| 17And Joseph saw that his father was placing his right hand on Ephraim's head, and it displeased him. So he held up his father's hand to remove it from upon Ephraim's head [to place it] on 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: |
| So he held up his father’s hand: He lifted it off his son’s head and held it up with his [own] hand. |
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ויתמך יד אביו: הרימה מעל ראש בנו ותמכה בידו: |
| 18And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, Father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." |
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יחוַיֹּ֧אמֶר יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶל־אָבִ֖יו לֹא־כֵ֣ן אָבִ֑י כִּי־זֶ֣ה הַבְּכֹ֔ר שִׂ֥ים יְמִֽינְךָ֖ עַל־רֹאשֽׁוֹ: |
| 19But his father refused, and he said, "I know, my son, I know; he too will become a people, and he too will be great. But his younger brother will be greater than he, and his children['s fame] will fill the 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: |
| I know, my son, I know: that he is the firstborn. |
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ידעתי בני ידעתי: שהוא הבכור: |
| he too will become a people, etc.: for Gideon is destined to be descended from him. [Gideon] through whom the Holy One, blessed be He, will perform a miracle. — [from Midrash Tanchuma Vayechi 6] |
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גם הוא יהיה לעם וגם הוא יגדל: שעתיד גדעון לצאת ממנו שהקב"ה עושה נס על ידו: |
| But his younger brother will be greater than he: for Joshua is destined to be descended from him, [and Joshua is] the one who will distribute the inheritances of the land and teach Torah to Israel. — [from Midrash Tanchuma Vayechi 7] |
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ואולם אחיו הקטן יגדל ממנו: שעתיד יהושע לצאת ממנו שינחיל את הארץ וילמד תורה לישראל: |
| and his children[’s fame] will fill the nations: The whole world will be filled when his fame and his name are spread when he stops the sun in Gibeon and the moon in the Valley of Ajalon. — [from Abodah Zarah 25a] |
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וזרעו יהיה מלא הגוים: כל העולם יתמלא בצאת שמעו ושמו כשיעמיד חמה בגבעון וירח בעמק אילון: |
| 20So he blessed them on that day, saying, "With you, Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh,' " and he placed Ephraim before Manasseh. |
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כוַיְבָ֨רֲכֵ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַהוּא֘ לֵאמוֹר֒ בְּךָ֗ יְבָרֵ֤ךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יְשִֽׂמְךָ֣ אֱלֹהִ֔ים כְּאֶפְרַ֖יִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁ֑ה וַיָּ֥שֶׂם אֶת־אֶפְרַ֖יִם לִפְנֵ֥י מְנַשֶּֽׁה: |
| With you, Israel will bless: Whoever wishes to bless his sons, will bless them with their blessing (with a blessing related to them), and a man will say to his son, “May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.” - [from Sifrei Nasso 18] |
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בך יברך ישראל: הבא לברך את בניו, יברכם בברכתם ויאמר איש לבנו ישימך א-להים כאפרים וכמנשה: |
| and he placed Ephraim: Before Manasseh in his blessing, to give him precedence in the groupings [of the tribes in the desert] and [also] at the dedication of [the Tabernacle by] the [tribal] princes. — [from Gen. Rabbah 97:5] |
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וישם את אפרים: בברכתו לפני מנשה, להקדימו בדגלים ובחנוכת הנשיאים: |
| 21And Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am going to die, and God will be with you, and He will return you to the land of your forefathers. |
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כאוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף הִנֵּ֥ה אָֽנֹכִ֖י מֵ֑ת וְהָיָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם וְהֵשִׁ֣יב אֶתְכֶ֔ם אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ אֲבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם: |
| 22And I have given you one portion over your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow." |
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כבוַֽאֲנִ֞י נָתַ֧תִּי לְךָ֛ שְׁכֶ֥ם אַחַ֖ד עַל־אַחֶ֑יךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר לָקַ֨חְתִּי֙ מִיַּ֣ד הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י בְּחַרְבִּ֖י וּבְקַשְׁתִּֽי: |
| And I have given you: Since you are taking the trouble to occupy yourself with my burial, I have given you an inheritance where you will be buried. And which is this? This is Shechem, as it is said: “And Joseph’s bones, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem” (Josh. 24:32). |
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ואני נתתי לך: לפי שאתה טורח להתעסק בקבורתי, וגם אני נתתי לך נחלה שתקבר בה, ואי זו, זו שכם, שנאמר (יהושע כד לב) ואת עצמות יוסף אשר העלו בני ישראל ממצרים קברו בשכם: |
| one portion over your brothers: Heb. אַחַד עַל אַחֶי שְׁכֶם, the actual [city of] Shechem, which will be for you one share over your brothers. [Accordingly, we render: Shechem, [which is] one [share] over your brothers.]- [from Gen. Rabbah 97:6] |
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שכם אחד על אחיך: שכם ממש, היא תהיה לך חלק אחד יתירה על אחיך: |
| with my sword and with my bow: When Simeon and Levi slew the men of Shechem, all those [nations] around them (Jacob’s sons) assembled to attack them, and Jacob girded weapons of war against them. — [from Gen. Rabbah 97:6, Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel.] Another explanation: “One portion” refers to the birthright, and indicates that his (Joseph’s) sons should take two shares. שְׁכֶם is a word meaning “a portion,” as the Targum renders. There are many similar instances in Scripture: “For You shall place them as a portion (שְׁכֶם)” (Ps. 21:13), You shall place my enemies before me as portions; “I will divide a portion (שְׁכֶם)” (ibid. 60:8); “…murder on the way, שֶׁכְמָה” (Hos. 6:9), [meaning:] each one his share; “to worship Him of one accord (שְׁכֶם אֶחָד)” (Zeph. 3:9), [meaning: in one group]. |
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בחרבי ובקשתי: כשהרגו שמעון ולוי את אנשי שכם נתכנסו כל סביבותיהם להזדווג להם וחגר יעקב כלי מלחמה כנגדן. דבר אחר שכם אחד היא הבכורה שיטלו בניו שני חלקים, ושכם לשון חלק הוא, והרבה יש לו דומים במקרא (תהלים כא יג) כי תשיתמו שכם, תשית שונאי לפני לחלקים, [(שם ס ח) אחלקה שכם, (הושע ו ט) דרך ירצחו שכמה, איש חלקו], (צפניה ג ט) לעבדו שכם אחד: |
| which I took from the hand of the Amorite: From the hand of Esau, who behaved like an Amorite (Gen. Rabbah 97:6). Another explanation [of why Esau is called אמֹרִי]: who deceived his father with the sayings (אִמְרֵי) of his mouth. |
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אשר לקחתי מיד האמורי: מיד עשו שעשה מעשה אמורי. דבר אחר שהיה צד אביו באמרי פיו: |
| with my sword and with my bow: I.e., his cleverness and his prayer. |
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בחרבי ובקשתי: היא חכמתו ותפלתו: |
