A Four-Sided Blessing

In the fifth section of the Torah portion of Vayechi, Jacob's blessings to four of his sons are grouped together: "A troop marches forth from the tribe of Gad... The tribe of Asher will be a wellspring of olive oil... Naftali is a swift gazelle... Joseph, a robust grape vine by the spring…" All four blessings demonstrate vitality and initiative.

Gad was blessed to serve as the frontline force in conquering the Holy Land. Asher was blessed to be like a wellspring, bursting forth with abundance. Naftali was blessed with alacrity and swiftness. And Joseph — the man who saved a civilization — was blessed to succeed above and beyond his already-remarkable accomplishments.

These blessings, expressed on all four levels of creation — mankind, animals, plants, and innanimate — culminate with Joseph's blessing. Displaying constant, perpetual growth, plant life best illustrates the trait of vitality.