One of the main themes of Sefer Bereishit is the struggle between brothers. Cain and Hevel (Abel), Yitzchak and Yishmael, Esav and Yaakov, and Yosef and his brothers. Last week’s Parsha provides the culmination of the entire Book, with Yehudah refusing to do what all brothers had done to that point, which is to separate from one another. Through Yehudah’s act, these brothers form the first step to becoming a nation, the Children of Israel. They are successful at breaking the chain of jealousy and infighting that had plagued brothers in this family since Creation.
And yet, this week Yaakov does something that threatens this new paradigm — he puts his preferred hand on Yosef’s younger son, Ephraim, rather than the older son, Menasheh. One of the great catalyzers of brotherly disputes since Cain and Hevel has been the preference of the younger son over the older son. Yosef is so taken aback by this that he assumes that his father must have made a mistake. Why would Yaakov purposefully favor a younger child again — an action that led to Yaakov fleeing his family for 20 years and Yosef’s 22-year seperation from his family.
But Yaakov explains: “[Menashe] too shall become a people, and he too shall be great. Yet his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall be plentiful enough for nations.” (Bereishit 48:19) In other words, Yaakov is favoring the younger son because God is favoring the younger son. Ephraim is destined to be greater.
It would be easy to say that once the sons of Yaakov are reunited, the world changed, and the causes of the previous strife went away. Never again would there be reason for brother to despise brother, and all families would live in harmony. But Yaakov shows us that this isn’t true. In the very next generation, the inciting factors that led to brotherly strife return.
But something does change after the events of Yehudah and Yosef. Before, it was almost assumed that the favoritism — Divine or paternal — of a certain child must lead to violence. The Torah never allows us to assume that Esav would react generously to his brother’s tricks, or that the sons of Yaakov could have decency towards Yosef and his dreams. Fraternal hatred was assumed to be as guaranteed as parental favoritism.
Yaakov shows us that brotherly reactions to favoritism are not predestined. Yaakov understands that one son has a greater destiny, but that Menasheh does not need to despise Ephraim. In fact Menasheh — like Esav and Yaakov’s sons — is blessed, even if not to the level of his brother. It falls on Menasheh to still maintain his familial bond – a test which his predecessors failed.
We do not have control over our destiny in this world. What happens around us and to us most often happens whether we want it to or not. What is in our control is our reaction to the world around us — whether to react with rage and violence, with a righteous purpose, with joy and gladness, or with empathy and understanding. Sefer Bereishit is all about brothers who react to their seeming rejection with violence and hatred. Yaakov reminds us as we conclude Sefer Bereishit that whatever the world throws at us, we choose how to respond.
