Transcript
בוקר טוב Boker tov, good morning. I want to thank our sponsors for this week's Parsha class on ויגש Vayigash, Harold and Gila Saltzman. הכרת הטוב Hakaras hatov for all the blessings Hashem has bestowed on them and their family. What a beautiful sponsorship. Hashem should bestow more and more ברכה bracha on them and on all of us. This week we have the privilege of learning and studying about Parshas ויגש Vayigash. We're on page 250 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash.And we'll begin as always with our overview of the Parsha, and then we're going to delve into specific פסוקים psukim. Our story has been unfolding. No matter how many times you've heard the Parsha, studied the Parsha, no matter how familiar you are with ספר בראשית Sefer Bereishis, the Book of Genesis, nevertheless, each and every year we arrive at Parshas ויגש Vayigash, and it's as if the same drama is unfolding. The suspense. We can't take it. The end of last week's Parsha, Yehuda was about to approach Yosef. Yosef has falsely accused בנימין Binyamin. And now the story comes to a crescendo. It's the height of the drama. As ויגש אליו יהודה Vayigash eilav Yehuda, as Yehuda steps forward, he confronts Yosef. We have the luxury of knowing it's Yosef. We know good old Yosef would never do anything to harm his brothers. But Yehuda doesn't know that. Yehuda just knows that this viceroy, the second in command, the vice president of Egypt, a ruthless empire, could turn on him at any moment. So far he's kept Shimon, now he keeps Binyamin. And as Yehuda confronts him, who knows? Who knows what fate he faces? And yet, Yehuda shows that courage, the courage to step up. And I want to begin with a דבר תורה Dvar Torah I say every year. It's one of my favorite, and it bears repeating every year because it's something we do every single day. That word ויגש Vayigash, Yehuda approaches. He steps forward. The Ohr HaChaim is bothered by the way, that last week's Parsha ended off with Yehuda speaking to Yosef. So what do you mean ויגש אליו Vayigash eilav? As if Yehuda was somewhere else and now he gained access to Yosef. He was already in the middle of talking to Yosef. So the Ohr HaChaim gives an answer to that question, you can look for yourself. But ויגש Vayigash, Yehuda steps forward and he confronts Yosef. That word ויגש Vayigash appears three times in Tanach. We have three individuals who are described as ויגש Vayigash, as stepping forward. Let's see if you can help me. I give this דבר תורה Dvar Torah every single year. If you can't, it just means I'm going to keep giving it. Who are the three? One is our Parsha, Yehuda. We have another one that appeared earlier in ספר בראשית Sefer Bereishis. Who is it? ויגש Vayigash? Okay, we're going to keep giving the דבר תורה Dvar Torah. ויגש אברהם Vayigash Avraham. When Hashem says I have to tell my beloved Avraham what I'm going to do to Sedom, Avraham approaches Hashem, and he tries to intervene, he tries to intercede, he tries to advocate on their behalf. And the third is not in Chumash, is in Tanach, אליהו הנביא Eliyahu HaNavi. Eliyahu steps forward, ויגש Vayigash. The רמ\"א Ramah, ר' משה איסרליש Reb Moshe Isserles, in סימן צדי ה siman tzadi hey of שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch quotes the רוקח Rokeach and says, corresponding with the three individuals and the three times ויגש Vayigash they stepped forward, we do the same. When do we take three steps forward to imitate these three individuals? Only every עמידה Amidah we say. Seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, every Amidah. שבת Shabbos, יום טוב Yom Tov, חנוכה Chanukah, פורים Purim, every עמידה Amidah, three times minimally, three times a day, we begin with three steps forward. You don't really have to take three steps back. One should be at a distance that they're going to be approaching. In fact, the הלכה halacha is that in שחרית Shachris towards the end of before the ברכה bracha of גאל ישראל Gaal Yisrael, תהילות לקל Tehillos l'Kel, you're already standing up and you're already have your distance, you've already laid out your space, your three steps, and we begin the עמידה Amidah, three steps forward. A moment ago, I might have been in my living room or the side of a highway or in the middle of Disney World and Yeshiva week, or maybe even in a שול shul. A moment ago, I was in some mundane place surrounded by distractions. But I take three steps forward and I am transported. I am moved to another place. Now I'm לפני השם lifnei Hashem, I'm standing before God in intimate private rendezvous, the silent עמידה Amidah, a conversation just between me and him. And how do I get there? How do I transport myself from any of those mundane secular, profane places, other than שול shul, which is in itself holy. But how do I get there? Three steps forward. And who am I imitating and in whose footsteps am I walking? ויגש Vayigash. Avraham, Yehuda, and Eliyahu. And who, on whose behalf are they advocating? Avraham's advocating for even the wicked, סדום Sedom. Avraham's advocating for humanity and he's saying, you, a just loving God, how God could you do that? ויגש Vayigash, he steps forward advocating for humanity, not just the Jewish people, not just his family, not just the righteous, even for סדום Sedom. He's advocating for humanity. And one of the groups of people, one of the concentric circles we have in mind when we take those three steps forward and we daven that Amidah, it can't just be for us. God, I, I, I, me, me, me, my needs, my needs, my needs, my wants, my desires, my view of the world. But I take those three steps forward, ויגש Vayigash, first of all, it's for סדום Sedom. It's for the equivalent of סדום Sedom of which there's no shortage today. They found the place of סדום Sedom, right? So, I take three steps forward. One is for humanity. And then who did Yehuda advocate for? For whom did Yehuda advocate? For family, for Binyamin, for his brother. The second we say to Hashem, I care about humanity. So you know what I saw in the news, that there was a tsunami or a hurricane or an economic collapse or whatever crisis somewhere in the world, רבונו של עולם, ויגש Ribbono shel Olam, Vayigash. I've approached you, I'm confronting you to care about humanity, all your children. And then the next inner concentric circle is like Yehuda, who says, רבונו של עולם Ribbono shel Olam, I'm approaching you on behalf of my brothers. There's rockets aimed at my brothers. Nebach, a couple, a pregnant woman is shot, a baby's life lays in the balance, רבונו של עולם Ribbono shel Olam, my brothers, my sisters, ויגש Vayigash, this Amidah is not just for me. Let me make more money, let my team win, let my children give me נחת nachas, let my. It's not just me. I care about my brothers and sisters, I care about the whole world. And who and whose behalf, for whom did Eliyahu advocate? For the רבונו של עולם Ribbono shel Olam himself. When he defends the honor of Hashem, כבוד השם kvod Hashem. ויגש Vayigash, Hashem, there's such immorality and corruption and distortion of your vision in this world. I approach you and I daven to you for you. And so the רמ\"א Ramah quotes the רוקח Rokeach, the three steps we take forward every עמידה Amidah, we're imitating what Yehuda does at the opening of our parsha. ויגש אליו יהודה Vayigash eilav Yehuda. It's not just about us, it's about caring for others. This I share every year because I think it inspires, first of all because you forget it, but also because I think it inspires the way we daven our Amidah, and it's really, really important that as we're taking those three steps forward, even the three steps, they're not insignificant. The three steps are, they're an exercise that gets our mind focused in the right place. As I take these three steps forward, let me focus my עמידה Amidah, not just about me, myself, my family, but about other greater good. The Jewish people, humanity, and Hashem himself. But I want to add to it, something I saw this year from the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim, the ויז'ניץ Vizhnitzer Rebbe. I once quoted an אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim, and a good friend of mine bought me a copy of the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim, so now I look at it every week, of חיים מאיר Chaim Meir of ויז'ניץ Vizhnitz. So the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim says at the beginning of the Parsha the following. He quotes from Reb Noach Malkovich, according on a מדרש חז\"ל Midrash Chazal. The Gemara Brachos says that חסידים ראשונים chasidim rishonim, in the משנה Mishnah, חסידים ראשונים היו שוהים שעה אחת קודם התפילה, ומתפללים כדי שיכוונו chasidim rishonim hayu shohim sha'ah achas kodem hatfilah, u'mispalelem k'dei sheyichavnu. We know the early righteous people, they wouldn't just rush into davening and come late and flurry, throw on the tallis and tefillin, or rush into mincha and they're already ending Ashrei. But נחת nachas, they'd come, they'd sit, they'd meditate, they'd reflect, and they'd take an hour to clear their mind and to focus their heart, so that when they had that conversation with Hashem, they were fully present. They were really there for that conversation. חסידים ראשונים Chasidim Rishonim would spend an hour. Commentary say, that's the origin of פסוקי דזמרא Pesukei d'Zimra, which doesn't take us an hour, doesn't take us a half hour, doesn't take us a quarter of an hour. But פסוקי דזמרא Pesukei d'Zimra takes that place, it's there to focus our thoughts, our energies. And those are the themes of פסוקי דזמרא Pesukei d'Zimra. The two themes of פסוקי דזמרא Pesukei d'Zimra, not for now, but the two themes are seeing Hashem through nature and seeing Hashem through history. And now that I see and feel Hashem, I could trace him in my history, I can appeal to him for my destiny. So I spend a few moments reflecting, thinking about who is he, who am I, what is our relationship, feeling his presence, and now I'm ready for a conversation. So the Mishna in Brachos says, חסידים ראשונים chasidim rishonim would dedicate time, they wouldn't run into davening. The cell phone is still buzzing and beeping and vibrating. No, they would run in, and they'd meditate, they'd reflect, they'd relax, they'd be focused. באותה שעה קודם התפילה הם מתפללים שיצליחו לכוון היטב בעצם התפילה B'osah sha'ah kodem ha'tefillah, hem mispal'lim sheyitzlichu l'chavein heitev b'etzem ha'tefillah. So asks the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim, what were they, what were they reflecting on? What were they thinking about? All that time, a whole hour, which for us is instead of 60 minutes, is six minutes. So what are we supposed to be thinking about? So he says something amazing. He says, you know what they were thinking about? They were offering a תפילה tefillah. What do you mean they were offering a תפילה tefillah? I thought they did this before they began to offer תפילה tefillah. So what תפילה tefillah were they offering? And you know what the תפילה tefillah was? Hashem, I pray to you that you'll help me pray to you. I'm praying to you that you'll help me pray to you. It's so easy to be distracted. It's so easy to lose focus. It's so easy to lack priorities. It's so easy to not feel connected. It's so easy to struggle that תפילה tefillah be meaningful. So Hashem, my first תפילה tefillah is that I succeed at תפילה tefillah. That's my תפילה tefillah. And he says, quoting from the Baal Shem Tov, we just said this in הלל Hallel for the eighth time yesterday, אנא השם הושיעה נא Ana Hashem hoshia na. אין נא אלא לשון תפילה Ein na ela lashon tefillah. אנא השם הושיעה נא Ana Hashem hoshia na. מבקשים אנחנו מהשם יתברך אנא השם הושיעה נא Mevakshim anachnu me'Hashem yisborach ana Hashem hoshia na. שנוכל להתפלל כראוי Shenuchal lehispalel k'raui. The אנא השם הושיעה נא Ana Hashem hoshia na is a תפילה tefillah for a תפילה tefillah. It sounds counterintuitive. What do you mean, you praying to God so you could pray? I believe we should pray to God for אמונה emunah. Hashem, I don't see you, I don't feel you. I'm feeling pretty distant from you. But you know what? I'm jumping, I'm leaping in. I'm going to daven to you that I feel אמונה emunah. I'm going to daven for you my בטחון bitachon. I'm davenning to you for דביקות dveikus. It's counterintuitive, it sounds illogical. And yet, the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim says that's the very first, the foundation of תפילה tefillah is that we feel תפילה tefillah. The foundation of תפילה tefillah is, Hashem, I pray that you'll help me pray to you. וזהו U'zehu, and that's what it means, ויגש אליו יהודה ויאמר בי אדני Vayigash eilav Yehuda vayomer bi Adoni. אדני Adoni is not אדני Adoni turning to Yosef, אדני Adoni my master, but rather, ויגש אליו יהודה Vayigash eilav Yehuda, Yehuda steps forward, ויאמר בי vayomer bi, not אדני Adoni, read it differently. Meaning, what Yehuda was saying is before he turned to Yosef, and asked Yosef, he said, Hashem, I'm davening to you that you put the right words in my mouth. Put the right words in my mouth. Let me say the right thing. It's a תפילה tefillah for a תפילה tefillah. I'm davening that you put the right words in my mouth, that you help me articulate eloquently, that you help me find expression to what is in my heart. ידבר נא עבדך דבר באזני אדני, שהצליחו להתפלל תפילה ראויה כדבעי Yedaber na avdecha davar b'oznei Adoni, shehatzlichu l'hispalel tefillah reu'yah k'de'ba'i. So that is a theme of ויגש Vayigash, of Yehuda also. When we take those three steps forward, and why am I sharing this with you? Because I think the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim very much beautifully works with the רוקח Rokeach that the רמ\"א Ramah quotes. When I take my three steps forward, I'm thinking about those three ויגש Vayigash, the three individuals. I'm not only caring about myself, I'm advocating for others. But I'm also, as I take those three steps forward, taking a deep breath and saying, Hashem, I have a whole to-do list, and there's so many things I'm anxious about, and so many things I'm worried about, and so many things on my mind, and so many things on my shoulders. Hashem, help them all fall away, and let me for the next few moments be with you. Help me find the right words, help me feel connected, help me walk away transformed, that we use the three steps forward, imitating Yehuda, the ויגש Vayigash, the three steps forward is our opportunity to daven that we have a successful davening. To daven that we feel connected, to daven that it all work out. Okay. ויגש אליו Vayigash eilav. So Yehuda confronts Yosef, and he quotes Yosef, אדני שאל את עבדיו לאמר Adoni sha'al es avadav leimor, you asked me, היש לכם אב או אח hayesh lachem av o ach. You asked, do I have a father or a brother? And we told you we have an old father, and we have a younger brother, and our other brother died, and our father is alone, and he doesn't have his wife, and he's going to. So as we mentioned last week, this is what Yosef needs to hear to know that his father wasn't in on it. There's a whole debate, Rav ben Nun, Rav Meidan, a back and forth, did Yosef suspect his father was in on it? We're not going to elaborate now. I referenced it the last couple weeks, too, when we've talked about it in the past. But here are the key words. When Yosef hears, what do you mean, you have a brother who died, that your father thinks died? You mean your father wasn't in on it? He didn't orchestrate or choreograph me to to arrive here? Now he's getting ready to reveal himself. But on these words, when when Yehuda says, you asked me, do I have a father or a brother? Rav Soloveitchik has an amazing memory from his youth. An amazing memory. He says he was a child of seven or eight years old. I don't know, any of you remember seven or eight years old? He remembers seven or eight years old in a small town in White Russia. All the Jewish boys attended a little cheder. It was a dreary day in the winter in January, it was cloudy and overcast, and the Torah portion was Vayigash. Chanukah had just ended, like this year, taking away with it the joy of holiday spirit. A long, dark winter lay ahead for us cheder boys. We had to rise when it was dark and return home holding a lantern. Nightfall was so early. That day the cheder boys were in a depressed mood, lazy and listless. We chanted mechanically the first psukim of Vayigash in a dull monotone, droning the words in Hebrew and translating them into Yiddish. One boy finished reciting Yosef's question, היש לכם אב hayesh lachem av, do you have a father? יש לנו אב זקן yesh lanu av zakein, yes, we have a father, going between the Hebrew and the Yiddish, the classic cheder chant. And then the Rav describes, then something unusual happened. Our teacher, a Chabadnik, suddenly jumped to his feet and with a gleam in his eyes motioned to the reader, stop! He turned to me, said the Rav, and he addressed me with the Russian word meaning an assistant to the rabbi. The teacher asked me, what kind of question did Yosef ask his brothers? היש לכם אב Hayesh lachem av? I guess even at six or seven, the Rav was the son of the great Rav Moshe Soloveitchik, the grandson of the great Rav Chaim Brisker. So his Chabadnik cheder Rebbe looked at him and said, okay, you little rav, you little rebbe, already six, seven years old, what did Yosef mean when he asks Yehuda and the brothers, היש לכם אב hayesh lachem av? Of course they had a father. Everyone has a father. The only person who didn't have a father is אדם הראשון Adam HaRishon, created by God. Every other human being biologically has a father. So what kind of question is that? So the Rav says at six or seven years old, or seven or eight years old, he tried to offer the answer. Yosef just wanted to find out whether the father was still alive. היש לכם אב Hayesh lachem av, you have a father, meant, do you have a living father? So if so, the rebbe, the melamed said, Yosef should have phrased the question differently. He should have said, is your father still alive? It was useless to argue with our teacher. He was now no longer addressing only us little boys. He began to speak rhetorically as if some mysterious guest had just entered the cold room. Yosef, our teacher pronounced as if from a pulpit, wanted to know whether his brothers were still attached to their roots and origins. Are you, Yosef was asking, rooted in your father? Do you look at him the way branches or blossoms look on their roots? Do you see your father as the foundation of your existence? Do you see him as your provider and sustainer? Or are you just like rootless shepherds, wandering from place to place, from pastor to pastor who have forgotten their origin? Our Rebbe suddenly stopped addressing the invisible visitor and turned his focus directly to us, raising his voice, he asked, are you truly humble? Do you look down condescendingly at your old father as representing an archaic tradition? Do you think your old father is also capable of telling you something new and exciting, something challenging, something you didn't know before? Or are you so arrogant and vain that you deny dependence on your father upon the source? Our teacher exclaimed, היש לכם אב Hayesh lachem av? Do you have a father? Pointing at my study mate Yitzhak, who was considered the town's prodigy. The teacher turned to him and said, who do you think knows more? You know more because you're so well versed in Gemara or your father, the blacksmith, no more, even though he can barely read Hebrew? Are you proud of your father? When we recognize the supremacy of our father of flesh and factor, we accept the supremacy of our universal Father in heaven, אבינו שבשמים Avinu shebashamayim. Said the Rav, I will never forget our teacher's novel interpretation of the Yosef story. It's really is an extension of what we spoke about last week, the role of grandparents and the mesorah and transmission and teaching the younger generation that there is no generation gap and that we have something to offer them. And just because technologically they've progressed doesn't mean that we discard or out with the old. For us, we're rooted in the old. And the imagery, remember we saw about the menorah, not like Beis Shammai, it's all about the future, how many days left, but like Beis Hillel, I can't light today's candle unless I'm also going to include yesterday's candle and the day before that and the day before that, until I get to eight. And said the Rav, based on his melamed, his rebbe, his chader rebbe's pshat, you can say the same thing about the other question. Because Yosef asked, היש לכם אב hayesh lachem av, do you have a father? He also asked, היש לכם אח hayesh lachem ach? Do you have a brother? Yosef wanted to know, does your awareness of time stop at the present moment? Or do you consider future generations? Do you plan for the world of tomorrow enveloped in the midst of non-being? Do you have a vision? Do you believe in the improbable? And the brother's answer was yes. We have an אב זקן av zakein, we have a bright, vivacious, talented young child, a ילד זקונים קטן yeled zekunim katan. Our young brother who represents the world of tomorrow. The young child challenge us to make possible the birth of future generations. And the Rav concluded here in America we have freedom, many privileges, antisemitism poses no real threat, he said at the time, yet we are committed to ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael. We fight for the possession of the land, continue to sacrifice young lives for each sand dune and for each rocky hill. Why? The answer is about 3,500 years ago, our אב זקן Av Zakein, Avraham walked behind his flock on those sandy trails. By traversing the land, he endowed it with קדושה kedusha. And centuries later a prophet and king named David played the harp and saying beautiful hymns. The hills of our ancient homeland which echo with ancient melodies and fiery words are worth the sacrifice of our youth. Do our collective memory and our loyalty to our אב זקן Av Zakein justify alienating the world at large? Is it logical or paradoxical? Why don't we free ourselves of the אב זקן Av Zakein? Why don't we adapt to the current zeitgeist? We cannot because we are immensely concerned with our existence as a religious community. No other nation has ever cared as much about spiritual survival. The young child challenges us to care for tomorrow. So to be a Jew is to live in those three dimensions simultaneously: the past, the present and the future. It's to embrace the אב זקן Av Zakein. היש לכם אב Hayesh lachem av? Are you rooted in the old traditions? Do you care about parents, grandparents, great grandparents, where we come from? But at the same time, היש לכם אח Hayesh lachem ach? Are we also rooted in our brothers and sisters and in forging a greater and a better tomorrow? Yosef obviously reveals himself. I want to make sure we get to our psukim, so we're gonna accelerate our summary here. Yosef reveals himself to his brothers, אני יוסף Ani Yosef. He says I'm Yosef, which Chazal say, אוי לנו מיום הדין, אוי לנו מיום התוכחה oi lanu miyom hadin, oi lanu miyom hatochecha. In those two words, Yosef gave the starkest musar of all time. Yosef ripped his brothers. They were devastated, traumatized, broken. Really? What did he say? He said, אני יוסף Ani Yosef. אני יוסף Ani Yosef. With those two words? And the answer is yes. Sometimes when we understand the consequence of our action, when we have a sort of a bird's eye vision of everything we've done and what it's led to, when we see the consequences and feel the weight of responsibility, that's the biggest musar. That's the biggest musar. We don't need to have harsh words. Simply confronting a reality that we created is in itself the biggest and the strongest musar that we have. ויאמר יוסף אל אחיו, אני יוסף Vayomer Yosef el echav, ani Yosef. That is the starkest musar. And he says, העוד אבי חי ha'od avi chai, which is a bizarre question. This we've studied in the past, we won't revisit. What do you mean is my father still alive? You just had a conversation where Yehuda's argument was, you asked about our father, we told you he's still alive, he's suffering if I don't bring back Binyamin, he already lost one son, you gotta give me Binyamin. And Yosef says, wow, I'm ready to reveal myself to you. And I'm Yosef. Is dad alive? What do you mean is dad alive? He just told you that the whole reason he was arguing to bring Binyamin back is because dad's alive. What a bizarre question for Yosef to ask. Is father still alive? And we've developed that in the past. You can listen online or look into it more yourself. What motivates Yosef, what precipitates his revealing himself? What is Yehuda doing that they failed to do for Yosef? He's standing up for a brother. Instead of leaving Binyamin to languish, as they had left Yosef to languish first in the pit and then to be sold, now, and what does Binyamin have in common that no one else, no other brother does with Yosef? In other words, Yosef has choreographed circumstances to mimic or to imitate what he went through. And he does so to study whether the brothers have learned their lesson and they'll act differently. And now they've passed the test. Not all of them. That's also a question. Where was everyone else? And why do they just let Yehuda do all the talking? And why are they silent and passive in the background? That's also a worthwhile question. Where was everyone else? Why is Yehuda the only one to put himself out there, to confront Yosef and step up? But when he does, Yosef says, the brother closest to me, Binyamin, who has the same father and mother as I, now they didn't leave him. They didn't abandon him as they did me. They learned their lesson. תשובה גמורה Teshuvah gemurah is being back in the exact same circumstance and doing things differently. So Yosef, in order to enable them to achieve complete teshuvah, תשובה גמורה teshuvah gemurah, orchestrates things to be the exact same circumstance. But now they act very differently. Now, instead of leaving him, now they step up on behalf of Binyamin. And when Yehuda does, first of all, he learns his father wasn't in on it, because Yehuda describes his father as being inconsolable. He also learns the brothers are willing to step up, at least Yehuda, on their behalf, steps up for Binyamin. And now he's ready to reveal himself. At the moment Yosef discloses his identity, he stops to be a ruler over Israel, ceding sovereignty to Yehuda. Providence willed that Yosef would lose and Yehuda would win. The Rav has a whole approach that the reason the brothers are quiet is they interpret it that there was a cosmic conflict taking place. This wasn't simple sibling rivalry. Yehuda and Yosef represent two approaches, two worldviews. They represent fathers of of multiple, I don't want to say nations within our nation, but Yehuda and Yosef is a cosmic conflict. It's a clash. And they sat back to see it unfold, who was going to persevere and triumph? Who would win? And even as our story unfolds and maybe we're rooting for Yosef. Yosef after all is the victim. Yosef's the victim. He's the underdog. And we're rooting for Yosef, but does Yosef win? From whom does the monarchy descend in Judaism? Not from Yosef. Yosef maybe wins as the curtain closes on Sefer Bereishis, it's Yosef who's vindicated. His brothers come and they grovel and they fear for their lives. His dreams of their bowing down to him have come true. From the close, the curtain falls on Bereishis, it looks like Yosef has won, but it's not Yosef. It's Yehuda, who's the father of monarchy, of royalty, of King David, of Mashiach. To understand this drama, we have to retrace the story of Yaakov, says the Rav. Lavan had two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Yaakov loved Rachel very much and he tells Lavan he's ready to serve seven years for her. Rachel certainly reciprocated Yaakov's love, but she acquiesced to the scheme devised by Lavan to substitute Leah. Not only did Rachel not tell Yaakov about her father's plan, but she cooperated in the conspiracy, sharing the password with Leah. How could Rachel participate in the deceit? How could she forgo her love for and devotion to Yaakov? The narrative involves two attributes of Hashem: חסד chesed and גבורה gevurah. Leah represents מידת הגבורה middas ha'gevurah, the dignity and majesty of man. Her cooperation with Lavan's scheme demonstrates courage and valor. Rachel was the opposite of Leah. She was the tragic heroine who lived for others. She surrendered her rights so others could find the happiness denied to them. Rachel represents the מידה middah of חסד chesed. Yehuda was the son of Leah. His personality radiated power, authority, and prestige. Yaakov described him as a lion, the warrior who relentlessly pursues his enemies. Consider the firmness and majestic fearlessness Yehuda exhibited when he argued with Yosef about Binyamin. After all, the viceroy could have done anything to him. But Yosef, Yosef is the son of Rachel. His mission is to sacrifice, to retreat from hard-won positions. He sacrificed many times, but his real sacrifice was the way he treated his brothers when they were at his mercy. Only a son of Rachel could offer friendship and kindness to the same brothers who had caused him so much misery. Yosef personified חסד chesed. So Yosef is חסד chesed, the חסד chesed of his mother, his mama Rachel. If Rachel gave, loved Leah, and gave her the simanim even though it meant giving up her love, Yosef was willing to forgive his brothers, even though he could have responded very harshly or vengefully. Yaakov, Yosef is the son of Rachel, while Yehuda, who has the courage to step forward, to assert himself, authority, he has the גבורה gevurah, the strength, the might of Leah. Who's the king? Which quality? A king needs מידת החסד middas ha'chesed or מידת הגבורה middas ha'gevurah? The Ribbono shel Olam decided in favor of the son who represented גבורה gevurah. The king is the trustee and leader of the people. He has to display גבורה gevurah in all aspects, the ability to acquire, to defend, to possess, to protect. A life sacrificed for others, a life of חסד chesed is appropriate for the individual, but the king cannot sacrifice at the expense of a nation. So Yosef and his חסד chesed were wonderful qualities for an individual and qualities for us to absorb. But it's Yehuda and his גבורה gevurah. Tosefta Brachos goes through three understandings why is Yehuda the one who becomes king. Is it because he saved Yosef's life, he said, don't let him die, sell him? Or is it because he turned to Tamar and he said, צדקה ממני tzadka mimeni, she is more righteous than I, he had the capacity to admit? And ultimately, ultimately the the Medrash concludes it's neither. You can't say Yehuda was awarded because either of those included his own mistakes. But rather it's because Yehuda is the progenitor of נחשון בן עמינדב Nachshon ben Aminadav. Nachshon ben Aminadav, when everyone else stood still, debated, criticized, told everyone else what they should do, Nachshon didn't do any of that. What did he do? He took action. He started walking. And he was the catalyst of redemption. And these are the qualities of monarchy. The qualities of royalty. What it means to be a Jewish king is to take responsibility for another, is to admit when we're wrong, and is to lead by example, not wait for others. So in this cosmic conflict, clash between Yehuda and Yosef, which I shared with you the Rav's view, his brother Rav Aharon Soloveitchik has another perspective of Yehuda and Yosef, what they represent of two worldviews. There's many ways that you could describe it, but in that cosmic clash, however you describe the core of it, who is triumphant? It's Yehuda. Even though Sefer Bereishis makes one think or root for Yosef, ultimately it is, ultimately it is Yehuda. Yosef identifies himself to his brothers and he tells us that he hugs Binyamin in that moment. In that moment of revealing himself, Yosef collapses on his brother, younger brother Binyamin's shoulder, and the Torah tells us that they both begin to cry. Where's the pasuk? ויפל על צוארי בנימין אחיו ויבך ובנימין בכה על צואריו Vayipol al tzavarei Binyamin achiv vayeivk u'Binyamin bacha al tzavarav. Page 254. Yosef collapses on his younger brother's shoulder and he cries, and Binyamin cries on his neck. וינשק לכל אחיו ויבך עליהם Vayenasheik l'chol echav vayeivk aleihem and they each cry to one another. ואחר כן דברו אחיו אתו V'achar kein dibru echav ito. I love those words. You know why? It comes full circle. What happened in Parshas Vayeishev? לא יכלו דברו לשלום Lo yachlu dabro leshalom. They couldn't even talk. It's not that they couldn't talk about the things they disagreed about. They couldn't even talk about the things they agree about. They just stopped talking to one another. And here when they reunite, when they reconcile, how does the Torah describe their reconciliation as דברו אחיו אתו dibru echav ito. We have to keep talking to each other. We can't stop talking because you voted for that or you believe in that policy, or you root for that team, or you observe in that way or you. or you wear that type of yarmulke, we can't stop talking. That's where שנאת חנם sinas chinam comes. We end up in מצרים Mitzrayim, we end up in גלות galus when we stop talking. We can disagree, but we have to disagree agreeably, and we have to keep talking and keep communicating and have relationships with one another. So it all began why? לא יכלו לדברו לשלום Lo yachlu l'dabro l'shalom. And now when they're back together, כי דברו אחיו אתו ki dibru echav ito. So, Yosef and Binyamin collapse on one another's neck, and they and they cry. Rashi quotes the Midrash. Why are they crying? Yosef is crying in anticipation of the destruction of the two בתי מקדש Batei Mikdash that would be in Binyamin's territory. And Binyamin is crying why? For the destruction of the משכן Mishkan that would be housed in the territory of Yosef.Does that make sense? 22 years of estrangement, 22 years of absence. They finally see one another. Wouldn't you want to say they're crying tears of joy? It's such a Jewish thing to have to make it sad and mournful and, you know, 22 years. So take a minute and be happy. It's okay to be happy once in a while. Give yourself permission. So why not say they were crying tears of joy, tears of reconciliation, tears of comfort? 22 years of alienation, estrangement, and we're crying, and they're crying, Yosef's crying because the two בתי מקדש Batei Mikdash that will be in Binyamin's territory will be destroyed. And Binyamin's crying because the משכן Mishkan in Yosef's territory... Enough with the sadness and the crying and what's... it hasn't even happened yet, you're crying, it's in the future. What's going on here?The first מודז'יצר רבי Modzitzer Rebbe, רבי ישראל טאוב Rebbe Yisrael Taub, in his ספר דברי ישראל Sefer Divrei Yisrael, has an amazing interpretation. He says Yosef and Binyamin are the only two sons of both יעקב Yaakov and רחל Rochel. When they embrace and they cry, it's bittersweet tears. After all, they were so happy to be reunited. But at the moment that they're reunited, at the moment they're reunited, they think about what had kept them apart. And what had kept them apart for 22 years, 22 years they can never make up for. 22 years they can never get back. And what had kept them apart? שנאת חנם Sinas chinam. And the moment they realized it was שנאת חנם sinas chinam that kept them apart, they realized just because they're back together now doesn't mean they're back together permanently. That ugly שנאת חנם sinas chinam will rear its head again. And when does it rear its head again? With the destruction of the משכן Mishkan and the destruction of the two בתי מקדש Batei Mikdash. And so says the דברי ישראל Divrei Yisrael, the מודז'יצר רבי Modzitzer Rebbe, you know why they're crying? They're not trying to ruin what should be a happy moment. They're crying at the realization that the circumstance that led to their estrangement to begin with is not over. The lost 22 years they can't get back because of שנאת חנם sinas chinam. That שנאת חנם sinas chinam will continue to rear its ugly head, and it does. And so they hug. But here's the beautiful part of the מודז'יצר Modzitzer's insight.When they hug and they cry, they're already providing the solution. How are they providing the solution to שנאת חנם sinas chinam? Says the מודז'יצר רבי Modzitzer Rebbe, because what is each one crying about? They're not crying about their own loss. Each one is crying for the other. The antidote to שנאת חנם sinas chinam is אהבת ישראל ahavas Yisrael, אהבת חנם ahavas chinam. Cry for someone else's pain. Feel their suffering. Feel a sense of empathy and sympathy and relieve their pain and suffering. Don't just cry for yourself or what's going on in your life. Think about and care about others. The antidote to שנאת חנם sinas chinam is אהבת חנם ahavas chinam. And that's what they were demonstrating. They cried because of the realization that שנאת חנם sinas chinam would rear its ugly head again, but they provided the antidote by crying for one another instead of crying for themselves. Shortly we're going to observe עשרה בטבת Asarah B'Teves. שנאת חנם Sinas chinam in the middle of the winter, it's not תשעה באב Tisha B'Av of the three weeks, why are we talking about this? Because it's going to be עשרה בטבת Asarah B'Teves, thousands of years ago, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege on ירושלים Yerushalayim. And that began the process that ultimately ended with the destruction of ירושלים Yerushalayim. And why did Nebuchadnezzar succeed? And why did we lose the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash? Because of שנאת חנם sinas chinam. You cannot learn פרשת ויגש Parshas Vayigash, you cannot learn ספר בראשית Sefer Bereishis, and not feel moved to want to do something about the שנאת חנם sinas chinam which is still so pervasive. It's still so pervasive. It's crazy how many times we've read פרשת ויגש Parshas Vayigash. Jewish people have been around thousands of years and we just don't learn our lessons. We still sit in judgment of one another and critical of one another, and totally marginalizing one another, and totally putting down one another, and hating one another. And that's why we have what we have. And that's why pregnant women are shot and anti-Semites thrive. Because when we can't get along with ourselves, why should we expect anyone else to love us or respect us? So when the two collapse and cry on one another's shoulders, they're not ruining a moment, they're capturing for us what that moment was all about and the antidote of how we go forward. פרעה Paro joins the party in the, in the recognition that יוסף Yosef has now revealed himself and they send for יעקב Yaakov and for the rest of the family.יעקב Yaakov undertakes the journey to come see יוסף Yosef. And we have the total of 70 descendants that come to מצרים Mitzrayim. They arrive. We have this incredible conversation between יעקב Yaakov and פרעה Paro. We studied this before too, a deeply disturbing conversation. יוסף Yosef must have anticipated with great excitement. ויבא יוסף את יעקב אביו ויעמדהו לפני פרעה Vayavei Yosef es Yaakov aviv vaya'amideihu lifnei Paro. יעקב Yaakov, his spiritual father, and פרעה Paro, his boss, his mentor, the one who gave him this chance, they're going to meet, they're going to have a conversation. The ruler of the world with the greatest human being alive, יעקב Yaakov. And what do they talk about? It's the most mundane, pedestrian conversation of all time. פרעה Paro asks יעקב Yaakov, \"How old are you?\" And יעקב Yaakov says, \"I'm such and such old, but my life's been pretty rough and terrible.\" יעקב Yaakov gives פרעה Paro a ברכה bracha and that's it. That's it? Talk about world peace, economic cycles, talk about, I don't know what. That's the conversation. So we've discussed this in the past, two or three different interpretations of what's really going on. כתב והקבלה Ksav V'haKabbalah, רב יעקב מקלנבורג Rav Yaakov Mecklenburg has a beautiful insight. We've discussed several interpretations. I was going to share with you one from רב חיים שמואלביץ Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz. We'll save it for next year because I want to get to our פסוקים psukim. You see the self-restraint, the discipline I'm practicing? I'll save it for, I'll save it for next year. But it's a deeply, it's a, it's a puzzling part of our פרשה parsha. It should be a highlight of the פרשה parsha. יעקב Yaakov and פרעה Paro, a few minutes to be a fly on the wall to hear what do they talk about? And that's it. That's what they talk about.And then יוסף Yosef, יוסף Yosef trains his brothers. When they're going to go in to meet פרעה Paro, he trains them what to say. He trains them what to say. Why? Why is he so worried? Is he worried they're going to embarrass him? What is he worried about? So רב סולובייצ'יק Rav Soloveitchik says, why was it necessary for יוסף Yosef to coach his brothers regarding how to address פרעה Paro? פרעה Paro suspected that each of יוסף's Yosef's brothers were as intelligent as יוסף Yosef himself. He therefore wanted to disperse them throughout the country to become assets to Egyptian society. Under such circumstances, יוסף Yosef feared his brothers would assimilate among the Egyptians. He instructed his brothers to tell פרעה Paro they were cattlemen and shepherds, and they would not give up this vocation as it was their family tradition. Since herding sheep was frowned upon in Egyptian society, פרעה Paro would be unable to scatter them throughout Egypt. So it wasn't that יוסף Yosef was worried they were going to embarrass him. It was strategic. יוסף Yosef was worried that if פרעה Paro will think, well, they must have his brilliant minds, they're each hedge fund accountants, investors, broker, you know, they're going to be as brilliant, they can do great things for our economy, just like יוסף Yosef. I'm going to scatter them all over. So יוסף's Yosef's response to protect from that, he coached his brothers just say we're simple shepherds. That's our family tradition, we can't deviate from it, and by doing so, you'll be protected from assimilating. Okay, so that's the overview of our incredible, incredible פרשה parsha, the crescendo of the story, the drama that has been unfolding until now. Let's go back and look at our specific פסוקים psukim. Are we going to deal with when פרעה Paro joins the party? Which is on page 254. It's where we left off last year, by the way. I'm try, I'm trying to now pick up each time the פסוקים psukim where we last left off. So page 254, we are on פרק מ\"ה Perek Mem-Hey, פסוק ט\"ז Pasuk Tes-Zayin. פרק מ\"ה Perek Mem-Hey, פסוק ט\"ז Pasuk Tes-Zayin. Okay. Yeah. והקל נשמע בית פרעה לאמר באו אחי יוסף וייטב בעיני פרעה ובעיני עבדיו V'hakol nishma beis Paro leimor, bo'u achei Yosef vayeetav b'einei Paro u'v'einei avadav. יוסף's Yosef's done the big reveal. He tells his brothers, \"I'm יוסף Yosef,\" and the sound is heard throughout, throughout the land. הקל נשמע בית פרעה Hakol nishma beis Paro, the sound is heard in the house of פרעה Paro. And what is it proclaiming? באו אחי יוסף Bo'u achei Yosef, that the brothers of יוסף Yosef have arrived. וייטב בעיני פרעה ובעיני עבדיו Vayeetav b'einei Paro u'v'einei avadav. And פרעה Paro was very pleased. פרעה Paro was very satisfied with hearing that news. רש\"י Rashi says, והקל נשמע בית פרעה v'hakol nishma beis Paro, כמו בבית פרעה k'mo b'veis Paro, וזהו לשון בית ממש v'zehu lashon beis mamash. It means that the sound was heard in the house of פרעה Paro. And פרעה Paro was very pleased. Why was פרעה Paro so pleased? Why was פרעה Paro so happy to hear that יוסף's Yosef's brothers had arrived? I might have been displeased. Till now I had יוסף's Yosef's full attention. He didn't have brothers to play golf with or go to the Egyptian football game with. So now he has brothers, he's going to want to spend time with them. Now I have to share יוסף Yosef. He's going to be distracted. There's others competing for my attention. And yet פרעה Paro is very happy. וייטב Vayeetav. וייטב בעיני פרעה Vayeetav b'einei Paro. Why is he so happy? Says the ספורנו Sforno, שחשב שמכאן והלאה תהיה השגחת יוסף על הארץ לא כהשגחת גר מתנכר, כי אם כהשגחת אזרח חושב לשבת בארץ הוא וזרעו. ולזה ישגיח בכל לב ונפש להיטיב לארץ וליושביה. Shechishav shemikan v'hal'ah tihiyeh hashgachas Yosef al ha'aretz lo k'hashgachas ger misnaker, ki im k'hashgachas ezrach choshev lasheves ba'aretz hu v'zaro. Ul'zeh yashgiach b'chol lev v'nefesh l'heitiv la'aretz u'l'yoshveha. Because he said, you know, יוסף Yosef until now, he's on a temporary visa. יוסף Yosef is here as a tourist. Really, his land is כנען Kenaan. It's where his brothers are, it's where his father is, that's where his destiny is. יוסף's Yosef's only here temporarily. So I'm only getting part of יוסף Yosef. יוסף Yosef cares about my Egyptian empire, but he cares about it as a tourist, as a stranger, as someone who plans to leave. But now that his brothers have arrived, now יוסף Yosef will plant himself here firmly. He'll no longer be a tourist on a temporary visa. He's going to get citizenship. As a citizen, he'll be even more invested in the well-being of this land, of this country. And therefore, פרעה Paro is very happy. פרעה Paro is very happy. Might have to compete with the brothers for יוסף's Yosef's attention, but יוסף Yosef will be even more focused and invested in and caring about the future of Egypt. That's the ספורנו Sforno. The רמב\"ן Ramban gives a different reason. The רמב\"ן Ramban says, until now, פרעה Paro has been pretty embarrassed. וייטב בעיני פרעה ובעיני עבדיו, כי היה הדבר להם לחרפה שימשל בהם איש נכרי, עבד מבית האסורים יצא למלך. Vayeetav b'einei Paro u'v'einei avadav, ki hayah hadavar lahem l'cherpah sheyimshol bahem ish nochri, eved mibeis ha'asurim yotzei limloch. This prisoner, this guy got out of jail, and he has no family, he's a total vagabond here. We have somebody who has no family, has no יחוס yichus. He was in prison, he's a criminal. And that's who our vice president is? ועתה, בבוא לו אחים נכבדים, ונודע כי הוא הגון ונשא יצא לפני מלכים. V'atah, b'vo lo achim nechbadim, v'noda ki hu hagun v'nisa yotzei lifnei melachim. סמכו כלם בדבר Samchu kulam badavar. Says the רמב\"ן Ramban, now the brothers arrive, and the brothers are aristocracy. The brothers descend from יעקב Yaakov. This person who's an anonymous figure who has no יחוס yichus, who's risen to a position of distinction, but frankly it's an embarrassment for the people that a criminal with no יחוס yichus has been their leader. Now the brothers arrive, and with the brothers is a big יחוס yichus tree. With the brothers is is credibility, with the brothers is prestige. And therefore, וייטב הדבר, וייטב בעיני פרעה vayeetav hadavar, vayeetav b'einei Paro. פרעה Paro is very happy. His number two, he's no longer curious who is he, what's his background, who is this strange criminal who we plucked out of prison. Now we see who this person is because he sees his brothers and because he sees his father. And therefore he's satisfied, and therefore he's satisfied. The אור החיים הקדוש Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh says, והקל נשמע לאמר, פירוש, ליוסף כבר הודיע הכתוב למעלה כי שמעו מצרים ובית פרעה בבכי יוסף, דכתיב, וישמעו מצרים. v'hakol nishma leimor, peirush, l'Yosef kvar hodia hakasuv l'ma'alah ki shamu Mitzrayim u'veis Paro bivchi Yosef, d'chsiv, vayishm'u Mitzrayim. What is this קול kol that made its way through the palace? What happens when יוסף Yosef, לא יכל יוסף להתאפק lo yachol Yosef l'hisapek, he couldn't hold back anymore. How does he react? He lets out a scream and a cry. So they'd all heard the cry, they all heard the scream. וישמעו מצרים Vayishm'u Mitzrayim. They wanted to know what's going on. עתה מודיע הכתוב כי הקול ששמעו בית פרעה, אמרו למעלה, לא ידעו מה הוא ועל מה היה. ועתה אמרו להם כי זה היה לצד ביאת אחיו של יוסף. Ata modia hakasuv ki hakol sheshamu beis Paro, amru l'ma'alah, lo yadu mah hu v'al mah hayah. V'atah amru lahem ki zeh hayah l'tzad bias achiv shel Yosef. Why was וייטב פרעה vayeetav Paro, why was he happy? They heard יוסף Yosef scream, they heard a cry. Maybe he had a heart attack. Maybe he dropped the most expensive vase in the palace. Maybe, who knows what? Stock market, the Egyptian market crashed. Who knows why יוסף Yosef screamed, why he cried? So when they found out that the source of his scream and his cry was of joy that his brothers, the reunion with his brothers, that's וייטב פרעה vayeetav Paro. So פרעה Paro was very... Huh, thank God! That's why he cried. Thank God, that's why he screamed. So the פסוק pasuk tells us וייטב בעיני פרעה vayeetav b'einei Paro, פרעה Paro was happy, three interpretations why he was happy. ספורנו Sforno says he was happy selfishly because he thought יוסף's Yosef's no longer just a tourist, now he'll be a full citizen, and now he's invested in our future, he's going to do even greater things for our country. The רמב\"ן Ramban says פרעה Paro and the people are happy because instead of some anonymous guy with no יחוס yichus, criminal as their leader, they see he comes from a prestigious family. Ooh-ah, such a prestigious family. And the אור החיים Ohr Hachaim says, no, פרעה Paro was happy because he clarified what was the source of that scream, what was the source of that cry. ויאמר פרעה אל יוסף, אמר אל אחיך, זאת עשו. טענו את בעירכם, ולכו באו ארצה כנען. Vayomer Paro el Yosef, emor el achecha, zos asu. Ta'anu es b'irchem, u'lchu vo'u artza Kenaan. So פרעה Paro says to יוסף Yosef, tell your brothers, load up the animals and go directly to the land of כנען Kenaan. Your brothers who are here, load up, pack your luggage, get going. I want you to head back up to כנען Kenaan. And why should you go back up to כנען Kenaan? וקחו את אביכם ואת בתיכם ובאו אלי, ואתנה לכם את טוב ארץ מצרים ואכלו את חלב הארץ. Ukchu es avichem v'es bateichem u'vo'u elai, v'etnah lachem es tuv Eretz Mitzrayim v'ichlu es cheilev ha'aretz. Load the animals, pack the suitcases, load the car and start heading back. And bring back your father and your families and come to me. I will give you the best of the land, you'll eat from the fat of the land. I'm going to give you the best of everything.I'm going to give you the best of everything.פסוק י\"ט Pasuk Yud Tes. ואתה צויתה זאת עשו, קחו לכם מארץ מצרים עגלות לטפכם ולנשיכם, ונשאתם את אביכם ובאתם. V'atah tzuveisa zos asu, k'chu lachem me'eretz Mitzrayim agalos l'tapchem v'linsheichem, u'nesasem es avichem u'vasem. So פרעה Paro tells יוסף Yosef, and he says, \"Take for yourselves to the Egyptian, the the wagons, for your small children, for your wives, bring your father and come.\" ועינכם אל תחס על כליכם, כי טוב כל ארץ מצרים לכם הוא. V'einchem al tachos al kleichem, ki tuv kol Eretz Mitzrayim lachem hu. And don't worry about your furniture. Don't worry about moving what you've accumulated in כנען Kenaan, because I'm going to give you everything here. Just get down here. Go get your family, go get everyone, bring them down here. I just want you down here, and leave everything, don't worry about everything there. Just get down here, whatever you need here, it's all going to be yours. Says רש\"י Rashi, את טוב ארץ מצרים, ארץ גשן es tuv eretz Mitzrayim, Eretz Goshen. נבואה ואינו יודע מה נבואה Nevuah v'eino yodea mah nevuah. פרעה Paro had some form of a prophecy here when he was telling them I'm going to give you the best of the land, which was גשן Goshen. חלב הארץ, כתרגומו, לשון מיטב, וכל חלב בתורה לשון מיטב הוא Cheilev ha'aretz, k'sargumo, lashon meitav, v'chol cheilev baTorah lashon meitav hu. The fat of the land. Land doesn't have fat. It means the best of, the best of the land. ואתה צויתה, מפי לאמר להם V'atah tzuveisa, mipi leimor lahem. Tell them I told them. פרעה Paro is telling יוסף Yosef, telling the brothers, telling יוסף Yosef, tell the brothers this comes from me, it's a directive from me. Go back to כנען Kenaan, gather your things, leave the furniture, get your families and get down here. זאת עשו, כך אמור להם, שברשותי היא. Zos asu, kach emor lahem, sheb'reshusi hi. No, this is with my permission. No, I am the one instructing you to do it. Why is that important? Look at the רמב\"ן Ramban. ואתה צויתה זאת עשו V'atah tzuveisa zos asu. Why is it important that פרעה Paro is the one sending? אמר הדבר בטעם, להוציא מלב יוסף, שאיננו שולח יד בהון המלך, ולא ידע מאומה. על כן חשב פרעה, אולי לא ירצה לשלח להם דבר. על כן אמר לו, אני מצוה אותך שתעשה זאת על כל פנים. Amar hadavar b'ta'am, l'hotzi milev Yosef, she'einenu sholeach yad b'hon hamelech, v'lo yoda m'umah. Al kein chashav Paro, ulai lo yirtzeh lishloach lahem davar. Al kein amar lo, ani m'tzaveh oscha sheta'aseh zos al kol panim. יוסף Yosef has been so honest, so honest. He hasn't taken one paper clip, not one pencil, he hasn't made one long-distance phone call, he hasn't made one copy on the copy machine. יוסף Yosef has been so honest to פרעה Paro that פרעה Paro anticipates that יוסף Yosef won't want to use the palace's travel agent and travel account to buy the tickets. So פרעה Paro has to say to him, \"Put it on my חשבון cheshbon.\" Buy the tickets on me. Send my wagons. The רמב\"ן Ramban says פרעה's Paro's emphasis that tell them I sent them is testament to how honest יוסף Yosef is that he would never use פרעה's Paro's resources for himself. So פרעה Paro has to say, \"This comes from me. I'm the one sending.\" That's what the רמב\"ן Ramban says. ספורנו Sforno says, קחו לכם מארץ מצרים עגלות, כי כאשר יראו העגלות מוכנות ושלוחות מאתנו, לא ימצאו כל כך מקום לדחות ולמאן. K'chu lachem me'eretz Mitzrayim agalos, ki ka'asher yir'u ha'agalos muchanos u'shluchos me'itanu, lo yimtzu kol kach makom lidchos u'l'ma'en. וכן היה אחר כך באמרו וירא את העגלות אשר שלח יוסף לשאת אתו ויאמר ישראל, רב, עוד יוסף בני חי, אלכה ואראנו. V'chen hayah achar kach b'omro vayare es ha'agalos asher shalach Yosef lases oso vayomer Yisrael, rav, od Yosef bni chai, elcha v'er'enu. פרעה Paro... so the ספורנו Sforno has a different interpretation. ספורנו Sforno says why is פרעה Paro insisting it come from him? Because he knows that if wagons, if a bunch of limousines arrive at יעקב's Yaakov's door with a message that פרעה Paro sent these for you, יעקב Yaakov can't hesitate, he can't resist, he can't say no. He wants יעקב Yaakov down there. He wants יעקב Yaakov down there, he wants the brothers down there, he wants everyone residing there full time, for one of the three reasons we said. It adds prestige to יוסף Yosef, or he thinks they're brilliant businessmen, or whatever reason he wants יוסף Yosef fully invested in Egypt. And so the best strategy to get יעקב Yaakov to come and to not and to not say no is to send his own limos, his own wagons, and to tell יעקב Yaakov that he, פרעה Paro, is the one who sent them.רבי סולובייצ'יק Rabbi Soloveitchik says here, קחו לכם מארץ מצרים עגלות K'chu lachem me'eretz Mitzrayim agalos, take these Egyptian wagons. It's a funny description, Egyptian wagons. מארץ מצרים עגלות Me'eretz Mitzrayim agalos. Apparently the wagons were manufactured exclusively in Egypt under the auspices and imprimatur of the king, using technology that was most advanced at the time. In the song of the sea, פרשת בשלח Parshas Beshalach, אז ישיר Az Yashir, the Jewish people exclaimed, פרעה's Paro's chariots and his army he cast into the sea. The chariot was clearly an imposing military weapon. The wagons were therefore most likely under the strict control of פרעה Paro. No one could sell or send them abroad without his direct permission. פרעה Paro said, \"Command this, take the wagons from the land of Egypt.\" When יוסף Yosef sent the wagons, he did it upon פרעה's Paro's specific orders. Thus when יעקב Yaakov saw the wagons, he realized immediately, יוסף Yosef must be close to the king. If the message is יוסף Yosef is still alive, come, and פרעה Paro is the one sending that message, what does it mean? That יוסף Yosef must be close with the king, and יעקב Yaakov is going to therefore come to find out more more about that. Bring your father down. פסוק כ\"א Pasuk Chaf Aleph. ויעשו כן בני ישראל ויתן להם יוסף עגלות על פי פרעה ויתן להם צדה לדרך. Vaya'asu chein Bnei Yisrael vayiten lahem Yosef agalos al pi Paro vayiten lahem tzeidah ladarech. ...ladarach. The Jewish people responded. יוסף Yosef gave them these wagons based on פרעה Paro. And he also gave them provisions for the way. Packed them a lunch box, packed them some snacks to take, some blue chips. ולכלם נתן לאיש חלפות שמלת, ולבנימן נתן שלש מאות כסף וחמש חלפת שמלת. U'l'chulam nasan la'ish chalifos smalos, u'l'Binyamin nasan shlosh me'os kesef v'chamesh chalifos smalos. He gave each of them clothing, to each he gave a change of clothing, but to בנימין Binyamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and not one change of clothing, five times that. The גמרא Gemara, by the way, is very critical of יוסף Yosef. Why would you be critical of יוסף Yosef here? What's there to be critical of? What in the world is יוסף Yosef thinking? It's גמרא מגילה ט\"ז עמוד ב Gemara Megillah Tes Zayin, Amud Beis. What's יוסף Yosef thinking? This whole thing began why? Favoritism. Because יוסף Yosef was favored, he got the colored coat, nobody else got it. And what's his response to it? To treat his brother with whom he has the most in common better than the other brothers. The גמרא Gemara questions how he could have done it. There are several answers, but one of which is this is a continuation of יוסף Yosef giving the brothers the chance at תשובה גמורה teshuvah gemurah. He's continuing to orchestrate things to be exactly the way they were and to test whether the brothers were going to act the same way or whether the brothers were now going to act and react a little bit differently. ולאביו שלח כזאת עשרה חמרים נשאים מטוב מצרים ועשר אתנת נשאת בר ולחם ומזון לאביו לדרך. U'l'aviv shalach k'zos asarah chamorim nos'im mituv Mitzrayim v'eser asonos nos'os bar valachem u'mazon l'aviv ladarech. And to his father he sent ten donkeys with the best of Egypt and ten she-donkeys with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey when they would, when they would come back. וישלח את אחיו וילכו. ויאמר אלהם, אל תרגזו בדרך. Vayeshalach es echav vayeleichu. Vayomer aleihem, al tirgezu badarech. And he's got a message for his brothers. אל תרגזו בדרך Al tirgezu badarech. What does that mean? Don't become תרגזו tirgezu, רוגז rogez, don't become angry, don't become agitated. What does that mean? So רש\"י Rashi has three interpretations. Says רש\"י Rashi, אל תתעסקו בדבר הלכה שלא תרגז עליכם הדרך. Al tisasku b'dvar halacha shelo tirgaz aleichem haderech. Don't get so caught up in a הלכה halacha debate. You're so... you're going to be against ביטול תורה bittul Torah, you're going to want to take advantage of every moment, you're going to shmooze and learning on the way. You know what happens? You're going to end up rear-ending the car, the donkey in front of you. You're going to end up pulling off the road, end up in a ditch. You're going to end up not being safe and some לסטים listim, somebody's going to rob you on the way. So therefore, don't become too immersed in your תורה Torah discussion so much so that you're oblivious to what's happening around you, that's dangerous. You have one job. Go home, get dad, get your families, get back here. You don't have to finish ש\"ס Shas on the way. דבר אחר, אל תפסיעו פסיעה גסה, והכנסו חמה לעיר. Davar acher, al tafsi'u p'siah gasah, v'hikan'su chamah la'ir. Second פשט pshat is, don't walk a haughty walk. פשט Pshat number two is, don't be impatient on the journey, don't be haughty. And number three is, דואג שמא יריבו בדרך על דבר מכירתו, ולהתוכח זה עם זה ולומר, על ידך נמכר, אתה ספרת לשון הרע עליו, וגרמת לנו להסתם... Do'eg shema yarivu baderech al dvar mechiraso, l'hisvake'ach zeh im zeh v'lomar, al yadcha nimkar, ata sipart loshon hora alav, v'garamta lanu l'histamem... He's worried, you know what's going to happen? As soon as they get out of that palace, they're going... \"Oh, I can't believe it, that's crazy, that's יוסף Yosef, he's still alive. We're in big trouble. He may kill us, Dad's going to kill us. This was all your fault.\" \"My fault? What are you talking about? This is all your fault.\" \"My fault? You're the one who spoke לשון הרע lashon hara.\" \"No, you're the one. You couldn't stand the dreamer. No, you hated the coat.\" He's worried that the second they take leave of him, they're going to blame one another. אל תרגזו בדרך Al tirgezu baderech means don't use the whole דרך derech with רוגז rogez. Don't spend the whole path being ברוגז brogez at one another. Don't fight. Earlier when he revealed himself to his brothers, he said, \"You think I hold this against you? You think you're so strong that you could have coordinated this? You're just puppets. You're just vehicles. You're just instruments of השם Hashem. This is all from השם Hashem.\" So he's telling them now that in terms of their way back, \"You're just instruments of השם Hashem. השם Hashem coordinated all all of this to happen. I'm here because that was השם's Hashem's will.\" So don't get caught up in blaming one another. You've got a job. Go home, get dad, come back, come back down. The רשב\"ם Rashbam says too, אל תיראו כלום בדרך מפני לסטים Al tir'u klum baderech mipnei listim. Don't worry about getting robbed. Just go and get back. The רמב\"ן Ramban, the אור החיים Ohr Hachaim, we have to finish here, but several different interpretations about אל תרגזו בדרך al tirgezu badarech. Wishing everyone a...
