Comentário sobre Gênesis 49:1

ואגידה לכם THAT I MAY TELL YOU — He wished to reveal to them the end of Israel’s exile but the Shechinah departed from him and he began to speak of other things (Genesis Rabbah 98:2).

IN THE END OF DAYS. These are the days of the Messiah, for Jacob alludes to him in his words, even as he said, Until Shiloh come, and his be the obedience of peoples.⁷³Verse 10 here. Now our Rabbis have said⁷⁴Pesachim 56a. that Jacob wished to reveal the end of Israel’s exile, but the Shechinah (the Divine Presence) departed from him. Thus in the opinion of all scholars, the end of days is a reference to the days of the Messiah.

(1) YA'AKOV CALLED. He sent for them.

באחרית הימים, at the end of the period allocated to life on earth as we know it. Yaakov speaks of the arrival of the Messiah which will signify the end of the existence of the nations that oppose G’d and the Kingdom of G’d on earth. At that time the measure of sin that these nations accumulate will be full to overflowing, so that G’d will feel at liberty to bring about the appropriate retribution. [the concept is as old as Avraham, to whom G’d explained that realisation of his offspring disinheriting the Canaanites will have to await the time when the measure of sin of these people will be full. (Genesis 15,16). Ed.] Our author, drawing on various prophecies of the Books of Prophets to support his interpretation of באחרית הימים, “the end of days,” quotes Jeremiah 46,28: “for I will make an end to all the nations among which I have banished you; but I will not make an end of you!” He also quotes Bileam’s prophecy in Numbers 24,14 detailed in verse 17, in which he prophesies the doom befalling all the nations pre-eminent in his time and describes Israel as triumphant at that time. He adds that his prophecy is not one the fulfillment of which is imminent, but that much time will elapse before it will be realised. Similar prophecies are not only found in Michah 4,1 but even in our chapter when blessing Yehudah in verse 10, Yaakov speaks of the time frame he has in mind as the one when Shiloh will arrive, the one to whom nations will pay homage.

In the end of days. See Rashi. When the Divine Presence departed he was concerned that his sons were tainted with sin, but they pointed out that the root letters of the word cheit — “sin” — do not even appear in their names. He replied that neither do the letters comprising keitz — “the end [of days]”.

ויקרא, he called them in to assemble around him

אשר יקרא אתכם באחרית הימים, “what will happen to you in the latter days.” At this point Yaakov wanted to reveal to his sons details about the ultimate redemption of the Jewish people, but this vision was withheld from him by G’d, so that he had to make do with allusions to earlier events, although he managed to insert hints of what was to happen still later. The words עד כי יבא שילה, are proof of this.

ויקרא יעקב אל בניו, “Yaakov called in his sons.” According to a Midrash, Yaakov commenced his blessing from the point where Yitzchak had concluded blessing his son as it is written: “Yitzchak called Yaakov and blessed him” (Genesis 28,1). Moses in turn commenced his blessing (Deut. 33,1) from the point where Yaakov had left off. David in turn, at the commencement of the Book of Psalms, began with the words with which Moses had left off, i.e. אשרי האיש, “happy the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked.” Moses had concluded (Deut. 33,29) his blessings of the Jewish people with the words: “happy Israel, who can compare to you?” Referring to this David said in Psalms 119,100 “I have gained more understanding than my elders .”

He wished to reveal the End... [How does Rashi know this? The answer is:] Since Scripture uses two expressions, “gather around” and “come together,” it hints to the End. For it is written (Yeshayah 66:12), “He will gather the scattered ones of Yehudah.” And it is written (Tzephaniah 3:19), “He will gather the lost one,” which hints to the last exile. Anoher answer: Since it is written, “In latter days,” which is superfluous, [perforce] it hints to the End of Days which will be in latter days.

(1-2) הקבצו — האספו sind keineswegs gleichbedeutend; es ergibt sich dies schon aus der Erwägung, dass האסף selbst von einem Individuum gesagt werden kann: עד האסף מרים. (Raw Hirsch on Genesis 49: B. M. 12, 15). אסף heißt: etwas aus dem Kreise, oder der Örtlichkeit, wo es eigentlich nicht hingehört, dorthin aufnehmen, wohin es gehört. Es liegt immer die Verwandtschaft mit עזב darin, ein Loslösen von allem andern, Un gehörigen. Daher הֵאָסְפו: Reißt euch von allem Fremdartigen los und findet euch alle in dem einen gemeinsamen Ziele beisammen! Lasst euch alle von dem einen Gemein samen umfangen, aufnehmen! Stellet euch alle auf einen Boden! הֵאָ הֵאָסְפו fordert daher die geistige Sammlung auf einen einzigen Punkt, für ein einziges Ziel, wie die Weisen darum treffend erläutern: הטהרו! Wörtlich hieße es: Lasset euch aufnehmen (d. h. von eurer gemeinsamen Bestimmung).

האספו ואגידה לכם, “gather around so that I can tell you, etc.;” in the next verse we read הקבצו ושמעו, “assemble and listen!” Here Yaakov is about to tell his sons that they will go into exile. On the other occasion he refers to the second exile. (B’reshit Rabbah 99,6)

אשר יקרא אתכם, “what is going to happen to you;” here Yaakov intends to foretell the future; these were not meant to be blessings, as we do not find that he blessed Reuven, Shimon, and Levi. When the Torah writes in verse 28 of this chapter: וזאת אשר דבר להם אביהם, “and this is what their father had said to them,” (followed by “their father blessed them”) we have to understand that verse as follows: “this was what he foretold them.” The details of his blessing were not spelled out by the Torah.

Then Yaakov called for his son's: He sought to reveal the appointed time for the end but it became concealed from him (Pesachim 56a.) Yaakov asks, "Perhaps there is sin (חטא) among you?" They said, "No, if you examine our names, you will not find the letters ח or ט in them. Then he said unto them, "Arise, there is also no ק or ץ letters (end) in them.

(2) COME TOGETHER. For the seventy persons had increased during these 17 years and had become a numerous people, and according to the words of our Sages, to (six) hundred thousand.

את אשר יקרא אתכם, a reference to future events, מקרה, events that are not the direct outcome of man’s initiatives. The word occurs in this spelling (with the letter א instead of ה at the end) in Jeremiah 13,22 מדוע קראני אלה?, “Why did these things happen to me?” Or, in Isaiah 51,19 שתים המה קוראותיך, “these two things have befallen you.” There are many other examples of a similar nature in Scripture.

קבץ hingegen — (verwandt mit קפץ schließen, כוץ zusammenschrumpfen, כבש zu sammenpressen, bezwingen, selbst יבש trocken, das Feste, im Gegensatz zum Zerfließenden, גביש, ein Edelstein, vielleicht der Diamant, seiner Festigkeit und Härte willen), — bezeichnet immer ein räumliches, äußeres Zusammenfinden mehrerer.

את אשר יקרה אתכם, “what will befall you.” Yaakov referred to what would occur at the end of the 430 years when the people of Israel would be redeemed from slavery and exile. The wording used by Yaakov forces us to give this interpretation to his words. If this is not what he referred to, the Torah should not have added: באחרית היםים, “at the end of the years (that had been predicted),” but באחרית ימים בסוף העולם, “at the end of the history of the present world. I have heard an explanation that understands Yaakov as having alluded to the end of the first 5000 years of human history. (B’reshit Rabbah 98,2 and 99,5) Yaakov therefore was prevented by G–d from revealing whatever he had foreseen concerning that era. Yaakov could not understand why the vision was suddenly concealed from him, and he asked what his sons could be guilty of seeing that the letters ח and ט, both letters of the word חט(א) in the word “sin,” do not appear as part of the names of a single one of them. He was told by the Holy Spirit that at the same time none of the names of his sons contains the letters ק orצ , the letters forming the word קץ, end, (and צדיק, righteous) which are a prerequisite for such “end” being revealed to the bearer of such a name. The Holy Spirit added that as far as his having called upon his sons to gather around him was concerned, how come that he invited only them, but failed to include the Holy Spirit in his invitation? (Compare Isaiah, 43,22) ולא אותי קראת יעקב, “but you have not called upon Me, Yaakov?!” He was told that it was not part of his particular task, (virtue) to go revealing G–d’s secrets. (Proverbs 11,13) When Yaakov heard this, he changed course and began to address each son individually, i.e. ראובן בכורי אתה, “Reuven, you are my firstborn;”

באחרית הימים, seeing that Yaakov did not say: ימים, “years,” but הימים, “the years,” it is clear that he spoke of years that we have already heard about. He referred to the 400 years which G-d had already revealed to his grandfather Avraham as the period his descendants would be strangers, and part of this time even slaves, in a country not their own.

(3) WHAT IS TO BEFALL YOU. With respect to their power and their inheritance.

The meaning of the words את אשר is the same as כאשר, “when;” the word את frequently means the same as מן, “part of.” Yaakov, after all, did reveal only a very small fraction of what would happen to the tribes in the אחרית הימים, the period when the tribal heads had long died and their offspring had become part of the Jewish nation. Some of what he predicted was to occur relatively soon, other parts much later. When he used the words באחרית הימים he meant that what he spoke about would be as real as what would happen on the morrow. He referred specifically to the period when the Israelites would settle in the Holy Land, describing events that would take place then. Whatever he told them had been inspired by the spirit of prophecy. Parts of the prophecy concerned Israel when settled peacefully on its land, other parts spoke of events occurring during wars which would threaten the nation’s continued existence. He listed the names of his sons in the order of their birth up until Yehudah only.

Wir haben somit hier zwei Aussprüche: Gebet euch zusammen eurem einen Ziele hin, so möchte ich euch vergegenwärtigen, was euch am Ende der Tage treffen wird. Eigentlich was euch a. E. d. T. rufen wird (siehe Kapitel 24, 12). אחרית ist wohl von קץ zu unterscheiden. קץ ist das Ende, womit etwas aufhört, אחרית ist das, was nachher kommt, nachdem das andere geendet, somit hier: nachdem die jetzigen Zeitentwicklungen abgelaufen, also: die Hinterlassenschaft der Tage, das Ziel der Völkergeschichte.

Wir wissen aus dem Verfolg, dass Jakob in diesem Augenblick seine Söhne nicht in ihrer Übereinstimmung, sondern in ihren charakteristischen Verschiedenheiten im Geiste erblickte. Deshalb: "So verschieden ihr auch seid, gebt euch in eurer Verschiedenheit ganz dem einen Geiste hin, so will ich euch enthüllen, was euch am Ziele der Tage werden wird". Erst muss ein Sinn alle Söhne der Jakobsfamilie durchdringen, ehe das אחרית הימים kommt. Es kommt nicht, so lange nicht das האספו sich verwirklicht hat, ja — vielleicht — wird es so lange nicht einmal begriffen, und darum folgen hier von dem אחרית הימים nur kurz andeutende Pinselstriche.

הקבצו ושמעו! diese beiden Worte des sterbenden Vaters tragen die ganze jüdische Geschichte bis zum אחרית הימים. Materiell seid ihr בני יעקב, eine machtlose Minorität. Weil ihr aber eine so machtlose Minderheit seid, הקבצו, haltet zusammen, wachset ineinander, lasset euch nicht zerfällen, im קבוץ, in der Eintracht liegt eure Stärke; — und שמעו בני יעקב: nur durch eins kann die materiell schwächste Minderzahl der stärksten Majorität den Sieg abgewinnen, es ist der Geist, es ist שמעו, es ist die Hingebung an Geistiges, darum: שמעו בני יעקב! habet ein Ohr, habet Sinn fürs Geistige, "durstet" nach Geistigem, wie das Wort in seiner Tiefe heißt (שמע ist das geistige צמא), schöpfet, trinket gerne Geist! Dies ist das Testament unseres Vaters Jakob. "Eintracht und Geist" darin erkennt er Stärke und Leben seiner Kinder, und "wenn der Durst nach Geist in euch wach wird, so habet keinen anderen Durst als nach den Überlieferungen eures Vaters Jisrael, ושמעו אל ישראל אביכם!" Der Trunk aus dem jüdischen Born des Geistes und einträchtiges Zusammenhalten, dahin lautet das älteste Vermächtnis unseres sterbenden Vaters und das ruft uns noch das späteste Prophetenwort zu: והאמת והשלום אהבו (Secharja 8. 19). Raw Hirsch on Genesis 49: 3. הקבצו ,האספו, waren die ersten Gedanken, die Jakob beim Anblick seiner Söhne um sein Sterbelager erfüllten. Das Aneinanderhalten und das wache Interesse für alles Geistige war zunächst das Vermächtnis für alle. Soll aber eine solche, aus so verschiedenen Elementen bestehende Gesamtheit eine innere und äußere Einheit bilden, so bedarf sie einer Leitung; diese leitende Spitze sucht Jakob und mustert dazu seine Söhne. Am natürlichsten wäre diese Stellung dem Erstgeborenen zugekommen. Daher wendet er sich zuerst an Reuben.

כח .כחי, iKraft, verwandt mit כה: so, und dies verwandt mit כהה: dunkel werden. כה ist jene dunkle Quelle eines werdenden Wesens, die wir in uns und überall nur in ihren Produkten erkennen, die aber an sich uns stets dunkel bleibt, wir nennen sie Kraft; כה: so, ist Bezeichnung des Bildes, des Entwurfes, wonach sich etwas gestalten soll.

און verwandt mit הון, die Fähigkeit, etwas zu erwerben und zu besitzen. (Siehe oben Kap.35, 18.) Jakob spricht: du bist כחי, entweder: du bist derjenige, in dessen Bildung und geistiger Erziehung und Pflege sich zuerst meine Kraft gezeigt; oder: in dir ruht meine Kraft, durch dich wirke mein Geist still weiter. Mit der gelungenen oder misslungenen Erziehung des ältesten Sohnes und der ältesten Tochter ist fast das ganze Werk der Erziehung, und hätte jemand die zahlreichste Familie, gewonnen oder verloren.

ראשית אוני: bist mein erster Besitz; vergl. oben אשר לקחתי מיד האמרי וגו, Jakobs erste Errungenschaft war Reuben.

יתר: was weiter reicht als ein anderes; in der Zeit: übrig bleiben; im Raume: die über ihren natürlichen Umfang hinaus gespannte Sehne. Daher יֶתֶר entweder Substantiv: Vorzug an Würde und Vorzug an Macht, wobei man dann aber supplieren müsste: dir gebührte. Wahrscheinlicher aber ist es Adjektiv, und zwar stat. const. von יָתֵר wie יֶרֶך von יָרֵך.‎ כֶתֶף von כָתֵף: bevorzugt an Würde etc. שאת, wahrscheinlich hier: Hoheit, Würde, wie שאתו תבעת אתכם (Job 13, 11) משאתו יעצו להדיח (Psalm 62, 5), umsomehr, da die jüdische Würde נָשִיא heißt (siehe zu Kap.25, 16): du bist בכור, und als solcher bevorzugt an Würde, und darum auch bevorzugt an Macht. Als Erstgeborener hast du die Bestimmung, נשיא deiner Brüder zu sein, Oberhaupt und Leiter deiner Familie, und darum auch einen größeren Anteil an materieller Macht zu erhalten, damit der geistigen Führerschaft die materielle Grundlage nicht fehle. Möglich auch, dass es geradezu: tragen hieße, du solltest am meisten zu tragen haben (im Gegensatz zu Esaus אלופים sind אלופינו מסובלים, die Belasteten), und darum auch einen größeren Anteil an Macht.

..*Gather together and I will tell you:* Rashi says he [Yaakov] wanted to reveal the date of Moshiach's coming, but the Shechina departed from him. To explain: when he focused and looked at every subsequent generation and saw what would happen to the Jewish people until the coming of Moshiach, he saw the length of the bitter Exile and the great darkness. He became greatly saddened and the Shechina departed from him as a result [of his sadness]. However, the Tribes [his sons] comforted him by saying Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad. Rashi comments on that verse, Hashem is now our G-d, but in the future [the Times to Come] He will be One and his Name will be One. [Thus, they were comforting Yaakov by pointing out that] he should be happy with the knowledge that in the Times to Come, after Moshiach's coming, Hashem will be One for the entire world [as the verse says] "on that day, He will be [One and His Name will be One]. [Yaakov accepted his sons' comfort] and [added his own prayer] "may the glory of the Name of His Kingdom be blessed forever and ever." That it may be speedily in our days, amen.