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Who are These?"

01/09/2020 05:10:35 PM

Jan9

Rabbi Reuben Israel Abraham, CDR, CHC, USN (ret)

Every morning when Michael would stroll down the busy corridors towards his office, his boss (the President & CEO of the company) would greet him with a warm "Good morning!" and a smile.  Even if Michael was late to work, behind on an assigned project, or absent from attending a morning meeting, his boss always smiled at him.  It seemed to Michael that his boss was pleased with his performance.  Sure enough, after six years of fulfilling his duties as administrative assistant, Michael was promoted to warehouse manager .  One morning, shortly after his promotion, his boss met him in the corridor with a stern look on his face.

"Where were you during yesterday's meeting?" he demanded to know.  Surprised at the tone of the question, Michael apologized profusely.  Then he politely asked his boss why he was concerned about his absence from this meeting when he missed so many meetings in the past.  What had changed?  His boss responded as follows: "As an entry-level employee, you made me happy if you were just getting the job done.  However, you are no longer an entry-level employee.  You are now a manager.  You are a valuable asset to this company, and your time, input, and effort are all very important to me.  As a manager, I need you to be on time and present at all meetings."

In this week's parashah, Parashat Vayechi, we read the following: "'And now, your two sons who were born to you in Eretz Mitzrayim (the Land of Egypt) until my coming to you in Mitzrayim - they are mine; Ephrayim and Menashe, like Re'uveyn and Shim'on will they be for me'...And Yisrael saw the sons of Yoseyf, and he said, 'Who are these?'  And Yoseyf said to his father, 'They are my sons whom G-d has given me in this [place].'  And he said, 'Take them to me now, and I will bless them.'"   (Bereshit 48:5 & 8-9)  In this passage, we see that Ephrayim and Menashe, who have been raised in an idolatrous society, have been "promoted" from the status of merely being Ya'akov's grandsons to that of being two of the Tribes of Yisrael that would eventually settle the land.  In essence, Ya'akov was overlooking what they lacked in being brought up in Mitzrayim and was instilling in them , through his blessing, the self-confidence they needed to truly become part of the Tribes of YisraelYa'akov recognized their unique ancestry and their potential for greatness.  And because of this, we bless our children every Erev Shabbat and Erev Chag with the words, "May Hashem make you like Ephrayim and Menashe."

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784