Parshat Vayechi: What to Value
by Rabbi Lobel

(Genesis; Chapter 50, Verse 23) “Joseph saw three generations through Ephraim, even the sons of Machir son of Menasseh were raised on Joseph's knees.”

Rashi explains, according to Onekelos' translation, that Joseph raised the sons of Machir “between his knees”. In other words, Joseph was an actual father figure to his great-grandchildren, literally raising them.

According to the Ralbag, the Torah is praising Joseph, at the end of his life, for his merits and accomplishments. Joseph's foremost achievement was his role in raising and teaching the generations after him.

From slavery and prison, Joseph rose to second-in-command of the region's lone superpower. He saved Egypt during the famine while, simultaneously, making Pharaoh even richer and more powerful. Joseph cared for and protected the entire Jewish nation. Yet, of all his triumphs and achievements, the Torah praises Joseph for teaching the next generation.

Joseph was a busy man; he had the administration of an empire upon his shoulders, not to mention supporting his extended family. But he recognized that of all his struggles and triumphs, his greatest achievement, what the Torah valued most, was educating the children of each generation.