Fish and Jews

Gefilte fish (photo by David Shay)

בראשית מ"ח ט"ז

הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגֹּאֵל אֹתִי מִכָּל-רָע, יְבָרֵךְ אֶת-הַנְּעָרִים, וְיִקָּרֵא בָהֶם שְׁמִי, וְשֵׁם אֲבֹתַי אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק; וְיִדְגּוּ לָרֹב, בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ

Genesis 48:16: "May the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them be like fish in the midst of the earth.'

The Hebrew word 'vayidgu' is difficult to translate - it's as if the word fish had a verb form - thus 'be like fish' comes close. Jacob blesses his offspring, the ancestors Jewish people, that they multiply like fish. 

Rebbe Natan of Breslov, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov's student, on fish and Mashiach.

Yitzchak Ginsburgh on Mashiach, the letter Nun and fish at Inner.org

A gefilte fish recipe @ Chabad.org