Although few of us would say that Yaakov led an easy or ideal life, most of us would agree that Yaakov’s death is as “ideal” as any of us could hope for when the time comes for our own inevitable demise: at a ripe old age, surrounded by family, with the mindfulness to remember the length and width of our lives, and the opportunity to bless all our children.

Yaakov’s final act of blessing his children, in fact, has become the model for blessing our own (male) children each Friday night:

“By thee shall Yisrael bless, saying: God make thee as Ephraim and Menashe…”

(Genesis 48:20)

[We've extended Yaakov's hands of blessings to our daughters as well, saying: "God make thee as Sara, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah…"].

And like Yaakov, who blesses his children with the name “Yisrael”, we too must bless our children with Yisrael: as individual manifestations of the totality of Clal Yisrael, as ambassadors of Midinat Yisrael, as keepers and tillers of Eretz Yisrael, as guardians of the tradition of Torat Yisrael.

Yaacov earned his name Yisrael in the struggle with God and Man: “Thy name shall be called no more Yaakov, but Israel, for thou hast struggled with God and with men and prevailed.” (Genesis 32:28) Rather than the masoretic “שָׂרִיתָ” with letter sin (”sarita“)- you struggled, read it with the letter shin: “שָׁרִיתָ” - (”sharita“)you were straight. In other words, being Yisrael means struggling to be “ישָׁר אל” - Yashar -El, straight and honest with God, striving for Truth. I would suggest that Yaakov/Yisrael learns that being straight with God entails struggling to be straight, honest, and truthful in his relations with others and with himself. We too, the People of Yisrael in the Land of Yisrael, must earn the name Yisrael by the successful struggle to be honest with ourselves and with our neighbors, and so with our God

Yaacov’s early life was full of struggle, deception and trickery. His death as Yisrael is peaceful, straightforward, and brutally honest. What Yaacov/Yisrael remembers and records in the ‘moment of truth’ on his deathbed is the actuality we live with today:

On the one hand: the longing for the land of the forefathers, a land of our own, where God was encountered and the promise given that the land will be assigned to the children of Israel as an everlasting possession (Gen 48:3-4; 49:29-32).

On the other hand: that transgressions and unnecessary violence in securing that land are unacceptable, never to be forgotten or washed away. Recalling the murder of the men of Schem, he says of Shimon and Levi,

“Their weapons are tools of lawlessness. Let not my person be included in their council, Let not my being be counted in their assembly. For when angry they slay men, and when pleased they maim oxen. Cursed be their anger so fierce, and their wrath so relentless…”

(Genesis 49: 5-7)

Rather, may we live to see our children fulfill the blessings of Yisrael that we today bestow on their heads each Shabbat evening:

“God make thee as Ephraim and Menashe, as Sara, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah: …May Hashem bless you and keep you…and grant you peace.”

Recent Articles by Rabbi Michael J. Schwartz

• Huqqat: Human Rights and the Purification of Society - June 22nd, 2007
• Vayhi: Transgressions and unnecessary violence in securing the land are unacceptable - January 5th, 2007
• Bereshit: The ideal of Creation which is our responsibility to maintain - October 19th, 2006
• Shofetim: Human Rights as the secret of Jewish existence - August 25th, 2006
• Rabbi Michael J. Schwartz - June 24th, 2006

Categories: Bereshit / Genesis, Vayhi
Tags: Bo, ease, human rights, palestinians, peace, peaceful, settlers, truth