Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
Yaakov blesses Efrayim and Menasheh, saying:
הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגֹּאֵל אֹתִי מִכָּל רָע יְבָרֵךְ אֶת הַנְּעָרִים
וְיִקָּרֵא בָהֶם שְׁמִי וְשֵׁם אֲבֹתַי אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק
וְיִדְגּוּ לָרֹב בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ:
May the angel who has saved me from all harm bless these children.
In them may my name be called, and the names of my fathers Avraham and Yitzhak.
And may they become a great many upon the earth.
Our פַּרְשָׁנִים (parshanim, commentators) ask: What angel is Yaakov talking about?
מַלְאָךְ הָרָגִיל לְהִשְׁתַּלֵּחַ אֵלַי בְּצָרָתִי. כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹקִים בַּחֲלוֹם יַעֲקֹב… אָנֹכִי הָאֵ-ל בֵּית-אֵל (בראשית לא:יא-יג).
The angel who was usually sent to me when I was in trouble. As it is said, “And the angel of God said to me in a dream: Yaakov… I represent the God of Beit El.” (Bereishit 31:11)
According to Rashi, Yaakov is talking about an angel who protected him many times, such as years before when he was running away from Lavan.
- Why might Yaakov ask that angel to bless his grandchildren?
Hizkuni explains that Yaakov’s prayer is actually directed to God:
פָּתַח הַכָּתוּב דְּבָרָיו שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב בְּשֵׁם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְסִיֵּם בְּמַלְאָךְ, אֶלָּא הָכִי קָאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֲשֶׁר הִתְהַלְּכוּ אֲבֹתַי לְפָנָיו עַל יְדֵי הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגֹּאֵל אֹתִי, הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת הַנְּעָרִים.
Yaakov begins by referring to the Holy Blessed One (in pasuk 15), and ends with speaking about an angel (in pasuk 16). The two pesukim have to be understood like this: “The God before Whom I and my forefathers have walked – and Whose angel protected me against all harm – may that God bless the boys.”
- If you look up pasuk 15, do you see the problem that Hizkuni is talking about?
- Why would Hizkuni prefer to think that God is blessing the children, rather than the angel?
- There is a custom to recite this pasuk before going to sleep, after reciting the bedtime Shema. What’s meaningful about saying this pasuk at this time?
- Try it out! Say or sing this pasuk before bed and imagine being blessed by the same angel who protected Yaakov or by God. Which one is most meaningful to you?
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