This dvar Torah is dedicated in honor of Naftali Shaul ben Elisheva Atara, a student of mine who is now in the Israeli army. He has served in the front lines of Gaza, Lebanon and now Syria and has courageously defended our brethren in Eretz Yisrael since after October 7 of last year. May our prayers and learning be a merit to him, the other soldiers, hostages, and all of Klal Yisrael!
In the concluding Torah portion of the Book of Breishis, parshas Vayechi, Yaakov blesses his children. The blessing for Naftali was, “Naftali is a doe let loose who delivers beautiful sayings” (Breishis 49:21).
Rabbeinu Bachye‘s simple understanding of this pasuk is that Yaakov blessed Naftali with swiftness, that the children of Naftali will be swift like a doe to run to give good tidings and to be the first to inform people of these good tidings, just like people used to send letters through tying them between deer horns [and the deer running swiftly to its destination.] (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Rabbeinu Bachye does not say that Yaakov blessed Naftali with the ability to run really fast in order to win track competitions, nor for the battlefield, and not even to run to perform mitzvos with zrizus, speed and alacrity. The Rabbeinu Bachye later, in a different interpretation, quotes a Medrish Rabba saying that as a result of this blessing we find that Naftali jumped all the way back to Egypt, like a doe, to bring the documents of his father Yaakov’s right to be buried in Maaras Hamachpeila. Though before he got back, Chushim the son of Dan got up and murdered Eisav, since he was delaying Yaakov’s burial. Nevertheless, the simple understanding of why he was blessed with swiftness and agility was in order to be the first to send good news to people. Why is that the purpose of the blessing?
However, we must say that by definition a blessing is only for a positive purpose and the purest blessing for this ability is to channel their blessing of quickness and agility towards what is purely good. This is giving good tidings to people which makes people feel good and being the first to do so. Not much can get better than that kindness!
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder