וזאת אשר דבר להם אביהם ויברך אותם איש אשר כברכתו ברך אותם. אותו אין כתיב כאן אלא ברך אותם, למה כן, בשביל שנתן ליהודה גבורתו של ארי, וליוסף גבורתו של שור, ולנפתלי קלותו של איל, ולדן נשיכתו של נחש, תאמר שזה גדול מזה, כללן באחרונה, איש כברכתו ברך אותם, שחילק להם את הארץ, ונתן ליהודה את הארץ עשה שעורים, ולבנימן ארץ שהיא עשה חטים, אעפ"י כן כללן אלו באלו שיהו אוכלין אלו משל אלו, הוי וזאת אשר דבר להם אביהם, אליהם אין כתיב כאן, אלא להם, וזאת עתיד אדם כיוצא בי לברך אתכם, וממקום שפסקתי אני הוא מתחיל, שנאמר וזאת אשר דבר להם אביהם, כיון שעמד משה פתח בוזאת הברכה (דברים לג א) מהיכן שפסק יעקב, הוי וזאת, אמר להן הברכות הללו אימתי מגיעות לכם משעה שתקבלו את התורה, שכתיב בה וזאת התורה (שם ד מד), הוי וזאת. ואף במה שחתם יעקב פתח להן משה, אמר משה מזקנים אתבונן (תהלים קיט ק), יצחק כשבירך את יעקב אמר ואל שדי יברך אותך (בראשית כח ג), במה חתם בסוף ברכתו בקריאה ויקרא יצחק אל יעקב ויברך אותו (שם כח א), אף יעקב במה שפסק אביו משם התחיל, ויקרא יעקב אל בניו (שם מט א), וחתם יעקב בזאת, ואף משה כשעמד לברך את השבטים התחיל בוזאת וזאת הברכה (דברים לג א), ובמה חתם משה באשריך, שנאמר אשריך ישראל מי כמוך (שם שם כט), ראה דוד פתח באשרי האיש (תהלים א א), הוי מזקנים אתבונן.
(Gen. 49:28, cont.:) AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM WHEN HE BLESSED THEM. EACH ONE WITH HIS OWN BLESSING IS HOW HE BLESSED THEM. "Him" is not written here but HE BLESSED THEM.78Tanh., Gen. 12:17; Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:28 (= pp. 1227—1228 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); 99(100)4; Numb. R. 13:8; Cant. R. 4:7:1; cf. also Exod. R. 1:6, 16. Why so? Because (in Gen. 49:8-22) he gave Judah the strength of a lion, Joseph the strength of an ox,79Shor. Although the Masoretic Text of Gen. 49:22, from which this allusion is taken, vocalizes this word as shur, i.e., “wall,” the present context requires that Joseph be likened to some animal. Naphtali the lightness of a deer, and Dan the bite of a serpent. You might say that one is greater than another; < so > their commonality is < mentioned > at the end. EACH ONE WITH HIS OWN BLESSING … HE BLESSED THEM. Thus he distributed the land to them. He gave Judah the land which produces barley and Benjamin land which produces wheat. Even so, they had a commonality with each other in that they each would eat what belonged to the other. Ergo (in Gen. 49:28): AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM. "Unto them" is not written here but TO THEM.80Buber cites Samuel Jaffe ben Isaac Ashkenazi, Yefeh To’ar, a commentary on the Midrash Rabbah, Part I on Genesis (Venice, 1597—1606), who cites Rashi, on Gen. 24:7, and explains that “to them” (lahem) used with the verb “speak” (rt.: DBR), as opposed to its use with the verb “say” (rt.: ’MR), means that one is speaking “concerning them” rather than “with them,” which is what “unto them” (alehem) would have implied. So also Enoch Zundel ben Joseph in his commentary Ets Yosef, on Tanh., Gen. 12:16. For a suggested rendering, see the following note. (Ibid.:) AND THIS < is how > someone like me is going to bless you, and at the place where I have stopped he is beginning. Thus it is stated (ibid.): AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM.81Apart from the words AND THIS (in the sense of ALSO THIS), there is another hint there that the verse has a wider meaning in that Jacob is simply alluded to as THEIR FATHER instead of by name. Like Jacob, Moses is a father of Israel. When Moses arose, he opened (the blessing in Deut. 33:1) with AND THIS IS THE BLESSING < WITH WHICH MOSES, THE MAN OF GOD, BLESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BEFORE HE DIED >. < He began > from where Jacob had stopped. Ergo (in Gen. 49:28 also): AND THIS. He said these blessings for them. When did they come to pass for you? From the time that you received the Torah, about which it is written (in Deut. 4:44): AND THIS IS THE TORAH. Note the AND THIS. And also, with whatever < expression > Jacob had closed his blessing, Moses opened for them. Moses said (in Ps. 119:100): I HAVE GAINED UNDERSTANDING FROM THE ELDERS. When Isaac blessed Jacob, he said (in Gen. 28:3): MAY GOD ALMIGHTY BLESS YOU. With what did he finally close his blessing? With a calling (according to Gen. 28:1): SO ISAAC CALLED JACOB AND BLESSED HIM. So, in the case of Jacob, where his father had stopped, from there he had begun (according to Gen. 49:1): THEN JACOB CALLED HIS SONS. Then, Jacob stopped (in Gen. 49:28) with THIS; so Moses also, when he arose to bless the tribes, began with AND THIS (in Deut. 33:1): AND THIS IS THE BLESSING. And with what did Moses close? With BLESSED ARE YOU, as stated (in Deut. 33:29): BLESSED ARE YOU, O ISRAEL! WHO IS LIKE YOU? See < how > David opened (Ps. 1:1)! With BLESSED IS THE ONE. Ergo (in Ps. 119:100): I HAVE GAINED UNDERSTANDING FROM THE ELDERS.
וזאת אשר דבר להם אביהם ויברך אותם איש אשר כברכתו ברך אותם. אותו אין כתיב כאן אלא ברך אותם, למה כן, בשביל שנתן ליהודה גבורתו של ארי, וליוסף גבורתו של שור, ולנפתלי קלותו של איל, ולדן נשיכתו של נחש, תאמר שזה גדול מזה, כללן באחרונה, איש כברכתו ברך אותם, שחילק להם את הארץ, ונתן ליהודה את הארץ עשה שעורים, ולבנימן ארץ שהיא עשה חטים, אעפ"י כן כללן אלו באלו שיהו אוכלין אלו משל אלו, הוי וזאת אשר דבר להם אביהם, אליהם אין כתיב כאן, אלא להם, וזאת עתיד אדם כיוצא בי לברך אתכם, וממקום שפסקתי אני הוא מתחיל, שנאמר וזאת אשר דבר להם אביהם, כיון שעמד משה פתח בוזאת הברכה (דברים לג א) מהיכן שפסק יעקב, הוי וזאת, אמר להן הברכות הללו אימתי מגיעות לכם משעה שתקבלו את התורה, שכתיב בה וזאת התורה (שם ד מד), הוי וזאת. ואף במה שחתם יעקב פתח להן משה, אמר משה מזקנים אתבונן (תהלים קיט ק), יצחק כשבירך את יעקב אמר ואל שדי יברך אותך (בראשית כח ג), במה חתם בסוף ברכתו בקריאה ויקרא יצחק אל יעקב ויברך אותו (שם כח א), אף יעקב במה שפסק אביו משם התחיל, ויקרא יעקב אל בניו (שם מט א), וחתם יעקב בזאת, ואף משה כשעמד לברך את השבטים התחיל בוזאת וזאת הברכה (דברים לג א), ובמה חתם משה באשריך, שנאמר אשריך ישראל מי כמוך (שם שם כט), ראה דוד פתח באשרי האיש (תהלים א א), הוי מזקנים אתבונן.
(Gen. 49:28, cont.:) AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM WHEN HE BLESSED THEM. EACH ONE WITH HIS OWN BLESSING IS HOW HE BLESSED THEM. "Him" is not written here but HE BLESSED THEM.78Tanh., Gen. 12:17; Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:28 (= pp. 1227—1228 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); 99(100)4; Numb. R. 13:8; Cant. R. 4:7:1; cf. also Exod. R. 1:6, 16. Why so? Because (in Gen. 49:8-22) he gave Judah the strength of a lion, Joseph the strength of an ox,79Shor. Although the Masoretic Text of Gen. 49:22, from which this allusion is taken, vocalizes this word as shur, i.e., “wall,” the present context requires that Joseph be likened to some animal. Naphtali the lightness of a deer, and Dan the bite of a serpent. You might say that one is greater than another; < so > their commonality is < mentioned > at the end. EACH ONE WITH HIS OWN BLESSING … HE BLESSED THEM. Thus he distributed the land to them. He gave Judah the land which produces barley and Benjamin land which produces wheat. Even so, they had a commonality with each other in that they each would eat what belonged to the other. Ergo (in Gen. 49:28): AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM. "Unto them" is not written here but TO THEM.80Buber cites Samuel Jaffe ben Isaac Ashkenazi, Yefeh To’ar, a commentary on the Midrash Rabbah, Part I on Genesis (Venice, 1597—1606), who cites Rashi, on Gen. 24:7, and explains that “to them” (lahem) used with the verb “speak” (rt.: DBR), as opposed to its use with the verb “say” (rt.: ’MR), means that one is speaking “concerning them” rather than “with them,” which is what “unto them” (alehem) would have implied. So also Enoch Zundel ben Joseph in his commentary Ets Yosef, on Tanh., Gen. 12:16. For a suggested rendering, see the following note. (Ibid.:) AND THIS < is how > someone like me is going to bless you, and at the place where I have stopped he is beginning. Thus it is stated (ibid.): AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM.81Apart from the words AND THIS (in the sense of ALSO THIS), there is another hint there that the verse has a wider meaning in that Jacob is simply alluded to as THEIR FATHER instead of by name. Like Jacob, Moses is a father of Israel. When Moses arose, he opened (the blessing in Deut. 33:1) with AND THIS IS THE BLESSING < WITH WHICH MOSES, THE MAN OF GOD, BLESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BEFORE HE DIED >. < He began > from where Jacob had stopped. Ergo (in Gen. 49:28 also): AND THIS. He said these blessings for them. When did they come to pass for you? From the time that you received the Torah, about which it is written (in Deut. 4:44): AND THIS IS THE TORAH. Note the AND THIS. And also, with whatever < expression > Jacob had closed his blessing, Moses opened for them. Moses said (in Ps. 119:100): I HAVE GAINED UNDERSTANDING FROM THE ELDERS. When Isaac blessed Jacob, he said (in Gen. 28:3): MAY GOD ALMIGHTY BLESS YOU. With what did he finally close his blessing? With a calling (according to Gen. 28:1): SO ISAAC CALLED JACOB AND BLESSED HIM. So, in the case of Jacob, where his father had stopped, from there he had begun (according to Gen. 49:1): THEN JACOB CALLED HIS SONS. Then, Jacob stopped (in Gen. 49:28) with THIS; so Moses also, when he arose to bless the tribes, began with AND THIS (in Deut. 33:1): AND THIS IS THE BLESSING. And with what did Moses close? With BLESSED ARE YOU, as stated (in Deut. 33:29): BLESSED ARE YOU, O ISRAEL! WHO IS LIKE YOU? See < how > David opened (Ps. 1:1)! With BLESSED IS THE ONE. Ergo (in Ps. 119:100): I HAVE GAINED UNDERSTANDING FROM THE ELDERS.