וְ֭כַנָּה אֲשֶׁר־נָטְעָ֣ה יְמִינֶ֑ךָ וְעַל־בֵּ֝֗ן אִמַּ֥צְתָּה לָּֽךְ׃
dan batang yang ditanam oleh tangan kanan-Mu, serta tunas yang telah Engkau kuatkan bagi diri-Mu.
Rabbeinu Bahya
בן פורת יוסף, “Joseph is a charming son.” According to the plain meaning the word בן in this context means “a plant producing many offshoots.” Compare Psalms 80,16 בן אמצתה לך, “the stem You have adopted as Your own.” It would refer here to the fact that Joseph produced two tribes, Ephrayim and Menashe. This would also account for the fact that the word בן appears twice in this verse. The term בן פורת compares to Moses referring to Joseph in his blessing of him in Deut. 33,17 as both שור and ראם, two different animals. Moses there continues by speaking respectively of the myriads of Ephrayim and the “thousands” of the Menashites.
The reason Yaakov begins by extolling Joseph before even naming him, something not the case in the blessings of any of the other sons, is probably due to the fact that he was forced to refer to Joseph by name twice, seeing he was to become two tribes. The first בן פורת refers to Menashe, Joseph’s senior son, the second בן פורת to Ephrayim. Seeing that Ephrayim was the more promising of the two Yaakov added the words עלי עין, “appealing to the eye.”
The reason Yaakov begins by extolling Joseph before even naming him, something not the case in the blessings of any of the other sons, is probably due to the fact that he was forced to refer to Joseph by name twice, seeing he was to become two tribes. The first בן פורת refers to Menashe, Joseph’s senior son, the second בן פורת to Ephrayim. Seeing that Ephrayim was the more promising of the two Yaakov added the words עלי עין, “appealing to the eye.”
Ramban
‘BEIN PORATH YOSEPH.’ A graceful son. It is an expression used in Aramaic: “Apiryon namtai (Let us gracefully treat) Rabbi Shimon.”211Baba Metzia 119a. Bein porath alei ayin. His gracefulness attracts the eye that sees him. This is the language of Rashi.
Now it is farfetched to base the interpretation of the word porath upon this Aramaic expression, for such expressions in the Talmud — be they Greek, Persian, or other languages — have no kinship with the Sacred Language. Moreover, each example found of this word is only an expression of blessing and praise, not grace, and the letter nun [in the word apiryon] is a root letter.212Whereas the Hebrew porath has no nun. How then can Rashi explain the word porath as being similar to apiryon in which the nun is a root letter? It is so mentioned in Bereshith Rabbah:21360:13. “And they blessed Rebekah.214Above, 24:60. They were depressed and mean. They were m’pharnin (blessing) only with their mouth.”
It appears to me that the meaning of porath is as in the expression, “Purna belongs to the orphans,”215Kethuboth 54a. where purna means the improvement in the value [of the orphans’ portion of the dowry which] belongs to the orphans. The Rabbis further called the kethubah (the written marriage-contract) purna, saying, “A woman collects the purna from them,”216Ibid., 67a. meaning the kethubah which constitutes the benefit from her father’s house. They similarly said that “mohar217Exodus 22:16. (dowry) means pranun.”218It is so rendered there in Targum Jonathan.
But bein porath in the present verse is to be interpreted either as Onkelos has it as being an expression of fruitfulness and abundance, or as the grammarians219Rabbi Yonah and Rabbi Yehudah, mentioned by R’dak in his Book of Roots, under the root banah. — who derived the word porath from the phrase, And its branches (‘p’orothav’) became long220Ezekiel 31:5. — would have it. They further said that the word bein is similar in meaning to “a plant” or “branch”, and they bring a similar verse as proof: And of the stock which Thy right hand hath planted, and the branch (‘bein’) that Thou madest strong for Thyself.221Psalms 80:16. Thus the purport of the verse is as if Jacob had said: “Joseph is a planting containing many branches.”
In my opinion, the word bein is to be understood in its ordinary sense, namely, “son,” with the verse stating that Joseph is a son who is similar to a many branched tree, planted beside a spring whose waters fail not, and whose branches in turn gave forth offspring, [i.e., other boughs]. [On account of their heaviness] these tread upon the sky-high walls.222For lacking such support they would break under the weight of their abundant fruit. He called the boughs which come forth from the branches as banoth (daughters), for they are “the daughters” of the great branches. This is stylistic elegance for the expression, bein porath. The word bein, accordingly, is not in the conjunctive mode to the word porath, but instead is like: The Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon;223Ezekiel 31:3. Naphtali is a hind sent forth;224Above, Verse 21. Benjamin is a wolf.225Further, Verse 27. It is for this reason that it is vowelled with a tzeirei — [bein] — for if its interpretation were “a plant of boughs,”226As “the grammarians,” whose interpretation was discussed previously, would have it. See text above. According to their interpretation, since the two words bein porath are in the constructive mode (“a plant of…”), the word should have been ben and not bein, as is the rule. the word bein should have been vowelled with a segol, [thus rendering it ben rather than bein]. The reason he uses the term bein (son) is to show affection, just as: From the prey, my son, thou art gone up.227Above, Verse 9.
In general it is proper to interpret Joseph’s blessing as alluding to the two tribes which came from him, and this could be based upon the words porath (branches) and banoth (boughs). However, since he mentioned Levi, and the tribes of Israel number only twelve, he did not treat them as two separate tribes in his blessing, but he does allude to them. Moses our teacher, likewise, in his blessing, compared Joseph to the bullock and the wild-ox, and mentioned “the horns”228Deuteronomy 33:17. in connection with him as each one constitutes a distinct body from which two horns branch out. There, however, because Moses our teacher did not mention Simeon by name, he explicitly said, And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Menasheh.228Deuteronomy 33:17.
Now it is farfetched to base the interpretation of the word porath upon this Aramaic expression, for such expressions in the Talmud — be they Greek, Persian, or other languages — have no kinship with the Sacred Language. Moreover, each example found of this word is only an expression of blessing and praise, not grace, and the letter nun [in the word apiryon] is a root letter.212Whereas the Hebrew porath has no nun. How then can Rashi explain the word porath as being similar to apiryon in which the nun is a root letter? It is so mentioned in Bereshith Rabbah:21360:13. “And they blessed Rebekah.214Above, 24:60. They were depressed and mean. They were m’pharnin (blessing) only with their mouth.”
It appears to me that the meaning of porath is as in the expression, “Purna belongs to the orphans,”215Kethuboth 54a. where purna means the improvement in the value [of the orphans’ portion of the dowry which] belongs to the orphans. The Rabbis further called the kethubah (the written marriage-contract) purna, saying, “A woman collects the purna from them,”216Ibid., 67a. meaning the kethubah which constitutes the benefit from her father’s house. They similarly said that “mohar217Exodus 22:16. (dowry) means pranun.”218It is so rendered there in Targum Jonathan.
But bein porath in the present verse is to be interpreted either as Onkelos has it as being an expression of fruitfulness and abundance, or as the grammarians219Rabbi Yonah and Rabbi Yehudah, mentioned by R’dak in his Book of Roots, under the root banah. — who derived the word porath from the phrase, And its branches (‘p’orothav’) became long220Ezekiel 31:5. — would have it. They further said that the word bein is similar in meaning to “a plant” or “branch”, and they bring a similar verse as proof: And of the stock which Thy right hand hath planted, and the branch (‘bein’) that Thou madest strong for Thyself.221Psalms 80:16. Thus the purport of the verse is as if Jacob had said: “Joseph is a planting containing many branches.”
In my opinion, the word bein is to be understood in its ordinary sense, namely, “son,” with the verse stating that Joseph is a son who is similar to a many branched tree, planted beside a spring whose waters fail not, and whose branches in turn gave forth offspring, [i.e., other boughs]. [On account of their heaviness] these tread upon the sky-high walls.222For lacking such support they would break under the weight of their abundant fruit. He called the boughs which come forth from the branches as banoth (daughters), for they are “the daughters” of the great branches. This is stylistic elegance for the expression, bein porath. The word bein, accordingly, is not in the conjunctive mode to the word porath, but instead is like: The Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon;223Ezekiel 31:3. Naphtali is a hind sent forth;224Above, Verse 21. Benjamin is a wolf.225Further, Verse 27. It is for this reason that it is vowelled with a tzeirei — [bein] — for if its interpretation were “a plant of boughs,”226As “the grammarians,” whose interpretation was discussed previously, would have it. See text above. According to their interpretation, since the two words bein porath are in the constructive mode (“a plant of…”), the word should have been ben and not bein, as is the rule. the word bein should have been vowelled with a segol, [thus rendering it ben rather than bein]. The reason he uses the term bein (son) is to show affection, just as: From the prey, my son, thou art gone up.227Above, Verse 9.
In general it is proper to interpret Joseph’s blessing as alluding to the two tribes which came from him, and this could be based upon the words porath (branches) and banoth (boughs). However, since he mentioned Levi, and the tribes of Israel number only twelve, he did not treat them as two separate tribes in his blessing, but he does allude to them. Moses our teacher, likewise, in his blessing, compared Joseph to the bullock and the wild-ox, and mentioned “the horns”228Deuteronomy 33:17. in connection with him as each one constitutes a distinct body from which two horns branch out. There, however, because Moses our teacher did not mention Simeon by name, he explicitly said, And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Menasheh.228Deuteronomy 33:17.
Ramban
BY THE HANDS OF THE MIGHTY ONE OF JACOB. This befell him from the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is the Mighty One of Jacob. And from there [from his position as viceroy], he became worthy to be the feeder of the foundation stone of Israel, that is, the source of the tribes of Israel. The word “even” (stone) has the same meaning here as the word “even” in the expression, the chief stone,229Zechariah 4:7. [where it means high position]. This is the language of Rashi. “From the G-d of thy father did this befall you, and He will help you. [And with the Almighty, i.e.,] and your heart was with the Holy One, blessed be He, when you did not hearken to the words of your mistress, and He will bless you.” This is also the language of Rashi.
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that the letter mem in the expression, mei’e-il avicha (‘from’ the G-d of thy father), is also to apply to the expression, ve’eith Sha-dai, [as if it read, umei’eith Sha-dai (and ‘from’ the Almighty)], and He will bless thee.…
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that the letter mem in the expression, mei’e-il avicha (‘from’ the G-d of thy father), is also to apply to the expression, ve’eith Sha-dai, [as if it read, umei’eith Sha-dai (and ‘from’ the Almighty)], and He will bless thee.…