Toldos: Ralbag on Yitzchak’s Blessings (and a Rationalist Method of Blessing Others)

Ralbag's explanation of how Yitzchak's prophetic blessings worked provides a "rationalist" framework for non-prophets to bless the people in our lives.

Nov 29, 2024

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Toldos: Ralbag on Yitzchak’s Blessings (and a Rationalist Method of Blessing Others)

Two Difficulties with Yitzchak’s Blessings

Ralbag (Beur ha'Parashah after Bereishis 28:6-9) raises two difficulties with Yitzchak’s prophetic blessings:

[The first] difficulty pertains to the nature of this berachah (blessing): Is it a declaration of what will happen in the future, or is it a tefilah (prayer) and bakashah (request) to Hashem to bestow a berachah upon the recipient? Without one of these two purposes, the berachah of the navi (prophet) would serve no purpose. It seems unlikely that this berachah is merely a statement about the recipient’s future. If it were, it wouldn’t make sense for Yitzchak to say to Eisav, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing” (ibid. 27:35); this [problem] is self-evident. Similarly, it seems implausible for the berachah to be a tefilah and bakashah from Hashem, because if this were its nature, it would be possible for the berachah to apply to all who are blessed, since there is nothing to prevent a person who prays from requesting one thing at one time and its opposite at another, depending on what is needed at the time. If this were the case, what prevented Yitzchak from blessing Eisav with the same berachah he gave to Yaakov? If only I knew! Furthermore, [if] Yitzchak had specifically intended to bless Eisav with that particular berachah, [how could Yaakov have “stolen” it?] This raises substantial difficulties in understanding the narrative.
Additionally, it is strange that a navi would request delicacies as a prerequisite for bestowing a berachah, for it is not the way of a navi to be drawn after physical pleasures, let alone use them as a means for attaining attachment to the Divine overflow [of prophecy]. [Such a method would only] be conceivable with spiritual delights, as Elisha said, “Now, bring me a musician” (II Melachim 3:15).

Ralbag emphasizes the tension inherent in the dual nature of these berachos:

[In short,] the berachah of a navi is not [entirely] subject to his will. Rather, he blesses each recipient in accordance with their own [personalized] berachah. This is evident from Yaakov’s berachos to his sons, where it states, “Each according to his berachah, he blessed them” (Bereishis 49:28). This idea is further supported by the berachah of Menasheh and Ephraim. When Yosef asked Yaakov to place his right hand on Menasheh, the firstborn, Yaakov responded, “I know, my son, I know. He, too, will be a nation and he also will become great, but his younger brother will be greater than he” (ibid. 48:19). This clearly shows that the navi’s berachah is not [solely] dependent on his will, but is, in some sense, a foretelling of what will happen in the future. [Yet,] it appears from the narrative we are discussing that this berachah is not [entirely] a foretelling of the future, for if it were, it wouldn’t make sense for Yitzchak to say to Eisav, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your berachah” (ibid. 27:35).

To summarize, two key questions emerge: (1) What is the nature of a navi’s berachah? If it is merely a tefilah to Hashem, why couldn’t Yitzchak simply give Eisav the berachah he had originally intended for him, even after Yaakov’s deception? And if it is a prophetic declaration of the recipient’s future, how could Yaakov have “stolen” it? Eisav’s future should remain unchanged, regardless of Yaakov’s actions. Yitzchak’s berachos seem to combine elements of tefilah and nevuah (prophecy) but do not fit neatly into either category. (2) Why did Yitzchak request delicacies, saying, “make delicacies for me, such that I like, and bring them to me that I may eat, so that I may bless you before I die” (ibid. 27:4)? If anything, physical pleasures would seem to detract from a state conducive to giving a prophetic berachah!

Ralbag’s Theory of Prophetic Berachos

Ralbag answers by proposing a theory for how prophetic berachos work: “the berachah of the navi is, in one sense, aligned with what will happen in the future, and in another sense, a tefilah and a bakashah.” He explains:

When an individual is predisposed [by their nature or circumstances] to receive a certain good, the navi prays that a greater good than the one already fitting for the individual should come to him, provided that the greater good is connected in some way to the good that was already fit to come to him. In this manner, it can be said that [the navi] blessed him “in accordance with his [personalized] berachah.”
For example, if a navi blesses someone who is naturally disposed to be a beloved servant in his master’s eyes, he might bless him to become a prominent minister in the royal court or a successful merchant—but he would not bless him to become a king, as this would be far removed from the good that was already predisposed to come to him. However, the navi might bless a person to become a king or a ruler of many regions if he were already predisposed to be a governor or master over a single region.
Since hashgachas Hashem (Divine providence) relates to the navi, it follows that the navi’s tefilah will be answered, and his berachah will attain the status of matters that will unfold in the future. Nevertheless, the navi’s berachah is always limited by the preparedness of the recipient. He will not bestow any random berachah upon any random individual. Rather, the berachah corresponds specifically to the recipient [in accordance with their natural or circumstantial predispositions]. This is exceedingly clear based on what we have explained.

In short, the navi beseeches Hashem to actualize a potential good which already exists within the recipient. The scope of the berachah is therefore limited to the potential that resides in that individual, which is why these berachos are personalized and cannot be given indiscriminately. Since a navi operates under an exceedingly high level of hashgachah, and his tefilah is answered, the act of berachah sets in motion a chain of causality, such that subsequent berachos must take this new reality into account. In other words, a navi can’t give one berachah and then offer another berachah that disregards the first, since the initial berachah alters the landscape.

Ralbag’s Resolutions of the Difficulties in the Narrative

Ralbag proceeds to explain the narrative in the parashah, beginning with an answer to his second question:

With this understanding, the difficulties surrounding these berachos can be easily resolved. First, Yitzchak’s request for delicacies was not due to his love of physical pleasure—far be it from a navi to exhibit such an imperfection! Rather, it was to achieve complete focus on the individual bringing him the delicacies by directing his thoughts toward him while eating them, so that he would be informed through nevuah which berachah was appropriate for him, for this is a prerequisite of nevuah … It is possible that Yitzchak [also] required this due to his advanced age, as this would have made it more difficult for him to concentrate his imagination and thoughts on the matter at hand. For this reason, we find that in many neviim, nevuah ceased in their old age.
It became clear to Yitzchak that the one bringing him the delicacies was the type of person worthy of being accompanied by Divine hashgachah, and he blessed him accordingly … After Yaakov was blessed in this manner, which included a certain degree of curse for Eisav, and since the navi’s berachah is bound to be fulfilled, it was therefore impossible for Eisav to receive the berachah he might have had if Yaakov had not been blessed first. This is what Yitzchak meant when he said to Eisav, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your berachah.” Yitzchak was left perplexed about what kind of berachah he could now give Eisav. Ultimately, he blessed him with something that would not conflict with Yaakov’s berachah, drawn from the good that was still appropriate for Eisav based on his readiness to receive it.
He informed Eisav that his subjugation to Yaakov would not be permanent. Rather, this servitude would cease when Israel was no longer deserving of the level of hashgachah that established their dominion over others. This is the meaning of his statement, “When you grow restive, you will break his yoke from your neck” (ibid. 27:40). That is to say, when Eisav attains rulership through natural circumstances, his subjugation may be temporarily removed—this would occur when Israel is not worthy of the hashgachah that would otherwise render Eisav’s nation subordinate to them, despite its natural inclination to rule. However, he stipulated that Eisav's dominion would come by means of natural law. Without this condition, Eisav's descendants would inevitably remain subjugated to Yaakov and his descendants, even if Yaakov's descendants were unworthy of hashgachah. This is because it is evident that one nation can rule over another even if the ruling nation does not possess the level of perfection required to merit hashgachah. With this, we have resolved the doubts that might arise concerning these berachos.

Ralbag’s theory of berachos provides a framework for addressing his questions on the narrative. Yitzchak asked for Eisav’s delicacies to help him focus his faculties on the recipient and thereby receive a nevuah about Eisav’s potential. Based on this prophetic knowledge, Yitzchak engaged in tefilah, asking Hashem to actualize this potential, and verbalized his request so Eisav could hear it and aspire to be worthy of the good articulated in the berachah. Little did Yitzhak know that the individual in front of him was not Eisav, but Yaakov. Evidently, Yitzchak was nevertheless granted the nevuah he sought—not about Eisav, but about the person standing before him who brought the delicacies. Once his tefilah was complete, the hashgachah set the berachah in motion in an irrevocable manner. When he discovered Yaakov’s ruse and was asked by Eisav for a berachah, Yitzchak had no choice but to formulate it within the parameters of the berachah he had already given to Yaakov.

A “Rationalist” Approach for Giving Non-Prophetic Blessings to Others

Thus far we have focused on how prophetic berachos work, but what about the berachos that ordinary people give to one another? Are these mundane blessings merely a nice gesture, or can they have an actual effect? I believe Ralbag’s theory can serve as a model for how we, as non-neviim, can bestow our own blessings.

When it comes to giving berachos, neviim have three advantages over the average person: (1) their intellectual and ethical perfection enables them to determine appropriate berachos based on Torah values, without being blinded by personal biases; (2) their prophetic insight allows them to discern with certainty the latent potential within the recipient and their circumstances; and (3) their tefilah is so effective that it can impact reality in a way that paves the path for that future to unfold, provided the recipient is worthy of actualizing it.

When we non-neviim give berachos, we must compensate for these deficiencies. First, we should strive for objectivity, analyzing the recipient’s situation to determine which blessings would genuinely benefit them. Second, in the absence of prophetic knowledge, we should rely on our understanding of the recipient’s qualities and circumstances to estimate their potential. Finally, after formulating a suitable berachah, we should concentrate our thoughts and emotional energy on the recipient—perhaps placing hands on their head, to enhance one’s focus—and verbalize a heartfelt tefilah that Hashem should enable them to achieve this good.

While our bakashah is not guaranteed to be answered like a navi’s tefilah, it can still influence the recipient. Hearing their potential articulated by someone they admire is a critical part of this process, as it can motivate them to strive toward that vision. When combined with their awareness of the power of tefilah, this can, in theory, bring the berachah to fruition—provided the recipient lives up to their potential and makes the right choices.

There is a widespread minhag (custom) for parents to bless their children on Friday night before kiddush. In addition to the customary berachah of “May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe etc.” (ibid. 48:20), R’ Yaakov Emden (Siddur Yaabetz, Leil Shabbos Kodesh) writes, “one may add their own berachah, according to their own formulation.” He emphasizes that this practice applies to both one’s biological children and one’s students. How wonderful it would be for parents and teachers to give personalized berachos to their children and students in the manner described above! Such berachos carry tremendous power, as Chazal (Megilah 15a) teach: “One should never regard the berachah of an ordinary person lightly.”

I’m particularly interested in what you think of the final section of this article. Have you had any personal experiences in which you’ve given or received a berachah in this manner? Let me know in the comments!

The Rabbi Schneeweiss Substack

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