Parshat Vayechi
Rabbi Jablinowitz
When Yosef brings his children, Ephraim and Menashe, to his father Yaakov for a bracha, he puts Menashe the bechor on his right side and Ephraim to his left. The Torah teaches that Yaakov pulls a switch, and puts his right hand on Ephraim and his left on Menashe. The Torah calls this Seekel Es Yadav. The Targum Onkelos refers to this as Achkeminun, from the word Chachmah. As Rashi explains this, he used wisdom and understanding in switching his hands.
The Sfas Emes explains this idea on a deeper level. According to the Sfas Emes, Yosef knew as well as Yaakov that in the higher world Ephraim was greater than Menashe. However, in this world, bracha is dependent on being the firstborn. This is why Yosef put Menashe to Yaakov’s right. Yaakov, however, Seekel Es Yadav. He used his hands to connect to the ultimate wisdom and bracha from the upper world and blessed Ephraim first. In other words, Seekel es Yadav means that his hands brought the bracha from the upper world.
Rabbeinu Bachya compares this process to Nesias Kapayim, the lifting up of the hands, of Birkas Kohanim. The pasuk in Tehillim (Chapter 134, Pasuk 2) says Se’uh Yedaichem Kodesh U’Varchu Es Hashem. Ideally the Kohanim should place their hands on the heads of all those being blessed, just like Yaakov placed his hands on the head of his grandchildren. But since this is impossible, the Kohen lifts his hands up in order to receive the blessing from on high and bring it down on to the heads of Clal Yisrael. And this source is the source of all wisdom, of all Chachmahand Sechel in the world. A similar process occurs by Semicha. Just as Moshe Rabbeinu put his hands on Yehoshua as the pasuk says (Bamidbar, Chapter 27, Pasuk 23) Vayismoch es Yadav Alav, and he rested his hands upon him, similarly in future generations Semicha is given by placing the hands of the Rav on the head of the student. This is the process of giving over wisdom from the higher sphere to the next generation. (The Rambam in Hilchot Sanhedrin Chapter 4, Halacha 2 disagrees with Rabbeinu Bachya and says the Rav doesn’t need to put his hands on the student's head, rather he calls him "Rabi").
The Gemara in Baba Basra 10B teaches that the son of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi became ill and fainted, seemingly having passed on, but he came back to life. His father asked him what he saw. He responded, Olam Hafuch Ra'isi, Elyonim L'Ma'alah, V'Tachtonim L'Matah. I saw an upside down world; those who are exalted here were on a low level there, and those who are lowly here are exalted here. Rabbi Yehoshua responded to him, Olam Barur Ra'isa. What you saw was a clear picture of the true world.
The Sfas Emes explains that when the Kohanim lift up their hands above their heads they are making the lower higher and the higher lower in an attempt to reach the bracha from the upper spheres which is the ultimate source of bracha. They are attempting to reach the wisdom of the"Olam Barur" described by Rabbi Yehoshua. This is the meaning of Vayisa Aharon es Yadav by the Chanukas HaMiskan. He lifted up his hands to reach the true source of bracha and blessed the people. Bracha is found when we return to the source, to Hashem, and this is the source of wisdom in the world as well. This is why when Yaakov took his right hand and placed it on Ephraim, the Torah says Seekel es Yadav. He used his hand to transmit the bracha with wisdom by connecting to Hashem the ultimate source of bracha and wisdom.
Good Shabbos
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