Vayigash – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

ויגש אליו יהודה ויאמר

Then Yehudah approached him and said. (44:18)

To approach someone prior to speaking to him is self-evident. Unless one wants to shout across the room, he must move over towards the individual with whom he is about to speak. Why does the Torah seem to underscore that Yehudah “approached” Yosef? It could have written simply that Yehudah spoke with Yosef, without mentioning that he approached him. Indeed, every word in the Torah has a purpose. The Torah is Divinely authored. Hashem places a word in the Torah for a distinct reason, to convey an important and meaningful message. What is Vayigash, “And he approached,” teaching us? Horav…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5774

ולא יכול יוסף להתאפק לכל הנצבים עליו... ולא עמד איש אתו בהתודע יוסף אל אחיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Vayigash

Now Yosef could not restrain himself in the presence of all who stood before him… Thus no one remained with him when Yosef made himself known to his brothers. (45:1)

If ever a passage in the Torah has been laden with ambiguity, it is the episode of Yosef with his brothers. Clearly, whatever explanation we offer is superficial. The story of Yosef and his brothers is replete with profound esoteric principles that absolutely defy our ability to understand. These are the ways of G-d. We are not capable of understanding Hashem’s reasons for causing Yaakov’s troubles, Yosef’s loneliness, and the brothers’ envy which precipitated the twenty-two year separation of the father from his beloved son. The manner in which Yosef and his brothers finally became reunited and reconciled is no…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5774

ולא יכול להתאפק לכל הנצבים עליו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Vayigash

Now Yosef could not restrain himself in the presence of all who stood before him. (45:1)

Rashi explains that Yosef could not allow the Egyptians to be present when he was putting his brothers to shame. The Midrash goes further, claiming that Yosef had placed himself in great danger, for if his brothers had decided to kill him, no one would have known one way or the other. He said, “Better I should be killed than I should humiliate my brothers in front of the Egyptians.” Embarrassing someone is an egregious sin for which one loses his portion in Olam Habba, the World to Come. Ish L’reieihu quotes Horav Yosef Chaim Blau, Shlita, Rav of Ashkelon,…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5774

ויאמר ישראל רב עוד יוסף בני חי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Vayigash

And Yisrael said, “How great! My son Yosef still lives!” (45:28)

Yaakov Avinu was ecstatic. His long-lost son, Yosef, was alive – physically and spiritually. Not only had he risen to a position of great distinction in his newly-adopted country, but he had maintained all of the strict spiritual standards that had been so much a part of his early life. The Patriarch had to see this for himself. His sons’ report gave him hope, but, until he saw it for himself, he was still anxious concerning Yosef’s spiritual erudition. The Midrash makes an interesting comment which focuses on Yaakov’s use of the word rav, “how great”. Rav kocho, “How great…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5774

ויפל על צואריו ויבך על צואריו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Vayigash

He fell on his neck, and he continued to cry on his neck. (46:29)

The meeting of father and son was certainly an emotionally-powered reunion. The love they manifested towards one another was unusual. This, coupled with the twenty-two year forced separation, created a situation in which their first encounter was a heightened opportunity for intense expression of love. This is why Rashi quotes Chazal, who say that it was only Yosef who hugged and kissed his father. Yaakov Avinu, at that exalted moment – instead of embracing his son – was reciting Shema Yisrael. Then Yaakov concluded the meeting with, Amussa ha’paam, acharei re’osi es panecha, “Now that I have seen your face…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5773

אל תירא מרדה מצרימה כי לגוי גדול אשימך שם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Vayigash

Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make a great nation of you there. (46:3)

Yaakov Avinu needed reassurance. He was prepared for the worst, as he had already experienced so much hardship. It is no wonder, therefore, that when he was confronted with the beginning of what was to be galus Mitzrayim, the Egyptian exile, he was afraid. The Patriarch, however, did not fear for himself. His commitment and devotion to Hashem was unwavering. He feared for his children, his descendants who would be born into Egypt’s depraved culture. How were they going to be able to withstand the onslaught of evil and licentiousness, as they confronted an environment permeated with spiritual defilement? He…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5773

ויאסר יוסף מרכבתו ויעל לקראת ישראל אביו... וירא אליו ויפל על צואריו ויבך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Vayigash

Yosef hitched his chariot and went up to meet his father… He appeared before him, fell on his neck, and he wept on his neck. (46:29)

Yosef made a point to harness the horses personally in preparation for his long anticipated meeting with his father. It would be no ordinary meeting. It was Yosef and Yaakov Avinu, two individuals whose relationship with one another was unusual, in the sense that Yosef was a spiritual replica of his father. Separated for over two decades, one can only begin to imagine the pent-up emotion that was welling up within each one – father and son. Yet, we see a number of anomalies concerning this meeting. Yosef hitched the chariot himself, probably out of excitement and growing anticipation. “Yosef…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5773

ויאמר פרעה אל יעקב כמה ימי שני חייך. ויאמר יעקב אל פרעה ימי שני מגורי... מעט ורעים היו ימי שני חיי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Vayigash

Pharaoh said to Yaakov, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” Yaakov answered Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourns… few and bad have been the days of the years of my life.” (47:8,9)

Yaakov Avinu comes across as issuing a subtle complaint, as he, with a hint of bitterness, was telling Pharaoh that he had had a rough life. Clearly, the Patriarch was not complaining about his life, but rather, explaining why his appearance bespoke a life of hardship: “Yes Pharaoh, I appear old and haggard, because life has not been easy for me. I am not complaining, but I am not able to conceal the truth.” Yaakov was punished for this. Heaven views our actions with a Heavenly measuring stick. Therefore, the “few” and the “bad” caused him to lose thirty-three years…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5773

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

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Vayigash

Yosef gathered all the money on hand in the land of Egypt… and Yosef brought the money to Pharaoh’s house. (47:14)

The Ramban notes that Yosef was an ish emunim, man of impeccable integrity, refusing to take one penny for himself if it did not belong to him. Yosef could easily have justified “dipping into the till.” If not for him, there would be no money. This earned him the respect and admiration of Pharaoh and the Egyptian people. One who lacks integrity, even if it is with regard to a simple misdemeanor in which there is no real monetary loss, is still, in effect, a liar and a thief. It might only be theoretical in nature, since the loss is…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5772

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Vayigash

And Yosef said to his brothers, “I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?” (45:3)

Yosef was revealing his true identity to his brothers. The first question that he asked after he identified himself was, “Ha’ode avi chai?”, “Is my father still alive?” One wonders at the timing of this question. During the time that Yosef’s brothers appeared before him, they mentioned their elderly father several times. Why did Yosef suddenly ask a question whose answer was obvious? Each in his own way, the commentators suggest an interpretation of Yosef’s question. In his popular “Maggid” series, Rabbi Paysach Krohn relates a poignant story that offers a new meaning to the question, “Is my father…

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Back to Home -> 5774 ->

ויגש אליו יהודה ויאמר

Then Yehudah approached him and said. (44:18)

ולא יכול יוסף להתאפק לכל הנצבים עליו... ולא עמד איש אתו בהתודע יוסף אל אחיו

Now Yosef could not restrain himself in the presence of all who stood before him… Thus no one remained with him when Yosef made himself known to his brothers. (45:1)

ולא יכול להתאפק לכל הנצבים עליו

Now Yosef could not restrain himself in the presence of all who stood before him. (45:1)

ויאמר ישראל רב עוד יוסף בני חי

And Yisrael said, “How great! My son Yosef still lives!” (45:28)

ויפל על צואריו ויבך על צואריו

He fell on his neck, and he continued to cry on his neck. (46:29)

אל תירא מרדה מצרימה כי לגוי גדול אשימך שם

Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make a great nation of you there. (46:3)

ויאסר יוסף מרכבתו ויעל לקראת ישראל אביו... וירא אליו ויפל על צואריו ויבך

Yosef hitched his chariot and went up to meet his father… He appeared before him, fell on his neck, and he wept on his neck. (46:29)

ויאמר פרעה אל יעקב כמה ימי שני חייך. ויאמר יעקב אל פרעה ימי שני מגורי... מעט ורעים היו ימי שני חיי

Pharaoh said to Yaakov, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” Yaakov answered Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourns… few and bad have been the days of the years of my life.” (47:8,9)

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

Yosef gathered all the money on hand in the land of Egypt… and Yosef brought the money to Pharaoh’s house. (47:14)

And Yosef said to his brothers, “I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?” (45:3)

YEARS

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!