Torah Reading Portion Vayechi

Rabbi Avraham Brandwein
With the help of Heaven

In our Torah Portion, our father Jacob blessed his sons, before his death. At the end of the blessings in Chapter 49 verse 28 (of Genesis), the Torah concludes, “All these are the tribes of Israel, twelve (of them), and this is what their father (Jacob) spoke to them and blessed them, each man according to his blessing, he (Jacob) blessed them.” Rashi says, “He blessed them; The verse should have only said, ‘Each man according to his blessing, he (Jacob) blessed him;’ what is the Torah trying to teach us by saying, “He (Jacob) blessed them?” But since he (Jacob) gave (in the blessings) to Judah the strength of the lion, and to Benjamin the wolf’s ability to grab, and to Naftali the swiftness of the deer, you might think that Jacob did not include all of the brothers in all of the blessings, therefore the verse says, “He (Jacob) blessed (all of) them (with all of the blessings).” (This concludes the words of Rashi.)

We need to understand; why was it not enough for each tribe to get (just) their own blessing, that they also needed to all be included together in every blessing? Furthermore, if so, (that they are all included in every single blessing), what is the difference between one (of the tribes) and another?

In order to understand this matter, we need to explain the “Law of Inclusion.” In the wisdom of Kabbalah, we find that (all things) in existence are divided into four levels, which are called 1) inanimate, 2) plant, 3) animal, and 4) speaking (man). These are four levels, from the lower to the higher. The difference between them is in this: that the lowest (exiting matter) has less properties (in its composition), and therefore it naturally has less needs, and consequently it also has less movement. Therefore, we see that man, who belongs to the category of the speaking (level), his soul’s properties are the greatest, and consequently his needs are the greatest, and likewise his movements are the greatest, for he is able to travel across the entire globe of the Earth. And in our times, even the globe of the Earth is insufficient, and (man) wants to fly to the stars in space.

The conclusion is: that man is the most developed creation out of all created matter. Naturally it is understood that all of the properties, especially the soul aspects of all of the other created matter, must be included in man, because man develops (all of) the created matter and humanity.

There is another rule: Whatever is more highly developed, will be slower in its formative process. Therefore we see that an animal, on the same day that it is born, it already stands on its feet and continues so until the end of its days. This is not the same by man. At the beginning (as a baby) he lays there like an inanimate object. Afterwards he crawls, and thereafter he walks and sits, etc.

Especially with regard to the soul-related properties, man has the power of thought and judgment. Therefore, he cannot (just) have a single property (to his composition), but must be included from all of the properties (of all creation), since he needs to know and judge when to behave with (differing aspects like) the attribute of lovingkindness, and when with sternness, when with speed, and when with patience, and at times even with a mixture of attributes.

These levels of inanimate, plant, animal, and speaking (man) are also found in people. For example, a person, who does not have a great desire, does not have needs. Therefore, he is considered at the level of inanimate matter, and so on.

These are the causes why Jacob, in the end of the matter, blessed all of his sons, that all of the properties (of the blessings) should be included in each of them. This is as is written in Ethics of the Fathers, “Judah the son of Teimah say, ‘Be strong like a lion, run like a deer, be mighty as a leopard, and light as an eagle.’” Animals, since they do not have the role of refining the world and developing it, they have one (significant) property (in their makeup), which is central only to maintaining their own existence, to obtain sufficient food for themselves, and to protect themselves from other predators. This is not the case by man. All properties (of created matter) must be included in him, from the reason mentioned above, (that man has to develop and refine all of created matter and humanity).

(So what distinguishes one tribe from the next?) The difference between one tribe and the next is that each one had a main property (in their makeup). For example, Judah was compared to a lion, which is the attribute of Strength and war, but he also had the properties of compassion and love. However, (Strength) was the main property unique to him. When one behaves with the proper attributes (of behavior) according to proper logical judgment, this is the true blessing, that it is possible to develop humanity and bring blessing to the world.