The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
In Parshas Vayechi there is a discussion of the blessings that were given to the shevatim, including Yosef's sons - Ephraim and Menashe. In Vayechi 48:20, the Torah states that Ya'akov blessed them saying "Becha" - by you, shall the Jews bless, saying you should be like Ephraim and Menashe. The Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel explains that we learn from the word "Becha" that it is because of Yosef that we as Jews bless our children by Ephraim and Menashe.
R' Frand asked - what does Yosef have to do with the blessing? When we bless our children with these words we are thinking about Ephraim and Menashe, not Yosef!
R' Frand answered by quoting R' Weinberg ztl of Ner Yisroel who explains that Ephraim and Menashe are unique in that in each generation there is a reduction in the level of greatness. However, Ephraim and Menashe were on the same level as the tribes. The beracha that we give our children is that they should be the same level as our generation and no further away from Sinai.
But how was Yosef able to achieve this in his children? R' Frand answered by quoting the pasuk in Vayechi 47:37 wherein Yosef responds to his father's request to bury him in Israel with the phrase - I will do "K'dvarecha." The simple explanation of this word is that Yosef said I will do as you have said. But the Da'as Zekeinim M'Ba'alei Tosafos explains that Yosef said that he would do the same for himself - he will command his brothers that they should bury him in Israel as well.
R' Frand quoted R' Elya Baruch Finkel who explains that when Yosef said this to Ya'akov, he was saying he will live his life like Ya'akov. I will do things the way that you did and embody your message. Because Yosef lived like Ya'akov and there was no reduction of kedusah from Ya'akov to Yosef, Yosef was similarly zoche that his children were on his level as well.
R' Frand also said a vort on the blessing of Ephraim and Menashe. R' Frand commented that every father wants to see that his children do not have strife or fight with each other. When Ya'akov put his hands on Ephraim and Menashe and had his right hand on Ephraim even though Menashe was the elder son, there was no protest from Menashe. How did Yosef have the zechus to have this occur?
R' Frand answered that Yosef himself was not jealous of anyone, despite all the troubles that he went through. He linked this to the pasuk in Mishlei that jealousy causes bones to rot. There is a constant reference to Yosef after death by the term "Atzmos Yosef" - the bones of Yosef. Whereas when a person dies the person is usually referred to as "the body" or just by name, Yosef's body was called Atzmos Yosef - because his bones did not decay --all due to the absence of jealousy.
Since Yosef lived his life without jealousy, his sons picked up the trait and there was no jealousy when Menashe saw that Ephraim received Ya'akov's right hand.
If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!
No comments:
Post a Comment