OU TORAH ONE+ONE Zebulon By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz

Many have the practice to recite, in the prayer following Shemoneh Esrei, a verse that starts and ends with the same letter as their name, or that contains their name, or both. This is considered a source of merit. In this series, we will briefly analyze these verses. זְבוּלֻן לְחוֹף יַמִּים יִשְׁכֹּן וְהוּא לְחוֹף אֳנִיֹּת וְיַרְכָתוֹ עַל צִידֹן Zebulon will dwell at the shore of the sea and he will be a shore for ships; his flank will be upon Tzidon – Genesis 49:13 The verse for the name Zevulun is also Yaakov’s bracha to his son of that name. It both starts and ends with the letters of the name and contains the name. The blessing of being a seashore may not be self-evident, so Onkelos paraphrases it as follows: “Zebulon will dwell on the shore of the sea and he will conquer harbors with his ships; he will eat the best of the sea and his border will reach as far as Tzidon.” This Targum clarifies the nature of the blessings that Yaakov intended for that particular Tribe.