Explorations
Rabbi Ari Kahn
Parashat Vayeshev
The Light of Mashiach
Parashat
Vayeishev begins with an almost-cryptic statement:
בראשית לז: א
וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב
יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּאֶ֖רֶץ מְגוּרֵ֣י אָבִ֑יו בְּאֶ֖רֶץ כְּנָֽעַן:
Yaakov settled in the land in which his fathers dwelled, in the
land of Canaan.
(Bereishit 37:1)
Yaakov
had come to the point in his life when he could finally settle down. The Hebrew
term for “settled” is vayeishev, while the term for “dwelled” is megurei, from the word gur,
rooted in the word ger, stranger.[1] In this short verse, then, we
are told that Yaakov succeeded in settling where his father and grandfather
before him only managed to dwell. Interestingly, in his later years, when
Yaakov stands before Pharaoh and the latter asks him his age, Yaakov responds:
בראשית מז:ט
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר
יַעֲקֹב֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה יְמֵי֙ שְׁנֵ֣י מְגוּרַ֔י שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וּמְאַ֖ת
שָׁנָ֑ה מְעַ֣ט וְרָעִ֗ים הָיוּ֙ יְמֵי֙ שְׁנֵ֣י חַיַּ֔י וְלֹ֣א הִשִּׂ֗יגוּ
אֶת־יְמֵי֙ שְׁנֵי֙ חַיֵּ֣י אֲבֹתַ֔י בִּימֵ֖י מְגוּרֵיהֶֽם.
The days of my dwellings are one hundred and thirty years, few
and bad have been the days of my life, and they do not match the days of my
fathers’ dwellings. (Bereishit 47:9)
Yaakov describes
his life and times with the word megurei — dwellings - as opposed to the
term with which the present parashah begins: Vayeishev, he settled. Did
Yaakov, in fact, settle, or did he merely dwell?[2]
Rashi cites a midrash to
explain the meaning of Yaakov’s “settling.”
רש"י, בראשית לז
וישב: ביקש יעקב לישב בשלוה, קפץ עליו רוגזו של יוסף. צדיקים מבקשים לישב בשלוה אומר הקדוש ברוך הוא לא דיין
לצדיקים מה שמתוקן להם לעולם הבא, אלא שמבקשים לישב בשלוה בעולם הזה:
Settled: Yaakov wished to settle in tranquility,
but the episode of [literally, the anger of] Yosef confronted him. The
righteous wish to live in tranquility; God says, “Is it not sufficient for the
righteous what is awaiting them in the next world that they [also] wish to live
in tranquility in this world!?” (Rashi, Bereishit 37:2, based on Bereishit
Rabbah 84:3)
This
concept is quite puzzling. What does it mean that Yaakov wished to live in tranquility?
Did Yaakov wish to “retire” from active patriarchal service and enjoy his
“golden years”? Certainly, Yaakov’s life was difficult, but was this a reason
to abandon his mission for the sake of “the good life”? There must be a deeper
meaning to the “tranquility” Yaakov was seeking. Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, zt”l,
suggested that what Yaakov was seeking was spiritual tranquility. When he
returned to the Land of Israel, after overcoming the challenges presented by
Lavan and Esav, Yaakov anticipated nothing less than the onset of Messianic
Age. This would explain the midrashic reference to the World to Come: Yaakov
sought spiritual utopia here on earth. This is reflected in God’s comment:
Tzaddikim strive for spiritual perfection. They are not satisfied with what God
has waiting for them in the World to Come; they desire perfection here and now
as well.[3]
But how
could Yaakov possibly think that a state of perfection or tranquility could be
attained at that juncture in history? Had God not promised Avraham that his
descendants would be enslaved for four hundred years?
בראשית
פרק טו, יג-טז
(יג) וַיֹּא֣מֶר
לְאַבְרָ֗ם יָדֹ֨עַ תֵּדַ֜ע כִּי־גֵ֣ר׀ יִהְיֶ֣ה זַרְעֲךָ֗ בְּאֶ֙רֶץ֙ לֹ֣א לָהֶ֔ם
וַעֲבָד֖וּם וְעִנּ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָֽה: (יד) וְגַ֧ם
אֶת־הַגּ֛וֹי אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲבֹ֖דוּ דָּ֣ן אָנֹ֑כִי וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵ֥ן יֵצְא֖וּ
בִּרְכֻ֥שׁ גָּדֽוֹל: (טו) וְאַתָּ֛ה תָּב֥וֹא אֶל־אֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ בְּשָׁל֑וֹם
תִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָֽה: (טז) וְד֥וֹר רְבִיעִ֖י יָשׁ֣וּבוּ הֵ֑נָּה כִּ֧י
לֹא־שָׁלֵ֛ם עֲוֹ֥ן הָאֱמֹרִ֖י עַד־הֵֽנָּה:
[God] said to Avraham, “You shall know that your descendants
will be strangers in a land which is not theirs. They will be slaves and abused
for four hundred years. The nation which enslaves them will be judged by Me.
They will subsequently leave with great fortune. The fourth generation will
return here, for the sin of the Emori will not be complete until then.” (Bereishit 15:13–16)
How could Yaakov ignore the four
hundred years of slavery stipulated in the Divine decree?
In fact,
there are conflicting sources regarding the period of the Israelites’
enslavement in Egypt: From the text of the Haggadah (which, in turn, is taken
from earlier rabbinic sources), we learn that God was lenient in the
calculation, and after a mere 210 years the Israelites were liberated.[4] And yet, the Torah explicitly
states that the Jews left Egypt “at the end of four hundred and thirty years.”[5] The contradiction among the
sources was quite apparent to our sages, and they addressed this question in
the midrash: Which was it - four hundred years, four hundred and thirty years,
four generations? The answer provided by the Midrash reconciles the apparent
contradiction by pointing out that God’s revelation to Avraham, in which both
four hundred years and four generations were mentioned, took place thirty years
prior to the birth of Yitzchak. God stipulated that Avraham’s descendants would
be enslaved by a foreign power for four hundred years, and the clock was set in
motion the moment Avraham’s son was born; the calculation of the four hundred
years of oppression begins with Yitzchak’s birth. Thus, the Exodus came “at the
end of four hundred and thirty years” – from the moment God made this covenant
with Avraham, which was four hundred years from the moment Yitchak was born.[6] Yitzchak and Yaakov, as well
as the 12 sons of Yaakov, were subject to foreign rule for one hundred and
ninety years, followed by the period of actual slavery in Egypt which was 210
years in duration.
What, however, is the significance of the four
generations mentioned in God’s covenant with Avraham?
מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל בא - מסכתא
דפסחא פרשה יד
The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If they do teshuvah I
will redeem them [after four] generations; if not, I will redeem them [after
four hundred] years.” (Mechilta D’Rabbi Yishmael, Bo 14)
The details
of the promise to Avraham were not etched in stone; they were flexible. The
central idea was that Avraham’s descendants would be enslaved and abused, and would
eventually leave the place of their oppression with great wealth. Apparently,
Yaakov believed that this sequence had already occurred, that all these
elements of God’s promise had been fulfilled in his own life story. He must
have thought that his oppression at the hands of Lavan and the years of labor
which ended in his return to Israel with tremendous material wealth had
fulfilled God’s words to Avraham, and redemption could now take place. His
children, after all, were the fourth generation of Avraham’s family.
And
then, out of the blue, Yaakov’s worldview was derailed by the saga of Yosef and
his brothers. “The anger of Yosef” shattered his illusions of tranquility and
fulfillment.
When the
enemy was Nimrod, Yishmael, Lavan, or Esav, confrontation was understandable,
inevitable — even anticipated. But an internal struggle such as this did not
seem to be part of the Divine Plan. Yaakov was certain that all the adversaries
had been neutralized, and that the era of spiritual tranquility was dawning.
With his sons at his side, Yaakov was confident that the Messianic Age had
arrived. This new struggle was unanticipated, but the Messianic Age could not
begin (nor can Sefer Bereishit come to
an end) before this final intrigue within the family of Israel was played out. Thus,
toward the end of the book of Bereishit when
Yaakov meets up with Pharaoh, in his succinct retrospective of his life, he tells
the Egyptian monarch that he had, in fact “dwelled,” but had not succeed in “settling.” He
never achieved this sought-after tranquility.
The
narratives that comprise the bulk of Sefer Bereishit are more than stories; the
vicissitudes of the lives of our forefathers are far more than ancient tales. They
are spiritual realities pregnant with meaning, which shape the contours of
Jewish history. If we are to understand the significance of the teachings in Bereishit in general, and this parashah in
particular, we must read them through the prism of “ma’aseh avot siman
labanim:[8]
“The actions of the forefathers serve as a portent for their descendants.” Put
another way, ‘History repeats itself,’ or, in theological terms, ‘Jewish
history is Jewish destiny.’
When
Yosef and his brothers fight, the spiritual power for future domestic disputes
is unleashed. It is no accident that the festival of Chanukah, which, at its
core, marks the end of a tragic period of fratricidal conflict, is celebrated
each year during the weeks when the Torah portions regarding Yosef and his
brothers are read. The destruction of the Second Temple is attributed to the sinat
chinam, unwarranted hatred between brothers – the very same hatred that underlies
the plot of these Torah portions. The civil war fought by the Maccabees against
the Hellenized Jews is seen as a repercussion — in the most literal sense of
re-percussion, the repeated beating of the same drum — of the conflict in Parashat
Vayeishev. The midrash that
describes the deaths of the Ten Martyrs in the days of the Tannaim, a
central part of the liturgy of Yom Kippur, is another far-reaching echo of
Yosef’s story.
Once
internal conflict arises, a new type of solution is required; the methods
employed against external threats are of no use. This is the lesson of Vayeishev:
Not only would tranquility not be achieved in Yaakov’s lifetime, but the
insidious power of internal conflict would haunt future generations. The text of the Torah
makes this clear in its unique way:
בראשית לז: לו
וְהַ֨מְּדָנִ֔ים
מָכְר֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ אֶל־מִצְרָ֑יִם לְפֽוֹטִיפַר֙ סְרִ֣יס פַּרְעֹ֔ה שַׂ֖ר
הַטַּבָּחִֽים:
The Midianites sold [Yosef] to Egypt, to Potifar, eunuch of
Pharaoh, the Chief Executioner. (Bereishit
37:36)
בראשית לט: א
וְיוֹסֵ֖ף
הוּרַ֣ד מִצְרָ֑יְמָה וַיִּקְנֵ֡הוּ פּוֹטִיפַר֩…
Yosef was brought down to Egypt, where he was purchased by
Potifar... (Bereishit 39:1)
Ancient
and modern scholars alike have noted a difficulty in the text: The last verse
of Chapter 37 and the first verse of Chapter 39 are almost identical. Between
these two verses, time seems to stand still in the life of Yosef, while Chapter
38 recounts the life of Yehudah over many years: Yehudah marries and raises a
family, and his children, in turn, marry - and die. The Torah finds it
necessary to take us into the life and character of Yehudah before it can
proceed to tell us about Yosef’s fate. Why?
To
understand this peculiar ordering of the text, we must first recall the larger
context: Yosef was sent by his father to look for his ten older brothers. When
the brothers see Yosef approaching from afar, they plot to kill him. Reuven,
who, as the eldest, would be held most responsible, suggests that they throw
him into a pit; the “narrator” shares Reuven’s thoughts with us.
בראשית לז: כא-כב
וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע
רְאוּבֵ֔ן וַיַּצִּלֵ֖הוּ מִיָּדָ֑ם וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לֹ֥א נַכֶּ֖נּוּ
נָֽפֶשׁ:וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֣ם׀ רְאוּבֵן֘ אַל־תִּשְׁפְּכוּ־דָם֒ הַשְׁלִ֣יכוּ
אֹת֗וֹ אֶל־הַבּ֤וֹר הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר וְיָ֖ד אַל־תִּשְׁלְחוּ־ב֑וֹ
לְמַ֗עַן הַצִּ֤יל אֹתוֹ֙ מִיָּדָ֔ם לַהֲשִׁיב֖וֹ אֶל־ אָבִֽיו:
Reuven heard this and rescued [Yosef]. 'We
will not take his life!' he
said. Reuven said to them, “Do not commit bloodshed.
Throw him into this pit [or cistern] in the desert, and do not
lay a hand on him.' [His plan was] to rescue [Yosef] from
[his brothers] and bring him back to his father. (Bereishit
37: 21-22)
In the
hope of rescuing Yosef later, Reuven convinces his brothers to “let nature take
its course.” What follows is one of the harshest scenes in the Bible: The
brothers sit down to break bread as Yosef languishes in the pit.[9] At this point, Yehudah speaks
(for the first time in the entire Torah):
בראשית לז: כו-כז
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוּדָ֖ה
אֶל־אֶחָ֑יו מַה־בֶּ֗צַע כִּ֤י נַהֲרֹג֙ אֶת־אָחִ֔ינוּ וְכִסִּ֖ינוּ אֶת־דָּמֽוֹ:לְכ֞וּ
וְנִמְכְּרֶ֣נּוּ לַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִ֗ים וְיָדֵ֙נוּ֙ אַל־תְּהִי־ב֔וֹ כִּֽי־אָחִ֥ינוּ
בְשָׂרֵ֖נוּ ה֑וּא וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֖וּ אֶחָֽיו:
And Yehudah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill
our brother and cover his blood? Let us sell him to the Yishmaelites and let
not our hands be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers
acquiesced. (Bereishit 37: 26-27)
Yehudah
takes responsibility and displays leadership; on the other hand, he also displays
callousness and an almost Machiavellian cynicism. His conclusion, “Let us not
kill him, for he is our brother and our flesh” - while in the same breath he suggests that they
sell him as a slave - is shocking.
With
Yosef gone, the brothers are presented with a new problem: How are they to
inform their father, Yaakov, of Yosef’s disappearance? They dip his coat of
many colors in the blood of a slaughtered goat and present it to their father:
בראשית לז: לב
…וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ זֹ֣את מָצָ֑אנוּ הַכֶּר־נָ֗א הַכְּתֹ֧נֶת
בִּנְךָ֛ הִ֖וא אִם־לֹֽא:
…We have
found this. Do you recognize it? Is it your son’s coat? (Bereishit 37: 32)
The
brothers didn’t actually lie to Yaakov, they merely deceived him. According to
the midrash[10],
Yehudah was still the leader, and it was he who spoke. Yaakov, who immediately
recognized the coat and assumed the worst, began to mourn for his son in a way
that only a bereaved father can.
It is at
this point that the narrative shifts its focus to Yehudah’s personal life story:
בראשית לח: א
וַֽיְהִי֙
בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔וא וַיֵּ֥רֶד יְהוּדָ֖ה מֵאֵ֣ת אֶחָ֑יו …
It came to pass, at that time,
that Yehudah parted ways with [literally, went down from] his brothers… (Bereishit
38:1)
Rashi
explains that Yehudah’s “descent” was the result of his lowered esteem in his
brothers’ eyes. The brothers blamed Yehudah for their father’s bereavement, and
therefore for Yosef’s disappearance.
רש"י
בראשית פרק לח
אמרו אתה אמרת למכרו, אלו
אמרת להשיבו היינו שומעים לך:
They said, “You are the one who told us to sell him! Had you
said, ‘Return him to his father,’ we would have listened to you.” (Rashi, Bereishit 38:1)
Yehudah
takes leave of his father’s house; he has lost his brothers’ respect, and he
sets out to build a new family for himself. The midrash attempts to explain
this seeming tangent in the narrative:
בראשית
רבה (וילנא) פרשת וישב פרשה פה
ויהי בעת ההיא: …שבטים היו עסוקין במכירתו של
יוסף, ויוסף היה עסוק בשקו ובתעניתו, ראובן היה עסוק בשקו ובתעניתו, ויעקב היה
עסוק בשקו ובתעניתו, ויהודה היה עסוק ליקח לו אשה, והקב"ה היה עוסק בורא אורו
של מלך המשיח ,קודם שלא נולד
משעבד הראשון נולד גואל האחרון.
“It came to pass at that time” … The brothers were occupied with
the selling of Yosef, Yosef was occupied with his sackcloth and fasting, Reuven
was occupied with his sackcloth and fasting, Yaakov was occupied with his
sackcloth and fasting, Yehudah was occupied with taking a wife for himself, and
God was busy creating the light of the King Mashiach.... Before the first
enslaver is born, the final Redeemer is born. (Bereishit Rabbah 85:1)
In its
own words, the Midrash, in effect, asks a question to which we can relate:
Where was God? How did He allow the sale of Yosef to proceed? The answer is nothing
short of amazing: While this unspeakable travesty was unfolding, as the
innocent and righteous Yosef was being abused, tortured and sold by his own
brothers - which would eventually bring the entire Jewish People to Egypt, into
the clutches of slavery and unspeakable suffering - God was busy creating the
light of Mashiach. What are we to make of this bizarre response?
Yaakov
sought tranquility, but God had a different plan. The slavery and redemption foretold
to Avraham had not yet taken place, but God was busy planning the final
redemption - a plan that began with the
sale of Yosef and was crystallized with the “descent of Yehudah.” Yosef, who
was always uniquely capable of seeing the larger picture and visualizing
long-term strategy, came to recognize the Divine Hand involved in the events of
his life. It began, he eventually understood, when he wandered the countryside
in search of his brothers.
בראשית לז: טו-יז
וַיִּמְצָאֵ֣הוּ
אִ֔ישׁ וְהִנֵּ֥ה תֹעֶ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה וַיִּשְׁאָלֵ֧הוּ הָאִ֛ישׁ לֵאמֹ֖ר
מַה־תְּבַקֵּֽשׁ:וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אֶת־אַחַ֖י אָנֹכִ֣י מְבַקֵּ֑שׁ הַגִּֽידָה־נָּ֣א לִ֔י
אֵיפֹ֖ה הֵ֥ם רֹעִֽים: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר
הָאִישׁ֙ נָסְע֣וּ מִזֶּ֔ה כִּ֤י שָׁמַ֙עְתִּי֙ אֹֽמְרִ֔ים נֵלְכָ֖ה דֹּתָ֑יְנָה
וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ יוֹסֵף֙ אַחַ֣ר אֶחָ֔יו וַיִּמְצָאֵ֖ם בְּדֹתָֽן:
A
man found [Yosef] wandering, lost in a field. The man asked him, “What are you
seeking?” [Yosef] said, “I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they
are grazing [their flocks]?” The man said, “They left here, for I heard them
say, ‘Let us go to Dotan.’” Yosef went after his brothers and found them in
Dotan. (Bereishit 37:15–17)
Yosef
would never have found his brothers and would have returned to his father had
this man not found him and directed him onto their path. God made sure that,
one way or another, Yosef would find his brothers, that he would be sold, that
he would end up in Egypt, and that his brothers would follow. Yaakov’s
tranquility would have to wait.
Yosef
eventually came to understand this encounter with the mysterious man in the
field – as well as the entire chain of events that followed it - as an act of
Divine Will. When he was reunited with his brothers years later, he attempted
to explain to them the mysterious ways in which God takes an active role in
human history:
בראשית מה: ה-ח
וְעַתָּ֣ה׀
אַל־תֵּעָ֣צְב֗וּ וְאַל־יִ֙חַר֙ בְּעֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם כִּֽי־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י הֵ֑נָּה
כִּ֣י לְמִֽחְיָ֔ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֱלֹהִ֖ים לִפְנֵיכֶֽם:כִּי־זֶ֛ה
שְׁנָתַ֥יִם הָרָעָ֖ב בְּקֶ֣רֶב הָאָ֑רֶץ וְעוֹד֙ חָמֵ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר
אֵין־חָרִ֖ישׁ וְקָצִֽיר:וַיִּשְׁלָחֵ֤נִי אֱלֹהִים֙ לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם לָשׂ֥וּם
לָכֶ֛ם שְׁאֵרִ֖ית בָּאָ֑רֶץ וּלְהַחֲי֣וֹת לָכֶ֔ם לִפְלֵיטָ֖ה גְּדֹלָֽה:וְעַתָּ֗ה
לֹֽא־אַתֶּ֞ם שְׁלַחְתֶּ֤ם אֹתִי֙ הֵ֔נָּה כִּ֖י הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים
וַיְשִׂימֵ֨נִֽי לְאָ֜ב לְפַרְעֹ֗ה וּלְאָדוֹן֙ לְכָל־בֵּית֔וֹ וּמֹשֵׁ֖ל
בְּכָל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
Now do not be saddened and do not be angered that you have sold
me here, for God has sent me ahead to be a source of sustenance. For
these two years there is famine in the land, and for another five years there
will be no sowing and harvesting. God sent me ahead of you to set aside
for you a remnant of the land and to save your lives by great deliverance. And
now, it is not you who has sent me here but God.... (Bereishit
45:5–8)
“Fate” –
the Hand of God - took the form of this
mysterious man in the field. This seemingly insignificant event in the life of
Yosef was in actuality the Will of God, guiding him to his destiny in Egypt.
While this does not exonerate the brothers for their nefarious behavior, the Will
of God is ultimately apparent in the world. Rashi tells us that the anonymous
person in the field was none other than the angel Gavriel, whose very name
denotes gevurah (strength), God’s
attribute of Din (justice).
It is
this “Hand of God” that the midrash describes: At the moment Yosef was being
sold into slavery, God was occupied with weaving the mantle of Mashiach, while
Yehudah was involved in his personal life. What does this mean?
When
Yehudah’s oldest son, Eir, dies, one would expect Yehudah to gain some insight
into his own father’s pain. He now knows intimately, firsthand, what his father
feels and what it means to mourn one’s own child. When Yehudah’s second son,
Onan, dies, we would expect Yehudah to be tormented with guilt; it would be a
natural response for him to blame his own actions for the tragic deaths of his
sons. We would expect Yehudah to approach his father, admit his guilt, and tell
him, “Yosef is alive!” But Yehudah seems cold and indifferent.
When
Tamar, Yehudah’s daughter-in-law, approaches him, he callously tells her to
wait for his third son, despite having no intention of giving him to her for a
husband. Some time later, Yehudah’s own wife dies, and he seeks illicit comfort
in the company of the type of woman, who plies her trade, standing on the side
of the road, Unbeknownst to him, his
daughter-in-law Tamar, who has come to realize that Yehudah has not been honest
with her, has disguised herself as a prostitute as Yehudah is about to cross
her path.
When she
becomes pregnant, Yehudah, unaware of his paternity, orders that she be killed.
She then presents Yehudah’s signet ring, staff, and coat, which she held as
collateral, in lieu of the goat she was to receive as her wages. The Midrash points
out that Tamar’s “wages,” a goat, also conveyed a powerful message:
בראשית רבה (וילנא) פרשת וישב
פרשה פה
א"ר יוחנן אמר לו הקדוש
ברוך הוא ליהודה אתה אמרת לאביך הכר נא חייך שתמר אומרת לך הכר נא.
Rav Yochanan said: God said to Yehudah, “You deceived your
father with a goat. By your life, Tamar will deceive you with a goat.” (Bereishit Rabbah 85:11)
Tamar
confronts Yehudah, presenting the personal effects of the man by whom she
became pregnant:
בראשית לח: כה-כו
הִ֣וא מוּצֵ֗את וְהִ֨יא שָׁלְחָ֤ה אֶל־חָמִ֙יהָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר
לְאִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁר־אֵ֣לֶּה לּ֔וֹ אָנֹכִ֖י הָרָ֑ה וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַכֶּר־נָ֔א לְמִ֞י
הַחֹתֶ֧מֶת וְהַפְּתִילִ֛ים וְהַמַּטֶּ֖ה הָאֵֽלֶּה:
When she was being taken out [to be executed], she sent
[the security] to her father-in-law with the message, 'I am pregnant by the man
who is the owner of these articles.' She said [to Yehudah], ‘Do you recognize
[these objects]? Who is the owner of this seal, this wrap, and this staff?' (Bereishit
38:25)
The Midrash explains:
בראשית רבה (וילנא) פרשת וישב פרשה פה:יא
א"ר
יוחנן אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא ליהודה אתה אמרת לאביך הכר נא חייך שתמר אומרת לך הכר
נא.
Rabbi Yochanan said: God said to Yehudah, “You said to your
father, ‘We have found this. Do you recognize it? Is it your son’s coat?’ (Bereishit 37:32). By your life, Tamar will
say to you, ‘Do you recognize...?’” (Bereishit
Rabbah 85:11)
The
Midrash draws a straight line from the relationship between Yehudah and Tamar
to the relationship between Yehudah and his father; Yehudah’s earlier sin is
rehabilitated by Tamar. When Tamar says the words, “Do you recognize,” Yehudah
hears the echo of his own words all those years before, when he looked his
father in the eye and shattered his father’s world by saying, “Do you recognize
it? Is it your son’s coat?”[11] At last, Yehudah breaks
through the walls of his own selfishness; he sees Tamar – and so much more. He
sees himself, and he sees what he has done, the wrongs he has committed,
against his daughter in law, and against his father. The next verse
encapsulates his transformation:
בראשית
לח: כו
וַיַּכֵּ֣ר
יְהוּדָ֗ה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ צָֽדְקָ֣ה מִמֶּ֔נִּי…
Yehudah recognized, and said, “She is more righteous than I...” (Bereishit 38:26)
With these
words, the idea of Mashiach is born: The capacity to recognize when we have sinned
and to take responsibility is the starting point for both personal and national
redemption. From this point on, Yehudah is a changed person, perhaps the first
true baal teshuvah. From
the relationship between Yehudah and Tamar, our kings emerge — David,[12] and his descendant, the Mashiach.
The midrash refers to this
concept in its unique symbolic language: Tamar challenges Yehudah with his own
staff:
בראשית
רבה (וילנא) פרשת וישב פרשה פה:ט
ומטך, זה מלך המשיח.
The staff [is the scepter] of the King
Mashiach. (Bereishit Rabbah 85:9)
When Tamar
asks Yehudah to identify his staff, she challenges him to find the courage to
admit his guilt and take responsibility, to manifest the greatness which she sees
within him. She challenges him to change, to step up, to become a man. This is
the lesson that Mashiach will one day teach the world: Every person controls
his or her own destiny. No matter what mistakes have been made, they can be fixed,
redeemed, turned into tools for greater understanding and empathy, insight and
courage.
Neither Yehudah nor David, the
progenitors of the Messiah, were like Yosef, who heroically withstood
temptation. Rather, they were both guilty of sin. This flawed personality, and
not the perfect, superhuman ideal, is the Jewish prototype for the Messiah.
Moreover, the lineage of the Messiah traces back to the incestuous relationship
between Lot and his daughter, which resulted in the birth of Moav, the founder
of the tribe to which Ruth, the great-grandmother of David, was born.
The seemingly unrelated, apparently
tangential – and unmistakably sordid relationships recorded in Sefer
Bereishit lead inexorably to the birth of David, and, eventually, the
Messiah.[13]
Yosef is perhaps the more obvious candidate for proto- messiah; Yosef certainly
plays a key role – some might argue that his is the leading role - in the
remainder of the book of Bereishit. Indeed, Yosef is the prototype for a second
type of Messiah - known, appropriately enough, as “Mashiach ben Yosef.”[14]
However, Yosef, who withstands temptation, is not the same as Yehudah, who sins
- and acknowledges his own failure.
As a
result of the episode of Yosef, the Jews were enslaved in Egypt; because of the
teshuvah of Yehudah, the Jews will be redeemed at the End of Days, when
a spirit of change will permeate the world, spearheaded by a descendant of
Yehudah. History will reach its apex and the light of Mashiach, created all
those years ago during the sale of Yosef, will shine bright. At that time, all
the children of Yaakov, and with them all the people of the world, will finally
achieve the tranquility Yaakov so eagerly hoped to find.
[1] Yaakov describes the time he spent in Lavan’s house
with the word “garti” (Bereishit 32:5), implying that the time
spent outside of the Land of Israel was a time of “strangeness” for him.
בראשית לב: ה
וַיְצַ֤ו אֹתָם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֣ה תֹאמְר֔וּן לַֽאדֹנִ֖י לְעֵשָׂ֑ו כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙
עַבְדְּךָ֣ יַעֲקֹ֔ב עִם־לָבָ֣ן גַּ֔רְתִּי וָאֵחַ֖ר עַד־ עָֽתָּה:
[2] Apparently, Yaakov here refers to all his
days, including his sojourn in the house of Lavan, and his present stay in
Egypt.
[3] I heard this idea in a lecture I had attended in
1983. Also, see Chumash Mesoras Harav Bereishis page 273, which cites a
lecture delivered in Boston in 1974.
The same idea can be
found in the writings of Rav Pinchas Horowitz, Panim Yafot Bereishit 37:1.
פנים יפות בראשית פרק לז
(א) וישב יעקב וגו'. פירש"י ביקש יעקב לישב בשלוה קפץ עליו רוגזו של יוסף [ב"ר פד, א]. ...איתא במדרש [ב"ר פד, ה] מגורי אביו בגימטריא רנ"ט, מיום שאמר הקדוש ברוך הוא לאברהם ידוע תדע עד שעה שנתיישב יעקב אבינו בארץ מגורי אביו, יש לפרש מה שאמר [שם] ביקש לישב בשלוה, דהיינו שחשב שכבר נשלמו הת' שנה שנגזרה בין הבתרים, דהיינו שחשב שנותיו ושנות אביו שהוא היה כשבא אצל אביו צ"ט שנה כדאיתא בפ"ק דמגילה [יז א] ממילא היה שנות אביו קנ"ח, ולפי שלא היו השנים שווים שהרי יצחק נולד בפסח ויעקב בתשרי והוי בצירוף רנ"ט כמספר מגורי, וחשב יעקב שנות הבנים המובלעים בשנות האבות עולים ג"כ בחשבון, וחשב מאה של אברהם שהרי בברית בין הבתרים היה בן ע"ה וכשמת היה קע"ה, וחשב ג"כ שנות ראובן שהיה בן ט"ו שנה כשבא אצל אביו, שהרי בן י"ג היה במעשה שכם דמיניה ילפינן [ב"ר פ, ט] דמקרי איש לי"ג שנה, וחשב הט' שנים שהיה אצל אביו עד שהיה יוסף בן שבע עשרה שנה, ג"פ לו וליצחק ולראובן היה הכל ת' שנה, לכך ביקש לישב בשלוה כיון דלדעתו נשלם הגלות:
[4] In the words of the Haggadah, God did a
“calculation.”
הגדה של פסח - נוסח ההגדה:
בָּרוּךְ שׁוֹמֵר הַבְטָחָתוֹ לְיִשְֹרָאֵל, בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ
בָּרוּךְ הוּא חִשַּׁב אֶת הַקֵּץ לַעֲשֹוֹת כְּמָה שֶׁאָמַר לְאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ
בִּבְרִית בֵּין הַבְּתָרִים. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע
כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע
מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה. וְגַם אֶת הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹדוּ דָּן אָנֹכִי וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן
יֵצְאוּ בִּרְכוּשׁ גָּדוֹל:
שמות פרק יב פסוק מא
וַיְהִ֗י מִקֵּץ֙ שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה וְאַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיְהִ֗י
בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה יָ֥צְא֛וּ כָּל־צִבְא֥וֹת ה֖' מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
[6] See Talmud Bavli Rosh Hashana 10b-11a.
[7] The full text reads:
מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל בא - מסכתא דפסחא פרשה יד
ומושב בני ישראל וגו'. כתוב אחד אומר שלשים שנה וארבע מאות שנה וכתוב אחד אומר
ועבדום וענו אותם ארבע מאות שנה (בראשית טו יג) כיצד יתקיימו שני מקראות הללו
שלשים שנה עד שלא נולד יצחק נגזרה גזירה בין הבתרים. רבי אומר כתוב אחד אומר
ועבדום וענו אותם ארבע מאות שנה וכתוב אחד אומר ודור רביעי ישובו הנה בראשית טז)
כיצד יתקיימו שני כתובין אלו אמר הקדוש ב"ה אם עושין תשובה אני גואלם לדורות
ואם לאו אני גואלם לשנים.
מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת לך לך סימן ט
א"ר יהושע דסכנין סימן נתן לו הקדוש ברוך הוא לאברהם
שכל מה שאירע לו אירע לבניו, כיצד בחר באברהם מכל בית אביו שנאמר אתה הוא ה'
האלהים אשר בחרת באברם והוצאתו מאור כשדים ושמת שמו אברהם (נחמיה ט) ובחר בבניו
משבעים אומות שנאמר כי עם קדוש אתה לה' אלהיך ובך בחר ה' אלהיך להיות לו לעם סגולה
מכל העמים אשר על פני האדמה (דברים יד) לאברהם נאמר לך לך, ולבניו נאמר אעלה אתכם
מעני מצרים אל ארץ הכנעני והחתי והאמורי והפרזי והחוי והיבוסי אל ארץ זבת חלב ודבש
(שמות ג), לאברהם נאמר ואברכך ואגדלה שמך והיה ברכה ואברכה מברכיך, ולבניו נאמר
יברכך ה' (במדבר ו), לאברהם נאמר ואעשך לגוי גדול ולבניו נאמר ומי גוי גדול (דברים
ד) אברהם כתיב בו אחד היה אברהם (יחזקאל לג) וישראל ומי כעמך ישראל וגו' (ד"ה
=דברי הימים= א יז), לאברהם נאמר ויהי רעב בארץ וירד אברם מצרימה לגור שם כי כבד
הרעב בארץ, ולבניו כיון ששבו למצרים והרעב היה בארץ (בראשית מג), אברהם ע"י
הרעב ירד למצרים ואף בניו על ידי הרעב ירדו למצרים שנאמר וירדו אחי יוסף עשרה
לשבור בר ממצרים (שם /בראשית/ מב), אברהם כשירד נזדווגו לו המצרים ויראו המצרים את
האשה כי יפה היא מאד, אף לבניו הבה נתחכמה לו פן ירבה והיה כי תקראנה מלחמה ונוסף
גם הוא על שונאינו ונלחם בנו ועלה מן הארץ (שמות א), אברהם נזדווגו לו ארבעה מלכים
אף לישראל עתידין כל המלכים להתרגש עליהם שנאמר (תהלים ב) למה רגשו גוים ולאמים
יהגו ריק ואומר יתיצבו מלכי ארץ ורוזנים נוסדו יחד על ה' ועל משיחו, מה אברהם יצא
הקדוש ברוך הוא ונלחם בשונאיו שנ' (ישעיה מא) מי העיר ממזרח צדק יקראהו לרגלו יתן
לפניו גוים ומלכים ירד יתן כעפר חרבו כקש נדף קשתו, אף כך עתיד הקדוש ברוך הוא
לעשות לבניו שנאמר ויצא ה' ונלחם בגוים ההם כיום הלחמו ביום קרב (זכריה יד).
רמב"ן, בראשית יב:ו
ויעבר אברם בארץ עד מקום שכם - אומר לך כלל תבין אותו בכל
הפרשיות הבאות בענין אברהם יצחק ויעקב, והוא ענין גדול, הזכירוהו רבותינו בדרך
קצרה, ואמרו (תנחומא ט) כל מה שאירע לאבות סימן לבנים, ולכן יאריכו הכתובים בספור
המסעות וחפירת הבארות ושאר המקרים, ויחשוב החושב בהם כאלו הם דברים מיותרים אין
בהם תועלת, וכולם באים ללמד על העתיד, כי כאשר יבוא המקרה לנביא משלשת האבות
יתבונן ממנו הדבר הנגזר לבא לזרעו:
[9] While the brothers contemplate first the murder and
then the sale of Yosef as they break bread, little do they realize that by
selling Yosef as a slave, they have taken the first step toward the enslavement
of their own children. How appropriate that when the Jews leave Egypt, they are
commanded first to sit as a family and have a Passover seder – a family
meal that includes the entire family.
[10] Bereishit Rabbah 84:19.
בראשית רבה (וילנא) פרשת וישב פרשה פד סימן יט
וישלחו את כתונת הפסים וגו', א"ר יוחנן אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא ליהודה
אתה אמרת הכר נא חייך שתמר אומרת לך הכר נא, ויכירה ויאמר כתונת בני, אמר
לית אנא ידע מה אנא חמי כתונת בני חיה רעה אכלתהו וגו'.
[11] In 1975 Robert Alter published a brilliant analysis
of this section in which he pointed out these connections, and lamented: “At
this late date there exists no serious literary analysis of the Bible.” See “A
Literary Approach to the Bible,” Commentary December 1st
1975. When this article was later expanded into a larger book, The Art of
Biblical Narrative (Basic Books 1981), Alter noted (p. 10) that the Midrash
had anticipated his analysis. “It is instructive that the two verbal cues
indicating the connection between the story of the selling of Joseph and the
story of Tamar and Judah were duly noted more than 1500 years ago in the
Midrash.”
שמואל ב׳ יב: יג
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר דָּוִד֙ אֶל־נָתָ֔ן חָטָ֖אתִי לַֽה֑'…
[13] In the darkest days of the Holocaust, a formally
anti-Zionist rabbi, Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal, came to the realization that God
uses “broken vessels,” and that the rebuilding of Israel could well be accomplished
by “sinful” non-religious Jews. Rabbi Teichtal came to understand that from
sin, redemption may yet arise. See Eim Habanim Semeichah (and the masterful
translation by Rabbi Moshe Lichtman in Kol Mevasar: Jerusalem 2000).
[14] See Talmud Bavli Sukkah 52a. According to the Vilna
Gaon’s understanding, this second Messiah (Ben Yosef) is the central figure in
the messianic process. See Kol Hator, ascribed by followers of the Vilna
Gaon to their master.
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