Learn Now Timely Torah Insights by Baruch Bodenheim Associate

Vayechi A Proper Source for Blessing

This issue is dedicated by Mr. & Mrs. Hersel and Afsaneh Benji L’Iluy Nishmat his mother, Khanom bat Meir a”h (Yahrzeit, 15th of Teves)

My father-in-law, Rabbi Singer, attended one of the first Torah Umesorah conventions for day school principals. They had a major challenge. Many of the children came from homes that were not Torah observant. Those students knew very little, yet the learning curriculum was at a high standard, including in-depth meforshim (commentary) on the Gemara. The principals felt this was way too much to expect from the students and wanted to simplify the curriculum. Many great Torah leaders spoke at the dinner, but all awaited the words of the generation’s leader, Hagaon Moshe Feinstein. Rav Feinstein opened by stating that the bracha that parents give their sons at the beginning of Shabbos is based on Yaakov blessing Ephraim and Menashe: “With you, Israel will bless, saying, 'May G-d make you like Ephraim and like Menashe.'”1 This is why we bless our sons with those same words.2 Rav Moshe then raised his voice and asked, “Why not like Reuven, Yehuda, Yissachar or any of the other children of Yaakov? What was so unique about Ephraim and Menashe?” Rav Moshe answered it was because Ephraim and Menashe reached the highest level of Torah learning. Yaakov had taught all the complexity and secrets of Torah to Yosef, who then taught all of this Torah to Ephraim and Menashe. The blessing we give all our children is to reach the highest level of Torah learning. Sometimes the child can't get there, but success can only be achieved if we strive for the highest level. Therefore, said Rav Moshe, the curriculum must be on a high level no matter what. The principals took in the message and felt comforted in continuing their policy. An alternate explanation for using Ephraim and Menashe for blessing is offered by the Dinover Rebbe3. Menashe was the older son, but Yaakov blessed Ephraim first as he felt he was more deserving of the blessing. Menashe did not gripe, complain, or protest, nor did Ephraim gloat or act haughty over Menashe. Both brothers accepted Yaakov's decision and maintained brotherly love for each other. From the beginning of time, there was sibling rivalry: Kayin and Hevel, Yitzchak and Yishmael, Yaakov and Eisav, and Yosef and his brothers. But Ephraim and Menashe were exemplary in maintaining their brotherly love without jealousy. For this reason, we bless our children to have this love, care, and unity with their siblings. Another reason offered is that Ephraim and Menashe maintained their high level in Torah and mitzvos while living in Egyptian exile. Yaakov was blessing klal yisrael that they too should succeed in maintaining their life of Torah and mitzvos even when living among foreign nations. I would like to suggest yet another explanation. Usually, each succeeding generation is a bit lower in Torah knowledge than prior generations. Ephraim and Menashe were different. Even though they were the grandchildren of Yaakov, they reached the same level as their uncles - the shevatim. There was no decline in their generation. Yaakov made clear that Ephraim and Menashe were equivalent in Torah level to their uncles, Yaakov’s children. Thus in blessing our children with reference to Ephraim and Menashe, we are wishing that they remain at the same powerful level of Torah learning as their ancestors and not decline.4 People love to receive brachos (blessings) from Tzaddikim. But how do brachos work? Can I really give someone a blessing and it will come to fruition? Rav Yerucham Levovitz5 notes that brachos are not magic; they can only come to fruition if the individual is deserving or suited for that blessing. There are different approaches to offering brachos. The Chofetz Chaim would tell people who would ask him for brachos, “The Torah is the source of all blessing. If you learn Torah, you will receive bracha.” Other Tzaddikim give brachos freely, since a Tzaddik has a close connection to Hashem, the Source of bracha, and by giving a bracha he is sharing Hashem’s blessing with others. When Yaakov told Ephraim and Menashe, “With you, Israel will bless….,” Yaakov was giving all parents a special ability to shower their children with blessing. This past week was the Yahrzeit of my paternal grandfather, Mr. Helmut Bodenheim, Naftali ben Avraham z”l. He was born and raised in Manheim, Germany and was fortunate to receive a visa to immigrate to America in 1938. As a single young man on his own in New York, he had many challenges to remain steadfast in his commitment to Torah and Mitzvos, yet he never wavered. He was a man of truth. He held onto his family's German minhagim, which we still follow. I vividly remember the brachos I received from him.

1 Vayechi 28:20 2 Rashi 48:20 3 Agrah Dkallah Vayechi 4 Afterwards I found this explanation brought from Rabbi Shlomo Bloch in Sefer Mishulchan Govoha 5 Daas Torah Vayechi 48:13 May all the Torah and mitzvos of my family be a merit for his neshama and I daven that I can effectively pass on to my children and grandchildren, the bracha that my grandfather gave to me.

Halacha in the Parsha – Parshas Vayechi by Rabbi Moshe Silverstein Maggid Shiur, Yeshiva Ner Boruch-PTI

The end of the parsha describes how Yosef lived a long life Hillel clarifies, however, that the minhag only precludes and merited to see his great-grandchildren “born on his one father from awarding the honor to the same person knees”1. Targum Yonason2 translates this to mean that twice, but one is allowed to give the honor to someone Yosef served as the mohel or sandek when each of them had who already performed the for someone else. a bris. This is one of the sources for the significance of Yad Shaul12 on Shulchan Aruch was asked how Yosef could holding the baby during the bris milah. The GR”A3 suggests have served as sandek for all of his great grandchildren, a different source from the Medrash4 that describes how which presumably included multiple children of the same Dovid Hamelech expressed that he uses all of his body father, if the minhag is not to give the honor to the same parts in the performance of mitzvos, concluding that he person twice. It seems from this that the minhag does not uses his knees to hold the babies as he serves as sandek stop one from awarding the honor multiple times to a during their bris. Finally, Rav Yaakov Emden5 quotes from grandfather. This can be explained as follows: a Medrash that says that Hashem Himself served as sandek Noda B’Yehuda13 gives a different explanation for the at Avraham Avinu’s bris. minhag. He suggests that it is based on a halacha14 that one Sefer Ta’amei Haminhagim6 quotes from Rav Tzvi should not give all of his terumah and other matnos kahuna Elimelech of Dinov who explains based on the Zohar that to the same . Similarly, he should not bestow the honor of being sandek multiple times to the same person. If – סניגור נעשה דין קטיגור is an acronym for סנדק the word “the defense triumphs over the prosecution”, meaning that this is the reason, then Yad Shaul says that there should be bris milah serves as a protection against the Satan, whose a built in exception. One is allowed to give all of his job it is to accuse. Similar in meaning but different in terumah to the same Kohen if the Kohen is a special etymology, Beis Hillel7 on Shulchan Aruch quotes from the acquaintance, known as Makirei Kehuna15. He says that Aruch, who says that it is a Greek and Roman word, Chacham Tzvi writes that the exception certainly applies to meaning protector or advocate. allow one to give exclusively to one’s relatives. Therefore, Based on the above cited sources for the mitzvah of if the basis for not allowing to give the honor of being sandeka’os, which indicate the prominence of the sandek to the same person twice is patterned after the individuals who were awarded the honor to hold the baby, rules of giving the matnos kahuna to the Kohen, then one namely Yosef, Dovid Hamelech, and even Hashem, as well as would be allowed to honor one’s grandfather, or any the meaning of the word itself, it is clear that the relative, multiple times. This would explain how Yosef performance of this mitzvah is one of great distinction. served as sandek at the bris of all of his great- Indeed, Rema8 says that one should seek after the grandchildren. opportunity to perform this mitzvah, and he quotes from However, even according to the Maharil’s explanation of the Maharil9 that the sandek comes even before the mohel the minhag, according to which there should be no in terms of precedence for being called to the Torah. difference between relatives and anyone else, there may Maharil explains (based on the Medrash10 ) that the knees not really be a question because, as Yad Shaul points out, of the sandek are likened to the mizbeach, and the sandek the Targum Yonason, with which we began, can be is considered as one who performs the mitzvah of ketores, understood as saying that Yosef was the mohel, not the burning the incense on the mizbeach. Since serving as sandek. sandek is compared to burning ketores, the Maharil continues, the minhag is not to award this honor more 1 בראשית נ:כ״ג 11 תרגום יונתן בן עוזיאל בראשית נ:כ״ג ופירוש יונתן שם than once to the same person: The gemara records that 2 ביאור הגר״א יו״ד ס׳ רס״ה ס״ק מ״ד no one person ever performed the burning of the incense 3 מדרש תהלים מזמור לה, ילקוט שמעוני תהלים ס׳ תשכ״ג twice. The gemara explains that the performance of this 4 סידור יעב״ץ בירת מגדל עז בריכה עליונה הנחל תשיעי 5 ספר טעמי המנהגים עניני מילה תתקכ״ב specific avodah comes with a blessing of wealth. Therefore, 6 בית הלל יו״ד ס׳ רס״ה על רמ״א שם in order to give all the Kohanim the opportunity to receive 7 הגהות יו״ד ס׳ רס״ה סע׳ י״א this bracha, they did not allow anyone who had previously 8 ספר מהריל תחילת הלכות מילה 9 מדרש רבה לך לך פרשה מ״ז אות ז done this avodah to have a second chance. Similarly, since 10 יומא כ״ו ע״א a sandek, who is considered to be burning ketores, also 11 הגהות יד שאול יו״ד ס׳ רס״ה סע׳ י״א receives this special bracha, one should not award this 12 שו״ת נודע ביהודה יו״ד ס׳ פ״ו 13 עירובין סג ע"א honor more than once to the same individual in order to 14 גיטין ל ע"א give others the opportunity to receive the bracha. Beis 15

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