Nahar U'Pashtei Parshas Vayigash

Every Moment Counts

In this weeks Parshah,Yosef reveals him identity to his brothers, and begins the process of leading Klal Yisrael smoothly down to Mitzrayim. It was Yosef’s intention to fulfill his mission of orchestrating this descent, based on the dreams he had dreamt years earlier. When one looks back at history, it is startling to realize that just a short two hundred and ten years later, Klal Yisrael would find themselves in spiritual upheaval. So great was their impurity then that they reached the forty-ninth level of tumah, causing Hashem to purge the nation by maakas choshech, and redeem only those who could still be saved! We must understand, then, what went wrong here? The Shivtei Ka were extremely holy people, uninterested in the mundane Egyptian society and its depleted moral state, and they specifically chose to settle away form the main cities, in a far-off land of Goshen. How did the yetzer hara manage to creep into their lives? What made Klal Yisroel become vulnerable to Egyptian influence? The answer to this puzzle lies in a closer inspection into Pharaoh’s invitation to Klal Yisrael. Pharaoh was a smart man, and he surmised that if Yosef was so successful and could bring such wealth and power to his land, how great would it be to have more people who were like him! Pharaoh wanted Klal Yisroel in Egypt because he understood that the Jews represented innovations and business acumen he had never seen before. His plan was to invite them to be part of the upper echelon of the citizenry of his kingdom, and immediately get to work boosting Egypt as a world power. When he told Yosef to bring the family, Pharoah said And take your father and your households, and come to me; and I will give you the best of the land of Mitzrayim, and you shall eat the best of the land. He wanted Klal Yisroel inserted into the heart of Egyptian society, surrounded by everything it had to offer. This would no doubt lead to the assimilation he envisioned, and the benefit to his country! He told them to leave everything at home and not to worry about their possessions. The less they brought with them, the more Egypt could give them and provide for them. This would force Klal Yisrael to become reliant on the Egyptians and be influenced by whatever food, goods, and services they offered! But Yosef was also smart. He knew of Pharaoh’s plan, and subtly made mention of the fact that his family would settle on their own, in the suburban area of Goshen. To this, Pharaoh added a caveat that would still leave room for his plan to assimilate Klal Yisroel. They would settle in Goshen, but they would have vacation estates in the bustling metropolis. These alternative houses would pose no threat to their seclusive preferences, he argued. But, deep down Pharoah knew that the option to live even part time among the Egyptians was an allure that would not be ignored. Yosef was forced to agree, and hoped that his teachings and warning would keep Klal Yisrael from falling into the danger of Pharaoh’s scheme. Yet, when they did come down to Mitzrayim, the pasuk states: And Yisroel lived in the land of Mitzrayim, in the land of Goshen. This means that they did indeed physically reside in Goshen; but the influence of Egypt’s culture had infiltrated their lives. We must take a great lesson from this episode in our history. Never is there a place where a person goes that he will not be influenced. Telling oneself that he or she is merely on vacation, or that their presence in a certain place is only temporary, serves only to allow the evil to seep deeper. Every single place a person spends his time leaves its mark upon him, and he must be aware of this truth. We must resist the temptation to be fooled into thinking we are safe from the negative influences around us and that we are smart enough to not become effected. A gut Shabbos! A Project of the YSI Alumni Association Written by R’ Moshe Weiss

Nahar U_Pashtei Pashas Vayigash 5781

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Nahar U'Pashtei Parshas Miketz

The Eyes of Compassion

As Yosef HaTzaddik ascended the ranks in Mitzrayim, the brothers who sold him were forced to appear at his door. Not wanting the neighboring nations to wonder why they had food while no one else did, the sons of Yaakov joined the masses heading to Mitzrayim. When Yosef recognized his brothers and remembered his dreams, he knew that it was Hashem’s plan for him to be the one to ease the descent of Klal Yisrael down to Mitzrayim. When he initially spoke with them, we find that the brothers had an interesting reaction to their predicament. The Torah tells us: And they said one to another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the pain of his soul, when he beseeched us, and we would not hear; therefore, this distress has come upon us!” And Reuven answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you saying, ‘Do not sin against the lad,’ and you would not hear? Therefore, behold, also his blood is being sought.” What an unusual conversation. Let us understand; the holy Shevatim did not decide to kill Yosef out of sibling rivalry! They watched his behavior, and the way he won their father’s heart, and were deeply concerned that he was trying to drum them out of the chosen nation. Yosef was taking over everything, leaving no room for anyone else in the line of Yaakov’s mesorah. He even got his father to make him that special coat! The Shevatim decided as a Beis Din that Yosef was attempting to have them become like Yishmael and Eisav; to have Klal Yisroel emanate from him alone. He was trying to murder them spiritually, and his evil attempt needed be stopped at all costs. Their motivation to be rid of Yosef was a psak din, not a silly fight! So, what exactly were they regretting now? If they indeed changed their minds, and did not think that Yosef had been rodeif after their spiritual lives all those years ago, then they should have expressed it so. It would seem from the language used here that they did not regret the actual decision, but something else entirely. And what was that? That they did not have mercy upon him. Their words were, When he beseeched us, and we would not hear. They regretted having not paid heed to Yosef’s begging. But what is the meaning of this? Is a psak halachah supposed to be changed when someone begs? If they did not regret the psak itself, what place was there to regret their lack of compassion? The answer is that one must realize what the accusations against Yosef were. Sure, his actions could have been interpreted as trying to take Klal Yisrael for himself, but there was another way to see the facts as well. Because of the jealousy that crept up in their hearts, the brothers perceived Yosef’s actions as evil. They made their evaluation and decided that he deserved to be killed. If they would have been thinking completely clearly, when Yosef begged before them, this would have inspired them to reexamine their case against him. Here the brothers regretted not acting with compassion and looking for a new angle in the case. This lesson must stay with us always. Many times, people argue, or fights surface, and people judge one another and distance themselves from each other. Most times, these fights are diffused with a little bit of communication. And do you know why? Because the way we initially perceived the facts on the ground was simply not accurate. We must live with compassion, and try always to see another person’s actions in a good and well-meaning light. This in turn will help us, when someone sincerely asks us for a second chance, to view their perspective clearly, and grant it to them. A gut Shabbos! A Project of the YSI Alumni Association Written by R’ Moshe Weiss

Nahar U_Pashtei Parshas Miketz 5781

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Nahar U'Pashtei Parshas Vayashev

The Truth Behind Reality

In Parshas Vayeishev, we follow Yosef HaTzadik down to Mitzrayim, and ultimately, into jail with those who had caused offense to Pharaoh. Two of the king’s close servants were thrown into the same jail as he; the baker and the cupbearer - and each one experienced a dream. Yosef told them the meanings, which were that that the baker was going to be executed, and the cupbearer would be reinstated to his former post. Yosef then made his request of the Pharaoh’s sar hamashkim - that he remember Yosef, and ask of Pharaoh that he be released. Now, the first thing we must understand here is why Yosef felt that the cupbearer would feel indebted to him at all. Did the interpretation of his vision have anything to do with this fellow prisoner? Sure, Yosef had made him feel better, and perhaps the cupbearer also agreed that what Yosef told him was probable to happen, but what had Yosef actually done to benefit the cupbearer? The Gemara tells us in Berachos that the meaning of a dream follows the interpretation it is given. Practically speaking, for the most part, even should a dream contain elements that seem ominous, they can be explained away favorably. This being the case, the power to direct visions seen in dreams really does rest with the one who interprets the dream. If so, Yosef surely did the cupbearer a great favor by interpreting his seemingly ominous dream only for the good. Not only did he assuage his feelings of dread, but he truly forged the reality that was to be! (For a discussion as to why Yosef did not try and interpret the baker’s dream for the good as well, see Nahar Sholom, comments to Bereishis 40:14,15 at length). It was for this reason that Yosef felt that he could ask the cupbearer for the favor of mentioning his plight to Pharaoh. Yet, we find that on account of his making this request, Hashem ordained that Yosef be imprisoned for an additional two years! Even one day in a jail is a horrible existence! What was so flawed with Yosef’s reasoning here as to earn him this terrible punishment? We know that it was because Yosef showed reliance on the cupbearer‘a salvation rather than Hashem’s salvation. But, had it not been Hashem Who sent the cupbearer with a dream! Surely Yosef recognized that Hashem was orchestrating the perfect storm for his release by allowing him to help the sar hamashkim, thereby earning his favor. This was Yosef’s logical ticket out of that despicable place! Now, there are those that suggest that Yosef should have realized from all the miracles he experienced until that point that Hashem was holding his hand and constantly guiding him always. As such, there was no need for him to do any sort of hishtadlus, for he was being taken care of exactly as Hashem wanted it. But perhaps we can suggest another point here. When Yosef made his request of the cupbearer, he said the following: But think of me when it shall be well with you, and please show kindness to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh,, and take me out of this house; For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit. Now, the opening phrases; the request to remember him and to mention his plight to Pharaoh - could indeed have been justified. However, Yosef should have stopped speaking right there. When Yosef sought to add that he had been kidnapped stolen and had done nothing wrong, he was with those words trying to arouse the pity of the sar hamashkim. A person on Yosef’s level must have complete faith in Hashem and understand that the cupbearer had no real bearing on reality. Adding the misery of his experience and making the (true) escapade appear even more tragic may seem like proper hishtadlus to the common person, but for a true believer in Hashem, the pity of the cupbearer was immaterial. We must strive to see things this way as well. The workings of the world around us, its leaders, its medicines, its pains and its joys rest solely in the hands of Hashem. We must continue to daven to Him with a full belief that He can change our reality in but the blink of an eye. A gut Shabbos and A Freilachin Chanukah! A Project of the YSI Alumni Association Written by R’ Moshe Weiss

Nahar U_Pashtei Parshas Vayashev

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