What is the greatest blessing you can receive? To truly know who you are.
In this week's parsha, our forefather Yaakov bids farewell to his children and blesses them. However, some of them hear rebukes and not blessings, words of criticism.
Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe explains why the Book of Bereishit, which begins with the creation of the world, ends with delving into the depths of our souls:
"The most profound work that a person is called upon to do during his lifetime is to perfect his character traits, the root of his soul. A person can live his entire life without truly knowing himself. The greatest blessing is to achieve an understanding of one’s virtues and faults. Yaakov revealed to each of his children their particular traits. When someone is told which trait he must be wary of—this information can place him on the correct path for his entire life. Only through awareness of his faults, can a person hope to correct them."
The greatest blessing, therefore, is first and foremost to know your own soul. In this week’s portion, when each of Yaakov's twelve sons received their individual missions, we too can ask: What are our virtues? What are our faults? What is our mission in the world?
