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Chapter 48;v.15
טו וַיְבָרֶךְ אֶת־יוֹסֵף וַיֹּאמַר הָֽאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר הִתְהַלְּכוּ אֲבֹתַי לְפָנָיו אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק הָֽאֱלֹהִים הָֽרֹעֶה אֹתִי מֵֽעוֹדִי עַד־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּֽה
- And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long to this day,
The blessing that follows was actually addressed not to Joseph but only to his two sons. Why, then, does Scripture say that Jacob blessed Joseph?
This shows us that there is no greater blessing for a father than the wish that his children should take after him and become good people. Hence, Jacob’s blessing to Manasseh and Ephraim that “The angel who has redeemed me from all evil should bless the lads and let my name be named in them and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac” (verse 16) is the greatest blessing that Joseph, their father, could possibly have received.(Shelah HaKadosh)
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Chapter 48;v.22
וַֽאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ שְׁכֶם אַחַד עַל־אַחֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר לָקַחְתִּי מִיַּד הָֽאֱמֹרִי בְּחַרְבִּי וּבְקַשְׁתִּֽי
And I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
וַאֲנָא יְהָבִית לָךְ חוּלַק חַד יַתִּיר עַל אָחָךְ דִּי נְסִיבִית מִידָא דֶאֱמוֹרָאָה בִּצְלוֹתִי וּבְבָעוּתִי (אונקלוס, בראשית (מח:כב)
“…which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my prayer and with my will.” -Onkelos
Why is the ‘bow” likened to prayer? Just as the more one tightens the bow, the further the arrow flies, likewise the more one applies his mind to his prayer with true devotion, the further and higher can it soar into the heavens.