Reversing the Hands for Higher Blessing

וזהו ענין הפסוק שיכל את ידיו כי מנשה הבכור ומתרגמינן אחכמינון לידוהי.

This is the meaning of the verse “he crossed his hands,” for Manasseh was the firstborn, and we translate: “he made his hands wise.”

The Sefat Emet explains that Jacob’s act was not arbitrary; it expressed higher wisdom in the placement of the hands.

והוא כדכ' שאו ידיכם קודש.

And this is as it is written: “Lift up your hands in holiness.”

Raising the hands signifies elevating them toward a holy source, preparing them as vessels of blessing.

וזה ענין נשיאת כפים בברכה כמ"ש וישא אהרן א"י.

And this is the meaning of “lifting the hands” in blessing, as it is said: “And Aaron lifted his hands.”

The priestly lifting of hands follows the same pattern: the hands become channels through which blessing flows.

כי הידים הם המקבלים וכלי נק' יד.

For the hands are the receivers, and a vessel is called a hand.

Hands symbolize vessels that receive divine influence before it is transmitted outward.

אבל עיקר הברכה כשמעלין הכל אל השורש.

But the essence of the blessing is when everything is raised back to its root.

Blessing does not merely flow downward; it depends on elevating the lower realms upward to their spiritual source.

ובוודאי גם יוסף ראה והבין כי מנשה יש לו קדימה אבל ברכת יעקב אע"ה הי' בעולם שלמעלה מזה ושם יש לאפרים קדימה.

And certainly Joseph saw and understood that Manasseh had precedence, but Jacob’s blessing operated in a higher world, and there Ephraim had precedence.

Joseph recognized natural hierarchy, yet Jacob acted according to a higher spiritual order where the roles are reversed.

והרמז כשנושאין כפים נעשה עליונים למטה ותחתונים למעלה וע"י ששיכל את ידיו הקדים אפרים.

The hint is that when the hands are lifted, the upper becomes lower and the lower becomes upper, and by crossing his hands he gave precedence to Ephraim.

Lifting or crossing the hands symbolizes the inversion of spiritual hierarchies that occurs when blessing connects different worlds.

וכזה נמצא בגמ' בברי' דריב"ל שראה עליונים למטה ותחתונים למעלה ואמר עולם הפוך ראיתי והשיב לו בני עולם ברור ראית.

And similarly we find in the Gemara in the vision of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, who saw the upper ones below and the lower ones above, and said: “I saw an upside‑down world,” and was told: “My son, you saw a clear world.”

This teaches that the apparent inversion is in fact the true arrangement in the higher spiritual realm.

כי באותו מדרגה שלמעלה יש לאפרים קדימה.

For in that higher level, Ephraim has precedence.

The spiritual quality of Ephraim surpasses that of Manasseh in the supernal order.

ועמ"ש לקמן בפ' נשא מזה:

And as will be explained later in Parashat Naso regarding this.

The Sefat Emet indicates that this theme is elaborated further elsewhere.

Summary: Jacob’s crossing of the hands reveals a higher spiritual hierarchy where Ephraim precedes Manasseh. The hands act as vessels of blessing, and their elevation symbolizes the inversion of upper and lower realms as seen in prophetic visions and priestly blessing.