[21] By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
[22] By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. Hebrews 11:21-22
READ THE STORY IN GENESIS 48:1-22
THE BIBLICAL RITE OF PASSAGE
What a privilege to live to a ripe old age and then to face death with grace and dignity. To be of sound mind and to think of others… Children and grandchildren and to be granted the strength from on high to pronounce a thoughtful and perhaps prophetic blessing onto those loved ones gathered about your death bed.
Sometimes the blessing is given early as with Isaac blessing Jacob 47 years before Isaac actually passed away but he was blind and so sick he thought he was going to die. He did not change his blessing. Once pronounced there is no repentance, what’s done is already done.
Perhaps you have made preparations for your future funeral and have prepared a will and made other arrangements. Don’t forget to prepare a blessing on your children and also bless your grandchildren. It might be a good idea to begin praying about it even today, that God would give you the right blessing for the right child. Put it in writing in case you do not get the chance to bless them on your death bed. Imagine your child or grandchild being given a card during the funeral with your handwriting of blessing on them. Not as powerful as impromptu blessing in person but powerful none the less. The death bed blessing is an opportunity from God and at the time of death, with one foot on each side of that great divide the blessing granted may be directly from heaven as in the case of the blessing of Jacob on his two grandsons.
Joseph thought Jacob had mistaken the two… but true to form with Jacob he pronounced the blessing on the younger just as he had tricked his father Isaac into doing so many years before.
What would it have meant to you to have some final words of blessing from your mother or your father as they were crossing over Jordan and if not on the death bed to get a card with a special blessing in their own hand? Wouldn’t you remember it always? Wouldn’t it have a strong impact? Think about it. Pray about it. What would you say? What blessing would you impart?
It might seem like those two verses are “passover” verses… verses you just pass over when you read them but as you can see the Word of God is Living and Powerful!
The final page of this study is from the Jewish perspective.
From the website of Galilee Green – Olive Oil website
One of the most beautiful customs in Jewish life is for parents to bless their children at the start of the Friday night Shabbat meal. Girls receive the blessing: “May God make you like the matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.” Boys, meanwhile, are blessed “to be like Ephraim and Menashe.”
What happened to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Why are Ephraim and Menashe instead the subjects of this important tradition?
Ephraim and Menashe were the first set of Jewish brothers who did not fight. Abraham’s two sons – Isaac and Ishmael – could not get along, and their disagreement forms the basis of the Arab-Israeli conflict until today. The next generation – Isaac’s twin sons, Jacob and Esav – were so contentious that Esav repeatedly sought to kill Jacob and instructed his descendants to do the same. The next generation was contentious as well: Jacob’s sons sold Joseph into slavery.
Ephraim and Menashe represent a break from this pattern. This explains why Jacob purposely switched his hands, blessing the younger Ephraim before the older Menashe. Jacob wished to emphasize the point that with these siblings, there is no rivalry. (see Genesis 48:13-14)
Indeed, there is no greater blessing than peace among siblings. The words of King David ring true: “How good and pleasant is it for brothers to sit peacefully together” – Hiney ma tov u’ma’nayim, shevet achim gam yachad (Psalms 133:1).
It is with this thought that parents bless their children today.
Throughout the ages, Jewish parents have prayed that their children withstand the temptations of exile, and keep a strong, proud Jewish identity.
It is not an easy task.
In the end, how does a parent gauge success?
Far more than children, it is grandchildren who reveal the foundation and future direction of a family line. Hence the popular saying among Jews: “The issue is not whether you have Jewish children, it’s whether you have Jewish grandchildren.”
What was the outcome with Ephraim and Menashe? Despite great odds, they grew up in Egypt and maintained adherence to Torah ideals and practice. Which is why we bless our sons to be like them, expressing our hope for proud Jewish children – and grandchildren.
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