Parshas Vayeshev

Never Assume That It Is Impossible!

 

“And it was at that time, that Yehudah descended from his brothers (Bereishis 38:1).”

“In 1977, Laura Schultz, 63, was in the kitchen of her home in Tallahassee, Florida, when she heard her 6-year-old grandson screaming from the driveway outside. Schultz ran to the door to find her grandson pinned beneath the rear tire of a full-size Buick. Giving no consideration to limitations or barriers, Schultz ran to the car, used one hand to lift the rear of the vehicle and used the other hand to drag her grandson to safety. Schultz revealed that the incident had scared her and reminded her that she’d wasted most of her life living far beneath her true potential (Goodreads.com).”

Yosef’s brother’s convened court and determined that Yosef deserved the death penalty for his actions. They felt that the negative information that Yosef had told Yaakov about them could have potentially led Yaakov to curse the brothers, affecting the destiny of the Jewish people.

Reuven disagreed with the determination and tried to save Yosef by suggesting that instead of killing him themselves, they should throw him into a pit. Reuven had planned to return at a different time to rescue Yosef from the pit. At a later time, when Reuven was away, a caravan of Arabs passed. The caravan was on the way to Egypt. Yehudah suggested to the brothers that they sell Yosef to the Arabs instead of killing him (Bereishis 37:26). The brothers agreed. Yosef was taken out of the pit and sold to the Arabs. Radak explains Yehudah’s reasoning. Reuven had already prevented the brothers from killing their brother outright. Yehudah was saying “What are we going to do with him? If we leave him in the pit this is just as bad as having killed him.”

 When the brothers returned home and told Yaakov that Yosef was no longer alive, Yaakov mourned for his son. He was very anguished and could not be consoled. “And it was at that time, that Yehudah descended from his brothers (Bereishis 38:1).” Rashi explains that the brothers reduced Yehudah from his high position. The Midrash (Midrash Rabba 85:2) says when they saw their father’s grief they said to Yehudah, “You told us to sell him. Had you had told us to send him back to his father we would also have obeyed you.”

The Talmud (Sota 13B) quotes Rabbi Elazar who says that one who starts a mitzvah but does not complete it, assuming that he is capable of doing so, is demoted from his position of greatness. Rashi explains that Hashem caused Yehudah to be demoted from his position of leadership as a punishment because he started the mitzvah of saving Yosef but did not complete it.

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 6B) discusses Yehudah’s suggestion to sell Yosef to the Arabs. According to the simple understanding, Rabbi Meir was saying that Yehudah was being criticized.  Since Yehudah’s brothers showed a willingness to listen to him about selling Yosef, he should have advised them to return Yosef to his father.

Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk zt”l (Meshech Chachma) gives an interesting understanding for Rabbi Meir. He says that Rav Meir felt that Yosef’s brothers from Bilha and Zilpa would not want to see him killed. After all, Yosef associated with them, as the pasuk (Bereishis 37: 2) says, “Yosef was with the sons of Bilhah, and the sons of Zilpah.”  Rashi says that Yosef made it his custom to associate with the sons of Bilhah because his brothers slighted them. That would number 4 people who would vote to free Yosef. Of Leah’s 5 sons, Reuven was not present so there would only have been 4 people saying that Yosef deserved to be killed. Once Yehudah would say to free Yosef that would be 5 against 4 and Yosef would have been freed.

Maharsha explains Rabbi Meir in the opposite manner. Rabbi Meir was saying the one being criticized was NOT Yehudah. Rather, the one being criticized is anyone one who disgraces Yehudah for what he did. He says that Yehudah acted properly. He acted for the sake of Hashem, in order to spare Yosef’s life. He felt that the brothers would not listen to him had he said to free Yosef and return him home. It is interesting to note that the Torah Temima understands the Maharsha as saying that Yehudah was certain that the brothers would not have listened to him had he said to free Yosef and return him home.

According to the Maharsha, and certainly according to the Torah Temima’s explanation, Yehudah did not think that the brothers would listen to him had he said to free Yosef. Therefore, he did not suggest it.

We have a somewhat similar occurrence, later in Jewish history. The Talmud (Gittin 56A-B) relates that Vespasian had been sent by Rome to fight against the Jews and conquer Jerusalem. The Roman legions had surrounded Jerusalem. The great sage and Torah leader, Rav Yochanan ben Zakkai had to stealthily exit the Jewish camp. When he arrived at the Roman camp, he greeted the general, Vespasian. ‘Peace be unto you, O King! Peace be unto you, O King!’ Vespasian responded, ‘You have incurred the death penalty…. You have called me King, and I am not the King! …’” Rav Yochanan ben Zakkai answered, ‘I knew you had to be a king, because our prophets have foretold that the Temple will fall only into the hands of a king.’” Just then, a messenger arrived from Rome and announced that the Roman Emperor had died, and that Vespasian was chosen to become the new Emperor!’” Vespasian was so impressed by Rav Yochanan ben Zakkai that he told him, “I will leave now, to return to Rome. But I will dispatch someone to take my place. Before I go, you may make a request, which I will grant you.’”  Rav Yochanan asked for three things, which were granted. He asked that that the Romans guarantee the safety of the scholars of Yavneh, where the new Sanhedrin (Jewish Supreme Court) would be located, that the Romans guarantee the survival of the family of Rabban Gamliel, a descendant of the House of King David, and that the Romans allow their physicians to restore the health of Rabbi Tzadok. Rabbi Tzadok had fasted for forty years to pray for the safety of the city and the Beis HaMikdash. Rabbi Yosef, and some say Rabbi Akiva, questioned Rav Yochanan ben Zakkai’s actions. They felt that he should have requested the preservation of Jerusalem and the Beis HaMikdash, and that the Jewish People should be given a “second chance” to prove their loyalty to Rome. Apparently, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai felt that it was pointless to make that request since the Jews had conducted a multiyear bloody war against the forces of Rome. He understood that asking for too much might gain him nothing. Instead, he asked for the three other things which, ultimately, ensured the continuity of the Torah and the Jewish People.

Rav Yochanan ben Zakkai knew that had he asked for too much, he would have received nothing. I don’t think that Yehudah would have had that problem. I can’t imagine that the other brothers would have said we don’t want to free Yosef and because you asked for that we will not even let you sell him to the Arabs.

Yet Yehudah did not ask them to give Yosef his freedom because he was “certain” that they would not listen.

There are times that we want to say something or do something. Yet, we feel that there is no point because we are certain that our words or actions will be for naught. We feel that the one we want to speak to, will “certainly” not listen to us and will “certainly” not change from what he was doing. We see from Yehudah that we can’t assume with 100% certainty.  One can never know how his words or actions can affect or influence others. All we do know is that we must always try!

 

 

 

 

Parshas Vayeshev

The Answer To “Why” Will Soon Be Understood

“He [Yaakov] sent [Yosef] from the depths of Chevron, and he came to Shechem.” (37:14)

In 1942, in the early morning of erev Rosh Hashana, a large group of Danish Jews gathered in the shul to recite slichos. The chief rabbi announced that instead of saying slichos, they had to go into hiding and arrange passage from Denmark to Sweden. The rabbi had received a secret tip that the Nazis were planning on rounding-up the Danish Jews the night of Rosh Hashana. A few families planned with a Danish fisherman to take them on the six-hour journey to safety. There was always a risk that the Nazis would catch them, but they felt that they had no choice. It was a moonless night and their boat rocked violently from the stormy winds and rain. Finally, they arrived a few hundred feet from the Swedish coast where they dropped anchor. The plan was for the Swedish Coast Guard to notice them and send a boat to rescue them. Suddenly, from the coast, they saw searchlights scanning the water. The Jewish families were hopeful that they would soon be saved. However, the searchlights kept missing their boat. The Jews prayed to Hashem to allow the searchlights to find them. However, the searchlights missed them. They realized that they would have to wait until morning to be saved. In the morning, they realized that something was desperately wrong. Apparently, because of the storm, their boat landed back in Danish and not Swedish waters. The searchlights that were trying to find them were from the Nazis who were looking for escaped Jews. Because the searchlights missed seeing them, they were able to reverse their trip and were saved. (In the Spirit of the Maggid by Rabbi Paysach Krohn)

It is interesting that the Chofetz Chaim zt”l, Rabbi Avraham Pam zt”l and Rabbi Yissachor Frand all discuss the same theme in this week’s parsha.  There were some unusual events that transpired in the parsha. In addition, some very smart and very righteous individuals acted in ways that seemed contrary to the proper course of action. Our forefather Yaakov gave his son, Yosef, a multi-colored coat. Didn’t he realize that doing so could cause sibling jealousy? [There are many commentaries that explain the reason why Yaakov did this.] In fact, the Talmud (Shabbos 10B) learns from Yaakov’s actions that we should never give one child preferential treatment over the others. The gift of the fine wool coat that Yaakov gave to Yosef, above and beyond that which he gave to the rest of his sons, caused jealousy. That action started a series of events which led to Yosef being sold as a slave! It almost led to Yosef’s death! As the situation unfolded further, it resulted in the Jewish people descending to Egypt.

Furthermore, since Yosef knew that his brothers hated him, why did he tell them about his two dreams which seemed to indicate that he would rule over them? And, since Yaakov was aware that the other brothers felt negatively towards Yosef, why did he send Yosef to see how they and their sheep were doing?

The answer to how such great people can make such “mistakes” can be found in the words of the pasuk, “He [Yaakov] sent [Yosef] from the depths of Chevron….” (37:14). Rashi asks, that Chevron was situated on a mountain so why does the pasuk say that Yaakov sent Yosef from the valley (deep part) of Chevron? Rashi answers that it was referring to the profound counsel of our forefather Avraham who is buried in Chevron. Hashem caused Yaakov to send Yosef so that Hashem could fulfill what He had told Avraham would happen. His children would be strangers in a strange land. The other “strange” events, the so called “mistakes”, that occurred were also orchestrated by the guiding hand of Hashem.

We see from this the idea of hashgachah peratis, Divine providence. We see how Hashem manipulated events to bring His master plan to fruition. Yosef having been sold as a slave to one of Pharoah’s ministers, led directly to Yosef’s rise to power as a ruler of Egypt. Even when Yosef was in prison, Hashem orchestrated that Pharaoh’s wine steward and baker were put into the prison at the same time as Yosef. That was to set in motion the events which led to Yosef becoming the second in command to Pharoah. Then, when Hashem caused there to be a famine in all the surrounding lands, Yosef was in position to sustain his entire family who eventually joined him in Egypt. All the great people were puppets and Hashem was the Puppeteer. Yaakov and his family lived comfortably in Eretz Yisroel. It was necessary that he and his family be enslaved in Egypt for hundreds of years. All these events occurred to facilitate the goal of Yaakov and his entire family going to Egypt.

The Rokeach, a Tosafist and Kabbalist, writes that this parsha has a total of 112 psukim and Tehillim chapter 92, Mizmor Shir Leyom HaShabbos, contains 112 words. What is the connection between these two? Rav Mattisyahu Solomon gives a beautiful explanation. We know that the Book of Bereishis is the blueprint of Jewish history. There is the concept of maaseh avos siman labanim, that the actions of our forefathers foreshadow events that will befall the Jewish People. Parshas Vayeshev illustrates that Hashem runs the world, down to the most minute details. Hashem showed Adam HaRishon all the future events that would occur to the Jewish People. After seeing how Hashem would bring His master plan to fruition, Adam HaRishon was moved to say this chapter of Tehillim that includes the words, “O Hashem, how great are your deeds! Your thoughts are very profound.” (92:6)

We have various questions. There are numerous world events that cause us to wonder why Hashem allowed them to happen. All of this will only be properly understood when Hashem brings Moshiach to redeem us.

A person may be in a distressing situation, never realizing that this will ultimately bring him great benefit and joy. When the kingship of Hashem will be revealed to the world, we will see, with perfect clarity, how all our trials and tribulations were necessary steps in our rise to greatness. “And in that day, you shall say, O Hashem, I will praise You: Although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You do comfort me.” There will come a time when we will praise Hashem for all our suffering. At that time, we will understand that it was our path to salvation and success (Isaiah 12:1)

(Based on Rabbi Frand on the Parashah 3; Chofetz Chaim on the Torah, Talelei Oros by Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rubin, Messages from Rabbi Pam by Rabbi Sholom Smith)

 

 

Parshas Vayeshev

You CAN Do It if You Try!

 

“It was at that time that Yehudah went down from his brothers” (Bereishis 38:1)

The Chofetz Chaim zt”l (in Sefer Chofetz Chaim on the Torah, in Parshas Terumah) relates a true, tragic story that has implications for all of us. A Jew was imprisoned in a small town in Russia. His hands and feet were in shackles, and he was about to be sent to Siberia for his crime of counterfeiting. Before being led away, the prisoner asked the policeman if he could speak to the rabbi of the town. The prisoner said that he had something urgent to tell the rabbi. The policeman agreed and sent for the rabbi. When the rabbi came and saw that the prisoner was about to be led away, he felt brokenhearted. The prisoner saw the rabbi and called out, “It’s your fault! You knew that I was counterfeiting. You should have reprimanded me and warned me what the terrible consequence would be if I were caught!”

The Chofetz Chaim zt”l concluded by stressing the grave responsibility that rabbis and leaders have, to correct improper behavior. Their followers will blame the rabbis and leaders for ignoring their sinful behavior. The Chofetz Chaim zt”l continues that the accusations against the leaders will be even greater when the people are punished for their sins in the World to Come. [Of course, the rebukes must be delivered in a manner that will be heard. And the people should honestly listen to those who are trying to guide them in the correct path. They should not embarrass or fight with their leaders.]

In this week’s parsha, Yosef’s brothers determined that Yosef deserved the death penalty. Reuven suggested that instead of actively killing him Yosef, they should throw him into a pit. Reuven left to take care of his father, intending to return to save Yosef. Meanwhile, a caravan of Arabs passed. Yehudah suggested to the brothers that they sell Yosef as a slave, rather than kill him. Yehudah felt that this would at least save Yosef’s life [The brothers were exceedingly righteous. The reader should not get a negative misimpression of them or of Yosef due to this simplified understanding of the story. The commentaries explain everything in depth.] The brothers agreed. When the brothers returned, they gave Yaakov the impression that Yosef had been killed by a wild animal. Rashi (Bereishis 38:1) says that when the brothers saw Yaakov’s inconsolable mourning, they turned to Yehudah and blamed him for Yaakov’s sadness. They removed Yehudah from his position of leadership and complained, “You, said to sell him. Had you said to return him, we would have listened to you”.

Rav Avraham Pam zt”l (Rav Pam on Chumash by Rabbi Sholom Smith) questions the brothers complaint to Yehudah. Would they truly have listened to Yehudah had he said to free Yosef? After all, they felt halachically justified in killing him. Yehudah clearly felt that, had he asked to spare Yosef, the other brothers would not have listened to him. They would have left Yosef in the pit to die. Yehudah felt that a compromise would be accepted. Therefore, he suggested that Yosef be sold, rather than be freed. Clearly, Yehudah underestimated the influence he had over the other brothers. Apparently, had he been insistent in freeing Yosef, they would have listened to him. Since he did not do so, the brothers blamed him for Yaakov’s pain and removed him from his position of leadership.

The story from the Chofetz Chaim zt”l and the dvar Torah from Rabbi Pam zt”l impact not only our leaders, but us as well! We are often in the position to influence others to do good and/or to persuade them to stop sinning. However, we may feel inadequate, that we will be ignored. Yet, that is not always true. Obviously, we must use our common sense to know when to speak up and when to be silent. However, in truth, there are many instances when we can speak up and our voices will be heard.

Then, we will make a difference someone’s life!

A man had a non-observant neighbor. He never thought of inviting him for a Shabbos meal because he thought that his offer would be refused. How wrong he was. The neighbor had remarked to another person that he was just waiting to be invited. His life could have been changed had his religious neighbor confidently reached-out to him.

Who is waiting for you to reach out and change their life?