In the third aliyah of Parshat Vayechi, we learn of Yaakov’s bracha to Menashe and Ephraim. At the end of the aliyah, we read ואני נתתי לך שכם אחד על אחיך אשר לקחתי מיד האמרי בחרבי ובקשתי, ‘And I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow’. On a pshat level, this must refer to the...Read more...
In the third aliyah of Parshat Vayeishev, Reuven returns to the pit intending to find Yosef, but instead, Yosef is gone. We read, וישב אל אחיו ויאמר הילד איננו ואני אנה אני בא, ‘And he returned to his brothers, and said, ‘The child is not, and I, where shall I go?’ This response from Reuven is fascinating— why does he immediately express concern for himself? Wouldn’t...Read more...
