Transcript
Okay, good morning everyone. Welcome back to Parsha Perspectives for today. Thank you for joining us this morning of learning. What a great morning it's been so far, and a פרייליכן freilichin and זאָס חנוכה Zos Chanukah for those who are watching or listening while it is still Chanukah. Our Parsha series is generously sponsored by Becky and Avi Katz and family in memory of David Grossman, ליל נשמת דוד בן מנחם מניס Leil nishmas Dovid ben Menachem Manis. This morning's class is also sponsored by the one and only Essie Berry in memory of her beloved father, Max Gopen, ברוך מרדכי בן יחזקאל צבי Boruch Mordechai ben Yechaskel Tzvi, her dear brother קנטור משה געפן Kanter Moshe Gafen, whom we miss, and a רפואה שלימה לחיה צירל בת אריה צפורה refuah shleima l'Chaya Tzirel bas Aryeh Tziporah. Thank you so much for your generosity and for your sponsorship. All right, פרשת ויגש Parshas Vayigash. These incredible stories unfolding. I know you're all at the edge of your chair. You have no idea what's going to happen. The cliffhanger from week to week. What will be in the saga that is unfolding between Yosef and his brothers? We're on page 250 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. We are פרשת ויגש Parshas Vayigash, פרק מ״ד, פסוק י״ח Perek Mem-Daled, pasuk yud-ches. And our פרשה Parsha begins. ויגש אליו יהודה ויאמר, בי אדוני, ידבר נא עבדך דבר באזני אדוני ואל יחר אפך בעבדך, כי כמוך כפרעה Vayigash eilav Yehuda vayomer, bi adoni, yedaber na avdecha davar b'oznei adoni, v'al yichar apcha b'avdecha, ki chamocha k'Pharaoh. Yehuda musters the courage, he puts together the confidence. This is the moment of confrontation. Yosef, who recognized all his brothers but remained unrecognizable to them, Yosef has been orchestrating this entire drama, this entire saga. He's been doing so in order to make these dreams come true, and this is the moment of truth. When Yosef, now faced with the same exact circumstance, the same exact situation, a brother who's on the outs, will he abandon a brother once again? Will the brothers move on down one man, or will they stand up? Will they stand up for a brother and refuse to leave until they are complete? And the moment Yehuda is willing to stand up, now Yosef says sees they've done תשובה גמורה tshuva gemura, they've done full repentance, and he is ready to be able to move on together with them. רב נחמן מברסלב Rav Nachman of Breslov, there's so much to say on this opening פסוק pasuk. It's so hard. You don't know how hard it is from this perspective behind the table up here. So many incredible דברי תורה divrei Torah on this opening פסוק pasuk, we could spend four hours on the opening פסוק pasuk of the דברי תורה divrei Torah through the years. My favorite רמז Remaz, the רוקח Rokeach, three steps forward of the עמידה Amida, the three ויגשים Vayigash'es, but I'm not going to say it all. I've said it before. All new things, all new. So, רב נחמן Rav Nachman says the following. יוסף מונה למשנה למלכות מצרים Yosef moneh l'mishneh l'malchus Mitzrayim. Yosef was appointed to be the viceroy of Egypt. He's the משנה למלך Mishneh l'melech, he's the second in command. כאשר ירדו אחיו למצרים לקנות אוכל הם לא זיהו אותו Kaasher yardu achav leMitzrayim liknos ochel, hem lo zihu oso. והוא החליט להעמיד אותם במבחן V'hu ichlit lahamid osam b'mivchan. Yosef, they don't recognize him, it's been many years. He looks different. We're going to explore in a moment. Still, even if you have a brother, even if it's 22 years, even if it's in to have a hipster beard, and Yosef looks totally different, so what? A brother you don't recognize? A brother you don't recognize? How could it be? Is it possible they didn't want to recognize him? Is it possible subconsciously, even to a degree consciously? We'll see in a moment. But either way, says רב נחמן Rav Nachman, הוא החליט להעמיד אותם במבחן Hu ichlit la'amid osam b'mivchan. He chooses to put them through a test. והורה למשנה שלו להטמין את גביע הכסף שלו באמתחתו של בנימין v'horeh l'mishnah shelo l'hatmin es gviah ha'kesef shelo b'amtachto shel Binyamin. And he hides his goblet in the sack of Binyamin. לאחר שנמצא הגביע, יאשים יוסף את בנימין בגניבה L'achar she'nimtza ha'gviah, ya'ashim Yosef es Binyamin b'gneiva. And once the goblet is discovered in the sack of Binyamin, Yosef now falsely accuses. ודורש שבנימין יישאר אצלו כעבד בעוד שאר אחיו חוזרים לאביהם V'doresh sheBinyamin yisha'er etzlo k'eved, b'od she'ar achav chozrim l'avihem. He says everyone else go home, everyone else go back, everyone else go be with your father. He's staying here with me. He creates a scenario that simply is a recreation of what he himself went through, that a brother is a part, is outside from the other brothers, in order to test them. He puts them in a position, will they do the same thing they did last time, which is abandon a brother and move on? Will they go back and make another excuse? Will they dip another coat in blood and claim it again there was some extraordinary incident, or will they stand up? Will they remain behind? Will they not leave a brother behind? יהודה ניגש אל יוסף כדי לנסות לשכנע אותו לקחת אותו לעבד במקום בנימין Yehuda nigash el Yosef kedei l'hanasos l'shachnea oso l'kachas oso l'eved b'mkom Binyamin. And this time, Yehuda stands up. Yehuda steps up. This time Yehuda says, I refuse to go forward without my brother. למה מדגיש הפסוק שיהודה ניגש Lama madgish ha'pasuk she'Yehuda nigash?. And here's רב נחמן Rav Nachman's question, the הייליגע ברסלבר, רבי נחמן מברסלב heilige Breslover, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. ויגש אליו יהודה ויאמר בי אדוני Vayigash eilav Yehuda vayomer bi adoni. Why does the pasuk have to first introduce with ויגש Vayigash, that Yehuda approached Yosef? Why not simply start, ויאמר יהודה אל יוסף Vayomer Yehuda el Yosef? Yehuda turned to Yosef and he challenged him, and he confronted him, and he spoke to him. Why do we need the drama of he stepped up, he approached, we're trying to give this dramatic background. You know, if you take, if you're an English major or minor, you took any English class, often the teacher will give back and say, \"You're trying too hard. You're trying to create too much drama.\" Just tell the story, let the story speak for itself. So why is the Torah here almost artificially creating this drama? ויגש Vayigash. Ooh, you could picture it. Yehuda musters the courage, he speaks to himself, then he's willing to step up and stand out. Just, just cut to the chase. ויאמר יהודה אל יוסף Vayomer Yehuda el Yosef. What did he say? What were the words that he used? So חז״ל Chazal tells us, בראשית רבה ויגש Breishis Rabba Vayigash, שהתורה רצתה להדגיש שיהודה ניגש והכין עצמו לתפילה She'ha'Torah ratzta l'hadgish she'Yehuda nigash v'hechin atzmo l'tfila. In that moment, the ויגש Vayigash was not directed to Yosef, the ויגש Vayigash is directed to Hashem. Yehuda is girding himself, preparing himself, directing himself, focusing himself to turn to Hashem in תפילה tfila. הוא דיבר אמנם עם יוסף, אך תוך כדי דבריו ליוסף, התפלל בליבו להשם, שיסייע בידו Hu diber omnam im Yosef, ach toch kedei dvarav l'Yosef, hispalel b'libo l'Hashem, she'yesa'eia b'yado. Sometimes externally, superficially, you can appear as if you're talking to a person, but in your heart, as you're speaking to that person, you're offering a תפילה tfila. This is the mission of a Jew, the level of אמונה emunah a man to live with is to be in such close contact and connection, to live with such אמונה ודביקות emunah and dveikus to Hashem, that even while we're going through a motion, even while we're speaking to someone else, really who we're speaking to is Hashem. Really that action, that initiative we're taking is a form of a תפילה tfila to Hashem. מכאן אני יכול ללמוד מסר חשוב בעניין תפילה Mikan ani yachol lomed meser chashuv b'inyan tfila. From here, says רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman, we learn a very powerful idea and insight. We learn a model of תפילה tfila. באחת מתורותיו המפורסמות ביותר B'achas m'Torosov ha'mefursamos b'yoser, one of the most famous teachings of רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman, ליקוטי מוהר״ן חלק א׳, סימן רפ״ב Likkutei Moharan Chelek Aleph, Siman Reish-Pey-Beis, כותב רבי נחמן על חשיבות להיות בשמחה תמיד koseiv Rebbe Nachman al chashivus l'hiyos b'simcha tamid. A Jew always needs to be happy. He can't be sad. We spoke about this a couple Shabboses ago, מדוע פניכם רעים היום Madua pneichem ra'im hayom?. That Yosef, even though he's in jail, he's rotting in a dungeon, and he's come out of a pit, and he's been falsely accused, he's תמיד בשמחה tamid b'simcha. Like רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman, he's a ברסלבר Breslover, he's the first ברסלבר Breslover. He's תמיד בשמחה tamid b'simcha. I don't know what kind of יארמלקע yarmulke he's wearing, one of those white big יארמלקעס yarmulkes, but Yosef is dancing even in prison, he's תמיד בשמחה tamid b'simcha, he's always happy. And when you're happy, you can't stand that others are unhappy, and that's what stimulates him to say, מדוע פניכם רעים היום Madua pneichem ra'im hayom?. He turns to the two officers, why are you unhappy today? עצבות Atzvus, sadness is an עבירה aveira. A person has to be בשמחה b'simcha. אפילו כשיש לאדם עצבות סיבות מוצדקות לכאורה, כגון כשאדם מסתכל על עצמו ורואה שהוא מלא חטאים ועבירות Af ilu k'she'yesh l'adam atzvus sibos mutzdakos lachora, k'gon k'she'adam mistakel al atzmo v'ro'eh shehu malei chata'im v'aveiros. Even when a person seemingly has a very good reason to be sad, to beat oneself up, to feel a sense of shame and guilt. Even if a person has made terrible, drastic mistakes, and the יצר הרע Yeitzer Hara wins when it says be sad, have despair, be hopeless, give up. All of that is the language and all of that is the methodology and the strategy of the יצר הרע Yeitzer Hara. The יצר הרע Yeitzer Hara is saying be sad. Be sad. אבל אסור להיכנע ועליו לחפש למצוא בעצמו לפחות מעט טוב Aval asur l'hikasha v'alav l'chapes l'imzo b'atzmo l'fachos ma'at tov. Look for the good, find a reason to be happy. See the silver lining. אין אדם שלא עשה בימיו איזה מצווה או מעשה טוב כלשהו Ein adam shelo asa b'yamav ei zeh mitzvah o ma'aseh tov kol shehu. We all have some redeeming value, quality, we have a redeeming part of our personality, we're redeeming actions and behavior that make us virtuous and worthwhile, some level of righteousness in our lives, some level of good and blessing and ברכה bracha for which we could be grateful. אבל לפעמים גם הדבר הטוב שמוצא אדם בעצמו, הוא פגום ואינו שלם Aval lifamim gam ha'davar ha'tov she'motzei adam b'atzmo, hu pgam v'eino shalem. נכון הוא עשה פעם איזה מצווה, אבל גם היא מלאה פגמים Nachon hu asa pa'am eizeh mitzvah, aval gam hi m'lei'ah pgamim. And maybe even when we find the good or we see the blessing, it too has holes, it too has shortcomings, it too has compromise. So we feel sad, and we beat ourselves up, and we have despair, and we're down and out. But a person who looks that way is going to fall to sadness. And when you have despair, you give up on yourself, then you don't strive for greatness, then you can't live your best self. ברגע שאדם מחפש ומוצא בעצמו איזה נקודה טובה, אותה נקודה היא חלק מאלוקות ממש B'rega she'adam mechapes u'motzei b'atzmo eizeh nekuda tova, oso nekuda hi chelek m'Elokus mamash. When you see the worthiness and you see the godliness and you see the goodness in yourself, then you believe. You believe in the future. כי כל הטוב שקיים במציאות נובע מהשם יתברך Ki kol ha'tov she'kayam b'metzius novea me'Hashem yisbarach. All the good it comes from Hashem. And with this, רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman explains our opening pasuk. ויגש אליו יהודה Vayigash eilav Yehuda. We've spoken in years past, you could listen to the previous shiurim, who is the אליו eilav? אליו Eilav is a pronoun. Yehuda approached him. Who's the him? The simple understanding is Yosef. He walks up to Yosef and he says, Yosef, not knowing it's Yosef, I can't go back without Binyamin. It'll kill my father. It's a violation of my promise. It's not happening. I'm not going back without him. Take me instead. I'll give up my life, I'll lie down in front of this tractor. It's not happening. Not happening. Simple understanding of אליו eilav is who's the אליו eilav? Yosef. There's another understanding of who's the אליו eilav? Himself. He's speaking to himself. This connects to our שבת שובה דרשה Shabbos Shuva Drasha, but the conversations that we have with ourselves. Researchers have concluded, don't ask me how, that we speak no less than three million words to ourselves a day. Even the most shy, introvert, quiet person, we speak, we're from the moment we wake up till we fall asleep, and many people sleep very little, so we're awake many hours of the day, and we are constantly in conversation with ourselves. How many of you had a long, arduous, difficult conversation about whether to have one more רוגעלעך rugelach? How long was that conversation? How many words were spoken? Well, it's the end of Chanukah. You've had so many sufganiyot. The diet'll start tomorrow. זאָס חנוכה Zos Chanukah, what's one more? It's already been such a bad eating week. No, I promised myself today, זאָס חנוכה Zos Chanukah would be the new day. I had an already enough, I had one, or I promised I wouldn't have any. How many? You could spend a million words just on one רוגעלעך rugelach. The conversations that we have with ourselves to regulate ourselves, sometimes to encourage ourselves, sometimes to inspire ourselves, sometimes to humble ourselves and lessen ourselves and lower ourselves. We all need different conversations with ourselves, but we are constantly in conversation with ourselves. So the second interpretation, ויגש אליו Vayigash eilav Yehuda, Yehuda approached him. Who's the him? Yosef, maybe, that's the obvious, that's the simple. אליו Eilav could mean himself. ויגש אליו Vayigash eilav Yehuda, Yehuda approached himself. He inspired himself. Sometimes we have to give ourselves a pep talk. You're going into a difficult conversation, a difficult meeting, a difficult attempt to reconciliation, or you're about to stand up for something that you believe in. You're going into lobby to advocate. ויגש אליו Vayigash eilav. We have to approach ourselves. We have to gird ourselves. We have to build ourselves, our self-confidence. But here, says רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman, who's the אליו eilav in ויגש אליו יהודה Vayigash eilav Yehuda? A third interpretation is none other than the רבונו של עולם Ribbono shel Olam. כאשר היהודי רוצה לגשת לתפילה, הוא לפעמים מרגיש כבידות, ולא פשוט להוציא דבר קדוש מתוך פיו, בגלל הרגש וחוסר הטוב Ka'asher ha'yehudi rotzeh l'gashos l'tfila, hu l'famim margish kveidus v'lo pashut l'hotzi davar kadosh me'toch piv, biglal ha'ragash v'ha'chasach ha'tov. The רמ״א Rema says, the רוקח Rokeach, three ויגשים Vayigash'es, three steps forward. Avram, ויגש Vayigash. I can't help it. Avram approached Hashem for Stom. That was one ויגש Vayigash. Second ויגש Vayigash, Yehuda approaches for his brother. And the third, אליהו Eliyahu approaches representing Hashem himself. The three times someone stood up for another ויגש Vayigash, we stepped up, we stood out, we we advocated. Avram, for evil, wicked people. Yehuda for a brother, אחדות achdus. And אליהו הנביא Eliyahu HaNavi for Hashem himself, for a קידוש השם Kiddush Hashem. Three ויגשים Vayigash'es we're supposed to think about. The Rema quotes the רוקח Rokeach, three times that we take three steps forward for the עמידה Amida. One, we're fighting even for רשעים reshaim. Two, we're about to think about our brothers. Three, Hashem, I'm davening for you, for your name, for your name to be made great, for כבוד שמים kvod shamayim, for קידוש השם Kiddush Hashem. Okay, good. We got that out of the way. So, ויגש אליו יהודה Vayigash eilav Yehuda. I can't help it every year. So sometimes a person wants to daven but they say, who am I to daven? I'm going to daven? I have an עוגמת נפש agunasht. Do you know what I was just doing, what I was looking at on my phone, what I was saying on my phone, the לשון הרע lashon hara I was sharing? Do you know who I am, how lowly I am, how pathetic I am? Do you understand that how much I've abandoned Hashem, I've not fulfilled what he wants and what he wills for me? Who am I and what am I? So I'm going to now stand up and daven for Hashem, to Hashem. So we beat ourselves up and we think we're unworthy, and then we fail to daven, or we don't daven the way we could, with the enthusiasm, the passion, the authenticity that we could. That's why we spoke about in תפילה tfila, in Siddur Snippets, what's the first thing we say even before we open our mouth? We take three steps forward, and the introduction to the עמידה Amida is, השם שפתי תפתח ופי יגיד תהילתך Hashem sefasai tiftach, u'fi yagid tehilasecha. Who said those words and when? Where are they from? How many times have you said שמונה עשרה Shmoneh Esreh? Three times a day for how many days, how many weeks, how many months, how many years? I won't ask. Where do those words come from? דוד המלך David HaMelech. And where do they appear? תהילים נ״ב Tehillim Nun-Beis. And what is דוד המלך David HaMelech saying there? After the episode with בת שבע Basheva, where he is confronted by the נביא Navi, and דוד המלך David HaMelech says, how do I talk to Hashem after what I've done? I'm so, I'm such a failure. I'm so low. I'm so far from Him. He probably doesn't even want to hear from me. How do I find the words? השם שפתי תפתח Hashem sefasai tiftach. Hashem, open my mouth. Help me find the words to reengage, to reconnect, to readdress you. And that's how we begin our עמידה Amida every day. Invoking that same feeling of דוד המלך David HaMelech. I've made mistakes. Between שחרית Shachris and מנחה Mincha, between מנחה Mincha and מעריב Maariv, if you go to the same Elchammar for מעריב Maariv, it's hard to make mistakes. Although if you look at your phone during Siddur Snippets, you have to say, השם שפתי תפתח למעריב Hashem sefasai tiftach l'Maariv. מעריב Maariv, between מעריב Maariv and שחרית Shachris. Say, Hashem, since I last davened, you know how many mistakes I've made? You know how far I've fallen? Who am I? You don't want to hear from me. השם שפתי תפתח Hashem sefasai tiftach. Help me. Open my mouth. Move my lips. Give me the words to say. So that's what's going on over here, says רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman. Says רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman, גם כי אלך בגיא צלמוות לא אירא רע כי אתה עמדי Gam ki eilech b'gei tzalmaves lo ira ra, ki ata imadi. We spoke about two weeks ago in the אמונה שיעור emunah shiur. No matter where I am, no matter what's happening, I can confront anything. Why? כי אתה עמדי Ki ata imadi. As long as you are by my side. ובדבקות ההכרה הזאת, מתקיים, ידבר נא עבדך דבר באזני אדוני U'b'dikvas ha'kara zos, miskayeim, 'yedaber na avdecha davar b'oznei adoni'. ויגש אליו יהודה Vayigash eilav Yehuda. When Yehuda realizes, ויגש Vayigash. Hashem is approachable. He's accessible. He wants to hear from us. So רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman's answering, why did the Torah have to say ויגש Vayigash? Why not just start the pasuk three words in? The real estate of the Torah is precious. Start three words in. ויאמר... בי אדוני Vayomer... bi adoni. Start with ויאמר Vayomer. What did Yehuda say to Yosef? Why do we need those opening three words? ויגש אליו יהודה Vayigash eilav Yehuda. Why do I need the drama? Why do I need the imagery? Why do I need the sense of approaching, the posture? Says רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman, because it's not talking about Yehuda and Yosef. ויגש אליו יהודה Vayigash eilav Yehuda is Yehuda approaching Hashem, offering a תפילה tfila, let this go well. I'm on my way into the board meeting. I'm on my way into the operating room. I'm on my way into the supermarket, the gym. I'm on my way into parent-teacher conferences. I'm on my way into any circumstance, situation or venue, ויגש אליו Vayigash eilav. Approach Hashem, he's approachable. He wants to hear us. And when we do, ידבר נא עבדך דבר באזני אדוני yedaber na avdecha davar b'oznei adoni. Hashem says, no, speak, talk. What do you want to say? I'm all ears. I'm here to listen. So רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman, a totally new interpretation, understanding of this opening pasuk, that it's not Yehuda approaching Yosef. Maybe it's Yehuda approaching himself, but it's Yehuda ultimately approaching the רבונו של עולם Ribbono shel Olam in תפילה tfila, that this confrontation go well and that it yield successful results. Okay, moving along. פרק מ״ד, פסוק כ״ח Perek Mem-Daled, Pasuk Chaf-Ches. ויצא האחד מאתי ואמר אך טרף טרף ולא ראיתיו עד הנה Vayeitzei ha'echad mei'iti vayomer, ach toraf toraf, v'lo re'isiv ad heina. This is the whole dialogue. This is the monologue really that Yehuda is giving to Yosef as he's confronting him. And he tells him the whole story. My mother, father, father sent us, we had nothing to eat, came back, he said if I lose another son I'll surely die. Go back, get us food, we can't go down, only if the youngest brother comes. Said, you know that my wife bore me two sons, one has left me. He has surely been torn to pieces, for I have not seen him since. Right? Yehuda is quoting his father who says, I lost that wife of two of my sons, and I lost one of those sons whom it was presented to me that what? טרף טרף Toraf toraf, ולא ראיתיו עד הנה v'lo re'isiv ad heina, that he was surely torn to pieces and I have not seen him since then. What does that mean? He was surely torn to pieces and I've not seen him since then. So we turn, for the first time today, of several, to, as you know, my favorite new sefer, אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Pilos HaTorah, the wonderful אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Pilos HaTorah, that this week quotes one of our members, somebody who's here, but we'll get to that. ויצא האחד מאתי ואמר אך טרף טרף Vayeitzei ha'echad mei'iti vayomer ach toraf toraf. The חתם סופר Ksam Sofer. He quotes the חתם סופר Ksam Sofer in תורת משה Toras Moshe. דבר נפלא בביאור הפסוק dover nifla b'biur ha'pasuk. He quotes the חתם סופר Ksam Sofer says something remarkable in understanding this pasuk. Quote, נראה שיעקב אבינו לא חשש שיוסף מת Nireh she'Yaakov Avinu lo chashash she'Yosef meis. Did Yaakov think Yosef was dead? Or did he hold out hope against all odds? He saw a colored coat that was colored and covered in blood. The evidence was overwhelming that indeed what they said was true, that Yosef was no longer, that he was torn to shreds, that he was killed. Yet, Yaakov held out hope against all odds. Why? כיוון שלא נראה אליו בשום פעם בחלום Keivan she'lo nireh eilav b'shum paam b'chalom. ועל כרחך סבר, שניטרף בדעתו, והולך ושובב בין החיות V'al korchach savar, she'nitraf b'deito, v'holech v'shovev bein ha'chayos. כי חיה אחת ברדלס שמה, שנשיכתה מטרפת דעת האדם Ki chaya achas bardela shma, she'neshichasa metarefes da'as ha'adam. והיינו דאמר, טרף טרף, שניטרף בדעתו, דלא ראיתיו עד הנה V'hainu d'amar, toraf toraf, she'nitraf b'deito, d'lo re'isiv ad heina. I haven't seen him again in a dream. So you know what I think happened to him, the חתם סופר Ksam Sofer says? Yaakov did not believe, he did not accept for a moment that Yosef was killed. He knew Yosef was among the living. So where was he? Why hasn't he heard from him? Why didn't he hear from him even in a dream? You know why? כי טרף טרף Ki toraf toraf. טרף טרף Toraf toraf can mean surely torn apart, but it could also mean טרף טרף toraf toraf, has gone insane. What made him go insane? He was bit by a wild animal and a wild animal that bit and gave its poison will make a person lose their mind. The חתם סופר Ksam Sofer says, אך טרף טרף ach toraf toraf, ולא ראיתיו v'lo re'isiv. לא ראיתיו Lo re'isiv means I haven't seen him in a dream. Why? Because he's no longer the person I knew. ניטרף בדעתו Nitraf b'deito. He's lost his mind. So Yaakov was inconsolable. Yaakov refused to accept the possibility that Yosef was no longer, he was no longer among the living, but he did have concern, לא ראיתיו עוד lo re'isiv od, I haven't seen him. And why haven't I seen him? Because in a dream? Because טרף טרף toraf toraf, because he's lost his mind. Again, אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Pilos HaTorah. He finds and he digs up these fascinating obscure, it's a חתם סופר Ksam Sofer, but opinions that introduce such ideas that we never knew from. I wish I could share all of them with you, but, you know, he talks about, when Yosef reveals himself, he says, Yosef shows him that he's מהול mahul. What's the big deal? A lot of people were circumcised. Yosef reveals he has no scarring on his מילה mila. Why? He was born מהול mahul, and only holy people are born מהול mahul. He digs up these obscure fascinating insights. אני יוסף Ani Yosef. This is the moment of truth. Yehuda finishes his monologue, his presentation, his moment of confrontation, and how does Yosef respond? He responds with five words. פרק מ״ה, פסוק ג׳ Perek Mem-Hei, Pasuk Gimmel. ויאמר יוסף אל אחיו Vayomer Yosef el achav, page 252. Yosef turns to his brothers and he says, אני יוסף, העוד אבי חי Ani Yosef, ha'od avi chai. I am Yosef, is my father still alive? This too we've unpacked many times through the years. חז״ל Chazal, the מדרש Medrash says on these words, אני יוסף Ani Yosef, אוי לנו מיום הדין, אוי לנו מיום התוכחה Oy lanu m'Yom HaDin, oy lanu m'Yom HaTochacha. Woe unto us on the day of judgment. When we will experience our own moment of אני יוסף Ani Yosef. What does that mean? In what way will we experience our own moment of אני יוסף Ani Yosef? In that moment, everything came, became clear. The picture became clear for these brothers. All the things that were in denial of for ourselves, we're forced to see with clarity and to confront the truth and the reality of our ways. We won't need to have any other consequence. I've told the story before in the Parsha class, but someone I'm closely related to through marriage. My wife once called me, she had been pulled over, and she was getting a ticket. She said, can you believe it? Policeman is behind, I shouldn't deserve it, I'm sure it was a mistake. But she was a, policeman was behind her giving her a ticket. So my first reaction is, well how could you? Why were you going so fast? Now our insurance is gonna go up. Why are you doing that? She said to me, and I quote, אפרים Ephraim, the policeman is behind me with his lights on, currently writing up the ticket. Do you think I need to hear your מוסר mussar of what I did wrong? Do I think I need the message right now from you about how not to go too fast or how to go just fast enough but not too fast that you get a ticket? You think I really need to hear that right now? It was a very powerful message that impacted me in marriage and parenting and life, that when a person is facing the natural consequence of what they've done, they don't need you to pour it on. They don't need you to now articulate and communicate and make it worse. They've got the natural consequence. There's nothing that speaks louder or more compelling or more articulate than that. קדוש ברוך הוא Kodosh Boruch Hu, אוי לנו מיום הדין, אוי לנו מיום התוכחה Oy lanu m'Yom HaDin, oy lanu m'Yom HaTochacha. We will see the consequence of what we've done. We'll see the whole picture. We'll see the scene. We'll see the fallout of that which we didn't even know on the יום הדין Yom HaDin, in the world of truth. We'll see the whole picture. And nothing will need to be said, nothing more will need to be said. And that's what's going on. אני יוסף Ani Yosef. That's all he has to say. Remember, 22 years? You thought I was gone. You got rid of me. You hated me. לא יכלו דברו לשלום Lo yachlu diber lo l'shalom, you couldn't even say שלום עליכם Shalom Aleichem to me. Remember, you threw me in a pit, you sold me into slavery? You remember you've been coming down for a little while? Someone's been rescuing you with food. I have one thing to say. אני יוסף Ani Yosef. Mike drop. It's the original Mike drop moment. Your grandchildren will explain to you what that means. It's the original Mike drop moment. אני יוסף Ani Yosef. He doesn't have to say anymore. But he does say something more. And what does he say more? העוד אבי חי Ha'od avi chai. העוד אבי חי Ha'od avi chai? What was Yehuda's whole argument a moment ago? We have a father and our father is going to die and our father told us this and we have to bring our brother back to our father and our father and our father and our father and our father. Yosef says, אני יוסף Ani Yosef. Mike drop. One more thing. Is my father still alive? Yehuda just told him 100 times about your father. But you'll notice Yosef did not say is our father still alive. What does he say? It's my father. He understands their father is alive. But is the one who learned with me, who held on to me, the one I was his favorite, who gave me the coat, has he given up on me? Did he move on from me? העוד אבי Ha'od avi, is my father still alive? Is that special relationship still alive? Does he long for me? Is that still alive? And then he goes on. The brothers are shocked, they're frightened, they're unable to respond. We'll get to it in a moment. They're unable to respond. And then he continues. Yosef says to them incredible words, extraordinary words. פסוק ה׳ Pasuk Hei. ועתה, אל תעצבו ואל יחר בעיניכם כי מכרתם אותי הנה V'ata, al te'atzvu v'al yichar b'eineichem ki mechartem osi heina. And now, don't be sad. We saw רב נחמן Rav Nachman about the איסור issur of sadness, even in that moment. Don't ever, ever be sad. Don't be sad. ואל יחר בעיניכם V'al yichar b'eineichem. And don't be angry, כי מכרתם אותי הנה ki mechartem osi heina, you sold me here. כי למחיה שלחני אלוקים לפניכם Ki l'michyah sh'lachani Elokim lifneichem. You think you did this? You're about to react with sadness, with shame, with guilt. You're going to beat each other up whose fault it was, who really said we shouldn't have done this. Don't fight amongst yourselves. Don't fight with yourselves. Don't feel bad. You know why? This wasn't you. You think I could end up here if Hashem didn't will it? This is all Hashem's master plan. Hashem put me here. Why? כי למחיה שלחני אלוקים לפניכם Ki l'michyah sh'lachani Elokim lifneichem. זה שנתיים הרעב בקרב הארץ Zeh shnasayim ha'ra'av b'kerev ha'aretz. For this has been two years of hunger, another five years. וישלחני אלוקים לפניכם Vayishlacheni Elokim lifneichem. He sent me here ahead of you so I'd be in position. לא אתם שלחתם אותי הנה Lo atem sh'lachtem osi heina. Again he repeats, you didn't send me here. וישימני לאב לפרעה, ולאדון לכל ביתו, ומושל בכל ארץ מצרים Vayesimeini l'av l'Pharaoh, u'l'adon l'chol beiso, u'moshel b'chol Eretz Mitzrayim. I was elevated over all of Eretz Mitzrayim. The שפת אמת Sfas Emes. אני יוסף אחיכם, אשר מכרתם אותי מצרימה Ani Yosef achichem, asher mechartem osi Mitzraima. I am Yosef your brother that you sold me to Egypt. So, the שפת אמת Sfas Emes asks, in a moment he's about to make them feel better. Don't be sad, don't be angry, don't feel shame, don't feel guilt. This was not your, Hashem's master plan. I couldn't end up here if Hashem didn't will it. But before he says that, he says something that seems to sting. It's like he drives a knife through them. He says, אני יוסף אחיכם Ani Yosef achichem. I'm Yosef, your brother. You didn't know how to be my brother. But I'm Yosef, your brother. אשר מכרתם Asher mechartem. And in case you don't remember which Yosef, maybe you had some classmates, Yosef, some neighbors, Yosef, some friends, Yosef, some Facebook followers, Yosef. So maybe you're unclear which Yosef, so let me remind you. I am the Yosef, אשר מכרתם אותי מצרימה asher mechartem osi Mitzraima, that you sold me to Mitzrayim. Says the שפת אמת Sfas Emes, ויגש Vayigash, תרל״ו Taf Reish Lamed Vov. Why is Yosef sticking it to them? Why is Yosef driving the knife through their heart? Why is he emphasizing whom you sold to Mitzrayim? You think they forgot? You think they forgot who he is and how he got there? So says the שפת אמת Sfas Emes, when Yosef said אני יוסף Ani Yosef, the brothers got insight into who the real, a אני ni. This is the real Yosef. They saw his נשמה neshama. They saw who he really was. Not the competitive brother, not the one obsessed with looking in the mirror and fixing his hair. Not the one who selfishly only shared about flaunting his dreams. They saw the שורש הנשמה shoresh ha'neshama. They realized the greatness. They realized his devotion to Hashem. They realized how שם שמים shem shamayim he was. And the shame and the guilt overcame them and washed over them. And they thought to themselves, how could it be? Yosef's an incredible צדיק tzadik. But imagine if the last 22 years, instead of fighting for his life and saving the economy of Egypt, imagine instead he was שטייגן shteiging, he was sitting and learning in the בית מדרש Beis Medrash of our father. Imagine we robbed him, we stole 22 years from him. He would have been 10 times holier, 10 times greater. If this is the greatness we see in front of us right now, imagine who he could have become. To which he answers, אשר מכרתם אותי מצרימה asher mechartem osi Mitzraima. Says the שפת אמת Sfas Emes, that word אשר asher. Translate the word אשר asher. It can be translated not אשר asher that, it can be translated instead אשר asher as because. I am Yosef. And the holy צדיק tzadik that you feel the שורש הנשמה shoresh ha'neshama in front of you right now, the Yosef you see in front of you right now, you know why I am who I am? אשר Asher, not that I sold to Mitzrayim, but because I was sold to Mitzrayim. Thank you for selling me to Mitzrayim. That hardship and those challenges, that struggle and that suffering that I had to navigate, it made me into who I am. I only am who I am as a result of what I went through. I didn't enjoy it. I didn't appreciate it when you put me there, but I want to thank you. Because אני יוסף Ani Yosef, the Yosef you see in front of you is אשר asher, is because אשר מכרתם אותי מצרימה mechartem osi Mitzraima. Because you put me through that furnace of Mitzrayim, it hardened me. It made me who I am. It built me into who I am. This is similar to the language we find, my friend Rabbi Eliahu Goldve points out, the end of Torah, אשר שברת asher shivarta. קדוש ברוך הוא Kodosh Boruch Hu wishes Moshe, אשר שברת asher shivarta. רש״י Rashi quotes חז״ל Chazal, ישר כח אשר שברת yashar koach asher shivarta. Yosef is thanking his brothers. ישר כח Yashar koach. אשר מכרתם Asher mechartem, אשר asher, ישר כח yashar koach that you sold me to Mitzrayim, because אני יוסף Ani Yosef, it turned me into the Yosef of who I am. This is maybe the greatest moment of Yosef's life, that instead of, instead of reacting, lashing out with resentment, with anger, with revenge, not only does he stay calm and display unity, brotherhood and love, but he displays an incredible אמונה emunah. He says, I'm not going to beat you up, you know why? First of all, because you look in the rearview mirror and you see those lights and your ticket is being written up right now. I don't need to say anything because you understand right now. You understand right now the consequences of your action. All I need to say is אני יוסף Ani Yosef. But more than that, moreover, my השקפת החיים hashkafas ha'chaim, my understanding, my אמונה וביטחון emunah and bitachon lead me to the conclusion אשר asher that I only am who I am because of what you put me through. And for that, ישר כח yashar koach. ישר כח Yashar koach. You know, in our lives there are people who have regrets. I wish my parents didn't send me to that school. I wish I grew up in a different home. I wish I didn't have to undergo that hardship. But אני ani, we are who we are only because of what we went through. Like Yosef, we need to look back and realize it's what. molded and shaped, it's what fashioned us into who we are. You know the story of רב יהושע נויברט Rav Yehoshua Neuwirth, רב יהושע נויברט Rav Yehoshua Neuwirth, the author of the שמיר שבת כהלכתה Shmir Shabbat K'Hilchasa. Lived in בית וגן Bayit Vegan, the great צדיק tzadik, the great תלמיד חכם talmid chacham, he lived 1927 to 2013. And in his הקדמה hakdama, into the introduction of שמיר שבת כהלכתה Shmir Shabbat K'Hilchasa, which until this day is the authoritative work on הלכות שבת Hilchos Shabbos. In his introduction, he tells his story. He learned in קול תורה Kol Torah under the great רב שלמה זלמן אויערבאך Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. In the introduction, he says how his family survived the Holocaust. And it's a fascinating story. They were being hid, you should read the introduction, but the short version, his family was able to hide in their apartment. The Nazis, ימח שמם וזכרם yimach shemam v'zichram, thought that they had fled, that they had run, and they were hiding in their apartment. And they were for three years. They didn't go near a window day or night. They didn't want to be seen, they didn't want to be recognized. Someone was bringing them food ever so often, but for three years they essentially hunkered down. Among the many unimaginable things about the Holocaust, to not see daylight for three years. They didn't see daylight. So what does the family do for three years that are in isolation, that don't see daylight, that don't so much as look at a window, that don't get a visitor, that don't go out? They couldn't even look out the window. So he writes, they had a גמרא כתובות Gemara Kesubos and they had a משנה ברורה חלק ג Mishna Berurah Chelek Gimmel. משנה ברורה חלק ג Mishna Berurah Chelek Gimmel is הלכות שבת Hilchos Shabbos. And those years he learned that משנה ברורה Mishna Berurah over and over and over and over and over and over again for those three years. And he turned that rut, he turned that isolation, he turned being confined in that so small space into the knowledge and the background that positioned him to write the שמיר שבת Shmir Shabbos. But that wasn't what motivated him ultimately to write the שמיר שבת Shmir Shabbos. When the war was over and the family had the opportunity to migrate to ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael, to Israel, the ship that was leaving was leaving on שבת Shabbos. Now he knew that if they remained behind, they surely could be killed, they wouldn't survive, they wouldn't live. It was a circumstance of פיקוח נפש pikuach nefesh to be able to go. So they went. But even as he boarded that boat, he made a promise to himself that because he had to compromise on the sanctity of שבת Shabbos, he would now dedicate his life to promote the learning and the observance of הלכות שבת Hilchos Shabbos. That's what he writes in the beginning of שמיר שבת כהלכתה Shmir Shabbos K'Hilchasa. It was the fact that he learned הלכות שבת Hilchos Shabbos over and over and over again in those three years of hiding, and then the fact that he got on that ship and had to compromise on the observance of שבת Shabbos, that he would use and dedicate his life now to promoting the greater learning of, knowledge of, and observance and practice of שבת Shabbos. He used the circumstance of his life. And he said, אשר asher, not that, but because he was in hiding, because he had to, he had to travel on שבת Shabbos, that would become the שמיר שבת כהלכתה Shmir Shabbos K'Hilchasa. We can follow in those footsteps in that way. פרק מה פסוק ה Perek Mem Hey, Pasuk Hey. אל תעצבו Al te'atzvu. So יוסף Yosef tells them, don't be sad. Don't be sad. This is not you, it's from השם Hashem. And the מגן יוסף Magen Yosef, רב יוסף סרוצקין Rav Yosef Sarotzkin wonders, תמוה הדבר tamuah hadavar. מה קשור כאן ענין של כעס Ma kasher kan inyan shel kaas? Don't be sad I understand. Where does don't be angry come in? ברוך אתה ה' אלקינו מלך העולם שהכל נהיה בדברו Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olam shehakol nihiyeh bidvaro. Don't be sad I understand, אל תעצבו al te'atzvu. Where does ואל יחר בעיניכם v'al yichar b'eineichem, don't get angry? Why would they get angry? צינוק עצבות מבינים עונש על אלו דיוצא על אח שנמכר, וכן על עבירה חמורה שנחשבה לו, אבל כעס... Tzinuch atzvus mevinim onish al eilu d'yotzei al ach she'nimkar, v'chen al aveira chamurah she'nechshva lo, aval kaas... על מי יכעסו al mi yichasu? Who is the danger they would get angry at? Don't get angry at me? Why would they get angry at יוסף Yosef? ונראה שטמון כאן יסוד גדול בכחות הנפש V'nir'eh she'taman kan yesod gadol b'kochos hanefesh. Says רב יוסף סרוצקין Rav Yosef Sarotzkin, you see hidden here in this פסוק pasuk, in this insight, a powerful insight into the psyche of people. גנב שנתפס בקלקלתו, קלקולותו, יכעס על זה שתפסו. כי אכן כועס איש שנתפס. ועליו לפנות את כעסו ליעד מסויים. וכבר ימצא נימוק להאשים את זה שתפסו. Ganav she'nitpas b'kalkalaso, kilkoloso, yichas al zeh she'tfaso. Ki achein ko'eis ish she'nitpas. V'alav l'fanos et kaso l'yad me'suyam. U'kvar yimtza nimuk l'hashim et zeh she'tfaso. The natural instinct and inclination in the moment that we're caught is to be angry that we're caught. But that's the wrong feeling. יוסף Yosef was telling them, don't be angry right now that you were caught. Don't say, oh, why couldn't the neighbor go down to מצרים Mitzrayim? Why did it have to be us? We should have worn a disguise. Why did he have to recognize us? Why were we caught? Why were we caught? Don't be angry you were caught, embrace and lean into the fact that you were caught to now live the rest of your life. So who were they going to be angry at? They were going to be angry at life that they were caught. Our first instinct when we're caught is, I can't believe there was a policeman and Waze didn't tell me. Our first thing is I can't believe I was caught. Instead of saying, let me, don't, don't say this to the person who was caught, but saying to ourselves, let me use this moment to grow, to improve, to be better, to be better. פרק מה פסוק יד Perek Mem Hey, Pasuk Yud Daled, turn to the page, 254. What happens? This great reunion. יהודה Yehuda confronts יוסף Yosef. יוסף Yosef reveals himself to his brothers. And then he says, והנה עיניכם רואות ועיני אחי בנימין כי פי המדבר אליכם. והגדתם לאבי את כל כבודי במצרים. v'hinei eineichem ro'os v'einei achi Binyamin ki fi hamedaber aleichem. V'higaditem l'avi et kol kvodi b'Mitzrayim. Please, tell dad I've made it. I broke through. I am the finance minister of all of, I'm not a doctor, but I'm the finance minister of all of Egypt. ואת כל אשר ראיתם V'es kol asher re'isem, see everything, tell him everything that you saw. ומהרתם והורדתם את אבי הנה U'mihartem v'horaditem et avi heinah. And bring, notice יוסף Yosef doesn't say אבינו avinu. Over and over again, he doesn't say bring our father. What does he say? My father. He's fixated on my father. By the way, you loved your father so much, that little מוסר שמועס mussar shmooze you just gave me about how you can't do this to your father because of בנימין Binyamin? 22 years ago, where was your love for your father? So don't tell me about you loving your father, he's my father. I never stabbed him in the back. I never betrayed him. I never took years of his life. Don't tell me how much you love our father, look what you did. So don't talk about our father, let's call him for now on, my father. Over and over again, he says, אבי avi. Tell him everything, and quickly bring him down here. והגדתם לאבי V'higaditem l'avi, והורדתם את אבי v'horaditem et avi, and then what does יוסף Yosef do finally now? ויפל על צוארי בנימין אחיו Vayipol al tzavrei Binyamin achiv. He collapses on the neck of his brother בנימין Binyamin. ויבך Vayefk, and they cry. ובנימין בכה על צואריו U'Binyamin bacha al tzavarav. And בנימין Binyamin cries on his neck as well. What were they crying over? Only Jews would have to ask that question to find something to cry over. They're crying over the fact that they were separated, they've met, they're reconciled, they're together. They're the only ones who share the same father and mother, יוסף Yosef and בנימין Binyamin. They need a reason to cry? But we always need a reason to cry. Don't ever use a good opportunity to cry, don't ever waste a good cry. So רש\"י Rashi says, what were they crying over? על שני מקדשות שעתידין להיות בחלקו של בנימין וסופן להחרב Al shnei Mikdashos she'asidin l'hiyos b'chelko shel Binyamin, v'sofan l'hicharev. They're crying over the two בתי מקדש Batei Mikdash that are going to be in the, in the area of בנימין Binyamin and ultimately will be destroyed. And why is בנימין Binyamin crying? On the neck of יוסף Yosef. Why? על משכן שילה שעתיד להיות בחלקו של יוסף Al Mishkan Shilo she'asid l'hiyos b'chelko shel Yosef. Because the משכן Mishkan was in שילה Shilo. שילה Shilo is in the, is in the area, the region of יוסף Yosef. The בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash was in the area of בנימין Binyamin. Each is crying for the other and what they're going to lose. So this is another Jewish behavior. This is a happy moment. You're crying for something that's not going to happen for hundreds of years. You really have to ruin the moment? It's like you had a big שמחה simcha and you're crying. Why are you crying? 'Cause we're all gonna die, and we're not gonna have שמחות simchas, and באבי וזיידי Bubby and Zaidy are gonna be missing, and the great grandparents won't still be there by the time the last one will have their שמחה simcha. So you're פארשערינג fashering our whole שמחה simcha right now because in 70 years from now, the 17 generations up won't be there when the young... What are you ruining the whole שמחה simcha right now for? Such a Jewish thing, no? They have to ruin it right now. You're crying because there will be a בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash, it will be destroyed. There will be a משכן Mishkan, it will be destroyed. You're crying for things that didn't happen yet. Just enjoy the moment. It's געשמאק geshmak, enjoy the moment. Sing and dance and hug. It's an incredible moment. Says the מגיד מזלוטשוב Maggid of Zlotchov, says the עליות דברי שלמה Iluyos Divrei Shlomo, you know why they're crying right now? Because it's not going to happen in the future. What led to everything right now? Two words: שנאת חינם Sinas Chinam. And what's going to lead to the destruction of the משכן Mishkan and the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash? שנאת חינם Sinas Chinam. And as יוסף Yosef and בנימין Binyamin hugged each other and looked at the brothers, they realized as much as we've put a band-aid for the moment, as much as we've patched things up for right now, this horrific, pernicious, terribly destructive poison called שנאת חינם sinas chinam, it remains, and it will remain, and it will haunt our children through the generations. So much so they won't solve it in time that the משכן Mishkan will be destroyed after 320 years, they won't even know where it was. The בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash, two בתי מקדש Batei Mikdash will be destroyed. They weren't crying for the future. They weren't פארשערינג fashering the present for the future. They were crying for the present, as they hugged and said, even in this moment, as we put a band-aid and we've patched it up, but the seeds of שנאת חינם sinas chinam, they remain and they're going to come back. Which explains also רבינו בחיי Rabbeinu Bachya says, I'm sure we've spoken about this before too, so we won't elaborate. תשעה באב Tisha B'Av, we sit on the floor, we lament, we cry, destruction of the two בתי מקדש Batei Mikdash and we all know the מדרש Midrash in איכה רבה Eicha Rabba. Why were the ten martyrs killed? We read a קינה kina about the ten martyrs murdered by the Romans. We read a קינה kina, we read about them on יום כיפור Yom Kippur, and why were they killed? The מדרש Midrash tells us because they were put on trial for the ten brothers, put on trial for the ten brothers. And the brothers were found guilty, and since the brothers never paid the price, so therefore these ten rabbis, who were not contemporaries of one another, but the ten great rabbis of their generations, were brutally, brutally murdered. And רבינו בחיי Rabbeinu Bachya is bothered. Read ויגש Vayigash, read ויחי Vayechi. What do you mean they're put on trial? They're found guilty? There's someone has to suffer the consequence, pay the price for them. What happened to the reconciliation? What happened to יוסף Yosef saying, we're good, we're brothers, it's okay, it was השם's Hashem's master plan. Don't, don't be sad and don't be angry, 'cause we're all good. What happened to we're all good? Says רבינו בחיי Rabbeinu Bachya, they weren't all good. As, remember what happens, a little spoiler alert for next week. When יעקב אבינו Yaakov Avinu dies, what do the brothers do right away? They run to יוסף Yosef and say, don't kill us. I don't know if you heard, but אבא Abba said before he died, he wanted to get the message across to you, even when he's gone, still don't kill us. And יוסף's Yosef's heart is broken. Have I not been incredibly magnanimous, generous, good to you that you still harbor this thought that I would kill you? Clearly there's not a full reconciliation. Clearly there's still attention and animosity. Clearly there's a level of a שנאת חינם sinas chinam which is not entirely eradicated. And because they didn't get rid of it entirely at that time, it continued to haunt through the generations. עד היום הזה Ad hayom hazeh. Why don't we have a בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash? Why is משיח Mashiach not yet come? Why are we lighting the מנורה menorah in our homes and not in the, in the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash itself? 'Cause שנאת חינם sinas chinam continues until this day. So יוסף Yosef and בנימין Binyamin were not crying on each other's shoulders about something in the future so that they were ruining the present. They were crying about the present because the present wasn't yet fully solved. They put a band-aid. But the אזנים לתורה Oznaim LaTorah, רב סרוצקין Rav Sarotzkin quotes his זיידע zeideh, the אזנים לתורה Oznaim LaTorah, in his מגן יוסף Magen Yosef. מגן יוסף Magen Yosef quotes the אזנים לתורה Oznaim LaTorah. וכי אין להם, האהובים והנעימים, במעמד לא כעס על כל צרה שעברו עליהם משך עשרים ושתים שנות הפרידה. מדוע צריך חז\"ל לדרוש בכי על שני מקדשות. V'chi ein lahem, ha'ahuvim v'ha'neimim, b'ma'amad lo kaas al kol tzarah she'avru aleihem meshech esrim u'shtayim shnot ha'perida. Madua tzarich chazal d'rosh b'chi al shnei mikdashos. He asks another question. Do they not have enough to cry about about the 22 years that were wasted, that were lost? 22 years that we can never recover of שבת Shabbos and יום טוב Yom Tov meals together, 22 years of barbecues, 22 years of חברותא chavrusa, 22 years of חנוכה Chanukah parties, לאַטקעס latkes and סופגניות sufganiyot, 22 years we can never ever make up, we can never get back, we can never recover. Did they not have enough to cry for that they had to cry for something in the future, in the future? וכן תמוה מה שבכו על מקדש שעתיד להחרב, במקום לשמוח על מקדש שעתיד להבנות. V'chen tamuah ma she'bachu al Mikdash she'asid l'hicharev, b'makom lismoach al Mikdash she'asid l'hibanos. They should have been joyful for the fact that they were going to be built, the משכן Mishkan and the מקדש Mikdash. Why are they crying for the fact that they're going to be destroyed? בביאורן של דברים נראה להקדים, טעם נוסף בביאורן של חז\"ל. B'be'uran shel dvarim nir'eh l'hakdim, ta'am nosaf b'be'uran shel chazal. So he says, in order to understand this, we have to introduce why was the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash built in the חלק chelek of בנימין Binyamin? והנה מכל אלפי שנות קיומם של עם ישראל, היה המקדש בבנימין רק כמה מאות שנה. Din'ei mi'kol alfei shnos kiyumam shel Am Yisrael, haya haMikdash b'Binyamin rak kama me'os shana. In the thousands of years of the existence of the Jewish people, how many years did the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash exist? Only several centuries. It's really a fraction of time. We think of the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash as being our ideal existence, and we mistakenly think it's our majority of our existence, but actually, chronologically, it's a small fraction of our existence. ובכל עת שמחה חייבים אנו לעשות זכר לחורבן. U'v'chol eis simcha chayavim anu la'asos zecher l'churban. However, even in its destruction, we have to think about it. It's supposed to be part of our mindfulness and our consciousness collectively. Even in our moments of greatest joy under a חופה chuppah, we think about אם אשכחך ירושלים Im eshkachech Yerushalayim, we break a plate. אותה סגולה מיוחדת של זכר לחורבן אף בשעת שמחה, אנו מוצאים בצורה מופלאה אצל בנימין. Oso segula m'yucha she'zecher l'churban af b'sha'as simcha, anu motz'im b'tzura mufla'ah eitzel Binyamin. So this notion of thinking about חורבן churban even in a moment of great שמחה simcha, traces back to this moment of בנימין Binyamin. שנתן לכל עשר בניו שם על אסון שפקד את משפחתם. She'nasan l'chol asar b'nav shem al ason she'pakad et mishpachasam. בשמחתו הגדולה ללידת בניו, שם זכר וגם הזכיר את אסון יוסף. ואף חרתה באופן בל ימחה. לשאר ימיו כולם שיקרא לאחד מבניו, יזכר ביוסף שאיננו. ועל זה זכה בנימין. B'simchaso hag'dola l'leidas banav, sham zachar v'gam hizkir et ason Yosef. V'af charatah b'ofen bal yimache. L'sha'er yomav kulo'im she'yikra lach mi'banav, yizacher b'Yosef she'einenu. U'al zeh zacha Binyamin. בנימין Binyamin was called בנימין Binyamin, שיבנה בית המקדש בחלקו she'yibaneh Beis HaMikdash b'chelko. בנימין Binyamin is named for holding out, for יוסף Yosef, for being complete, for being whole. So בנימין Binyamin is the one who will have the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash built in his territory. ומעתה אף בחורבנו הוא לנו למאור עיניים ומשיבת נפש. U'mei'atah af b'chorbano hu lanu l'me'or einaim u'm'shivas nefesh. So בנימין Binyamin is the one who represents our faith in the future, our hopefulness, our belief that the best will yet to come. And that's what we see in the פסוק pasuk אם אשכחך ירושלים תשכח ימיני. אותה סגולה נפלאה שאיננו שוכח את ירושלים לעולם, ובפרט בזמן שמחה, מקורו בבנימין. Im eshkachech Yerushalayim tishkach yemini. Oso segula nifla'a she'einenu shoche'ach et Yerushalayim l'olam, u'v'frat b'zman simcha, mekoro b'Binyamin. If I forget ירושלים Yerushalayim, then forget ימיני yemini. What's ימיני yemini? My right hand. Says the מגן יוסף Magen Yosef quoting the אזנים לתורה Oznaim LaTorah, it's not my right hand. ימיני Yemini is a reference to בנימין Binyamin. בנימין Binyamin in מגילת אסתר Megillas Esther is ימיני yemini. שגם הוא לא שכח את צער יוסף לעולם. She'gam hu lo shachach et tza'ar Yosef l'olam. בנימין Binyamin never forgot, he never forgot the pain, the absence, the destruction, he never forgot the distance, he never forgot the שנאה sinnah that happened with יוסף Yosef. So because בנימין Binyamin never forgot, that's why he was זוכה zocheh to the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash in his territory. And that's why we have a practice even in the moment of great שמחה simcha like a wedding to invoke remembering the חורבן churban, like בנימין Binyamin in this moment of great שמחה simcha reconciling with יוסף Yosef remembered the חורבן churban. We too remember the חורבן churban. And why do we do it? Because אם אשכחך ירושלים, תשכח ימיני, בנימין. Im eshkachech Yerushalayim, tishkach yemini, Binyamin. If I could forget ירושלים Yerushalayim, I've forgotten the lesson of בנימין Binyamin, to never forget with faith the danger and damage of שנאת חינם sinas chinam, but also the hope and the future of redemption. So now בנימין ויוסף בכו ככל האחים. Binyamin v'Yosef bachoo k'chol ha'achim. Certainly they were crying over the 22 years of the time lost. However, יוסף ראה ברוח הקודש, ובזכות מסירתו זו יבנה בית המקדש בחלקו. Yosef, ra'ah ruach hakodesh, u'b'zchus mi'siraso zo yibaneh Beis HaMikdash b'chelko. יוסף Yosef saw, he intuited, that in that merit of who בנימין Binyamin was and how he lived, he would be זוכה zocheh, would merit the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash would be built in his territory. And then he saw it would be destroyed, and therefore they cried to create this precedent together for us. Okay. פרק מו פסוק כו Perek Mem Vav, Pasuk Chaf Vav. Turn the page yet again. We are flying. 256. יעקב Yaakov receives the news. וישלח את יהודה לפניו אל יוסף להורות לפניו גשנה, ויבאו ארצה גשן. Vayishlach et Yehuda l'fanav el Yosef l'horos l'fanav Goshenah, v'yavo'u artza Goshnah. He sent him down ahead to go to גשן Goshen. Why? Why did he send יהודה Yehuda? So, I'm going to read you from the Otzros Polisa Ta'ala. שמעתי ממרן אדמו\"ר ממונקאטש שליט\"א Shema'ti mi'mor Admor mi'Munkacs, shlita. He says, I heard a ווארט vort from the מונקאטשער רבי Munkaczer Rebbe. He says when did I hear this ווארט vort from the מונקאטשער רבי Munkaczer Rebbe? בעת ביקור גומלין, אדמו\"ר מצאנז, מארצנו הקדושה בשנת תשס\"ח, בבית ידידי הרבני הנגיד, ר' יחזקאל ליפשיץ. B'eis bikur gamlim, Admor mi'Tzanz, me'artzeinu hak'dosha b'shnas taf shin samach ches, b'beis yedidi ha'ravani ha'nagid, Reb Yechazkel Lipshes. Who's sitting right there. ביאור נפלא על פסוק ואת יהודה שלח לפניו אל יוסף להורות לפניו גשנה. Be'ur nifla al pasuk v'et Yehuda shalach l'fanav el Yosef l'horos l'fanav Goshna. When the מונקאטשער רבי Munkaczer Rebbe was visiting, I heard this ווארט vort in the house of Lipshitz, who's sitting right here at the שיעור shiur. That's why I had to say this ווארט vort. רש\"י פירוש בשם מדרש הגדול, להורות לפניו. Rashi peirush b'shem Medrash Hagadol, l'horos l'fanav. Why does יהודה Yehuda sent down first? He's on a reconnaissance mission, a scouting mission. What is he going to look for? לתקן לו בית תלמוד שמשם תצא הוראה. L'sakkein lo Beis Talmud she'misham teitzei ho'ra'ah. He's going to found a new ישיבה yeshiva. Before there was the Yeshiva of South Florida, Rabbi Yoni Eleven, the ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva had to come on a scouting mission from Woodmere, where are we going to open this ישיבה yeshiva? יהודה Yehuda was sent to גשן Goshen to figure out where they're going to open the ישיבה yeshiva. להעיר איש לאב, ואין פרעגט די מונקאטשער רבי L'ha'ir ish l'av v'infregt di Munkaczer Rebbe, why does יעקב Yaakov have to send יהודה Yehuda to go find where you're gonna open the ישיבה yeshiva? What a waste of a ticket! What a waste of an Uber ride! Who could have scouted out, who could have found the place, who already was living in מצרים Mitzrayim? יוסף Yosef. הלא יוסף הצדיק שיושב במצרים והוא משנה למלך, היה יכול לתקן בית תלמוד. Halevai Yosef ha'tzaddik she'yoshev b'Mitzrayim v'hu mishneh l'melech, haya yachol l'sakein beis talmud. יוסף Yosef could have been the one to open the ישיבה yeshiva even before they got there. By the way, what do you see? יעקב Yaakov doesn't send someone to open a שול shul. He didn't send someone to open the breakaway שול shul. He didn't send someone to open the מקווה mikvah or build the עירוב eiruv. He didn't send someone to open the כשר kosher pizza store. The bark of a community that's made it. The second pizza store, the breakaway pizza store is the mark of the community that's made it. What does he send? Open a ישיבה yeshiva. Community without a ישיבה yeshiva is not a community. You have to have a ישיבה yeshiva. ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, we have many ישיבות yeshivas, we're very זוכה zocheh in our community, and the new Yeshiva of South Florida among them. So said the מונקאטשער רבי Munkaczer Rebbe, you know what the פשט pshat is? יהודה היה מלך Yehuda haya melech. יוסף היה רק משנה למלך. לתקן בית תלמוד בכדי להעמיד יסודות חזקים לקיום התורה והמצוות בתוך ערות הארץ, היה צריך לזה מלכות, לא מספיק כחו של משנה למלך. Yosef haya rak mishneh l'melech. L'sakein beis talmud b'kdei l'hamed yesodos chazakim l'kiyum haTorah v'hamitzvos b'soch ervas ha'aretz, haya tzarich l'zeh malchus, lo maspik kocho shel mishneh l'melech. יוסף Yosef is only the משנה למלך mishneh l'melech. He's second in command. יהודה's Yehuda's the progenitor of מלכות malchus. יהודה Yehuda is royalty, monarchy. He had to send יהודה Yehuda. To open a ישיבה yeshiva, to fight the forces that you're going to have to overcome to open a ישיבה yeshiva, to run through the walls that you're going to have to run through to open a ישיבה yeshiva, next week is a matching campaign for the Yeshiva of South Florida. I'm just setting you up right now. ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, we're זוכה zocheh, an incredible ישיבה yeshiva. We have incredible הנהלה hanhala, ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva, amazing six incredible כולל מן kollel men. Tomorrow, what's today? Monday. Wednesday night, behind the בימה bima is introduction, we're having the Yeshiva of South Florida behind the בימה bima. So meet the ישיבה yeshiva. So we're going to need everybody's help. ברוך השם Baruch Hashem. We're not in גשן Goshen, we're in בוקה Boca. But a community is strengthened by its ישיבות yeshivas, we're going to need your help. But in order to have a new ישיבה yeshiva, ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, and the impact it brings, you got to run through walls. משנה למלך's Mishneh l'melech's not good enough. Second in command's not good enough. יוסף Yosef was not good enough. You had to have יהודה Yehuda, himself, אזוי זאגט azoy zogt the מונקאטשער רבי Munkaczer Rebbe in the home of ר' יחזקאל ליפשיץ Reb Yechazkel Lipshes. אזוי זאגט Azoy zogt. However, says רב חיים פרידלנדר Rav Chaim Friedlander, משגיח של פוניבז' Mashgiach of Ponevezh, says something different. The מדרש Midrash says the following: להתקין לו בית ועד שמורה בו דברי תורה שיהיו השבטים לומדים בו. תדע שכיוון ששלח לו יוסף מעצלו, היו יודעים באיזה פרק פירש ממנו שהיה משנה אותם. כיוון שבאו אחיו יוסף אצלו ואמר להם עוד יוסף חי ויפג לבו, נזכר באיזה פרק פירש ממנו. אמר להם בלא ידיעתם שבפרק עגלה ערופה פירש ממנו יוסף. אמר להם אם אתם יודעים באיזה פרק פירש ממני, אני מאמין לכם. L'haskin lo beis vaad she'morah bo divrei Torah she'yu hashvatim lomdim bo. Teida she'keivan she'shalach lo Yosef me'itzlo, hayu yodim b'eizeh perek pirash mimenu she'haya Mishnah osam. Keivan she'ba'u echav Yosef etzlo v'omar lahem Od Yosef chai v'yefag libo, nishkar b'eizeh perek pirash meimenu. Amar lahem b'lo yidei'im she'b'perek Eglah Arufah pirash meimenu Yosef. Amar lahem im atem yodim b'eizeh perek pirash mimeni, ani ma'amin lachem. יוסף Yosef I believe, because he remembers where we last left off. If you remember where we last left off, I'll believe you. מה שיעקב אבינו ויוסף הצדיק זוכרים שניהם היטב באותה שעה שפירשו זה מזה, זה פשוט ומובן. Ma she'Yaakov Avinu v'Yosef ha'tzaddik zochrim shneihem heitev b'oso she'pirshu zeh mi'zeh, zeh pashut u'muvan. That יעקב Yaakov and יוסף Yosef remember exactly where they left off, that we understand. אבל יש להבין מדוע היה ברור ליעקב שהאחים זוכרים גם הם איזה פרק עסקו עם יוסף עשרים ושתים שנה קודם לכן. B'yesh l'havin madua haya b'rur l'Yaakov she'achim zochrim gam hem eizeh perek osakim im Yosef esrim u'shtayim shanim kol do'chem. But why is יעקב Yaakov testing and why does יעקב Yaakov believe that the brothers should also remember where they left off with יוסף Yosef 22 years earlier? So says רב חיים פרידלנדר Rav Chaim Friedlander, the משגיח של פוניבז' Mashgiach of Ponevezh, היה ברור ליעקב אבינו שאם אכן זה בנו יוסף, ודאי עדיין דבוק בתלמודו כפי שהיה. עד כדי כך שאם נפרדו כשהיו באמצע סוגיית עגלה ערופה, עדיין הוא אוחז בסוגיא. וכשנגלה להם בוודאי שאלם אם היו יודעים מה התחדש בבית מדרשו של אבא בסוגיא. אף שעברו כ\"ב שנים, והם לא שאלו, כנראה אינו בנו. haya b'rur l'Yaakov Avinu she'im achien zeh b'no Yosef, v'da'ai adayin davuk b'talmudo k'fi she'haya. Ad k'dei kach she'im nifredu k'she'hayu b'emtza sugyas Eglah Arufah, adayin hu ochez b'sugya. U'k'she'nisgar lahem b'vadai she'olam im hayu yodim ma hischadesh b'beis medrasha shel Abba b'sugya. Af she'avru k'af bei shanim, v'hem lo sha'alu k'ein lo b'no. So surely when they revealed and he said when he says I'm יוסף Yosef, and they say our father is still alive, first thing יוסף Yosef is going to say is for 22 years I've been trying to finish and figure out the סוגיא sugya of עגלה ערופה Eglah Arufah. My learning with dad was rudely interrupted when you threw me in a pit. So new, what was the end of the שיעור shiur that day? 22 years earlier, what was the תירוץ teretz? טאטי Tati gave a שיעור כללי shiur klali on עגלה ערופה Eglah Arufah. He set it up with 15 קושיות kashas, 15 questions. Surely he gave a תירוץ teretz, surely he gave an answer. What was the answer he gave that day? No, what was the answer? גם ליוסף היה ברור שאביו ישאל את זה. ולכן שלח את העגלות. Gam l'Yosef haya barur she'aviv yish'al et zeh. V'lachen shalach et ha'agalos. And יוסף Yosef knew that's exactly what his father would be thinking too, so he sent the wagons. כשראה יעקב שראשו של יוסף עדיין שקוע בסוגיא זו, הכריז ואמר עוד יוסף חי. כי החיים האמיתיים ליעקב היה עסק התורה בדרגה כזו. When Yaakov saw she'rosh shel Yosef adayin shakua b'sugya zu, hichriz v'omar Od Yosef chai. Ki ha'chaim ha'amiti l'Yaakov haya eisek haTorah b'darega k'zu. This was a worthwhile. So he sent him down to open the ישיבה yeshiva, they were all still holding. יוסף Yosef, the brothers, the father, they were all still holding in the same the same סוגיא sugya. Uh, we're out of time. What's the last, we'll do one more. My favorite Otzros Polisa Ta'ala. Who lived the shortest of all the brothers? יוסף Yosef. רבינו יונתן בן עוזיאל Rabbeinu Yonasan ben Uziel, תרגום יונתן בן עוזיאל Targum Yonasan ben Uziel writes, יוסף הצדיק נתחייב ששנותיו מקוצרות, פחות מכל אחיו. Yosef ha'tzaddik nischayev she'shnosav muktzaros, pochos mi'kol echav. He lived shortest of all the brothers. Because when he met יעקב Yaakov, ונהי כשאשר פגש יעקב את יוסף, ועדיין לא הכירו, השתחווה לו יעקב בחשבו שהוא פרעה. v'neches k'asher pagash Yaakov et Yosef, v'adayin lo hikiro, hishtachava lo Yaakov b'chashbo she'hu Paroh. והיה על יוסף להקדים שליח לפניו V'haya al Yosef l'hakdim shliach l'fanav, because when יעקב Yaakov came down and met יוסף Yosef, he thought יוסף Yosef was פרעה Paroh. He didn't recognize him, he had changed so much in the 22 years. So he bowed down thinking it was פרעה Paroh. And יוסף Yosef, of course in that moment, said, 'Dad, get up, it's me,' but he should have anticipated that and sent the messenger in advance to say, 'Here's what I look like now, I look different. Don't confuse me. Don't bow down to me.' ומאחר שלא עשה כן, נתקצרו שנות חייו. ולא בכה יוסף על שהשתחווה לו אביו יעקב. V'me'achar she'lo asah kein, nis'katzru shnos chayav. U'v'lo bachah Yosef al she'hishtachava lo aviv Yaakov. יוסף Yosef was not sufficiently broken over the fact that his father bowed down to him, and for that, his days were shortened and he died the first of all the brothers. That's the תרגום יונתן בן עוזיאל Targum Yonasan ben Uziel. Others give other reasons why יוסף Yosef died the first. The גמרא בברכות, סוטה Gemara in Brachos, Sotah, נענש מיוסף קודם לאחיו, שהנהיג עצמו ברבנות. ne'enash me'Yosef kodem l'echav, she'hin'hig atzmo b'rabanus. He went into the rabbinate. He went into the rabbinate. When you're in a position of leadership. and rule, you have to absorb people's problems and you take responsibility. It makes you look old before your time. It takes years off your life.מדרש בראשית רבה Medrash Bereishis Rabbah gives another answer. למה מת יוסף מן אחיו רבי ורבנן רבי אמר על שחשד את אביו Lama meis Yosef min echav, Rebbi v'Rabbanan. Rebbi omar al shechashad es aviv. רבנן אמרי קרב לחמישה פעמים יהודה אמר עבדך אבי עבדך אבי Rabbanan amrei, karov l'chamisha pa'amim Yehuda omar avdcha avi, avdcha avi. When Yehuda's making his pitch to Yosef, he says over and over again, your servant my father. I can't do this to your servant my father. I have to bring my brother back to your servant my father, and ושותק v'shoseik. Yosef never said, your father's not my servant. Stop speaking about your father that way. He didn't interrupt, he didn't correct him. And for that, Yosef died youngest. פרקי דרבי אליעזר Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer, yet another answer, five or six. עשר פעמים אמר בן יעקב ליוסף עבדך אבינו Eser pa'amim omar ben Yaakov l'Yosef avdcha avinu. Yosef was quiet. So all these are reasons maybe why he died the youngest. Okay, really the last thing. The very end of the פרשה parsha. We're skipping some. רק אדמת הכהנים לא קנה כי חוק לכהנים מאת פרעה Rak admas hakohanim lo kana, ki chok lakohanim mei'eis Paro. This is really interesting. This is a great אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Pelaos HaTorah to end with. We're פרק מ\"ז פסוק כ\"ב perek mem zayin, pasuk chaf beis. Really plowing forward on page 266. מ\"ז כ\"ב Mem zayin chaf beis. אדמת הכהנים לא קנה Admas hakohanim lo kana. Yosef acquired all the land of Egypt for Paro and for the nation he resettled in the cities, and only the land of the כהנים kohanim he didn't buy. Why? Why? It's a neglected פסוק pasuk. Maybe you ever never even noticed this פסוק pasuk before. רק אדמת הכהנים לא קנה Rak admas hakohanim lo kana, he didn't buy the land of the כהנים kohanim, כי חוק לכהנים מאת פרעה ki chok lakohanim mei'eis Paro. Why not? Since the priests had a stipend from Paro and they lived off their stipend that Paro had given them, therefore they did not sell their land.What does that mean? What's going on here? So the אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Pelaos HaTorah says the following. It appears also in the פירוש peirush of the רא\"ש Rosh and the חזקוני Chizkuni. מדרש הגדול מביא מוסר השכל נפלא שיש ללמוד מזה שנתן יוסף הנחה לכהנים אף שהיו כומרים לעבודה זרה Medrash HaGadol meivi musar haskel nifla sheyesh lilmod mizeh shenasan Yosef hanacha lakohanim af shehayu komrim la'avodah zarah. These priests were priests of idolatry. And yet, he let them off the hook, he gave them a discount. הטעם הוא משום שכאשר הוציאה אשת פוטיפר שם רע על יוסף Hata'am hu mishum sheka'asher hotziah eshes Potifar shem ra al Yosef, because when Yosef was falsely accused, הביאו את יוסף למשפט לפני הכהנים heviu es Yosef l'mishpat lifnei hakohanim. Yosef was brought into a public trial. ואחר שהשמיעו אשת פוטיפר ויוסף הצדיק את טענותיהם V'achar shehishmi'u eshes Potifar v'Yosef ha'tzadik es ta'anoseihem, first the prosecutor, first the wife of Potifar brought her her evidence. What was her evidence? What did she have in her hand? A coat. And it was ripped. And that was her evidence. Then Yosef says his evidence. He's innocent. אמרו הכהנים השופטים הביאו את הבגד שלבש יוסף בשעת המעשה Amru hakohanim hashofetim, havi'u es habeged she'lavash Yosef b'shaas hama'aseh. So they hear both sides, and the כהנים kohanim who are the שופטים shoftim say, bring us the coat. We want to take a closer look at the coat. זה גישמאק אוצר פלאות התורה Ze geshmak Otzar Pelaos HaTorah. And they decided, אם הבגד יהיה קרוע מלפניו im habeged yihiye karua milfanav, סימן הוא שיוסף היה אלוף במעללי תאוותו siman hu sheYosef haya aluf b'ma'alalei ta'avaso. אבל אם יהיה קרוע מאחוריו סימן הוא שיוסף ברח ממנו מרוב צדקתו ואשת פוטיפר היא זו שקרעה את בגדו Aval im yihiye karua mei'achorav siman hu sheYosef barach mimenu mei'rov tzidkaso v'eshes Potifar hi zu she'kar'ah es bigdo. If it's ripped in front, it's in the heat of passion, in the moment of passion that it was torn. So she's right. But if it's ripped in the back, he was trying to run away. It's while he was fleeing that he's right. ומכיוון שזיכוהו הכהנים במשפט על כן נתן להם הנחה ולא קנה את אדמתם ואכלו את חוקם U'mikeivan sheziku'hu hakohanim bamishpat, al kein nasan lahem hanacha, v'lo kana es admasam, v'achlu es chukam. Because they sought to exonerate him, because they tried to defend him, they were unsuccessful, but that's why Yosef never forgot that favor. And Yosef treated them well. In a ספר אמרי נועם Sefer Imrei Noam, from the בעלי התוספות Ba'alei HaTosfos it quotes, ששילם להם גמולם ששפכה אשת פוטיפר לובן של ביצה על סדינים she'shilem lahem gemulam, she'shafcha eshes Potifar lovan shel beitzah al sadinim. This is a very graphic description. Don't listen if you're not mature enough. But the wife of Potifar took the white of an egg and poured it on her sheet, and she said this was the evidence that it was the זרע zera of Yosef. And from the בעלי התוספות Ba'alei HaTosfos, they brought the sheets, the כהנים kohanim said, let's see the sheets, let's examine them. And they put the sheet over a fire, and they said, if it disappears, then she's right, if it's consumed. But if it fries, like an egg, then she's, it's a ruse. And she's just setting up Yosef. They put the sheet on a fire and it fried like an egg and they knew that she was lying and they sought to defend Yosef. So again, they were unsuccessful. We know Yosef ended up in the pit. The power of Potifar was so strong, it didn't matter, but because the כהנים kohanim, either because they examined the evidence of the of the coat or examined the evidence on the sheet, whichever way they examined the evidence, they sought to exonerate. פרשה Parsha class is now going to be rated. We have to change the rating. Between last week, between last week and this week. ומקור הדברים אשר הביאום בתוך דברי התרגום יונתן U'mekor hadvarim asher hevi'um b'soch divrei haTargum Yonasan, all this is within the תרגום יונתן Targum Yonasan, that he was, this is the kind of stuff that's in the אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Pelaos HaTorah. If this חסידישע תלמיד חכם Chasidishe Talmid Chacham could include it in his ספר sefer, we can share it at the פרשה parsha class. As always, a lot more to share. Thank you for adjusting this week. Next week we're back on Tuesday morning. Also this week, we don't, Wednesday morning is not Wednesday morning. We're moving the 10-minute מסילת ישרים Mesilas Yesharim and אמונה Emunah to Thursday morning. I'm going to Monore, New York for a wedding tomorrow night, I'm back Wednesday. We had to move those, these שיעורים shiurim. If you want to be up to date on all of our שיעורים shiurim and get bonus material, sign up to the WhatsApp groups, RabbiEphraimGoldberg.org/whatsapp. You could be in all the WhatsApp groups, you'll get the schedule. Until next time, stay happy, stay healthy, stay holy. Have a ליכטיגע שבת lichtige Shabbos.
