Parshas Vayigash

This week’s Parsha is called Parshas Vayigash.

In this week’s Parsha, we pick up from where we left off last week. Yosef’s (Josef) brothers went down to Egypt to buy food for their family, and Yosef accused them of espionage, and takes one of them as a collateral until the rest of his brothers return with their younger brother Binyamin (Benjamin). Upon returning with Binyamin, Yosef invited them to a meal and subsequently planted his fancy goblet into Binyamin’s sack. After they left Yosef sent servants after them and accused them of stealing the Viceroy’s goblet. When it was discovered in Binyamin’s sack, they servants tried to take him back as prisoner, (like Yosef wanted,) but instead all of the brothers came back to Yosef’s house. They arrived and we pick up from there.

They arrived there and Yehuda, the fourth oldest brother asked to privately approach the Viceroy and recounted the whole exchange between his father Yaakov and the brothers and how only after Yehuda promised that he would not let anything happen the Binyamin was Yaakov willing to risk losing a second son. He then said to Yosef that he would rather be taken prisoner. Furthermore, that Yaakov would probably die if he lost Binyamin. When Yosef saw how his brothers who had once hated him so much that they sold him to a group of Ishmaelites had now done Tishuva (repentance) he ordered everyone out of the room. Then Yosef began crying and said, “I am Yosef, is my father still alive?” To which they didn’t answer him because of their astonishment. Then Yosef said, “I am Yosef your brother – me, whom you sold to Egypt.” Yosef then told them not to be ashamed by their actions because it was Hashem who had caused everything to happen and it was his plan for the good of Klal Yisroel. Now Yosef could help them during this rough famine, and to go and tell their father that Yosef was alive and the Viceroy over all of Egypt, and had a place for them to live.

They traveled back to Yaakov and related all the events. When Yaakov heard that his son, Yosef, who he thought was dead, was alive in Egypt and ruling it, the passuk says that his heart had stopped for a second due to the great amount of astonishment.

Yaakov, excited as you can imagine, packed up and left to Egypt to see his long lost son. And though it might seem that Yaakov would just leave with no ifs, ands, or buts, he did hesitate. The reason why Yaakov hesitated was because now Yaakov was living in the holy land of Eretz Yisroel, and if he moved to where Yosef was, he would be leaving the Promised Land. But Hashem reassured Yaakov.

When Yaakov arrived in Egypt together with seventy others Yosef ran up to him and the both embraced each other and cried tears of joy.

There is for sure one thing that we should all learn from this week’s Parsha and it comes from how respectfully and compassionately Yosef treated his brothers after all the trouble they put him through and this was a great demonstration of his midah (trait) of emuna (faith in Hashem).

We have all heard the saying “Don’t shoot the messenger” and whatever experience that comes our way that causes us to be angry or to speak onaas dvarim (hurtful words) that situation was hand picked and hand delivered to us by the Ribono Shel Olam (Master of the Universe) and the person in front of us is just delivering the message!

May we all learn from Yosef HaTzadik to avoid anger and harsh words towards another Jew! –Amen!

HAVE A GREAT SHABBOS AND WEEKEND!

Stay tuned for next week’s Parsha as we conclude the book of B’rashis (first book of Moses,) with Parshas Vayechi (VAH-YAY-CHEE)!