Blessings for Greatness

The Fellowship  |  December 19, 2018

Man blessing his sons

Prayer for greatness:

But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.” — Genesis 48:19

One of the founding principles of The Fellowship is God’s eternal promise He made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you.” This is one of 18 devotions exploring the concept of blessing, barak, which means, “to increase,” or “bring down Divine abundance.” To learn more, download our complimentary copy of Rabbi Eckstein’s teachings on being a blessing to others.

In Jewish tradition, we bless our children on Friday nights just before we begin the Sabbath meal. We place our hands on top of each child’s head and bless him or her. The roots of this custom can be found in our verse today from chapter 48 in Genesis.

Right before Jacob died, Joseph brought his two sons to his father in order for him to bless them. Manasseh, the older brother, was placed on Jacob’s right side while Ephraim was placed at Jacob’s left. In Judaism, the right side was considered the stronger side, and by Joseph’s calculations, his older son deserved the greater blessing.

Surprisingly, Jacob crossed his hands and placed the stronger hand on Ephraim’s head. Thinking his father made a mistake, Joseph tried to correct him. However, Jacob explained, “He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he . . .”

Jacob foresaw that the younger son’s prayer for greatness had more potential, and so he gave Ephraim the greater blessing.

The Jewish sages ask: If Ephraim naturally possessed what Manasseh lacked, then why not give Manasseh the greater blessing? It would seem that a person destined for greatness would need less help from blessings, while a less gifted person would need more help. While both Manasseh and Ephraim were destined to become great, Ephraim was on track to surpass his older brother. It would seem that giving Manasseh a stronger blessing would level the playing ground.

The sages explain that in reality, the greater a person’s potential, the more they need blessings and prayer for greatness. This is because the greater a person’s ability, the greater their challenges will be. God wants each of us to reach our potential and become as great as we can possibly be, so He gives each person challenges that are appropriate for their level of capability and growth. Just as a teacher wouldn’t assign first-grade homework to a tenth grader, or vice versa, God doesn’t assign tasks or challenges that are more or less than a person can handle. Ephraim needed the greater blessing because his trials in life would be that much harder than his brother’s.

Sometimes, people make the mistake of thinking that their challenges in life are a signal that they aren’t  destined for greatness. We believe that our negative character traits or sinful desires mean that we are  doomed to failure.

However, the sages teach us that the opposite is true. The greater a person’s challenges, the greater that person’s potential is. We shouldn’t confuse our shortcomings with our destiny. Instead, we need to ask God for His blessings so that we can transform our challenges into our strengths and become the best people we can be.

Download Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein’s inspirational booklet, Building Bridges of Blessings, to learn how you can incorporate prayer for greatness and to be a blessing to others.

Stay informed about issues affecting Israel, the Jewish people, Jewish-Christian relations, receive daily devotionals, and more.