Although it's been many years, I remember when I was a kid, how my mother, ע”ה, often complained about how difficult I was. Raising a rambunctious and always full-of-energy child wasn’t easy. She would often “bless” me, saying, “May you one day have children... just like you!”
In this week’s parashah, we are told how Yaakov blessed the two children of Yosef, Ephraim and Menashe, with the words:
May the angel who redeemed me from all harm bless the youths and may they be called by my name and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac and may they multiply abundantly like fish in the midst of the land.
Question: If we are using sea creatures to highlight the blessing of abundant offspring, why not use the example of a seahorse since they have around 2,000 babies each time? There are also other creatures that have plenty of offspring as well. Now, I like fish as much as the next guy, but of all creatures, why should the Jewish people be blessed to be like fish? Why not swift like a deer? Or... although it's not kosher, why not bless them to be strong like a lion? (Just not wild like a monkey – that’s what I used to always hear as a kid).
Parenting isn’t easy. When our children are young babies, they’re so cute and delicious that we just want to “eat them up.” But when they become difficult teenagers, we wish we had. Our job as parents is to help prepare our children as much as possible for the challenges that this world throws at them. The job of a Jewish child is to learn how to prepare the world and make it a suitable G-dly place.
Knowing the Importance of Preparation
We can answer why there is a Jewish custom to bless our children to be like fish.
Answer: Unlike other kosher animals, a fish doesn't need the special preparation of shechita (slaughtering) to be eaten.
Spiritually speaking, since fish are created from the more refined element of water, they don’t require any type of slaughter. As opposed to kosher land animals that do need Shechita, since they are mostly made of the coarser element of earth. For fish, it's sufficient for them to be just pulled out of the water. According to Chassidus, to elevate the G‑dly spark in fish, all one has to do is to make a blessing, and then use the energy from what you have eaten for G‑dly pursuits.
Therefore, we bless and hope that our children will be fully prepared and equipped in this world - to be surrounded and immersed with the life-giving sustenance of Torah, which is compared to water. All this in the midst of the land – meaning while still existing in the midst of the land, within the physical world. Speaking about fish, this brings to mind a great poster in the cafeteria of my former yeshiva for those returning to Judaism, located in Morristown, NJ. It said in bold letters: ONLY DEAD FISH GO WITH THE FLOW. To be alive means to move. But in which direction? Going along with the latest agenda in society has never benefited the Jewish people. Our nation is alive as a result of going against the tide. It is what it means to be an Ivri (a Hebrew), which literally means to move onto the other side. And with Hashem’s help, we will continue to swim against the tide of assimilation and help prepare the world for the ultimate redemption. That is indeed a great blessing, and may it be multiplied like fish across many generations!
May it be that Moshiach arrives soon without all the necessary preparations. So be like a fish... be ready!
1. Bereishis 48:16
2. Tanya, Part I; Likkutei Amarim 33
3. Talmud, Chullin 27b
4. See Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer ha-Levi Edels (Maharsha) on Talmud, ad loc.
