Good Morning. And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. (Genesis 49:33) The way the text reads, it sounds as if Jacob passed away from this life almost immediately after...

Good Morning. “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.” (Genesis 49:27) Jacob portrays the tribe of Benjamin as a warring tribe in that he “tears his prey” and “divides the spoil.” Indeed, there are...

Good Morning. “The blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.” (Genesis 49:26) It...

Good Morning. “The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him. But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob.” (Genesis 49:23-24) The Hebrew word translated as “archers” is...

Good Morning. “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; his branches run over the wall.” (Genesis 49:22) The most eloquent blessing was reserved for Joseph who unites the best qualities of Reuben and Judah. He is a dreamer, a visionary some might say,...

Good Morning. “I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!” (Genesis 49:18) At the end of Jacob’s blessing upon Dan, he said something very interesting —“I have waited for your salvation, O Lord.” It is understood in rabbinical sources that Jacob was alluding to...

Good Morning. “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider shall fall backward.” (Genesis 49:16-17) The name Dan means “to judge” and carries the...

Good Morning. “Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens; he saw that rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; he bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a band of servants.” (Genesis 49:14-15) The prophecy upon Issachar is interesting....

Good Morning. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (Genesis 49:10) Jacob’s blessing upon Judah established that the tribe of Judah would be the one to rule...

Good Morning. “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you.” (Genesis 49:8) There is a sharp contrast between the word spoken to the previous three sons and the...

Good Morning. “Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed...

Good Morning. “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel.” (Genesis 49:3-4) In the words spoken to his older sons, Jacob unabashedly rebukes...