Vayechi 49:8 · unit 1

Parashas Vayechi · Passuk 49:8

The Complete Passuk

יְהוּדָ֗ה אַתָּה֙ יוֹד֣וּךָ אַחֶ֔יךָ יָדְךָ֖ בְּעֹ֣רֶף אֹיְבֶ֑יךָ יִשְׁתַּחֲוּ֥וּ לְךָ֖ בְּנֵ֥י אָבִֽיךָ׃

Yehudah, thee shall thy brethren praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s sons shall bow down before thee.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Megillah 16a.

Sefaria — Megillah 16a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ חֲכָמָיו וְזֶרֶשׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ אִם מִזֶּרַע הַיְּהוּדִים מָרְדֳּכַי \ldots לֹא תוּכַל לוֹ״ — אָמְרוּ לוֹ: אִם מִשְּׁאָר שְׁבָטִים קָאָתֵי — יָכְלִית לֵיהּ; וְאִם מִשֵּׁבֶט יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִין וְאֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה — לֹא יָכְלִית לֵיהּ. יְהוּדָה — דִּכְתִיב ״יָדְךָ בְּעֹרֶף אֹיְבֶיךָ״.

English: R’ Yochanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written “Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordechai be of the seed of the Jews \ldots thou shalt not prevail against him”? They said to him: If he comes from the other tribes you can prevail against him; but if from the tribe of Yehudah or Binyamin or Efrayim or Menasheh you cannot prevail against him. Yehudah — as it is written “thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies.”

On the daf / in context: The advisers of Haman cite the special strength promised to certain tribes, beginning with the blessing given to Yehudah.

Type of Learning

Derash linking the blessing to later history — the verse is the source of the invincibility attributed to Yehudah.

What Is Learned

The blessing “thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies” is the reason that one descended from Yehudah cannot be overcome by ordinary means.