Haftara for VaYigash - Living in the Land or Upon the Land

In the haftara for Parashat Vayigash, the prophet Yechezkel foresees the day when Benei Yisrael "shall dwell upon the land that I have given to My servant Yaakov, in which your forefathers had dwelled; and they shall dwell upon it – they, their children, and their children's children, forever, with My servant David ruler over them, forever" (Yechezkel 37:25).

Rav Mendel Hirsch, in his commentary to the haftarot, notes the different formulations employed in this verse with regard to Benei Yisrael's residence in the land. Twice the prophet depicts Benei Yisrael dwelling "upon the land": "they shall dwell upon the land…and they shall dwell upon it." By contrast, in reference to the residence of the earlier generations of Benei Yisrael in their homeland, a different expression is used: "in which your forefathers had dwelled." Our forefathers had dwelled "in" Eretz Yisrael, and the prophet foresees the time when we will all dwell "upon" the land.

Rav Mendel explains this transition in light of the comments of his father, Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch, in his commentary to a verse in Sefer Vayikra (25:18), "vi-shavtem al ha-aretz la-vetach" – "you shall dwell securely upon the land." As Rav Hirsch explains, it emerges from this verse that dwelling "upon" the land connotes a sense of stability and security that directly contrasts with the warning earlier in Sefer Vayikra (18:28) that the land will "spew out" Benei Yisrael should they fail to live in accordance with the Torah. The description of a nation living "upon" a land is one of control and permanence, without any threat of expulsion.

In retrospect, we can describe our ancestors' residence in Eretz Yisrael as one of living "in the land," but not living "upon the land." By failing to resist the influences of the surrounding peoples, Benei Yisrael suffered the same fate as their Canaanite predecessors, as the Torah warned in Sefer Vayikra, and were expelled. Yechezkel thus foresees the time when, as opposed to the previous generations, who lived "in" our homeland, Am Yisrael will once and for all dwell "upon the land," safely, securely, and, most of all, permanently.

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Yaakov's Blessing to Pharaoh - the Nile?

We read in Parashat Vayigash of Yaakov's arrival in Egypt and his meeting with Pharaoh, at the conclusion of which Yaakov gives Pharaoh a blessing (47:10). While the Torah does not specify what kind of blessing this was, Rashi, based on the Midrash, explains that Yaakov blessed Pharaoh that the Nile River should rise and overflow its banks in his presence. Indeed, Rashi adds, from that point on, whenever Pharaoh would go to the Nile the waters would rise in his honor. This comment of Rashi should likely be read in conjunction with his comments later in this parasha (47:19), where he writes that the famine in Egypt came to an end with Yaakov's arrival.

Rav Yosef Shaul Nathanson, in his Divrei Shaul (mahadura tanina), speculates that this phenomenon continued during the time of the subsequent Pharaoh, as well, who subjugated Benei Yisrael. As Rashi comments (based on the Midrash) in Parashat Vaera (Shemot 7:15), Pharaoh declared himself a deity of sorts, and for this reason had to perform his bodily functions in private. Quite possibly, Rav Nathanson suggests, Pharaoh made this claim on the basis of the river's response to his presence. Whether or not the king believed his own claim of godly power, he was able to "prove" this claim by approaching the river and showing that its waters rose in his honor.

If so, then Pharaoh's behavior exemplifies the tendency that people often have to credit themselves for the achievements of others. People often feel so inadequate and inferior that they are prepared to try bolstering their self-esteem by taking pride in achievements for which they deserve no credit. Just as Pharaoh declared himself divine on the basis of a blessing he received from Yaakov, so do many people attribute certain qualities to themselves for accomplishments in which they themselves played no significant role. The lesson of Pharaoh is the need to draw a clear distinction between one's achievements and one's blessings, to feel pride for what he has accomplished, and feel grateful for that with which he has been blessed.

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Would the Brothers Have Fled if Yosef had Sent a Message Earlier?

Among the central questions that have been addressed concerning the story of Yosef and his brothers is why Yosef had not contacted his family upon rising to power in Egypt. Even assuming he had no possibility of contacting his family while working for Potifar and certainly during his years in the Egyptian prison, once he was appointed viceroy he presumably had the means of sending a message to his grieving father to inform him that he is alive and well. (The Ramban famously addresses this question in his commentary to Parashat Miketz – 42:21.)

One of the lesser-known answers to this question was offered by Rabbenu Yehuda Ha-chasid, cited in Rav Menachem Kasher's Torah Sheleima (chapter 44, note 74): "Had he done so, all his brothers would flee – this one to the east, this one to the west – from shame. Instead, he took them with words, slowly and gently, so that they would not feel ashamed, and his intentions were good." According to this explanation, if Yosef had contacted his family earlier and told them that he was alive and in power in Egypt, they would have been unable to bear the humiliation, and they would have likely fled from Yaakov and from one another. For the sake of the family's unity, Yosef refrained from contacting his family and revealing his identity until this point, at the beginning of Parashat Vayigash.

It is unclear, however, how Yosef spared his brothers humiliation by not revealing his identity until after framing Binyamin with theft and hearing Yehuda's plea to allow him to return to Canaan. If anything, this process only intensified their shame. The Beit Ha-levi famously noted the sense of humiliation the brothers experienced when Yosef revealed himself and exclaimed, "I am Yosef – is my father still alive?" (45:3). Yehuda had just insisted that Binyamin be allowed to return home because their father would otherwise die from anguish (44:31); Yosef now turns to his brothers and rhetorically asks, "Is my father still alive?!" As if to say, "Why did you not think of this concern twenty-two years ago, when you sold me to slavery and subjected my father to two decades of anguish?" It is hard to imagine that the shame and humiliation experienced by the brothers at that moment was less than what they would have felt had Yosef notified his family of his whereabouts immediately upon being named Egyptian viceroy.

We might suggest a different approach, that Yosef's brothers would have indeed scattered "this one to the east, this one to the west" had he sent a message earlier, only for the exact opposite reason. Yosef likely assumed that the brothers felt no remorse over what they had done, and all throughout stood steadfastly by their conviction that he had to be eliminated from the family. Had he sent a message to Yaakov immediately upon ascending to power in Egypt, he would have then retaken his place as a member of the family. Even assuming that he would be unable to leave Egypt and return home, he would nevertheless be included once again among Yaakov's sons, and most likely be considered Yaakov's favorite, as he has been previously. Yaakov's sons would never have accepted this arrangement, and would therefore have "fled," or renounced their own membership in the family. Yaakov would then have to choose between Yosef and the other brothers – a decision Yosef did not want to force upon his father.

Yosef therefore devised a plan to place his brothers in a situation where they had to protect Binyamin, Rachel's son, Yaakov's new favorite. As Abarbanel writes, the brothers' teshuva process was then complete; they atoned for their mistreatment of Yosef through their efforts to protect Binyamin and return him safely to their father. Only then was Yosef prepared to reveal his identity, as he was assured that his brothers would now embrace him as a full-fledged member of the family.

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Why Goshen

As the Torah tells in Parashat Vayigash, Yosef ordered his brothers to return to Canaan from Egypt to inform their father, Yaakov, that he is alive and rules over Egypt. They were to then bring Yaakov to live in Egypt, where he would be sustained by Yosef during the drought that struck the region.

In delivering this message to Yaakov, Yosef says, "You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me…" (45:10), expressing his plan that Yaakov and his family should reside specifically in the region of Goshen. Later, when the family arrives in Egypt with all their property, Yosef prepares them for their meeting with Pharaoh and instructs them to inform the king that they work as shepherds, "in order that you shall reside in the land of Goshen" (46:34). Yosef apparently afforded great importance to his family's settlement specifically in the area of Goshen. How might we explain Yosef's insistence on having the family live in this particular region?

Rashi and the Radak (46:34) explain, very simply, that Goshen was well-suited for shepherding. It apparently offered more fertile and verdant pasture land than other regions in Egypt, and Yosef therefore made a point of having his father and brothers settle in that district. In a similar vein, Rabbenu Yosef Bekhor Shor explained that Goshen was generally a higher quality area and Yosef thus wished for his family to reside there and enjoy the very best the country had to offer. (See also Abarbanel to 45:10.)

The Ramban (45:10) explains, somewhat ambiguously, "Yosef knew that his father would not want to remain in the land of Egypt [proper] where the royal capital was situated, so already now he sent to him that he would have him reside in the land of Goshen." According to the Ramban, the appeal of Goshen was its remoteness. He realized that Yaakov would prefer to live in the outskirts of Egypt, distant from the country's cultural and commercial centers, and therefore chose the land of Goshen for this purpose.

The Ramban likely had in mind the notion presented by Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch in his Torah commentary, where he emphasizes the importance of Benei Yisrael's relative seclusion in Goshen (46:34). Rav Hirsch comments that Yosef saw the Egyptians' distaste for shepherds as his family's greatest asset, as it would help ensure the preservation of their national identity and ethical lifestyle. He writes:

…for the disgust which the Egyptians had for their [Benei Yisrael's] calling…was the first means for the preservation of that race that was destined for an isolated path through the ages. Until the spiritual moral morn dawns for the nations of the world, the barriers…which they have…raised against the Jews, have served to protect them from being infected by the barbarism and demoralization of the people in whose midst they were to have to wander for centuries. That is why, here too, Joseph at once brought to the fore that aspect of his brethren which was unpleasant to the Egyptians with the expressed purpose of obtaining thereby for them, a separate province in which to settle.

Yosef thus chose Goshen not because of any intrinsic characteristic of that region, but due simply to its remoteness, which would allow Benei Yisrael to grow and develop independently as a separate nation.

At first glance, one might question Yosef's selection of Goshen on the basis of a passage in Torat Kohanimcommenting on the verse in Sefer Vayikra (18:3), "Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, in which you lived." Torat Kohanim (cited by Rashi) infers from this verse that the conduct in ancient Egypt was more depraved than the conduct of any other nation of the time, and, furthermore, that "the place where Israel resided conducted themselves abominably more so than anyone else." A number of super-commentators to Rashi (Siftei Chakhamim, Rav Eliyahu Mizrachi and others) explain that Torat Kohanim refers here to the native population of Goshen. One might wonder why Yosef wanted his father and brothers to reside in this region, which was known for its particularly corrupt and debased culture, and why Yaakov would agree to reside there.

The answer emerges clearly from the very next comment in Torat Kohanim: "And from where do we know that Israel's residence caused all this conduct? As the verse states, 'do not follow…in which you lived'." The Ra'avad explains this to mean that the people of Goshen – and the Egyptian population generally – became especially corrupt as a result of their enslavement of Benei Yisrael. In accordance with the notion of aveira goreret aveira – one wrongful act leads to another – the Egyptians' crimes against Benei Yisrael bred further moral deterioration, until they became the most corrupt nation in the world, and the people of Goshen degenerated to the lowest stratum among the Egyptian populace. Thus, the woeful moral condition of Goshen as described in Torat Kohanim surfaced only after Benei Yisrael's enslavement, and we therefore need not question Yosef's judgment in choosing this region for the area of his family's residence.

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Yaakov's Stop in Beersheba and his Service of God

The Torah in Parashat Vayigash tells of Yaakov's resettlement in Egypt, and we read that along the way from Canaan, he stops in the city of Be'er Sheva where he brings sacrificial offerings to God (46:1). The Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 94:4) presents a most surprising explanation for the purpose behind this stopover in Be'er Sheva, namely, that Yaakov went there to cut down the trees that his grandfather Avraham had planted many years earlier. These trees were intended for use in constructing the Mishkan, and Yaakov, who foresaw that his descendants would build the Mishkan after leaving Egypt, brought the lumber with him as he left Canaan to resettle in Egypt.

There is much room for thought as to the particular significance of the wood used for the Mishkan in the context of Yaakov's relocation in Egypt. More generally, however, this passage in the Midrash demonstrates Yaakov's involvement in, and intensive focus on, lofty ideals and endeavors even during very personal, emotional experiences. After twenty-two years of grieving, Yaakov suddenly learns that his son is alive and capable of sustaining him during the harsh drought that threatened the family's financial stability. But as he makes his way towards Egypt to be reunited with Yosef and live his final years in peace, stability and serenity, his mind remains focused on the Mishkan, on his descendants' spiritual destiny. Even during such moments of personal, emotional intensity, he did not lose sight of his lofty spiritual goals, aspirations and responsibilities.

This is perhaps also the message underlying Rashi's comment later in this parasha (46:29) that Yaakov recited the shema as he embraced Yosef during their long-awaited reunion. Even at this moment of personal joy, his heart and mind were entirely devoted to the service of the Almighty.

Rav Avraham Yafhan of Nevarduk (as recorded in Ha-musar Ve-ha-da'at, published in Jerusalem, 5736) elaborated on this quality of Yaakov and noted how unfortunate it is that most of us do just the reverse: even while we ostensibly involve ourselves in avodat Hashem, our minds and hearts remained focused on our personal affairs. Whereas Yaakov directed his attention towards his spiritual responsibilities even as he tended to personal matters, we direct our attention to our personal matters even as we tend to our spiritual responsibilities. All too often, our performance of mitzvot is tainted by ulterior motives; and during tefilot and Torah study, our minds frequently wander onto our personal affairs. The Midrashim cited above should remind us to approach all aspects of life as part of our responsibilities as ovedei Hashem, or, at very least, to ensure that the moments spent in avodat Hashem are indeed devoted purely for that purpose, and not for furthering our personal interests.

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Why did Pharaoh Command Yosef to Send Wagons to Yaakov?

We read in Parashat Vayigash that Yosef sent his brothers from Egypt to summon his father in Canaan and instruct him to relocate in Egypt, where Yosef, who served as the country's vizier, would support him during the remaining years of drought. Pharaoh, upon hearing that Yosef's brothers were in Egypt, tells Yosef, "You are thus commanded [to instruct your brothers]: Do the following – take for yourselves wagons…and carry your father and come. And your eyes shall not look sparingly upon your belongings, for the fat of all the land of Egypt is yours!" (45:19-20). The Egyptian king ordered Yosef to provide wagons with which to transport their father, wives and children, and also offered them to fill their bags unsparingly with food from Egypt.

The obvious question arises, why did Pharaoh introduce this gracious offer by declaring to Yosef, "Ve-ata tzuveita – "You are thus commanded"? The expression tzivui ("command") is generally associated with a strict, compulsory order. Why does Pharoah use this term here, in the context of his offering wagons and food?

The Ramban explains, "He said this matter as a command to him knowing Yosef's ethical conduct, that he would not thrust his hand into the royal fortune… Pharaoh therefore figured that he might perhaps not wish to send his father anything…" In other words, Pharaoh was well aware of Yosef's strict ethical standards which may have prevented him from taking goods from the royal treasury without a specific command from the king.

Rav Yechezkel Levenstein (as cited in Mi-mizrach Shemesh) noted the meaningful lesson that emerges from the Ramban's comments. The wealth in Pharaoh's treasury was, at this point in time, the product of Yosef's insight and skill. It was he who prophetically foresaw the seven-year drought that would follow the seven plentiful years, and it was he who arranged and supervised the massive gain storage during the first seven years. The fortune to which Yosef would have likely not allowed himself access was the result of his efforts; he could have easily justified availing himself of the assets of the royal treasury, especially for the purpose of assisting in the transportation of his saintly father. Yet, Yosef exercised such meticulous care with regard to the property of others that he naturally denied himself access to the royal treasury for personal matters, until receiving an explicit command from Pharaoh himself. Rather than saying, "Well, I deserve it," or "This property should really be mine anyway," Yosef showed respect to the property of others and did not presume any privileges or rights despite the fact that Egypt's wealth was amassed through his wisdom and efforts.

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Shaul son of the Canaanite - Who are They?

The Torah in Parashat Vayigash lists the names of Yaakov’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who relocated with him from Canaan to Egypt. Among the names mentioned in this list is “Shaul Ben Ha-kena’anit” – “Shaul, son of the Canaanite woman” – who is included among the sons of Shimon (46:10).

Different approaches have been taken by the commentators in attempting to identify Shaul and his “Canaanite” mother. The simplest explanation, perhaps, is that suggested by the Radak and Ibn Ezra, who claimed that with the exception of Shimon, all of Yaakov’s sons made a point of not marrying Canaanite women. Ibn Ezra lists a number of other nations from where the sons’ wives conceivably could have originated – Egypt, Midyan, Aram and Edom. Yaakov’s sons specifically avoided the women of Canaan, following the example of their great-grandfather, Avraham, who did not want his son to marry Canaanite women. Shimon, however, did marry a Canaanite woman (in addition to his other wife or wives), who begot Shaul. Ibn Ezra adds that the Torah mentioned Shaul’s wife’s nationality as criticism of Shimon for violating the norm that the family had accepted. He notes that for this same reason the Torah mentions the births and deaths of Er and Onan, Yehuda’s two eldest sons. As these men died before Yaakov’s family moved to Egypt, there seems to be no reason for their inclusion in this list. Ibn Ezra suggests that the Torah mentioned Er and Onan to express its disapproval of Yehuda’s marriage to the Canaanite woman with whom he begot these two sons.

The Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 80:11), however, cited by Rashi, presents a much different theory, namely, that Shimon married his sister, Dina, after rescuing her from the city of Shekhem. After her defilement at the hands of the city’s prince, Dina demanded that Shimon marry her, and this union produced Shaul. Dina is called the “Canaanite woman” because she was abducted and defiled by a Canaanite man.

We find variations of the Midrash’s approach in some later commentaries. Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch accepts the notion that Shaul was Dina’s son, but suggests that he resulted from her forced union with Shekhem, rather than her willful marriage to Shimon. Shaul then joined the family of his maternal grandfather, Yaakov. Rav Hirsch does not explain why Shaul is listed among specifically the sons of Shimon, but we might speculate that as one of the two brothers who rescued Dina, Shimon felt it was his responsibility to also care for her child, and Shaul therefore is included among his sons. (Interestingly, Rav Hirsch notes in this context that Shaul’s membership in Yaakov’s family might serve as an ancient source for the halakhic principle of matrilineal descent.)

Shadal offers a different explanation, one which absolves us from having to identify Dina as a “Canaanite woman.” He suggests that when Dina was abducted, she conceived with a girl, whom Shimon later married. Dina’s daughter is called a “Canaanite woman” because her biological father was a Canaanite man. Shaul was then the product of the marriage between Shimon and his niece – Dina’s daughter.

Shadal further notes that this approach may help solve another mystery related to this list of Yaakov’s offspring, namely, the number seventy which the Torah mentions as the sum total of Yaakov’s family members (46:27). Already Chazal noted that only sixty-nine names are listed, and thus the figure of seventy seems imprecise. A famous Midrashic tradition claims that Yokheved, Levi’s daughter, was born just as Yaakov’s family crossed the border into Egypt, and she is thus the “missing” grandchild of Yaakov. Shadal, however, suggests that the “Canaanite woman” born to Dina might also account for the number seventy. Yaakov’s sons’ wives are explicitly not included in the total of seventy (“milevad neshei venei Yaakov” – 46:26), but this wife of Shimon, who was Dina’s daughter, might have indeed been included, as she was Yaakov’s granddaughter. This might thus explain how the Torah arrived at a total of seventy.

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Yosef Will Close Yaakov's Eyes

As Yaakov makes his way toward Egypt, where he would spend the rest of his life, God appears to him in a prophetic dream to offer reassurance. God promises the patriarch that he – actually, his descendants – will eventually return to their homeland, and adds, “and Yosef shall place his hand over your eyes” (46:4).

The simplest explanation of this phrase, it would seem, as the Rashbam and Seforno explain, is that Yosef would care for all of Yaakov’s needs in Egypt. The metaphor of “place his hand over your eyes” means that Yaakov could just keep his eyes closed and not have to look out for himself, because all his needs would be cared for by his son (Seforno).

The Pesikta Zutreta, however, interprets this phrase more literally: “This refers to closing his eyes [atzimat enayim].” What this means, as Rav Saadia Gaon and Chizkuni explain, is that at the time of Yaakov’s death Yosef would close his eyelids, as was (and still is) the customary practice when a person passes on. According to Chizkuni, God here guarantees Yaakov that Yosef would be present at his death, and would thus be able to care for his remains in an appropriate and respectful manner (and bring his remains to Canaan for burial).

However, Rav Yehuda Leib Ginsburg, in his Yalkut Yehuda, suggests an allegorical reading of this comment of the Pesikta Zutreta, such that it refers not to the physical act of closing Yaakov’s eyelids, but rather diverting his attention away from troubling sights and thoughts. God knew that Yaakov would feel distressed upon seeing the humiliating, prejudiced treatment Benei Yisrael would endure in Egypt. Although the actual period of bondage did not begin until well after Yaakov’s death, nevertheless, even during his lifetime, his children and grandchildren were looked upon with a degree of contempt. (Thus, for example, we know that the Egyptians would not eat together with Yosef’s brothers – 43:32). The Pesikta Zutretasuggested reading this verse as a promise that Yosef would “close Yaakov’s eyes” to this discrimination. Yosef came to Egypt as a slave and soon found himself cast in a dungeon, falsely convicted of a grievous crime. Ultimately, however, he rose from the lowest depths of despair to the greatest heights of power and honor. Thus, the story of Yosef would itself turn his father’s mind away from the troubling circumstances that his descendants will encounter. Yosef’s experiences would give Yaakov good reason to look away from this hardship and focus his attention instead on the bright, promising future that awaits Benei Yisrael. Just as Yosef managed to make his way from the lowest levels of humiliation and hopelessness to the heights of success, so would Benei Yisrael emerge from the mudpits of Egypt and become a strong, proud and thriving nation.

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תחת רגלי האדם

באדיבות ישיבת מעלות יעקב

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Why Yosef Wanted his Brothers to be Shepherds

We read in Parashat Vayigash of the arrival of Yosef’s father and brothers in Egypt, where they settled to escape the hunger they suffered from the drought-ravaged area ofCanaan. Upon their arrival, Yosef brought five his brothers before Pharaoh, and he instructed them to tell the Egyptian king that they worked as shepherds. This would result in their confinement to the remote, outlying region of Goshen, since Egyptians did not generally approve of shepherding (see 46:34). Furthermore, according to one view in the Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 95), Yosef made a point of selecting the less burly of his brothers, fearing that Pharaoh might otherwise draft the physically talented men into his military.

It is commonly understood that Yosef wanted his brothers to work in shepherding and avoid the Egyptian military in order that they not become too entrenched in the corrupt society that characterized ancient Egypt. However, Rav Yehuda Leib Ginsburg, in his Yalkut Yehuda, points to a different factor that motivated these measures:

It was preferable for them to work in shepherding, an occupation which the Egyptians viewed with contempt, than working in military service and being respected in their [the Egyptians’] eyes, for they did not pursue honor. It was preferable for them to earn a living from work which did not afford them much honor than to earn honor through the work of bloodshed.

Given the choice, the brothers strongly preferred suffering shame and indignity in Egypt by working as shepherds over earning respect and distinction by joining the military.

Unfortunately, people often afford a disproportionate amount of weight to fame and distinction in charting their course of professional life. For many, a career is a means of distinguishing oneself, rather than making a meaningful contribution to the world while also supporting one’s family. The brothers’ preference to work as shepherds should perhaps set an example of prioritizing virtue over fame in selecting a career. They harbored no ambitions of climbing the social or economic ladders in Egypt, and sought instead to live lives of piety and saintliness. To that end, they gave preference to a profession that would consign them to social isolation, over the opportunity to rise to hero status in Pharaoh’s army – thus teaching which factors deserve priority in selecting a profession.

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Haftara for VaYigash - Living in the Land or Upon the Land

Yaakov's Blessing to Pharaoh - the Nile?

Would the Brothers Have Fled if Yosef had Sent a Message Earlier?

Why Goshen

Yaakov's Stop in Beersheba and his Service of God

Why did Pharaoh Command Yosef to Send Wagons to Yaakov?

Shaul son of the Canaanite - Who are They?

Yosef Will Close Yaakov's Eyes

תחת רגלי האדם

Why Yosef Wanted his Brothers to be Shepherds

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