2021/5782
Sefer BeReishit is full of enchanting stories with lessons for everyday life. Therefore it is only fitting that the conclusion of Sefer BeReishit has maybe the most important one of all (at least according to your mother): don’t fight with your brother; love him instead.
There are many subtopics about brothers throughout Sefer BeReishit: Kayin and Hevel, Yitzchak and Yishma’el, Yaakov and Eisav, Yosef and his brothers, and finally Ephraim and Menasheh. There is an interesting pattern within this group: except for Menasheh and Ephraim, all of these groups of brothers had a dangerous competition which ended up with someone on the brink of death.
This dominating narrative is turned on its head in VaYechi. In last week's Parashah, Rashi comments on 45:13 that Yosef loves all of his brothers as much as he loves Binyamin. Additionally, in this week’s Parashah, Yaakov famously switches the position of hands in a way that gives more honor to Ephraim even though he is Menasheh’s younger brother: “וַיָּ֨שֶׁת עַל־רֹ֤אשׁ אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וְה֣וּא הַצָּעִ֔יר וְאֶת־שְׂמֹאל֖וֹ עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה שִׂכֵּל֙ אֶת־יָדָ֔יו כִּ֥י מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה הַבְּכֽוֹר” (BeReishit 48:14). Later on, Rashi comments that Yaakov placed his hands in that configuration because while Gideon - who performed great miracles for Bnei Yisrael - will descend from Menasheh, Yehoshua - who is even greater - will descend from Ephraim. Even with this sleight of hand, Menasheh doesn’t object because he loves and respects his brother. When Yaakov then blesses Menasheh and Ephraim, he says “יְשִֽׂמְךָ֣ אֱלקים כְּאֶפְרַ֖יִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁ֑ה”, Rashi comments that a man says this when blessing his sons. What better message to leave with them than love each other no matter who is more successful?
Importantly, the last conversation in Sefer BeReishit was between Yosef and his brothers, where they promised to return his body to Israel. This seems to be undoing their mistake of selling Yosef to Egypt which made him leave Israel. This message was uber-important at this moment because Bnei Yisrael was about to enter a turning point in history: slavery in Egypt. The next leader of Bnei Yisrael, Moshe, was greatly influenced by his kinship with his brothers. The Malbim comments on Shemot 2:8 that Hashem divinely influenced Yocheved nursing Moshe so that he would grow up with his brothers and maintain a connection to them. This defining factor of Moshe Rabbeinu shows how strong and important brotherhood is. Good Shabbos, and don’t hit your brother!