Genesis Rabbah 97

¹“He blessed Joseph and said: The God before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, walked, the God who has shepherded me from my beginnings until this day” (Genesis 48:15). “Fear the Lord, His holy ones” (Psalms 34:10) – Rabbi Azarya said: When Jacob our patriarch blessed Joseph, [Joseph] went out and his face was glowing. The tribes were saying: ‘Everyone associates with the one who is successful. Because he is king – one stands with the one who is successful.’ Jacob our patriarch said to them: “Fear the Lord, His holy ones [for there is no lack in those who fear Him].” ²“He blessed Joseph and said” – Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish: Rabbi Yoḥanan said: [This is analogous] to a shepherd who was standing and looking at his flock. Reish Lakish said: [It is analogous] to a king walking, with the elders before him. According to the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan, we need His glory. According to the opinion of Reish Lakish, He needs our glory. ³“May the angel who redeems me from all evil bless the lads, and let my name and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, be called upon them, and may they proliferate like fish in the midst of the land” (Genesis 48:16). “May the angel who redeems me from all evil…” – Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta said: Sustenance is twice as difficult as childbirth. Regarding childbirth it is written: “In pain [ be’etzev ] you will bear children” (Genesis 3:16). Regarding sustenance it is written: “With pain [ be’itzavon ] as the plural of be’etzev . you will eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17). Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: Rabbi Elazar said: Redemption is juxtaposed to sustenance, and sustenance is juxtaposed to redemption. Just as redemption is double, so too, sustenance is double. Just as sustenance is [provided] every day, so too, redemption [occurs] every day. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: It is greater than redemption, as redemption is by means of an angel and sustenance is by means of the Holy One blessed be He. Redemption is by means of an angel – “may the angel who redeems me”; and sustenance is by means of the Holy One blessed be He – “You open Your hand and satisfy everything living” (Psalms 145:16). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A person’s sustenance is as difficult as the splitting of the Res Sea, as it is stated: “Who split apart the Red Sea” (Psalms 136:13), and it is written there: “He gives food to all flesh” (Psalms 136:25). “May…bless the lads” – this is Joshua and Gideon. That is what is written: “It was when Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, a man was standing opposite him.… He said: No, for I am commander of the host of the Lord; now I have come” (Joshua 5:13–14). Rabbi Yehoshua in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina bar Yitzḥak: He cried out from his toenails. ; Etz Yosef ). “He said…I am commander of the host of the Lord” – everywhere that I am seen, the Holy One blessed be He is seen. This is a sign: Everywhere that Rabbi Yosei Arokh was seen, Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] would be seen. “Now I have come” – ‘I came to Moses your master; however, he prayed: “If Your presence does not go, [do not take us up from here]” (Exodus 33:15). I cannot ascend on High, because I have not yet carried out my mission. I cannot remain below, as he was still praying and saying: “If Your presence does not go [do not take us up from here].” Just make certain that you do not do what Moses your master did to me and rejected me.’ “May they proliferate like fish in the midst of the land” – just as the eye does not have dominion over the fish, so, the [evil] eye will have no dominion over your descendants. That is what is written: “The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, [saying: Why did you give me an inheritance of one lot and one portion; and I am a numerous people, as the Lord has blessed me up to now?]” (Joshua 17:14). He said to them: ‘Are you not concerned about the [evil] eye?’ They said to him: ‘This is the blessing that our ancestor blessed us: “May they proliferate like fish in the midst of the land.”’ Just as fish are caught only by their throat, so, your descendants will be caught only by their throat – “They would say to him: Now say: Shibolet , and he would say: Sibolet ” (Judges 12:6). Just as fish grow in water, but when a single drop falls from above they receive it thirstily like one who never tasted the taste of water in all their days, so it is with Israel, they grow in water, in Torah, but when they hear a novel matter of Torah, they receive it thirstily like one who has never heard a matter of Torah in all their days. Rabbi Levi said: The Israelite women conceived six hundred thousand babies in one night, and they were all cast into the Nile; but they ascended by Moses’s merit. That is what Moses says: “Six hundred thousand men on foot [ ragli ] is the people that I am in their midst” (Numbers 11:21) – all of them ascended by my merit [ leragli ]. Rabbi Zakkai Rabba cited it from here: “May they proliferate like fish in the midst of the land” – just as in the midst of the land they were six hundred thousand, so, in the milieu of the fish they were six hundred thousand. Just as in the midst of the land they did not die, so in the milieu of the fish they did not die. One whose name is like the name of fish, means fish in Aramaic, and Joshua the son of Nun led the Israelites into the Land of Israel. his son will take them into the Land of Israel: “Nun his son, Joshua his son” (I Chronicles 7:27). ⁴“Joseph saw that his father was placing his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, and it displeased him; he supported his father’s hand, to remove it from the head of Ephraim to the head of Manasseh” (Genesis 48:17). “Joseph saw that his father was placing…” – Rabbi Berekhya said: The hand that overcame one-third of the world, 68:12. you are seeking to move it? “Joseph said to his father: Not so, my father, as this is the firstborn; place your right hand upon his head. His father refused, and said: I know, my son, I know; he too will become a people, and he too will be great; however, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will be the plenitude of nations” (Genesis 48:18–19). “Joseph said to his father: Not so, my father.… His father refused, and said: I know, my son, I know” – I know the incident of Reuben and Bilha and the incident of Judah and Tamar; ). if matters that were not revealed to you were revealed to me, matters that were revealed to you, all the more so. “He too will become a people, and he too will be great” – is it possible that it will be so? Rather, this is Joshua, who stopped the orb of the sun and the moon, which have dominion from one end of the world to the other end. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Bad slave, are you not the purchase of my father… 84:11). ⁵“He blessed them that day, saying: By you shall Israel bless, saying: May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh; and he placed Ephraim before Manasseh” (Genesis 48:20). “He blessed them that day” – just as he placed him first here, so he placed him first everywhere. He placed him first regarding generations: These are the generations of the sons of Ephraim and then these are the generations of the sons of Manasseh. Maharzu). Regarding lineage: “For the children of Ephraim, their descendants, by their families” (Numbers 1:32). He placed him first regarding inheritance: “This is the inheritance of the sons of Ephraim” (see Joshua 16:8) and then, this is the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh. He placed him first in the banners: “The banner of the camp of Ephraim” (Numbers 2:18) and then, “with it is the tribe of Manasseh” (Numbers 2:20). He placed him first regarding the princes: “On the seventh day, the prince for the sons of Ephraim” (Numbers 7:48) and then, “on the eighth day, the prince for the sons of Manasseh” (Numbers 2:54). He placed him first regarding judges: Joshua from Ephraim and Gideon from Manasseh. He placed him first regarding kings: Yerovam from Ephraim and Yehu from Manasseh. He placed him first regarding blessing: “May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.” He placed him first regarding blessing: “He placed Ephraim before Manasseh.” ⁶“Israel said to Joseph: Behold, I am dying, and God will be with you, and He will restore you to the land of your fathers” (Genesis 48:21). “Israel said to Joseph: Behold, I [ anokhi ] am dying, and God will be with you, and He will restore…” – the son of Rabbi Yosei’s brother [said]: The elder gave them three signs: One who comes [to redeem] with the term anokhi , who will appoint elders from among you, and will say to you pakod , he is the redeemer. Rabbi Ḥunya removes anokhi , and inserts the ineffable Name in its place. “And I have given to you one portion [ shekhem ] beyond your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Emorite with my sword and with my bow” (Genesis 48:22). “And I have given to you” a son who was vigilant [ shehishkim ], and you did not act in accordance with their actions; therefore, the portion will be in your territory. 102a). Alternatively, he did not act as did Shekhem, who raped Dina (Genesis 34:2). Joseph refrained from acting on his desires even when approached by the wife of Potifar ( Matnot Kehuna ). Rabbi Pinḥas said: In Shekhem there was breach in the area of licentiousness, and you repaired it; therefore, it will be in your portion. Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya: Rabbi Yehuda said: “I have given to you [one] shekhem ” – this is the birthright and the garment of Adam the first man. “Which I took from the hand of the Emorite” – this is Esau. Was Esau, in fact, an Emorite? It is, rather, that he performed the actions of the Emorite. “With my sword and with my bow” – with mitzvot and good deeds. Rabbi Neḥemya said: “I have given to you one shekhem ” – this is literally [the city of] Shekhem. “Which I took from the hand of the Emorite” – this is Ḥamor father of Shekhem. Was he, in fact, an Emorite? It is that the Hivite are included in the Emorite. ). “With my sword and with my bow” – Jacob did not want his sons to perform that act. 80:10. But when…