The book of Genesis concludes with the passing of our forefather Jacob. On his deathbed, Jacob gathered his children to bestow blessings upon them. Just before he begins the blessings, however, we encounter a perplexing incident:

Jacob called for his sons and said, "Gather and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days. Gather and listen, sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel, your father. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, and the first of my might … 1

Jacob appears prepared to reveal a secret about "the end of days," but then shifts focus, addressing his blessings to each tribe in turn. Did Jacob ever share this revelation with his sons? What exactly is meant by "the end of days"? Was he referring merely to the blessings he was about to bestow, or is there a deeper, hidden message at play here?

1. G‑d Prevented Jacob From Revealing the Date of the Final Redemption

Rashi quotes a well-known Midrash,2 also cited in the Talmud,3 which teaches that Jacob wished to reveal the date of the Final Redemption, but the Divine Presence withdrew from him and he began to speak of other things.4

As such, "the end of days" refers to the coming of Moshiach, and the blessings that Jacob subsequently gave his sons are completely unrelated.5

Interestingly, however, Rashi does not cite two similar interpretations found in the very same Midrash.6

Rabbi Simon said: He showed them the downfall of Gog, just as it says: “It will be at the end of days.”7 Rabbi Yehuda said: He showed them the building of the Temple, just as it says: “It will be at the end of days that the mountain of the House of the L-rd will be established.”8

We can perhaps suggest that since the verse does not detail what Jacob told, we must conclude that something prevented him from sharing. This, then, is in line with the explanation Rashi cites, where G‑d prevented him from divulging the secret.

2. It Refers to When the People of Israel Settle the Land

Others, including Rashbam (Rabbi Samuel ben Meir, 1085–1158) and Rabbi Abraham ben Maimonides (1186–1237), interpret these verses as referring to the time when the twelve tribes would settle in the Land of Israel. According to this interpretation, the blessings that Jacob bestows upon his sons are destined to be fulfilled “at the end of days,” namely after the Nation of Israel has established itself in the land.9

3. It Is a Reference to the End of the Egyptian Exile

Rabbi Samuel ben Hofni (10th-century gaon) understands this verse on a more simplistic level. He takes “end of days” to mean “the ending of the days that are close to the present.” In his reading, this refers to the end of the Egyptian exile.10 Daat Zekinim (a compilation from the Baalei Tosafot of the 12th and 13th centuries) concurs, stating that it is a reference to the end of the 400-year exile mentioned by G‑d at the Covenant of the Parts.11

In this reading, it is not exactly clear what Jacob did or did not divulge to his sons.

4. G‑d Prevented Jacob From Potentially Causing Damage

Taking on Rashi's explanation, that Jacob attempted to divulge the date of the Final Redemption, Rabbi Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhyn (known as the Ruzhiner Rebbe, 1796 - 1850), poses a compelling question: Why would the Divine Presence depart from Jacob merely because he attempted to disclose the end of the exile? To address this, he draws upon a passage from the Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin:

Rabbi Alexandri says: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi (raised a contradiction in a verse addressing God’s commitment to redeem the Jewish people.) The verse states: “I the Lord in its time I will hasten it,”12 it is written: “In its time,” indicating that there is a designated time for the redemption, and it is written: “I will hasten it,” indicating that there is no set time for the redemption. Rabbi Alexandri explains: If they merit redemption through repentance and good deeds, I will hasten the coming of the Messiah. If they do not merit redemption, the coming of the Messiah will be in its designated time.13

The Ruzhiner understands that Jacob wanted to reveal this later time—the time redemption will ultimately come if, G‑d forbid, the Jewish nation is not worthy. G‑d intervened because He did want Jacob to articulate this later timeframe, which could be seen as Jacob predicting the Jewish nation’s failure to hasten the Redemption.14

5. Jacob Wished To Shorten the Exile

The Rebbe approaches it differently, focusing on Jacob's end goal. Did he not know that G‑d had a plan and the plan did not include revealing the end date?

To resolve this difficulty, the Rebbe suggests that Jacob knew that it was possible for the redemption from Egypt to be the ultimate and final Redemption; however, that depended on the nation being worthy.

Telling them that they had the ability to eliminate the need for any further exile, and perhaps even hasten their redemption from Egypt, would empower them to achieve it, Jacob hoped.

G‑d, however, had other plans. For G‑d, the entire purpose of Creation is for us to serve Him of our own volition. G‑d knew that if Jacob had disclosed this to his sons, their service of G‑d would have been mixed with some ulterior motive. It would no longer be service solely of their own volition.

Of paramount importance to Jacob, however, was to hasten the Redemption and save his offspring from as much exile as possible—even at the expense of G‑d’s ultimate desire. This is why G‑d had to intervene and prevent Jacob from revealing the secret—that they had the power to eliminate all future exile—to his sons.15

In the Rebbe’s reading, “at the end of days” refers both to the ultimate and Final Redemption (per the Midrash) and to the end of the Egyptian exile (per Rabbi Shmuel ben Hofni). It was possible for them to be one and the same.