Musar su Genesi 45:41

And furthermore - reflect upon the evil of the one who delays repenting, as it is great. For if it were not that he had delayed - now when his impulse would confront him a second time and he have the opportunity to sin, he would recoil and sigh with a bitter heart, with anguish and worry; and his eye would weep with grief. He would [then] subdue his impulse, remember that the cup of bitterness had passed over him once and he would not drink it again. As it is stated (Psalms 4:8), "Tremble and do not sin" - its explanation is, tremble and fear and be troubled about your sinning, and do not sin again. For it mentioned their sin above [in that chapter in Psalms], when it stated (Psalms 4:3), "you sought falsehood, Selah." And its using the expression, "tremble," confirms this explanation. [As its usage is like in] (Genesis 45:24), "Do not tremble along the way"; and (Habakkuk 3:16), "I trembled where I stood." And their meaning is distress at something that passed and is still present. And it did not state (in Psalms above), "Fear," or "Flinch." But when he delays from repenting - when the sin comes to his hands, he will fall into its trap like he fell at first. And his second iniquity will be very great and his evil will rise up in front of God. For at first, he did not think that the marauding impulse would come upon him. But after he saw the weakness of his power and that his impulse had overcome him and that it is more powerful than he; he should have seen that it is unbridled, and he should have sought to increase his fear of God, to bring down His fright upon his soul, to save it from the ambush of his impulse and to protect it from its iniquity. And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 26:11), "As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." Its explanation is that a dog eats disgusting things; but when he vomits them, they are more disgusting, yet he returns to eat them. Such is the matter of a fool. For he will do a disgraceful act, but when he repeats it, it is [even] more disgraceful, as we explained.

ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אותו . We find in Bereshit Rabbah (93,10), that this verse teaches us how impossible it is to confront those who admonish us. Bileam, the wisest of the Gentiles, could not justify himself before his ass (Numbers 22,30), and Joseph, the youngest of the brothers, silenced his older brothers when he confronted them with admonitions. In due course, G–d will admonish each one of us individually (Psalms 50,21 "I shall censure you and confront you with charges"). The Zohar comments at length on 43,18, describing the brothers' fear when escorted to Joseph's private residence (Sullam edition Miketz page 53). "Woe to those who neither know nor bother to study the Torah. G–d will demand an accounting from them. Body and soul will both have to answer for their deeds before they are finally separated."

In my commentary on פרשת וישלח I have already explained at length the meaning of the statement that "Jacob did not die," and how Jacob's "death" occurred when he received the news about Joseph's disappearance, and how his soul was restored when he received the news that Joseph was alive and well. He thus became his own re incarnation. That re-incarnation was no longer subject to physical death. "Death" happened only to the part of the Jacob-Israel personality known as Israel. This is the deeper meaning of 47,29: ויקרבו ימי ישראל למות, "the death of the person called Israel drew near." The spiritual part of Jacob's soul (נפש) called Israel, was on a higher level than the spiritual part of the נפש called Jacob. Jacob's request to Joseph to perform a חסד של אמת emanated from his “ישראל” aspect. The word עמדי emphasized that he was speaking in his capacity as ישראל.

There is an additional important allusion in this verse which is seized upon by the Zohar in a different context. Accordingly, the performance of a מצוה enhances the "image" of G–d, whereas when one sins one damages G–d's "image" both in the Celestial Regions and on earth. Man's sins leave noticeable imprints on his face; this is the reason that Isaiah 3,9 speaks of: הכרת פנים ענתה בם, "Their faces reflect their sins. Rabbi Moshe Alshich, commenting on Genesis 45,28: אלכה ואראנו בטרם אמות, "I will go and see him (Joseph) before I die," writes that Jacob wanted to determine if Joseph had remained loyal to the Abrahamitic tradition by looking at his face. As soon as Jacob looked at Joseph's face (Genesis 46,29) he expressed willingness to die. The Torah phrases this peculiarly when it writes: "After I have seen that you are alive." At first glance the words "that you are alive" seem superfluous. Jacob indicated by his words that being "alive" in itself was quite meaningless unless Joseph had remained loyal to his father's teachings. Joseph's face reflected G–d's approval, i.e. G–d made Joseph's face light up. One of the ways which result in man's face being illuminated is by means of repentance. When the Jewish people are reminded (Deut. 5,4) that G–d spoke to them פנים אל פנים, "face to face," this is a compliment telling us that their facial features had undergone a change for the better, and that the ugly lines on their faces reflecting their sinful behavior had been erased. Psalms 42,12 speaks of the hope of the sons of Korach. There is no point in being downcast when repentance can cause us to reflect G–d's salvation on our own face; not only this, but we will simultaneously remove the tarnish caused to G–d's "image" by our own sins. The commandment to appear in the Temple three times a year (16,16), caused our sages in Chagigah 2a to say that the word יראה can be read both passively or actively, i.e. "to be seen" or "to see." Their message is that if one comes to the Temple with a positive attitude, i.e. in order to "see" G–d, then one will also be positively "seen" by G–d. This also enables us to understand another verse which is generally held to be almost beyond comprehension.

Another awesome thing which befell Judah: Our sags of blessed memory have said (Sotah 7b): "All those years that Israel was in the desert, the bones of Judah were 'rolling around' in his casket, until Moses arose and implored mercy for him. He said… (Devarim 33:7): 'Hear, O L-rd, the voice of Judah' — at which his limbs reunited. But he was not yet brought to the Heavenly synod, at which Moses said (Ibid.): 'and to his people shall You bring him.' But he could not engage in halachic converse with the sages there, at which Moses said (Ibid.): 'Let his hands do battle for him', etc." All this befell him because he had said (Bereshith 43:9): "If I do not bring him [Benjamin] to you and present him to you [alive], I shall have sinned against you all the days." __ But he did bring him! But, "the curse of a sage is fulfilled even if the condition [(in this instance, bringing him back)] is fulfilled" (Makkoth 11b). And we have already said that whatever issues from a man's mouth is by Divine providence, so that the L-rd's will was being enacted here. It seems to me that the explanation is as follows: It is known that they [the brothers] placed a ban on anyone who would reveal this [(the sale of Joseph)] to our father Jacob, and they included the Shechinah in this ban, wherefore the Holy Spirit [of prophecy] was removed from our father Jacob (until the end [of the episode], where it is written (Ibid. 45:27): "And the spirit of Jacob their father revived," which Onkelos translates: "And the Holy Spirit [again] reposed upon him.") And because of this ban it was decreed upon him [Judah] that holiness depart from him entirely, (as any man who is excommunicated), wherefore Judah was constrained to accept excommunication upon himself, as it is written: "And I shall have sinned against my father all of the days."

And from all of this awesome episode we can understand how much one must guard his tongue and his deeds. And also, from [the account of] Joseph, we can understand his holy trait, viz. (Ibid. 45:5): "And now, do not be grieved, and do not vex yourselves that you sold me here." And, similarly, at the end of the parshah (Ibid. 50:21): "And he comforted them and he spoke to their hearts." And witness further the greatness of Joseph, who did not tell his father what had been done to him, until it was revealed to him prophetically before his death, as it is written [(Jacob speaking)] (Ibid. 49:23): "They [the brothers] embittered him and they antagonized him and they hated him, etc." And, more than this, we find in the words of Chazal that Joseph took care not to be alone with his father, so that his brothers not suspect him of telling his father what he had suffered at their hands.

When the gifts Joseph sent to his father are described in 45, 23, and the Torah says: ולאביו שלח, the word לאביו is mentioned twice. The first time it probably teaches us the above described unique relationship between Jacob and his son Joseph. Our sages in Megillah 16b elaborate on the significance of the various gifts listed in that verse. They find an allusion to יין ישן, aged wine, in the words מטוב מצרים. We must realize that there were two categories of wine. One category is called by our sages יין המשומר. This wine has a mystical dimension to it, it is made from grapes saved since the six days of Creation, and it will be served to the צדיקים in the World to Come. It's potency is associated with the emanation בינה, the root of the auxiliary emanation דעת. When this kind of wine is drunk in our world it has a beneficial effect on the clarity of mind of the זקנים, and it puts their minds at ease concerning the Hereafter; it enables the one drinking it to penetrate with his mind up to the כתר, the root of roots of all the emanations. This root is called עתיק יומין, עתיקא קדישא, "The venerable One, the Holy One of antiquity."

The reason for the bells on the rim of the robe of the High Priest is specifically spelled out in the Torah. His voice (approach) should be heard when he entered the Sanctuary. This was in the nature of securing permission before entering the Sanctuary. Anyone entering suddenly, i.e. unannounced, was guilty of death. We know of something similar in the palace of Ahasverus (Esther 4,11). I shall explain this in greater detail when I deal with Leviticus 16,17: "No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting when Aaron enters to obtain atonement in the Sanctuary." This is why the Torah commanded that he had to announce his arrival. It is not unlike the time Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. He had instructed that everyone present in the palace had to be removed first, except for himself and his brothers (Genesis 45,1). Service to the King has to be performed with no one else present. When one leaves the king one must also be granted permission so that the king's servants will know when to re-enter the king's presence. An additional dimension which is important when dealing with the presence before the King of Kings is that unless permission has been obtained both before entering and before leaving, G–d's angels are apt to kill the person who acts without permission. The Torah warns Aaron so that we may appreciate that if even a person of the exalted stature of Aaron is subject to such restrictions, anyone on a lower level does not even have to be warned specifically. When the Torah adds the words לפני ה', in 28,39, it adds stature to Aaron who is compared to an angel of the Lord of Hosts. According to our sages the reason there must not be a tear in the robe (28,31), i.e. that it should be constructed in such a way that it is not liable to be torn, is because Satan is jealous of the High Priests's stature and tries to pull him by his robe as warriors do.

In his capacity as provider for the land of Egypt, Joseph acted as a forerunner of those idyllic times. He not only provided food for all his father's family, but also clothes to wear as per Genesis 45, 22. The reason the Torah describes that clothing as חליפות, something subject to exchange, is that in the future these garments will indeed be exchanged for the type of garments woven of light that Adam and Eve used to wear prior to their sin.

Bereshit Rabbah 93, 9 commenting on Genesis 45,1 "Joseph could not control himself," has Rabbi Chama bar Chaninah say that Joseph acted carelessly by instructing everybody to leave the room when he wanted to reveal himself to his brothers; had one of them kicked him he would have died. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman says that Joseph acted prudently. He was well aware of the righteousness of his brothers and did not suspect them of being or becoming guilty of bloodshed. He was certain that the brothers would not even kill an Egyptian who had framed them (they considered him an Egyptian). He certainly did not suspect them of wanting to kill their own brother who was a צדיק, a pillar of the elitist society of the world!

On the verse "There was famine in the land" (12,10), Nachmanides writes as follows: Abraham descended to Egypt on account of the famine, in order to spend some time there to keep alive during the drought, and the Egyptians oppressed him by robbing him of his wife. G–d took revenge on them by striking them with great afflictions and G–d led Abraham out from there with livestock, silver and gold. Pharaoh even ordered his men to make sure that Abraham would depart. Abraham's experience was repeated when Jacob and family descended to Egypt to escape the famine in Canaan, when they were eventually oppressed and the Egyptians separated them from their wives. The Israelites were eventually liberated but only after the Egyptians had been smitten with many plagues. Everything that their patriarch Abraham experienced, his descendants experienced on a national scale. The whole matter is explained by Rabbi Pinchas in the name of Rabbi Oshiyah in Bereshit Rabbah 40,6 who has G–d tell Abraham that he should pave the way for his descendants, and that as a result you find that Abraham's experiences foreshadowed those of his descendants. Example: Abraham experienced famine and moved to Egypt; Joseph told his father Israel that there would be five more years of famine (Genesis 45,6).

When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers in Parshat Vayigash (commencing in 45,1), there are a number of points which merit our close attention. Joseph said in 45,5: "And now do not grieve, etc." What did Joseph mean by "and now?"

Joseph said three separate times "G–d has sent me before you." The first time he referred to the literal meaning of כי למחיה שלחני אלוקים לפניכם, "G–d has sent me ahead to provide sustenance" (45,5). When Joseph mentioned a second time that G–d had sent him ahead in 45,7, he phrased it thus: לשום לכם שארית בארץ ולהחיות לכם לפלטה גדולה, "To provide refuge for you in the land, and to keep you alive for a great rescue." At first glance these words seem totally superfluous; שארית refers to something insignificant, whereas פלטה גדולה alludes to something major. Actually, Joseph alluded to two separate missions which he had been entrusted with in order to establish the kingdom of Yehudah. The first, a minor mission, was to establish a base for a kingdom of Yehudah in this world, i.e. the Exodus from Egypt, whereas the more important mission was that he would prepare the ground for the Messianic kingdom of David, i.e. play the role of the משיח בן יוסף. He explained that the Messiah ben Joseph would be slain as a martyr on behalf of the people of Israel, and that following his death the enduring kingdom of David-Messiah would arise. When that would occur, Joseph's blood would be avenged.

We can now better understand why Joseph said to his brothers ועתה אל תעצבו, "Now do not be distressed" (45,5). He indicated that his present role did not give any rise to distress, though there might be a part he would play in the future which would cause distress to the dynasty of (Yehudah) David. Eventually even the regrettable part that he would play in the interval would be repaired by his role as the משיח בן יוסף^{Author's comment}The word עתה, "now," may also be a hint that whereas no one would be punished for selling Joseph at this time, there would come a time (when the Romans tortured the ten scholars to death) when this sin would be visited upon the brothers' descendants..