Vayechi 48:19 · unit 1

Parashas Vayechi · Passuk 48:19

The Complete Passuk

וַיְמָאֵ֣ן אָבִ֗יו וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יָדַ֤עְתִּֽי בְנִי֙ יָדַ֔עְתִּי גַּם־ה֥וּא יִהְיֶה־לְּעָ֖ם וְגַם־ה֣וּא יִגְדָּ֑ל וְאוּלָ֗ם אָחִ֤יו הַקָּטֹן֙ יִגְדַּ֣ל מִמֶּ֔נּוּ וְזַרְע֖וֹ יִהְיֶ֥ה מְלֹֽא־הַגּוֹיִֽם׃

And his father refused, and said: I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; howbeit his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Avodah Zarah 25a.

TT lemma: מלא הגוים.

Sefaria — Avodah Zarah 25a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אֵימָתַי יִהְיֶה מְלֹא הַגּוֹיִם — בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁתַּעֲמֹד לוֹ חַמָּה לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ. [מִכָּאן רֶמֶז שֶׁתַּעֲמֹד הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בִּימֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן.]

English: When shall he become “a multitude of nations”? At the time when the sun stands still for Yehoshua. [From here is a hint that the sun would stand still in the days of Yehoshua bin Nun.]

On the daf / in context: Yehoshua descended from Efrayim. The phrase “מלא הגוים” is read as an allusion to the worldwide wonder of the sun standing still, which filled the nations with awe of Yehoshua.

Type of Learning

Remez / prophetic allusion — the blessing on Efrayim’s seed points forward to the miracle performed for Yehoshua.

What Is Learned

Yaakov’s words “his seed shall become a multitude of nations” allude to the day the sun stood still for Yehoshua of the tribe of Efrayim, when the nations of the world were filled with the report of that wonder.