God reassured Yaakov that He will go
down to Egypt with him and that He will bring him back.

At that point Yaakov and his family
packed up (Breisheet 46:5-6):

Yaakov rose up from Be’er Sheva.
B’nai Yisrael transported their father Yaakov, their children and their wives
in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They took their livestock and
their possessions that they had acquired in the Land of C’naan, and they came
to Egypt; Yaakov and all his descendants with him…

Rashi, quoting Tanchuma Yashan
Vayishlach 11, comments that whatever Yaakov acquired in Padan Aram he gave to
Eisav for his share in Ma’arat HaMachpela (Cave of the Patriarchs and
Matriarchs). He said “Possessions acquired outside of Eretz Yisrael hold no
value for me.” This is what Yaakov meant by (Breisheet 50:5) “The grave that I
acquired for myself.” Yaakov put piles of gold and silver for Esav similar to a
heap and said to him “take these for your share of the cave.”

The Talmud 13a brings a midrash:

When it was time to bury Yaakov,
Esav said “Yaakov buried Leah in the space that was rightfully his, therefore
the one space remaining is mine and you may not bury Yaakov there.”

They replied to Esav, “You sold it!
You relinquished your right to be buried here when you sold your right of the
firstborn to Yaakov, our father, for a pot of lentils.”

Esav answered, “Granted I sold the
extra portion that I would have received as a firstborn. But when did I ever
sell the standard portion I am to receive as a son? Therefore our portions
should be equal and we should each receive one burial space.”

They said to him, “Yes, you did sell
your standard portion in Maarat HaMachpela. Yaakov told us on his deathbed.”

It says in Breisheet 50:5:

My father made me swear an oath
saying, “Behold I am dying. In my grave that I have acquired (kariti) for
myself in the Land of Cnaan, there you shall bury me.”

Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of
Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak: The word “kira” means selling (mechira) or
acquisition.

We see from here that the money and
possessions that Yaakov acquired outside of Israel had little meaning for him.
It was more important for Yaakov to be buried in the Land of Israel next to his
wife Leah in the same cave as his parents and grandparents.

In Parshat Miketz, Yosef tells his
brothers that in order to prove that they are not spies they must go back home
and return with their youngest brother.

Upon the brothers arrival we read (Breisheet
42:29):

They came to their father Yaakov, to
the Land of C’naan, and they told him all that had happened to them…

Notice that the verse first notifies
us that they came to their father and then it mentions that they came to the
Land of C’naan.

In contrast, In Parshat Vayigash,
after Yosef reveals who he really is, he sends his brothers home to bring back
their father. There, the order is reversed. First the Land of C’naan is
mentioned followed by their father (Breisheet 45:25):

They went up from Egypt, and they
came to the Land of C’naan, to their father Yaakov.

What is the reason for the change in
order?

The Netziv in his commentary HaEmek
Davar explains that this time, they came first to part with the Land, as they
knew that now the entire nation would be moving to Egypt while seeing their
father was secondary as he would be coming with them.

Leaving Israel can be difficult
especially when you don’t know when you will be returning.

The same is true today. Those who
live in Israel and are attached to the Land feel a sense of sadness when they
leave, even if it is for a short time or a vacation.

Even Israelis who choose to relocate
often feel a sense of loss when they are leaving as well as while they are gone.

When Israelis who go on “shlichut”
to serve as emissaries on behalf of Israel in the Diaspora for a limited amount
of time, they think that they know exactly when they will be back in Israel.
Yet things don’t always work out as planned due to circumstances that may be
beyond their control and they are not always back when they expected.

Tourists would had a good experience
often have a hard time leaving Israel as they can never be sure of when they
will return.

May we all merit to spend as much
time as we would like in the modern State of Israel and appreciate every moment.

After Yosef admits his true identity
to his brothers, he tells them that he is not angry at them and he knows that
it was all part of God’s plan (Breisheet 45:8-13):

Now it was not you that sent me
here, but God; and He made me as a father to Pharaoh and master of all his
house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry, go up to my father and tell
him: “This is what your son, Yosef says: ‘God has made me master of all Egypt.
Come down to me, do not delay’…Tell my father of my honor in Egypt, and all
that you saw. Hurry and bring my father down here.”

In Breisheet 45:25-27 we read:

They went up from Egypt, and they
came to the land of C’naan, to their father Yaakov. They told him saying,
“Yosef is still alive. He is ruler of all the land of Egypt.” His (Yaakov’s)
heart stood still, for he could not believe them. They told him all the words
of Yosef which he had spoken to them, and he saw wagons that Yosef had sent to
carry him. Then the spirit of their father Yaakov was revived.

If at first Yaakov didn’t believe
them, then which part of Yosef’s message finally convinced Yaakov that they
were telling the truth?

According to HaRav Chaim Sofer, when
the brothers said, “He is ruler of all the land of Egypt,” Yaakov said, “These
can’t be the words of Yosef, since they don’t mention the name of God.”
However, when they told him all the words of Yosef which he had spoken to them
including “He (God) made me as a father to Pharaoh, and master of all his
house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt” and “God has made me master of all
Egypt,” Yaakov understood that they were Yosef’s words, and he was revived.

Even after 22 years, Yaakov knew his
son well enough that he would attribute all of his success to God.

May we learn this lesson from Yosef
and acknowledge God’s involvement in our lives.

Sponsored by Sharona, Josh, Dov and Moshe Halickman in honor of Yehuda Maccabi’s Bar Mitzvah 

After the jealousy and deceit that
we read about over the last few weeks, in Parshat Vayigash, all of Yaakov’s
children are reunited. Yosef reveals who he is and does not hold a grudge
against his brothers for how they treated him in the past.

Then he (Yosef) fell upon his brother
Binyamin’s necks and wept; and Binyamin wept upon his neck. He then kissed all
his brothers and wept upon them; afterwards his brothers conversed with him.
(Breisheet 45:14-15)

According to Gur Aryeh, Yosef and
Binyamin cried because they prophesied that in the future, the tribes would no
longer be united and would be divided into two kingdoms: Yehuda (which would
include Binyamin) and Yisrael (Yosef and the other nine tribes) and they would
then be exiled. However, they would all eventually return to the land and be
reunited as the prophecy says in Yirmiyahu 31:6-8:

For thus says the Lord; Sing with
gladness for Yaakov, and shout on the hilltops of the nations: announce, praise
and say, O Lord, save Your people, the remnant of Yisrael. Behold, I will bring
from the north country, and gather them from the ends of the earth, and with
them the blind and the lame, the pregnant and birthing together: a great
company shall return here. They shall come with weeping and with supplications
will I lead them. I will guide them on rivers of water, on a direct path, in
which they shall not stumble: for I am father to Yisrael, and Efraim is my
firstborn.

The kingdom of Yisrael is referred
to as Efraim as most of the kings of the ten tribes in the Northern Kingdom
were from the tribe of Efraim (who is considered to be Yosef’s bechor, firstborn,
even though Menashe was technically born first).

The Haftara for Parshat Vayigash
from Yechezkel 37 prophesies the future unification of the twelve tribes.

Thus says my Lord, Hashem Elokim:
See! I take Yosef’s wooden tablet which is in Efraim’s hand, and the tribes of
Israel his comrades, and shall place them with him together with Yehuda’s
wooden tablet and I will make them one wooden tablet, and they shall become one
in my hand…Behold! I take B’nai Yisrael from among the nations to which they went
and I shall gather them from around and I shall bring them to their soil and I
shall make them into a single nation in the land upon Israel’s hills and a
single king should be for them as a king; and they shall no longer be two
nations, no longer divided into two nations again…(Yechezkel 37:19-23)

Part of this prophecy has come true.
The kingdoms of Yisrael and Yehuda went out to exile. Some of the Jews came
back to build the Second Temple and were exiled again when it was destroyed.
Now after two thousand years, the Jewish people are returning to their land.
There is a dispute as to whether only parts of the kingdom of Yehuda have
returned or if parts of the kingdom of Yisrael have returned as well.

Which of the lost tribes have come
back to Israel?

So far, the following groups have been
recognized by the State of Israel as lost tribes and are eligible to make
aliya: Bene Yisrael (1964),  Bnei Menashe
(2005) of India and Beta Israel (1973) of Ethiopia (who believe that they are
from the lost tribe of Dan).

May we continue to search for the
missing tribes and may all of the Jewish people have the opportunity to once
again be reunited in the modern State of Israel.

In Parshat Vayigash, Breisheet 46:8-27
we read the list of B’nai Yisrael (Yaakov’s descendents) who went down to
Egypt, seventy people in total.

First Leah’s children and
grandchildren are listed followed by Zilpah’s, Rachel’s and Bilha’s.

Why did the Torah choose to list
Yaakov’s wives and their children in this order? If Rachel was Yaakov’s first
choice for a wife, why is she sandwiched in between Zilpa and Bilha, the
secondary wives?

According to Ramban since they were
being counted in descending order, the wife with the most children was
mentioned first. This is different from the listing in Breisheet 35:23-26 (right
after Binyamin was born) and the opening of the Book of Shmot which list Leah’s
children followed by Rachel’s, Bilha’s and Zilpa’s.

In order to ensure that Rachel would
be honored and not be thought of as a concubine in any way it says specifically
in Breisheet 46:19: “The sons of Rachel, Yaakov’s wife were Yosef and Binyamin.”

Ramban explains in Breisheet 44:27
that Rachel is called Yaakov’s wife since she is the one that he actually chose
to marry.

When Yaakov was ready to leave Lavan’s
house (Breisheet 31:4) it says: “Yaakov sent and called Rachel and Leah to come
to the field, to his flock.”

Rashi comments that first Rachel is
mentioned and then Leah for Rachel was the principal wife. It was for her that
Yaakov accepted to be related to Lavan. Even Leah’s descendents place Rachel before
Leah (Boaz and his court were from the tribe of Yehuda, Leah’s son) when they
say (Ruth 4:11) “…May God make the woman who is coming into your house (Ruth)
like Rachel and like Leah, both of whom built up the house of Israel. May you
prosper in Efrat and be famous in Bethlehem…’”

Even today, on Friday night when
parents bless their daughters, they say: “May God make you like Sarah, Rivka,
Rachel and Leah.”

Rachel was Yaakov’s chosen wife.
However, there is no denying that Leah was the first one to marry Yaakov, she
gave birth to six of his children and merited being buried next to him in
Maarat HaMachpela (The Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs).

No matter what order you list them
in, Leah and Rachel as well as Bilha and Zilpa all deserve our honor as without
them the twelve tribes would not have been born and B’nei Yisrael would not
have come into existence.

In Memory of the two IDF soldiers who were killed this week,

Yosef Cohen z”l and Yuval Mor Yosef z”l

The end of Parshat Miketz (Breisheet 44:16) leaves us with a cliff hanger. After the silver goblet is found in Binyamin’s bag, Yehuda and his brothers return to Yosef: “Yehuda said, ‘What shall we say to my master? What can we speak? How can we justify ourselves? God has found the iniquity of your servants. Let us be slaves to my master, both we, and the one in whose hand the goblet was found.’”

Yosef answers: “It would be degrading for me to do such a thing. The man in whose hand the goblet was found, he shall be my slave, and the rest of you go up in peace to your father.”

In the beginning of Parshat Vayigash, Yehuda explains why he can’t leave Binyamin behind:

“We said to my master, ‘We have a father who is old, and a young child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone survives of his mother, and his father loves him’…We said to my master, ‘the lad cannot leave his father, for if he left his father, he would die’…Your servant, my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife (Rachel) bore me two sons. One has already left me, and I said surely he is torn to pieces. I have not seen him until now. If you take this one also away from me, and misfortune befall him, you will bring my white head down to the grave in evil.’ And now, when I come to your servant, my father, and the lad is not with us; his soul is bound up with the lad’s soul.”

Yehuda is carrying a lot of emotional baggage as he was the one who suggested that they sell Yosef in Breisheet 37:26-27: “Yehuda said to his brothers, ‘What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come let us sell him to the Yishmaelites, and let our hands not be upon him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ His brothers listened to him.”

If the brothers were willing to follow Yehuda’s instructions to sell Yosef, they also would have followed his cue to remove him from the pit and set him free. Yehuda misused his power as a leader and encouraged bad behavior when he could have been a positive influence on his brothers.

When they were younger, the brothers tried to get Yosef out of the picture in order to change God’s plan. We see that with Binyamin this was no longer their goal.

In retrospect, Yehuda realized that Yaakov, as the father had the right to love Yosef, Rachel’s firstborn son. As well, Yaakov has the right to love Binyamin, Rachel’s second son and it would be devastating to him if that love was taken away.

Yaakov may have initially thought that his spiritual heirs would be Rachel’s children, just as Avraham thought that the spiritual heir would be Yishmael and Yitzchak thought that the spiritual heir would be Esav. The difference in Yaakov’s case is that all twelve of Yaakov’s sons become the spiritual heirs of the Land of Israel, but Yosef’s portion was split between his sons, Menashe and Efraim.

Yehuda learned his lesson and did not abuse his power the second time around. He truly repented and was even willing to go to jail in order to spare Binyamin. Today, unfortunately we have leaders who abuse their positions of power. It is up to the true leaders to make sure that the abusers of power do not get away with it. 

When Yosef revealed his true
identity to his brothers in Parshat Vayigash, he said (Breisheet 45:3): “I am
Yosef (ha-od avi chai) is my father (Yaakov) still alive?”

In the Talmud, Taanit 5b, Rabbi
Yitzchak quoted Rabbi Yochanan, stating that Yaakov Avinu never died.

This idea comes from the fact that
when Yaakov’s death is described in Parshat Vayechi, Breisheet 49:33, the word
death is not used: “Yaakov concluded his commands to his sons and he gathered
up his feet, to the bed. He expired and was gathered to his people.”

The statement by Rabbi Yitzchak can
be looked at as an allusion- the righteous are alive even in death- for their
name, memory and deeds live on forever.

Why is Yaakov still considered to be
alive as opposed to Avraham and Yitzchak who were also righteous, yet their
deaths are specifically listed in the Torah?

Rashba points out that Avraham had
Yishmael and Yitzchak had Esav, children who did not follow their father’s
direction. Yaakov’s children all continued in his path and became the twelve
tribes, therefore Yaakov’s legacy lives on forever.

Abravanel states that the fact that
the Jewish people are named after Yaakov whose name was changed to Yisrael,
makes Yaakov eternal.

Dudi Lapid of Yeshivat Kiryat
Shmoneh explains that Yaakov Avinu lives on within each and every Jew. That
would explain the song “Od Avinu Chai, Am Yisrael Chai”, “Our father is still
alive, the Jewish nation is alive.”

The fact that the Land of Israel,
and now the modern State of Israel are named after Yaakov keeps him in the
consciousness of the Jewish people every single day.

Am Yisrael Chai! Od Avinu Chai!

In Parshat Vayigash, when Yosef and Binyamin are reunited we
read (Breisheet 45:14) “He (Yosef) then fell upon his brother Binyamin’s neck
and wept and Binyamin wept upon his neck.”

It is understandable that Yosef and Binyamin, Rachel’s only
children would cry after not seeing each other for so many years.

However, Rashi believes that there is a deeper reason for
why they were crying.

According to Rashi, Yosef wept for the two Temples which were destined to be in
Binyamin’s territory and in the end will be destroyed. Binyamin wept for the
Tabernacle of Shiloh which was destined to be in Yosef’s territory and in the
end will be destroyed.

Living in Jerusalem, one is
reminded of the destruction of both the First and Second Temples
on a regular basis. In the old city of Jerusalem,
archeologists are constantly finding remnants from both the First and Second Temple
periods. When one prays at the Kotel (Western Wall), they are reminded that
they are standing in front of the last remaining wall that surrounded the Temple, yet we don’t have
the Beit HaMikdash to pray at. If a Jewish person has the opportunity to ascend
the Temple Mount, they are not given permission to
pray there. Rather, they will see a Mosque standing where the Temple stood and they will see children
playing soccer on our holiest site.

This Thursday, we will commemorate the Tenth of Tevet, the
fast day which marks the beginning of the siege around Jerusalem
which ultimately led to the destruction of the First Temple.

Those living in Jerusalem
don’t only think of the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash when a fast day comes
along or when they are praying. The destruction is an integral part of our
lives. This morning two border policemen were stabbed near the Lion’s Gate in
the old city of Jerusalem.
Earlier this week two cars of Israelis were attacked on their way to a funeral
on Har HaZeitim (Mount of Olives). Last month,
Yeshiva students were ambushed on their way to Friday night dinner near Har
HaTsofim (Mount Scopus). The images of the destruction
are unfortunately still very real today.

We can’t just sit back and accept the destruction that is
taking place. We must cry out and demand more security and safer access to our
holiest city.

The difference today is that we have a State of Israel. The
Israelis are the one’s who should be in control. We must not tolerate violence
from our enemies.

In Parshat Miketz, after Pharaoh put Yosef in charge of all
of Egypt
we read (Breisheet 41:45): “Pharaoh gave Yosef the name Tzafnat Paneiach, and
he gave him Osnat, the daughter of Poti Phera, Kohen On as a wife.”

In Breishhet 41:50-52 we read about the births of Yosef’s
children: “Two sons were born to Yosef before the years of famine came. They
were born to him by Osnat, the daughter of Poti Phera, Kohen On. Yosef named
the first born, Menashe, ‘For God has made me forget all my trouble, and all
that was in my father’s house.’ He named the second one Ephraim, ‘Because God
has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.’”

In Parshat Vayigash (46:20), the genealogy of Yaakov lists
Yosef’s descendents as follows: “In the land of Egypt,
sons were born to Yosef, which were born to him by Osnat, daughter of Poti
Phera, Kohen On; they were Menashe and Ephraim.

From looking at the different quotes, all that we know about
Osnat is that she is the daughter of Poti Phera, Kohen On, she married Yosef
and had two sons, Ephraim and Menashe.

Why was Yosef comfortable marrying Poti Phera’s daughter?

Rabbeinu Bechaya, quoting the midrash, Pirkei D’Rebbi
Eliezer tries to fill in the blanks as to who Osnat really was: According to
the midrash, Osnat was actually the daughter that Dinah (Yaakov’s daughter)
gave birth to after she was raped by Shchem, the son of Chamor. Yaakov sent her
away from his home and she hid behind a bush (the name Osnat comes from the
same root as sneh- bush). Chizkuni quotes the midrash in Torah Shlema which
says that Yaakov hid her because his sons wanted to kill her. Yaakov tied a
locket around her neck which said that she is Yaakov’s granddaughter. The angel
Gavriel brought her down to Egypt.
Potiphar’s wife took her in and raised her. The young women would throw their
jewelry at Yosef as he walked past them. When Yosef saw Osnat’s locket, he knew
that she was the right match for him. When Yaakov came down to Egypt and asked
who the children were (Breisheet 48:8-9), Yosef showed him the words that he
had written in the locket so many years before.

After reading these midrashim, we can now understand why
Osnat is called the daughter of Poti Phera. Sine Potiphar and his wife raised
her it is as if she was their own child.

We can also see why Yosef didn’t have any hesitations about
marrying Osnat as he knew that she was part of Yaakov’s family.

In Parshat Vayigash, Breisheet 46:5-6 we read: “Yaakov rose
up from Beer Sheva. B’nai Yisrael transported their father Yaakov, their
children and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They
took the livestock and their possessions that they had acquired in the Land of Cnaan
and they came to Egypt,
Yaakov and all of his descendents with him.”

Why does sentence 6 only mention the possessions that they
acquired in the Land of Cnaan? What happened
to the possessions that they acquired in Padan Aram (when he worked for Lavan)?

According to Rashi, whatever Yaakov acquired in Padan Aram he gave
entirely to Esav for his share in Maarat HaMachpela (The burial cave in Chevron).
He said, “Possessions acquired outside of the Land of Israel have no value for me.”

Yaakov took all of the gold and silver that he had brought
from Lavan’s house and made a piled heap (kri) for Esav, and he said to him,
“Take this for your share of Maarat HaMachpela.”

This is what Yaakov meant by (Breisheet 50:5) “Behold I am
dying. The grave that I acquired (kariti) for myself in the Land of Cnaan,
there you shall bury me.”

The Gemara in Sotah 13a explains that even though Yaakov did
buy the rights from Esav to be buried in the cave, when B’nai Yisrael came to
bury Yaakov, Esav wasn’t willing to give up his place.

Esav’s first argument was that Yaakov used up his own space
(which Yaakov acquired when he bought the birthright) by burying Leah there.
Esav argued that the last space should belong to him (Esav) since he was still
the son of Yitzchak and Rivka.

B’nai Yisrael told Esav that he did in fact sell his portion
of the cave to Yaakov and Yaakov even mentioned that he acquired it (Breisheet
50:5) when he was on his deathbed.

Esav then asked for a letter of proof that Yaakov did buy
the extra burial plot.

B’nai Yisrael explained that the letter was still in Egypt and they were willing to send Naftali all
the way back to Egypt
to get the letter.

In the mean time, Chushim, the son of Dan who was hard of
hearing, couldn’t understand exactly what was happening. He asked what was
going on and was told that Esav was holding up Yaakov’s burial. At that point,
Chushim took his staff, smashed Esav in the head and killed him.

The Midrash in Sefer HaYashar (1552, Naples) Chapter 57 explains that Esav’s sons
fought with B’nai Yisrael while Esav was still lying dead and not buried. B’nai
Yisrael won the war and Eliphaz, Esav’s son took Esav’s body to be buried on Mt. Seir.
However, Esav’s head remained in Chevron and was buried there.

Esav was more interested in materialism than spirituality
while Yaakov was focused on spirituality and willing to give up his material
wealth. In both the sale of the birthright which Yaakov bought with a bowl of
lentil soup and the sale of the burial plot in the cave which Yaakov bought
with gold and silver, Yaakov planned ahead while Esav could only think “in the
moment” of what material wealth he could gain. It was only later that Esav
realized that he shortchanged himself spiritually but by then it was too late.