In
parshas vayechi we observe Yaakov avinu blessing his grandchildren -
Menashe and Ephraim, and upgrading their status to be counted as part of the shevatim.
Soon after, Yaakov blesses (and admonishes) his own children - and attempts futilely to reveal the "end of days" to them.
In honor of this intimate and moving parsha, I took my son
Charlie to visit the elder statesmen of Ohav Sholom for their beautiful and powerful brachos,
Danny Lieberman and
Sol Rosenkranz.
When we returned home, the Rebbetzin asked Charlie what he just did - he replied,
"I went and got brachos from these two old guys!"
It is interesting to note that prior to blessing Menashe and Ephraim, the Torah records,
"Now Israel's eyes were heavy with age, he could not see, so he brought them near him and he
kissed
them and
hugged
them." (46:10)
We may suggest the Torah is instructing us that "hugging and kissing" is an essential component of the bracha itself! These acts aren't simply the intimate gestures of a kindly grandfather or a psychological trick to disarm your subject.
Rather, they mentally prepare the recipient to accept the blessing of the Almighty through the conduit of a mortal man. Fostering warm feelings towards the one who administers the bracha allows the free flow of G-d's blessing...
We bless people all the time. When saying Good Morning! Good Shabbos! Yasher Koach! etc., we are essentially
blessing that individual. Why not smile, make eye contact and firmly shake his hand?
By doing so, we will serve as worthy vessels to both give and receive the full and endless bounty of
bircas Hashem!
Intuitively,
Danny and
Sol knew exactly what to do. Hugging and kissing Charlie, they showered him with the sweetest blessings! May the brachos given to Charlie, Ohav Sholom and Klal Yisroel be fulfilled quickly in our days!
Amen.
Have a wonderful shabbos!
See you in shul,
Rabbi Aaron D. Mehlman
Erev shabbos kodesh vayechi 5777
