Rabbi Roodyn

This weeks sedra marks the end of an era as the Jewish people make the transition from being a family to a nation. It is interesting to note that throughout the Torah we are always referred to as bnei yisrael. Despite the population explosion that takes place in next week’s sedra we are always one big family.

As Yaakov prepares to end his life he blesses each of his sons with a bracha that is uniquely suited to both their personality and the role that they are to play in the future. Each one of these brachos constitutes a specific prophecy relating to the role and destiny of klal yisrael.

The bracha of Yosef is a fascinating one. Yosef is referred to as even yisrael, the stone of Israel. Rashi explains that he word even אבן is actually constructed of two slightly smaller words אב בן, father and son. Yosef is, after Reuven’s fall from grace considered to be the first born, indeed he is the one who inherits a double portion of the land of Israel, through Efrayim and Menashe, as befits a first born.

A bechor has a unique role within the family. On the one had he is closest to the father and his generation, but on the other he is very much a part of the next generation. In a sense, he is uniquely positioned to transmit the legacy of the past in the language of the future. The new generation relate to him, and view him as the authentic transmitter of the heritage of previous generations.

Perhaps this relates to the role of the Jewish people as a whole. In  the beginning of sefer shemos we are referred to as בני בכורי ישראל, Hashem’s first born son. Every human being is a child of G-d, but the Jewish people have a unique role to play. On the one hand, we are part of the human race, on the other we are especially close to our Father in Heaven. This means that we are uniquely positioned to teach the family of nations, just like a first born son has a unique role within his family.

As we conclude sefer Bereshis, and leave the avos and imahos behind, we the Jewish people march forward to take our place, and play our role in bringing this world to perfection.