Thursday, December 29, 2022

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayigash

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.

R' Frand said his vort on the pasuk in Bereishis 45:4 which states וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אֲנִי֙ יוֹסֵ֣ף אֲחִיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י מִצְרָֽיְמָה. Since this is said during the time that Yosef is trying to console his brothers, why would he mention that they sold him down to Egypt?

R' Frand first gave an answer from the S'forno (as well as the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh) which states that this was said to make sure that they knew that he was actually Yosef. Since the sale was only witnessed by eleven people, by letting them know that he was aware of it, they would realized that he was really Yosef.

R' Frand gave a second answer from the Sfas Emes who explained that when the brothers saw Yosef they were upset with themselves. They saw what a great person he had become and they thought - had we not sold him down to Egypt and had he stayed with Ya'akov, he could have been even greater. 

It was for this reason that Yosef told them - I am Yosef who you sold down to Egypt, because you sold me to Egypt. I would not have become the person I am now if I had not experienced all the troubles that I did. Much like the meforshim take the breaking of the luchos  אֲשֶׁ֥ר שִׁבַּֽרְתָּ and learn that Hashem said Yasher Koach that you broke the luchos, so too Yosef was saying אֲשֶׁר־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם - Yasher Koach that you sold me.

R' Frand said a second vort in the name of the Tiferes Shlomo (Radumsker Rav) which ties back to Parshas Vayishlach. After recounting the fight with the angel of Esav, the Torah states in Bereishis 32:32 - וַיִּזְרַח־ל֣וֹ הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָבַ֖ר אֶת־פְּנוּאֵ֑ל וְה֥וּא צֹלֵ֖עַ עַל־יְרֵכֽוֹ. Rashi explains that the Torah is telling us that the sun rose to heal Ya'akov from his wound. However if this was the case, the rising of the sun should be at the end of the pasuk after the Torah states that he was lame!

The Tiferes Shlomo addresses this by quoting a pasuk from this week's parsha which states in Bereishis 45:3 - וְלֹא־יָֽכְל֤וּ אֶחָיו֙ לַֽעֲנ֣וֹת אֹת֔וֹ כִּ֥י נִבְהֲל֖וּ מִפָּנָֽיו. Rashi explains that they were embarrassed that for 22 years they thought he was evil and they had done right and now they realized they were wrong and there is nothing more devastating than that. R' Chaim Shmuelevitz comments that this was a rebuke to them for their prior actions, but where is the actual rebuke? He answers that being faced with the fact that a person was dead wrong is a rebuke. 

R'  Frand gave the example of a parent whose child is disciplined and the parent gets the teacher fired. Years later the parent may realize that the teacher was right to discipline the child and the parent regrets his actions so many years later.

Unfortunately we can go through life and not realize until afterwards that we did something wrong. How does one figure it out? Aseh Lecha Rav U'Kneh Lecha Chaver. The Rambam explains that a good friend is someone that you can tell everything and because the relationship is so strong, the friend wont change his view of the person and the friend can tell you - you are an idiot!

So going back to the pasuk from this week's parsha, the Torah is telling us that sometimes Hashem shines a light on us and reveals that we were distracted. The light causes an epiphany and causes us to realize - we are not whole, we did wrong. The sun shows us that we were wrong. 

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