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EAST SIDE TORAH CENTER PARSHA POINTS
Parshas Vayigash
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Yisroel Reisman a‰fylc ‘s Chumash shiurim.
Rabbi Reisman - Parshas Vayigash 5772
At the end of the previous Parsha Yehuda speaks in a very meek tone to Yosef. He says 44:16 (-‫ מַה‬,‫ּנֹאמַר לַאדֹנִי‬-‫ מַה‬,‫וַּיֹאמֶר יְהּודָה‬
‫נִ ְמצָא ַהּגָבִי ַע ְּביָדֹו‬-‫ֲׁשר‬
ֶ ‫ ֲאנַחְנּו ּגַם א‬-‫ ּגַם‬,‫ ֲע ָבדִים לַאדֹנִי‬...;‫ּנִ ְצ ַטּדָק‬-‫ ּומַה‬,‫)ּנְַדּבֵר‬. He says what could we answer, we were caught and we are
prepared to be slaves. That is how the Parshas Mikeitz ends.
The beginning of this week's Parsha which is 2 Pesukim later says in 44:18 ( ‫זְנֵי‬Rְ‫נָא ַע ְב ְּד ָך ָדבָר ּב‬-‫ יְַדּבֶר‬,‫ וַּיֹאמֶר ּבִי אֲדֹנִי‬,‫וַּיִּגַׁש ֵאלָיו יְהּודָה‬
‫ ְּכ ַפרְעֹה‬,‫ ּכִי כָמֹו ָך‬:‫ ְּפ ָך ְּב ַע ְב ֶּד ָך‬T ‫יִחַר‬-‫ל‬Tְ‫ ו‬,‫)אֲדֹנִי‬. Suddenly Yehuda starts to speak in a tougher and more strict tone. As Rashi says ( ‫ואל‬
‫ מכאן אתה למד שדבר אליו קשות‬:‫ )יחר אפך‬that he spoke to him in a very stern and strict way.
It is a very sudden change from one attitude to another attitude. There has certainly got to be a reason for it and not only that
but there has got to be a lesson in the way the Torah portrays this.
Rav Schwab brings that the lesson is that actually Yehuda was somewhat afraid as Binyamin had been caught. Then he
remembered that he had guaranteed the return of Binyamin. This gave him the energy the strength and the courage to be able to
do the things that he had to do. The idea is that when a person feels a responsibility then a person has more energy. If a person
feels that something is a job that he has to do and it is up to him to do it, he feels an Achrayos to do it. That gives him the
strength the ability to do things that he might otherwise not have been able to do. That is the 44:32 (‫ ַהּנַעַר‬-‫) ַע ְב ְּד ָך ָערַב אֶת‬. Yehuda
reflected on his responsibility and with that he got the energy to do that which he had to do.
Many years ago Rav Pam spoke to Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel. Rav Nosson Tzvi had asked a certain Talmid to take a job as a
Mashgiach in one of the Yeshivos. Rav Pam held that this Talmid was still young and that he was not ready for that type of
Achrayos. Rav Nosson Tzvi called him and said with the Achrayos come the Kochos. With the responsibility a person gets the
energy, gets the maturity to do the things that he has to do. Rav Pam was very moved by that attitude. That is something that he
repeated and he said over to us his Talmidim. An attitude that with the acceptance of responsibility, with that comes the energy.
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The lesson is that every day in Shema in addition to the first part of Kriyas Shema which is Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim,
the acceptance of the kingdom of Hashem we also have the second Parsha which is known as Kabbalas Ol Mitzvos where we
accept upon ourselves the Mitzvos of the Torah. That Kabbalas Ol Mitzvos is meant to be a feeling of responsibility, an
Achrayos. We remind ourselves that we have certain responsibilities certain things that we have accepted upon ourselves to do.
Mit Di Achrayos Kumin the Kochos. When a person feels that he can't do something but he then reflects and realizes that it is
his Tafkid, his purpose, his job to do, then a person can reach back and get greater energy.
I believe Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz says a similar Vort regarding Moshe Rabbeinu's words when the Bnei Yisrael asked for the
Slav. Bnei Yisrael made an extraordinary request and Moshe Rabbeinu says to the Ribbono Shel Olam in Bamidbar 11:12
(‫ יְִל ְדּתִיהּו‬,‫נֹכִי‬R-‫אִם‬--‫ ָהעָם ַהּזֶה‬-‫ אֵת ּכָל‬,‫נֹכִי ָהרִיתִי‬Rֶ‫)ה‬. Did I carry these people, were they my children, did I give birth to them that you
tell me to undertake providing Slav for all of them? From Moshe Rabbeinu's expression, Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz makes the
following observation that as impossible as it would be to provide suddenly meat for so many people, however, if indeed
(‫ יְִל ְדּתִיהּו‬,‫נֹכִי‬R-‫אִם‬--‫ ָהעָם ַהּזֶה‬-‫ אֵת ּכָל‬,‫נֹכִי ָהרִיתִי‬Rֶ‫)ה‬, if Moshe Rabbeinu had been the parents of these children and he would have felt
the same Achrayos as a parent feels toward a child and if they in turn had looked towards Moshe Rabbeinu that way, then it
would have happened. Because when there is a sense of Achrayos (responsibility) it happens. That is the lesson of Rav Schwab
really a true lesson for all of us. We are busy we have Tirdus and we don't have time for Sedarim, if we feel the responsibility
(the Achrayos) then we would be able to do it.
In presenting his argument, Yehuda refers to Binyamin as a Yeled Zekunim in 44:20 (‫)וְיֶלֶד זְ ֻקנִים‬. Someone who is very close to
his father and he says in the last words before Sheini 44:30 (‫ קְׁשּורָה ְבנַפְׁשֹו‬,‫)וְנַפְׁשֹו‬. The soul of Yaakov Avinu is tied to the soul of
Binyamin. The Baal Haturim writes that the word (‫ )קְׁשּורָה‬starts with the letters Kuf and Shin. Kuf is Gematriya 100 and Shin
is 300 which together is 400. If you replace the Kuf and Shin with a Taf then Kishura becomes Torah. What is the lesson in
that? What are we supposed to learn from that Baal Haturim.
Rav Chaim Kanievsky in Derech Sicha says the following. He says a real connection of love comes when there is a connection
of Torah. When someone teaches and someone else learns and there is a sense of learning and of teaching that which is most
important in the Briya. That which is most central to our existence in this world. When there is that type of relationship then
there is real Ahava. (‫ קְׁשּורָה ְבנַפְׁשֹו‬,‫)וְנַפְׁשֹו‬, through the Kesher of Torah, Binyamin was the youngest son and stayed home with
his father and therefore, there was more learning with that son than with other sons. (‫ קְׁשּורָה ְבנַפְׁשֹו‬,‫ )וְנַפְׁשֹו‬the extra strength in
this Ahava was based on Torah.
We find that as well by Yosef. When the Posuk told us earlier that Yosef was beloved to his father it said 37:3 ( ,‫זְ ֻקנִים הּוא‬-‫בֶן‬-‫ּכִי‬
‫ )לֹו‬and the Targum Unkelos Teitch on (‫זְ ֻקנִים‬-‫ )בֶן‬is Ben Chakim Hu Lo that he is a son of wisdom. What does that mean a son
of wisdom? It means a son who learned his wisdom from his father. This is as Rashi brings it ( .‫ שנולד לו לעת זקנתו‬:‫בן זקונים‬
‫)ואונקלוס תרגם בר חכים הוא ליה כל מה שלמד משם ועבר מסר לו‬. Whatever Yaakov learned he gave over to Yosef and therefore, it is a
connection based on Torah. A connection based on Torah brings true Ahavah.
I believe I saw once a Rav Tzaddok that said the following. He said Reuvein, Shimon, and Levi gave Yaakov a hard time. At
the end of his life when it came time to give the Berachos, Yaakov was very tough with Reuvein, Shimon, and Levi. He was
very strict with them. He gave them Berachos that were not clear Berachos. It is not clear in the Pesukim that he is giving them
Berachos at all. He seemed to be giving them Mussar.
Moshe Rabbeinu also had a difficult time especially with Sheivet Reuvein. He had a difficult time with rebelliousness with
these Shevatim. Yet when Moshe Rabbeinu gave them Berachos at the end of V'zos Habracha he said Devarim 33:6 ( ,‫יְחִי רְאּובֵן‬
‫יָמֹת‬-‫ל‬Tְ‫)ו‬. He gave a Beracha to every one of the Shevatim even the ones that had given him a difficult time.
Rav Tzaddok writes that that is the difference in attitude between a parent and a Rebbi. A parent sees the Tzad Hamussar of the
child, the Tzad that he has to correct. Whereas a Rebbi has the Ahava the love for a child. So that is a difference of attitude
between a father and Rebbi. That is the idea of (‫ קְׁשּורָה ְבנַפְׁשֹו‬,‫)וְנַפְׁשֹו‬, the close tie comes from the Rebbi Talmid relationship.
From that special relationship.
We notice in Kriyas Shema where we say Devarim 6:7 (ָ‫ְׁשּנַנְּתָם ְל ָבנֶיך‬
ִ ‫ )ו‬teach it to your children. The Gemara says this refers to
the students. Later it says 11:19 (‫ ְּבנֵיכֶם‬-‫ )וְִל ַּמ ְדּתֶם אֹתָם אֶת‬and the Gemara says that this refers to biological children.
The question is normally when you have a Posuk twice the first Posuk is the simple Pshat and the second Posuk is to teach us
something different. So I would think that the first (ָ‫ ) ָבנֶיך‬would be for the biological children and the second one which would
be now extra would be the one that we Darshun for the Talmidim. That is not the way it is because (‫ְׁשּנַנְּתָם ְל ָבנֶי ָך‬
ִ ‫ )ו‬is for the
Talmidim. So it seems that the Torah understands that true children are Talmidim. It is only the second (ָ‫ ) ָבנֶיך‬that is Darshuned
to refer to actual children. A Peledika Chiddush. The Gemara actually says that if you find an object that belongs to your father
and an object that belongs to your Rebbi that the object that you found belonging to your Rebbi is the one that you are first
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obligated in returning. The Gemara says that when it comes to giving respect for a father or a Rebbi that the Rebbi is first. This
idea is related to this very special Kesher that a Rebbi and a Talmid have to have. But that depends, when you go to a Shiur and
you learn from somebody if you are just getting information that doesn't develop a Kesher but if you have this feeling this
Hergish that this connection is a connection of doing what is most important in this world that which brings a person to Chayei
Olam Haba to an eternal life then there is a Kesher. Then there is a love. That Hergish brings out the Ahava and Chibah, and
this is something that we have to learn to appreciate.
Let me move on. Yosef proved to them that he was Yosef because he said my mouth is speaking to you and as Rashi says on
the Posuk 45:12 (‫ ַה ְמ ַדּבֵר ֲאלֵיכֶם‬,‫פִי‬-‫ )ּכִי‬that (‫ )ועוד כי פי המדבר אליכם בלשון הקודש‬that I am speaking in Lashon Kodesh. Last year we
discussed this. The idea that Lashon Kodesh is something very unique in the fact that somebody who has a spiritual level can
speak Lashon Kodesh well. It shows spirituality that he was able to speak in Lashon Kodesh. This is the idea that I mentioned
last year.
This year I would like to add because I see that there is a Rashbam that when Moshe Rabbeinu says at the Sne that I don't speak
well because of the Aral Sefosoyim the Rashbam says that when Moshe Rabbeinu spoke to Klal Yisrael he spoke well, he was
a marvelous teacher because he was speaking in Lashon Kodesh. What was the problem with his speech? This was because he
was speaking Lashon Mitzri. He was speaking a foreign language that was lacking Kedusha. Mitzrayim was not a Tahor
country it was full of Znus. Moshe Rabbeinu found it difficult to speak, he stuttered and he had a hard time getting the words
out when he was speaking Lashon Mitzri. When he spoke Lashon Hakodesh it came in very smoothly.
The Ragechave brings this Rashbam to explain Tehillim 114:1 (‫ ) ֵמעַם לֹעֵז‬.(‫ ֵמעַם לֹעֵז‬,‫ ִמ ִּמ ְצ ָריִם; ּבֵית יַעֲקֹב‬,‫ִׂש ָראֵל‬
ְ ‫ ) ְּבצֵאת י‬They left the
land of a foreign tongue. Why was it a foreign tongue, they were there for 210 years? Even though they spoke Lashon Kodesh
but certainly they knew the Egyptian language as well. The answer of course is that it is a foreign tongue because it is not a
tongue of holiness. It is a tongue of Znus and Zimah. Therefore, a holy soul found it hard to speak the language. That is another
insight into the Mayla of Lashon Hakodesh.
The question of the week is: this morning I got to the end of the Parsha in learning Rashi and in doing so there seems to be 2
Rashis which are inconsistent. It explains the same word in 2 different ways. That is in Perek 47 the Perek with which the
Parsha ends. In Posuk 12 Rashi explains the Posuk (‫ ְלפִי ַהּטָף‬,‫ ) ֶלחֶם‬Yosef provided food according to the amount of children.
Rashi says (‫ לפי הצריך לכל בני ביתם‬:‫ )לפי הטף‬Rashi is saying that Taf is not only small children but anybody in the house is
included in Taf, in child. There is no problem with that.
However, in Posuk 24 there is a very similar Posuk, Yosef is providing food (‫וְֶלאֱכֹל ְל ַט ְּפכֶם‬--‫ֲׁשר ְּב ָבּתֵיכֶם‬
ֶ ‫ )וְַלא‬to feed the little ones.
There Rashi says (‫ בנים קטנים‬:‫ )טפכם‬Banim Ketanim small children. Why in one Posuk does Rashi say that (‫ ) ַט ְּפכֶם‬refers to
specifically small children and in the other one Rashi says whoever is in your home is included. Tzorech Iyun because it is the
same word (‫)ּטָף‬. This seems to be a contradiction in Rashi.
There seems to be a contradiction in Ramban as well. The Ramban in the beginning of Parshas Vayechi when Yosef is told to
bury Yaakov in Mitzrayim by Paroh brings the well-known Chazal that Paroh said be Matir Neder because I want him buried
in Egypt. To that the response was if I am Matir that Neder I can always be Matir the Neder of not to tell people that you don't
know Lashon Kodesh. So the Ramban goes with this idea of Chazal that Paroh was not fluent in Lashon Kodesh as Rashi
brings in 50:6 ( ‫ שלא יאמר אם כן עבור על השבועה‬,‫ אבל ירא לומר עבור על השבועה‬,‫ ואם לא בשביל השבועה לא הייתי מניחך‬:‫כאשר השביעך‬
‫ כדאיתא במסכת סוטה )דף לו ב‬,‫)שנשבעתי לך שלא אגלה על לשון הקודש שאני מכיר עודף על שבעים לשון ואתה אינך מכיר בו‬:).
This seems to be inconsistent with the Ramban mentioned in our Parsha on the Posuk mentioned earlier 45:12 ( ‫ ַה ְמ ַדּבֵר‬,‫פִי‬-‫ּכִי‬
‫) ֲאלֵיכֶם‬. The Ramban says ( ,‫ כי על דעתי הוא שפת כנען‬,‫ כי איננה ראיה שידבר אדם אחד במצרים בלשון הקדש‬,‫ויתכן שאמר להם כך לאמתלא ולפיוס‬
‫ אבל הוא לשון כנען‬,‫ ואיננו לשון לאיש אחד לבד‬,‫ והגל הזה עד‬,‫כי אברהם לא הביאו מאור כשדים ומחרן כי ארמית היא‬:
‫ וכמו שתראה בנבוכדנצר שאמר בלשון הקדש )דניאל‬,‫ שדרך המלכים והמושלים לדעת הלשונות‬,‫ ואף כי המושל‬,‫ורבים במצרים יודעים אותו כי קרוב הוא‬
‫ והם‬.‫ וכולם יבינו אותו‬,‫ בעבור שהיו שם חרטומים ואשפים ומכשפים וכשדים מלשונות רבים ומישראל‬,‫ חלום חלמתי ותפעם רוחי לדעת את החלום‬:(‫ב ג‬
‫ ולהם היה הרשות לדבר אל המלך‬,‫ כי הם היו הקרובים אליו היושבים ראשונה במלכות‬,‫ וידברו הכשדים למלך ארמית‬,‫)ענו לו בארמית‬. The Ramban
says that it is not so because the fact that he spoke Lashon Kodesh is no proof because the land of Canaan is close to the land of
Mitzrayim. People of neighboring countries can speak the language of. (‫ )ורבים במצרים יודעים אותו‬many Egyptians knew the
language of Lashon Kodesh. There the Ramban seems to disagree with Rashi and says that Lashon Kodesh was well known. In
Parshas Vayechi he goes with the approach that Paroh did not know Lashon Kodesh and that seems to be an inconsistency and
certainly something for you to think about.
TorahWeb.org Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky
The Beginning of Exile
3
Galus Mitzrayim serves as the prototype for all future exiles. This, the first galus of the Jewish people begins in Parshas
Vayigash, as Yaakov and his family descend to Mitzrayim. The lessons we can glean from galus Mitzrayim will enable us to
endure our present exile.
The Torah enumerates the descendants of Yaakov who arrived in Mitzrayim. Although the Torah presents the sum total as 70,
only 69 people are recorded. This led Chazal to the conclusion that Yocheved, the mother of Moshe Rabbeinu was born at the
same time as Yaakov’s family entered the borders of Mitzrayim, marking the Jews’ entry into galus. What is the divine
message to be found in these simultaneous events? The birth of Yocheved represented the very beginning of the redemption
from Mitzrayim. Hashem would not send us into galus, without ensuring from the very onset, that a geulah would take place.
Although yetzias Mitzrayim was not to take place for many years, the seeds of the geulah had been planted at precisely the
moment that galus had begun.
Anticipating geulah at the onset of galus was taught by Yaakov. Chazal tell us that Yaakov brought cedar wood to Mitzrayim
because he knew that eventually his descendants would be commanded to construct a mishkan from this material. Although the
mishkan would only be built several generations later, Yaakov could not enter galus without carrying with him the seeds of
geulah. This was not the first time that Yaakov had been exiled. He had already been forced to flee from Eretz Yisroel and had
lived in Lavan’s house for 20 years. Yaakov taught us that as a Jew goes into exile he must prepare the way for his return.
In Parshas Vayigash we learn another critical message concerning galus. Prior to Yaakov’s arrival in Mitzrayim he had sent
Yehudah ahead to prepare the way. Chazal tell us that Yehudah was instructed to establish a place of learning before Yaakov
set foot in Eretz Goshen. Again, Yaakov was instructing us in how to go into galus. The only way to ensure the Jewish people’s
survival in galus is to immediately build places of learning. The slightest delay exposes the Jewish people to the dangers of
galus without the Torah as protection.
The manner in which galus begins sets the tone for its duration. The Jewish people must go into galus knowing from the onset
that they will return. They must carry the Torah with them from the very beginning to ensure their survival.
Copyright © 2001 by The TorahWeb Foundation. All rights reserved.
American Friends of Yeshivat Hakotel: Rav Podolsky z”l
Way Ahead!
When Yosef dispatched his brothers to return and bring their father down to Egypt, he imposed upon them an enigmatic order.
“Al Tirg’zu Badarech.” It is a curious phrase that has evoked many and sundry explanations (e.g. See Rashi). Perhaps we may
be permitted to suggest an alternate interpretation.
Let us begin with an analogy. Young Billy was raised as an unaffiliated Jew. Robbed of his heritage, he had no idea the
treasures the Torah held in store for him. But the Jewish soul yearns to cleave to its Creator. Unable to suppress his intense
thirst for spirituality, Billy sets off in search of Truth. He experiments with Yoga, Zen, Islam, Christianity, and just about every
other religion or cult he could find. He travels the world far and wide, spending much time, money and energy in a fruitless
quest for the ever-elusive Truth.
Ironically, he ultimately finds himself in the one country known universally as the Holy Land. A short visit to the Western
Wall, an unassuming tap on the shoulder, a warm invitation for a Shabbos meal, etc., eventually culminates in a genuine
connection with that for which Billy—now Baruch—has always longed. One good dose of actual exposure to the Truth was
sufficient to affix Baruch’s commitment to Torah for life.
Baruch’s family makes things no easier for him. Except for cutting off ties, they have very little patience for this Jewish
“stuff”. As far as they are concerned, their son has flipped out. “If only he was back in college with non-Jewish girls and
drugs!” they lament.
To make matters worse, Baruch’s progress in yeshiva is slow. He finds it difficult to master the skills required to plumb the
profundities of the Talmud. Though he is excited to have discovered the Truth, he finds putting his commitment into long-term
action far more forbidding. Even rudimentary Alef-Bais seems overwhelming in his hurry to compensate for lost time. He
watches jealously as younger bochurim slice through the Gemara like a hot knife through butter while he straggles along
behind with his Jastrow and Artscroll. Still, he perseveres nourished with the faith that ultimately he will succeed.
Eventually, Baruch marries, raises a family, and in general is a happy, Torah-observant Jew. There is one pent-up frustration,
however, that is a lingering, though, silent thorn in Baruch’s side. Walking along the car-less street one Shabbos eve, Baruch
finally verbalizes his complaint. “Look at all these beautiful, religious children!” he tells his wife. “They didn’t have to struggle
to get where they are. They were born to frum parents; they have such a head start in life! Why did I have to travel in such a
roundabout route just to get to where these children begin?” His wife had secretly harbored the same misgivings. Why indeed
did Hashem make it so hard for them?
4
Every neshama that comes into this world is given its own pekeleh, its own basket of trials and tribulations. These are uniquely
designed and suited to facilitate the neshama’s particular journey toward perfection. Just like DNA and snowflakes, no two
neshamos are precisely identical; each one has its own tafkid, its own purpose. Why one neshama entered the body of a
wealthy philanthropist and another the body of the poverty-stricken recipient of charity is unknowable to us. Only the Master
Planner grasps the secret behind the Blueprint.
Being creatures of very narrow scope, though, we often resent the need to travel the particular route mapped out for us. Why
did I have to grow up in such a family, in such an environment? Why couldn’t I have been born a Tzaddik? Why was all the
difficulty necessary? Nevertheless, of one thing I can be absolutely sure. This is absolutely the best way for me.
Yosef worried that his brothers would become angry with themselves and with Hashem for the twenty-two year path they were
forced to travel; a path on which they stumbled seriously, only to be proven gravely wrong at the end. Why was all this
necessary? Why could they not have simply moved to Egypt like their great grandfather Avraham before them?
The brothers were liable to become angry with “the way” they were made to experience. Thus he admonished them: “Al Tirgzu
Badarech—Do not be angry with the way.” Everything that Hashem does is the most consummate good that can be. G-d
defines good. Although we usually don’t understand, all the tribulations we had to undergo were absolutely necessary in order
for us to be who we are, today, and to allow us to accomplish our missions, tomorrow.
Thus, it is only via this “way” that we can get ahead in life—way ahead!
We would like to express our gratitude to Adam Smith & Company which has so generously donated the computer center at
the Yeshiva in memory of HaRav Aryeh Bina zt”l founder of Yeshivat Hakotel. This enables us to communicate this sicha to
you each week - “lehagdil Torah ulehaadira”.
Please say a tefilla for refuah shlema for Baruch Yoseph ben Adina Batya. He is the eleven year old son of one of our alumni
who is in great need of “Rachamei Shamayim”.
STAM TORAH: Rabbi Donie Staum, LMSW,Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead,Social Worker, Yeshiva Bais Hachinuch
http://www.stamtorah.info
If you know anyone interested in receiving Stam Torah via email each week, send their address to: thestaums@kewnet.com
PARSHAS VAYIGASH 5770: “BACK AGAINST THE WALL”
In his noted “Shabbat Shalom Weekly” for parshas Terumah 5769, Rabbi Kalman Packouz1 related the following story:
“I once asked Reb Noah2 for his favorite joke. He gave a little laugh and then proceeded to tell me, "There was once a man who worked
the late shift. When his shift was over, he would take a shortcut home through a graveyard. One dark, moonless night he was following the path
when he fell into an open grave. Unbeknownst to him, someone had dug it during the day. For an hour he tried to find a foothold or handhold to
get out of the grave. Finally, he gave up, sat in the corner and decided to wait until someone came in the morning.
“A short while later another man - taking the same shortcut - plops into the grave. From his seat in the corner, the first man watches as the
second man searches for a foothold or handhold to get out. Figuring he'll save the guy some time - and maybe they can get out if they work
together - he gets up, walks up behind the second man. He then taps him on the shoulder from behind. Zip! Zap! The second man jumps straight
out of the grave!"
“After sitting there for a few moments pondering probably one of the unfunniest jokes I have ever heard, I asked Reb Noah, "Rebbe,
what's so funny about that joke?"
“Reb Noah smiled his warm smile, his eyes twinkled, and he replied, "Kalman, don't you understand? We are using so little of our
potential. Imagine what we could accomplish if we actually used our potential! Isn't that funny? The Almighty gives us virtually unlimited
potential and we don't use it."
In parshas Miketz, the Torah records that the brothers returned to Yaakov in Canaan and related that the Viceroy of Egypt had instructed
them that they could no longer seek provisions in Egypt unless their brother Binyamin accompanied them. Yaakov was beside himself and he
was insistent that Binyamin not go.
1
Rabbi Packouz served for 10 years as executive director of Aish HaTorah international operations, and is currently head of
the Miami office of Aish HaTorah's worldwide programs.
2
Rabbi Noah Weinberg zt’l, founder of Aish HaTorah
5
Then, as time went on, their provisions began to dwindle. Reuven boldly announced that he would guarantee the safe return of Binyamin
at the cost of the lives of his two oldest sons3. Yaakov promptly refused his offer. It was not until Yehuda pledged that if Binyamin did not return
with him he would forfeit his portion in this world and the next world that Yaakov finally relented.
Why did Yaakov only agree to send Binyamin when Yehuda pledged everything away? Did Yaakov not trust him beforehand?
At the beginning of parshas Vayigash, the moment of truth arrived. The seemingly volatile Viceroy of Egypt announced that the culprit –
Binyamin - in whose sack the royal chalice was found would remain a slave, while the rest of the brothers were free to leave.
The parsha opens with the words, “Then Yehuda approached him.” It is one of the most dramatic confrontations in the Torah. Yehuda
approached Yosef to plead Binyamin’s case and emphatically stated that he would not leave without Binyamin at his side. “For your servant took
responsibility for the youth from my father saying, ‘if I do not bring him back to you then I will have sinned to my father for all time’.” Yehuda’s
arguments pushed Yosef over the edge and Yosef revealed his identity to his brothers.
Many times we are faced with daunting and demanding situations. We struggle mightily and apply ourselves as much as we feel that we
are able. But when we feel that we are no longer progressing, somewhere along the line we are forced to concede defeat so that we could invest
our efforts elsewhere. When one is heavily invested in something however, he is slower to admit defeat and walk away. Even when he feels that
he has exhausted his efforts and done as much as he is able, if he is truly committed, he will somehow figure out a way to try again.
Yaakov undoubtedly trusted his children and believed that they would utilize every means and invest every effort to ensure that Binyamin
return home to him safely. But doing their utmost was insufficient. To Yaakov losing Binyamin was tantamount to dying himself. Thus he would
not allow Binyamin to go unless he felt that someone would have that same level of commitment for Binyamin’s wellbeing as he himself would.
It was only when Yehuda put ‘everything’ on the line that Yaakov reluctantly agreed. Only then did Yaakov felt confident that Yehuda
would spare no effort, in fact risk his own life, to ensure that Binyamin return home safely.
When Yosef insisted that the rest of the brothers return to Canaan in peace, the brothers might very well have reasoned that there was
nothing more they could have done. They may have rationalized that the best they could do at that moment was to return to Yaakov to seek his
advice before they returned and tried to formulate a plan to rescue Binyamin. But to Yehuda leaving was not an option. He had no recourse but to
take up the cause immediately because to him nothing else existed besides the welfare of Binyamin. Such is the power of commitment.
On March 13, 1964, a woman named Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death near her home in the Kew Gardens section of Queens, New
York. The reason her case made headlines was because of the apathy of her neighbors. The New York Times article detailing the events was
entitled, “Thirty-eight who saw murder but didn’t call the police”.
“For more than half an hour 38 respectable, law-abiding citizens in Queens watched… three separate attacks in Kew Gardens. Twice the
chatter and the sudden glow of their bedroom lights interrupted him and frightened him off. Each time he returned... Not one person telephoned
the police during the assault.”
The case became symbolic of the cold and dehumanizing effect of urban life. It seemed that nobody cared enough to bother to call, and
therefore all the neighbors remained indifferent even as a woman was being killed.
The truth about the case however, is somewhat more complicated and intriguing. Two New York City psychologists4 subsequently
conducted a series of studies to try to understand the “bystander problem.” They staged emergencies in different situations to see who would
come forward to help. What they found was that the one factor above all else which predicted who/how many people would come forward was
how many witnesses were present at the time.
For example, in one experiment a student who was alone in a room staged an epileptic fit. When there was only one person in the room
next door listening, that person rushed to the student’s aid 85 percent of the time. But when the subjects thought there were four other people
overhearing the seizure they came to the student’s aid only 31 percent of the time.
In another experiment, people who saw smoke seeping out from under a doorway would report it 75 percent of the time when they were
on their own, but only 38 percent of the time when they were in a group.
The conclusion was that when people are in a group, responsibility for acting becomes diffused. Everyone assumes that someone else will
act, and if no one else does they assume that it must not really be a serious problem.
Thus, in the case of Kitty Genovese it wasn’t that no one called despite the fact that thirty-eight people heard her screams; it’s that no one
called because thirty-eight people heard her screams. Had she been attacked on a lonely street and only one person would have seen, the story
may have ended differently.
There is an old quip which says that the Israeli army always fights with incredible determination and gusto because they have “General
Aleph Bais”. Aleph Bais, the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, is an acronym for the words, “Ayn b’rayra - there is no choice!” In other
words, the Israelis know against whom they are fighting, and that they are always fighting defensive wars. Surrender is simply not an option;
they have no recourse but to fight until the end.
There is simply no comparison between the efforts invested by one who is committed than by one who is uncommitted. One of the
shortcomings of our world is that there is a general lack of commitment to ideals and values. Any successful marriage requires a great degree of
patience, tolerance, and understanding. But above all there must be a sense of commitment to ensure that those other vital characteristics can be
fostered.
3
Chasam Sofer explains that Reuven’s offer was that if he did not bring Binyamin back, not that his oldest two sons would
literally die, but that they would forfeit their entitled portion in Eretz Yisroel, the “land of the living”.
4
Latane and Darley; quoted by Malcom Gladwell in “The Tipping Point”
6
Our personal level of Service to G-d is also bound to our level of commitment. Those aspects of Judaism to which we are not committed
often fall by the wayside as soon as the invariable obstacles surface. It is only when we are fully committed that we oblige ourselves to traverse
all impediments to ensure that we maintain our obligations.
The brothers all realized the severity of what was transpiring but it was only Yehuda who stepped forward to protect Binyamin because he
had committed himself to his cause.
We all have far more potential and abilities than we care to believe. But we will never realize our latent greatness unless we are ready to
commit ourselves to be all that we can be. If we never step forward, the tragic joke will be on us!
“Then Yehuda approached him”
“For your servant took responsibility for the youth”
HaRav Nebenzahl - Yeshivat Hakotel The following is a translation of the sicha delivered by HaGaon HaRav Avigdor Nebenzahl every
Monday night in the Beit Midrash of Yeshivat Hakotel. We try our best to accurately present to you the Rav’s words. The transition from spoken to written
word and subsequent translation do not always allow for a literal word for word translation. We would like to thank HaRav Nebenzahl for allowing us to send
you this sicha without his first reviewing the translation. Although it does expedite matters in getting this sicha out to you, it does mean that if there is anything
in the sicha that may not be understood, the fault is with us and not with HaRav Nebenzahl. (Translation by Rav Nehemia Klein) © 5762/2001 by
American Friends of Yeshivat Hakotel
Note: This sicha was translated and published in 5759
“Vayesor Yoseph merkavto vayaal likrat Yisrael aviv Goshna vayera elav vayipol al tzavarav vayevch al tzavarav od” “Yoseph
harnessed his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he appeared to him, fell on his neck, and he wept on
his neck excessively” (Bereishit 46:29). Rashi points out “aval Yaakov lo nafal al tzavrei Yoseph velo neshako, ve-amru
rabotenu shehaya korei et Shma” “But Yaakov did not fall on Yoseph’s neck nor did he kiss him, our Rabbis said because he
was reciting Shma”. The Brisker Rav explains that the reason Yaakov did not recite the Shma earlier was because he was
busying himself with following Hashem’s commandment of going down to Egypt, and since “osek beMitzvah patur min
haMitzvah” “one involved in one Mitzvah is exempt from performing another” he was exempt from reciting the Shma. His
arrival in Egypt was after completion of the Mitzvah and he was now obligated to recite the Shma.
Perhaps we can say that Yaakov indeed had recited the Shma previously. By that recitation, however, he was fulfilling the
Mitzvah of reciting the Shma in the land of Israel. Yaakov was now in Egypt, in Chutz la’aretz, where he now had the
additional Mitzvah of “hatzivi lach tziyunim” “make road markers for yourself” (Yirmiyahu 31:20). Rashi makes mention of
the fact, and the Ramban discusses at length, that all Mitzvot performed in Chutz la’aretz are a matter of “hatzivi lach
tziyunim” - something Yaakov had not yet fulfilled. Another explanation offered (though the Brisker Rav did not accept it), is
that Yaakov had already recited the Shma, yet it was specifically at this moment that he wished to accept upon himself “ol
malchut Shamayim” “the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven”. He did not wish to turn his attention to the joy of seeing his son,
but rather to first accept upon himself “ol malchut Shamayim” as means of thanking Hashem that he now witnesses that all his
sons are alive and well. We later read of another of Yaakov’s expressions of gratitude to Hashem: “reo panecha lo pilalti
vehinei hera oti Elokim gam et zarecha” “I did not imagine seeing your face, and here G-d has shown me even your offspring”
(Bereishit 48:11). There are many more instances of Yaakov’s expression of thanks to Hashem for the tremendous “chesed” He
did for him by showing him that Yoseph was still alive. We have no need for proofs from the text, it would seem only logical
that Yaakov thank Hashem. We know of people on a much lower level who thanked Hashem for far less. Nobody would think
of Yaakov as someone ungrateful for what Hashem did for him. Yaakov displayed gratitude for everything Hashem had given
him on a physical as well as spiritual level - he had feared that he may descend to Gehinom, G-d forbid. One who is ungrateful
has a blemish in his soul, whereas a healthy soul knows of the importance of giving thanks to one who does a “chesed” for him.
One with a soul as healthy and wholesome as Yaakov’s certainly was aware of the need to thank Hashem for everything.
Despite this, Chazal claim that Yaakov was not always on this level of having proper gratitude to Hashem. Chazal tell us that
Yaakov should not have spoken to his sons using the expression: “lama hareotem li lehagid laish haod lachem ach” “Why did
you treat me badly, telling the man that you have another brother?” (Bereishit 43:6). Yaakov’s reaction was certainly
understandable, as he told them: “Yoseph einenu veShimon einenu ve-et Binyamin tikachu” “Yoseph is gone, Shimon is gone,
and now you would take away Binyamin” (Bereishit 42:36). Chazal, however, tell us that he should not have used such an
expression, Hashem says:
“ani osek lehamlich et beno, vehu omer ‘lama hareotem li’” “I am busy crowning his son, and he says ‘why did you treat me
badly’”. Is it not true that: “kol de-avid Rachaman letav avid” “whatever the Merciful One does, He does for the best”
(Brachot 60b)? People on a much lower level than Yaakov realize that everything Hashem does is for the best, how can
Yaakov use such an expression? Although Yaakov was not speaking against Hashem but rather to his sons, he should have
realized that nothing in this world is bad, and even what appears bad on the surface is not really so. Chazal used the pasuk
“lama tomar Yaakov utedaber Yisrael nistera darki meHashem ume-Elokai mishpati yaavor” “Why do you say, O Yaakov, and
declare, O Israel - My way is hidden from Hashem, and my cause has passed by my G-d” (Yeshayahu 40:27) to state this fact.
Is there anything in the world without Divine Providence? If Hashem sent the brothers to tell the ruler in Egypt that they have
another brother, then there must be good reason for doing so. How can Yaakov speak using the expression: “lama hareotem
li”? It is not bad! Chazal would not have had such criticism for anyone else, but when it comes to Yaakov Avinu, Chazal tell us
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that Hashem said: “lama tomar Yaakov utedaber Yisrael”. The pasuk continues: “nistera darki meHashem”, is there, G-d
forbid, no judgment and no Divine Providence in the world? “UmeElokai mishpati yaavor”? This is not the case! Everything is
for the good even if it is not readily apparent. This does not imply that if one suffers damage at the hands of another he should
not collect payment but should rather say that everything Hashem does is for the best. The Torah clearly spells out the laws
pertaining to this area of halacha. If a person or his ox hurts another he is clearly liable. In addition, we are commanded:
“hoche-ach tochiach et amitecha” “You shall reprove your fellow” (Vayikra 19:17), one who is wronged is permitted to say to
the other “lama hareotem li”. Combined with this, however, one must realize that there is no bad in this world, everything is
under Hashem’s Providence and is for the good. A person has no right to sit back while his ox eats from his neighbor’s
vegetable garden and say that it must be the will of Hashem that the ox do so. It is Hashem’s will that he guard his ox,
neglecting to do so, results in having to pay full damages. With this in mind, we must also remember that everything Hashem
does is for the good.
There is another incident where Yaakov spoke in a manner that Chazal did not look upon favorably. Pharaoh asked Yaakov:
“kama yemei shnei chayecha?” “How many are the days of the years of your life?” (Bereishit 47:8). The Torah relates to us
Yaakov’s response: “vayomer Yaakov el Pharaoh yemei shnei megurai shloshim umat shana me-at veraim hayu yemei shnei
chayai velo hisigu et yemei shnei chayei avotai bimei megureihem” “Yaakov answered Pharaoh, ‘the days of the years of my
sojourns have been a hundred and thirty years. Few and bad have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not
reached the life spans of my forefathers in the days of their sojourns’” (ibid. 9). This interaction is even difficult to understand
on the simple level. Why is Yaakov suddenly pouring his heart out to this non-Jewish king? All Pharaoh asked was how old
Yaakov was? Why is he going on about the quantity and quality of the years he lived - especially at this point when everything
turned out well for Yaakov, is this the time to refer to his life as “me-at veraim”?
One explanation is that Yaakov was referring to his spiritual life. He was telling Pharaoh not to think of him as some great wise
man or prophet. He may have been wise, but he did not compare to his father or grandfather. They were men of G-d who were
on a much higher level. Avraham had spread the name of Hashem throughout the land. Yitzchak was placed upon the altar.
Yaakov was saying that all he did was wander around fourteen years in the house of Lavan. He did not attempt to bring people
closer to serving Hashem. Although Yaakov in fact did work hard to bring people close to Hashem, yet he felt that he did not
do as much as his fathers did.
Despite the tremendous modesty shown here, Chazal claim that Yaakov was punished for this reaction. Being that these two
psukim consist of thirty three words altogether, Yaakov’s life was shortened by thirty three years. The result was that he did
not live the one hundred eighty years that his father did, rather only one hundred forty seven years. This was all due to his
complaining before Pharaoh, thus appearing as ungrateful for all the good Hashem did for him. He should rather have told
Pharaoh that he had a wonderful life, and was given the opportunity of serving Hashem in the land of Israel for many years.
Thank G-d, he now has the opportunity to spread the word in Egypt as well. He should be thankful for all the good Hashem had
provided him with in this world. At the very least he should not have said anything. To complain was certainly inappropriate.
This was a very severe punishment, who knows how many more Mitzvot Yaakov would have been able to perform in the thirty
three more years he would have been given? Who knows how much assimilation he would have been able to prevent in Egypt?
His life was shortened simply because he appeared ungrateful. One must always acknowledge the good Hashem does for one,
this is a basic foundation of Judaism.
One of the spies’ major sins was being unappreciative of the wonderful land of Israel Hashem was about to give them. The
spies in fact acknowledge the beauty of the land: “gam zavat chalav udvash hee vezeh priah” “and it indeed flows with milk
and honey, and this is its fruit” (Bamidbar 13:27). It is a land of prophecy where the Beit Hamikdash will be built, and all other
good things. Despite this, they still refer to it as: “eretz ochelet yoshveha hee” “it is a land that devours its inhabitants” (ibid.
32), and it is a land that is impossible to enter.
It was not enough that they did not appreciate what Hashem was giving them, but they caused the rest of the nation to be guilty
of the same thing, on a level that we cannot begin to comprehend. This lack of appreciation reached such a state that they said:
“besinat Hashem otanu hotizanu me-ertz Mitzrayim latet otanu beyad haEmori lehashmidenu” “Because of Hashem’s hatred
for us did He take us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite to destroy us” (Devarim 1:27). Can
they really be saying this? If Hashem really hated them, would he not have left them in Egypt? Why did He perform all these
great miracles? We read of ten plagues in the Torah, there were, however, many more great miracles that defied nature. What
Hashem did was: “lakachat lo goi mikerev goi bemasot uveotot uvmoftim” “to take for himself a nation from amidst a nation,
with challenges, with signs, and with wonders” (Devarim 4:34), all this just in order to hand us over to the Amorite who will
destroy us? This is totally ludicrous! Hashem split the sea for them, gave them the manna in the desert, gave them the holy
Torah! They heard the words of Hashem and Moshe ascended atop Har Sinai for forty days and forty nights! Despite their sin
with the Golden Calf, Hashem gave them the second tablets. Despite all this they still say: “besinat Hashem otanu”? We see
how far being unappreciative of the good done to one can lead!
Manoach’s wife said to her husband “lu chafetz Hashem lahamitenu lo lakach miyadenu ola umincha velo heranu et kol ele,
vekaet lo hishmianu kazot” “Had Hashem wanted to put us to death, He would not have accepted from our hand an elevationoffering and a meal-offering, nor would He have shown us all this, nor would He let us hear such tidings at this time” (Shoftim
13:23). Hashem did far less for Manoach and his wife than for the Jewish people in Egypt. Manoach was easily convinced by
8
his wife’s argument, why was it that the Jewish people in the desert did not see the obvious? We must acknowledge everything
Hashem has done for us, not only miracles but natural-appearing events as well. This is one of the reasons Chazal give for the
prohibition of treating food in a disrespectful manner. Food is one of the many good things Hashem does for us. Hashem could
have created a world in which each person consumes ten vitamins a day and is satisfied. Instead Hashem provided our
sustenance for us in a way which is palatable. Food comes in great variety in order that we enjoy it. There are bread, fruits, and
other foods. One who does not treat food in a proper manner is denying Hashem’s desire to provide us with life’s basic
necessity in a pleasurable way. This is therefore a very serious offense. The Gemara brings that R’ Yehuda once witnessed
people acting improperly with some bread. He remarked that it would seem that food is plentiful in the world. Immediately the
rains ceased, there was a food shortage and tremendous famine throughout the world. The sages then sent a messenger to R’
Yehuda to explain to him how serious the matter was and that he should daven for more rain. All this came about because
people did not treat bread properly. We cannot have a situation where an abundance of food results in its being treated
improperly! This lack of appreciation for the food Hashem had given was the direct cause of famine. Food must be treated
with proper respect, there is even a halacha that one is not permitted to throw bread. This applies not only where the bread
could get ruined but even on the table itself where the bread would be eaten and not go to waste. Although the halacha states
that when one recites the bracha “hamotzi” for a crowd of people, the bread should not be handed directly to those who are
partaking from it, it should not be thrown either. The proper way is to place the bread in a respectful manner in front of them.
On a similar note, Chazal claim that David Hamelech acted disrespectfully towards clothing when he cut off a corner of
Shaul’s garment. What David did was actually an act of “chesed” in that the cutting of his garment was instead of killing Shaul.
David’s purpose was to show Shaul that he had the power to kill him, but rather than doing so, was to only rend part of his
garment as a gesture of peace. Despite this, Chazal tell us that David was punished in his old age for cutting off this corner. His
punishment was: “vayechasuhu babegadim velo yecham lo” “they covered him with garments but he did not become warm”
(Melachim I 1:1). Clothing is a tremendous gift Hashem gives us. It serves to warm the body up and to protect our modesty.
David treated this gift disrespectfully, and therefore “mida keneged mida” “measure for measure” (Shabbat 105b) he was
punished that his clothing did not serve their purpose of keeping him warm. Only a righteous person on David’s level is
deserving of such criticism - that despite his noble intentions he should have found a way of bringing about the peace he
desired without treating clothing in such a disrespectful manner. There are those who say that David’s sin was that by cutting
off a corner of Shaul’s garment, he was preventing Shaul from performing the Mitzvah of Tzitzit. The Gemara’s approach,
however, seems to be that he was guilty of not treating clothing in a proper manner.
Honoring something in a manner which is less than what it deserves is also disrespectful. The Gemara relates: “hahu denachit
kamei deR’ Chanina amar ‘hakel hagadol hagibor vehanora vehaadir veha-izuz vehayarui hechazak vehaamitz vehavadai
vehnichbad’” “A certain man went down before R’ Chanina, he said: ‘the great, the mighty, the awesome, the glorious, the
potent, the feared, the strong, the powerful, the certain, and the esteemed G-d’”. R’ Chanina waited until he had completed his
prayers and whereupon he asked him: “sayemtinhu lekulhu shvachei demarach” “By adding these praises did you complete all
the praises of your Master?”. R’ Chanina was asking him why the need for so many prayers, we say only “hakel hagadol
hagibor vehanora” “the great, mighty, and awesome G-d”, because that is what Moshe said and that is what the Anshei Knesset
HaGedola established. This person by adding more praises, rather than adding to Hashem’s praise was detracting, because
there is no limit to the praise we can give Hashem. Why stop at these accolades, are there not more? The Gemara compares
this: “mashal lemelech basar vadam shehayu lo elef alafim dinarei zahav, vehayu mekalsin oto beshel kesef, vahalo gnai hu lo”
“This is analogous to a king of flesh and blood who had thousands and thousands of golden dinars and people would praise him
by saying that he had dinars of silver, is it not a disgrace for him?” (Brachot 33b). Adding one’s own praises of Hashem is an
act of disrespect for no matter what one says it is insufficient. R’ Chanina therefore said that we only say what Moshe said and
what was established for us.
If we were to say of a great Rav such as the Gr”a that he knew the entire Torah by heart, we would be insulting him. The Gr”a
knew far more, he had mastered the entire Shas, Rishonim, Achronim, and all areas of logic. We must realize whom we are
speaking about, perhaps if we were to say that of a younger person with less learning experience than it would be considered
praise.
Miriam made this mistake and as a result we are commanded for generations:
“zachor et asher asa Hashem Elokecha leMiriam” “Remember what Hashem, your G-d did to Miriam” (Devarim 24:9). Miriam
did not say anything against Moshe Rabenu, all she said was: “harak ach beMoshe diber Hashem halo gam banu diber” “Was it
only to Moshe that Hashem spoke? Did He not speak to us, as well?” (Bamidbar 12:2). Moshe is a prophet, so are we. This is
not a valid comparison! Moshe’s prophecy was on a much higher level than that of other prophets. Hashem explains this to her:
“im yihye neviachem Hashem bamara elav etvada bachalom adaber bo, lo ken avdi Moshe bechol beiti ne-eman hu, pe el pe
adaber bo umare velo bechidot utmunat Hashem yabit” “If there shall be prophets among you, in a vision shall I, Hashem,
make Myself known to him; in a dream shall I speak with him. Not so is My servant Moshe, in My entire house he is the
trusted one, mouth to mouth do I speak to him, in a clear vision and not in riddles, at the image of Hashem does he gaze”
(Bamidbar 12:6-8). Miriam’s error was that she did not value Moshe’s prophecy enough. Everything she said was true - he was
a prophet and she was a prophetess. Moshe, however, was the greatest prophet that ever lived - there was no one on his level
that preceded him or came after him. For someone as righteous as Miriam, this error was considered a grave sin. She should
have known without having to be told that Moshe’s level was higher than hers. This lack of giving Moshe’s prophecy proper
9
value was considered a denigration of Moshe. As for us, after the Torah tells us such, we certainly should realize the greatness
of Moshe’s prophecy. Today we speak of the special merit of the land of Israel, one referred to by the prophet as “eretz
Hashem” “the land of Hashem”. This is the place where one can truly serve Hashem. As we mentioned earlier, Mitzvot
performed in Chutz la’aretz are simply for the purpose of “hatzivi lach tziyunim”, making road markers. It is only in this land
where prophecy can take effect. There is even a discussion as to how the prophecies of Moshe Rabenu could have occurred in
Chutz la’aretz, for the land of Israel is the only place where prophecy can take place.
The Ibn Ezra tells us that Yaakov’s acquiring a portion of a field in Israel is tantamount to acquiring a portion in the next
world. Chazal also tell us that one who walks four amot in Israel has acquired for himself a share in the world to come. One
who lives in Israel lives without sin, in the words of Chazal. We must understand the true value of the land of Israel. One who
says Israel has beautiful scenery has not praised the land but rather disgraced it. Certainly it is true that the scenery here is
beautiful, but this is not the main point that makes Israel superior to the rest of the world. It is like one who says that the Gr”a
knew Chumash.
We must understand the essence of the land. When they wish to take parts of it away from us, it must not only upset us that the
beauty of the Golan may belong to the Arabs. Apart from the security considerations, we must cry because every four amot in
Israel is important as the place where the Divine Presence resides, and this is what they are taking away from us. The
advantage of the land of Israel is not due to its being our birthplace. People of other nations also have countries of birth. The
superiority of the land of Israel over other lands is entirely spiritual. Israel is certainly beautiful on a physical level, it is “eretz
zavat chalav udvash”, as even the spies acknowledged. The Kuzari writes that the climate in Israel is also ideal. All these
things, however, are secondary when comparing Israel with other lands. One who does not value the spiritual superiority of the
land, cannot actually be considered as being in the land of Israel.
If Chazal’s statements that one who walks four amot in the land of Israel has a share in the world to come, and that one who
lives in Israel is living without sin are true, then why were there exiles? First the ten tribes were exiled, followed by Yehuda
and Binyamin. In order to be considered living in Israel, it is not sufficient for one’s body to reside in the land, but one’s head
as well. Living in the essence of the land means cleaving to service of Hashem in the land where the Divine Presence resides.
Based on the high level they were on, we can say that they lacked this attitude. The Rambam tells us that our actions today are
no better than those of our forefathers. We do not need the Rambam to tell us this, we see this with our very eyes. We must
cleave to the spirituality of the land and its holiness.
People used to ask the Chazon Ish questions and advice in all areas of life. Rabbanim would ask him questions relating to the
laws of construction of an Eruv, and many other such complex matters. The sick would ask his advice on health issues such as
whether or not to undergo surgery. It was known to be worthwhile to consult with the Chazon Ish. My wife, “shetichye”, as a
young girl, had a friend who was impressed with the importance people placed on speaking to the Chazon Ish. She decided that
she would speak to him as well. The problem was she did not have any questions relating to difficulty in understanding a
Tosafot and thank G-d she was healthy. What then should she speak to him about?
For health reasons, the Chazon Ish used to take a daily walk. While he was walking, she approached him and asked him what
the time was and he responded. She ran back all excited that she had the opportunity to converse with the Chazon Ish. One
who says this does not understand what it means to speak to the Chazon Ish - this cannot be considered speaking to him! By the
same token, one who lives in Israel and does not know what this land really is, cannot be considered as living in Israel. It is
because we do not comprehend the spiritual superiority of this land, that it is being taken away from us. David’s lack of respect
for clothing resulted in its being taken from him, so too our lack of placing proper value in the land has resulted in its being
taken from us. We must strengthen ourselves by placing proper value on the Land. Clearly if we need to value physical things
properly, how much more so must we value the Torah and Mitzvot. We do not always understand this either. Every time we
lay Tefillin, give charity, and perform any of the other 613 Mitzvot, we must realize what a great act it is, and its implications.
Rather than doing so, we perform our Mitzvot in a backhanded fashion and do not realize its importance. If we only would
truly understand what performance of Mitzvot is all about, we would do so with greater excitement. Certainly we would learn
Torah with more excitement, for no other object - even heavenly items, can compare to it. How exciting and how much thirst
for Torah knowledge we should have! We should rejoice at every opportunity to study the Torah. It is very hard to reach such a
level. With our own eyes we witnessed HaRav Freiman zt”l’s love for Torah. We saw the joy each and every word that he
learned brought him. We must awaken ourselves more and subsequently act with greater respect for the Torah and those who
study it.
We must treat our Torah books with more respect. My Rebbe, HaRav Shach Shlit”a despite not being a young man would run
from one end of the room to the other in order to place the books back in their proper place. He would not allow any of his
students to do so. Even if we do not return them to their proper place, which we certainly should, we should at least place them
down in a proper manner. They should not be left upside down, left open, or placed in such a way that they could fall. This is
totally disrespectful. If we do not treat books of Torah with proper respect and thus denigrate the value of the Torah, then
despite all our learning, we will be judged for this lack of respect. We must place proper value on the Torah. We must not
associate with a group of people that does not honor the Torah properly. The Torah, its Mitzvot, and the land of Israel must be
treated with the proper respect. By doing so, we may truly merit receiving the yoke of Torah and Mitzvot. May we also merit
inheriting the land of Israel and ascend with joy to the Har Habayit, speedily in our day. Amen.
10
s"xc
d ‰ r mie a l r q k iie e l c p r n mg p n ‡ x o a j l nil ` ` p ip g ‡ x p ‰ f l
d " r mie a l r q k iie e l ` k in md x a ` 'x z A d A e l p " f l e
BASED ON THE SHIURIM GIVEN BY R’ MENACHEM MENDEL LERNER
AT CONGREGATION ANSHEI S’FARD OF LAKEWOOD, N.J.
s"ga,v ,ba
yf ;s tnuh hnuhv ;s adhu ,arp asue ,ca
1] Since vsuvh was not the oldest of the brothers why did he speak first?
2] The ohyca were extremely strong. For example, the arsn says that
when vsuvh got angry, the hairs on his chest would stand up and pierce
through the armor he was wearing. (a)Why until now didn’t they threaten
to destroy ohrmn? (b) Why, now that ;xuh was seemingly being kind [and
righteous] to them, by saying that he only wants to keep ihnhbc as an
scg who seemingly was guilty of taking the cup, did they start
threatening him?
3] What can we learn from vfubj that we should be ezjn ourselves in?
4] Why is the okug ka ubucr judge a person, vsn sdbf vsn?
5] What happened on ,cyc vrag that it was made in to a ,hbg, ouh?
.urh,
The t"rd says the reason why vsuvh spoke first even though he was not
the oldest of the brothers is because we have a kkf that when someone
is an crg, a cosigner, which means that if someone makes a loan & you
guarantee the loan then if the lender is not paid by the borrower, the
lender will come to you. Because of that, you have the right to be able to
defend the borrower & prove he is not obligated to pay. Here too, vsuvh
had something which there is nothing more valuable than it in the entire
world, i.e. his tcv okug, which he gave as collateral to cegh that he will
bring ihnhbc back. Therefore, he had a right to speak first. It is ehusn in
" Hu$ vsUv'
% h uh%kt( J$DH u$. The ptry on
the ptry on the words h-b«st hC rnt«
vsUv'
% h uh%kt( J$DH u$ is a hghcr tkztu tnse [lit. the fourth was first to go]
which is saying why was vsuvh the first to go talk to ;xuh even though he
was only the fourth brother? The answer is the kudx terz lit. throw kudx
the ptry on the words h-b«st hC rnt«
" Hu$. Since he had thrown his being
from the vkudx og i.e. being part of ktrah kkf getting tcv okug, that
gave him the right & really the obligation to talk to ;xuh first.
Until now, the ohyca didn’t entertain the option of destroying ohrmn
[even though they were physically able to], because so far everything
that ;xuh had said to them, i.e. accusing them of being spies since they
each came in through a different gate etc., from ;xuh’s point of view was
a legitimate vbgy and their being caught with the money and silver cup
also legitimately called for them to get a fitting punishment. [Even though
the ohyca knew that they were framed, but like the wnd in ;s ,ufrc
says, if a person sees that ,urm are coming on him, then he should
~ d yxtd zp ad
investigate whether he did any ,urhcg that would vsn sdbf vsn bring
such a punishment.] The oharsn say the ohyca looked back at their
whole lives and the only thing that they found that could be questionable,
was ;xuh ,rhfn so they held that they are deserving of what they are
going through. However, once ;xuh said that everyone is free to go
except ihnhbc, and he was the only one who had nothing to do with the
;xuh ,rhfn, then the ohyca held this can’t be an abug for that vrhcg. It
must be that this king is o,x an rzft so now they were ready to destroy
ohrmn.
We have to understand that everything that is counted as an infraction by
the ohyca is because they were on such a high level, even the slightest
infraction would be viewed as an vrhcg.
We can learn from the way that the ohyca conducted themselves, that
when something happens to a person, a person must realize that there is
reason it is happening to him, not to try to blame things on others or
come and have ,ubgy on people or things but rather to look at
themselves & see why is the okug ka ubucr making this happen. The ihg
cegh says it is a great sxj that the okug ka ubucr judges a person vsn
vsn sdbf. Because through that, a person is able to determine what he
is doing wrong & correct it. We see the ohyca understood that the ubucr
okug ka deals with a person vsn sdbf vsn so that a person should
know how to correct himself.
k"mz vgsuurc vnka wr says that the cuy ouh of vfubj is supposed to
bring a euzhj of lrc,h oavc iujycu vbunt. He says that there is an
important part of the story of vfubj that people leave out. When you tell
the story of vfubj, the story usually starts that there was an evil king who
made decrees against the ihsht keeping ,umnu vru, etc. Telling the
story that way could give an impression that it happened to be that an
evil king came to power. However, the ,nt is that as long as ktrah kkf
are ,umnu vru, rnua like they are supposed to, then they have nothing
to fear from the ohud. Like we see when cegh encountered uag, h"ar
says that cegh told uag that even when he was by ick he was rnua
,umn d"hr,, therefore he was unable to do any harm to him. It is only
when ktrah kkf doesn’t keep the ,umnu vru, as they should, then the
okug ka ubucr gives an evil king the ability to rule and make decrees.
Anything that happens to a person, whether coming from the ohud or a
,cyc vrag yhhmrth uvhkt wr ic vhrt hcm wr ,nab hukhgk
,cywj ohaukav sucfk k"mz ktezjh wr ic .rgv hk,pb wr hrunu hcr ,nab hukhgk
osfb ,skuv kg u,jpanu HEIMAN van wrk "cuy kzn"
s"xc
person becoming ill, or losing his vxbrp, they are all signs from ohna.
The l,rntc vjhat brings the following kan. A person, who we will
refer to as icutr, is driving his car & is in a big rush to get somewhere.
The oil light goes on & starts to beep. This light is getting annoying, but
he is in a hurry so he doesn’t really want to stop anywhere. Finally, it gets
so annoying that he stops by a mechanic. icutr tells the mechanic the
problem & emphasizes that he is in a big rush. The mechanic tries to
explain to icutr that the indication of the oil light going on, means that
there is not enough oil in the car & it will not take long for the car to stop
and overheat. However, icutr didn’t let the mechanic get a word in
edgewise, rather, just demanding that he stop the light from making
noise or flashing. Not given much choice, the mechanic did what icutr
asked. icutr was happy the annoying indicator was not getting on his
nerves any longer, & he was back on the road to reach his destination on
time. Before long, icutr started to smell something burning, there was
no light flashing so he ignored it . Before long the car started to
overheat. icutr got out of the car and within a few minutes the whole car
went up in flames. This story might sound strange or even humorous,
however, we have to understand that this is the way a person looks when
he gets warning signs from ohna & all he wants to do is to shut them off
& continue on his life journey. We see the ohyca understood this very
well. That is why when they encountered ;xuh giving them trouble, they
were esuc there lives to see to whom did they act with ,uhrzft that they
should have this happen to them. The only thing they came up with from
their whole lives was ;xuh ,rhfn.
The l,rntc vjhat brings the following story. There was a family who
invited a very poor person to eat with them on ,ca. This individual had
no family, he was all alone. Once he came the first week, he wound up
coming back every week. He would tell over his whole life history. He
would start when they made ashe & would go on for some time and the
family felt bad interrupting him, so they let him finish before they ate the
vsugx, & this would cause them to start their vsugx very late each week.
It came to a point that they really didn’t want this person coming to them
anymore. However they just didn’t have the heart to tell him not to come
back. The family grv ihg hkc got larger & they decided to move to a
bigger place. They figured this was the perfect opportunity to get rid of
this poor person. They weren’t going to tell him that they were moving &
he would just come to the house & not find this family there anymore. He
would have to go somewhere else. They told the neighbors of their old
residence that just in case a poor person comes looking for them, they
should not tell him where the family moved. That is what they did. After
they moved to their new home. A scorpion came into the house. The wife
called the husband and he got rid of it. A while later another scorpion
appeared, & this kept happening. They called the exterminator they
figured there must be some nest in the house somewhere. The
exterminator checked through the whole property & couldn’t find any
logical reason why these scorpions were coming to them. They went to wr
k"mz drgcbhha xjbp & told him what was going on. He took out a erp
vrha & said let us see what vrha a scorpion says. It says kfk wv cuy
uhagn kf kg uhnjru. drcbhha wr said that means a scorpion was sent to
this world to remind us that we have to have ,ubnjr on the creations of
the okug ka ubucr. Is there anything that happened recently that you
didn’t have ,ubnjr like you should? They said you don’t have to say
another word,we know exactly what we have to do. They went and invited
the poor person to come back to their house & the scorpions stopped
coming.
There is a ,eukjn between the rua ,tuc, & the cegh ,uca regarding
the vfkv that we say ohxbv kg, on vfubj. What happens if someone
forgot to say it in its proper place in iuznv ,frc? By the injrvs you say
vzv inzc ovv ohnhc ubh,uctk vaga unf ohxb ubk vagh tuv injrv [&
then you say wufu uvh,h,n hnhc]. The rua ,utuc, says you shouldn’t say
such a jxub because you don’t ask for ohxb & he brings a wtr from the
wx ;s ,ufrc wnd that if a person’s wife is already pregnant, he should not
daven to have a boy because it is a tua ,khp,. The wnd asks that we see
that by vtk a xb happened & her child turned from a boy into a girl ihg]/
[ohyrpv oa The wnd says you can’t bring a wtr from ohxb vagn. The
rua ,utuc, says if a person should be kkp,n for a xb then why does
the wnd call it a tua ,khp,? So you see you are not kkp,n for ohxb.
The cegh ,uguah says you have no proof from that wnd .because we see
by ovrct the okug ka ubucr told him hf« bt% or%c' t$ trh% T-k
t$ -t wp uy wp
:s«tn' v(Cr' v$ Wr' f«% a' Q%k i(dn% which the arsn says means that the ka ubucr
okug told ovrct everyone knows that I am your protector. The ,uguah
cegh learns that this is what wv was telling ovrct. Don’t worry about all
the changes in gcy I am doing for you because since everyone knows
that I am doing for you, that means that through you a big wv aushe is
coming out. Now everyone will be okug trucv rhfn. So we see that
wherever through a xb there is a ohna oa aushe there is no iurxj of a
xb happening, just the opposite, it is a great ,ufz that through you there
was a ohna oa aushe. So now it is very appropriate the jxub of the
injrv that we are asking that the same type of xb the okug ka ubucr did
on vfubj which was ohna oa asen, should happen to us.
We see from here, when a person is living a life which is being oa asen
ohna, he can even ask for ohxb, if that is what is needed in order to
accomplish his goal.
On the ohn jr$ o"fk% iT( h hS$ J$ k-t( u' [sh wp dn wp} euxp the vcr arsn says
ohtc ohruxha ostk uhrat ohruxh tkc ost lk iht hrsbxfkt hcr vhk rn
wufu vru,v in uhkg. [lit. There is no person without pain, praiseworthy is
a person to whose pains come from the vru, etc.]
The ktrahk vars brings from the oav scg rpx, that even though it is
decreed on v"r how much ohruxh a person will get that year, however,
the manner he will get the ohruxh is not decreed. That is left to the vrhjc
of the person. A person can determine the time and place that the ohruxh
will come. How? If a person who puts his kngu ghdh [toil and labor] in
oav ,sucgu vru,, this is not referring only to someone who is learning
24/7, a person who would really like to sleep longer and gathers his
TO SPONSOR FUTURE EDITIONS PLEASE CALL 732-363-8534 k"z .huutergc ivfv hcm ktuna wr ic vsuvh vnka wr ,nab hukhgk
ktrah hkuj rta lu,c whj gyht ic ;xuhku gzhhr vbaua ic rgc cusku vecr vbhc ,c vbj vnjurku ohrn ic rgcus ktunaku ynurp vyg ic ovrctku vrucs vcuy ,c vchr gshhtk vnhka vtuprk
s"xc
strength to get up and daven with a ubnzc vkhp, 'ihbn, that discomfort
that he had by forcing himself to get up, is a ouhe of ohruxh and takes
away other types of ihruxh that the person would have gotten. A person
has a iuhxb to eat something which is ruxt, and it is very hard for him to
overcome his urge to do so; that is a ouhe of ohruxh. A person has the
urge to say some grv iuak about someone and overcomes that urge,
that takes away from other types of ihruxh that the person would have
gotten. Every person knows what his grv rmh is. If when a person is put
in a iuhxb ouen [test] which he feels is very difficult for him to pass, if his
outlook would be that the harder it is for him to overcome this iuhxb, the
more ihruxh will be taken away from him, that outlook would make it much
easier to overcome his test.
The arsn brings a story that v"r night htjuh rc iugna wr had a dream
about his nephews. The dream revealed to him that they were chhj 600
ohrbhs in taxes [we must keep in mind we are talking about times in
which the ohud openly discriminated against the ihsht and charged them
unfair taxes compared to their gentile counterparts]. htjuh rc iugna wr
went to his nephews and told them to give money for vesm. He took from
them 594 ohrbhs. When the messenger came to collect taxes, they were
able to bribe him for 6 ohrbhs and he left them alone.
The ;xuh ,hc says in the name of the ovrsuct that ,cyc vrag is more
runj than the other ibcrs oh,bg,, that if it would fall out on ,ca [which
cannot happen today according to the calendar] it would be ,ca vjus.
The [,cyc whk aurs uh,uaursc] rpux o",j says the reason this ,hbg, is
,ca vjus is, because there is a ehs,usuxh [basic] difference in the
reason of fasting on ctc wy and on ,cyc vrag. The rpux o",j asks
that there were many sieges on ohkaurh, like in the days of & vgrp
rmbsfucb, so why did k"zj make this siege into a day of ,hbg,? The
answer is, that day that the kcc lkn made the siege on ohkaurh, in s"c
vkgn ka there was a judgment passed that there would be a icruj.
k"zj say that every generation in which the asenv ,hc is not rebuilt, it is
as if it was destroyed in that generation. The rpux o",j learns that
means that every year on ,cyc vrag there is a court case in ohna if
this year there should be the asenv ,hc ihbc. If that year the ,hc
asenv wasn’t rebuilt, that means that there was once again a decree on
,cyc vrag of destruction. The purpose of a ,hbg, is to do vcua, and
try to rectify the ,uburxj in ktrah kkf which brought the decrees in the
first place. The vfkv is that if a person has yhhmrth that falls out on
,ca, then a person doesn’t fast. However, if a person has a bad dream,
then he is allowed to fast oukj ,hbg,. The difference being, that
regarding a vrm that already happened, like the vrhyp of one’s parents,
you don’t fast. However, if it is a current vrm, like that of a oukj ,hbg,,
then the person is permitted to fast, because even though there is a
vfkv that a person is not allowed to fast on ,ca, since that takes away
from the vumn of ,ca dbug, however, if a person has a bad dream on
Friday night and he wants to fast a oukj ,hbg, on ,ca, then he is
permitted to do so. The reason is, this person is having a bigger dbug
,ca by being able to fast and taking care of his bad dream, than if you
would make him eat. But fasting for the death of a parent which will not
take away the vrm i.e. the death; one is prohibited from fasting. The fast
of ctc vga, is equivalent to that of someone fasting for a parent.
However, the fast of ,cyc vrag is equivalent to a oukj ,hbg, in which
by fasting and doing the proper vcua,, the vrm can be taken care of.
The [wk inhx wt ekj t"yhka rahp vnka wrk] hah ,hc ,uars says that
we see that every one of the days that were made into a ,hbg, ouh, were
sjuhn for ,urm because of something that happened in the past, like wy
ctc was sjuhn for ,uhbgrup because of the ohkdrnv tyj. The question
is, what happened on ,cy wh? The [oa ihg] hah ,hc ,uars learns it was
;xuh ,rhfn. Which on the level of the ohyca, was in the realm of ,tba
obj; and obj ,tba is also what caused the destruction of the ,hc
asenv.
The rfaah hbc says the reason ,cyc vrag is so runj
that it is ,ca vjus is because it was the vkj,v of the ,uhbgrup. To
understand this a little better, we have a ,uae ,ukj,v kf kkf. If
someone wants to start something new, for example a new rsx in
learning, it is a hard job. When you start doing something, you are
building a foundation for that project. How strong the foundation is will
determine how successful you will be. Because of that, the grv rmh tries
his best to make sure that the person’s foundation should be weak. The
same thing is khscvk when it comes to the icruj. This ,hbg, signifies
the start of events that ultimately led to the icruj. If that suxh would have
been knocked down right away, then the icruj wouldn’t have happened.
What made that suxh? k"zj tell us it was obj ,tba. That is what caused
the icruj. If a person would learn from ;xuh how to act urhcjk ost ihc
there would be no obj ,tba. ~ obj ,tba is what is still keeping us in
,ukd. If we would right our wrongs, the asenv ,hc would be built. We
see from our varp how ,ughdb can mislead someone and from the way
;xuh acted what is expected of a person in his urhcjk ost ihc. When
dealing with people and you’re in a circumstance where you’re a gdub
rcsc, wouldn’t it be a good idea to ask someone who has no ,ughdb to
give you an objective opinion and help you deal with each situation? In
the ,ufz of being ezjn ourselves in the urhcjk ost ihc ohbhbg we should
all be
ubhesm jhan hbp hkcenn ,uhvk vfuz
int///ubhnhc vrvnc
,cyc vrag yhhmrth uvhkt wr ic vhrt hcm wr ,nab hukhgk
,cywj ohaukav sucfk k"mz ktezjh wr ic .rgv hk,pb wr hrunu hcr ,nab hukhgk
osfb ,skuv kg u,jpanu HEIMAN van wrk "cuy kzn"
H‰E RZEYLA ÂR RBXH TB IYYRB HQBRW H‰E ISYN LARsY ÂR TB ABYL N‰EL
LXR TB OYRML HMYLw HAWPR TWKZL U‰XLDBY W
HAL IB QYZYYA QXCYW LRES ÂYX TB HBWU HKRB
Volume 16 – Issue 11
Make nice!
Parshas Vayigash 5774 D‰EwT TBU ÂD wGYW ÂP
Mazel Tov to
Print, e-mail, and share
Migdal Ohr with friends and
family.
Dovid and Blymie Gewirtz
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©2013 – J. Gewirtz
Did You Know?
Coming from Chanuka, we learned
the lesson of the ReM”A (R’
Moshe Isserles, Ashkenazic
authority in the Shulchan Aruch)
that when one recounts miracles
and praises of HaShem at a feast,
he turns it into a Seudas Mitzvah.
He is able to raise it from the
physical into the spiritual.
More than this, it is possible for
us to transform a physical act into
a spiritual one simply by
designating it, and having that
intent.
Anything which leads to a mitzvah,
or makes it possible, is
considered a portion of the
mitzvah. This gives us a fantastic
opportunity to maximize our
mitzvos.
We are told that when eating, we
should state, “I am eating to have
strength to serve G-d,” so the
eating is a mitzvah even though
one enjoys the flavor of the food..
This is only the beginning.
Sleep is a necessity, and may be
thought of as wasted time.
However, if one thinks, “I am
going to sleep so that I might
study Torah with a clear head,”
or, “so I will be calmer with my
spouse and children,” or “to care
for my body so I can be healthy to
serve my Creator,” then the entire
time he sleeps is turned into a
mitzvah.
One can do the same with
recreation as a means to a sound
mind and body. It is not taking
away time from Torah and
Mitzvos, but on the contrary, it is
part and parcel of them. As it
turns out, it IS the thought that
counts.
A publication dedicated to Harbotzas Torah
on the engagement of their son
Yonah Y‰N to Rikki Bodner of
Brooklyn, NY.
May you have much Yiddishe
nachas from your beautiful family.
„WYXA OE LEY RENHW YNDAL DBE RENH TXT VDBE AN BwY HTEW‰
(GL:DM TYwARB)
“And now, let your servant [me] remain here in place of the lad, as a servant to
my master, and the lad shall go up with his brothers [to his father.]” (Gen. 44:33)
When Yosef declared that he would keep Binyamin in Egypt as his slave, Yehuda stepped
forward to plead his case. It was he, Yehuda, who had guaranteed Binyamin’s safe return
to Yaakov and therefore he had the responsibility to ensure Binyamin made it home.
He offered to stay in Egypt as Yosef’s slave instead of his younger brother, and even
demonstrated how much better he would be as the choice. He was stronger, more
experienced in battle, and so forth. Additionally, he said, he could not bear to see his
father’s suffering should they return without the lad.
This offer is somewhat reminiscent of Reuven’s offer that two of his children should die if
he did not bring Binyamin home. Rashi on that posuk quotes the Midrash that Reuven was
foolish, because his sons were Yaakov’s children as well, and it would be a punishment to
him to lose them as well. Why, then, would Yehuda offer himself as a slave when either
way Yaakov would be bereft of another of his children?
While it is possible that Yehuda felt that Yaakov needed Binyamin as a living legacy of his
favored wife Rachel and would therefore prefer to have him home than Yehuda, there are
other possibilities as well. First of all, as the Rishonim point out, Yehuda had placed his
Olam HaBa on the line. If Binyamin went home in his place, at least Yehuda would have
the Next World if not this one.
There is a further possibility to explain why Yaakov would be more reconciled to Yehuda
remaining in Egypt as a slave than Binyamin. Though he would still be missing a son, he
would be able to view the situation differently.
Were Binyamin to be kept as a slave due to trumped up charges, simply because the
Viceroy wanted him there, there would be no purpose to his enslavement. On the other
hand, if Yehuda sacrificed his own freedom for that of his brother, then every moment of his
existence as a slave would be a mitzvah of keeping his word to return the boy, of honoring
his father (by having kept his word) and caring for his brother.
Yaakov might not see Yehuda in Canaan, but he would know that his son was constantly
doing a mitzvah and earning a share in the world to come. His life would have purpose
because he had willfully chosen to rescue Binyamin by trading in his own freedom.
This is something we can all learn. When we feel burdened by responsibilities, we can
focus on the fact that we are doing something for others. We are caring for our families,
making someone happy, or fulfilling G-d’s will. By viewing things as an opportunity for
growth, empathy, and extraverted thought, we are putting them to good use.
Not only will we have turned the mundane into a mitzvah, but we will be happier people for
recognizing that what was previously a burden has become an opportunity.