Passing on blessings to the future generation is something every grandparent, mom, and dad desires to do for their children.  Passing on ideas, dreams, businesses, and skills are just the beginning of a long list of things everyone desires to pass on.  But the question we must ask ourselves: What spiritual blessings are we passing on to our children?  As we read Genesis 48, Jacob’s blessing was a challenge to trust God, as he had learned in his later years.

In today’s society, we think of a blessing as parents approving of a marriage, which is considered old-fashioned (but still important).  Before I asked Julie for her hand in marriage, I first asked both sets of parents for their blessing. I knew they would give their permission, but I wanted to make sure I had their full blessing and support.  In ancient Jewish culture, a blessing was essential to Jewish life.  As one rabbi explains, “In the Torah, blessings are seen as a conduit for spiritual and physical potential.  God blesses Adam and Eve to fill the world, Abraham is called a blessing for all his descendants…  The list goes on and on.”1 In other words, the blessing was the desire of the father or grandfather for his children. In the case of Jacob and Esau, Esau lived in the moment, trading his inheritance for soup and seeing no value in his blessing. (Gen. 26:3-5) He forfeited his part in God’s holy covenant with God’s chosen people! Jacob looked down the road and valued his father’s God-given blessing. He may have obtained it the wrong way, but he learned that God ultimately blesses us if we value the blessing and obey Him. His son, Joseph, is a fantastic example of what kind of faith Jacob passed on, to him and future generations.         

Jacob, now called Israel, wanted his sons to have the long term view and not settle for less.  His blessings were challenging them to live for God to their fullest potential, whether or not they listened. Earthly blessings are nice to pass on, but spiritual blessings are of much greater value. Are we taking the long look and setting a Godly example now? Are we passing on spiritual blessings?

1Rothstein, Isaiah. “The Power of Jewish Blessing.” myjewishlearning.com.