SOUL SEARCHING: PARSHAT VAYESHEV

Shira smiles shiur – December 11, 2011/Kislev 15, 5772

Summary by Channie Koplowitz Stein

Again we come across a seemingly superfluous incident in the narrative of the Torah, and again we must ask ourselves why it is so significance that Hashem would record this event for posterity. This time we are referring to the verses recording Yosef’s meeting with the stranger as Yosef seems to be wandering lost in the field while obeying his father’s request and searching for his brothers. What is the hidden meaning behind this meeting and the conversation that takes place between Yosef and the angel(s)/stranger?

The question is really why it was necessary for Yosef to meet this stranger to begin with. Why could Yosef not have returned home after not finding his brothers? The fact that Yosef continued his search even though he must have sensed his brothers’ animosity toward him and even though he had already searched diligently is proof of Yosef’s righteousness and proves his conscientiousness in fulfilling his father’s requests. But the further progression of the drama that unfolds as Yosef does meet his brothers, as they throw him into the pit and finally sell him also comes into question. Even if we are to say that this was Hashem’s plan to get Yaakov to Egypt in triumph rather than in chains, could this not have been achieved, asks the Oznaim LaTorah, if the Midianites, rather than the strangers, had found Yosef wandering in the field, and they had then kidnapped him and sold him to Egypt without the involvement of the brothers? How can we understand, at least on a limited level, God’s purpose in orchestrating these events as He did?

We are now ready to begin exploring the exchanges between the stranger(s) who our commentators suggest is the Angel Gavriel and Yosef. Let us begin our discussion with the Alshich’s interpretation of this conversation. The Alshich points out that Yosef was blundering not just in any field, but in a particular field (basadeh, not besadeh). The Alshich finds this significant, for in Yosef’s dream, the sheaves had bowed down to him in the field. This, posits the Alshich, was the mindset of Yosef as he set out on his mission, that the time had now come for the fulfillment of his dream. The angel is trying to put Yosef in a less arrogant frame of mind, for if he approaches his brothers in this way, they would surely kill him. But Yosef, although he becomes a little humble, does not take the hint completely and doesn’t return home either.

The angel then asks him, “What is it you seek?” Yosef answers in complete transparency, “I am searching for my brothers – I want to reestablish a relationship of brotherly love.” The stranger/angel again responds to the unstated portion of Yosef’s reply, “They have journeyed on from here,” they are far from a sense of brotherhood, in fact, “I heard them saying ‘Let us go to Dothan (Doytan).That extra letter (Yud =10) in the place name of Dothan hinted that the brothers considered themselves ten, and they did not include Yosef and Binyamin among them. They were actually thinking of bringing Yosef to trial, to law, to dat. The Alei Shur even adds that when the angel spoke to Yosef, he said, “They have traveled from here, mizeh.” He was pointing at Yosef indicating that they were moving away specifically from you. But Yosef did not understand, and continued to search for his brothers.

Now perhaps we can understand one reason why Hashem chose this process to bring Bnei Yisroel down to Egypt and fulfill his promise to Avraham Avinu. The Oznaim LaTorah continues his explanation. Yosef needed to become a slave and the rest of the nation needed to become enslaved as a purification process for those characteristics that were already in us. Yosef had spoken ill of his brothers to their father, and the brothers harbored such hatred for him that they were willing to kill him. We needed to become purified from these negative traits through the iron cauldron of Egyptian slavery.

This idea is perhaps the basis of another puzzling phrase in this section. The Torah tells us that Yaakov sent Yosef out “from the depths of Hebron” even though Hebron is high in the hills. Rashi then explains that the depths does not refer to the geography, but to a deep idea and deep advice that emanated from Hebron. Rav Yitzchak Isaac Scher in Lekach Sichot Mussar cites the Medrash that Hashem asked Avraham how he wanted his descendents to be purified, through exile or through Gehinom. According to the Medrash, Avraham reasoned that there is no growth in Gehinom, that everything is static, and so he chose that his descendents go down to exile and enslavement in Egypt, and there be purified and become worthy of being the Nation of God. This profound insight and choice that Avraham made was the “depth of Hebron” that began the process of enslavement and redemption.

We need perhaps to take a moment now to understand that we cannot judge these brothers, the progenitors of the ten tribes, by the yardstick of western civilization. They were completely righteous, on a level that is beyond our understanding, and their hatred and actions were within a framework that was completely based on faith and service to Hashem, as cruel as they may appear to our limited vision.

Rav Chaim Hachohen, the Or Pnei Chaim explains that there are three levels of righteousness. Most of mankind is involved with achieving the first level in which we understand intellectually what Hashem wants from us but we are conflicted because our human desires differ greatly from Hashem’s will. To be righteous, on this level, involves a constant struggle to act according to the wishes of God rather than to our own desires.

On the next level, the Tzadik listens so attentively and is so attuned to the will of God that his own desires play a minimal role in his choices. God’s will becomes his will.

The highest level is beyond our understanding, but it is the level our forefathers and the progenitors of the Bnei Yisroel achieved. On this level, every limb and sinew instinctively recognizes the will of our Creator and does Hashem’s will almost automatically. Consider, for example, that Avraham Avinu had to “send his hand” to grasp the slaughtering knife after he bound Yitzchak on the altar. This, posits the Or Pnei Chaim is proof that the hand knew that Hashem did not really want Avraham to slaughter his son and therefore Avraham had to force it to do what he erroneously believed to be God’s will.(God had actually commanded Avraham to merely tie up Yitzchak as a sacrifice, never telling him to actually slaughter him.)

On this level, all the incongruities in the narrative begin to make sense. Only because there was a Divine plan that Yaakov was unknowingly following would he send his beloved son into harm’s way to find his brothers. Only with this Divine plan would Yosef ignore the subtle warning of the stranger/angel and continue searching for his brothers. Only under this Divine plan would the brothers conspire to first kill and then sell Yosef.

But this interpretation seems to beg the question of free choice. If everything was already Divinely ordained, how can the twelve tribes be faulted for their actions? How could the Roman Emperor use the Torah law against kidnapping to then order the death penalty for the ten great sages of Israel (Asarah harugei malchut)?

The Lekach Sichot Mussar explains by using the maxim that one sin begets another sin. The brothers already had demonstrated that they possessed the kernel of sin within themselves. They had already indicated their jealousy and hatred of Yosef. Hashem then used this initial wrongdoing as the basis for his plan to fulfill His prophecy to Avraham through the brothers and, like the domino effect, their hatred led to the sale of Yosef and to our eventual enslavement.

Rav Reiss points out that the lesson of this entire incident is profound. It teaches us to have faith in Hakodosh Boruch Hu, for everything that happens in this world and to each of us personally happens under His guidance and providence. Nevertheless, we still must expend our own efforts in trying to achieve our goals. That is our obligation. And we believe we can cause a change in Hashem’s plan, as we say on Rosh Hashanah, “Repentance, prayer and charity can remove the evil of the decree.” We don’t know the effects of our actions, but we must act with the faith that our actions have meaning, and yet we must ultimately accept whatever outcome Hashem decrees, even if it is not the outcome for which we had hoped.

To further the Divine plan and to help us in our growth, Hashem sends us many messages, explains Rabbi Mattisyahu Solomon. These messages can be delivered via people who are our mentors for good, or obstacles to try to prevent us from continuing along a wrong path. Perhaps when we keep getting interrupted in our conversation, Rabbi Schwab points out, Hashem is hinting that the words we are about to say or write have no constructive purpose, and we should rethink saying them. Perhaps when we keep finding ourselves in a particular place time and time again, perhaps there is something we are meant to do there, to “be at the right time at the right place.” Just as Yosef’s brothers seemed to be going to shepherd their sheep but were actually beginning the fulfillment of God’s plan, so too must we try to be aware of the greater truths “coincidences” and hardships in our lives are meant to teach us.

Rabbi Frand has a profound insight into the human psyche and the life we lead. He interprets this entire episode as a model for our own lives. We wander around this earth aimlessly searching. Just as Yosef was confronted with the question, “What do you seek,” so must we constantly ask ourselves what we seek, what is our goal. As people say, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there.” The “angels” along our path, the challenges and difficulties we face in trying to achieve our perceived goals says Rabbi Schorr in Halekach Vehalebuv, are there not to take away our free choice, but to help us reassess our direction so that it is in keeping with the will of Hashem.

Rabbi Friefeld develops this idea even further in In Search of Greatness. We each have our own unique essence with our own unique characteristics, talents, and mission. What are you searching for, how will you develop and nurture that which is uniquely you? You may be successful in a particular field while your soul may be yearning for validation in a different way. If your soul wants to be a musician but circumstances have led you to become a successful electrician instead, your soul is still in its exile, searching for its approbation and validation.

Yosef was searching for brotherly love. He did not stop searching, and he finally achieved it after the death of his father when he was able to tell his brothers that all that had happened to them was the will of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. We must keep searching as we wander along the intersecting paths of life, and hope that we will find our true path and be able to fulfill our mission in service to Hashem through the Divine and unique soul He has implanted in each of us.