JANUARY 10, 2021 Genesis 49:22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; his branches run over the wall.” The most eloquent blessing was reserved for Joseph who unites the best qualities of Reuben and Judah. He is a dreamer, a visionary some might say, but one who balances his dreams with moral and […]
JANUARY 9, 2021 Genesis 49:18 “I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!” At the end of Jacob’s blessing upon Dan, he said something very interesting — “I have waited for your salvation, O Lord.” It is understood in rabbinical sources that Jacob was alluding to something that would occur at the end of days, or […]
JANUARY 8, 2021 Genesis 49:16-17 “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider shall fall backward.” The name Dan means “to judge” and carries the connotation of judging a situation […]
JANUARY 7, 2021 Genesis 49:14-15 “Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens; he saw that rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; he bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a band of servants.” The prophecy upon Issachar is interesting. He is likened unto a strong-boned donkey that rests between two burdens, implying that the […]
JANUARY 6, 2021 Genesis 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Jacob’s blessing upon Judah established that the tribe of Judah would be the one to rule the nation as king. Having the scepter of kingship, his brothers […]
JANUARY 5, 2021 Genesis 49:8 “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you.” There is a sharp contrast between the word spoken to the previous three sons and the words spoken to Judah. The tribe of Judah was not due the […]
JANUARY 4, 2021 Genesis 49:3-4 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel.” In the words spoken to his older sons, Jacob unabashedly rebukes them for their impetuous behavior. Reuben, the firstborn, was the first to […]
JANUARY 3, 2021 Genesis 49:5-7 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel! […]
JANUARY 2, 2021 Genesis 49:1-2 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.” At the end of his life, the patriarch Jacob called for all of his sons — […]
January 1, 2021 Genesis 48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh. On Erev Shabbat (Friday night), it is customary for Jewish families to gather around the dinner table and celebrate the Almighty’s […]
DECEMBER 31, 2020 Genesis 48:17-19 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put […]
DECEMBER 30, 2020 Genesis 48:15-16 And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; let my name be named upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham […]
