Parsha Vayechi וַיְחִי

The main theme of this Parsha is the blessings that Yaakov gives his children and grandchildren. The grandsons Ephraim and Menashe, Yosef’s sons, are the first to be blessed by the Patriarch. The first Rebbe of Lubavitch, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liady, states that the comment in the Torah (48:16 “in them by My Name be recalled and the names of my fathers Avraham and Yitzchak…”) is interpreted as: May God bless them as long as they call themselves by traditional Biblical names. The most valuable legacy we can leave our children and grandchildren is bequeathing to them the faith that sustained us.

 
The biggest blessing that Yaakov can give his son Yosef is the special blessing that Yaakov grants to Yosef’s sons. If Yosef would have had additional sons, they would not have special tribal status. It was only Ephraim and Menashe who were given these blessings. Yaakov is the only one of the Patriarchs who is referred to in Jewish literature as a grandfather. Even though Avraham knew his grandsons until they turned 15, and Yitzchak was alive when Yosef was sold into slavery, Yaakov is the only one who is depicted clearly in the Torah as having a relationship with his grandsons. The greatest brachah that we all can experience is the blessings that are given to our children. The Talmud says that when an individual greets a father or mother and a son or daughter, one should greet the child first. This is a greater blessing to the parent. The father or mother would have nachas to see the child being placed in the honored position of being greeted first. The blessing is not really a vicarious one to the parent. It is a major blessing for all parents to see the success of the brachahs being granted by the Almighty to our children.