[8] (Gen. 49:1:)
THEN JACOB CALLED HIS SONS. Should it not rather have said: "So Esau called his sons"?
Gen. R. 96, “New Version,” at the beginning on Gen. 49:1 (= pp. 1199–1200 in the Theodor-Albeck edition).
Why? Because he was older. The Scripture says (in Is. 38:18):
FOR SHEOL SHALL NOT GIVE YOU THANKS; DEATH SHALL NOT PRAISE YOU. Who gives thanks? One who lives and bows down to the living God. It is so stated (in vs. 19):
THE LIVING, < ONLY > THE LIVING SHALL GIVE YOU THANKS, EVEN AS I DO TODAY….
Thus wicked people like Esau cannot praise God because they are regarded as dead even in this life while the righteous live even in death. So Ber. 18ab.
And so Esau the Wicked did not die upon his bed and made no
diathekeThe word is Greek.
(i.e., will). Then who did make a
diatheke? Jacob, as stated (in Gen. 49, which begins):
THEN JACOB CALLED HIS SONS.
[9] [(Gen. 49:1:)
THEN JACOB CALLED HIS SONS.] This text is related (to Job 12:20):
HE DEPRIVES THE TRUSTWORTHY OF SPEECH AND TAKES AWAY THE REASON OF ELDERS.
Tanh., Gen. 12:8; Gen. R. 96, New Version, on Gen. 49:1 (= pp. 1276—1277 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); also Gen. R. 99 (another version):5 (= pp. 1200—1202 in the Theodor-Albeck edition).
This refers to Isaac and Jacob, in that both of them wanted to reveal a
mysterionThe Greek word means “secret thing” or “mystery.”
of the Holy One (i.e., his secret). Isaac called for Esau. He wanted to reveal the end to him, but the Holy One concealed it from him, as stated (in Gen. 27:1):
HE CALLED FOR HIS ELDER SON, ESAU; < AND HE SAID UNTO HIM: MY SON; AND HE SAID: HERE AM I >….
Since both patriarchs used the same verb (CALLED) when death was near, the midrash assumes that the purpose for the calling is the same here as in Gen. 49:1. Isaac, however, got no further in his revelation than MY SON.
Jacob also wanted to reveal the end to his sons,
See above, 12:1; Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 49:1.
as stated (in Gen. 49:1):
< THEN JACOB CALLED HIS SONS AND SAID >: GATHER TOGETHER AND LET ME TELL YOU < WHAT SHALL HAPPEN TO YOU IN THE LATTER DAYS >. To what is the matter comparable? To a slave whom the king trusted with everything that he had.
PR 21:13.
When that slave came to die, he called for his sons in order to make them free and tell them where their manumission document
Gk.: diatheke (“testament”).
was. The king stood over him. When he saw him standing < there >, he discarded the thing which he had wanted to reveal to them. He began saying to them: Will you slaves of the king please honor him in the same way that I have honored him all my life? Similarly (according Gen. 49:1), Jacob called for his sons to inform them when the end would be. Immediately the Holy One was revealed over him. He said to him: You called for your sons but did not call for me. < It is so stated > (in Is. 43:22):
BUT YOU HAVE NOT CALLED ME, O JACOB. When he saw the Holy One revealed over him, he immediately began saying to them: Will you please honor the Holy One just as my ancestors have honored him. It is so stated (in Gen. 48:15):
THE GOD BEFORE WHOM MY ANCESTORS < ABRAHAM AND ISAAC > WALKED…. They said to him (the
Shema' of Deut. 6:4):
HEAR, O ISRAEL, THE LORD IS OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE.
Deut. R. 2:6; cf. Sifre to Deut. 6:4 (31).
Immediately (according to Gen. 47:31):
ISRAEL BOWED DOWN UPON THE HEAD OF THE BED. He began to say in a whisper:
Blessed be the name of his glorious kingdom forever and ever.
These words follow the first line of the Shema‘ in the liturgy before “And you shall love….” According to yBer. 5:8 (or 9) (14c) (bar.), the words were used after benedictions instead of Amen in the Temple. See also Pes. 56a, where R. Judah maintains that the words used to be omitted.
The Holy One said to him (in Prov. 35:2):
IT IS THE GLORY OF GOD TO CONCEAL A MATTER.
[10] Another interpretation (of Gen. 49:1):
THEN JACOB CALLED HIS SONS. This text is related (to Ps. 57:3 [2]):
I SHALL CALL TO GOD MOST HIGH, TO THE GOD WHO BRINGS THINGS TO COMPLETION FOR MY BENEFIT. R. Joshua ben Levi said: An earthly court has decreed three things when the Holy One has concurred with them.
Gen. R. 96, New Version, on Gen. 49:1 (= pp. 1202—1204 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); cf. yBer. 5:8 (or 9) (14c); Mak. 23b; Ruth R. 4:5; M. Pss. 57:2; cf. also Matthew 16:19.
They are the following:
One was in the days of Ezra. When they came back from Babylon, the Holy One wanted to absolve them of the tithes. What did they do? They arose and decreed on their own that they would tithe, as stated (in Neh. 10:38 [37]): < AND THAT WE SHOULD BRING TO THE PRIESTS, UNTO THE STOREROOMS IN THE HOUSE OF OUR GOD >, THE FIRST OF OUR DOUGH, THE GRAIN OFFERINGS, THE FRUIT OF < EVERY TREE, WINE AND OIL >…. What did they do? They wrote it in a book and placed it in the Temple. The next day they entered and found it sealed because the Holy One had concurred with them. Thus it is stated (in Neh. 10:1 [9:38]): BECAUSE OF ALL THIS, WE ARE MAKING A FIRM COVENANT {SEALING IT OVER} AND [PUTTING IT IN WRITING, AND UPON] THE SEALED COPY….
And one was in the days of Mordecai and Esther, as stated (in Esth. 9:27): < THE JEWS > INSTITUTED AND TOOK < UPON THEMSELVES, THEIR DESCENDANTS, AND UPON ALL WHO WOULD JOIN THEM THAT THEY WOULD NOT FAIL TO KEEP THESE TWO DAYS >…. They instituted above what they had accepted below.
And one was in the days of Joshua, when Israel entered the land. Joshua said to them (in Josh. 6:17): {THE} [THAT] CITY < AND EVERYTHING IN IT > ARE TO BE PROSCRIBED < FOR THE LORD >. Now you do not find that the Holy One had told him this thing. Rather he did it on his own. And where is it shown that the Holy One concurred with him? Where it is stated (in Josh. 7:11): ISRAEL HAS SINNED (by breaking the proscription).
Ergo (in Ps. 57: [2]): I SHALL CALL TO GOD MOST HIGH, TO THE GOD WHO BRINGS THINGS TO COMPLETION FOR MY BENEFIT.
Another interpretation:
I SHALL CALL TO GOD MOST HIGH. < This > speaks about Jacob.
Gen. R. 98:1.
When his sons came for him to bless them, he began to distribute
prokopaiThe Greek word means “advancements.”
(i.e., gifts) to them. And where is it shown that the Holy One concurred with him? You find that in the case of all the blessings with which our father Jacob blessed the tribes, Moses blessed them with the same < blessings > because the Holy One concurred with him in the case of each and every blessing. Ergo (in Gen. 49:1):
THEN JACOB CALLED HIS SONS.
Thus Jacob, and not God, took the initiative in blessing the tribes.
[11] [(Gen. 49:1:)
THEN JACOB CALLED HIS SONS AND SAID: GATHER TOGETHER.] R. Pinhas bar Hama the Priest and R. Judah bar Shallum the Levite said: What is the meaning of
GATHER TOGETHER (rt.: 'SP)? Be purified, even as you say (in Numb. 12:14 with reference to Miriam's uncleanness from leprosy):
LET HER BE SHUT UP SEVEN DAYS OUTSIDE OF THE CAMP, AND THEN LET HER BE BROUGHT IN (rt.: 'SP).
Gen. R. 96, New Version, on Gen. 49:1 (= p. 1204 in the Theodor-Albeck edition; cf. Gen. R. 98:2).
Another interpretation (of Gen. 49:1):
GATHER TOGETHER (rt.: 'PR). Become individual study groups (rt.:
'PR). What did they do? When they entered, he began reproaching
Gk.: kentroun, i.e., “to strike with a goad.”
them.
For simply entering without forming study groups.
(Gen. 49:3:)
REUBEN, YOU ARE MY FIRST-BORN. One said < it was > to his discredit, and another said < it was > to his credit. To his discredit: He said to him:
REUBEN, YOU ARE MY FIRST-BORN.
Gen. R. 98(99):4.
You are a first-born, and I am a firstborn.
By virtue of having bought Esau’s birthright.
R. Judah b. R. Shallum said: For eighty-four years Jacob never saw a < nocturnal > pollution.
Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:3 (= p. 1204 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); cf. Gen. R. 99 (another version):6 (= p. 1277 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); Tanh., Gen. 12:9; see also Gen. R. 68:5; Meg. 17a and Rashi, ad loc.
I am a first-born, and you are a first-born.
Gen. R. 98(99):4 explains that Reuben did not follow his father’s example, but (according to Gen. 35:22, 49:4) slept with his father’s concubine and thereby lost his birthright, his priesthood, and his right to kingship. See also below; Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 49:3; Tanh., Gen. 12:9.
(
Gen. 49:3, cont.:)
MY MIGHT AND THE FIRST FRUIT OF MY STRENGTH, EXCELLING IN ELEVATION, in that the high priesthood had been designated for you, and there is no
ELEVATION but the high priesthood. Thus it is stated (in Lev. 9:22):
THEN AARON ELEVATED HIS HANDS TOWARD THE PEOPLE AND BLESSED THEM.
Gen. R. 99 (another version):6 (= p. 1277 in the Theodor-Albeck edition).
(
Gen. 49:3, cont.:)
AND EXCELLING IN POWER, in that the kingship had been designated for you, and there is no power but kingship. Thus it is stated (in I Sam. 2:10):
AND HE SHALL GIVE POWER TO HIS KING. And another said < it (i.e.,
Gen. 49:3) was > to his credit.
REUBEN, YOU ARE MY FIRST-BORN. You are suitable for the birthright, even though you desecrated it. He had been filled with jealousy for his mother.
See Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:4 (= p. 1205 in the Theodor-Albeck edition)
Why? All the days that Rachel lived, Jacob's bed was with her. When she died, Jacob took his bed and put it with Bilhah. What did Reuben do? He became jealous for his mother. He pretended to be asleep on that bed so that Jacob would put his bed with Leah.
See Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:3 (= p. 1205 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); Gen. R. 98:4.
It therefore is praising
The root of this verb is similar to the Greek kalos, i.e., “beautifully.”
him (in Gen. 49:3):
REUBEN, YOU ARE MY FIRST-BORN, MY MIGHT AND THE FIRST FRUIT OF MY STRENGTH. You were the first drop (of semen) that came out of me.
[12] (Gen. 49:4:) UNSTABLE AS WATER, YOU SHALL NO LONGER EXCEL. What is the meaning of AS WATER? R. Jeremiah and R. Nathan differ. One said < it was > to his discredit, and the other said < it was > to his credit. What does it mean < when interpreted > to his discredit? AS WATER. You have left yourself nothing. Instead < you became > AS WATER. How so? When one empties a cask of honey, he leaves a little in it. When one pours with water in it, he leaves nothing in it. So you have left yourself nothing of merit; instead < you are as > UNSTABLE AS WATER. But the other said < it was > to his credit. What is the meaning of AS WATER? Anyone who empties honey or oil leaves a little. You did not leave yourself sin, but were AS WATER. Just as the water cleanses, so also have you been cleansed.
Another interpretation (of Gen. 49:4):
UNSTABLE AS WATER. The word
(UNSTABLE) is an acronym.
Gk.: notarikon.
R. Eliezer said: What is the meaning of
UNSTABLE (PHZ)? O wretched one (
pahit), you have sinned (
hatit); You have committed adultery (
zanit).
Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:4 (= p. 1205 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); cf. 98(99):4; 99 (another version):6 (= p. 1277 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); Shab. 55b.
You have wasted your strength.
[Another interpretation (of Gen. 49:4):
UNSTABLE AS WATER.] Our masters have taught (in
Ter. 8:4):
THREE LIQUIDS BECOME FORBIDDEN THROUGH BEING UNCOVERED: WATER, WINE, AND MILK. If wine is found uncovered, then one is sorry about it when he pours it out; but in the case of water, if it is found uncovered, one is not sorry for it if he pours it out. So you have done with all the crowns which belonged to me. You have thrown them away
AS WATER. < You are as >
UNSTABLE AS WATER. When Simeon and Levi came in to Jacob, he reproached
Gk.: kentroun, i.e., “to strike with a goad.”
them. He said (in Gen. 49:5):
SIMEON AND LEVI ARE BROTHERS, WEAPONS OF VIOLENCE ARE THEIR MEKHEROTThe meaning of this word is obscure, but the singular, mekherah, resembles the Greek machaira, which means “sword”; and such a meaning fits the context of the midrash. So Tanh., Gen. 12:9; Gen. R. 99 (another version):7 (= p. 1278 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); PRE 38 (in the Amsterdam and Prague editions). The Greek parallel to such an ancient Hebrew word may be due to the fact that swords were common objects of trade.
What are
MEKHEROT? WEAPONS OF VIOLENCE.
(Gen. 49:6:)
LET NOT MY SOUL COME INTO THEIR COUNCIL, AND LET NOT MY GLORY BE JOINED WITH THEIR ASSEMBLY. When these two tribes (of Simeon and Levi) are assembled, let not my name be mentioned there. When Zimri arises and sins,
LET NOT MY GLORY BE JOINED < with them >,
Probably the first part of the verse should have been cited here, as in Tanh., Gen. 12:10; Gen. R. 99 (another version):7 (= p. 1278 in the Theodor-Albeck edition).
[since it is stated (in Numb. 25:14):
ZIMRI BEN SALU, PRINCE OF A CLAN BELONGING TO THE SIMEONITES. And likewise (in Numb. 16:1 & 3):
NOW KORAH BEN IZHAR BEN KOHATH BEN LEVI…. AND THEY GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST MOSES AND AGAINST AARON. (Gen. 49:6:)
NOR LET MY GLORY BE JOINED WITH THEIR ASSEMBLY.]
Cf. Numb. R. 18:5.
(Gen. 49:6:)
FOR IN THEIR ANGER THEY KILLED A MAN, when they killed Shechem ben Hamor. He said to them: You have afflicted me. Immediately (in vs. 7):
CURSED BE THEIR ANGER SO FIERCE. These tribes were unable to dwell together. Rather (ibid., cont.):
I WILL DIVIDE THEM IN JACOB AND SCATTER THEM IN ISRAEL. Judah came in and < Jacob > praised him (in vs. 8):
YOU, O JUDAH, YOUR BROTHERS SHALL PRAISE (rt.: YDH). In your case, your mother gave praise (rt.:
YDH) through your name (Judah, rt.:
YDH). When she bore you, she said (in Gen. 29:35):
THIS TIME I WILL PRAISE (rt.: YDH) THE LORD; < THEREFORE SHE CALLED HIS NAME JUDAH (rt.: YDH) >. And what did she see to praise in Judah? It is simply that she had given birth to Reuben and foreseen Dathan and Abiram (in Numb. 16:1); so she had not given praise over him (i.e., Reuben). She had given birth to Simeon and foreseen Zimri; so she had not given praise over him. She had given birth to Levi and foreseen Korah; so she had not given praise over him. When she gave birth to Judah, she immediately gave praise (rt.:
YDH) over him because he made a confession (rt.:
YDH) in the Tamar incident, as stated (in Gen. 38:26):
THEN JUDAH GAVE ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND SAID: SHE IS MORE RIGHTEOUS THAN I.
See Gen. R. 99 (another version):8 (= p. 1279 in the Theodor-Albeck edition).
His father said to him: Your mother has given praise (rt.:
YDH) over you, and you have made a confession (rt.:
YDH). Therefore your brothers shall praise (rt.:
YDH) you.
Although the Buber text has “him” here, the correct reading must be “you.”
When Isaac blessed Jacob, he had said to him (in Gen. 27:29):
AND MAY YOUR MOTHER'S CHILDREN BOW DOWN TO YOU, since he had only one wife. But, since Jacob had four wives, he said (in Gen. 49:8):
YOUR FATHER'S CHILDREN < SHALL BOW DOWN TO YOU >.
Gen. R. 66:4.
Why shall your brothers praise you? Because all Israel shall be called by your name, < i.e., > Jews.
Gen. R. 98(99):6. In Hebrew the word “Jews” is simply the plural of Judah, which in turn has the same root as the Hebrew verb meaning “praise.”
And not only that, but out of you is coming the Messiah, who is saving Israel, as stated (in Is. 11:10):
BUT A SHOOT SHALL COME FORTH FROM THE STEM OF JESSE….
Cf. Romans 15:12; Rev. 5:5.
[13] (Gen. 49:27:)
BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF. This text is related (to Amos 3:7):
SURELY THE LORD GOD DOES NOTHING WITHOUT HAVING REVEALED IT UNTO HIS SERVANTS THE PROPHETS.
Tanh., Gen. 12:14; also 4:6; Gen. R. 49:2; 97, New Version, on 49:27 (= pp. 1224—1225 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); M. Pss. 25:13.
In the beginning the counsel of the
LORD was for those who feared him, as stated (in Ps. 25:14):
THE COUNSEL OF THE LORD IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. Later he gave it to the upright, as stated (in Prov. 3:32):
BUT HIS COUNSEL IS WITH THE UPRIGHT. < Still > later he gave it to the prophets, as stated (in Amos 3:7)
SURELY THE LORD GOD DOES NOTHING WITHOUT HAVING REVEALED IT UNTO HIS SERVANTS THE PROPHETS.
Everything that the righteous do they do through the Holy Spirit. When Jacob blessed Judah, he blessed him with < the qualities of > a lion, as stated (in Gen. 49:9):
JUDAH IS A LION'S WHELP. < Thus he paired him off >
The bracketed words come from the parallel versions in Tanh., Gen. 12:14; Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:27 (= pp. 1224—1225 in the Theodor-Albeck edition).
against the kingdom of Babylon, of which it is written (in Dan. 7:4):
THE FIRST WAS LIKE A LION.
Gen. R. 99:2.
So Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (descendants of Judah) attacked it (i.e., Babylon). As for Joseph, he paired him off against this < present > wicked kingdom of Rome. R. Samuel bar Nahman said: There is a tradition handed down that Esau will only fall at the hands of Rachel's children. [Thus it is stated (in Jer. 49:20):
SURELY THE YOUNGEST OF THE FLOCK SHALL DRAG THEMTHEM refers to Edom, which had come to be identified with Rome in Jewish tradition.
AWAY.] And Moses paired off the tribe of Levi against the kingdom of Greece, since the children of the Hasmoneans stem from Levi. Also Levi is the third tribe, and this kingdom of Greece is the third < kingdom >.
According to Dan. 7 as the tradition interprets it.
Moreover, Levi (
LWY) has three letters, and Greece (
YWN) has three letters. The former sacrifices bulls, and the latter writes on the horn of an ox. They have no portion in the God of Israel. The former are many, and the latter are few. Moses saw them and blessed them, as stated (in Deut. 33:11 with reference to Levi):
BLESS, O LORD, HIS VALOR… < SMITE THE LOINS OF THOSE WHO RISE UP AGAINST HIM >…. And Jacob paired Benjamin off against the kingdom of Media. Thus it is written about the kingdom of Media (in Dan. 7:5):
THEN HERE WAS ANOTHER BEAST, A SECOND ONE, LIKE A BEAR.
Aramaic: dov. Cf. the parallel versions of Tanh., Gen. 12:14; Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:27 (= pp. 1224—1225 in the Theodor-Albeck edition), where dov is written without a vowel letter and so allows one to read the word as dev, which means “wolf.”
So here is an analogy with it (Media) over against the tribe of Benjamin to which it is likened, as stated (in Gen. 49:27):
BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF. Just as the wolf seizes < its prey >, so did the tribe of Benjamin seize < something >, as stated (in Jud. 21:21):
WHEN YOU SEE {THE DAUGHTERS OF SHILOH} [AND BEHOLD, IF THE DAUGHTERS OF SHILOH COME OUT]… < THEN YOU SHALL COME OUT OF THE VINEYARDS >, SEIZE FOR YOURSELVES < EACH ONE HIS OWN WIFE FROM THE DAUGHTERS OF SHILOH, AND GO TO THE LAND OF BENJAMIN >.
[14] Another interpretation (of Gen. 49:27):
BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF. < The verse > speaks of its judge, Ehud.
Cf. Gen. R. 99:3.
What is written (in Jud. 3:16)?
SO EHUD MADE HIMSELF A SWORD, AND IT HAD TWO EDGES, i.e., he was busy with Torah, which (in Ps. 149:6) is called
A TWO-EDGED SWORD. AND (according to Jud. 3:16)
IT HAD TWO EDGES (literally:
TWO MOUTHS) because it consumes in two worlds, in this world and in the world to come.
Another interpretation (of Jud. 3:16):
SO EHUD MADE HIMSELF A SWORD and put it
ON HIS RIGHT THIGH. Coming in to Eglon, he said to him:
I HAVE A WORD FROM GOD FOR YOU {THE KING}; SO HE AROSE FROM HIS SEAT. The Holy One said: You have imparted glory to me and risen from your seat for the sake of my glory. By your life, I will raise up a daughter from you from whom a son shall arise, and I will seat him upon my throne. This woman was Ruth the Moabite, from whom arose Solomon, of whom it is written (in I Chron. 29:23):
THEN SOLOMON SAT UPON THE THRONE OF THE LORD. What is written (in Jud. 3:21)?
THEN EHUD PUT OUT HIS LEFT HAND AND TOOK THE SWORD FROM HIS RIGHT THIGH. (
Cf. Gen. 49:27, cont.:)
IN THE MORNING HE DEVOURS THE PREY. (Jud. 3:21, cont.:)
AND HE THRUST IT INTO HIS BELLY. (
Cf. Gen. 49:27, cont.:)
AND AT EVENING HE DIVIDES THE SPOIL.
[15] Another interpretation (of Gen. 49:27):
BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF. < The verse > speaks about the land.
Gen. R. 99:3.
(Ibid., cont.:)
IN THE MORNING HE DEVOURS THE PREY. This is Jericho, in that it produces its fruit early. (Ibid., cont.:)
AND AT EVENING HE DIVIDES THE SPOIL. This is Bethel, in that it is late with its fruit late.
Another interpretation (of Gen. 49:27):
BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF…. < The verse > speaks about Saul. (Ibid., cont.:)
IN THE MORNING HE DEVOURS THE PREY.
(Cf. I Sam. 14:47-48):
AFTER SAUL HAD SEIZED THE KINGSHIP OVER ISRAEL …
I.e., in the morning of his reign.
HE WAS TRIUMPHANT IN SMITING THE AMALEKITES. (
Gen. 49:27, cont.:)
AND AT EVENING HE DIVIDES THE SPOIL. (Cf. I Sam. 31:6:)
SO SAUL DIED ALONG WITH THREE OF HIS SONS.
Another interpretation (of Gen. 49:27):
BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF. < The verse > speaks about Queen Esther. (Ibid., cont.:)
IN THE MORNING HE DEVOURS THE PREY. (Cf. Esth. 7:1:)
SO THE KING AND HAMAN CAME TO FEAST < WITH QUEEN ESTHER >. (
Gen. 49:27, cont.:)
AND AT EVENING HE DIVIDES THE SPOIL. (Cf. Esth. 8:1:)
ON THAT DAY AHASUERUS GAVE QUEEN ESTHER < THE HOUSE OF HAMAN >….
Another interpretation (of Gen. 49:27):
BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF. < The verse > speaks about sacrifice. (Ibid., cont.:)
IN THE MORNING HE DEVOURS THE PREY. (Cf. Numb. 28:4:)
THE ONE LAMB YOU SHALL OFFER IN THE MORNING.
Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:27 (= p. 1225 in the Theodor-Albeck edition).
(
Gen. 49:27, cont.:)
AND AT EVENING HE DIVIDES THE SPOIL. (Cf. Numb. 28:4, cont.:)
AND THE SECOND LAMB YOU SHALL OFFER AT TWILIGHT.
[16] (Gen. 49:28:)
ALL THESE ARE THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL, TWELVE IN NUMBER. These are the tribes, but < it is written > elsewhere about Ishmael (in Gen. 17:20):
HE SHALL SIRE TWELVE PRINCES.
Tanh., Gen. 12:15; Gen. R. 47:5.
As for the tribes, that has a basis in the structure of the world. The day has twelve hours, the night has twelve hours, the year has twelve months, < and there are > twelve planets. R. Johanan said: Were there < really > twelve tribes? Now do not Ephraim and Manasseh make fourteen? It is simply that, when Levi was numbered with them, Ephraim and Manasseh were not numbered with them. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in the list of Numb. 1:10, which omits Levi):
FROM THE CHILDREN OF JOSEPH: FROM EPHRAIM, ELISHAMA BEN AMMIHUD; FROM MANASSEH, GAMALIEL BEN PEDAHZUR. Ergo (in Gen. 49:28):
ALL THESE ARE THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL, TWELVE IN NUMBER, no less and no more. Even Rebekah saw {them} [these twelve], as stated (in Gen. 25:23):
Cf. Gen. R. 63:6; 97, New Version, on 49:28 (= pp. 1226—1227 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); cf. also PRK 3:1.
AND THE LORD SAID TO HER: TWO NATIONS ARE IN YOUR WOMB. Here are two. (Ibid., cont.:)
AND TWO PEOPLES < SHALL ISSUE > FROM YOUR BOWELS. Here are four. (Ibid., cont.:)
AND ONE PEOPLE SHALL BE STRONGER THAN THE OTHER. Here are six. (Ibid., cont.:)
AND THE ELDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER. Here are eight. (Vs. 24:)
AND BEHOLD, THERE WERE TWINS IN HER WOMB. Here are ten. (Vs. 22:)
AND THE CHILDREN STRUGGLED WITHIN HER. Here are twelve.
[17] (
Gen. 49:28, cont.:)
AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM WHEN HE BLESSED THEM. EACH ONE WITH HIS OWN BLESSING IS HOW HE BLESSED THEM. "Him" is not written here but
HE BLESSED THEM.
Tanh., Gen. 12:17; Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:28 (= pp. 1227—1228 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); 99(100)4; Numb. R. 13:8; Cant. R. 4:7:1; cf. also Exod. R. 1:6, 16.
Why so? Because (in Gen. 49:8-22) he gave Judah the strength of a lion, Joseph the strength of an ox,
Shor. Although the Masoretic Text of Gen. 49:22, from which this allusion is taken, vocalizes this word as shur, i.e., “wall,” the present context requires that Joseph be likened to some animal.
Naphtali the lightness of a deer, and Dan the bite of a serpent. You might say that one is greater than another; < so > their commonality is < mentioned > at the end.
EACH ONE WITH HIS OWN BLESSING … HE BLESSED THEM. Thus he distributed the land to them. He gave Judah the land which produces barley and Benjamin land which produces wheat. Even so, they had a commonality with each other in that they each would eat what belonged to the other. Ergo (in Gen. 49:28):
AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM. "Unto them" is not written here but
TO THEM.
Buber cites Samuel Jaffe ben Isaac Ashkenazi, Yefeh To’ar, a commentary on the Midrash Rabbah, Part I on Genesis (Venice, 1597—1606), who cites Rashi, on Gen. 24:7, and explains that “to them” (lahem) used with the verb “speak” (rt.: DBR), as opposed to its use with the verb “say” (rt.: ’MR), means that one is speaking “concerning them” rather than “with them,” which is what “unto them” (alehem) would have implied. So also Enoch Zundel ben Joseph in his commentary Ets Yosef, on Tanh., Gen. 12:16. For a suggested rendering, see the following note.
(Ibid.:)
AND THIS < is how > someone like me is going to bless you, and at the place where I have stopped he is beginning. Thus it is stated (ibid.):
AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM.
Apart from the words AND THIS (in the sense of ALSO THIS), there is another hint there that the verse has a wider meaning in that Jacob is simply alluded to as THEIR FATHER instead of by name. Like Jacob, Moses is a father of Israel.
When Moses arose, he opened (the blessing in Deut. 33:1) with
AND THIS IS THE BLESSING < WITH WHICH MOSES, THE MAN OF GOD, BLESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BEFORE HE DIED >. < He began > from where Jacob had stopped. Ergo (in Gen. 49:28 also):
AND THIS. He said these blessings for them. When did they come to pass for you? From the time that you received the Torah, about which it is written (in Deut. 4:44):
AND THIS IS THE TORAH. Note the
AND THIS. And also, with whatever < expression > Jacob had closed his blessing, Moses opened for them. Moses said (in Ps. 119:100):
I HAVE GAINED UNDERSTANDING FROM THE ELDERS. When Isaac blessed Jacob, he said (in Gen. 28:3):
MAY GOD ALMIGHTY BLESS YOU. With what did he finally close his blessing? With a calling (according to Gen. 28:1):
SO ISAAC CALLED JACOB AND BLESSED HIM. So, in the case of Jacob, where his father had stopped, from there he had begun (according to Gen. 49:1):
THEN JACOB CALLED HIS SONS. Then, Jacob stopped (in Gen. 49:28) with
THIS; so Moses also, when he arose to bless the tribes, began with
AND THIS (in Deut. 33:1):
AND THIS IS THE BLESSING. And with what did Moses close? With
BLESSED ARE YOU, as stated (in Deut. 33:29):
BLESSED ARE YOU, O ISRAEL! WHO IS LIKE YOU? See < how > David opened
(Ps. 1:1)! With
BLESSED IS THE ONE. Ergo (in Ps. 119:100):
I HAVE GAINED UNDERSTANDING FROM THE ELDERS.