Parshat Vayigash 5785
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week’s parsha (Chapter 45, Pasuk 3), ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אתו כי נבהלו מפניו. When Yosef reveals himself to his brothers, they were unable to respond and they were in a state of shock and bewilderment. The following pasuk even indicates (see Rashi) that they stepped back out of fear. Rashi on our pasuk quotes the Medrash Rabbah (93, 11) which explains that they were feeling a sense of shame. The Medrash itself goes into greater detail and compares their embarrassment in front of Yosef and the judgment of Hashem. אוי לנו מיום הדין, אוי לנו מיום התוכחה; Woe to us from the Day of Judgment and the Day of Rebuke. If the brothers responded in a manner of shame and embarrassment to the rebuke of Yosef, a mere mortal, how will we be able to respond to the ultimate rebuke and judgment from the Ribono Shel Olam? How are we to understand the deeper connection between the brothers feeling reprimanded and embarrassed in front of Yosef, נבהלו מפניו, and the judgment of Yom HaDin.
We read in parshat Vayeishev regarding Yosef (Chapter 37, Pasuk 2), והוא נער את בני בלהה ואת בני זלפה. Rashi explains that he would do Ma’aseh Na’arut, he would do childish things, matters of vanity. The Sfas Emes teaches that the Yosef’s brothers saw him as a childish and immature youngster, while Yaakov appreciated Yosef’s maturity and wisdom, as the pasuk states (Chapter 37, Pasuk 3) Ki Ben Zakunim Hu Lo, to Yaakov he was a wise child. What caused this discrepancy between Yaakov and his sons?
The Mishnah in Avos (Chapter 4, Mishnah 20) teaches in the name of Rabbi Yossi B’Rabbi Yehuda, הלומד מן הקטנים למה הוא דומה, לשותה יין מגתו. והלומד מן הגדולים למה הוא דומה לשותה יין ישן.The one who learns from young people is compared to drinking grape juice straight from the vat, while the one who learns from older people is compared to drinking fine, aged wine. Rebbi disagrees and says, אל תסתכל בקנקן אלא במה שיש בו, יש קנקן חדש מלא ישן, וישן שאפילו חדש אין בו. Rebbi argues and says that one should not judge from the outside of the container. There are new jugs filled with fine, aged wine, and there are old jugs that do not have even new wine.
The Sfas Emes teaches that Yosef’s brothers held like Rabbi Yossi B’Rabbi Yehuda. They felt that since Yosef was young, there wasn’t much to learn from him. Grape juice is sweet, but without much substance. Once the sweetness leaves, there isn’t anything to linger afterwards. There is sediment which doesn’t have time to sit. This is why the Torah says, והוא נער את בני בלהה ואת בני זלפה. He was a Na’ar to the children of Bilhah and Zilpah. In their eyes, they saw him as an impetuous child. They saw him with faults; hence they focused on his speaking Loshon Hara about them,ויבא יוסף את דבתם רעה אל אביהם. He was an unsettled Na’ar with sediment, the sin of Loshon Hara.
Yaakov disagreed and held like Rebbi. Don’t look at the outside of the bottle, but rather look at that which is inside. Though, Yosef was young in years, he was old in wisdom. In Parshat Mikeitz, when Yosef interprets Pharaoh’s dream, he is called Avreich. Rashi teaches that this means, Av B’Chachmah, Rach B’Shanim. He was like an older person in wisdom, though he was young in years. This is how Yaakov perceived Yosef, and this is based on the adage of Rebbi. Don’t look at the outside, but rather at the inside.
Rashi's teaching that Yosef’s brothers were embarrassed is based on the words in the pasuk נבהלו מפניו, they were frightened from his face. The embarrassment of the brothers was a result of their having misread the holiness of their younger brother Yosef. They had seen him previously as a young child. Now they looked at his face and saw a wise and holy man. They violated the principle of Rebbi,אל תסתכל בקנקן אלא במה שיש בו.
The reason for their error was because the greatness of Yosef was in his internal strength and greatness. He was Shomer HaBris, the private act of strength he exhibited by rejecting the advances of the wife of Potiphar. This is in contradistinction to the physical strength of Yehudah, who was also Mekadesh Shem Shamayim BaRabim, who publicly sanctified Gd’s name by admitting to his act with Tamar. Now that he was older, they realized the holiness inherent in his face, and were shamed by their looking just at the outside and not focusing sufficiently in the past on his inner holiness. They didn’t appreciate the inner Kedushah of their younger brother Yosef.
Our word is physical on the outside, yet there is much internal holiness hidden within the physical. The way to reach the holiness is by performing mitzvoth and uncovering the Kedushah. אוי לנו מיום הדין, woe to us on the Day of Judgment when we realize we didn’t see Hashem’s presence in the physical world. What shame and embarrassment we will feel when realizing we had the audacity to rebel and not keep the mitzvos of the Torah. In our world as well, we are enjoined to not look merely at the outside, but look deeper for greater meaning, achievable through the study of Torah and the keeping of its mitzvos. This is the deeper connection between the brothers’ shame and our fear of the Day of Judgment; in both cases we are liable to be guilty of not heeding Rebbi’s warning, אל תסתכל בקנקן אלא במה שיש בו.
Good Shabbos
Print this article
