Mikeitz – Page 7 – Peninim on the Torah

ויהי מקץ שנתים ימים

It happened at the end of two years to the day. (41:1)

On most years, Parashas Mikeitz coincides with Chanukah. The commentators explain that this is by design. In his notes to the Mordechai, Meseches Shabbos, at the end of Perek Bameh Madlikin, the Shiltei GiBorim writes that a number of allusions from the parsha render it a prime candidate for Shabbos Chanukah. At the opening words of the parsha, Mikeitz shenasaim, “At the end of two years,” the letters of the word shenasaim, comprise a notreikun, abbreviation: shin – s’moel/left (side); nun – ner, candle; taf – tadlik, you shall light; yud – yemin, right (side); mem – mezuzah. This indicates…

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ויאמר אליהם יוסף ביום השלישי זאת עשו וחיו את האלקים אני ירא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Mikeitz

Yosef said to them on the third day, “Do this and live; I fear G-d.” (42:18)

What is the significance of Es haElokim ani yarei, “I fear G-d”? What does this have to do with the fact that it was three days into their “visit”? Simply, Yosef was conveying to them that he had no plans to keep them all in Egypt while their families starved at home. He would detain only one of them as a hostage. He was doing this because he was a G-d-fearing man. Apparently, Yosef felt that by adding his G-d-fearing nature into the equation, it would immediately relax them and counteract the anxieties they must have been harboring concerning their…

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ויקח מאתם את שמעון ויאסור אותו לעיניהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Mikeitz

He took Shimon from them and imprisoned him before their eyes. (42:24)

The Yalkut Shimoni shares an intriguing Midrash with us. Yosef sought to incarcerate his brothers. He sent a message to Pharaoh, “I need seventy of your strongest men to apprehend a group of foreigners.” When the soldiers arrived, Yosef told them to take chains and place them on his brothers. Shimon stood in front, while the rest of his brothers stood back at a distance. As they closed in on Shimon, he gave a loud scream, the sound of which shattered the teeth of all seventy men. Observing the debacle, Yosef turned to his son, Menasheh, who was standing by…

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ויחפש בגדול החל ובקטן כלה וימצא הגביע באמתחת בנימין

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Mikeitz

He searched; he began with the eldest and finished with the youngest. And the goblet was found in Binyamin’s pack. (44:12)

In the Talmud Pesachim 7b, Chazal state that Bedikas Chametz, searching for chametz, should be performed by the light of a candle. This is supported by the process of derivation whereby the metziah, finding of chametz, is derived from another instance of metziah, which is connected to the word chipush, searching, which is derived from another instance of chipush, which is – in turn – connected to neiros, candles. Thus, finding is achieved via searching, and searching is executed through the medium of candles. The pasuk used to derive metziah, finding, from chipush, searching, is the above pasuk that describes…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Mikeitz

“It happened at the end of two years to the day.” (41:1)

The Yalkut Shimoni, cited by Rashi at the end of Parashas Vayeishev, attributes Yosef’s “extra” years of incarceration to the fact that he asked the sar ha’mashkim, chamberlain of the cupbearers, to remember him to Pharaoh. He stated his request to be remembered twice, which explains the two years of incarceration. Chazal end with a pasuk in Tehillim 40:5, “Fortunate is the man who has placed his reliance upon Hashem and has not turned to the arrogant ones.” This refers to one who does not rely on Egypt to sustain him. Incredible! On the one hand, Chazal consider Yosef…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Mikeitz

“Yosef called the name of his firstborn Menashe, for G-d has made me forget all my hardship… And the name of the second he called Efraim for, G-d has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” (41:51-52)

As Yosef named his second son, he chose to emphasize that Egypt was not his home; it was “eretz anyi,” land of my suffering, even though this land had been the source of his eminence. Here, he had become known; here, he had become wealthy and powerful; here, he went from being a lowly slave to associate ruler of the country. Yet, he wanted to remember and inculcate this idea in his children: Egypt is not our home; it is eretz anyi, the land of aniyus – affliction, suffering and poverty. Horav Chizkiyahu Cohen, z.l., comments that the greatest “ani,” poor man,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Mikeitz

“So Yosef’s brothers, ten of them, went down to buy grain from Egypt.” (42:3)

Rashi questions the Torah’s usage of the term “Yosef’s brothers,” as opposed to “Yaakov’s sons.” Furthermore, why does the Torah state that ten brothers went down to Egypt? We are told in the next pasuk that Binyamin went down. Is there a reason that the Torah emphasizes the number ten? Rashi explains that by referring to them as Yosef’s brothers, the Torah seeks to emphasize that they all were remorseful over the sale of Yosef. Consequently, they went with brotherly affection to find and redeem him at all costs. Their sentiments towards him were not uniform, since some brothers…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Mikeitz

“Indeed, we are guilty concerning our brother inasmuch as we saw his heartfelt anguish when he pleaded with us.” (42:21)

If we peruse the preceding parsha, which relates the story of the sale of Yosef to the Yishmaelim, we notice that there is no mention of Yosef pleading with his brothers. It is only from their vidui, confession, that we are able to derive that he pleaded with them not to sell him. Horav Yosef Konvitz, z.l., observes, that it is implicit in the brothers’ statement that this pleading must have taken place only at the moment that they decided to sell him to the Arab merchants. Why? Why did he not implore them earlier, when they were throwing him…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Mikeitz

It was the end of two years to the day. (41:1)

Horav Meir, zl, m’Premishlan, related that his father had once experienced aliyas neshamah, during which his holy soul took leave of its physical container and ascended into the Heavenly sphere. He “noticed” that two “people” were being brought into Heaven; one was quite young, while the other appeared to be very old. Strangely, in Heaven, they referred to the young man as a senior citizen, while, concerning the old man, the converse was true. His father questioned this. After all, this is the Olam Ha’Emes, World of Truth. One’s age should be registered in accordance with his biological journey on…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Mikeitz

So Yaakov said to his sons, “Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?” (42:1)

In the Talmud Taanis 10b (cited by Rashi), Chazal explain Yaakov Avinu’s words. Those who possess grain when the whole countryside is starving surely catalyze envy and ill will on the part of the descendants of Yishmael and Eisav, who were the neighbors of Yaakov and his family. Yaakov Avinu’s rhetorical question has been the motif of many Jewish leaders who admonish their fellow Jews not to shtech ois di oigen, “pierce the eyes of their gentile neighbors,” by flaunting their good fortune. Regrettably, this issue has remained over time, and has demanded constant reiteration. This idea applies whenever one’s actions may…

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ויהי מקץ שנתים ימים

It happened at the end of two years to the day. (41:1)

ויאמר אליהם יוסף ביום השלישי זאת עשו וחיו את האלקים אני ירא

Yosef said to them on the third day, “Do this and live; I fear G-d.” (42:18)

ויקח מאתם את שמעון ויאסור אותו לעיניהם

He took Shimon from them and imprisoned him before their eyes. (42:24)

ויחפש בגדול החל ובקטן כלה וימצא הגביע באמתחת בנימין

He searched; he began with the eldest and finished with the youngest. And the goblet was found in Binyamin’s pack. (44:12)

“It happened at the end of two years to the day.” (41:1)

“Yosef called the name of his firstborn Menashe, for G-d has made me forget all my hardship… And the name of the second he called Efraim for, G-d has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” (41:51-52)

“So Yosef’s brothers, ten of them, went down to buy grain from Egypt.” (42:3)

“Indeed, we are guilty concerning our brother inasmuch as we saw his heartfelt anguish when he pleaded with us.” (42:21)

It was the end of two years to the day. (41:1)

So Yaakov said to his sons, “Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?” (42:1)

YEARS

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