Shabbos Parashas Vayechi - 5779

Shabbos Parashas Vayechi - 5779

Rabbi Hal Miller

But Israel extended his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, though he was the younger

and his left hand on Menashe's head. He maneuvered his hands, for Menashe was the

firstborn. [Bereishis 48:14]

The Kli Yakar reviews, "Yishmael was the firstborn and Yitzchak was chosen, Esav was the

firstborn and Yaakov was chosen, Reuven was the firstborn and Yosef was chosen, Menashe

was the firstborn and Ephraim was chosen." Rav Hirsch extends this back further: "Hevel was

chosen over Kayin. With Shem, Cham, and Yefes we are not told who was the firstborn, but it

appears that it was not Shem. Moshe was chosen even though he was the younger brother,

and the same was true for David (and Shlomo). In the end, the firstborn were replaced by the

Levites."

In many instances we see the privileges of the firstborn revoked and placed upon a later child.

Each of those instances seems to have a logical explanation where the elder was somehow not

qualified for the leadership position. Why here does Menashe lose out to his younger brother?

Was Menashe unqualified? We know that Menashe was the primary assistant to his father Yosef

in administering Egypt. He was well-known and respected in the court of Pharaoh. He did what

he was told, and apparently much more than that, as he was entrusted with such high level

matters of state, including Yosef's handling of his brothers when they first came to Egypt.

Most commentators point to the future. Radak, for example, writes, "Ephraim will become so

numerous until people will refer to his descendants as a nation. Menashe will also develop into

becoming very numerous, however his younger brother will become even more numerous." But

we must wonder, does the firstborn status get lost because another son has more descendants?

Malbim says that the boys were different qualitatively, in that Ephraim's descendants will be

greater in spiritual achievement. But we know that, although Yehoshua descended from Ephraim,

many great leaders and scholars descended from Menashe as well,, such as Gideon and the

daughters of Tzelophechad.

Talelei Oros writes, "Yaakov placed his right hand on Ephraim's head and his left on Menashe's

for while Ephraim spent his time studying Torah with his grandfather, Menashe managed Yosef's

household and tended to national affairs. Later, the Torah [28:20] tells us that he 'placed Ephraim

before Menashe', thus informing us that those who study the Torah take precedence over those

who support it." This seems to make sense, but how about Zevulun and Yissachar who formed a

team?

Further, there are points in the future where we might conclude exactly the opposite. When the

tribes of Gad and Reuven desired to settle in the TransJordan, Moshe made Menashe a bridge,

connecting the nation across the river. The descendants of Ephraim rebelled against King David.

Kol Dodi (Rav Dovid Feinstein) reminds us that Menashe and Ephraim were elevated to tribal

status, equivalent to their uncles and in place of their father. No others of Yaakov's grandchildren

merited such an elevation. This alone proves that the comparisons with the other replaced

firstborn sons are not relevant here. Menashe was clearly considered great as well. In fact since

they were raised outside of Yaakov's direct influence yet still became tzaddikim proved to Yaakov

that his legacy would live through them.

So what happened? Why did Menashe get shorted? Clearly, Yaakov did not reject Menashe,

rather he added something to Ephraim. The double-portion of a firstborn of Yosef was not

impacted. Yosef being Yaakov's selected firstborn, meant that Menashe in effect became the

firstborn of Yaakov as far as property inheritance, but that isn't what is at issue here. Both boys

received appropriate inheritance with their uncles.

Meshech Chochmah notes that had Yaakov put his right hand on Menashe, it would have

looked "normal". Rather, by crossing his hands, he made the two combined into a single unit,

which then was elevated to the level of their uncles as equals. By this explanation, the entire

episode has nothing to do with firstborn status, and Menashe in fact did not lose out.