HaMaayan/The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Vayigash Volume VI/Number 11 (245) 7 Tevet 5752/December 14, 1991 Parasha Overview In this Parasha, Yosef is reunited with his father and brothers, and the stage is set for the long exile in Egypt. Chazal teach that the events described in this Parasha foreshadow all future exiles and the eventual redemption as well. The Parasha begins with the phrase: "Vayigash Yehuda" - "Yehuda drew near [to Yosef]." Commentaries noted that various words which share the same root as "Vayigash" appear several times in the Parasha, most notably "Goshen", the name of the Egyptian province where Yaakov and his family settled. These words allude both to the nature of all future exiles and to the way we will be redeemed from them. There are three types of exile, explains R' Zvi Elimelech of Dinov - one which subjugates the soul, one, the body, and one, the intellect. We experienced these in the Babylonian, Persian, and Greek exiles, respectively. [The connections that R' Zvi Elimelech draws between those three nations and the three types of exiles are unfortunately beyond the scope of this brief summary.] Our fourth (and current) exile, the so-called Roman or Edom exile, combines the worst elements of all three. Chazal teach that the exile of our ancestors in Egypt was a precursor to all future exiles, and indeed, our four exiles are alluded to in Yaakov's family going "Goshnah" - "to Goshen." This word may be seen as an abbreviation of "Guf" (body), "Sechel" (intellect), "Neshamah" (soul), and "Hakol" (everything, i.e. all of the above combined). (Bnei Yissaschar: Kislev II, 25) The eventual redemption will come about, R' Zvi Elimelech continues, because "Yehuda drew near [to Yosef]" and because "[Yaakov] sent Yehuda to show the way to Goshen [where Yosef was already waiting]" (B'reishit 46:28), i.e. through the combined efforts of Yehuda and Yosef. We have seen in past weeks that the Egyptian exile was brought about by the inability of Yaakov's older sons to accept Yosef's way of serving Hashem as legitimate. Eventually, however, all of the tribes will be reconciled and will recognize that within the Torah, there is more than one way to serve Hashem. [For the sake of conciseness, the reader is once again referred to past weeks' issues for details.] Consistent with this idea, Chazal teach that there will be two Mashiach's, one from the tribe of Yosef and the second from Yehuda, and their missions will complement each other. (Bnei Yissaschar; Shem Mishmuel) In the Haftara (Yechezkel 37:15-28), the prophet is told, "Take two sticks. Write on one 'Yehuda,' and on the other, 'Ephraim.' Bring them near each other and they will become one." The meaning of this prophecy and its connection to the Parasha become clear when we realize that Ephraim was a son of Yosef. Like the Parasha, the Haftara alludes to our eventual redemption coming about through the reunion of those two leaders. Our present exile, notes R' Chaim Yosef David Azulai ("Chida") came about because of baseless hatred (see Gittin 55b-56a), and this adds further significance to the symbolism of this Haftara. ************************************ When Yosef's brothers sold him they were convinced that they acted correctly, yet when he revealed himself to them, they fainted in terror. This serves to remind us, say Chazal, of the depth of Hashem's judgement, the theme of the following story: In Liadi, the hometown of R' Shneur Zalman (the "Ba'al Hatanya"), there lived a "Maggid" - a preacher - whose job was to reprove others and lead them down the path of Teshuva. One day, R' S.Z. said to this Maggid, "All of the others you reprove, but me - never! I beseech you to rebuke me." The Maggid was in a quandary. How does one reprove one of the leading Torah scholars and Tzaddikim of the generation? This is what the Maggid said: "How can I rebuke you? Everything that I know, you know. Everything that you don't know, neither do I. This, however, I do know. The difference between what I know and what you know is far smaller than the distance between what you know now and what you could know." Upon hearing this, R' S.Z. burst out in tears... (Yalkut Lekach Tov) ************************************ Why did Yehuda bother to tell Yosef that Yaakov would die if Binyamin were not returned to him? There is no reason why a judge should take into consideration the condition of an accused thief's father! Yehuda was arguing as follows: When a thief is imprisoned his parents also suffer, and this is fitting, for if they had been more careful, he would not have strayed down the path of crime. The Tzaddik, Yaakov, however, is so attached to Binyamin that he never let the child out of his sight. How then can you imprison Binyamin and cause his father to suffer? (Bet Halevi) ************************************ "And Pharaoh said to Yaakov, "How old are you?' And Yaakov responded, 'My years are 130, few and bad were they, and they did not attain the years of my fathers'." (47:8-9) The Midrash says that for each of the 33 words in this exchange, one year was subtracted from Yaakov's life. We can understand that Yaakov was punished for this complaint, but why should he be punished for Pharaoh's question? Yaakov looked so old that Pharaoh thought that he must have lived for centuries. It was for allowing himself to look this way (thereby causing Pharaoh to ask his age) that Yaakov was punished. Gray hairs come from worry, but if Yaakov had accepted all of his life's travails with perfect equanimity and faith, he would never have turned gray. (R' Chaim Shmuelevitz) ************************************ "And [Yaakov] went down to Egypt" (Devarim 26:5) - involuntarily, because of G-d's command. (from the Pesach Haggadah) Is that really true? asks the Brisker Rav. Didn't Yaakov himself say, "Let me go see Yosef before I die" (B'reishit 45:28)? Yaakov's intention was only to visit Yosef, but not to remain in Egypt. Given a choice, he would certainly have returned to Eretz Yisrael immediately. However, when Hashem appeared to him in a dream and told him, "Do not fear going down to Egypt for I will make you a great nation there" (B'reishit 46:3), Yaakov realized that he was being commanded by G-d to remain in Egypt. Thus it was involuntary. (Haggadah Shel Pesach Mibet Halevi, vol. 1) Saying that Yaakov went to Egypt only because of Hashem's command allows us to explain a difficult Rashi, according to R' Chaim Brisker. The Torah writes that when Yaakov and Yosef met, the latter cried on the former's shoulders. Why didn't Yaakov also cry? Rashi explains that Yaakov was busy saying Shma. Numerous commentaries offer explanations of why Yaakov was saying Shma at that moment. If it was then the time to perform that Mitzvah, why wasn't Yosef doing the same? If it was not the time, why was Yaakov reciting Shma? R' Chaim explains that Yosef had, in fact, said Shma earlier. Yaakov had not, however, because Yaakov was busy performing the Mitzvah of going to Egypt, as Hashem had commanded him. One who is engaged in performing a Mitzvah is exempt from performing another Mitzvah at the same time. When Yaakov arrived in Egypt, however, the first Mitzvah was complete, and it was therefore time for Yaakov to say Shma. (Ibid, vol. II) ************************************ The Legacy of Brisk - Part 2 R' Chaim Soloveitchik's two illustrious sons were R' Yitzchak Ze'ev (also known as "R' Velvel" or simply "The Brisker Rav") and R' Moshe. The former, successor to his father's position, served Brisk until 1941. Fleeing from the Nazis, he made his way to Yerushalayim, where, until his death in 1959, was (alongside the "Chazon Ish") one of the foremost spokesmen for Torah causes and principles in Eretz Yisrael. His sons, R' Berel, R' David, an R' Rephael, head(ed) Yeshivot in Yerushalayim. R' Velvel's sons-in- law are R' Michel Feinstein (a nephew of R' Moshe Feinstein) and R' Yaakov Schiff, both noted scholars. R' Moshe Soloveitchik was also an accomplished scholar, Rabbi, and Rosh Yeshiva. After heading a Yeshiva in Warsaw, he settled in the U.S. in 1929, and for the next decade served as Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Rabbenu Yitzchak Elchanan, now a division of Yeshiva University. R' Moshe was suceeded in that post by his son, R' Joseph (also known as "R' Yoshe Ber" - may he have a "Refuah Shleimah"), while another son, R' Aharon, heads the Brisk Yeshiva in Chicago. Both of these brothers broke from their family tradition by obtaining advanced secular degrees, in addition to their vast Torah achievements. Politically too, R' Joseph differs from his relatives, as he was for many decades the titular head of the Mizrachi (Religious Zionist) movement. R' Aharon Lichtenstein, a son-in-law of R' Joseph, heads two Yeshivot that are popular among Americans studying in Israel, and yet another is headed by the son of R' Moshe's daughter. A different R' Moshe Soloveitchik, a cousin of the above sages, is Rabbi of Lucerne, Switzerland, and a leader of that country's Jewish community. NEXT WEEK: Learning with R' Chaim ************************************ The learning schedule for this Shabbat is: Daily Mishnah Kelim 4:1-2 (Learn two Mishnayot every day) Daily Halacha Orach Chaim (Mishnah Berura) 326:7-9 (Learn three paragraphs each day Daf Yomi Sukkah 46 (Learn two sides of a page each day) Shmirat Halashon: "Rechilut" 3:1 or Guard Your Tongue: Proh. 13-14 Sefer HaMitzvot Sh: N262 S: N262 M: P212 Tu: P212 W: P222 Th: P222 F: N356 Rambam - Chapter/day Hilchot Gezaila V'Aveida Chapter 5 ************************************ The hard copy distribution of this week's HaMaayan is sponsored by: The Rutstein family in memory of Nachman ben Asher Halevi, A"H ************************************ SPECIAL GIFT OFFER For a limited time only, all HaMaayan sponsors will receive free of charge (upon request) a diskette copy of all of last year's issues of HaMaayan. Sponsorships begin at $18.