Daily Verse: Genesis 49:28
Wednesday 10 Tevet 5783 (03.01.23)
By Rabbi Michael Skobac
There is No Greater Blessing than Honesty
“All these are the 12 tribes of Israel; and this is what their father spoke to them when he blessed them; he blessed each according to his appropriate blessing”
When we examine what Jacob related to each son, it doesn’t seem that they all received blessings. Some of them he berated. He scolded Reuven for being impulsive (49:4) and he rebuked Shimon and Levi for their vigilantism (49:5-7). What kinds of blessings are these?
King Solomon wrote that “faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6). Even though it may be painful to hear about our faults and shortcomings, when someone close points them out, it is for our benefit. Unless we realize where we fall short we can never improve. There is no greater blessing that to give someone honest feedback about how they are living so they can then work on improving.
By Rabbi Michael Skobac
Rabbi Michael Skobac had been involved with Jews for Judaism (Canada) since 1989 and currently serves as its Director of Education and Counselling. He is a leading authority on missionaries, cults and issues relating to Jewish continuity and Jewish spirituality. Rabbi Skobac's publications include Missionary Impossible; Counter-Missionary Survival Guide; The DaVinci Code: A Jewish Perspetive; and Intermarriage: Is There Ligth at teh End of the Tunnel?
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Republished by Angelique Sijbolts with permission for the Noahide Academy.
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