Vayigash – Page 3 – Peninim on the Torah

ויתן את קלו בבכי וישמעו מצרים וישמע בית פרעה

He cried in a loud voice. Egypt heard and Pharaoh’s household heard. (45:2)

When Yosef wept, the entire country heard; so respected was he in Egypt. Word quickly spread throughout the palace and then throughout the country: Yosef was weeping! Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah) state that Yosef’s cries were conciliatory in nature, meant to assuage his brothers’ feelings of guilt and shame. Why was he appeasing them? He was the victim. They were the “aggressors.” It should be the other way around. Horav Yeruchem Levovitz, zl (cited by Bad Kodesh), posits that herein lies an important concept concerning interpersonal relationships. Just as the “Shulchan Aruch,” Code of Law, addresses the rights of the victim…

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ימי שני מגורי שלשים ומאת שנה מעט ורעים היו ימי שני חיי

Sruly Schnair In 5779, Vayigash

The years of my dwelling are 130; few and terrible were the years of my life. (47:9)

Our Patriarch, Yaakov Avinu, stood before Pharaoh, and, when asked his age, Yaakov replied, “The years of my dwelling are 130; few and terrible were the years of my life.” What provoked Yaakov to add that his life was short and miserable? Why not just answer the question? How old are you? 130 – end of conversation. Obviously, Yaakov felt that simply stating his age was insufficient. It was necessary to explain the kind of life he had endured. Why? Horav Shlomo Wolbe, zl, distinguishes between “dwelling” in the world and “living” in it – or between mere existing and…

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ואת יהודה שלח לפניו אל יוסף להורות לפניו גשנה

Sruly Schnair In 5779, Vayigash

He sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to prepare ahead of him in Goshen. (46:28)

Chazal interpret, L’horos lefanav, “To prepare ahead of him,” with the word l’horos being derived from the word horaah: to teach, to decide halachah. Yehudah was sent to establish a bais horaah she’mishom teitzei Torah, a house of learning, a yeshivah, from which the Torah would emanate. Yehudah was the first Rosh Yeshivah. The question is obvious. Yehudah was the melech, king, monarch of the brothers. True, he was quite proficient erudite, and was undoubtedly a scholar, but Torah erudition and dissemination were not his primary vocations. He was occupied with malchus, kingship. The commentators, each in his inimitable manner,…

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ועתה אל תעצבו ואל יחר בעיניכם כי מכרתם אותי הנה כי למחיה שלחני אלקים לפניכם

Sruly Schnair In 5779, Vayigash

And now, neither be distressed, nor reproach yourselves for having sold me here, for it was to be a provider that G-d sent me ahead of you.” (45:5)

Yosef appeases his brothers, explaining to them that they were all part of a Divine Plan, in order to have him precede them to Egypt. By “trailblazing” the Egyptian exile which Klal Yisrael was destined to experience, Yosef was able to mitigate their and their descendants’ ordeal to some extent. Yosef was addressing his brothers, but it is a worthy lesson that is applicable to – and should be reviewed over and over by – us all. Hashem controls and guides the world. He has a Divine Plan in which we all have a role. We must be patient and…

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ויאמר יוסף אל אחיו אני יוסף העוד אבי חי ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אתו כי נבהלו מפניו

Sruly Schnair In 5779, Vayigash

And Yosef said to his brothers, “I am Yosef, is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer him, because they were left disconcerted before him. (45:3)

Yosef finally reveals himself to his brothers, and, in the space of a few moments, G-d’s master plan became evident to all. All of the questions, pain and challenges that had transpired and that they had experienced became clear to them. Twenty-two years of ambiguity had been lifted from their eyes. Yosef asked, “Is my father still alive?” This question begs elucidation. How many times must they repeat to him that their elderly father was still alive and living at home? The Kli Yakar explains that Yosef thought that they might have mentioned an elderly father who was inexorably attached…

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ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אתו כי נבהלו מפניו

Roberto Szerer In 5778, Vayigash

But his brothers could not answer him because they were left disconcerted before him. (45:3)

The Midrash notes the difficulty individuals experience in accepting rebuke. Bilaam ha’rasha, the evil pagan-prophet, could not stand up to the criticism of his donkey. The Shivtei Kah, the sons of Yaakov Avinu, were overwhelmed with fear when Yosef merely uttered the two words: Ani Yosef, “I am Yosef.” Imagine, says Abba Kohen Bardela, when we come before the Heavenly Tribunal and each and every one of us will be rebuked lfi mah she’hu, according to what he is, (or what he could have been). How will we stand up to this Heavenly remonstrance? In the Talmud Berachos 4b,…

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ולאביו שלח כזאת עשרה חמרים נשאים מטוב מצרים

Roberto Szerer In 5778, Vayigash

And to his father, he sent the following: ten he donkeys laden with the best of Egypt. (45:23)

We often neglect to acknowledge that we are pawns in a cosmic chess game, all of us part of a Divine plan. Each and every one of us has his/her designated place as the various moves are made, until the ultimate move, when the advent of Moshiach Tzidkeinu takes place. Commentators express this idea time and again as they address the story of Yosef HaTzaddik: his alienation from his brothers; his sale as a slave, which led him to Egypt; his descent to Egypt as the precursor for his family’s departure from Eretz Yisrael in order to be reunited…

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ואת יהודה שלח לפניו אל יוסף להורות לפניו גשנה

Roberto Szerer In 5778, Vayigash

He sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to prepare ahead of him in Goshen. (46:28)

Yaakov Avinu sent Yehudah ahead of the family to make the proper arrangements for their arrival. The Midrash focuses on the word l’horos, to prepare, which also means to teach. This implies that Yaakov sent Yehudah to Goshen to establish a yeshivah, a house of study. This set the priority for every Jewish community to first and foremost have a makom Torah, a place where Torah will be studied. A community that does not revolve around Torah is missing its soul. I think the word l’horos, to teach, imparts a lesson concerning the type of yeshivah that Yaakov wanted to…

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וילקט יוסף את כל הכסף הנמצא בארץ מצרים. ויבא יוסף את הכסף ביתה פרעה

Roberto Szerer In 5778, Vayigash

Yosef gathered all the money that was to be found in the land of Egypt…And Yosef brought the money into Pharoh’s palace. (47:14)

The Talmud Pesachim 119A teaches that Yosef HaTzadik hid three treasures in Egypt. One was revealed to Korach; the second to Antoninus; and the third is waiting for its revelation to the righteous in Olam Habba, the World to Come. Obviously, Chazal are not talking about material treasures, since Yosef did not have the right to hide treasures for himself. All of the funds that were deposited in the country in return for grain belonged to Pharaoh. Yosef was not a thief. Every penny that came in went through a strict accounting process. Second, the third treasure, which was…

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לינו את השנה הזאת לטובה

Roberto Szerer In 5778, Vayigash

Bareich aleinu…es ha’shanah ha’zos…l’tovah. Bless on our behalf… this year… for the best.

Obviously, Hashem blesses the year for the “best.” Otherwise, what kind of blessing is it? The word l’tovah is seemingly superfluous. Siach Yitzchak explains that it happens, at times, that the produce is blessed with a high yield, but, regrettably, a shortage of money precludes customers from purchasing their needs. Indeed, it is worse when produce is selling at a low price, but the buyer has no cash, than when the opposite is in effect (the person has money, but there is no produce to be found). We pray to Hashem that food should be available and that people have…

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ויתן את קלו בבכי וישמעו מצרים וישמע בית פרעה

He cried in a loud voice. Egypt heard and Pharaoh’s household heard. (45:2)

ימי שני מגורי שלשים ומאת שנה מעט ורעים היו ימי שני חיי

The years of my dwelling are 130; few and terrible were the years of my life. (47:9)

ואת יהודה שלח לפניו אל יוסף להורות לפניו גשנה

He sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to prepare ahead of him in Goshen. (46:28)

ועתה אל תעצבו ואל יחר בעיניכם כי מכרתם אותי הנה כי למחיה שלחני אלקים לפניכם

And now, neither be distressed, nor reproach yourselves for having sold me here, for it was to be a provider that G-d sent me ahead of you.” (45:5)

ויאמר יוסף אל אחיו אני יוסף העוד אבי חי ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אתו כי נבהלו מפניו

And Yosef said to his brothers, “I am Yosef, is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer him, because they were left disconcerted before him. (45:3)

ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אתו כי נבהלו מפניו

But his brothers could not answer him because they were left disconcerted before him. (45:3)

ולאביו שלח כזאת עשרה חמרים נשאים מטוב מצרים

And to his father, he sent the following: ten he donkeys laden with the best of Egypt. (45:23)

ואת יהודה שלח לפניו אל יוסף להורות לפניו גשנה

He sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to prepare ahead of him in Goshen. (46:28)

וילקט יוסף את כל הכסף הנמצא בארץ מצרים. ויבא יוסף את הכסף ביתה פרעה

Yosef gathered all the money that was to be found in the land of Egypt…And Yosef brought the money into Pharoh’s palace. (47:14)

לינו את השנה הזאת לטובה

Bareich aleinu…es ha’shanah ha’zos…l’tovah. Bless on our behalf… this year… for the best.

YEARS

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