Parshat Vayigash 5779
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week's parsha that Yosef reveals himself to his brothers. When he tells them who he is, the pasuk states (Chapter 45, Pasuk 3), V'Lo Yachlu Echav La'anos Oso Ki Nivhalu Mipanav, his brothers weren't able to respond to him because they were too shocked from him. Rashi explains that this inability to reply properly was a result of the shame and embarrassment they felt from him. In the very next pasuk, Yosef attempts to reassure his brothers and tells them to draw near. Again he repeats that he is indeed Yosef and in order to reassure them, he adds that he is their brother; their brother whom they sold to Egypt.
The Sfas Emes asks that we see from their reaction that they were shocked and embarrassed from Yosef. Rashi adds that Yosef had to tell them to come close because they originally started backing off from him out of shame and fear. So if Yosef is trying to reassure his brothers, why does he compound their embarrassment by reminding them of their sin? How is bringing up the fact that they sold him meant to calm them?
The Sfas Emes teaches in parshat Vayeishev that the brothers looked at Yosef and viewed him through his external actions. They focused on what Rashi in parshat Vayeishev calls (Chapter 37, Pasuk 2), his Ma'asei Na'arus; he was fixing his hair, focused on his eyes, etc. Yaakov Avinu, though, understood already the greatness contained within Yosef. He held like Rebbi in the Mishnah in Avos (Chapter 4, Mishnah 20), Al Tistakel Ba'Kankan Ela Bameh Sheyesh Bo, Don't look at the vessel, rather you must look at what's inside. Though he was a young lad on the outside, he contained much greatness inside.
When the brothers realized that this great ruler of Egypt standing before them was Yosef, the pasuk says Nivhalu Mipanav. They were amazed at his face. They now saw the inner greatness of Yosef which their father always recognized expressed outwardly as well. They sensed his inner Kedushah by beholding the splendor of his face.
Now that they realized how great Yosef in fact was, their concern was how they had impeded his growth and development by selling him down to Egypt. They took their holy brother and sold him to the impure land of Mitzrayim! Therefore Yosef calmed and reassured them by telling them this was because you sold me here. I needed to go through this process in order to reach my potential; I would not have been able to accomplish this at home with my father. Their actions enabled him to achieve his righteousness.
After this initial confrontation we read that they settled into comfortable conversation. The pasuk says (Chapter 45, Pasuk 15), V'Acharei Chein Dibru Echav Ito, after he kissed them and cried and they realized that he was not angry with them, they spoke among themselves. This is in sharp contrast to what we read in Parshat Vayeishev (Chapter 37, Pasuk 4), V'Lo Yachlu Dabro L'Shalom. They were so jealous of their brother Yosef that they couldn't even speak properly to him. Now that barrier had been broken and they were conversing among themselves.
The Sfas Emes points out that this contrast reflects the fact that they were no longer jealous of Yosef. It wasn't just that they were happy he didn't take revenge on them. At this point their jealousy was gone and if they couldn't bear to speak to him earlier, now they spoke comfortably with their younger brother.
What happened to their jealousy? If they were jealous of him earlier, why weren’t they jealous of him now? Surely his achievement of status and power was quite amazing and much more than any of them had achieved. Why weren't they jealous?
The Sfas Emes poignantly teaches that jealousy doesn't apply to one who has fully achieved his potential and status in life. Clearly every person has their unique task and position they need to achieve. How can there be jealousy towards someone who has fulfilled his role when it doesn't apply to anyone else?
Jealousy is a problem during the process. While each person is still finding his way and hasn't yet realized his potential there tends to be jealousy among people. We don't yet truly recognize the individual and what he is meant to achieve. We're not able to accept who he is and what his role is. And this was the case with the brothers. They didn't know Yosef and they just looked at him superficially. Only when he revealed himself and they were amazed by his face, Nivhalu Mipanav, did they see who he really was. And it was only then that they accepted him and stopped being jealous of him. And they themselves even helped him reach this point; it was their selling him to Egypt which enabled him to achieve his destined greatness of becoming Yosef HaTzadik.
Good Shabbos
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