In this last Torah portion of the book of Genesis, Bereshit, Jacob is nearing the end of his life and calls his sons to gather so that he can release blessings over them. Israel takes Joseph’s sons Manasseh and Ephraim and adopts them as his own, then speaks that they too will be honored among Israel. Throughout this last portion we can see how important the blessing of the father was in terms of prophetic destiny. We too are able to apply this spiritual truth to our own lives by faith, by understanding the power of our words. We can either bless or curse. Our words have spiritual consequences whether we know it or not. Jacob spoke prophetically over his sons and His words were part of the destiny of each of his sons. The blessing that Judah receives confirms his elevation as a leader of the tribes. The tribe of Judah becomes the chosen tribe to bring forth the promised kingly seed to Israel.