Vayechi 49:8 · unit 3

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 Yerushalmi Kesubos 1:5 (and parallel midrashim).

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה גָּזְרוּ שְׁמָד בִּיהוּדָה, שֶׁכֵּן מְסוֹרָה לָהֶם מֵאֲבוֹתֵיהֶם שֶׁיְּהוּדָה הָרַג אֶת עֵשָׂו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״יָדְךָ בְּעֹרֶף אֹיְבֶיךָ״.

English: At first they decreed a persecution in Yehudah, for so it was transmitted to them from their fathers that Yehudah killed Esav, as it is said “thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies.”

On the daf / in context: The tradition that Yehudah struck Esav is linked to this verse; the Yerushalmi records that the Romans (or the persecuting power) acted on that tradition.

Type of Learning

Historical application of the verse preserved in the Yerushalmi.

What Is Learned

There was an early tradition that Yehudah killed Esav, and the verse “thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies” was taken as the source of that tradition.