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By Ozer Alport
(45:3) ויאמר יוסף אל אחיו אני יוסף העוד אבי חי ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אותו כי נבהלו מפניו
When Yosef’s brothers came to Egypt to purchase food during the years of famine he was able to recognize them immediately, but after 22 years of separation they were unable to identify him. As a result he was able to subject them to a dramatic and frightening series of events. After accusing them of being spies, he incarcerated Shimon in order to force them to return with his beloved maternal brother Binyomin. He then confused them by inviting them to join him at a banquet, and finally he had his goblet planted in Binyomin’s sack in order to frame him for stealing. When Yehuda pleaded for mercy, explaining how much their father Yaakov would suffer if they failed to return with Binyomin, Yosef was unable to hold himself back anymore. He ordered all of his Egyptian servants out of the room and revealed his true identity to his brothers, telling them, “I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?” The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 93:10) understands Yosef’s words not as a factual question but as a rebuke of his brothers, and derives from their inability to answer him a hint to how great will be our shame and embarrassment when Hashem Himself rebukes us in His Heavenly Court. Yet many commentators struggle to understand exactly where the censure lies in Yosef’s words, which on the surface appear to represent a simple question about his father’s welfare. The Beis HaLevi explains that Yehuda had been begging for mercy on behalf of Binyomin as a result of the unfathomable suffering which his imprisonment would cause to their father Yaakov. Yosef therefore subtly reminded them of their utter lack of concern for Yaakov’s well-being when they sold him as a slave, thereby demonstrating the contradiction in their actions and calculations, an argument for which they had no answer. There was once a yeshiva student who was scheduled to fly home to visit his family during a break in the yeshiva studies. A few hours after setting out for the airport, he returned to yeshiva. He explained to his confused Rosh Yeshiva that he had arrived late to the airport and missed his flight, to which the Rosh Yeshiva happily exclaimed, “Boruch Hashem (thank G-d)!” Now it was the boy’s turn to be confused. The Rosh Yeshiva explained that every day the boy came late to prayers, to his studies, and to class. He worried that when the boy would eventually pass away, he would be asked about his tardiness, to which he would answer that he simply had a difficult time with punctuality. At that point he would be shown that when something was important to him, such as making a flight home, he had no problem arriving on time, and his defense would be contradicted and rejected. Now, however, the Rosh Yeshiva rejoiced, because the boy also arrived late to the airport, and while his attendance record in yeshiva was far from exemplary, at least his defense would remain intact! There will also come a time when Hashem will similarly judge us. We think that when we are asked why we didn’t give more charity or spend more time studying Torah, we will defend ourselves by citing our lack of extra funds and free time. Hashem will then “remind” us of all of the frivolous luxuries for which we had no difficulty finding money, and of all of the thousands of hours we wasted over the course of our lives involved in trivial nonsense, which will leave us speechless and humiliated to the core. We must take heed of the lesson of Yosef’s rebuke of his brothers and make sure to expend at least as much effort on our spiritual affairs as we do on physical matters. The same efforts we make in trying to maximize the return on our investments or on planning a trip in great detail to maximize our enjoyment should also carry over to matters of the soul, as we devote the same energy to our efforts to improving our returns on our spiritual portfolio and to getting the most out of the journey to this world on which our souls have been sent. return to topOzer Alpert can be reached at parshapotpourri@optonline.net
Dedicated in Honor of the Bar Mitzvah of Brian Kalimian יצחק בן מרדכי
Mazal Tov Mark & Keren Kalimian
talking points - parshas Vayigash
Rabbi Elazar Meisels
1. Left With Nothing To Say
“And Yosef said to his brothers, ‘I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?’ but his brothers could not answer him because they were stunned by his presence.” - 45:3
- “Abba Kohen Bardala said, ‘Woe is to us on the Day of Judgment. Woe is to us on the Day of Rebuke. Yosef was the youngest of the brothers [whom he was addressing] and they could not face his rebuke. What will we say when God rebukes us on our day of judgment?’” – Medrash Rabbah Bereishis 93:10
- For more than 20 years the brothers constantly reassured themselves that the decision to sell their own brother and cause their beloved father unbearable pain was justified. Merely hearing Yosef utter the words, “I am Yosef,” exposed their logic and justifications as faulty. They had no choice but to realize how severely they’d erred. The sheer magnitude of the consequences left them speechless. – Sichos Mussar
- “What is the praiseworthy approach a person should choose in life? Rabbi Shimon said, ‘One who always considers the future.’”
Often we make choices that deep in our hearts we recognize are wrong, and then construct an elaborate network of excuses and justifications to continue down that path. As the years progress we begin to believe our own deceptions and refuse to reconsider our behavior. The fallacy of that path is laid bare in this narrative. There were none so righteous as the brothers,and they were convinced that their decision was faultless. Yet, it took only two words out of Yosef’s mouth to expose their mistake. When we stand before the heavenly court after 120 years, we may well find ourselves in a similar situation.
2. Who Was Really Behind the Plot to Sell Yosef into Slavery
“Then Yosef said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me,"...And he said, "I am your brother Yosef, whom you sold into Egypt. But now do not be sad, and let it not trouble you that you sold me here, for it was to be a provider that God sent me ahead of you.” 45-4,5
- When Yosef saw his brothers shrink away from him in shame, he comforted them by saying that their selling him was part of God’s plan: “It was to be a provider that God sent me ahead of you. ” . That we would descend to Egypt was non negotiable: it was part of God’s plan that He earlier conveyed to Abraham. We could have gone to Egypt in iron chains, but instead He sent me here to prepare the way for an honorable descent… – Medrash Tanchumah VaYigash 5
In a remarkable display of sensitivity and emunah, Yosef refused to gloat over his brothers’ obvious pain, and focused instead on comforting them. He demonstrated his unique suitability to be a Jewish leader when he pointed out to them that in his mind their actions toward him were merely the execution of God’s plan to exile the Jews to Egypt. Moreover, it was the ideal means of doing so, since the alternative would have been difficult and demeaning.
3. Jewish Education Must Be Our Priority
“He sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to prepare for him in Goshen, and they came to the region of Goshen.” 46:28
- “ The Aggadic interpretation of ‘to prepare’ is that there should be teaching: to establish for him a house of study, from which teaching would emanate.” Rashi quoting Tanchuma Vayigash 11
Mindful as he was of the imperative to descend to Egypt in order to survive, Yaakov refused to do so until he had first established a yeshivah. His actions demonstrated his firm conviction that in order for the Jewish people to spiritually endure in exile, Jewish education must be their priority. The correctness of this view was borne out repeatedly throughout our long existence in exile. Wherever the communities invested in strong educational institutions, the population remained steadfast and loyal to Jewish traditions. Those communities which emphasized other facets of Jewish life and culture, rapidly succumbed to wholesale assimilation. return to top
Rabbi Elazar Meisels can be reached at rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org
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Parshas Vayigash
Yosef, who is still unrecognized by his brothers, has sentenced Binyamin to slavery. In an impassioned plea for Binyamin’s release, Yehudah so arouses Yosef’s feelings for his elderly father that Yosef can no longer hold back the truth. He orders all the Egyptians to leave the chamber. When he and his brothers are alone, he raises his voice in weeping and reveals that he is their long-lost brother. They are speechless. The full impact of their actions 22 years ago suddenly confronts them. Yosef comforts them by explaining that he harbors no ill-will. He understands that all the events of the past were ordained by Hashem to provide a salvation for his family during the famine. Wagons full of food are sent to Yaakov with a plea that Yaakov move his household to Egypt. Pharoah is very pleased at the prospect of Yosef’s entire family moving to Egypt and promises them the best land on which to settle.
Yaakov rejoices that Yosef is alive and plans to see him, but is afraid to move to Egypt. Hashem reassures Yaakov that He will accompany him down to Egypt and promises him that he will be buried in the land of Israel. The Torah enumerates the individuals in Yaakov’s family who went with him to Egypt. Yosef receives them joyously and settles them in Goshen. He advises them to remain aloof from the Egyptians.
The parsha describes Yosef’s successful efforts to keep Egypt alive. He rations the food supply, accepting first money, and then valuables in exchange for grain. When there is no longer anything with which the people can buy food, they sell themselves as slaves to Pharoah in exchange for food.. Yosef shifts entire populations from one city to another, leaving only the Egyptian priestly class undisturbed. Yosef’s family remains secluded in Goshen and increases dramatically. return to top
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I’ve been studying Jewish philosophy with my partner for more than a year and although I enjoy studying with her tremendously, I’m troubled by her refusal to accede to my requests to study Kabbalah. She claims not to know much about it and that it’s a section of Torah reserved for great scholars. However, I have many friends who attend classes in Kabbalah and I’m confused because they’re not scholars and yet seem to enjoy the classes anyway. Kara
Dear Kara,
Thank you for your question. Although the “Kabbalah craze” has waned somewhat in recent years, it’s still a question I frequently receive and I’ll try to help clear up some of the confusion surrounding this mystical subject. Kabbalah is a very real dimension of the Torah. The Zohar writes that the wisdom of the Torah [which encompasses all of the wisdom of the universe] is made up of four components known by their acronym “Pardes” [Pshat, Remez, Drush, Sod]. Loosely translated these four categories can be explained as follows:
1. Pshat - simplest meaning, based on the text and context.
2. Remez – hint or allusion.
3. Drush - contextual and non-contextual, moral and philosophical explanations.
4. Sod - hidden or secret meaning of the verse.
These four categories represent four ascending and interdependent levels of understanding of the Torah. In order to proceed to a new level successfully, one must have first mastered the preceding level or it will prove an exercise in frustration. The fourth and highest level of these levels is that of Sod, which represents the esoteric and mystical dimensions of Torah wisdom. In order to embark upon its study at the most elementary level, one must have spent years toiling in Torah study. Failure to do so is akin to one who enrolls in a class on advanced mathematics without having mastered the multiplication table. Only the most advanced scholars begin the study of Kabbalah, and rarely do they announce it to the public. I once inquired of my rebbi, a great scholar in his own right, as to whether he had embarked upon the study of Kabbalah. He looked at me with a distant smile and said, “Those who study Kabbalah will rarely admit to it, and those who speak of it, rarely know much about it.” This is because it is an area of study that is so demanding and elevating, that only a person possessing a highly refined character would be entrusted with its secrets. That kind of person rarely advertises this fact. What you most likely have heard and read about is not authentic Kabbalah at all. Traditional Kabbalists never claimed that Kabbalah could be used as a snake oil to cure all of ones personal, financial, and spiritual shortcomings. Rather than spread it to the uneducated masses and media idols and demand exorbitant sums of money, they carefully selected their students from among the humblest and saintliest of the Yeshivah world. True Kabbalists have no need to run their fingers over the holy words of the Zohar or mumble senseless incantations. The endless nights they spend in its in-depth study are what energize them and bring them closer to Hashem. What most people have been exposed to is a smorgasbord of pop psychology and self-help ideas that pretends to have some connection to Jewish mysticism. Since mysticism is anyway supposed to be mysterious and unfathomable, few stop to wonder whether any of it actually makes sense or can be authentic Kabbalah. It's mysticism after all! You may wonder why it is that people are so attracted to it if it’s not the real thing? That’s an excellent question and one that I hope to address in a future column. return to top
Rabbi Elazar Meisels can be reached at rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org
Hey, I never knew that!
Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha
By Ozer Alport
1) Q: In pleading for mercy from Yosef, Yehuda stressed the fact that if Binyomin would be forced to remain in Egypt as a slave and wouldn’t return with them, their father Yaakov would suffer greatly and may even die from the agony (44:31). Why did Yehuda mention only the pain which would be caused to their father, but failed to even mention the pain which would be caused to Binyomin’s 10 sons?
A: The Kotzer Rebbe answers that we see from here that the love of a father for every single one of his 12 children is greater than the collective love of all 10 children for their one and only father! The Ostrovtzer Rebbe explains that this is natural due to the fact that the very first human, Adam Harishon, had children to love but no flesh-and-blood father, which caused this to be permanently fixed into the genes of every single one of his descendants.
2) Q: Even though the name יששכר is spelled with two ש ’s, the prevalent custom is to pronounce it as if it were written with only one. Why is this?
A: The Chida explains that Yissochor named one of his sons Yov (46:13), which was at that time – unbeknownst to Yissochor – the name of an idol. Upon learning of this, Yov complained to his father, who appeased him by changing his name to ישוב (see Parshas Pinchas 26:24). However, in order to add a “ ש ” he was forced to give up one of his, which even though it is still part of his written name, is no longer pronounced! In fact, Rav Tzvi Hirsch from Zidichov was accustomed to read the name Yissochor with both “ ש ”s up until Parshas Pinchas, in accord with the opinion that his name was changed only at that time! return to top
Ozer Alport can be reached at parshapotpourri@optonline.net
Parsha Talk: For discussion around the Shabbos Table
If you or your guests come up with an original answer, please forward it to parsha@partnersintorah.org
1) Yosef knew first-hand the dangers of sibling rivalry and the disastrous consequences it can cause. When sending his brothers back to Yaakov, why did he give each of them one change of clothing while giving his beloved brother Binyomin 5 sets of clothing and 300 pieces of silver (45:22), thereby placing him in the same danger of being hated and persecuted that Yosef himself had been in?
2) This Sunday is the fast day known as Asara B’teves (the 10th of Teves). The Rambam explains (Hilchos Taanios 5:2) that this fast was designated to commemorate the day that the siege of Jerusalem began on, which eventually led to its destruction on the 9th of Av. Why do we fast thousands of years later in memory of an ancient historical event, especially one on which nothing actually happened but which merely represents the beginning of the gradual process of destruction of the Beis HaMikdash? return to top
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