Yaakov gathered his children together, wanting to reveal the course of history. However, as the future flashed before his eyes, sadness overtook him, which caused the Divine Presence to leave him. Indeed, the future of the Jewish People, now our history, has been filled with much pain and suffering.
He then blessed them before his passing. The Torah teaches that, “Each one his blessing, did he bless them.” The change of tense teaches us that though the blessings were given to one son, the intent was that those blessings would be shared among all of them. When each individual got the benefit of his bracha, they would all benefit. In other words, don’t count your blessings – share them.
One particular blessing always bothered me. It seemed to be rather an understatement. While some tribes were promised honor or wealth or greatness in Torah, the Tribe of Gad was not so fortunate. It seemed to me almost mundane and pedestrian.
Gad was one of the tribes who accepted his portion in Trans-Jordan. [Yes, not only did our biblical claim to the land include the West Bank, it extended many miles to the east!] Part of the deal was that the men of Gad would fight for the land of Canaan along with their brothers, and only return home once the land was fully conquered according to Hashem’s command.
The blessing Yaakov gave Gad, as explained by Rashi, is that all of his soldiers would go into battle, and all of them would return home safely, retracing their steps. In recent times, the poignancy and magnitude of this bracha has struck me.
We don’t ask for wealth or honor or prestige, we just humbly beseech the Master of the World that all our soldiers, our sons and daughters, come home safely. It is a blessing we wish for our entire nation, and we pray that it will be Hashem’s will to bless us in this way once again.
