Blessing of Efraim and Menashe

Genesis/Bereishit 48:11 (translation is that of The Contemporary Torah, JPS, 2006)	And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see you again, and here God has let me see your children as well.”	וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף רְאֹ֥ה פָנֶ֖יךָ לֹ֣א פִלָּ֑לְתִּי וְהִנֵּ֨ה הֶרְאָ֥ה אֹתִ֛י אֱלֹהִ֖ים גַּ֥ם אֶת־זַרְעֶֽךָ׃
	*  *  *
48:13	Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim with his right hand—to Israel’s left—and Manasseh with his left hand—to Israel’s right—and brought them close to him.	וַיִּקַּ֣ח יוֹסֵף֮ אֶת־שְׁנֵיהֶם֒ אֶת־אֶפְרַ֤יִם בִּֽימִינוֹ֙ מִשְּׂמֹ֣אל יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֶת־מְנַשֶּׁ֥ה בִשְׂמֹאל֖וֹ מִימִ֣ין יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיַּגֵּ֖שׁ אֵלָֽיו׃
48:14	But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head—thus crossing his hands—although Manasseh was the first-born.	וַיִּשְׁלַח֩ יִשְׂרָאֵ֨ל אֶת־יְמִינ֜וֹ וַיָּ֨שֶׁת עַל־רֹ֤אשׁ אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וְה֣וּא הַצָּעִ֔יר וְאֶת־שְׂמֹאל֖וֹ עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה שִׂכֵּל֙ אֶת־יָדָ֔יו כִּ֥י מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה הַבְּכֽוֹר׃
	*  *  *
48:17	When Joseph saw that his father was placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it wrong; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.	וַיַּ֣רְא יוֹסֵ֗ף כִּי־יָשִׁ֨ית אָבִ֧יו יַד־יְמִינ֛וֹ עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ אֶפְרַ֖יִם וַיֵּ֣רַע בְּעֵינָ֑יו וַיִּתְמֹ֣ךְ יַד־אָבִ֗יו לְהָסִ֥יר אֹתָ֛הּ מֵעַ֥ל רֹאשׁ־אֶפְרַ֖יִם עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ מְנַשֶּֽׁה׃
48:18	“Not so, Father,” Joseph said to his father, “for the other is the first-born; place your right hand on his head.”	וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶל־אָבִ֖יו לֹא־כֵ֣ן אָבִ֑י כִּי־זֶ֣ה הַבְּכֹ֔ר שִׂ֥ים יְמִינְךָ֖ עַל־רֹאשֽׁוֹ׃
48:19	But his father objected, saying, “I know, my son, I know. He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great. Yet his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall be plentiful enough for nations.”	וַיְמָאֵ֣ן אָבִ֗יו וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יָדַ֤עְתִּֽי בְנִי֙ יָדַ֔עְתִּי גַּם־ה֥וּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְּעָ֖ם וְגַם־ה֣וּא יִגְדָּ֑ל וְאוּלָ֗ם אָחִ֤יו הַקָּטֹן֙ יִגְדַּ֣ל מִמֶּ֔נּוּ וְזַרְע֖וֹ יִהְיֶ֥ה מְלֹֽא־הַגּוֹיִֽם׃
48:20	So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you shall Israel invoke blessings, saying: God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.	וַיְבָ֨רְכֵ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַהוּא֮ לֵאמוֹר֒ בְּךָ֗ יְבָרֵ֤ךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יְשִֽׂמְךָ֣ אֱלֹהִ֔ים כְּאֶפְרַ֖יִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁ֑ה וַיָּ֥שֶׂם אֶת־אֶפְרַ֖יִם לִפְנֵ֥י מְנַשֶּֽׁה׃

Tools:

• Knife
• Tweezers (optional)
• Toothpicks

Instructions:

1. Cut the ends off of each carrot so they can stand. Take a small piece of seaweed, and fold over the top, and forward, to look like what we picture as a typical Egyptian headdress. Add sesame seed eyes (they will stick to the moisture on the carrots) using your fingers or tweezers.

2. Cut the cocktail cucumber in half crosswise, then in half again lengthwise. You will only need ½ a cocktail cucumber (two quarters) for each snack. If your cucumbers are smaller, or will not stand easily, use an entire half for each of Jacob and Joseph. Just cut bottoms off of each if using cocktail cucumbers.

3. Cut a slit to represent a “mouth” in one of the olives.

4. Take the second pepper (make sure you have a yellow mini one still available). Cut two “v” shaped pieces to make Joseph’s arms. See below and final photo for proportions, though if they are off it will not really matter. Cut two straight pieces to make Jacob’s arms (make sure Jacob’s arms are extra long so they can cross).

5. Take one of the cucumbers. Stick a toothpick where the “neck” would be. Stick another through where the “shoulders” would be. Add the v-shaped “arms” to the “shoulders” by pressing into toothpick on either side of the cucumber.

SEE PHOTO

6. Add cut olive onto toothpick “neck.” Cut a piece of seaweed in proportion to make a headdress for the olive “head” (I would use 1/2 of a slice of the seaweed snack size pieces). Fold over top of “head” and move sides forward, to make a headdress. Add sesame seed eyes with fingers or tweezers. This is JOSEPH (I snapped off the edges of the toothpick in this photo).

7. Take the second cucumber. As before, stick a toothpick where the “neck” would be. Stick another through where the “shoulders” would be.

Taking care to hold the straight pepper pieces at an angle so that they will cross, add the straight “arms” to the “shoulders” by pressing into toothpick on either side of the cucumber. The arms should be facing inwards, but will tilt down. That is ok.

8. This is the hardest part; feel free to omit. Take (remaining) the yellow mini pepper. Decide whether you want to have the stem make a “kippa” or not, to decide which end to use.

Put next to your olive to figure out proportions. Cut off bottom in a curved diagonal, to make a sort of helmet that will be the hair and beard. Cut out a part for the eyes, another for the mouth, and, of course, the opposite end for the bottom of the beard. Both options shown.

9. Insert the olive into the beard. Add sesame seed eyes. Press onto “neck” of Jacob.

10. Arrange Efraim and Menashe such that they are near Jacob. Cross his arms so he is blessing each with the opposite arm (the lower photo shows Joseph wearing an Arab-style circlet around his headdress).