Parashas Vayechi
16 Tevet 5770
January 2, 2010

Daf Yomi: Bava Basra 134

Guest Author:
Rabbi Dr. Chaim Wakslak

Young Israel of Long Beach, NY

http://yilb.youngisrael.org/

 

Parshas VaYechi, which concludes sefer Bereshis, describes the death and burial of both Yaakov Avinu and his son, Yoseph HaZadik.  Although our Chachomim indicate that there are irrefutable similarities between father and son, there is a very clear and distinct difference when it comes to their approach regarding their respective burials.  Yaakov insists upon being buried in Eretz Canaan, while Yoseph is satisfied to have his remains left in a casket in Egypt and ultimately to be brought out with the children of Israel at the time of their redemption.  An explanation for this difference appears in order.

Yaakov Avinu senses that his days are drawing to an end.  Yaakov calls upon his son, Yoseph, and implores him via an oath that, when the time comes, Yoseph himself must take Yaakov’s remains and bury them in the Me’aras Hamachpela, their ancestral burial grounds. Can it be that there is an unspoken motivation to Yaakov’s insistence that he not be buried in Egypt, that he be buried in Eretz Canaan and, even more poignantly, that Yoseph insure and assume the responsibility for all of this to happen?  Rashi provides us with some insights into Yaakov’s motives for not being buried in Mitzrayim, stating first, that the soil of Egypt would one day become plagued with kinim (vermin) and noting, secondly, that this would prevent the Egyptians from making his tomb a shrine.  R’ Hirsch further elaborates that Yaakov, even while he was still alive, sensed that his family was becoming too comfortable in Egypt. This concern was particularly intense with regard to Yoseph, who had lived the majority of his life in Egypt, achieved an unimaginable degree of success, and had not experienced any substantive exposure to the land of Israel.  Understandably, Yaakov would be uneasy since an allegiance to Eretz Yisroel did not appear to have been established. 

The easy comfort Yosef and his family got used to since coming down from Egypt, needed to be counter acted to ensure that the Nation that would continue to develop in Egypt would fulfill its ultimate mission of redemption following the years of servitude of Golus Mitztrayim.

Yaakov believes that he can instill the goal of establishing Eretz Canaan as the ultimate destination of his family and descendents, not only by making it his place of burial, but even more significantly, by insisting that Yoseph, the soon-to-be titular head of the family, personally comes to Eretz Canaan and develop a first-hand connection to the land of Israel. Furthermore, Yaakov understood that his burial in Eretz Canaan would create an indestructible link between the country where the ancestors were buried and their descendants, regardless of the circumstances.

Yoseph, “the dreamer of dreams”, possesses a unique talent which allows him to read the present and sense the future. As a man of vision, he too appreciates the risk that the children of Israel face in becoming too comfortable in the land of Egypt.  He is concerned that Egypt, which by design was intended to be only a temporary sojourn, will somehow be perceived as a place of permanent residency and result in the abandonment of their ultimate homeland.  Furthermore, Yoseph is fully appreciative of the vital link established by his father’s insistence on being buried in Eretz Canaan, but he believes that the link must be sustained and supported more directly throughout the impending years of their enslavement.  Yoseph could have commanded his brothers to bury him in Israel, as Yaakov had commanded his sons. And had there been any concern that Pharoh would not agree to this, he could have arranged it with Pharoh in advance.  Instead, Yoseph chooses to have his remains left in Egypt and commands that his bones be taken only when his descendants leave Egypt, at the time of redemption.

The presence of Yoseph’s bones in Egypt in combination with the hope of redemption expressed by Yoseph in the words: “I am about to die, but G-d will surely remember you (pakod yifkod) and bring you up out of this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob” - served to sustain the appropriate focus, hope and direction of the children of Israel throughout their sojourn in Mitzrayim.  The presence of Yoseph’s casket established an on-going commitment on the part of future generations, while instilling within them an ever-present reminder and source of emunah, that they will ultimately be “remembered” and will be called upon to leave the land of their enslavement and march forward to attain the promise of their ultimate destination.

The element of emunah instilled by Yoseph may be helpful in understanding a Zohar (Parshas Terumah 55) which states that the observance of Shabbos is a penitence for the sin of the sale of Yoseph.  The sefer Chanukas HaTorah, authored by Reb Hershel of Cracow Z”L (Lekutim OS 175) attributes this association to the reason that we take two loaves of bread on Shabbos (lechem mishnah).  He explains that the word “lechem”, composed of the letters “lamed” (30), “ches” (8) and “mem” (40), which equal 78, if doubled (lechem mishneh -double), equals 156 and which in turn equals “Yoseph” composed of the letters “yud” (10), “vav” (6), “samech” (60) and “pey” (80).

Aside from the very pleasing gematrias, I would like to suggest that the connection between Yoseph and the lechem mishnah of Shabbos relates to the fact that both teach us the importance of emunah.  The lechem mishnah that we eat on Shabbos is representative of the double portion of manna which B’nai Yisroel received each Erev Shabbos while in the Midbar. Our Rabbis describe the generation that ate the manna as being exceptional in their faith.  Despite the absence of any resources as they traveled through the desert, they followed HaShem, trusting that they would survive each day anew with the miraculous manna that fell from the heavens. Yoseph, who instructed that his bones be left in the land of Egypt following his death, enhanced the emunah of B’nai Yisroel in their ultimate redemption. In addition, the lechem mishna fell on Erev Shabbos as a preparation for Shabbos when the manna would not fall; so did Yoseph ensure, through the presence of his remains, Bnai Yisroel’s state of preparedness for their ultimate redemption.

An additional advantage of Yoseph’s ongoing “presence” in Egypt was that his special character traits, which allowed him to maintain his identity during his own “golus” experience, could be transmitted to the people during their extended exile.  The availability of Yoseph’s ongoing image would provide them with a proper model that could enable them to create a protective shield and ensure their survival.

What were the specific traits Yoseph possessed that preserved his identity and would similarly be of great importance for the existence of Am Yisrael in exile as well as in preparation for their redemption?

Yoseph had a special ability to deal with difficult situations and emerge from them strengthened. He gets sold as a slave to Egypt, but immediately succeeds in attaining a respected position in Potifar's house. He is then cast into jail, but manages again to achieve recognition of his special qualities, and is once again promoted to an important position. He is then taken from the prison to become second to the king. 

Another characteristic of Yoseph, which finds expression in his individual approach to his own personal exile in Egypt, is his ability to maintain his identity.  Yoseph lives for many years among the Egyptians, but he never denies or hides his origins, nor is he ashamed of his heritage. Therefore everyone knows that he is a Hebrew.

Lastly, Yoseph, took care to acknowledge G-d's help throughout his life. Some examples of his openly expressed faith in HaShem include:  When Yoseph is called upon to interpret dreams, he attributes this power to HaShem (Bereshis 41,15); and again, when he reveals his identity to his brothers he reassures them “it is not you who sent me here, but G-d” [Bereshis 44, 8].

Yoseph‘s successful influence upon B’nai Yisroel as they grappled with overwhelming pressures of maintaining their identity within an environment of the 49 levels of impurity is reflected in the words of Medrash [Bamidbar Rabba, 13] - There were three good attributes in B’nei Yisrael's favor in Egypt, and in their merit they were redeemed: they did not change their names, nor did they change their language, and they refrained from licentiousness.

Good Shabbos!

* * * * *

THE WEEKLY SIDRA- VAH’Y’CHI

Rabbi Moshe Greebel

“When we were slaves in Egypt so very long ago,

There was a very evil king, his name was Pharaoh. 

He tried to wipe the Jews out, and for that he is to blame. 

HaShem destroyed his plans because we kept our Jewish name.”

‘I’ve Got A Jewish Name’

Uncle Moishy

    
In the scheme of things, having a first name in LaShon HaKodesh would seem to be a very essential factor, based on the following Midrash in the Bamidbar Rabbah 13-1:

     “…..Another explanation why three varieties of burnt- offering are mentioned is that they allude to the three good characteristics which Yisroel possessed in Egypt, and by virtue of which they were redeemed: They did not change their names, they did not change their language, and they fenced themselves off against that which was unchaste.”

     Had they then, changed their names to Egyptian ones G-d forbid, they would not have been redeemed from Egypt.  That is the importance of maintaining LaShon HaKodesh names for our children, and they for their children down through the ages..  Redemption results partly in the merit of retaining such names.

     Here are a few other perspectives of a name in LaShon HaKodesh:

     The text Ahavas Shalom (Vayaira) addressed the importance of a proper LaShon HaKodesh name, in a most interesting manner, by instructing that the very essence of a man’s life is his N’Shama (soul), which oddly enough, shares his very name.  If a man is sleeping, he will awaken faster if someone calls to him by his name, because the N’Shama in its abode of K’dusha (holiness), hears its name being summoned, and immediately descends into the physical world, which causes our subject to awaken faster.

     The Shulchan Aruch of the Ari Z”L taught that it is not mere coincidence or chance that parents choose certain names for their children in LaShon HaKodesh.  For, everything in this corporeal world has a name, which corresponds to its ‘mirror’ in a higher world, which shares that name.  And, since HaShem has already named a man’s N’Shama, the parents only repeat what has already been ordained.

     While there is much more information to be gathered on this subject from our Rabbanim of blessed memory, we turn our attentions to this week’s Sidra, in which the importance of a name in LaShon HaKodesh is significantly stressed, when the Torah writes of their grandfather Ya’akov, offering a B’racha (blessing) to his two grandsons (by Yosef) M’nasheh and Efrayim in Egypt:

     “The Malach (celestial emissary) who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Avraham and Yitzchak, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”  (B’raishis 48:16)

     The story is told in the Avnei Chain of the Malbim (Rav Meir Leibush Ben Y’chiel Michel Weiser 1809- 1879) of blessed memory, who had heard that a large number of Maskilim (young enlightened European Jews who turned from Judaism) changed their Jewish names into secular ones.

     This unfortunate phenomena, related the Malbim, did allow him to finally understand something in the Torah that puzzled him for many years.  What exactly, is this B’racha of ‘And let my name be named on them’ of which Ya’akov spoke?  Rav Meir addressed this question in the following very interesting manner.

     It must be understood that Efrayim and M’nasheh were after all the sons of Yosef, the Mishna LaMelech, the Pharaoh’s second in command.  Being the sons of Yosef, these two young men would have been required to study in an Egyptian academy such disciplines as political science and diplomacy, among other subjects.  And, when they attended their studies in this academy, they were required to dress the same as everyone else in Egyptian student uniforms.

     Yet, continued the Malbim, when they came home from their academy studies, they changed into their Hebrew clothing, and sat at the feet of their grandfather Ya’akov, from whom they heard Torah..  This then, was their daily schedule, until the events of this week’s Sidra altered that:

     “And it came to pass after these things, that one told Yosef, ‘Behold, your father is sick’; and he took with him his two sons, M’nasheh and Efrayim.” (ibid. 48:1)
     At this news, related the Malbim, Yosef quickly sent for his two sons to leave the Egyptian academy, and come to their grandfather.  Due to the emergency of the situation however, there was no time for them to change into their Hebrew clothing.  And, dressed in the uniforms of Egyptian students, they came dutifully to their grandfather’s side.  That is why the Torah tells us their grandfather could not recognize them at first:

     “And Yisroel (Ya’akov) saw Yosef’s sons, and said, ‘Who are these?’”  (ibid. 48:8)

     Yosef replied:

     “…..They are my sons, whom G-d has given me in this place…..”  (ibid. 48:9)

     That is, explained the Malbim, in this place in Egypt, where they are required to dress in such a fashion. 

     Ya’akov nevertheless, considered how harmful this development of Egyptian dress would be to generations of his children yet to come, but, had to resign himself to it.  If their individual Hebrew dress was lost, Ya’akov contemplated, other aspects of their identity may become lost as well- initially, their Hebrew names.  And, concluded the Malbim, that is why Ya’akov stated, ‘And let my name be named on them.’

     And so, we see the importance and significance of naming our children in LaShon HaKodesh, a factor which stresses to us our identity as the children of those who accepted the Torah at Sinai.  May we some day suddenly become ‘redeemable’ in the merit of ‘And let my name be named on them..’

     May we soon see the G’ulah Sh’laimah in its complete resplendency- and in our times.  Good Shabbos.