Kaisipang Hudyo sa Genesis 49:1: Akeidat Yitzchak & Derashot HaRan

Some problems in the text: 1) Why does Jacob seem to commence with the blessing twice, once with the words "Gather so I may tell you what will befall you in the end of days" (Genesis 49,1) and again in the next verse "Assemble and hear sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father?" 2) When Jacob exclaims regarding Shimon and Levi, "I will divide them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel," we do observe that the tribe of Levi was dispersed forthwith. We do not however, read anywhere about the dispersal of Shimon. Why is this? 3) The blessing of Yehudah becoming the hereditary carrier of the monarchy, seems limited to the arrival of "Shilo." Why? 4) Why are the names of the sons of Zilpah positioned between those of the sons of Bilhah in these blessings? 5) Issachar's blessing in verse 14 and 15 seems contradictory. "He saw that repose was good, so he inclined his shoulder to carry heavy burdens." Surely this sounds illogical! 6) The blessing for Dan seems puzzling; "Like a serpent...biting the horse's heel" on the one hand, and on the other "in Your salvation, O G-d, I trust?" 7) Who are the owners of arrows "who hated Joseph?" In what way were the blessings Joseph received more generous than the ones received by his father? 8) Why are so many details recited about the cave of Machpelah? 9) In Chapter 50,1, we hear about assipha and geviyah. The normal word for death, i.e. meetah is missing. Why? 10) Why does the Torah have to tell us that when the brothers went to Canaan to bury their father, they left their livestock in Egypt? Whoever has heard of livestock being part of a funeral procession? 11) Why do we need to be told that the Canaanites appreciated that Jacob's passing was a cause of national mourning in Egypt? 12) The word loo normally means "who would give that." When the brothers voice concern that, now that their father is dead, Joseph might display hostility towards them, the choice of this word in verse 15 seems quite misplaced. 13) Why do the brothers beg for forgiveness twice? 14) When Joseph says to them in an attempt to calm their fears, "Am I in place of G-d?" this suggests that only his fear of G-d prevented him from taking his revenge. This surely was not the best way to reassure his brothers? 15) Why do we need to know that Joseph's grandchildren, resp. great-grandchildren were born on his knees?

In my view, however, the homily here alludes to the following (Pesachim 56a): "R. Shimon b. Pazi expounded (Genesis 49:1): 'And Jacob called to his sons and said: "Gather together and I will tell you what will befall you in the end of days"' — Jacob desired to reveal the end of days, but the Shechinah departed from him, whereupon he said: "Can it be, G-d forbid, that there is impurity in my seed, as with Abraham, my father's father, from whom Ishmael issued, and as with Isaac, my father, from whom Esau issued?" At this, all of his children answered: "Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One." "Just as there is only one L-rd in your heart, so there is only one L-rd in ours." According to this homily, this verse, though it constitutes a positive commandment, had already been stated by the tribes. The L-rd had already been praised by it though it is set down in its place as a mitzvah decreed for all generations. This is the intent of "You made Me a distinct entity in this world."