Yaakov & Miri Lemmer sing a blessing for children #shorts

In this week’s Torah portion we read about the blessings Jacob bestows upon his children and grandchildren. Every Friday night when we bless our children before Kiddush, we bless the girls to be like our matriarchs but the boys… we bless them to be like Ephraim and Menashe. Why is that? Why should we not bless our boys to be like our patriarchs? My favorite answer to this question is that in all of Genesis, when we encounter brothers, there was hardly peace between them. Beginning from Cain and Abel all through Joseph and his brothers, jealousy and fratricide was the narrative. Ephraim and Menashe are the first two brothers in the Torah that live in peace and harmony. May our children be blessed with a life of unity and wholeness. “May the L-rd bless and protect you. May the L-rd cause His countenance to shine upon you and favor you. May the L-rd raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace.”