“Come together and listen, sons of Yaakov; listen to Yisrael, your father.” (Bereishis 49:2)

Perhaps one of the most challenging issues in chinuch is to have one’s children conform to that which is “right”, yet give them the freedom to have personal expression (see Meshech Chochmah Parshas Bechukosai 26:44). Obviously, a framework is needed in order for us to know where we have flexibility. Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky (1891-1986) wrote regarding this week’s parsha that though Yaakov gave each of the individual tribes a bracha relating to their personal qualities, abilities, and ultimate perfection, this was done with all of the bnei Yisrael being there together. Why? Yaakov wanted his sons to see that though each son/tribe had a different job, nevertheless they had to work together as a unit to achieve the ultimate goal.

This idea is similar to a symphony orchestra, where besides the many types of instruments (horns, strings, percussion, etc.), there will be multiple musicians playing the same instrument. Each instrument has a different sound, and each musician plays differently even on the same instrument, yet all of them combine together to properly execute the musical piece.

This analogy to the symphony helps us understand how each tribe, and each of the individuals in the tribes has his own qualities, yet together they create the group of 600,000 souls called “Klal Yisrael.” And just as in the orchestra there is a conductor who is necessary to bring it all together, so too does klal Yisrael need its leaders throughout the years, from Moshe Rabbeinu on, in order to succeed.

It is important to understand that we cannot perform a symphony without each and every instrument, and each musician must understand and acknowledge that they are part of a unified group – the symphony orchestra. Therefore, Yaakov made sure that all the tribes were together when he gave different brochos to each and every individual son, in order that all would know that these different avenues of service of Hashem are legitimate, essential and part of the greater picture of klal Yisrael. In fact, the Gemora tells us that though many specific tribes were compared to different animals (Yehuda is like a young lion 49:9; Yissachar is a bony donkey 49:14, etc.), the other 11 tribes also had a piece of that “strength” in them.

However, if a quality is not borne out of the mutual plan of the entire group, then it is unacceptable.  We can be flexible as long as we are staying in the framework of one of the paths that the Torah allows.

Reb Yaakov elsewhere in this week’s parsha explains, “Even though zealotry is sometimes necessary, there is a formula, according to the Torah, that has to be followed in order for it to be a positive act, and if it is not directed by the Torah, it falls out of bounds.” This, he explains, is the difference between Shimon and Levi. Both were chastised together after the incident of Shechem, yet Levi’s zealotry appears throughout Jewish history as the proper procedure to follow, whereas Shimon’s zealotry, though it is rooted in the same source, seems to have drifted away from the proper course (see Emes L’Yaakov), and therefore was unacceptable.

In fact, this idea is echoed in the Magen Avrohom (68), who tells us that each of the tribes had a different nusach of tefillah. (The Arizal, according to many, was the one who ‘merged’ these different versions of prayer to be the most “user friendly.”)

The following chasidishe story should be a point of reflection in our own lives. When the Bnei Yissachar (Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov, 1783–1841) was a young man, he felt that in order to reach his ultimate service of Hashem, it would be necessary to know which tribe he was from. Being that the Chozeh of Lublin was known to have ruach hakodesh, he decided to ask him. He walked into the room and without even being asked, the great Chozeh looked at him and said, “Here comes a Jew from the tribe of Yissachar.”

I wish that we too had a clear vision as to what our ultimate personal goals are. The Vilna Gaon on Mishleh (16:4) writes that if we were able to be intellectually honest with ourselves and do soul-searching, we too could find our personal mission in life and with the help of Hashem fulfill it as part of the ultimate group: Knesses Yisrael.