Vayechi 49:21 · unit 1

Parashas Vayechi · Passuk 49:21

The Complete Passuk

נַפְתָּלִ֖י אַיָּלָ֣ה שְׁלֻחָ֑ה הַנֹּתֵ֖ן אִמְרֵי־שָֽׁפֶר׃

Naftali is a hind let loose; he giveth goodly words.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sotah 13a.

Sefaria — Sotah 13a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
קַלִּיל כִּי אַיַּלְתָּא.

English: Swift as a hind.

On the daf / in context: When the burial of Yaakov was delayed by Esav’s claim and the deed of sale had been left in Egypt, they chose Naftali to run and fetch it because he was swift as a hind, as the blessing states.

Type of Learning

Application of the tribal blessing to a concrete episode in the narrative of Yaakov’s burial.

What Is Learned

Naftali’s swiftness, described by the verse as “a hind let loose,” is the reason he was sent to retrieve the deed from Egypt at the time of Yaakov’s burial.