parshaמפרשי הפרשה

אלשיך — ולנפתלי אמר נפתלי שבע רצון ומלא ברכת ה' ים ודרום ירשה

Naftali's allotment included the Kinneret and a strip of southern shoreline — a lot of *water*, not great for agriculture. Naftali had real grounds to be bitter about his portion. Why is he called 'שבע רצון' precisely here?

הנה אחד ממדות הטובות היא, היות האדם שמח בחלקו. ומי שיש לו מדה זו שרצונו טוב במעט אשר לו, יזכה שגם ה' ייטיב לו. וזהו אומרו נפתלי הוא שבע מרצון שמח בחלקו, על כן יבורך שיהיה מלא ברכת ה', בזכות שהוא שבע רצון.

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אלשיך

Alshekh on Torah, Deuteronomy 33:23

Q — Naftali's allotment included the Kinneret and a strip of southern shoreline — a lot of *water*, not great for agriculture. Naftali had real grounds to be bitter about his portion. Why is he called 'שבע רצון' precisely here?

A — That's the point. 'שבע רצון' is not a description of objective circumstances — it is praise of Naftali's middah. Despite the agricultural disadvantage of inheriting sea and southern coast ('ים ודרום ירשה'), Naftali was *content with what he got*, sameach b'chelko. The reward of that middah is the next phrase — 'ומלא ברכת ה'.' A person who is content with little merits to be filled with much. The blessing is causal: 'בזכות שהוא שבע רצון.' Naftali's contentment with what objectively looked like a poor inheritance is what made Hashem turn it into 'מלא ברכת ה'.'

הנה אחד ממדות הטובות היא, היות האדם שמח בחלקו. ומי שיש לו מדה זו שרצונו טוב במעט אשר לו, יזכה שגם ה' ייטיב לו. וזהו אומרו נפתלי הוא שבע מרצון שמח בחלקו, על כן יבורך שיהיה מלא ברכת ה', בזכות שהוא שבע רצון.

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