When we read Yaakov’s berachot to his sons, it is tempting to think about them jus

t as important messages for those twelve sons. But as we know, the Torah only co
ntains information that is relevant for all times, and therefore, we can definit
ely learn a lesson for ourselves from each of these berachot.
Yaakov’s last beracha is to Binyamin, his youngest son, in which he writes ‫ףרטי באז ןימינב‬,
Binyamin is a wolf who preys; in the morning he eats enough, and in the evening h
e divides the spoils.
Why are the morning and evening mentioned here, and how is this relevant to us?
The Kli Yakar notes that light of the morning and darkness of the evening are of
ten metaphors in Tanach for G-d’s pleasure and displeasure. For example, in the mi
dbar, the man fell in the morning and the meat came in the evening, (‫)ח קוספ זט קרפ תומש‬
Rashi there interprets these times as a symbol that G-d was happy to
provide Bnei Yisrael with the man, which was necessary for them, but unhappy abo
ut their request for meat.
According to the Kli Yakar, Yaakov was giving a message to Binyamin before he pa
ssed away.G-d understands that we have to take care of our needs, and therefore
it is “morning” when we “eat enough.”
But when we are “dividing the spoils,” grabbing more than we need or deserve, then i
t is evening in G-d’s eyes.
So too in our lives, we have to be careful not to confuse our needs with our wan
ts, the necessities with the extras.
Providing for ourselves and our families is not just acceptable, it is a mitzvah
. But if we are totally oriented towards acquisition, then we are losing sight o
f the more important priorities.
May Hakadosh Baruch Hu give us the wisdom to realize what is truly important in
this world – our health, our families and our relationship with G-d, so that we ca
n make the most of all of the days of our lives!
Shabbat Shalom!