VaYechi 5723
Alef.
בראשית מ"ה בראשית נ'
(ה) וְעַתָּה אַל תֵּעָצְבוּ וְאַל יִחַר בְּעֵינֵיכֶם כִּי מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי הֵנָּה כִּי לְמִחְיָה שְׁלָחַנִי אֱלֹקים לִפְנֵיכֶם:
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(יט) וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם יוֹסֵף אַל תִּירָאוּ כִּי הֲתַחַת אֱלֹקים אָנִי:
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(ו) כִּי זֶה שְׁנָתַיִם הָרָעָב בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ וְעוֹד חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים אֲשֶׁר אֵין חָרִישׁ וְקָצִיר:
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(כ) וְאַתֶּם חֲשַׁבְתֶּם עָלַי רָעָה אֱלֹקים חֲשָׁבָהּ לְטֹבָה לְמַעַן עֲשֹׂה כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה לְהַחֲיֹת עַם רָב:
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(ז) וַיִּשְׁלָחֵנִי אֱלֹקים לִפְנֵיכֶם לָשׂוּם לָכֶם שְׁאֵרִית בָּאָרֶץ וּלְהַחֲיוֹת לָכֶם לִפְלֵיטָה גְּדֹלָה:
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(כא) וְעַתָּה אַל תִּירָאוּ אָנֹכִי אֲכַלְכֵּל אֶתְכֶם וְאֶת טַפְּכֶם וַיְנַחֵם אוֹתָם וַיְדַבֵּר עַל לִבָּם:
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(ח) וְעַתָּה לֹא אַתֶּם שְׁלַחְתֶּם אֹתִי הֵנָּה כִּי הָאֱלֹקים וַיְשִׂימֵנִי לְאָב לְפַרְעֹה וּלְאָדוֹן לְכָל בֵּיתוֹ וּמֹשֵׁל בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם:
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a) The verbs describing the reaction of the brothers:
Ber. 45:5 תעצבו, יחר בעיניכם.
Ber. 50:19 יראו, 50:20 תיראו
b) Who sent Yosef to Egypt?
Ber. 45:5 מכרתם אותי; שלחני אלקים, 45:7 וישלחני
אלקים לפניכם,
45:8 לא אתם שלחתם אותי הנה כי האלקים
Ber.
50:20 אלקים חשבה לטובה
c) Why did HaShem Arrange for Yosef to be sent to Egypt?
Ber.
45:5 למחי', 45:7 לכם שארית, להחיות לכם לפליטה
Ber. 50:20 להחיות עם רב
d) Reference
to the brothers’ wrongdoing
Ber.
50:20 ואתם חשבתם עלי רעה
e) Yosef’s position
Ber. 45:8 וישימני לאב לפרעה ולאדון לכל ביתו ומשל
בכל ארץ מצרים
Ber. 50:19 כי
התחת אלקים אני
Similarities: 1) Yosef
comforts his brothers by telling them that what they did was part of
a Divine Plan Intended to position him so that he will be able to provide
food for at least Yosef’s family during the
years of famine.
Differences: 1) Now that Yaakov
has died, in case the brothers think that Yosef will begin1 to truly avenge himself for their having selling him, including the possibility that he will refuse to give them
anymore food, he says that is
not his role but up to HaShem.
2) Yosef instead of referring to the what the brothers did in a factual
manner (מכרתם), now makes
a value judgment in terms of the deed (ואתם חשבתם
עלי רעה).
3) Initially the emphasis was upon the survival of the family,
whereas in Beraishit 50:20 Yosef refers to keeping alive a great number
of people.
Beit.
בראשית נ:טו
(טו) וַיִּרְאוּ אֲחֵי יוֹסֵף כִּי מֵת אֲבִיהֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוּ יִשְׂטְמֵנוּ יוֹסֵף וְהָשֵׁב יָשִׁיב לָנוּ אֵת כָּל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר גָּמַלְנוּ אֹתוֹ:
And when Joseph's
brethren saw that their father was dead, they said: 'It
may be that Joseph will
hate us, and will fully
requite us all the evil which we did unto him.'
1. RaShI: “לו” = שמא, i.e., lest; it is a real possibility that Yosef will now avenge his sale and that is something
that we have to worry
about.
Yosef Bechor Shor: “לו” = ולוואי, i.e., if only; as
long as Yosef only hates us in his heart, but does not act upon that
hatred, we’ll be alright.
2. The examples contained in the second section
of RaShI:
דברים פרק לב
(כט) לוּ חָכְמוּ יַשְׂכִּילוּ זֹאת יָבִינוּ לְאַחֲרִיתָם:
If they were wise, they
would understand this, they would
discern their latter end.
ישעיהו פרק מח
(יח) לוּא הִקְשַׁבְתָּ לְמִצְוֹתָי וַיְהִי כַנָּהָר שְׁלוֹמֶךָ וְצִדְקָתְךָ כְּגַלֵּי הַיָּם:
Oh
that thou wouldest hearken to
My commandments! then would thy peace be as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea;
שמואל ב פרק יח
(יב) וַיֹּאמֶר הָאִישׁ אֶל יוֹאָב וְלוּא אָנֹכִי שֹׁקֵל עַל כַּפַּי אֶלֶף כֶּסֶף לֹא אֶשְׁלַח יָדִי אֶל בֶּן הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּי בְאָזְנֵינוּ צִוָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ אֹתְךָ וְאֶת אֲבִישַׁי וְאֶת אִתַּי לֵאמֹר שִׁמְרוּ מִי בַּנַּעַר בְּאַבְשָׁלוֹם:
And
the man said unto Joab: 'Though I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand,
yet would I not put forth my hand against the king's son; for in our
hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying: Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.
The example contained in the third section
of RaShI:
בראשית פרק כד
(ה) וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הָעֶבֶד אוּלַי לֹא תֹאבֶה הָאִשָּׁה לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרַי אֶל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת הֶהָשֵׁב אָשִׁיב אֶת בִּנְךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָצָאתָ מִשָּׁם:
And
the servant said unto him: 'Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land;
must I needs bring thy son back unto the land from whence thou camest?'
The “אולי” in the second
section suggests “If only”, “I truly wish/hope”.
The “אולי” in the second
section suggests “perhaps”, a possibility as opposed to something that is desired.
3. The discussion of the meanings of “אולי” parallel
the two forms of “לו” where two meanings for “אולי” was mentioned.
Gimel.
1. R. Avraham ben HaRaMBaM
is bothered by the repetition of the term “שא נא” in v. 17.
2. The common factor in both Beraishit 50:17 and Shemot 32:31
is the usage of “אנא” prior to the delineation of the sin for which the penitent
wishes to be forgiven
שמות פרק לב
(לא) וַיָּשָׁב מֹשֶׁה אֶל יְקֹוָק וַיֹּאמַר אָנָּא חָטָא הָעָם הַזֶּה חֲטָאָה גְדֹלָה וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם אֱלֹהֵי זָהָב:
3. The simple meaning of
“עבדי אלקי אביך”
is to try to invoke Yosef’s sympathies stemming from his love of his father whom he
just lost. R. Avraham
ben HaRaMBaM states that the term is not focused upon Yaakov, but rather
HaShem, i.e., either HaShem is Going to punish us, which therefore should
obviate your need to do so, or He has already Forgiven us, and why should
you be more severe with
us than He is?
4.
בראשית פרק נ
(טו) וַיִּרְאוּ אֲחֵי יוֹסֵף כִּי מֵת אֲבִיהֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוּ יִשְׂטְמֵנוּ יוֹסֵף וְהָשֵׁב יָשִׁיב לָנוּ אֵת כָּל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר גָּמַלְנוּ אֹתוֹ:
(טז) וַיְצַוּוּ אֶל יוֹסֵף לֵאמֹר אָבִיךָ צִוָּה לִפְנֵי מוֹתוֹ לֵאמֹר:
(יח) וַיֵּלְכוּ גַּם אֶחָיו וַיִּפְּלוּ לְפָנָיו וַיֹּאמְרוּ הִנֶּנּוּ לְךָ לַעֲבָדִים:
a. If they are talking to Yosef, what does it mean in v. 16 “and they commanded”? There were in no
position to command Yosef. If Yaakov said this on his deathbed, it was
Yaakov, not the brothers, who was commanding Yosef.
b. Why in v. 16
is the term “your father” used, rather than
“our father”? Similarly, in v.
17 “servants of the God
of your father” instead of “our father”?
c. Why in v. 17 are the brothers referred to in two different
ways, i.e., “your brothers”; “the servants of the God of your father”?
Consequently,
Abrabanel explains that they asked someone
else whom they “commanded” to initially go to
Yosef with their story, and who referred to Yaakov as “your father”, and only afterwards
did they come to him themselves. Furthermore, the double language is to be accounted for by explaining
that the appeal was a brotherly one, and if that was rejected, then
at least there should be consideration of the common object of worship
of all of the brothers.
5. R. Avraham
ben HaRaMbaM: Forgive us now
since HaShem will Deal with us one way or the other.
Abrabanel: Now that you yourself have stated that it was God Who was
responsible for all of these events, the brothers were only carrying
out the Plan of the Master, as His Servants. Therefore they should be free of blame.
6. R. Avraham
ben HaRaMbaM: Since we worship God and God applies Middat HaDin in His
Judgment, then either He has already Forgiven us and that should inspire
you to do the same, or He is going to Punish us Himself, thereby precluding any need on your part to punish us separately.
Abrabanel: Since this entire plan was Designed by HaShem, there is
no reason to be angry at us since we are HaShem’s humble servants, being faithful to His Design.
7. It would appear that Abrabanel’s second commentary,
while not identical with R. Avraham ben HaRaMBaM, shares a common premise,
i.e., either HaShem will Carry out punishments or Grant us Forgiveness,
since after all this was His Plan and we just put it into action!
Daled.
When
Yosef invokes the phrase “am I in place of God”, he means that the
matter of the brothers having sold him into slavery is an offense that
God will Address and not Yosef. This illustrates Yosef’s modesty and self-control. He will defer to God in matters
of punishment of forgiveness.
In the
instance of Yaakov responding to Rachel’s plaint that she
has not conceived to this point, Yaakov in a fit of pique tells his
wife that matters of conception, particularly in light of the children
that he has already fathered with Leach, Bilha and Zilpa, is simply not up to him. He
could have been more sympathetic and comforted his wife by at least
showing her and he was praying that she have a child, as Yitzchak did
on behalf of Rivka (Beraishit 25:21).
Heh.
בראשית מט:ט
מִטֶּ֖רֶף בְּנִ֣י
עָלִ֑יתָ
1. The Tipcha under “MiTeref” serves to separate that word from the two following, i.e. “Beni Alita”, which are marked
Munach and Etnachta, notes that connect the words with one another. “Beni” is a reference to
Yosef.
2.
רשב"ם בראשית פרשת ויחי פרק מט פסוק ט
מטרף בני עלית - את יהודה בני לאחר שעלית מלטרוף טרף באומות ותכרע ותשכב בעירך, לא יבא אויב להחרידך ולהקימך ממקומך. זהו עיקר פשוטו. בני כפילו של יהודה. והמפרשו במכירת יוסף לא ידע בשיטה של פסוק ולא בחילוק טעמים כלל:
It would
appear that RaShBaM is disagreeing with his grandfather, who interpreted
the phrases in connection with the sale of Yosef! (See RaShBaM on Beraishit
37:2 d.h. Eleh Toldot Yaakov where he explicitly states that he argued
with his grandfather about
the Peshat of verses.) According to RaShBaM, “Beni” is a reference to
Yehuda.
3.
כָּרַ֨ע רָבַ֧ץ
כְּאַרְיֵ֛ה וּכְלָבִ֖יא
מִ֥י יְקִימֶֽנּוּ׃
It would
appear that the second interpretation is supported by the Ta’amim, since the sequence Kadma
Darga and Tevir, are separated from the Tipcha, Mercha and Sof Pasuk.
1
Some might think that what Yosef did to the brothers from the time that
they first came to Egypt until he finally revealed his identity to them
was in fact vengeful. But many see these actions as means by which Yosef
sought to have his prophetic dreams come
to fruition.
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