VBM Yaakov's Blessings to His Sons By Harav Yaakov Medan

On the day of his death, Yaakov calls upon all of his sons to gather together so that he may tell them what will happen to them in the future. And Yaakov called unto his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days.” (Bereishit 49:1) It is not clear why it is important that they should know this, and according to the Sages, the vision of the end is concealed from him: Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: "And Yaakov called unto his sons, and said: ‘Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that which shall befall you in the end of days].’" Yaakov wished to reveal to his sons “the end of the days," whereupon the Shekhina departed from him. (Pesachim 56a) In the end, Yaakov tells them other things. What is the nature of what he says to them, and why does he say these things to them? According to the simple understanding, he wishes to divide up the Land of Israel between his sons, and with his parables and riddles he establishes their respective tribal territories. We will consider some of them.