The verse in question is Genesis 49:28: "This is what their father Jacob spoke to them." But the Rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah notice something subtle. It doesn't say, "This is what their father Jacob spoke," but rather, simply "their father." Why the omission of Jacob's name?
The Rabbis suggest it hints at something deeper. This “their father” is a title, a role, almost an office that gets passed on. They say that just as Jacob concluded his blessings to his sons with "this," someone else – Moses – was destined to begin his own blessings with "this." It's like a relay race, where one runner hands off the baton to the next. Jacob sets the stage, and Moses continues the performance.
As we read in Deuteronomy 33:1, “This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel with before his death.” See the connection? Jacob’s "this" becomes Moses’s "this."
And Jacob, in this interpretation, tells his sons that these blessings will truly take effect when they receive the Torah. As Deuteronomy 4:44 states, “This is the Torah.” It’s all interwoven, a beautiful tapestry of inheritance and continuity. "This is what their father spoke to them" connects to the giving and receiving of Torah itself.
The text goes on to highlight another link in the chain. Where did Jacob even get his starting point? Well, from his father, Isaac! When Isaac blessed Jacob in Genesis 28:3, saying "And God Almighty will bless you," the Rabbis see that Isaac "summoned Jacob" (Genesis 28:1) at the conclusion of a blessing he already started in Genesis chapter 27. Jacob begins where Isaac leaves off, as it is stated: “Jacob summoned his sons” (Genesis 49:1), and concluded with, "This is what [their father] spoke [to them]" (Genesis 49:28).
It’s a fascinating concept, this idea of building upon the foundations laid by those who came before. Moses, as we've seen, starts where Jacob concludes: “This is the blessing” (Deuteronomy 33:1). And how did Moses conclude? With the powerful words, "Happy are you, Israel" (Deuteronomy 33:29).
But the story doesn't end there. Even David, centuries later, picks up the thread. When David comes to recite a psalm, he begins where Moses concluded: "Happy is the man" (Psalms 1:1). The verse from Psalms continues, "I gain insight from the elders, for I uphold Your edicts" (Psalms 119:100). This idea of gaining insight from elders connects with the passage from Devarim Rabbah 11:1, which touches upon the same concept.
It’s all one continuous flow, a river of wisdom and blessing that flows from generation to generation.
The passage concludes with a brief mention of the mourning period for Jacob: "They came to the threshing floor of Atad, that is beyond the Jordan, and they lamented a very great and substantial lament there, and he observed mourning for his father seven days" (Genesis 50:10). Even in mourning, there's a sense of carrying on a legacy.
So, what does all this mean for us today? Perhaps it's a reminder that we are all links in a chain. We inherit wisdom and blessings from those who came before us, and we have a responsibility to pass them on, enriched and strengthened, to those who will come after. Each generation builds upon the previous one, shaping and adding to the collective story. What will our contribution be? What will we hand off to the next generation when it's our turn to say, "This is..."?