A Deathbed Blessing
Genesis Rabbah 96:2
>讜讬拽专讘讜 讬诪讬 讬砖专讗诇 诇诪讜转, 讻转讬讘 (转讛诇讬诐 诇讟) 讻讬 讙专 讗谞讻讬 注诪讱 转讜砖讘 讜讙讜’, (讚”讛 =讚讘专讬 讛讬诪讬诐= 讗 讻讟) 讻讬 讙专讬诐 讗谞讞谞讜 诇驻谞讬讱 讜讙讜’ 讻爪诇 讬诪讬谞讜 注诇 讛讗专抓 讜讗讬谉 诪拽讜讛, 讜讛诇讜讗讬 讻爪诇讜 砖诇 讻讜转诇 讗讜 讻爪诇讜 砖诇 讗讬诇谉 讗诇讗 讻爪诇讜 砖诇 注讜祝 讘砖注讛 砖讛讜讗 注祝 讚讻转讬讘 (转讛诇讬诐 拽诪讚) 讻爪诇 注讜讘专, 讜讗讬谉 诪拽讜讛, 讜讗讬谉 诪讬 砖讬拽讜讛 砖诇讗 讬诪讜转 讛讻诇 讬讜讚注讬诐 讜讗讜诪专讬谉 讘驻讬讛诐 砖讛谉 诪转讬诐, 讗讘专讛诐 讗诪专 (讘专讗砖讬转 讟讜) 讜讗谞讻讬 讛讜诇讱 注专讬专讬, 讬爪讞拽 讗诪专 (砖诐 /讘专讗砖讬转/ 讻讝) 讜讗讘专讻讱 诇驻谞讬 讛’ 诇驻谞讬 诪讜转讬, 讗祝 讬注拽讘 讗诪专 讜砖讻讘转讬 注诐 讗讘讜转讬 讗讬诪转讬 讘砖注讛 砖谞讟讛 诇诪讜转
“And when the time approached for Israel to die…” (Gen. 47:29). It is written, “[…like all my forbears] I am an alien, resident with You. [Look away from me, that I may recover, before I pass away and am gone.]” (Psalm 39:13鈥�14) And: “For we are strangers with You,[mere transients like our fathers]; our days on earth are like a shadow, and there is no hoping otherwise.” (1 Chron. 29:15).Would that [our days] were as the shadow of a wall or of a tree! Rather they are like the shadow of a bird in flight, as it says, “[Man is like a breath; his days are] like a passing shadow.” (Ps. 144:4)
“…And there is no hoping otherwise.” (1 Chron. 29:15). None can hope not to die; all know it and declare by their own mouths that they are mortal. Abraham said: “[‘O Lord God, what can You give me,] seeing that I shall die childless…” (Gen. 15:2). Isaac said: “‘…so that I may bless you in God’s presence before I die.'” (Gen. 27:7) So too, Jacob said: “When I lie down with my fathers…” (Gen. 47:30). When was this? At the time when he expected to die.
For many鈥攊f not most鈥攐f us, death arouses great anxiety. Much of our emotionality regarding the end of life comes from the way that death changes how we perceive ourselves. This midrash about Jacob’s deathbed scene presents ancient rabbinic wisdom about mortality based on insights from key passages in the Hebrew Bible. By presenting biblical metaphors alongside our patriarchs’ experiences of dying, the text above teaches us to accept our limited lifetimes by acknowledging an uncomfortable reality.
In the first half of the midrash, we find two poetic verses that express how death and dying literally alienate one from a normal sense of reality. By comparing mortals to “strangers,” whose fleeting lives “are like a shadow,” these passages evoke the feelings of emotional distance and meaninglessness that often accompany the loss of a loved one or one’s own impending demise. Nonetheless, this midrash finds hope in the truth that we are all “mere transients like our fathers.”
Perhaps we can find comfort in reading how even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob experienced the same grieving process of denial, anger, bargaining, and depression that we undergo before achieving acceptance. We can balance our powerlessness before death by emulating our patriarchs, whose trust in God and spiritual journeys can guide us in this world and the next.
