This Week’s Torah Portion: Va-y’chi – וַיְחִי (Genesis 47:28–50:26)
Jacob our ancestor blesses his grandchildren saying: “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh” (Genesis 48:20). That is the traditional blessing for children till today. But their names are really Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob’s blessing is saying to them and to us, May God make you who you ought to be, may God make you true to yourself. May you be you! And that will be the greatest blessing of them all.
Parsha Va-y’chi Torah Summary:
Jacob blesses his grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh. (48:1-20)
Jacob’s twelve sons gather around his deathbed, and each receives an evaluation and a prediction of his future. (49:1-33)
Joseph mourns his father’s death and has Jacob embalmed. Jacob is buried in Hebron in the cave of the field of the Machpelah in the land of Canaan. (50:1-14)
Joseph assures his concerned brothers that he has forgiven them and promises to care for them and their families. (50:15-21)
Just before he dies, Joseph tells his brothers that God will return them to the Land that God promised to the patriarchs. The Children of Israel promise Joseph that they will take his bones with them when they leave Egypt. (50:22-26) Jacob our ancestor blesses his grandchildren saying: “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh” (Genesis 48:20). That is the traditional blessing for children till today. But their names are really Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob’s blessing is saying to them and to us, May God make you who you ought to be, may God make you true to yourself. May you be you! And that will be the greatest blessing of them all.
