Several times throughout Bereishit the "birthright" theme repeats itself. We find that the eldest son is always losing his birthright in favor of his younger brother.

1.      The younger Hevel received Hashem's favor, while Cain, the firstborn, was rejected, as it says: "To his offering He did not turn." (Bereishit 4:5)

2.      Shem was chosen from among Noach's sons, though he was the youngest.

3.      Yishmael, Avraham's eldest, loses his birthright in favor of Yitzchak.

4.      Esav, Yitzchak's eldest, sells his birthright to Yaakov.

5.      Menashe is Yosef's firsborn, yet Yaakov passes the birthright on to Efraim.

This is a striking phenomenon!

The birthright, which according to the Torah entails a double share in the inheritance, is because normally the firstborn paves the way for his younger brothers. However, the Torah is teaching here an important message. The power of the birthright lies in the spiritual, and the firstborn is the person who is responsible for paving the spiritual road for his younger brothers. Therefore, only when the physical power of birthright is attached to the spiritual power of birthright can the firstborn retain his birthright. However, if the firstborn loses his spiritual virtue and only retains his material power, then the firstborn loses his birthright.

This is the message of Sefer Bereishit. This is what happened with Cain and Hevel, Yaakov and Esav, Yishmael and Yitzchak, Reuven and Yosef, and, finally, with Menashe and Efraim. The person who holds the birthright is the one who leads spiritually. This stands out especially regarding Menashe and Efraim, where the verses in which Yaakov blesses Yosef's sons raise several questions (Bereishit 48:14,18-19):

Yisrael extended his right hand and laid it on Efraim's head though he was the younger and his left hand on Menashe's head. He maneuvered his hands, for Menashe was the firstborn…

Yosef said to his father, "Not so, Father, for this is the firstborn; place your right hand on his head." But his father refused saying, "I know, my son, I know; he to will become a people, and he too will become great; yet his younger brother shall become greater than he, and his off-spring['s fame] will fill the nations."

These verses raise several questions:

1.      "He maneuvered his hands" – Why did Yaakov need to maneuver his hands? It would have been much simpler to switch the positions of Efraim and Menashe.

2.      "For Menashe was the firstborn" – What is the Torah telling us that we did not already know?

3.      "He to will become a people, and he too will become great" – Regarding Menashe, "people" precedes greatness, whereas regarding Efraim Yaakov first says that he "shall become greater than he," and only then does he say, "his off-spring['s fame] will fill the nations." – Why?

The Netziv, in Ha'amek Davar, comments that Efraim represents the spiritual force from which Yehoshua, the foundation of the Oral Torah, descended: "Moshe received the Torah from Sinai and gave it to Yehoshua." (Mishna Avot 1:1)

Menashe, on the other hand, represents the force of material leadership from which Gideon, a judge, descended. The Gemara says that Gideon was one of the least significant leaders in the world. In the beginning he had only 300 righteous people who were worthy of witnessing a miracle, and only after the miracle occurred did he become famous. Yehoshua, however, was a great Torah scholar even before he led his generation. Only after he became known for his Torah scholarship did he become a leader.

Hands are closer to the head, where the spiritual power lies. "He maneuvered his hands for Menashe was the firstborn." Regarding hands – Efraim precedes Menashe, because he is the more spiritual of the brothers. However, when it comes to the position of the feet, in worldy matters – Menashe stands at the right, because in the power of material leadership Menashe precedes Efraim.

Sefer Bamidbar is also called "Chumash hapekudim" (the book of counting), because of the two population censuses that occurred in it, one in the desert and one before entering Eretz Yisrael. In the census in the desert, the tribe of Efraim is mentioned before the tribe of Menashe, while in the census before entering Eretz Yisrael the tribe of Menashe is mentioned before the tribe of Efraim. While in the desert, when am Yisrael was under miraculous leadership, Efraim, the spiritual power, came first. However, upon entering Eretz Yisrael, under natural leadership, Menashe precedes Efraim.

There is an eternal message here: "He put Efraim before Menashe." The spiritual power should always come before the material power, and the Torah's honor should always precede the prestige of leadership.

"By you shall Yisrael bless saying, 'May G-d make you like Efraim and like Menashe' – and he put Efraim before Menashe." (Bereishit 48:20) This is the blessing that every Jewish child receives, because his future path is unknown. If he is fortunate to dedicate his life to Torah, then he will be blessed like Efraim. If he will deal with worldly matters, then he should be like Menashe. However if he manages to combine the two, then he will be fortunate to be like Efraim and Menashe – an aspect of: "Yafeh Torah im derech eretz – Torah is fitting with worldly activities." (Pirkei Avot 2:2)