Bereishit 49:1-50:26
Revi'i
Yaakov's Blessings
49:1 Vayikra Ya'akov el-banav vayomer he'asefu ve'agidah lachem et asher-yikra etchem be'acharit hayamim.
The Yaakov called for his sons and said, "Assemble yourselves and I will tell you what will befall you in the End of Days.
2 Hikavtzu veshim'u benei Yaakov veshim'u el-Yisrael avichem.
Gather yourselves and listen, O sons of Yaakov, and listen to Yisrael your father.
3 Reuven bechori atah kochi vereshit oni yeter set veyeter az.
Reuven, you are my firstborn, my strength and my initial vigor, foremost in rank and foremost in power.
4 Pachaz kamayim al-totar ki alita mishkevey avikha az chilalta yetzu'i alah.
Water-like impetuosity - you cannot be foremost, because you mounted your father's bed; then you desecrated Him Who ascended my couch.
5 Shimon veLevi achim klei chamas mecheroteihem.
Shimon and Levi are comrades, their weaponry is a stolen craft.
6 Besodam al-tavo nafshi bikehalam al-techad kevodi ki ve'apam hargu ish uvirtzonam ikru-shor.
Into their conspiracy, may my soul not enter! With their congregation, do not join, O my honor! For in their rage they murdered people and at their whim they hamstrung an ox.
7 Arur apam ki az ve'evratam ki kashatah achalkem beYaakov va'afitzem beYisrael.
Accursed is their rage for it is intense, and their wrath for it is harsh; I will separate them within Yaakov, and I will disperse them in Yisrael.
8 Yehudah atah yoducha acheicha yadecha be'oref oyveicha yishtachavu lecha bnei avicha.
Yehudah - you, your brothers shall acknowledge; your hand will be at your enemies' nape; your father's sons will prostrate themselves to you.
9 Gur aryeh Yehudah miteref beni alita kara ravatz ke'aryeh uchelavi mi yekimenu.
A lion cub is Yehudah; from the prey, my son, you elevated yourself. He crouches, lies down like a lion, and like an awesome lion, who dares rouses him?
10 Lo-yasur shevet mi-Yehudah umechokek mibeyn raglav ad ki-yavo shiloh velo yichat amim.
The scepter shall not depart from Yehudah nor a scholar from among his descendants until Shiloh arrives and his will be an assemblage of nations.
11 Osri lagefen iroh velasorekah beni atono kibes bayayin levusho uvedam anavim sutoh.
He will tie his donkey to the vine; to the vine branch his donkey's foal; he will launder his garments in wine and his robe in the blood of grapes.
12 Chachlili eynayim miyayin ulven-shinayim mechalav.
Red eyed from wine, and white toothed from milk.
13 Zevulun lechof yamim yishkon vehu lechof onyot veyarchato al-Tzidon.
Zevulun shall settle by seashores. He shall be at the ship's harbor, and his last border will reach Tzidon.
14 Yissachar chamor garem rovetz bein hamishpetayim.
Yissachar is a strong-boned donkey; he rests between the boundaries.
15 Vayar menuchah ki tov ve'et-ha'aretz ki na'emah vayet shichmo lisbol vayehi lemas-oved.
He saw tranquility that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant, yet he bent his shoulder to bear and he became an indentured laborer.
16 Dan yadin amo ke'achad shivtei Yisrael.
Dan will avenge his people, the tribes of Yisrael will be united as one.
17 Yehi Dan nachash alei-derech Shfifon alei-orach hanoshech ikvei-sus vayipol rochevo achor.
Dan will be a serpent on the highway, a viper by the path, that bites a horse's heels so its rider falls backward.
18 Lishu'atcha kiviti HASHEM.
For your salvation do I long, O HASHEM!
Chamishi
19 Gad gedud yegudenu vehu yagud akev.
Gad will recruit a regiment and it will retreat on its heel.
20 Me'Asher shmenah lachmo vehu yiten ma'adanei-melech.
From Asher - his bread will have richness, and he will provide kingly delicacies.
21 Naftali ayalah shluchah hanoten imrei-shafer.
Naftali is a hind let loose who delivers beautiful sayings.
22 Ben porat Yosef ben porat alei-ayin banot tza'adah alei-shur.
A charming son is Yosef, a charming son to the eye; each of the girls climbed heights to gaze.
23 Vayemararuhu varobu vayistemuhu ba'alei chitzim.
They embittered him and became antagonists; the arrow-tongued men hated him.
24 Vateshev be'eytan kashto vayafozu zro'ey yadav midei avir Yaakov misham ro'eh even Yisrael.
But his bow was firmly emplaced and his arms were gilded, from the hands of the Mighty Power of Yaakov - from there, he shepherded the stone of Yisrael.
25 Me'el avicha veya'azreka ve'et Shaddai vivaracheka birkhot shamayim me'al birkhot tehom rovetzet tachat birchot shadayim varacham.
[That was] from the G-d of your father and He will help you, and with Almighty - and He will bless you [with] blessings of heaven from above, blessings of the deep crouching below, blessings of the bosom and womb.
26 Birchot avicha gavru al-birchot horay ad-ta'avat giv'ot olam tihi'einah lerosh Yosef ulekodekod nezir echav.
The blessings of your father surpassed the blessings of my parents to the endless bounds of the world's hills. Let them be upon Yosef's head and upon the head of the exile from his brothers.
Shishi
27 Binyamin ze'ev yitraf baboker yochal ad vela'erev yechalek shalal.
Binyamin is a predatory wolf; in the morning he will devour prey and in the evening he will distribute spoils."
28 Kol-eleh shivtei Yisrael shneym asar vezot asher-diber lahem avihem vayevarech otam ish asher kevirchato berach otam.
All these are the tribes of Yisrael - twelve - and this is what their father spoke to them and he blessed them; he blessed each according to his appropriate blessing.
29 Vayetzav otam vayomer alehem ani ne'esaf el-ami kivru oti el-avotai el-hamearah asher bisdeh 'Efron haChitti.
Then he instructed them; and he said to them, "I shall be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of 'Efron the Chitti.
30 Bamearah asher bisedeh haMakhpelah asher-al-penei Mamre be'eretz Kenaan asher kanah Avraham et-hasadeh me'et 'Efron haChitti la'achuzat kaver.
In the cave that is in the field of Makhpelah, which faces Mamre, in the land of Kenaan, which Avraham bought with he field from 'Efron the Chitti as a burial estate.
31 Shamah kaveru et-Avraham ve'et Sarah ishto shamah kaveru et-Yitzchak ve'et Rivkah ishto veshamah kavarti et-Leah.
There they buried Avraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Yitzchak and Rivkah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
32 Mikneh hasadeh vehamearah asher-bo me'et bnei Chet.
Purchase of the field and the cave within it was from the sons of Chet."
33 Vayechal Ya'akov letzavot et-banav vaye'esof raglav el-hamitah vayigva vaye'asef el-amav.
When Yaakov finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet onto the bed; he expired and was gathered to his people.
50:1 Vayipol Yosef al-penei aviv vayevk alav vayishak-lo.
Then Yosef fell upon his father's face; he wept over him and kissed him.
2 Vayetzav Yosef et-avadav et-harofim lachanot et-aviv vayachantu harof'im et-Yisrael.
Yosef ordered his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father; so the physicians embalmed Yisrael.
3 Vayimle'u-lo arba'im yom ki ken yimle'u yemey hachanutim vayivku oto Mitzrim shiv'im yom.
His forty-day term was completed, for such is the term of the embalmed; and Egypt bewailed him for seventy days.
4 Vaya'avru yemei vekhito vayedaber Yosef el-beit Par'oh lemor im-na matzati chen be'eyneichem daberu-na be'oznei Par'oh lemor.
When his bewailing period passed, Yosef spoke to Pharaoh's household, saying, "If you please - if I have found favor in your eyes, speak now in the ears of Pharaoh, saying:
5 Avi hishbi'ani lemor hineh anochi met bekivri asher kariti li be'eretz Kenaan shamah tikbereni ve'atah e'eleh-na ve'ekberah et-avi ve'ashuvah.
My father had adjured me, saying, 'Behold, I am about to die; in my grave, which I have hewn for myself in the land of Kenaan - there you are to bury me.' Now, I will go up if you please, and bury my father; then I will return."
6 Vayomer Par'oh aleh ukvor et-avicha ka'asher hishbi'echa.
And Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father as he adjured you."
7 Vaya'al Yosef likbor et-aviv vaya'alu ito kol-avdei Par'oh ziknei veyto vechol-ziknei eretz-Mitzrayim.
So Yosef went up to bury his father, and with him went up all of Pharaoh's servants, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8 Vechol beit Yosef ve'echav uveit aviv rak tapam vetzonam uvekaram azvu be'eretz Goshen.
and all of Yosef's household - his brothers, and his father's household; only their young children, their flocks, and their cattle did they leave in the region of Goshen.
9 Vaya'al imo gam-rechev gam-parashim vayehi hamachaneh kaved me'od.
And he brought up with him both chariots and horsemen; and the camp was very imposing.
10 Vayavo'u ad-Goren ha'Atad asher be'ever haYarden vayispedu sham misped gadol vekhaved me'od vaya'as le'aviv evel shiv'at yamim.
They came to Goren HaAtad, which is across the Yarden, and they held a very great and imposing eulogy; and he ordained a seven-day mourning period for his father.
11 Vayar yoshev ha'aretz haKnaani et-ha'evel beGoren ha'Atad vayomru evel-kaved zeh le-Mitzrim al-ken kara shemah avel Mitzrayim asher be'ever haYarden.
When the Kenaani inhabitants of the land saw the mourning in goren HaAtad, they said, "This is a grievous mourning for Egypt." Therefore, it was named Avel Mitzrim, which is across the Yarden.
12 Vaya'asu vanav lo ken ka'asher tzivam.
His sons did for him exactly as he had instructed them.
13 Vayis'u oto vanav artzah Kenaan vayikberu oto bimearat sdeh haMachpelah asher kanah Avraham et-hasadeh la'achuzat-kever me'et 'Efron haChitti al-penei Mamre.
His sons carried him to the land of Kenaan and they buried him in the cave of the Machpelah field, the field that Avraham had bought as a burial estate from 'Efron the Chitti, facing Mamre.
14 Vayashov Yosef Mitzrayim hu ve'echav vechol-ha'olim ito likbor et-aviv acharei kovro et-aviv.
Yosef returned to Egypt - he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father - after he buried his father.
Yosef Reassures His Brothers
15 Vayir'u achei-Yosef ki-met avihem vayomru lu yistemenu Yosef vehashev yashiv lanu et kol-hara'ah asher gamalnu oto.
Yosef's brothers perceived that their father was dead, and they said, "Perhaps Yosef will nurse hatred against us and then he will surely repay us all the evil that we did him."
16 Vayetzavu el-Yosef lemor avicha tzivah lifnei moto lemor.
So they instructed that Yosef be told, "Your father gave orders before his death, saying:
17 Koh-tomru le-Yosef ana sa na pesha acheicha vechatatam ki-ra'ah gemalucha ve'atah sa na lefesha avdei Elokei avicha vayevk Yosef bedabram elav.
'Thus shall you say to Yosef: "O please, kindly forgive the spiteful deed of your brothers and their sin for they have done you evil"'; so now, please forgive the spiteful deed of the servants of your father's G-d." And Yosef wept when they spoke to him.
18 Vayelkhu gam-echav vayiplu lefanav vayomeru hinenu lecha la'avadim.
His brothers themselves also went and flung themselves before him and said, "We are ready to be your slaves."
19 Vayomer alehem Yosef al-tira'u ki hatachat Elokim ani.
But Yosef said to them, "Fear not, for am I instead of G-d?
20 Ve'atem chashavtem alay ra'ah Elokim chashavah letovah lema'an asoh kayom hazeh lehachayot am-rav.
Although you intended me harm, G-d intended it for good: in order to accomplish - it is as clear as this day - that a vast people be kept alive.
Shevi'i
21 Ve'atah al-tira'u anochi achalkel etchem ve'et-tapchem vayenachem otam vayedaber al-libam.
So now, fear not - I will sustain you and your young ones." Thus he comforted them and spoke to their heart.
Yosef Lives Out His Years; Signs of The Redemption
22 Vayeshev Yosef beMitzrayim hu uveit aviv vayechi Yosef me'ah va'eser shanim.
Yosef dwelt in Egypt - he and his father's household - and Yosef lived one hundred and ten years.
Maftir
23 Vayar Yosef le-Efrayim bnei Shileshim gam benei Machir ben-Menashshe yuldu al-birkei Yosef.
Yosef saw three generations through Efrayim; even the sons of Machir son of Menashshe were raised on Yosef's knees.
24 Vayomer Yosef el-echav anochi met v'Elokim pakod yifkod etchem vehe'elah etchem min-ha'aretz hazot el-ha'aretz asher nishba le-Avraham le-Yitzchak ule-Yaakov.
Yosef said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but G-d will surely remember you and bring you up out of this land to the land that He swore to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Yaakov."
25 Vayashba Yosef et-benei Yisrael lemor pakod yifkod Elokim etchem veha'alitem et-atzmotai mizeh.
Then Yosef adjured the children of Yisrael saying, "When G-d will indeed remember you, then you must bring my bones up out of here."
26 Vayamot Yosef ben-me'ah va'eser shanim vayachantu oto vayisem ba'aron beMitzrayim.
Yosef died at the age of one hundred and ten years; they embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Chazak! Chazak! Venitchazek!
Be strong! Be strong! And may we be strengthened!