May G-d Make You Like Ephraim and Menashe - Letters and Numbers of Torah - Vayechi

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May G-d Make You Like Ephraim and Menashe: Letters and Numbers of Torah - Vayechi

"[Jacob] blessed [Ephraim and Menashe] on that day, saying: With you, Israel will bless, saying, 'May G-d make you like Ephraim and like Menashe,'" (Genesis 48:20). Why do Jewish parents continue to this day to bless their children to be like these two grandsons of Jacob? An extra letter vav in the word "saying" holds the hint.

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Topics:	Ephraim, Manasseh, Parshah, Jacob Blesses Menasseh and Ephraim, Vayechi

Aaron L. Raskin

Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin is the official Chabad emissary to downtown Brooklyn, rabbi of Congregation B’nai Avraham in Brooklyn Heights, New York and Dean of Brooklyn Heights Jewish Academy. He is the author of the books, “Thank You God for Making Me a Woman", "Letters of Light", "By Divine Design", and "Guardian of Israel", and the co-author of "The Rabbi & The CEO".

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5 Comments

Chabad.org Staff December 25, 2013

To Ryan Good question. One of our team members responded to a similar question in the past, please check it out here Reply

Ryan Indiana December 14, 2013

Houses of study As a convert, I have not understood what is meant by "Torah study" before the Torah was given to Moshe. What would they have been studying in these yeshivot in Egypt? I was taught, also, that "Esav was a man of the field while Yakov 'dwelt in tents'" meant "tents of learning Torah". Hundreds of years before G-d gave Moshe the Torah that we read today, was it the oral Torah and traditions that were being studied? If so, do you think they were more than oral, actually written down so that they could be studied?
Thank you for any insight into this.
Ryan Reply

Natan Łódź, Poland January 6, 2012

to all all of yours thoughts are easy understood. one of these reasons is your ability in using words, simply in forms and so properly as a point o needle. yours lecture are worthy of attachments. Reply

Menashe Hochstead Efrat, Israel January 6, 2012

Yehuda in Egypt Yaakov sent Yehuda to set up the Yeshiva there. Next week, however, will will see that the tribe of Levi are the ones who are the students. When does the change take place? Reply

Louanne Spielman Rydal , PA January 4, 2012

Parshah Vayechi taught by Rebbe Raskin BH Thank-you for a most inspiring description of this weeks Parshah. May the spark of knowledge that you illuminated within me be as a light for others to join in the joy of learning Torah. Reply