In this week’s perasha, we have the beautiful blessing that we give our children.
בְּךָ֗ יְבָרֵ֤ךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יְשִֽׂמְךָ֣ אֱלֹהִ֔ים כְּאֶפְרַ֖יִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁ֑ה
God should place the children like Ephraim and Menashe.
What's special about Ephraim and Menashe more than Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov, more than the Shevatim? There are different explanations given, one of being that Ephraim and Menashe were born in Galut and survived.
The explanation I'd like to share is that Ephraim was placed before Menashe, even though Menashe was the older brother. There the was more respect given to the younger brother than the older brother, which should have cause strife between them. It would seem to be a repeat mistake of Yosef and the brothers, yet Ephraim and Menashe get along very nicely. Ephraim and Menashe each know their place. One of them was raised by Yaakov Avinu, and brought closer and Menashe was with his father. This beautiful brotherhood, lacking in arrogance or jealousy is what we bless our children with.
Where did Ephraim and Menashe get this from? The answer, as in all lessons, is that the best lesson is a role model. Their father Yosef was the role model that gave them the understanding of how to live with sibling rivalry challenges. Look how Yosef reacted when his brothers come to excuse themselves!
Yosef comforted them, “Don't worry, it wasn't you… God sent me here. Everything ended up for the good… I was sent here to set up the economy for everybody…God thought it for good, you thought it for bad, but you can't do any bad because ultimately God is only trying to do good.”
Yosef gave his brothers words of comfort. Throughout the entire saga, Yosef saw that he was gaining and growing from his experience, and understood that at the end of the day he grew higher than his brothers.
How?
Rav Erlanger says a beautiful thought. It says that the moment that Yosef was thrown to the pit, and when he overcame the Yetzer Hara of his boss's wife, his picture was put on the Kiseh Hakavod. The Kiseh Hakavod has a lion and an ox. The ox symbolizes Yosef, who was called an ox. Yosef graduated to this higher level of his picture being on the Kiseh Hakavod. One would think at that moment angels would come down from the heavens and bring him up. But no, he was thrown to a pit and he overcame that challenge and continued to grow. That's why Yosef was elevated above all the brothers. It says Yosef is considered a shepherd like Avraham Yitzhak and Yaakov.
Yosef HaSadik is called אבן Even/Rock
Rashi says Evenאבן is a contraction of אב Av and בן Ben. Yosef was both a father and a son. He was the conduit between the Avot and the tribes. His stone on the Choshen Mishpat/ the 12 Stones, was the same stone that was on the Kohen Gadol's shoulder pads. Because Yosef was a son, along with all the other tribes on the breastplate. But also, everyone was counting on him. And he realized that he grew from his challenges. With his Bitachon and Emuna, he passed all his tests. He did it by living it, and not just talking it; by forgiving his brothers and not taking any revenge, and going to the end with the attitude that everything was only for the good and I only grew from these experiences…
That's why Efraim and Menashe were able to take the hit, so to say, and not be jealous or arrogant, and get along- even though each one had their own position (which is the secret to the way to overcome these things(.
Menashe had his job, Efraim had his job. One was with Yosef, one was with the Yaakov. Both are needed. Yosef, the role model produced the children that until the end of time, we bless our children, that they should have that same understanding and be able to see one brother doing better than the other brother seemingly, and continue to get along. That's the blessing of Yesimcha Elokim, and this beautiful blessing is in this week's Parasha, that Ephraim and Menashe learned from the role model their father.
Have a Shabbat Shalom.