Chasidut על מגילה 26:4
Kedushat Levi
Genesis 48,20. “He blessed them on that day, saying: may G’d make you like Ephrayim and Menashe; he positioned Ephrayim (the younger) in front of Menashe.”
Before commenting on this verse, let us first explain a puzzling passage in the Talmud Megillah, 15. The Talmud invites the reader to note that G’d’s way of doing (relating to) things is radically different from the way human beings do (relate to) things. A human being is in the habit of putting the pot on the stove before pouring water into it, whereas G’d first pours water into it before putting it on the stove to boil. The Talmud “illustrates” this by quoting Jeremiah 10,13 לקול תתו המון מים בשמים, “when He makes His voice heard there is rumbling of water in the heavens.” We have explained this in connection with Exodus 15,26 כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך כי אני ה' רופאך, “all the diseases that I brought upon Egypt I will not bring upon you, for I am the Lord your Healer.” We derive the rule that G’d arranges for the recovery before He brings on the plague from the above verse, where G’d describes Himself as our Healer prior to our having been smitten with any disease. When G’d brings on troubles to “good” Jews, the reason is only in order to make the victim aware of Who it is Who orchestrates his being saved from the consequences of disease or other troubles. Our author understands the word מחלה as an activity, not a state of being passively sick, as is the customary translation [The first letter מ is indicative of the person or cause who brings on the disease. Ed.] In other words, G’d is saying that the חולי, disease, that He brought upon the Egyptians, He will not bring upon the Israelites as even if the Israelites were to be struck by disease, the purpose would be a constructive one, namely to teach them Who will save them. In order for man, especially the Jewish man, to become a vessel fit to benefit fully from G’d’s kindness, largesse, etc., this vessel first has to undergo preparatory stages. Just as if one wants to convert a small vessel into a big vessel one first has to break up the small vessel, so G’d, in order to achieve the proper influence on the human being He desires to elevate, i.e. to make a “bigger” human being out of him, has to afflict him first with חולי, a disease, or its equivalent. In the above quoted parable with the pot and the water to be boiled in it, the disease is called “the pot,“ and the “water” represents the deeds of loving kindness bestowed on the individual or community by G’d. In other words, G’d first supplies the materials that will refine the human beings, and only then will He bestow the gifts testifying to His loving kindness, when the recipient will not let those gifts go to waste. The result will be a more mature and insightful personality.
The foregoing introduction will help the reader understand that the Torah writing that Yaakov placed Ephrayim, although the younger brother, in front of his older brother Menashe, was not another example of Yaakov showing preference for one of his grandchildren at the expense of the other grandchild, as he had done once when he showed preference for his son Joseph with almost tragic and irreversible consequences. There was no need for the Torah to repeat this aspect, as it had already told us that Yaakov had been adamant in placing his right hand on Ephrayim, the younger of the brothers in verses 13-15. The Torah uses the “names” of the two sons of Joseph to illustrate the point made in the parable in the Talmud in Megillah 15.
Before commenting on this verse, let us first explain a puzzling passage in the Talmud Megillah, 15. The Talmud invites the reader to note that G’d’s way of doing (relating to) things is radically different from the way human beings do (relate to) things. A human being is in the habit of putting the pot on the stove before pouring water into it, whereas G’d first pours water into it before putting it on the stove to boil. The Talmud “illustrates” this by quoting Jeremiah 10,13 לקול תתו המון מים בשמים, “when He makes His voice heard there is rumbling of water in the heavens.” We have explained this in connection with Exodus 15,26 כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך כי אני ה' רופאך, “all the diseases that I brought upon Egypt I will not bring upon you, for I am the Lord your Healer.” We derive the rule that G’d arranges for the recovery before He brings on the plague from the above verse, where G’d describes Himself as our Healer prior to our having been smitten with any disease. When G’d brings on troubles to “good” Jews, the reason is only in order to make the victim aware of Who it is Who orchestrates his being saved from the consequences of disease or other troubles. Our author understands the word מחלה as an activity, not a state of being passively sick, as is the customary translation [The first letter מ is indicative of the person or cause who brings on the disease. Ed.] In other words, G’d is saying that the חולי, disease, that He brought upon the Egyptians, He will not bring upon the Israelites as even if the Israelites were to be struck by disease, the purpose would be a constructive one, namely to teach them Who will save them. In order for man, especially the Jewish man, to become a vessel fit to benefit fully from G’d’s kindness, largesse, etc., this vessel first has to undergo preparatory stages. Just as if one wants to convert a small vessel into a big vessel one first has to break up the small vessel, so G’d, in order to achieve the proper influence on the human being He desires to elevate, i.e. to make a “bigger” human being out of him, has to afflict him first with חולי, a disease, or its equivalent. In the above quoted parable with the pot and the water to be boiled in it, the disease is called “the pot,“ and the “water” represents the deeds of loving kindness bestowed on the individual or community by G’d. In other words, G’d first supplies the materials that will refine the human beings, and only then will He bestow the gifts testifying to His loving kindness, when the recipient will not let those gifts go to waste. The result will be a more mature and insightful personality.
The foregoing introduction will help the reader understand that the Torah writing that Yaakov placed Ephrayim, although the younger brother, in front of his older brother Menashe, was not another example of Yaakov showing preference for one of his grandchildren at the expense of the other grandchild, as he had done once when he showed preference for his son Joseph with almost tragic and irreversible consequences. There was no need for the Torah to repeat this aspect, as it had already told us that Yaakov had been adamant in placing his right hand on Ephrayim, the younger of the brothers in verses 13-15. The Torah uses the “names” of the two sons of Joseph to illustrate the point made in the parable in the Talmud in Megillah 15.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy