בראשית, פרק מ״ח, פסוק כ״ב

In his final moments, Jacob shapes the future of his family by granting Joseph a unique status. After elevating Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to the rank of independent tribes, Jacob promises Joseph an extra portion in the Promised Land. This gift serves as a reward for the effort Joseph will undertake to bury Jacob in Canaan, ensuring that Joseph will also have a burial place in the land [רש״י, מזרחי, שפתי חכמים]. While Jacob's past favoritism sparked deep jealousy among the brothers, this final elevation is met with acceptance. Joseph is now a king, and his brothers, fully dependent upon him, recognize his greatness [הדר זקנים, דעת זקנים]. Furthermore, Jacob explains that as a family living in exile, the only practical inheritance he can bestow upon Joseph at this moment is the status of the firstborn and the mantle of leadership [רמב״ן, רש״ר הירש].

The nature of this extra portion is understood in two distinct ways. The primary approach among commentators is that it represents the right of the firstborn, granting Joseph's descendants a double portion in the land of Israel, thereby making Ephraim and Manasseh equal to Reuben and Simeon [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, רשב״ם, רמב״ן, שד״ל, בכור שור]. Conversely, others interpret the promise literally, identifying the portion as the actual city of Shechem. Jacob specifically designates this city for Joseph, and it is indeed where Joseph is buried after the Exodus. This serves as a profound measure of poetic justice, as Shechem was the very place from which he was originally sold into slavery [רש״י, הדר זקנים, דעת זקנים, הכתב והקבלה, שטיינזלץ].

When speaking of acquiring this territory, Jacob uses the past tense for a conquest that has not yet occurred. Many commentators explain this as a prophetic style of speech, where future events are described with absolute certainty, as if they have already happened, anticipating the land his descendants will eventually conquer [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, שד״ל, רלב״ג, חזקוני]. Alternatively, Jacob is referring to a literal past event, specifically the moment he took the birthright from Esau [רש״י]. The nation from whom this territory is taken, the Amorites, is often viewed as a representative term for all Canaanite peoples, as they were the strongest and most formidable among them [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, רבינו בחיי, חזקוני]. Others connect this specifically to the future conquests of Joshua, a descendant of Joseph, who would defeat the mighty Amorite kings Sihon and Og [רמב״ן, רשב״ם, ביאור יש״ר]. From a different perspective, the Amorite is seen as a metaphor for Esau, who wickedly attempted to steal the birthright [רש״י, ספורנו, מזרחי], or as a reference to Hamor, the ruler of Shechem, whose people were considered part of the broader Amorite nation [הכתב והקבלה, מזרחי].

Jacob attributes his triumph to his sword and bow, imagery that carries both spiritual and physical significance. Spiritually, these weapons represent Jacob's wisdom, prayer, and supplication. His prayers act as a sharp sword piercing the heavens, while his bow symbolizes his earnest pleas and the protective merit of the Torah [רש״י, ספורנו, תורה תמימה, גור אריה, שפתי חכמים]. Additionally, the sword and bow symbolize the divine assistance of God, who shields Jacob and fights on His behalf [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, רלב״ג, חזקוני]. On a physical level, this anticipates the literal weapons the Israelites will use in their future military conquest of the land [רשב״ם, רד״ק, העמק דבר]. Another approach suggests that Jacob actually engaged in physical combat in the past; after Simeon and Levi destroyed Shechem, surrounding nations gathered to attack, forcing Jacob to arm himself and bravely defend his family [רש״י, הכתב והקבלה, הדר זקנים, ברטנורא]. Finally, some propose that Jacob performed a symbolic prophetic action, physically shooting arrows toward the Amorite territory to guarantee its ultimate conquest by his children [רמב״ן, רבינו בחיי].