Good morning and welcome back to the Daily Study. Today is Tuesday and we're looking inside at the third reading of the weekly Torah portion of Ayyefi, that is Genesis chapter 48, verses 17-22. So Jacob then surprised Joseph further by giving Ephraim precedence over Menashe, even though Menashe was older. The Ulamachim hakatani, the men of the Gomer, and Jacob told Joseph, but his younger brother will become greater than he.
As we have seen, Menashe represents our obligation to protect ourselves from the negative influences of our surroundings. Ephraim, in contrast, represents our obligation to influence our surroundings, to redeem ourselves and the world from exile. And since before influencing the world we must ensure that we are protected from its temptations, Joseph named his firstborn Menashe and wished to give him precedence in receiving Jacob's blessing as well. In granting his blessing, however, Jacob focused on the purpose of our descent into exile, which is not mere spiritual survival, but the spiritual growth that results from our successful encounter with exile.
Jacob therefore gave precedence to Ephraim. Likewise, in our exile, although just like Menashe is the firstborn, securing our Jewish identity is the first step. Our main purpose is to be an Ephraim, to positively influence the world around us. And that was it for today's Daily Study.