How Moses Blessing Surpassed Every Blessing From Adam to the Tribes

(Deuteronomy 33:1:) "AND THIS IS THE BLESSING." This is what Scripture says (Proverbs 31:29): "MANY DAUGHTERS HAVE DONE VALIANTLY, BUT YOU HAVE SURPASSED THEM ALL" — this is the blessing of Moses. For the earlier generations each blessed his own generation, yet among them all there was none like the blessing of Moses. Noah blessed his sons, but there was division in it: he blessed one and cursed one. (Genesis 9:27:) "MAY GOD ENLARGE JAPHETH," but (Genesis 9:25:) "AND HE SAID, CURSED BE CANAAN." Isaac blessed Jacob, but there was quarrel in it, for he said to Esau (Genesis 27:35): "YOUR BROTHER CAME WITH DECEIT," and it is written (Genesis 27:41): "AND ESAU HATED JACOB." Jacob blessed the tribes, but there was quarrel among them, for he said to Reuben (Genesis 49:4): "UNSTABLE AS WATER," and likewise to Simeon and Levi (Genesis 49:5). And from where did the patriarchs learn to bless each one his generation? [They learned] from the Holy One, blessed be He. When He created Adam, He blessed him, as it is said (Genesis 1:28): "AND GOD BLESSED THEM." [And the world was conducted by that blessing, until the generation of the Flood came and annulled it, as it is said (Genesis 6:7): "AND THE LORD SAID, I WILL BLOT OUT THE MAN WHOM I HAVE CREATED." When Noah went out of the ark, the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that this blessing had been annulled from them, and He went back and blessed Noah and his sons, as it is said (Genesis 9:1): "AND GOD BLESSED NOAH AND HIS SONS." And the world was conducted by that blessing, until Abraham came into the world, and the Holy One, blessed be He, added to him one blessing, as it is said (Genesis 12:2): "AND I WILL MAKE OF YOU A GREAT NATION," etc. When Abraham came, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is not a way of honor before Me that I should be required to bless My creatures; rather, behold, I am handing over the blessings to Abraham and to his seed, and whoever has a blessing fixed upon him by them, I will set My seal through their hands, as it is said (Genesis 12:2): "AND BE A BLESSING," (Genesis 12:3:) "AND I WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU," etc. What is "AND I WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU"? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Behold, I am handing over the blessings to all whom you bless, and I will set My seal through your hand. And since the blessings were handed over to Abraham, why did he not bless Isaac? Because Abraham saw that Esau would issue from him. He said: If I bless Isaac, behold, Esau is blessed, and Jacob is found lacking. A parable: To what is the matter like? To a householder who had a vineyard and gave it to a tenant; and in that vineyard was a tree of life, and it was trained up upon a tree of deadly poison, and he did not know what to do. He said: If I hoe that vineyard, behold the tree of deadly poison grows up; and if I do not hoe that vineyard, behold the tree of life dies. Rather, what shall I do? I will leave this vineyard be, until the owner of the vineyard comes and does in his vineyard what he wishes. So too Abraham said: If I bless Isaac, Esau is found blessed and Jacob loses; rather, behold, I leave him be until the Holy One, blessed be He, comes and does what is His.] Jacob came and received five blessings: two from his father, one of Abraham, one from the angel, and one of the Holy One, blessed be He. Two from his father, as it is said (Genesis 27:33): "AND ISAAC TREMBLED." Why "AND HE TREMBLED"? Rabbi Eleazar ben Padat said: Because he saw Gehinnom open for Esau. He sought to say "cursed," but he went back and added a blessing and said (Genesis 27:33): "HE ALSO SHALL BE BLESSED" — behold, that is one. The second (Genesis 28:1): "AND ISAAC CALLED JACOB AND BLESSED HIM." [And the blessing of Abraham (Genesis 28:4): "AND MAY HE GIVE YOU THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM," etc. And the blessing from the angel (Genesis 32:30): "AND HE BLESSED HIM THERE." And the blessing of the Holy One, blessed be He (Genesis 35:9): "AND GOD APPEARED TO JACOB AGAIN... AND BLESSED HIM."] When Jacob came to bless the tribes, he blessed them with the five blessings that were in his hand, and added to them one blessing, as it is said (Genesis 49:28): "ALL THESE ARE THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL, etc., AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM AND BLESSED THEM; EACH ONE ACCORDING TO HIS BLESSING HE BLESSED THEM." Moses came to bless Israel and added to them a seventh blessing, as it is said: "AND THIS IS THE BLESSING" — an addition to the blessings. For Balaam blessed Israel, who was fit to bless seven blessings, corresponding to seven altars, yet he blessed them only three, as it is said (Numbers 24:10): "AND BEHOLD, YOU HAVE ALTOGETHER BLESSED THEM THESE THREE TIMES." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You are wicked; your eye is grudging to bless them. I too will not let it suffice through your hand that you should complete your blessing over Israel. Let Moses come, whose eye is generous, and bless Israel. And concerning him Solomon said (Proverbs 22:9): "HE WHO HAS A GENEROUS EYE SHALL BE BLESSED." Do not read "shall be blessed," but "shall bless" — this is Moses our teacher, whose eye was generous in his blessing of Israel; and he blessed them four blessings,