Vayechi/He Lived - Shabbat 12/18/10
“May the angel who has redeemed me from all harm bless these lads.”
I consider myself to be a polite person; I hold the door for others, RSVP promptly, even fold my dinner napkin before placing it on my lap. Emily Post would surely give me high marks. However, I refuse to say “God bless you” when someone sneezes. Yes, I know it is a social convention, but I just don’t get it. Why should a semi-autonomous, convulsive expulsion of air from the lungs through the nose and mouth warrant a blessing? Jerry Seinfeld’s response to a sneeze (“you’re so good-looking!”), while perhaps not entirely appropriate, at least has the advantage of making someone feel good after the sneeze’s force has thrown their head and face out of whack. But “bless you” just never seemed right to me.
Notwithstanding this small personal protest, I believe that giving and receiving blessings can be very profound. Jewish ritual prescribes occasions for doing just that: parents bless their children on Friday nights, rabbis bless students who become bar/bat mitzvah, kohanim (in many synagogues) bless the congregation, and brides receive a special blessing during their veiling ceremony. Additionally, many brides follow the custom of giving out blessings to their guests during the kabballat panim reception, drawing on their role as “queen for the day.” And I know of one shul with another beautiful tradition—when parents of a newborn have an aliyah, everyone together blesses the child, singing words right out of this week’s parasha.
In Vayechi, Jacob blesses his grandsons Ephraim and Menashe, and also offers each of his own sons a blessing in what is one of the Bible’s most poetic passages. The parasha brings to a close the age of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs. It is a fitting theme for a Torah portion that always comes around the time of the new calendar year. As we prepare for this transition, we have the chance to reflect on the blessings we’ve received up to this point, and on the blessings we wish for ourselves and our loved ones in the time ahead. This week, find the opportunity to offer a blessing to someone—a family member, a neighbor, a friend. The word for blessing (b’racha) is related to the word for knee (berech), the joint supporting over half the weight of the human body. Indeed, when we bless each other sincerely, what we gain is a sturdy source of support.
With brachot for a week of health and happiness (and minimal sneezing).
Shabbat shalom!
Micah Liben, Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Fellow
