16 Tevet 5773 / 8-29
December 2012
Torah Reading: Genesis 47:28 - 50:26
Haftarah: 1 Kings
2:1-12
Please feel free to
pass this on, and please cite the
source.
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How
and Why to Bless the Children
And (Jacob, aka Israel) blessed them that
day, saying, "In you shall Israel bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim
and Menashe'" ... Genesis 48:20
This is the beginning of the blessing
over sons. For both sons and daughters, the rest of the blessing is the same -
the threefold blessing of the Kohanim. Why do we start the blessing of the sons
this way? What's so special about Joseph's sons? Indeed, the blessing for
daughters starts out, "May God make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah."
Why not bless sons with "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob"?
The Yalkut Yehudah
addresses this, in part. He says that Jacob was a prophet who foresaw the exile
of his descendants. He knew that their Jewishness was endangered. Therefore, he
said that sons should be blessed to be like Ephraim and Menashe - the first
Jewish men who were born, raised and educated in exile (Egypt), in spite of
which, they remained faithful Jews (Jacob says, "Like Reuben and Simeon, they
shall be mine." - Gen. 48:5) And here we are today, keeping the faith, though we
are born, raised and educated outside of the Land of Israel.
But what
about daughters? Why are they blessed in the names of the four ancestral
mothers? I believe it has to do with two points. First, they also were born
outside the Land of Israel, in Haran. Second, Jewish tradition teaches that
mothers are the ones who instill religious practice and belief in children,
because they are their first teachers. The Midrash teaches that it was the women
who kept the men's spirits up during the days of slavery in Egypt. Finally,
according to tradition, it is the women who maintain the Jewishness of the home,
particularly with regard to kashrut and Shabbat observance (e.g., Sarah was the
first to kindle Shabbat lights). So our daughters are blessed in the names of
the Matriarchs.
Of course, all of this is irrelevant - unless you make it
a regular practice to bless your children on Shabbat and Yom Tov evenings.
Whether you are like Ephraim and Menashe, or like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and
Leah, bless your children tonight - keep the faith, baby!
Shabbat
Shalom.
Rabbi Richard A. Flom - ZSRS '00
Blogging at: rav-rich.blogspot.com/
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Facebook
"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of
Jerusalem I will not be still." Isaiah 62:1
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Candle
lighting: 4:34 PM
Lunch
and Learn is an ongoing program of Bet Midrash Shalom that meets most Tuesdays
to discuss Jewish texts and other topics of Jewish interest. It is open to all
regardless of affiliation. Next meeting is Tuesday, January 8, 12:00 noon, at
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NOT BRING ANY FOOD UNLESS IT IS IN ITS ORIGINAL SEALED CONTAINER AND BEARING A
HEKHSHER AS DAIRY OR PAREVE.
Wishing
everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful secular new year.
This
d’var torah is offered in honor of my wonderful, loving wife, Lynn Kronzek, on
the occasion of our 32nd wedding anniversary. Through her am I
blessed. Happy Anniversary, my dear!
Refuah
Shleimah: Connie Axelson, President George H W Bush, Bobbie Chasen, Selby
Horowitz, Pamela Huddleston, Sara Lanxner, Emily Levin, Frank Markowitz,
Yitzchak Simcha ben Bayla, Herman Rassp, Helen Reiter, Len Reiter, Adin Ring,
Gil Robbins, Rachel Robbins, Judith Sakurai, Helen Tomsky, Betty Varon and
Seymour Waterman.
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