Pyka Family

Parashat And Sidra Of Vayigash

JUDAISMPARASHAT

Kamil Levi Pyka Penner

3/3/202523 min read

Parashat Vayigash is the 11th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.

Introduction To Parshat:

When Jacob once got Joseph’s bloody dresses, he mourned many days for Joseph. He couldn’t comfort him from his other sons and daughters. Something like that no longer wants to see the constant sorrow of his father who has lost his beloved child. He would probably not want to see no one who has a little emotion in his heart. However, in Judah doesn’t have understanding feeling with his father. Places him in his own conscience. The idea to sell Joseph Ishmael’s Trade was his own idea. He undoubtedly had his share of guilt on his father’s misery. Now with the situation leaves Benjamin in Egypt and repeat with the last brothers. He could fulfill his father’s darling after all. It took some time for them to return home with new supplies of grain. The purpose of their mission but Judah changed. He admitted that he had made a mistake then. Now he cares more about his father and brother than himself. Therefore he is willing to put his own spell on Benjamin’s behalf.

Merciful G-d, please change our thinking. And let’s not only think of ourselves, but of the fellows. Lead us to a love that does not seek its own benefit and to a willingness to become kind.

G-d has sent me before you to ensure your offspring on earth and to keep you alive for the great deliverance.”

At this moment, Joseph needs his brothers privately. I am Joseph,” he tells them after he has sent everyone else out of the room. The silence of the brothers reveals how horrified they are at the revealed truth. The one standing before them is Joseph, whom they sold into Egypt. Incarnate in their ways. What their consciences secretly whispered, will now become a publicly known fact. From Joseph’s mouth words will be heard more and more, showing the meaning of these events in unexpected and unexpected joys. It is unbelievable. G-d’s action prevailed over human desires, human efforts and actions. G-d turned the tide Joseph’s story, he turned the bad into good. He didn’t absolve Joseph’s brothers of their responsibility, he didn’t lighten their guilt. Joseph’s brothers sold him, and thus caused him a deep wrong. But the overall meaning of the events exceeded their own intentions. G-d sent me before you.” they prevailed even where it seemed impossible in the short term.

Good G-d, we bow in awe before you and your purposes for our world. Sometimes we are afraid of what we consider bad things to be good. We caused. We regret it, but we can’t take it back. Please, turn bad things in good.

I beat them all. …] Then his brothers gave them a festive mantle, Benjamin also gave three hundred shekels of silver and five feasts do not cause quarrels on the way!” he dismissed. When they were leaving, he said to them: Only among themselves In the events surrounding the stolen cup, the brothers stood their ground. Judah showed willingness to sacrifice Benjamin. It might seem that the plot of the story of Joseph and his brothers was a definition unraveled. This idea the last test of the brothers. But that’s not how things usually go in life. Let’s take one test also strengthens us also. It means it’s over the water”, Soon another situation may arise that will bring new ones challenges and challenges. The same applies in the story of Joseph’s brothers. Examining their inner selves attitude is not over, Joseph gives gifts to his brothers every time, he gives them to their father and also valuable holiday cloaks. There is more expressiveness to Benjamin: his father Jacob gives him three hundred shekels of silver and immediately five festive cloths, Joseph does not measure all his brothers equally. Or they gave them wagons, supplies, and supplies for a reasonable amount of money. Will his brothers resist envy? In the same way as Lord G-d, please visit us with temptations and trials. So we can prove to each other for every day a grateful and grateful mind.

G-d said: I am G-d. Your father’s G-d. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt; I’m going to make you great nation. I will go down into Egypt with you, and I will also bring you out a certain with my own hand.

Circumstances sometimes take a person to places he would not have chosen for his life. That suited old Jacob too. He is to leave the land to which he is bound by the fulfillment of G-d’s promises, and go to Egypt – a foreign country, associated with pagan faith and culture, against which even his own father Isaac was once warned. Fear of the unknown brings Jacob to Beersheba. His ancestors had an experience with the Hashem at this place. Here, Jacob makes a sacrifice to G-d and longs for assurance that he will not be alone on the way to Egypt. The Hashem makes himself known to Jakob as G-d as the one who will not leave his people, but will go to Egypt with them. Therefore, he does not have to worry about himself or his offspring. Even this event G-d can transform into something good. He will make Israel a great nation, and Jacob’s beloved son Joseph accompanies his father on his last journey. And after Jacob’s death, G-d will be with his people and will again lead them out of Egypt. In Beersheba, the Hashem opens a new window of hope for temptation.

G-d, our Father, please assure us that we have your accompaniment on our journey through our life. And even in places where we don’t want to go and which we are afraid of.

Joseph had the wagon hitched and drove out to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he is around his neck and he wept on shoulders. Israel tell Joseph he can now die when he saw his face and knew he were still alive.

Joseph advocated that his father’s family be able to settle in pastures in the land of Goshen. For Jacob, a new life stage began with his entry into Egypt. The change in his story is also highlighted by the name Israel, by which he is called here. At the beginning of the this period he mourned years ago. Now he is crying again with the emotion and joy of meeting his son, and he is tangibly convinced that Joseph is really alive. “When he meets Joseph, he sees the joy of meeting him. He embraces Joseph as the fulfillment of her life’s hopes and dreams. He doesn’t need anymore. It’s enough for him to be sure that they are loved instead of starting to make plans. Joseph is alive, that the Hashem is with him and that he will continue to live in the G-d of love.

I don’t care about anything, do you think it’s not enough? It was everything for him that he is thankful for meeting those whom we have not seen for a long time and who are close to our heart. Bless those special moments.

In our reflection, we will deal with the “Vayigash” anchor, in which the Torah’s narration about Joseph culminates, which was the content of the previous month’s weekly sections. The whole story of Joseph is actually nothing more than a foreshadowing of what the nation of Israel is expects: Egyptian galut and exodus – yeciat Micrayim.
That is, what keeps repeating itself in our destinies: the danger of destruction and salvation from it. What transpires between Joseph and his brothers is only an introduction to the story of deliverance that is the main content of the second book of the Torah. That is why the story of Joseph and his brothers is found at the very end of Bereshit, that is where his true story is meaning, its timeless value and it doesn’t matter what historical period it reflects.
We must also look at the trial of the brothers from this point of view. Already worthy for Joseph to reveal his identity to them, the brothers are ready for restoration a true bond of brotherhood? We can find the answer to this question in the Vayigash sidra, which begins with Yehuda’s speech before Joseph. He uttered it after Joseph’s steward found Jacob’s youngest son Benjamin in his luggage Joseph’s cup.
Benjamin is threatened with slavery and Jacob with death from grief over the fate of his next beloved son.
Yehuda chooses the last desperate option to save Benjamin: a personal appeal to the most powerful the men of Egypt after Pharaoh.
Yehuda’s speech ends with an offer that he himself is ready to take Benjamin’s place and become slave, “for how could I go up to my father, if the boy is not with me, I could not
look at the calamity that will befall my father” (44:34).
The trial of the brothers is over, Joseph could not stay any longer and makes himself known: “And Joseph said to his brothers: I am Joseph! Is my father still alive? … I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt” (45:3,4)
The brothers were horrified, they were afraid of Joseph’s revenge, but he tells them:
“And now do not grieve and do not let your eyes burn you that you have sold me here, because for preservation of life G-d sent me before you… that your life might be preserved for salvation great” (45:5,7)
Here Joseph expressed his firm belief in G-d’s protection of Abraham’s descendants, he himself is only. He is G-d’s instrument and thereby shares in the inheritance and promise that God gave to his ancestors Abraham, Yitzchak and Jacob. This inheritance and its bearers were threatened, therefore the Lord intervenes and turns the calamity into salvation, it no longer saves individuals, as in the case of Noah or Lot, but averts destruction from our entire nation.
The story of Joseph comes to its conclusion, the last act of the drama that it is the descent of our forefather Jacob into Egypt. The temporary sojourn in Egypt begins with the vision in Beer Sheva (46:1-4), the last in the book of Bereshit, but once of the most important. The great-grandfather Yaakov experiences his departure from the promised land with distress, he is afraid of death in galut.

After all, the Hashem expressly forbade his father Yitzchak to go to Egypt: “When there was a famine in land… Yitzchak went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. Here he appeared to him The Hashem said: Do not go down to Egypt! Dwell in the land that I will tell you” (Bereshit 26:1-2).
Jacob is troubled by the thought of what G-d announced to Abraham: “Know that your descendants will foreigners in a land that does not belong to them will serve them and they will oppress them” (Bereshit 15:13).
For all these reasons Jacob hesitates to continue the next journey to Egypt. And here she comes to him The Hashem and encourages him with the promise of his participation in the Egyptian galut and in the Yeziat Mitzrayim: “I I am the Hashem, the G-d of your father, do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you great
nation. I will go down with you into Egypt and I will bring you up…” (46:3,4)
A timeless meaning is hidden not only in the story of Joseph, but also in his name itself.
The name Joseph is also called in the Torah all of Israel: “Listen, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like sheep” (Psalm 80:2).
Rashi commented on this: “All Israel is called by the name of Joseph, because it was Joseph who provided Israel with sustenance in days of hunger”.
Admor of Lubavitch, however, reveals to us in his interpretation a deeper meaning of the naming of Israel named Joseph.
He says: “This explanation in the simple sense of the word is insufficient.
But just because Joseph provided sustenance for a certain period of time to Yisrael, the entire Jewish nation is called by his name?!
In the teachings of Kabbalah and Hasidism, it is interpreted that every material phenomenon has its origin in the spiritual
sphere. From the fact that Joseph fed his brothers in a time of famine, it follows that it is he who, to us, to the descendants of Israel, he provided and provides spiritual strength in difficult times, – days spiritual hunger.
In the Egyptian galut, Joseph was subordinated first to the power of the sinful Potiphar and later to the pharaoh.
Nevertheless, his faith in the Hashem remained unshaken. Thus Joseph symbolizes the essence of the people of Israel; he too was sent to galut, where he is subordinate
the rule of the infidels.
He cannot completely turn away from the surrounding world and fully devote himself to the Hashem.
The people of Israel draw the strength to withstand this difficult test from the righteous Joseph. This is the inner meaning of Joseph providing sustenance for his brothers in the days of famine.
Just as Joseph fed his family in difficult times of material hunger, so it is he who, to us, gave strength to his descendants to endure in times of spiritual hunger – in galut, difficulties of the world, persecutions, pogroms. And that is why, when Jews want to express their faith and devotion, they call themselves Joseph. Because in the struggle with the difficulties of galut, we can only stand with the strength of Joseph, which is in each of us.”

Rashi
The Five Books of Moses, Everett Fox, 1995
26 and they told him, saying:
Yosef is still alive!
Indeed, he is ruler of all the land of Egypt!
His heart failed,
for he did not believe them.
27 But they spoke to him all of Yosefʼs words which he had spoken to them, and he saw the wagons that Yosef had sent to carry him down,
and their father Yaakovʼs spirit came back to life.
28 Yisrael said: Enough!
Yosef my son is still alive;
I must go and see him before I die!
Rashi lived in Troyes, France (1040-1105 CE). Rashiʼs commentary is an essential explanation of the Tanakh and resides in a place of honor on the page of almost all editions of the Tanakh. While quoting many midrashim and Talmudic passages, Rashi, in his commentary, states that his purpose is to present the pshat (contextual meaning) of the text.
AND JACOB’S HEART CONTINUED COLD — his heart passed ַו ָיּ ׇפג ִלבּוֹ 26 away (ֶנ ֱח ַלף [neḥelaf]) and ceased to believe — his heart took no notice of their
words.
— THE SPIRIT OF JACOB [THEIR FATHER] REVIVED ַו ְתּ ִחי רוּ ַח ַי ֲע ֹקב 27 The Sheḥinah that had departed from him, rested again upon him (cf. Onkelos). [Onkelos was a Roman convert to Judaism in the 1st century CE, considered to be the author of the Targum Onkelos from circa 110 CE.]
Rashi also offers an interesting reading of verse 27:
ALL THE WORDS OF JOSEPH — As evidence that ֵאת ׇכּל־ ִדּ ְב ֵרי יוֹ ֵסף it was Joseph who was sending this message he had informed them of the religious subject he had been studying with his father at the time when he
lefthim,viz.,thesectionoftheHeifer(ֶעְג ָלה [eglah])thathaditsneckbroken (Deuteronomy 21:6). It is to this that Scripture refers in the words “And he
saw (i.e comprehended the meaning of) the ֲע ָגלוֹת [agalot] (here to be taken in sense of Heifer) which Joseph had sent — and it does not state “which
Pharaohhadsent”(asonewouldexpectifֲעָגלוֹת meantwagons)(Genesis Rabbah 94:3).
(Deuteronomy 21:1–9 is a law concerning the bloodguilt for a killing done by an unknown person; the elders of the nearest town take a heifer to a wadi, and break its neck, and disclaim guilt for the killing.)
Ibn Ezra
Abraham ibn Ezraʼs commentary on the Tanakh reflects his knowledge as a Hebrew grammarian and philologist. His commentary is terse and aims to discover the pshat, the contextual meaning, of the text. Ibn Ezra was known for his independent ideas which aroused much controversy. Many view Ibn Ezra as the forefather of Biblical criticism. (c.1155 – c.1165 CE)
26 AND HIS HEART FAINTED. Va-yafag (fainted) comes from the same root as fugat (that is, stop) in “Give thyself no respite” (fugat) (Lam. 2:18). It means his heart stopped and was still. It has the same meaning as “and his heart died within him” (I Sam. 25:37). Jacob reacted in this manner because he didnʼt believe them. However, when he saw the wagons, his spirit revived. Do not be surprised at the term “his heart stopped” for it is the style of the prophets to speak in hyperbole. Compare, “neither was there breath left in me” (Dan. 10:17).
Sforno
Rabbi Ovadiah ben Jacob Sforno, a 16th-century Italian rabbi and physician; often cites rabbinic statements to address philosophical as well as textual issues, and offers many novel interpretations rooted in these traditions. (1475 -1549 CE)
His heart went numb) — he passed out. His heart stopped beating( ַו ָיּ ׇפג ִלבּוֹ 26 briefly, something common when people have a fainting spell. This occurred at the moment Josephʼs name was mentioned by the brothers.
forhedidnotbelievethem)—sothathehadnochanceto( ִכּילֹא־ֶהֱאִמין ָלֶהם26 believe them. Therefore, ַו ְתּ ִחי רוּ ַח ַי ֲע ֹקב (the spirit of their father Jacob revived), once his spirit revived he never fainted again so that he was able to believe them. It had been the sudden joy that had been the cause of his fainting. Spirit has a habit of contracting when one suffers worry, etc., whereas it expands when one experiences joy, sometimes even beyond the boundaries of oneʼs body so that the body faints ( ַו ְי ַד ְבּרוּ ֵא ָליו ֵאת ׇכּל־ ִדּ ְב ֵרי יוֹ ֵסף 27 said) — They informed him that there would be another five years of famine in order that he would not faint from excessive joy.
the spirit of their father Jacob revived) — he recovered from his( ַו ְתּ ִחי רוּ ַח ַי ֲע ֹקב 27 fainting spell now that the joy had been tempered by a worrisome element.
My son Joseph is still alive! I must go and see( ַרב עוֹד־יוֹ ֵסף ְבּ ִני ָחי ֵא ְל ָכה ְו ֶא ְר ֶאנּוּ 28 him) — I will go and see him, but will not remain there as he [Joseph] has said.

Rashi

ַאל־ִתּיָרא ֵמְרָדה ִמְצַרְיָמה3
ODOWNTOEGYPT—God said this to him because he was grieved that he was compelled to leave the Land of Israel (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 39).

ֲא ֶשׁר ָר ְכשׁוּ ְבּ ֶא ֶרץ ְכּ ַנ ַען 6
WHICH THEY HAD GOTTEN IN THE LAND OF CANAAN — But all that he had gotten in Padan-aram he gave to Esau in payment for his share in the Cave of Machpelah. He said, “The possessions I obtained outside the land are of no value to me”. It is to this that the words refer (Genesis 50:5) “[Bury me in my burying-place] which ִרי ִתי כָּ ” I obtained for myself by means ) ְכּ ִרי( He placed before him (Esau) piles of gold and silver like a heap . ְכּ ִרי of a of corn and said to him, “Take these in exchange for your share in the Cave of Machpelah” (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayechi 6).
)kariti) — to dig (i.e. a pit, a grave( ָכּ ִרי ִתי keri)—aheaporpile( ְכִּרי
Ibn Ezra
7 HIS DAUGHTERS. This refers only to Dinah. (Jacob had no other daughters.) It is possible that Dinah had maid servants of her own age who grew up with her in Jacobʼs house and who because of Dinah are called Jacobʼs daughters. Jacobʼs
“daughters” can be compared to Michalʼs “children” (II Sam. 21:8). (Michalʼs “children” were in fact the children of Merab. Scripture refers to them as Michalʼs children because she raised them. Cf. Sanhedrin. 19b. See also I.E.ʼs comments on Gen. 36:2 and the notes thereto.) The same interpretation is to be given to “and his sonsʼ daughters” since Jacob had only one granddaughter. (Serah, the daughter of Asher (v. 17). There, too, “daughters” refers to the maid-servants who grew up
with her.)” Sforno
3 Iam…Godofyourfather. IamtheGodwhotoldyourfathernottogotoEgypt (26:2), yet I am telling you to go.
There I will make you into a great nation. Whereas if you remain here your off- spring will intermarry with the Canaanites. This will not happen in Egypt because the populace will not even eat with the Hebrews; see 43:32

Chassidic Parashat:

Vysivyg (What You See Is What You Get)
A straightforward approach to Avodas Hashem. “And Yehuda approached him (Yosef) and said, “please my Hashem.”Berieshis 44:18)
The verse says only that he approached him, but it doesn’t specify who he approached. Since it is written ambiguously it can be considered an allusion.
“And Yehuda approached him”, refers to Hashem. Yehuda is a hint to the Yehudi, the Jew. Here is a lesson how a Jew is can present himself to Hashem. Our Rabbis
said, “Even though they have transgressed, they are still called Yisroel.” (Sanhedrin 44a) “And even though they are defiled, the Divine presence is still amongst them.” (Midrash Toras Cohanim, Parshas Metzora)
When a Jew looks at himself reflectively and considers how distant he really is from having a true connection with Hashem, if he at least harbors a desire to do Teshuva, even though he is defiled, (by being distant from the source of life) he is still called Yisroel. One ought to strengthen himself and say, “The way I am, is the way I am. This is the way I will approach Hashem.” And since a Jew possesses a divine spark which never can be extinguished, he can come to Hashem saying, “Here I am. What you see is what you get (at present).” This is the meaning if Bi Adoni (please my Lord), I am approaching You with the eternal divine spark that is inside of me (bi). “The bottom line”, one says to Hashem, “Is that I am Jew and a Jew has a divine spark. There is always a part of me which is connected to You, no matter how far I might stray!”

To Pray Or Not To Pray
R’ Aharon of Karlin was once in Mezhibuzh, the town where the Ba’al Shem Tov lived and is buried. He wanted to go to the gravesite of the Ba’al Shem Tov to pray.
He turned to his attendant, questioning, “Nu, was sogst du? (What do you say?) How can we go to the Ba’al Shem HaKodesh empty-handed? We haven’t got mitzvos to our credit, nor good deeds. We can hardly learn properly, much less daven!”
For some 20 minutes Reb Aharon stalled, lost in thought, searching for a strategy that would allow him to approach the Holy resting site of the Ba’al Shem Tov.
Finally he exclaimed, “Is it not true that simple people, unlearned women and
children come here to pour out their hearts? If so, then we also shall go and pour out our hearts like them.”

Be Smart, Not Right

The winner doesn’t necessarily come out on top. “And Yosef said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me’, and they approached. And he
said to them, ‘I am your brother Yosef that you sold me to Egypt.’” (Bereishis 45:4)
The Ohr HaChayim HaKodesh asks why did Yosef repeat himself here telling his brothers his identity? Already, in the previous verse he revealed himself to them, “I am Yosef, is my father still alive. . .?” He knew it wasn’t the brothers at all who caused his hardship, but the hand of Hashem. Therefore he wanted to calm them since he saw they were terrified and ashamed like thieves caught red-handed. Imagine their embarrassment, they had done all they could to be rid of him; they taunted him, pursued him, threw him into a deep pit with the intention of killing
him and now here reappears, the virtual King of Egypt, and they are dependent on
him for their very lives. All this Yosef knew, but he wanted them to be at ease and not to feel ashamed. “I am your brother Yosef. . .”; they didn’t believe it was true and he wanted to reassure them that it was. Despite all that had happened, he was still behaving towards them like a brother. Even more, he reminded them, “. . . that you sold me to Egypt”. He implored them to believe that during the entire ordeal he never, at any time, maintained any feelings of anger or hate against them. “Although I don’t know if I will remain alive or dead, I nevertheless forgive you.” This was Yosef’s constant thought. And this was the proof that he was
indeed Yosef since nobody but these 10 brothers knew what had happened 22 long years ago. This idea provides an answer to a very challenging question asked by many
commentators. During all the years Yosef was flourishing in Egypt; why didn’t he dispatch a message to his father to inform him that he was still alive? Moreover, when Yosef met his brothers for the first time in years, and they bowed down to him, as it is written, “And Yosef remembered his dreamed that he had dreamed about them”. (Bereishis 42:9) Rashi points out that now he saw his dreams become reality. Why did he not reveal himself then and there, letting them know in no uncertain terms after all this time, that he was right and the dreams did come true. He could have had the small satisfaction after all the hardship he experienced to say, “I told you so”! And if he would have revealed himself at that moment, then they would have immediately grasped the truth, that he was Yosef and their sarcastic claim, “So will you be the King over us, you will rule over us…”, (Bereishis 37:8) was in fact the truth. Nevertheless, he kept his secret to himself.
Yosef chose to have pity on his brothers and to hold himself back from the thrill of triumph. The drive to be right, and to have one’s will prevail over another’s was a trait that Yosef repressed and never let have its say. For that reason, at the critical moment, when the dreams were being fulfilled and the brothers, like the stars in the sky and the sheaves of grain in the field were bowing down to Yosef, he concealed his identity from them so as not to claim his victory and thereby greatly embarrass and disparage his brothers. That was something which Yosef
wished to avoid at all cost. In the minds of the brothers they were bowing down to some Egyptian minister.
This is why, says the Kedushas Levi, (Parshas Miketz, beginning vayavo’u) Yosef didn’t send a message to father revealing that he was alive. Certainly the news would have reached the ears of the brothers, and imagine their embarrassment in front of their father when he learned the truth about what had happened and how his sons had conspired to deceive him and protect themselves. They would then have to return to Egypt with Binyomin or with Ya’acov; their faces to the ground in embarrassment and disgrace knowing that now the dreams were being fulfilled. Yosef preferred to remain anonymous thus protecting the feelings of his brothers. The benefits of such a policy are twofold, Firstly, one doesn’t offer any encouragement to the all-too-human Yetzer (drive or ambition) that wants always
to conquer another, leaving him maimed and demoralized as a result. The second benefit is the avoidance of causing pain or emotional turmoil to another. A pleasant side effect is, that in the process, the other one gets the pleasure of having been correct or agreed with. For example, R’ Yisroel Salanter would endeavor to find some pretext to back down from any argument in order to not have to win and cause anguish to another. And imagine the other’s delight
when he realized that not only did he match wits with the great R’ Yisroel Salanter, but that he also adopted his opinion!
R’ Yitzchok Meir of Gur, the Chiddushei HaRim, also used this practice. Once he paid a visit to R’ Yeshaya Mushkat of Prague. A certain Torah scholar came to speak with him and posed a difficult Talmudic problem which the Chiddushei HaRim was able to solve without too much trouble., The visiting scholar however, was not so ready to accept the answer and refuted it harshly. R’ Yeshaya then entered into a lengthy debate with the guest while the Chiddushei HaRim listened intently, but did not offering any more opinions. Finally, R’ Yeshaya was compelled to agree with the visiting scholar. The next day, R’ Yeshaya took a good look at the problem they had debated and to his amazement he realized that the Chiddushei HaRim had been correct from the beginning.
He immediately set out for the quarters of the Chiddushei HaRim and confronted him, “Why didn’t you push your opinion forward yesterday if you knew you were correct?”
“I saw from the onset”, answered the Chiddushei HaRim, “That the esteemed
scholar had erred in his understanding of the basic reading of the text in question. If his true motive would have been to arrive at the truth, I would have pressed the point and showed him where he erred. But since I saw that his goal was to emerge victorious from the debate, I feared that my own Yetzer (drive or ambition) to win would overcome me. Since it is forbidden to gain honor from the Torah (Avos 1:13), I stayed out of the discussion completely, even though the
scholar mistakenly thought that he succeeded in the debate. (Based on Sefer HaMa’ayan HaNitzchi, Parshas Miketz, Ma’amar Beis)

Beholden To The Master

Hashem’s plans always succeed. “And to his father he sent ten donkeys laden with the good things of Egypt. . . “. (Bereishis 45:23)
Why did Yosef send ten donkeys to Ya’acov? To what was he trying to hint? The Maharal of Prague, also my 23rd great grandfather (Gur Aryeh on Bereishis 45:23) writes that Yosef was trying to tell Ya’acov that the ten brothers, now returning to Canaan to bring
Ya’acov down to Egypt, were like ten donkeys. A donkey only knows to carry it’s
load at the behest of it’s master, without knowledge of what he is carrying, why or to where. So too the brothers. During the entire drama of the sale of Yosef, they were like donkeys. They had no awareness of it, but everything they did was according to a divine plan. They behaved according to the will of Hashem, thereby putting into place the eventual birth of the Jewish nation. It must be that this appeased Ya’acov, for he never scolded or derided his sons over the incident and its aftermath.
Yosef also sent calves to Ya’acov as a sign that he was indeed alive. The laws of the Eglah Ha’Arufa were the last subject they had studied together 22 years previous. But the Egelos (calves) which alluded to the Eglah Ha’Arufa, contained another message. When a dead man was found between cities and it was impossible to find the murderer, an Eglah Ha’Arufa was used to atone for the
man’s death and absolved the surrounding cities from any guilt. (Devarim 21:1-9) Likewise, Yosef indicated to Ya’acov that here there was no place for guilt. Each “player” in this drama did exactly as he was supposed to do. Everything was orchestrated perfectly by Hashem. (Sefer Beis Yisroel 5715)

Learning The Path Of Teshuva
The interrelationship between Torah and Teshuva. “And he (Ya’acov) sent Yehuda before him to Yosef to show (instruct) the way to the Land of Goshen, and then they came into the land of Goshen.” (Bereishis
46:28)
Rashi quotes the Midrash which interprets the word to “show” or “instruct” (l’horos l’fanav). The Midrash learns that he was sent to establish a house of study or instruction (hora’a), which would serve to perpetuate their already established tradition of Torah learning. Says the Divrei Yisrael, the Rebbe of Modjitz, when it comes to learning Torah,
everything is dependent on Teshuva. This is reflected in the fifth blessing of the weekday Shmoneh Esreh. “Return us our Father (in Teshuva) to Your Torah, bring us close, our King, to Your service, and bring us back to You in wholehearted repentance. Blessed are You Hashem who desires repentance.” Teshuva comes first as a prerequisite to Torah, and afterwards serves as the safeguard for the Torah learned. Yehuda is considered one of the ultimate Baalei Teshuva.
The famous incident of Yehuda and Tamar is found in Genesis 38. Yehuda takes Tamar as the wife for his son Er. He was a bad guy and dies while Tamar is still a young woman. Yehuda commands his next oldest son, Onan, to marry his brother’s widow and to perpetuate his name by having a child with her. (This is the Torah’s first levirite marriage.) Onan doesn’t like the idea of having to carry on for his brother and withdraws during relations so as not to impregnate Tamar. This act did not find favor in Hashem’s eyes, and Onan also soon died. Yehuda promised his youngest son Shelah to Tamar as soon as he becomes of age. Tamar returns to her father’s home a lonely widow. Years pass, Yehuda himself becomes a widower and neglects to marry his son Shelah to Tamar. Nevertheless, Tamar knew that she was destined to be the mother of the Jewish monarchy. When Yehuda went out to the sheep shearing one season, she waited for Yehuda at a crossroads, disguised as a prostitute. Yehuda seeking comfort for the loss of his wife, and not recognizing Tamar, initiates relations with her for the price of a kid goat. Not having the animal with him, he leaves her some personal effects as security. When he later sends one of his men to deliver the goat to the prostitute, she is nowhere to be found (having returned to her father’s home and
resumed her widow’s garb). “Let her keep the security”, exclaimed Yehuda, wanting to be finished with the affair. (Bereishis 38:23)
Three months later came the report that Tamar, the widowed daughter-in-law of Yehuda, was pregnant. Yehuda passed judgment that she is to be burned alive for
her lack of propriety. As she was being taken to her punishment, she sent a messenger with the personal effects of Yehuda saying that the owner of the items was the father of her child. Yehuda immediately recognized them. He could have denied the charge and
skirted the affair for life. Yet he publicly admitted his involvement with her exclaiming, “She is more righteous (innocent) than I, for I neglected to marry her to my son Shelah.” (Bereishis 38:26)
Tamar gave birth to twins, Peretz and Zerach. Peretz, the oldest, was a direct ancestor of King David. (Ruth 4:18-20) This quality of Teshuva is reflected in the blessing that Moshe Rabbenu gave to the tribe of Yehuda before his death. (Devarim 33:7) Normally the blessings for the tribes are given in chronological order, from oldest to youngest. Nevertheless Moshe Rabbenu preempts the blessings of Shimon and Levi, and blesses Yehuda, the fourth-born, right after Reuven, the first-born. Why? Rashi says that he was grouped together with Reuven since he also was a Ba’al Teshuva. (After the death of Rachel, Ya’acov moved his bed from her tent to the tent of her maidservant Bilhah. Reuven, concerned for the honor of his mother, removed the bed to her tent. (Bereishis 35:22) The Gemarra (Shabbos 45b) tells us that it is considered as if he actually slept with his father’s wife. Reuven, however did Teshuva for his act.)
Therefore, since Teshuva is the prerequisite to Torah, there is no better person than Yehuda to entrust with the mission of establishing the House of Study in
Egypt.

I Place Hashem Before Me Always

The Chassidic path of divine service. “. . .and he (Yosef) fell on his (Ya’acov’s) neck and wept for a long time.” (Bereishis 46:29)
Rashi comments that Ya’acov didn’t reciprocate Yosef’s display of affection, and
didn’t weep, or hug and kiss him at all. At that moment, says the Midrash, he was
occupied with reciting the Shema. Why did Ya’acov decide that that moment, his reunion with his beloved son Yosef after 22 years, was an appropriate time to recite the Shema? The Baal Shem Tov taught that this is the way of the chassidus. One disciplines oneself to turn every urge and emotion towards Hashem. Therefore, when one feels like showing affection for a loved one, one should direct those emotions into affection for Hashem. Ya’acov, when he first saw Yosef after 22 years, wanted to throw his arms around him. Nevertheless he restrained himself and turned all of that love to Hashem, saying the Shema as the ultimate fulfillment of the commandment, “You shall love the Hashem your G-d with all your heart, with all soul and with all your might.” (Devarim 6:5)