Mikeitz - 4th Portion

Join me as we learn together for today, Wednesday, the fourth Torah reading of Paras Mikates. Yesterday in the Torah reading, we spoke about as Yoseph interpreted the dreams that there's going to be seven years of plenty, seven years of famine, and as Yoseph marries Usnas, the daughter of Potifer, and has two children, Ephraim. The Torah now continues with what's going on in Egypt. Verse 53. The seven years of plenty have come to an end. That were in the land of Egypt have now come to pass and the seven years of plenty have finished. Verse 54. And the and it be seven years of famine began to come exactly as Yseph predicted they would. And there was a hunger, a famine in all of the other lands. However, throughout Egypt, there was bread thanks to Yoseph's storage program. All the other surrounding lands did not have uh food. There was a famine. However, in the land of Egypt had plenty of food. Verse 55. When all of the people of Egypt became starving, started becoming hungry and they were starving and the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread to have some bread. And Pari then told all of the Egyptians, and he announced to all of Egypt, go to Ysef, whatever Yseph tells you to do, follow what he says to do. So as we look in Rashi, Rashi tells us verse 55, why all of a sudden if they had food and they kept it in storage, why were they starving? because it got rotten. The wheat that they stored in their storage places got rotten and spoiled. The only wheat that stayed uh fresh and was usable was the one of Yoseph. So though Egypt knew that there was going to be a years of famine and they stocked up for it, what happened was their warehouses the stuff went spoiled. Rashi continues because when the Egyptians came to Yseph for food and they asked him for food, Yseph told them they have to go and circumcise themselves. Then they came to parro complaining this is what Yseph's demands are. And they said this is what Yseph is demanding from us that we should circumcise. Pharaoh told them, "If you don't want to circumcise, you are at fault because you should have put your own storage of food. You should have food for yourself. Yoseph announced and he said there's going to be years of hunger and you should have put aside food and if you would have listened then you now you wouldn't have to listen to Yoseph." So the Egyptians told dear Pharaoh we gathered lots of wheat but it all got spoiled. So if Pharaoh told him and if so you have no other choice whatever Yseph tells you that's what you got to do if you want to be able to get food then you can see that Yoseph is in charge because he decreed on the wheat of all of the land that it became spoiled that means we see this Yoseph is a powerful individual the very fact that everybody else's wheat became spoiled and not his that means he decreed that it should become spoiled. What happens if he decrees upon us that we die? We might die. So therefore, we've got to listen to him and if we don't want anything worse to happen to us. The interest the interesting thing that the Reb asks here is why is it that Yoseph actually told them to circumcise himself? What benefit did Yoseph had from telling the Egyptians to circumcise? And seemingly one can answer is that is because Yseph looked back at his grandfather Avaram. When God gave Abram the commandment for circumcision, it wasn't just for Afra, but it was all things that Aram acquired. That means all his slaves made and all his servants as well. And therefore, in this case, Yseph acquired the Egyptians as we see later on. They became his servants and he gave them food and he gave them wheat that they can plow and soth. So if so there why that obligation of making your servants have circumcision as well was contingent on Yoseph to make sure that they have circumcision as well. The Torah now continues with verse 56 and the famine struck all the plans every place. So Yseph opened up the warehouses containing all the grain that he had and he sold it to the Egyptians and the famine became intensified even worse in the land of Egypt. What does the word mean? Rashi tells us on the face of the earth of the Egypt. What does it mean? The face m who are the people that are the face of the land. These are the rich people that even the wealthy people needed to come to Yoseph to get wheat like the translate these warehouses that had the plenty of wheat in them and he sold it to Egypt. Chev. Now the word chev what does this word actually mean? This can be explained in two ways. Sometimes it means like a sale like he purchased something and over here it's being used in that terminology that Yseph sold the wheat to the Egyptian as we find in other places and later on in verse 43 it says sell us a little bit of food. One should not say Rashi continues that the word chevver does not apply only by selling wheat because we find this as well by wine and milk as it says in the book Isaiah and go buy without money and without a price the wine and the milk meaning how are they going to be able to buy it and over there you see that the word chev is used as well not only by wheat but even by other things as well. Verse 57. The entire region of that area came to Egypt to buy produce from Yseph because the famine has grown severe in the entire region. This verse is not so clear. If you put you have to put it in out of order and you have to put it as follow. And this is what it means that all the people of the of the surrounding regions came to buy food from Yseph because if you're going to explain it literally the way the verse is then it would have said they were going to buy from Yseph that they're all buying food from Yoseph. In fact, what it means they're coming to Egypt to buy from Yseph. Chapter 42 verse one saw that there was produce in Egypt said to his sons, "Why are you afraid? Why do you pretend in this case and to draw attention to yourself?" As we're going to see, Rashi gives us the explanation of what this means. Verse 1, chapter 42. What does it mean that Jacob saw? Where did he see it from? Where did he see that there was where did he see on the news? He didn't see it with his eyes. He only heard it. As it says, he even tells his sons, "Behold, I heard that there's food in Egypt." So why does the verse over here say a terminology of that he saw? So the verse is telling us something deeper here. He saw he saw with a vision which is divine intervention that there's still hope in Egypt. This was not a clear divine prophecy but this was some intuition that he had to let him know. That means the divine prophecy didn't tell him clearly that it was Yoseph in Egypt, but he had some intuition that there's hope for him and his family in the land of Egypt. What does it mean? The word generally you can translate it as fear but in this case it means why are you showing portraying a given image that's maybe not so meaning as Rashi explains why are you showing in front of the people of Yseph which are our neighbors as if you don't need food and you're satiated and you don't have a problem. If you don't have food, why are you making them jealous? If they don't have and you make as if you have, then you're showing that you have wheat and they don't. However, says the simple interpretation seems differently. Why should everybody look at you and wonder that you're not asking for food? How do you not have food? You also don't have any wheat. And how come you're not looking around for food? You're not concerned. Why is it that you are not concerned while everybody else is concerned and you also don't have food? Rashi continues, I heard from others as well. This is a type of terminology of lean. Why are you so weak? Meaning that you should that you don't have any food and because of that you're hungry and go buy some food for yourself. We have a similar place in the mish a similar place in the uh verse in mishi in the book of proverbs that the that other satisfaction will also be satisfied. So you see this terminology where other people are satisfied and again telling them over here why are you continuing to show us if you're satisfied when you really don't have food. The question is as well that the Reb asks why is it that the children made as if they have food if they didn't. And the Reb points out over here the bet the faith that the children of Yakov had that though they did not have food but they still consider themsel themselves satiated and did not worry for food because they knew that God would make a miracle and something will happen and eventually they will get the food that God wouldn't let them go hunger hungry. Over here we see the actual faith that the Jewish people the 12 tribes of the Jew of the Yakov's sons had an absolute faith of God that they had no concern. They did not show any sign of worry or concern that even Jacob was worried that how this might portray to the people around them and he tells them he tells the sons verse two behold I heard that there is produce in Egypt go down there and purchase some produce from there this way will we live we will not die. Verse two, redu shama. What is the word? And Rashi alludes says that this verse over here is telling us that it's alluding to the he does not say go there. He says go down. This is a hint that this now begins the 210 years that because of this descent to Egypt, this began the 210 years of the Jewish people being in Egypt as the word is numeric value of 210. Verse three and the brothers of Yoseph who were 10 individuals went down to Egypt to buy grain from Egypt. Verse three, why does he call them over here as the brothers of Yseph and not by the sons of Jacob? It's coming to teach us because they regretted the fact that they sold Yseph. And therefore they they decided they resolved that from now on should they find him they will treat him with love as brothers should. that if should they find that Yseph was taken as a captive and they would need to give money to be able to release him, they would expend any money that needed to be able to redeem him and bring him back. Why 10? Why does the Torah has to tell us that the 10 of them if it says later on was not sent? So if I do the calculation Yseph is gone, the Yemen is not being sent. I know 2 - 12 12 - 2 equals 10. Ella, it's coming to teach us that concerning the love to one another when it came to their relationship towards there were differences of opinion [snorts] that the love and the hatred for them was not the same. That means when it came to the idea of how the relationship was with Yoseph, it may have not been all aligned and it may have not been the same. However, when it came to the concept that they had to buy and purchase food, all of them came with the same intent to purchase that food. And the children of Israel came, the children of Jacob came to uh I'm sorry, verse four, And however, the brother of Jacob did not send with his brothers Omar he said lest some disaster befall him. Why was he concerned about a disaster and at home no disaster is going to happen to him? Rashi says and in his home there won't be any disaster. Rashi continues and says from here we know that the Satan comes and he prosecutes in a time of travel in a time of danger and being that travel is a time of danger. Because of that and as we know the med says that all travels all roads are prone to danger and because of that Jacob said let him stay home and therefore the less chance of him being affected or hurt. Verse five. And the sons of Israel came to buy produce amongst all the other people that came to buy food as wellan because the famine continued and extended to the land of Cananan as well. What does it mean amongst the people that came? They hid themselves amongst all the other people. So they should not be identified or recognized. Their father told them that they shouldn't gain too much attention and show up all at one entrance way. Each one should take another entrance into the land of Egypt so that a bad eye should not affect them because they're all good-looking, handsome, and very strong. Now, he continues and says, "Why did they have to come?" So the Torah tells us why did all the people that means why were there many people coming to Egypt to purchase food saying why were there many people coming to Egypt because the famine extended to the land of Cananan many different caravans and uh groups of people were coming from the land of Cananan to buy food in Egypt. Verse six, and Yoseph was the viceroy of the land. He was the one that was selling and sold the produce to all the people of the region. And the brothers of Yseph came and they bowed down to him before him with their faces to the ground. They bow down with their faces to the ground in front of him. Anytime we find the concept of bowing in the in the verse means absolute lying on the ground with our hands and fa hands and feet outstretched with their face touching the ground. Verse seven and Yseph saw his brothers and he recognized them and he then he acted like a stranger towards them and he spoke to them harshly and he says to them from where did you come when they responded we are from the land ofan to buy some food. Rashi Yseph recognized him, but he they did not recognize him. When they left him, when he left them, which was almost 12 years ago, his brothers had a beard, but he did not have a beard. And therefore, though he recognized them, they did not recognize that they left him. He did not have a beard. And now they see this individual with the beard. The med says his brothers these were the brothers that were now given over to him when he needed their kindness. They did not recognize it. But now he recognized that they were his brothers and he needs to help them. However, they did not recognize him when it came their chance to show some love to him. They did not recognize him as a brother. However, he did recognize them as a brother now to help them in their time of need. The words also commentaries explains why did the brothers not recognize Yoseph because they never would have imagined in their wildest imagination that their brother who they were shepherds and therefore stayed away from the public arena stayed away from commerce and materialism. This way they were able to devote themselves and serve God. They would never imagine that their brother Yseph would be the viceroy of Egypt involved in the greatest materialistic items in dealing and selling the things that are needed in Egypt. The Torah now continues verse 8. As we said recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him as we mentioned why that he recognized them as they had a beard. They did not recognize him as they he did not he had a beard and when he left them they he did not have a beard. Verse 9 remembered the dreams that he dreamt about them and he tells them you are spies you have come to see the land and how it's vulnerable was the reason you came here tells us what it means that he dreamt about them. And now and now he sees that the dreams that he had 12 years ago now came to fruition because they all bowed down before him. What does it mean? The places that are open that are vulnerable or it's easy to conquer it for example. We find this in other places in the book of when it talks about the inappropriate relationships. He says his source he allowed he revealed that they were naked meaning they were revealed anytime we find the word it comes to tell us a place of supposed to be covered that was revealed says on the breaks in the land and the same place we find means the when we talk about when they had to fix the holy temple they use the terminology ru It was weak of the home that therefore it had to be fixed. However, the source of the word the meaning to reveal was not careful to make sure that it was exact towards the interpretation of the verse. And the brothers say to Yoseph, "Know my master, know my lord. Your servants, we your servants have just come here to buy food. Don't say that we're spies and we're here to see your vulnerabilities. We're only here to buy some food. Verse number 11. We are all the sons of the same man. We are truthful men. Your servants were never have never been spies. over here. The brothers of Ysef when they say the when they said these words they were saying a spark of divine intuition and while they did not even realize it and he agreed with them we are all part of the same family. We are all sons of the same man. Not realizing what they were telling Ysephim. What does the word Kanim mean? truth. This is true. It is correct and true with the daughters of as well as said that his anger is not a true anger. Verse 12 says, "No, this is not true. You have come to see the land that it is vulnerable. That's what you came to check out." Verse 12, how do I know that you are spies? because you came through 10 different gateways. Why didn't you just come in through one gateway? Meaning you went all the different ways to see which where's the vulnerable parts that you can conquer the land. Verse 13. And they said no. We are 12 serv your servants are 12 brothers. All born from one man from one father. in the land of Cananan. The youngest one is with our father and one is gone missing. Verse 13. This was the response that the brothers were saying why they separated into 12 different ones. Because we're missing one. We think that maybe he's in the land of Egypt. So we scattered so we can all search because we want to bring that one back home. Verse tells them who this is what I told you you are spies who are what Rashi explains meaning what you're telling me is not true what I said to begin with that you are spies that's what's true and correct Not what you're saying. This is a simple interpretation says as follows. Yseph tells his brothers. You came to look for your brother. And if you would find him, and they're going to ask for a lot of money, we will. Will will you redeem him? Will you buy him back? They told Yseph, "Of course. And what happens if they tell you you know you find your brother and no money in the world are we going to let him go? What are you going to do then? They said that's why we came. Either we get killed or we're going to kill others. That means we're not going to leave without our brother and we're going to either kill the person or we going to have to put our lives on the line to make sure we get our brother back. Omar. So Yseph says to them, "If so, this is exactly what I told you. You came to kill the people here. Therefore, I know and I know that you can do it because I have magic that I can look with my cup and I can also know that it tells me the two of you already destroyed the city of." So you guys are prone to killing people and if you don't get what you want. So therefore I know that you guys are spies. The only way that I will put the test on the life I swear by the life of Pharaoh if you will glee from here. If you bring your youngest brother with you back the next time you come. And therefore what does he say verse 15 this will be I swear by Pharaoh when you if you were swearing falsely when he needs to swear he doesn't use God's name because he wants to take an oath which shouldn't have strong validity he uses Pharaoh's name what does it mean from here from this place and therefore he tells them as follows verse send from here. One of you can go. Send one of yours and let him bring your younger brother back. Meanwhile, the rest of you, we will imprison you. We'll take you into custody and we'll see if indeed your true words are true. If you're saying the truth by that you are spies the word over here the is not a it's not like the the it's if the truth is with you therefore it has a like in a word in a question if you won't bring him I swear by that by no doubt you guarantee that this is true that you are spies. And Yseph gathered them and put them in custody for three days. Put them in detention for three days. Um verse 17, the place of the prison. Verse 18, and Yseph takes them out on the third day and says to them as follows. this is what you're going to do that you will be able to live and that is because I am a god-fearing person. You can trust me because I am a god-fearing person. verse 17. Uh there's no rashis on verse 18 which this concludes the Torah reading for Wednesday.