The Blessing of the Children |
Yaakov blessed Efraim and Menashe,
Yosef’s sons, with the bracha of HaMalach HaGoel (Breisheet 48:16): The Angel who redeemed me from all
evil, should bless the lads, and let my name be called on them, together with
the name of my fathers, Avraham and Yitzchak. May they be like fish multiplying
within the land (bikerev Ha’aretz). The Vilna Gaon points out that the tribes
of Efraim and Menashe were not significantly larger than the other tribes while
B’nai Yisrael were in the wilderness as well as when they were in Arvot Moav
before entering the Land of Israel. Once B’nai Yisrael entered Israel,
the prophecy came through- the tribes of Efraim and Menashe multiplied like
fish. After the land was conquered, even
before it was distributed it says (Yehoshua 17:4): “The children of Yosef spoke
to Yehoshua, saying, ‘Why have you given me an inheritance of only one lot and
one portion, when I am a numerous people, for God has blessed me so much.’” In
the short time that we have been in the Land of Israel, we have already become
a big nation. Yehoshua answered (17:15): “If you
are such a numerous people, go up to the forest…” We learn in Bava Batra 118a:
Yehoshua said to them. “Go and hide in the forests, so that the Ayin HaRa, Evil
Eye will not have control over you.” Yehoshua was afraid that such a quick and
wondrous proliferation would provoke the Evil Eye to take action against them. Why did their tribes increase at
such a quick rate once they got to Israel? One reason is because of the
blessing of “HaMalach HaGoel” from Yaakov, that they will be like fish
multiplying within the Land. In Israel we always have to worry
about demographics. Although there are a lot of Olim, immigrants, there are
also a lot of Yordim, people that leave. One way to make sure that the Jewish
population continues to rise is by having children. High birth rates are often found in the
Haredi and Dati Leumi communities. In Israel in general, there is a focus on
the centrality of the family. May we continue to raise lots of
children in the Modern State of Israel and may those who are trying to conceive
be blessed with healthy babies. |