BS"D
REMARKABLE REUNION: PARSHAT VAYIGASH
Shira Smiles shiur – 2022/5783
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
After twenty two years of
agonizing separation, Yaakov Avinu is reunited with his beloved son Yosef
Hatzadik. The Torah records that Yosef went to greet his father, and when they
met, "[Yosef] fell on [Yaakov's] neck and he wept on his neck
excessively." The classic question so many of our commentators ask is what
was Yaakov's reaction, why did he not cry tears of joy at this unquestionably
emotional reunion. And Rashi's response, universally accepted, was that Yaakov
Avinu was reciting the Shema at this seminal reunion. How can we
understand the differing reactions of father and son to this overwhelming
emotional encounter?
Rabbi Gifter reminds us that
Yaakov and Yosef are founding fathers of Bnei Yisroel. As such, their actions
must be viewed as more than simple emotional reactions. They must have great
significance for Kllal Yisroel. What messages can we extract from the seemingly
dissimilar reactions to this meeting?
First, it is important to
remember the significance of Shema, the verse we recite multiple times
daily. It is the verse we say before we go to sleep at night and the verse we
recite when we anticipate our final sleep is approaching. It affirms our faith
in the One God Who manifests Himself in the world and in our lives in multi
faceted ways. It is our way of articulating our acceptance of God's
sovereignty.
Everything in this physical
world can be elevated and transformed to connect us to God. Citing the Baal
Shem Tov, the Shvilei Pinchas notes that our emotions can also serve
this purpose. Our fears of the mundane can be turned into awe of God. And here,
Yaakov took his deep love of his son and channeled it toward his love of Hashem
One of the ways we can tap
into our relationship to Hashem is through the brachot/blessings we
recite over the course of the day. The Sifsei Daas, cites Tehillim
24:1 to explain this connection. Although the world and all within it belong to
Hashem, He gave the earth to mankind. Hashem, through His love for us, has
given us permission to enjoy this world; by reciting a blessing before we
partake, we are returning that love to Him and acknowledging His primary role
in our lives.
Reciting Shema itself
may perhaps be the strongest weapon against our yetzer horo. It
reinforces our dedication to Hashem's sovereignty even in times when we must
choose to sacrifice our lives for this belief. Certainly we should try to
withstand lesser challenges, to sacrifice other forbidden desires for this
belief, writes Rabbi Wolbe. Saying Shema should reinforce us in our
service to Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
While Yaakov Avinu was
channeling his love for his son toward love for Hakodosh Boruch Hu, Yosef was
fulfilling the mitzvah of kibud av/honoring his father. Being involved
in that mitzvah, he was symbolically hugging and kissing Hashem as well,
suggests the Sifsei Daas. Both Yaakov Avinu and Yosef Hatzadik are
elevating the physical, emotional experience to a spiritual, religious level.
It seems counter-intuitive,
but our challenges bring us closer to Hashem. On Chanukah, we thank Hashem not
only for the miracles and for the victories, but also for the challenges and
wars themselves. Every Challenge, every exile and diaspora brings us closer to
the redemption, but we generally only recognize this in retrospect. That's what
Kriyat Shema is all about. Yaakov had viewed himself as full of
troubles. But now, in retrospect, Yaakov Avinu can thank Hashem for all his
grief over Yosef, for he sees how how those challenges led to this victorious
moment, writes Rabbi Svei in Ruach Eliyahu citing the Maharal. Yaakov
Avinue now sees the entire picture. The essence of Shema is
acknowledging that the entire picture is being orchestrated by Hashem, even
when we do not see it. For Yaakov Avinu, this moment of reunion was an epiphany;
he was now seeing the entire picture. For Yosef, he had been living it all
along. It was unfolding while he lived it.
When we say, "Hashem
Elokheinu Hashem Echod/God, our Lord, God is One," we are testifying
that Hashem, the God of love and compassion and Elokhim, the God of strict
justice are in fact merely two facets of the same God. Often only in retrospect
will we recognize that indeed even God's justice is a manifestation of His
love. This was what Yaakov Avinu realized at this moment, writes Rabbi Schorr
in Halekach Vehalebuv, that it is the same Hashem, whether at this
moment He appears to be close to us or far
away.
The Shema is the
ultimate statement of our emunah/faith in Hakodosh Boruch Hu. We cover
our eyes when reciting the verse so that we can focus on our inner faith, the
faith we maintain despite our lack of understanding, our lack of seeing. Yaakov
Avinu now understood that during all these twenty two difficult years, Hashem
was weaving the tapestry for this moment. In awe and with the inner conviction
now manifest in this reunion, Yaakov covered his eyes to demonstrate his new
understanding, writes Rabbi Eisenberger in Mesillot Bilvovom. Hashem's
mercy and justice are inseparable, even though we we cannot see how this is
true, taught the Klausenberger Rebbe who lost his entire family in the
Holocaust, survived, rebuilt his family, and founded his Chassidic dynasty
anew.
Yaakov Avinu's recitation of
Shema at this moment was not a rote recitation, but a declaration of deep love
for and gratitude to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, writes Rabbi Asher Weiss. He witnessed
his beloved Yosef as king, and acknowledged that his own suffering was also a
product of Hashem's love, and so he burst forth with a joyous declaration and
awe of Hashem's sovereignty.
In the 100th
chapter of Tehillim we say, "Hashem Hu HaElokim/Hashem [the God of
mercy], He is the Elokhim/the same one God of justice." We usually would
think the reverse would make more sense, that we realize that the God of
justice is in fact the God of mercy. Why is the order reversed? The Shvilei
Pinchas quoting the Chatam Sofer, explains that before Hashem metes out
justice, He has already prepared the cure and safety net. Although we may only
see it in retrospect, His mercy preceded His judgment. The Shema sets
the tone for this understanding.
The Shema is the Jews'
declaration of love for Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Yaakov understood that if Yosef was
to fulfill his potential as a true leader of Kllal Yisroel, Yaakov had to imbue
him with all the love he himself felt for Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Rabbi Gifter
suggests that Yaakov reciting the Shema at this very moment was the
deepest form of communication with this son and his special
mission.
It
wasn't only Yaakov who was
reacting to this reunion from the perspective of Israel's mission and
future
history. Yosef, by falling on his father Yaakov's neck and weeping on
his
father's neck was also conveying a deep understanding of the
connections
between Hashem and Bnei Yisroel. Rabbi Tauber, in his adaptations of
the talks
of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, discusses the purpose of a neck and its
symbolism
here.
Rabbi Tauber notes that Yosef
and Binyamin also cried on each other's necks at their reunion, each crying for
the Beit Hamikdosh and the Mishkan/Tabernacle found in his brother's land
portion that was destined to be lost or destroyed. Rabbi Tauber notes that
these Sanctuaries were the link between heaven and earth that connected Hashem
with the world He created, and ultimately with man. Just so does the neck
connect one's head, the gateway of nutrients and air to the body it nourishes.
The head is also the source of all that is Godly in man [Whether we say that is
the power of speech or the ability of higher thought processes CKS]. That
energy must flow down and nourish spirituality in the rest of the body, and the
conduit between the two is the neck. While Yosef and Binyamin cried over the
severed connection between Hashem and Bnei Yisroel when the Sanctuaries would
be destroyed, Yaakov was teaching Yosef that rather than despair, one must take
action. Say the Shema and reaffirm the commitment to Hashem, rebuild and
strengthen the neck, the connection. The Aish Kodesh adds the next step.
While the head represents accepting the yoke of God's sovereignty, the neck
represents accepting the yoke of mitzvah performance, the subject of the second
paragraph of Shema.
In Avodat Avodah, the
Tosher Rebbe ties these themes together. Both Yaakov and Yosef [and probably
all the tribal patriarchs] understood that they were now descending into the
first of our exiles and the root of all the diasporas. We, their descendants
would face many challenges to our faith, challenges that could best be met by
the message of Shema. We are familiar with the two letters that are
enlarged in that first verse, the ע
and the ד. Our commentators
note that these two letters spell עד/witness, that we bear witness
to Hashem's sovereignty. But the Tosher Rebbe wants us to read the letters in
reverse order as well, דע/know intimately, deep down,
and connect to Him in every situation. Accept His sovereignty, accept the yoke
of mitzvoth, and with the final paragraph, remember our deliverance from Egypt.
Once you have given yourself over completely to Hashem, you have liberated
yourself from your personal Mitzrayim, your personal narrow,
constricting situations. Just as Hashem saved and redeemed Bnei Yisroel from
Egypt, so will He redeem us, as we are ready now to enter into the intimate
dialogue of the Amidah/Silent Meditation of eighteen blessings. If we
believe that Hashem is in control at all times, the challenges of exile and of
our narrow places will not control us.
This process begins not with Shema,
but builds from the beginning of our prayer, continues the
Tosher Rebbe. We begin by declaring Him to be Adon Olam/the Master of
the world. We continue by singing His praises, we focus on He Who creates
light, revel in the great love He has for us, and then we are ready to submit
ourselves to His sovereignty with the Shema. This is how you become a
leader of Bnei Yisroel; this is how you fix the necks of Bnei Yisroel,
nationally and individually.
During the years of
separation, God's presence had left Yaakov Avinu. At the reunion of Yaakov and
Yosef, God's presence returned, and Yaakov exultantly proclaimed the Shema.
Seventeen years later, at the end of his life, Yaakov again experience the
absence of Hashem's spirit when he wanted to reveal the end of time to his
sons. He feared that perhaps the connection between Hashem and the tribes had
been severed, to which the Tribes responded, "Hear, O, Israel, Hashem is
our God, Hashem is One." Here too, Yaakov needed to see that Yosef was
still connected to Hashem, writes Rabbi Mintzberg in Ben Melech. Only
after he confirmed that continued connection, only after investigating the
‘Shema’ aspect of his son, could Yaakov Avinu physically show his
affection with a kiss.
Every day we have multiple
opportunities to connect to Hashem through our blessings and prayers. Each is a
thread. All the threads are woven together in one beautiful, unified Shema
Yisroel Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad.