְּרִית, נָטַל אֶת הַבְּכוֹרָה, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת עֲבוֹדַת הַתְּפִלָּה*, בְּחִינוֹת פִּי שְׁנַיִם, כִּי הַתְּפִלָּה הוּא פִּי שְׁנַיִם. שְׁנַיִם, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם שִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם וּשְׁאֵלַת צְרָכָיו. וְהוּא בְּחִינוֹת (שם קמט): וְחֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת בְּיָדָם, בְּחִינוֹת שְׁתֵּי פִּיּוֹת, בְּחִינוֹת פִּי שְׁנַיִם. וְנִטַּל מֵרְאוּבֵן עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁחִלֵּל יְצוּעֵי אָבִיו, כִּי הִיא תָּלוּי בִּשְׁמִירַת הַבְּרִית:
(1) 2. Now, this weapon must be received by means of the aspect of Yosef—i.e., guarding the brit (Covenant), as in (Psalms 45:4), “Gird your sword upon your thigh.” It is also written (Psalms 132:11, 12), “Of your offspring I will set upon your throne”—this refers to Mashiach, who is the aspect of prayer—“if your children will guard My brit”—by the means of the aspect of Yosef.
(2) Yosef, who guarded the brit, gained the rights of the firstborn. This corresponds to the divine service of prayer, which is an aspect of the double portion [inherited by the firstborn]. For prayer is itself twofold, as it is comprised of both praise of God and requesting one’s needs. This corresponds to “a double-edged sword in their hand” (Psalms 149:6) —i.e., two edges, a double portion. It was taken away from Reuven, because he defiled his father’s bed (Genesis 49:4) ; for [the birthright] is dependent upon guarding the brit .
~ What is "guarding the brit"?
~ How does Reb Nachman reinterpret what means to be Yosef? Can anyone be a Yosef in this reading?
~ How do private actions impact prayer?
(א) ג וּמִי שֶׁזָּכָה לַחֶרֶב הַזֶּה, צָרִיךְ לֵידַע אֵיךְ לִלְחֹם עִם הַחֶרֶב, שֶׁלֹּא יַטֶּה אוֹתָהּ לְיָמִין אוֹ לִשְׂמֹאל, וְשֶׁיְּהֵא קוֹלֵעַ אֶל הַשַּׂעֲרָה וְלֹא יַחֲטִא:
(ב) וְזֶה אִי אֶפְשָׁר אֶלָּא עַל־יְדֵי בְּחִינוֹת מִשְׁפָּט, כִּי מִשְׁפָּט הוּא עַמּוּדָא דְּאֶמְצִעוּתָא, הַיְנוּ שֶׁקּוֹלֵעַ עִם כְּלֵי זֵינוֹ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם הַצָּרִיךְ, וְאֵינוֹ מַטֶּה לְיָמִין וְלֹא לִשְׂמֹאל אֶלָּא לָאֶמְצַע. וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (תהלים קיב): יְכַלְכֵּל דְּבָרָיו בְּמִשְׁפָּט.
(ג) וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה קִבֵּל יוֹסֵף אֶת הַבְּכוֹרָה דַּוְקָא מִיַּעֲקֹב, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (בראשית מח): וַאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ וְכוּ' – אֲנִי דַּיְקָא, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת מִשְׁפָּט. וְזֶה (תהלים פא): כִּי חֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא, בְּחִינַת בְּרִית, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: חֹק בִּשְׁאֵרוֹ שָׂם. מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב, הַיְנוּ שֶׁצָּרִיךְ יוֹסֵף לְקַבֵּל זֹאת הַחֶרֶב מִבְּחִינַת מִשְׁפָּט, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּכַלְכֵּל דְּבָרָיו בַּמִּשְׁפָּט. וְזֶה (תהלים עב): מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לְמֶלֶךְ תֵּן, שֶׁמָּשִׁיחַ יְקַבֵּל מִבְּחִינַת מִשְׁפָּט:
(1) 3. One who is worthy of this sword must understand how to do battle with it. He should not deflect it to the right or to the left, but be able to “strike at a hair and not miss” (Judges 20:16).
(2) And this is impossible without the attribute of mishpat (justice). For mishpat is the center pillar (Tikkuney Zohar, Introduction 7a). That is, to strike with one’s weapon at the precise point, inclining to neither the right nor the left, but at the center. This corresponds to “He orders his d’varav (affairs) with mishpat” (Psalms 112:5). {“It is a chok (statute) for Israel, a mishpat of the Lord of Yaakov” (Psalms 81:5).}
(3) This is the reason Yosef received the rights of the firstborn specifically from Yaakov, as in (Genesis 48:22), “I have given you….” “I,” <because Yaakov is> the aspect of mishpat. And this is: “It is a chok for Israel.” <“Chok”> suggests brit, as in (Shabbat 137b): A chok was placed on his flesh. [Therefore,] “… a mishpat of the Lord of Yaakov.” Yosef must receive this sword from the aspect of mishpat, so that he might “order his words with mishpat .” This is the meaning of (Psalms 72:1), “O Lord, give Your mishpatim to the king”—i.e., that Mashiach will receive from the aspect of mishpat .
~ How does personal prayer is impacted by the aspect of justice?
~ What is Shechem in this reading?
~ How did the blessing of Yaakov change Yosef?
~ How does Reb Nachman of Bretzlav reinterpret "my sword and my bow"?
~ What are the letters of a prayer? What do they do?
~ Shechem, in this reading, is something other. What? Who is able to become a Yosef?
Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov , 1742 - 1800 CE, Poland. A grandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov
~ Why is Yosef seen as righteous?
~ What are the parts of Yosef's life that are righteous?
~ Do we take an all-or-nothing approach to righteousness?
Another translation, that includes Rashi's commentary:
A son of favor is Joseph, a son of favor [alighting] upon the eye [of his beholder].
[The] daughters [of Egypt] would step [upon the wall] to gaze [at his beauty].
And they [(his brothers) and Potiphar and his wife (by incarcerating him)] embittered him, and they [his brothers] became contenders (against him), and the arrow wielders [i.e., the arrow-tongued] hated him. And his strength was firmly established, and his arms were goldened [(an allusion to the placing of the signet upon his hand)] by the strength of Jacob — whence [he rose to become] the head-stone of Israel.
[This (glory) came to you] from the G-d of your father, and He shall abet you; and with the Almighty [was your heart when you resisted your mistress] and He will bless you — blessings of heaven from above, blessings of the deep, lying below, blessings of fecundation [(i.e., the males will beget)] and of womb [(i.e., the females will not miscarry)].
The blessings [i.e., G-d's blessings] of your father (Jacob) have surpassed the blessings of [G-d to] my begetters (Abraham and Isaac), [my blessings being] until the ends of the hills [the four corners] of the world [(28:14)]. They (the blessings) shall [all] descend upon the head of Joseph and upon the crown of him who was separated from his brothers. [R. Shraga Silverstein's translation; "Torah with Rashi"]
~ How is "fountain" reinterpreted?
~ What does it mean to be above the evil eye?
~ What kind of blessing is this?
(6) As it is taught: why did Yosef merit that the evil eye would not rule over him? Because he merited to consider the higher good eye, as it is written: Yosef is a son of favor, a son of favor above the eye (Gen. 49:22). Why is he a son of favor, above the eye? It is due to the reason of the eye that looks on him.
(ז) וּכְתִיב טוֹב עַיִן הוּא יְבוֹרָךְ, מַאי טַעְמָא. כִּי נָתַן מִלַּחְמוֹ לַדָּל.
(7) And it is written: a good eye is blessed (Prov. 22:9). Why? Because the person [with the good eye] gave from their bread to the poor.
~ What is the main idea about the evil eye in this source? How does one avoid it?
בנות צעדה עלי שור (בראשית מט, כב). כלומר עלי שור שישור יוסף בהם שהוא עין טוב בכל מקום שהסתכל היה שורה ברכה, לא כן אדם אחר שמזיק היזק ראיה:
Genesis 49:22 “maidens stepped atop the wall [aley shur].” This is a veiled allusion to the tradition that Joseph was immune to the “evil eye.” Meaning, Yosef would see [yishor] them with a good eye, to every place he look blessing would come, not like another [type of] person who would damage with their eye.
~ How does the Kedushat Levi (Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev) see the blessings of Yosef?
~ What is the question of the evil eye?
Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, 1740 - 1809 CE, Poland, was known for his love of the Jewish people and his fervor in prayer and enthusiastic dedication to mitzvot.