Vayigash 5761
December 31, 2000 - Jan 06, 2001 by Reb Yosef

Yosef Teaches Even More?

Yosef is now out of the dungeon and is the viceroy of Mitzrayim (Egypt) meaning the right hand man to Paro (Pharaoh).  The famine that has engulfed Mitzrayim has spread to other parts of the world and this has brought Yosef's brothers seeking food.  The beauty of this Parashah is that we get to see God's plan at work.  In Perek Mem-Hay (Chapter 45), Yosef is speaking with his brothers and the Torah says: 

1. Now Yosef could not restrain himself in the presence of all who stood before him, so he called out, "Remove everyone from before me!" Thus no one remained with him when Yosef made himself known to his brothers:

2. He cried in a loud voice. Mitzrayim (Egypt) heard, and Paro's (Pharaoh) household heard:

3. And Yosef said to his brothers, "I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him because they were left disconcerted before him:

4. Then Yosef said to his brothers, "Come close to me, if you please," and they came close. And he said, "I am Yosef your brother -- it is me, whom you sold into Mitzrayim:

5. And now, be not distressed, nor reproach yourselves for having sold me here, for it was to be a provider that God sent me ahead of you:

6. For this has been two of the hunger years in the midst of the land, and there are yet five years in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest:

7. Thus God has sent me ahead of you to insure your survival in the land and to sustain you for a momentous deliverance: 

If we look at 5-7, we see that Yosef is saying that he sees the plan that Hashem made for ensuring the survival of not just Mitzrayim but also Yosef's family as well.  If we go back in the story a bit, we see that Yosef suffered a lot of problems.  His brothers sold him into slavery.  He was put in a dungeon.  Then, he stayed in the dungeon for two years.  Do you think Yosef could see God's plan then?  I don't think so.  But now, he can look back and see that all of those things were necessary so that everyone would survive the famine. 

When things don't always seem to go the way you want, keep in mind that God may just be working things out in His own way.

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Translations in Torah Portions of the week are partially taken from the ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash and from Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch Chumash

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