Close To Torah

Every Jewish person blesses his sons that they should be like Efraim and Menasheh. We do this because Yaakov Aveinu so instructed (see Berieshis 48:20). The Jewish girls on the other hand are blessed that they should be like Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah (see Rus 4:11), the Matriarchs. Why do we specifically use Efraim and Menasheh as the male blessing of choice?

The Midrash (Tanchumah Vayigash 5) tells us that as Yosef HaTzaddik was speaking to his brothers after they brought Binyomin down to him in Egypt, he was overcome with emotion. Yosef felt that he could not keep his brothers in suspense any longer and he needed to reveal the true identity of Tzafnas Pane’ach to them. Yehuda and all of the brothers were highly riled up and were ready to destroy the entire Egypt in order to save Binyomin. Yosef was unable to contain himself further. He sent out all of the Egyptians and his guards and had a private talk with his eleven brothers. “I am Yosef!! Is my father still alive?!” It was an earth-shattering revelation. The Midrash states that Yosef gambled his life at that moment by sending out his guards and remaining alone with the brothers as they could have killed him on the spot and no one would have even known! So why did he do this? “Yosef said, ‘It is worth it for me to risk my life (to send out the guards) rather than to causing my brothers embarrassment when I reveal myself’!”

If we think about what is being said here it is quite awesome and unbelievable. Yosef was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers. For 22 years he missed his dear father, brother, homeland and freedom. He could have harbored bad feelings and allowed his internal resentments and hatred towards his brother who sold him to snowball into a ferocious loathing of them. Yet at this very moment of truth, he was willing to put his life on the line in order to save them from embarrassment. How was this possible?

I have noted the fascinating advent of the naming of Yosef’s two sons who were born to him in Egypt. “Yosef called his firstborn ‘Menasheh’ for Hashem has helped me forget (Nashani) my sorrows and the pain that my brothers caused me. He called the second one Efraim, for Hashem has made me productive (Hifrani) in this land of affliction” (Bereishis 41:51-2). Yosef could have spent the day wallowing in self-pity and victimhood. He could have used his troubles as an excuse as to why he was not capable of moving on and living a healthy, happy and productive life. But he did not. Yosef realized that the only person that he would be hurting by holding onto resentments was he himself. He would not accomplish or grow that way. And so he worked deeply and hard to let go. He put himself fully in Hashem’s hand and recognized that Hashem would help him forget his sorrows and pain. After he did this he experienced a deep inner freedom and empowerment. He would be a healthy and productive person. He would work to make that happen. This is signified by his two son’s names. Menasheh connotes that Yosef forgot and let go of his resentments. Efraim connotes that he thereby became a successful and productive person.

Yosef broke away from the role of victim that he easily could have fallen into and instead he choose the path of greatness. Yosef so strongly worked on himself to forgive and forget the pain caused by his brothers to the point that when he faced them, he looked at them with great love and respect. He was sensitive to their needs and he wished to ensure that they would not be exposed in public. He put his life on the line to make that happen. This is why we bless our children to be like Efraim and Menasheh. We wish for every Jew to learn how to let go of pain and resentment (Menasheh) and instead to be as productive and fruitful (Efraim) as possible!

When Yosef revealed himself to his brothers he fell upon Binyomin’s shoulder and they both wept (Bereishis 45:14). The Gemara (Megillah 16b) tells us that Yosef cried about the two Batei Mikdashim structures that would be in Binyomin’s lot but would be destroyed. Binyomin cried about the Mishkan of Shiloh that would be in Yosef’s land but would be destroyed (according to Chazal it was actually hidden away). It has always bothered me as to why the verse was taken out of its simple meaning, they were crying tears of joy? Secondly, why were they crying about this now? Thirdly, they each should have cried for their own destroyed Temple and not that of the other’s?

Rabbi Shimon Schwab (1908- 1995) zt”l quotes the following answer from Rabbi Mordechai   Pogramansky (d. 1946). The verse (Isaiah 25:8) tells us that when Mashiach comes, “Hashem will wipe the tears from all faces.” The Midrash makes a cryptic comment, “even tears of joy.” What does this mean? Aren’t tear of joy good?

He explained allegorically: Why do we cry from happiness? Hashem had a home among us in the Mikdash and we had unlimited blessings. When the Mikdash was destroyed we said Aicha, lamentations, and life was filled with troubles and challenges to the point that one’s happy moments were like islands found in the sea of tears. When one is happy, the joy overflows and thereby pushes out some of the sea’s tears! Thus, in truth it can be said that tears of joy come from the sea of tears of not having Hashem’s Divine Presence with us. This is exactly why Yosef and Binyamin were crying, it was tears of joy; they cried because the family rift had driven Hashem away from them. Yaakov mourned Yosef’s loss for 22 years and Hashem did not appear to him because of his low spirit and the disunity among the brothers. This certainly is a fascinating point;  a unique remez, hint. There is more from another angle.

As we approach Asara B’Teves, it is appropriate to bear in mind that Chazal tell us the Mikdash was destroyed because of Sinas Chinom, unjustified hate of one another. Yosef and Binyamin recognized that they had been separated because of this hate and thus they cried over the hate that threatened to destroy their family and ultimately destroyed the Mikdash. In order to make up for this, they each strived to love and feel the pain of one another. Thus, Yosef cried for Binyomin’s loss and Binyomin cried for his brother’s troubles. The message is that one who opens his heart and loves and accepts others is bringing Hashem and happiness into his life!

In this week’s parshah, Yosef reveals himself to his brothers. The תורה tells us that the brothers were embarrassed, and had nothing to say. But we find something interesting in the behavior of יוסף, instead of becoming naturally angry that he was falsely accused and wronged, he tries to make sure that his brothers don’t feel bad about selling him into slavery. He explains to them that it was for the best this way, and ה’ planned it like this, in order that he should be able to supply the family with food during the years of famine.

“Yossel the delivery man was once driving down one of the busy streets in the Geulah neighborhood of Jerusalem. Although he was not doing anything wrong or out of the ordinary, just on his way to deliver a package, he was stopped by a police officer. The ordeal took a good fifteen minutes, all the while Yossel looking at his watch, urging it to go slower, he had a very important delivery to make by one of their best customers and could not be late. He was wondering in his head, why me? I didn’t even do anything wrong! Why does this kind of stuff always happen to me? After the policeman was done with all his checking, he let Yossel go, hurrying to the place of appointment, only to find out that right by the spot where he should have been, a terrorist attack had occurred, not to long before. The police officer had “saved him” from sure death, and what he thought was a bitter pill turned out to be the best “medicine”.

There are a lot of times where we don’t end up finding out the “end of the story”, we feel that we were wronged in one way or another, and for no good reason, to boot! We have to realize that there is a bigger picture, and although we may not always be able to see it, there is a father in heaven, who is directing all the traffic of the world making sure everything should be running as it should. If he would “blink an eye” for just a split second, by turning away his attention from us, it would be disastrous. It is upon us to make the effort to see the good in every situation even if it is hard for us, its all for the best.

When Yaakov finally greeted Yosef after not seeing him for twenty-two years, he was in the middle of saying Shema (Rashi)! This needs to be understood?! Couldn’t Yaakov have just waited until later to say this prayer?! Two explanations:

1- Yaakov was a great Tzaddik. At this time, he felt a great surge of emotion and happiness at the opportunity to see his presumed dead son from years before. He wanted to channel those feelings of elation and excitement into Avodas Hashem! Thus, he specifically used the time to exclaim his unswerving faith and appreciation to Hashem!

2- The word “אחד,, One”, is comprised of three letters. They represent Yaakov and his sons. The ,א Alef, is one, that is Yaakov. The ח, Ches, and ד , Daled, equal 12 in Gematria; they are the 12 tribes. More so, there were ח (8) son’s that were born from Rachel and Leah and ד (4) sons born from the maidservants. This is the word “אחד”.

Yaakov had thought that his family and the future of the twelve tribes had been lost when he heard Yosef was dead. It was at this moment that Yaakov realized that the unity and wholeness of Klal Yisrael was still in tact, that is why he proclaimed,אחד , Echad! (See also Pesachim 56a, for a new understanding based on this!)

וירא את העגלות אשר שלח יוסף לשאת אותו ותחי רוח יעקב אביהם (מה:כז).

“…and he (Yaakov) saw the wagons which Yosef had sent to transport him with and the spirit of Yaakov their father was revived” (45:27).

Chazal say that Yosef sent wagons to Yaakov to recall to him the last thing they had learnt together, Eglah Arufa, the atonement for an unidentified corpse found, thus proving that he was still alive. What does this signify? What is so significant about the wagons that they suddenly prove to Yaakov unequivocally that Yosef had not perished?

The topic of Eglah Arufa appears in the Torah at the very end of Parshas Shoftim. A dead body was found and its’ cause of death was unknown. We measure to see which city is closest to the corpse so that they can lead the atonement process. The Abarbanel asks, why is this topic found where it is, it seems to be out of place and in fact terribly interrupting the flow between the Parsha proceeding it and the one following it which both discuss Jewish laws of war? What connection does it have to war?

The Kli Yakar provides a beautiful answer based on the Gemara (Sotah 46a) which states: Why does the Eglah Arufa atonement process involve the bringing of a calf? The explanation is that Hashem says to bring a young calf which never had the opportunity to reproduce, and kill it over a land that never yielded fruit, and let it be a forgiveness for the corpse that was found, who can no longer produce the fruits of Mitzvos.

The topic discussed before Eglah Arufa is the Halacha stating that when you go to war, you should not destroy the enemy’s fruit-bearing trees and thereby cause unwarranted waste. This is called the prohibition of Ba’al Tashchis, do not waste. This is exactly related to the following topic of Eglah Arufa. The whole idea of Eglah Arufa is that the Torah requires a city to atone for the deceased whose life has now been wasted. Thus the theme and juxtaposition here is one central topic, the negativity of wastefulness.

Let us apply this to our issue. Commentators maintain that in truth Yaakov believed that Yosef was physically alive, he had no problem believing that. What concerned Yaakov was Yosef’s spiritual state. He heard the news that Yosef was a ruler of Egypt, a place full of degradation. Yaakov feared that Yosef was spiritually dead, for how else could he have risen to heights in the Egyptian kingdom, if not for the fact that he had joined their ideologies.

Yosef’s challenges had tested him to the extreme. He could have easily given up and succumbed to the pressures and temptations of Egypt, yet he fought to remain a Tzaddik and actually won himself the title “Yosef HaTzaddik” because of his resolve to remain pure and free of promiscuous sin.

The Hebrew letter Tzaddik (צ), says the Sefer HaChaim (the Maharal’s brother), when written in the Torah’s script is comprised of a crouched over Nun (נ) with a Yud (י) riding on its back (= צ). The Gemara (Berachos 4b) tells us that David omitted the letter Nun from Ashrey as it connotes Nefila, downfall. Thus, a Tzaddik (צ) is someone whom despite the fact that he is in a situation of challenge, darkness and downward thrust (a bent נ), nevertheless, he rises to the occasion and bears the burden of the Yud (י) of Yahadus, Judaism, on his back, to the best of his ability. This is a true Tzaddik, someone who strives to utilize his full potential despite the opposition!

Yosef HaTzaddik was telling his father, “I am alive spiritually, I have latched on to the principle of Eglah Arufa, never to waste one’s potential! I have fought my battles and Hashem has guided me to victory!

When Yaakov heard this, he was convinced that indeed after 22 long years Yosef had survived as a truly idealistic spiritually sound person. This I believe is the proof of the wagons.