It all starts with the verse: "And this is the blessing..."
Now, what does that seemingly simple phrase actually mean?
The text offers a couple of intriguing interpretations. The first connects us way back to Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes. Remember when Jacob blessed his sons at the end of his life? Genesis 49:28 tells us, "And this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them." So, Sifrei Devarim suggests that Moses, in his own blessing of the tribes, is actually adding to the blessing that Jacob started. It's like Moses is picking up the baton, continuing a legacy of blessing that began generations earlier. From the very place that our father Jacob finished, Moses begins.
Pretty cool, right?
But that's not all. There's another layer here. The text asks: could "And this is the blessing" be adding to a different kind of blessing entirely? Perhaps it's building upon a prayer that Moses himself offered, specifically Psalm 90:1, "A prayer of Moses, the man of G-d."
This brings up a really interesting question: Which came first, the prayer or the blessing? Was Moses’s prayer the foundation upon which his blessing was built? The Sifrei Devarim tells us that the phrase "And this is the blessing" indicates that the prayer preceded the blessing. It suggests that prayer is the groundwork, the essential preparation for a blessing to truly take root and flourish.
So, what do we take away from all of this?
Perhaps it's a reminder that blessings aren't isolated events. They are part of a continuum, a chain that stretches back through generations and is rooted in prayer. They build upon what came before, whether it's the blessings of our ancestors or the prayers we offer ourselves.
Next time you hear or give a blessing, consider its context. Think about the history it carries, the prayers that paved the way, and the potential for it to ripple outwards, adding to the ongoing story of blessing in the world.