| 17When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased, so he lifted his father’s hand in order to move it from Ephraim’s head onto Manasseh’s head. |
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יזוַיַּ֣רְא יוֹסֵ֗ף כִּֽי־יָשִׁ֨ית אָבִ֧יו יַד־יְמִינ֛וֹ עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ אֶפְרַ֖יִם וַיֵּ֣רַע בְּעֵינָ֑יו וַיִּתְמֹ֣ךְ יַד־אָבִ֗יו לְהָסִ֥יר אֹתָ֛הּ מֵעַ֥ל רֹֽאשׁ־אֶפְרַ֖יִם עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ מְנַשֶּֽׁה: |
| וַיִּתְמֹךְ יַד־אָבִיו - So he lifted his father’s hand - i.e., he lifted it from the head of his son Ephraim and supported it in his hand. |
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וַיִּתְמֹךְ יַד־אָבִיו.
הֵרִימָהּ מֵעַל רֹאשׁ בְּנוֹ וּתְמָכָהּ בְּיָדוֹ:
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| 18Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; place your right hand on his head.” |
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יחוַיֹּ֧אמֶר יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶל־אָבִ֖יו לֹא־כֵ֣ן אָבִ֑י כִּי־זֶ֣ה הַבְּכֹ֔ר שִׂ֥ים יְמִֽינְךָ֖ עַל־רֹאשֽׁוֹ: |
| 19His father demurred, saying, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation, and he too will rise to greatness. But his younger brother will surpass him, and the renown of his descendant will spread and fill all the world’s nations.” |
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יטוַיְמָאֵ֣ן אָבִ֗יו וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ יָדַ֤עְתִּי בְנִי֙ יָדַ֔עְתִּי גַּם־ה֥וּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְעָ֖ם וְגַם־ה֣וּא יִגְדָּ֑ל וְאוּלָ֗ם אָחִ֤יו הַקָּטֹן֙ יִגְדַּ֣ל מִמֶּ֔נּוּ וְזַרְע֖וֹ יִֽהְיֶ֥ה מְלֹֽא־הַגּוֹיִֽם: |
| יָדַעְתִּי בְנִי יָדַעְתִּי - I know, my son, I know - that he is the firstborn. |
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יָדַעְתִּי בְנִי יָדַעְתִּי.
שֶׁהוּא הַבְּכוֹר:
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| גַּם־הוּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְעָם וְגַם־הוּא יִגְדָּל - He too will become a nation, and he too will rise to greatness - for Gideon is destined to be born from him, through whom the Holy One, blessed be He, will perform a miracle. |
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גַּם־הוּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְעָם וְגַם־הוּא יִגְדָּל.
שֶׁעָתִיד גִּדְעוֹן לָצֵאת מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה נֵס עַל יָדוֹ:
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| וְאוּלָם אָחִיו הַקָּטֹן יִגְדָּל מִמֶּנּוּ - But his younger brother will surpass - for Joshua is destined to be born from him, who will apportion the Land of Canaan and teach Israel the Torah. |
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וְאוּלָם אָחִיו הַקָּטֹן יִגְדָּל מִמֶּנּוּ.
שֶׁעָתִיד יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לָצֵאת מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁיַּנְחִיל אֶת הָאָרֶץ וִילַמֵּד תּוֹרָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל:
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| וְזַרְעוֹ יִֽהְיֶה־מְלֹֽא־הַגּוֹיִֽם - (lit.) And his descendants will be the fill of the nations - means: the entire world will be filled with Joshua’s widespread fame and renown when he makes the sun stand still at Gibeon and the moon at the Ayalon valley. |
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וְזַרְעוֹ יִֽהְיֶה־מְלֹֽא־הַגּוֹיִֽם.
כָּל הָעוֹלָם יִתְמַלֵּא בְּצֵאת שָׁמְעוֹ וּשְׁמוֹ כְּשֶׁיַּעֲמִיד חַמָּה בְּגִבְעוֹן וְיָרֵחַ בְּעֵמֶק אַיָּלוֹן:
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| 20On that day, he blessed them and said, “With your names will the Israelites invoke God’s blessings on their sons, saying to them, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh,’” mentioning Ephraim’s name before that of Manasseh. |
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כוַיְבָ֨רֲכֵ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַהוּא֘ לֵאמוֹר֒ בְּךָ֗ יְבָרֵ֤ךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יְשִֽׂמְךָ֣ אֱלֹהִ֔ים כְּאֶפְרַ֖יִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁ֑ה וַיָּ֥שֶׂם אֶת־אֶפְרַ֖יִם לִפְנֵ֥י מְנַשֶּֽׁה: |
| בְּךָ יְבָרֵךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל - With your names will the Israelites invoke blessings - i.e., he who wishes to bless his sons will bless them with their blessing, and each will say to his son: “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.” |
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בְּךָ יְבָרֵךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל.
הַבָּא לְבָרֵךְ אֶת בָּנָיו יְבָרְכֵם בְּבִרְכָתָם וְיֹאמַר אִישׁ לִבְנוֹ יְשִׂימְךָ אֱלֹהִים כְּאֶפְרַיִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁה:
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| וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת־אֶפְרַיִם - Mentioning Ephraim - in the blessing that he gave – “before Manasseh” so as to give him precedence in the marching order under the banners and at the dedication of the Altar by the princes of the tribes. |
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וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת־אֶפְרַיִם.
בְּבִרְכָתוֹ לִפְנֵי מְנַשֶּׁה, לְהַקְדִּימוֹ בִּדְגָלִים וּבַחֲנֻכַּת הַנְּשִׂיאִים:
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| 21Israel then said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. |
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כאוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף הִנֵּ֥ה אָֽנֹכִ֖י מֵ֑ת וְהָיָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם וְהֵשִׁ֣יב אֶתְכֶ֔ם אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ אֲבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם: |
| 22I am giving you the city of Shechem—this land-inheritance being one portion beyond what you will receive on an equal par with your brothers—which I conquered from the Amorites with my sword and bow.” |
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כבוַֽאֲנִ֞י נָתַ֧תִּי לְךָ֛ שְׁכֶ֥ם אַחַ֖ד עַל־אַחֶ֑יךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר לָקַ֨חְתִּי֙ מִיַּ֣ד הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י בְּחַרְבִּ֖י וּבְקַשְׁתִּֽי: |
| וַֽאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ - I am giving you. Because you will go to the effort of arranging my burial, I, too, have given you a portion in which you will be buried. And what is it? It is Shechem, as it says: “And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites brought up from Egypt, they buried in Shechem.” |
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וַֽאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ.
לְפִי שֶׁאַתָּה טוֹרֵחַ לְהִתְעַסֵּק בִּקְבוּרָתִי, וְגַם אֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ נַחֲלָה שֶׁתִּקָּבֵר בָּהּ, וְאֵי זוֹ? זוֹ שְׁכֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, וְאֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם קָבְרוּ בִשְׁכֶם (יהושע כ"ד):
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| שְׁכֶם אַחַד עַל־אַחֶיךָ - means Shechem, the actual city – it will be yours as an extra portion over your brothers. |
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שְׁכֶם אַחַד עַל־אַחֶיךָ.
שְׁכֶם מַמָּשׁ, הִיא תִּהְיֶה לְךָ חֵלֶק אֶחָד יְתֵרָה עַל אַחֶיךָ:
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| בְּחַרְבִּי וּבְקַשְׁתִּֽי - With my sword and bow. When Simeon and Levi killed the people of Shechem, all the surrounding nations gathered together to fight them, and Jacob armed himself with weapons against them. Another explanation: שְׁכֶם אַחַד refers to the birthright, that Joseph’s sons would take two portions. The word שְׁכֶם means “portion,” as Onkelos translates it, and there are several examples of this in Scripture: “For You will put them שֶׁכֶם,” i.e., You will place my enemies before me in portions; “I will divide portions (שְׁכֶם)”; “on the way, they would murder שֶׁכְמָה,” i.e., each man killing his portion; “to serve Him as one portion (שְׁכֶם).” |
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בְּחַרְבִּי וּבְקַשְׁתִּֽי.
כְּשֶׁהָרְגוּ שִׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי אֶת אַנְשֵׁי שְׁכֶם נִתְכַּנְּסוּ כָּל סְבִיבוֹתֵיהֶם לְהִזְדַּוֵּג לָהֶם, וְחָגַר יַעֲקֹב כְּלֵי מִלְחָמָה כְּנֶגְדָּן; דָּבָר אַחֵר שְׁכֶם אַחַד הוּא הַבְּכוֹרָה, שֶׁיִּטְּלוּ בָנָיו שְׁנֵי חֲלָקִים, וּשְׁכֶם לְשׁוֹן חֵלֶק הוּא, וְהַרְבֵּה יֵשׁ לוֹ דּוֹמִים בַּמִּקְרָא כִּי תְּשִׁיתֵמוֹ שֶׁכֶם (תהילים כ"א) – תָּשִׁית שׂוֹנְאַי לְפָנַי לַחֲלָקִים; אֲחַלְּקָה שְׁכֶם (שם ס'), דֶּרֶךְ יְרַצְּחוּ שֶׁכְמָה (הושע ו') – אִישׁ חֶלְקוֹ; לְעָבְדוֹ שְׁכֶם אֶחָד (צפניה ג'):
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| אֲשֶׁר לָקַחְתִּי מִיַּד הָֽאֱמֹרִי - Which I conquered from the Amorites - i.e., from Esau who acted like an Amorite. Another explanation why Esau was called הָאֱמֹרִי: He would ensnare his father with the words (אִמְרֵי) of his mouth. |
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אֲשֶׁר לָקַחְתִּי מִיַּד הָֽאֱמֹרִי.
מִיַּד עֵשָׂו, שֶׁעָשָׂה מַעֲשֵׂה אֱמוֹרִי. דָּבָר אַחֵר שֶׁהָיָה צָד אָבִיו בְּאִמְרֵי פִיו:
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| בְּחַרְבִּי וּבְקַשְׁתִּֽי - With my sword and bow - refers to Jacob’s wisdom and prayer. |
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בְּחַרְבִּי וּבְקַשְׁתִּֽי.
הִיא חָכְמָתוֹ וּתְפִלָּתוֹ:
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