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Family Fulfilled: Clouds on the Horizon story of Yosef by Rabbi Shmuel Goldin
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we've dealt with the story of yoseph we
will probably come back to one more
session perhaps from that story but this
is the Koda this is the um this Shear is
the Koda to to braet in terms of how the
Torah wants us to view it let's start by
recognizing something that we've said
before and that is that Jewish history
starts
twice Jewish history starts first with
Abraham and the patriarchal and
matriarchal era and then starts again
when we
experienceas at which point the nation
is born so we have the patriarchal and
matriarchal era the era of the AOS and
imos is first and then the nation is
born and the question of course that is
raised by many commentaries it's the
first Rashi actually in the Torah is why
didn't the Torah begin with the birth of
the nation can everyone hear me now
great uh why didn't the Torah begin with
the birth of the nation in other words
with the first Mitzvah given to the
Jewish people as a as a people which is
the Mitzvah
KES why does the Torah begin with all of
these stories when the reality is meant
to be a book of mitzvot Etc Why not
start with
mitzvot so there are numerous answers
but I'd like to suggest three Global
contributions that are made to our story
from the era of the the Osos and you
have them on the on the page before you
first is
individuality the patriarchal
matriarchal era the era of the Yos
andos is the era of the yid it's the era
in
whiches creates a a people that their
entire story is going to be defined by
the individuals abam and SAR that's the
whole story of B right in other words
and RKA the children yob all of all of
these people are
individuals who teach us a great deal
but on a global level what it teaches us
is that individuality is important and
as we move into our nation building it's
very important never to forget
the the there are two
destroyed um destroyed communities or
societies we've spoken about this before
that are destroyed early in the Torah
they are the dul which we just read
about and the DFA which we just read
about the generation of the flood and
the generation of dispersion I'm not
going to go into it now because we but
they each represent I think if you
understand kazal correctly they each
represent a
imbalance in the yid
combination in other words what happens
is the door of
Noah I would argue and we could talk
about it later if you want is the door
that speaks of individuality to an
extent that destroys
community and in the case of the DFA the
generation of dispersion the opposite is
true the rabbi say that if a brick fell
off the tower they would go into
mourning but if an individual fell off
the tower they wouldn't pay attention
all that mattered was the society so it
is after the destruction of those two
societies that a KES who then says now
we're going to start again and we're
going to take a particular people and
part of that people's Legacy will be the
balance between y Andor part of the
people's balance will be the balance
between the individual in the community
and if you think about it we we jockey
all the time between these two think of
way we Davin for example so it's best to
Davin in a crowd right it's best to
Davin in a minion however what's the
most important that we
recite I would argue as a Theon or the
amida how is that
recited quietly individually I'm not
part of the right at that point I I tune
everyone else out and I'm just being a
cut
but is
theid written in the singular or the
plural plural so there I primarily
plural in other words all of the is are
are there in the plural so that brings
the into my individual communion with
the KES and then once after I recite the
am what what happens then the hin
recites it's for everybody so that's
just one example of how we we jockey
between the importance of the individual
and the importance of the community and
the balance has to be a healthy one and
and by the way the that balance
defines every society every society over
time um I I for example I was U had the
opportunity years ago to go to the
Soviet Union which was not a great
opportunity but the opportunity was to
meet with refus Nick and it was an
astounding experience for example you
went in the trains underneath clean as a
whistle no graffiti right
why go to go to Siberia if you do
graffiti right so what what basically
was was happening in that Society was
there was a disregard of the
individual and a worship of the
community worship of the society and
that's why the society eventually
destroyed itself because you if you're
not reinforcing individuals and giving
them rewards for their hard work you're
just saying you know you're doing this
from other Russia and it's all okay then
the society can't can't can't exist and
that's why by the way didn't SEO balance
is why the generation of the flood is
destroyed completely because God has to
destroy unfortunately the individuals in
the case of the dhaa what does God
destroy the society right he does not
destroy the individual he destroys the
society by confounding their languages
and they are split apart so that's first
that's the first contribution made by
the door of the AOS and Osos the second
is the
following we as a people are
born
nationally with a pre-existing history
with a legacy and that is extremely
important for us knowing that we're
going to the land that God promised us
is one thing but knowing that we're
going to the land that God promised to
our forefathers or to our grandparents
it's like a beautiful pearl if you have
a beautiful pearl and you wear it but
then you find out that it was your
grandmothers to start with then that
raises its its value tremendously so
what's happened is if you follow the
pario in schot when God talks to Abraham
uh to Moshe and talks to the people over
and over again he says I'm the god of ab
andov you're going to the land of ab
andov so what what we have is a
pre-existing Legacy a pre-existing
history before we become a nation and
and that enriches our national
experience and finally the last
important contribution that is made and
we're going to focus on this is the
importance of the
family in in addition to being an era of
individuality it's an era in which the
families are the totality of Jewish
experience and the home and and the
journey is a journey on one level from
Abraham's go separate yourself from from
everything around you to the final scene
which we will talk about soon which is
the scene of Yakov on his deathbed and
what what has been accomplished over the
course of those years
is that by the time you get to Yakov on
his deathbed all of his children are are
are in the Stream all of his children
putting aside some uh difficult uh
moments in their in their development
but right now by the time you get to
yakov's yakov's deathbed he is able to
say all of these children and we'll see
it it g actually gives rise to a that we
say all right so therefore the family
and this this is something that that as
a rabbi as a Pulpit Rabbi I would told
my community over and over again the
school is important the synagogue is
important but the family plays the
greatest role in defining and and
shaping individuals when someone would
come to me and say you know Rabbi you
the school should teach my child not to
cheat am I
wrong you should teach your child not to
cheat you have to shoot uh so much
oh that that's what was wrong with so
much of the Jewish uh after school
schools in the conservative movement and
I taught there where where parents would
come and say this is for them to learn
in school we're not doing it necessarily
right um I remember one particular
mother coming to me and saying the the
my daughter is going to miss class for a
while because she's in a baton twirling
championship and and um it's very
important for for her as a Jew to
participate in this baton twirling
championship and if she wins my God so
therefore what the legacy of the patri
of the era of the Osos is also the
legacy of family the importance of the
family the importance of the home and it
takes three
generations in early Jewish history to
arrive at the point where the family is
fulfilled where the family is Hope and
there's a message in that as well I
think one of the ways of understanding
it is that when AB is told go from your
land he's also being told by AES
baraku you and your home will now have
to raise your children not the tribe not
the not the society because in those
days and in other societies the tribe
raised the children the home the home
the home and remember then I'll say this
this is the last comment I'll say on
this is that when the nation is born
through yat
MIT KES who says to them the night
before you leave you have to do
something and what do you have to do you
have to do Corb PES and what was the
Corban PES a family meal right in other
words you the you have this stress we're
not outside doing constitutional
conventions we're not doing Declarations
of Independence
we're not even having committee meetings
thank God we still be in Egypt but the
point
is the point is that I'll tell you a
story about that later uh
um so the point being that a KES bar who
is underscoring before on the eve of you
becoming a nation go home sit with the
family strengthen that Bond and that's
the third contribution that I think
comes to us from the IR of the OS and
imos in a very real way now I'm sure
there are other answers but these are
the three that that have been meaningful
for me now we're going to now journey to
that moment to to to the moments if you
will of the
transition from the era of the AOS and
imos to to the National era and we're
closing down we're closing out the ear
of the of oimos so the first issue is re
Union and Reconciliation right this is a
family that's been torn apart by uh
strife and
difficulty we can't forget or put aside
the fact that the brothers put him in
the pit and even if they weren't the
ones and this is a whole other
discussion to actually sell him they set
the stage for they said they they are
culpable when yose reveals himself
therefore what's there
reaction so take a
look on the first
page for at this moment y cannot hold
back he's been hiding his identity from
his brothers he can't hold
back and we dealt with this last
week why parro's household is happy
about it is another discussion
what what what does y do we we we spoke
about this when we spoke about yoseph
individually he constantly brings into
the picture right that's one thing here
but he's very very he's working very
hard now to elay the fears of the
brothers because the brothers have every
reason to expect that that now he's
powerful now he's whatever he is he
what's he going to do to us so he pulls
them in and and he and he tries to put
them at ease the second
reunion is on page two the second
reunion just very shortly is
yto Ys hears that yov has come to Egypt
in other words he's brought the family
down Yosef has brought the family down
and yov is there he gets into his
Chariot he goes to see his father
Isel why is he called Israel at this
point we'll talk about that in a little
while they T they each fell on each
other's neck they they can you imagine
just imagine when we read these stories
that are so familiar to us put
yourselves put ourselves in this
position now there are there are two two
aspects number one is yov is is
just to to not just can't get over the
the Sim of seeing his son that he
thought was was dead can't get over it
right on the other
hand does he jaob ever hear what
happened does jakc we don't know you
know there's so much that's left out of
the Torah all right in other words yob
here's yoseph he suddenly appears I
thought he was dead what the heck
happened right where did the brothers
tell him do does yoseph tell him it is
not found in the text and and that's one
of the unanswered questions that
continues to plague us as we think about
the story but that's the reunion now
let's take a look at the second
paragraph on page two and let's see if
the reconciliation that we spoke about
between the brothers and yose took
hold
dies and what did the brothers
say luu yose maybe yose will hate us now
that our father is gone he he may feel
that he can operate with a he doesn't he
wouldn't
will move against US during the time
that yob was alive my father was alive
because I wouldn't do that to my yoseph
wouldn't do that to his father but now
that he's
dead they have absolutely no no barrier
between yose's anger in
them what did they do V Yar they turn to
yose
saying your father
commanded before his
death kis somu that we should speak to
you and ask you to forgive us for all
the things we've done now did Yakov ever
say that maybe he did again all right
the Torah only tells us what what thinks
we need to know right but these are
interesting questions they there is one
point of view that says yov said it and
they're just repeating it but even
though we don't no the other is they're
making it up right and the rabbis say
they they use this as one of two
instances where it's you can lie for the
purpose of
peace all right one is when uh Sora is
told that she's going to have a child
right and she turns and says how well I
have a child I'm old and my husband is
aged right and when they when the U Bim
speak
they leave out that second part right
Sora Sora was complaining not
complaining was questioning because
she's old they didn't say Aram is old
why because she didn't want to cause
Strife between aam and SAR and this is
the second this is the second place that
according to kazal perhaps they made up
a fictional
conversation for the purpose of peace
for the purpose of getting along and uh
but what we see here is that the
reconciliation between Yosef and his
brothers is tenuous it's not it's not
strong did he ever really forgive him it
doesn't look like it doesn't ever
say he he does he does he says he
doesn't say salati he says don't be
upset because what you did worked out
well right that's really what he's
saying you're right you don't you don't
see any actual statement of I'm
forgiving you for it I'm not sure you
could
right well that's right that's the
payback could be could be all right yes
would it be a hint sort of that Jakob
did know if they say that he said are
they indicating that jaob knew oh that's
a good point that's a good point in
other words in this conversation with
yose what are they saying that yov made
us swear to that you should for forgive
us that means they were aware that yov
was
aware unless the brothers are making the
whole thing up right and saying he knew
and whatever yes I think that um you
said before that I think that yoseph by
saying what he said to his brothers he
was saying I accept hashem's will you
were meant to do what you did so that I
could be here that was hashem's will so
don't worry right this is hashem's Will
and I think that they wrote this this
thing from in jakob's name to allay
their owns fears right and and to and to
hope that that that y will treat them
well which he does which he does they
were scared right so as we're saying the
reconciliation between yoseph and the
brothers is tenuous last comment and
then we'll go
on
beginning we have any indication that
the brothers sold Joseph to the Egyptian
no that's a that's a whole that's a
whole issue right the fact is the Torah
is very unclear at the moment of yose
sale because what happens is you have
the isim coming this then you have the
suddenly show up It's Time Square in the
desert here and and the Torah says they
reached down and pulled him out P
rash is that the M pulled him out and
sold him to the ish right right so it's
not clear and
secondly but just one comment but he
does say he says to them don't feel bad
that you sold me
that's he
wants come forward to
right and have right all we had to
say what other y did they
know why a
because because he's he's saying I'm not
ignoring our
past I'm not ignoring it and it would be
that I think so I think he's being
honest I think look on a on a human
level right on a human level could we
expect him to to Really ignore what
happened right so it's better to say you
did it or you responsible even if you
didn't actually sell me you're
responsible you threw me in the pit you
started the the whole
process and uh and and that's that so so
therefore I think that he doesn't the
comment is well taken he never says I
forgive you to my knowledge in the Torah
I'd have to check again but he does elay
their fears he does say this was God's
plan this was it's worked out
beautifully it I if I wouldn't be here
you wouldn't be able to have food so all
is good all right well last comment he
believed in the interpretation of his
dream then that's the way he would think
that he in my mind it was a forgiving of
of because it was the whole land and I
think anybody of us who learns about
forgiveness should always remember that
hashem's plan was it not the person my
mind he did forgive okay could be again
I I leave it I leave the question open
for you to think about and and discuss
all right now we're moving on in page
number three one step further now what
is this
about Yakov is in Egypt now Yosef is the
Viceroy Yosef hears word that his father
is
ill all right his father's taken ill he
and yov
and Y yoseph travels to to yakov's
bedside and who does he bring
along Masha and Ephraim right and we see
here I think the R salvic Points out
this is the first time we see a
patriarch or matriarch dealing with
their grandchildren right this is the
first encounter but it's a very complex
encounter let's take a look he he starts
off by saying to yose God appeared to me
in L which is betel where he had his
dream uh he promised me he would he
would be make us into a great
nation and now the two sons that were
born to you in Egypt before I
arrived Le him they belong to me let's
see what that means
eimon they they will be like and Shimon
now in what way do they are they like
ruen and Shimon they become tribes in
other words what happens is Yakov is
weaving into the tribal the structure of
Ben Israel
intergenerational connection and
therefore now you've got the sons turned
into tribes Benyamin uh Asher Etc
and you have a and manasha
so all right so very very good point I
was going to raise it so let's let's
comment for a moment I'll I'll repeat it
I'll repeat it she asked about the d
double portion that is given to the
firstborn actually the truth is
that uain who was the first born should
have received three things he should
have received malus
he should have received um the the
uh the uh uh ritual work of the in the
in the in the base mikos and he should
have gotten two two portions of whatever
right right he
loses because of his own in inadequacies
and that's that's another discussion he
loses because he's P because according
to his father he's unstable as water he
rushes in he does things and doesn't
think about them basically that's ruing
and what happens is all of those gifts
are given to different different Sons
Yehuda becomes malus Ley becomes the
ritual observance the avod and Yosef
gets the two portions of a first SP now
all right so so what's happening is
that's what she pointed out thank you so
therefore what what you see happening is
is this is a subtext beneath this whole
story which is who Rises to leadership
and why yes why
Shimon Shimon is
not Shimon ohu Shimon all my answer
would be because they're the first he's
saying they're like all my sons and it's
Ruan Shimon Ley Etc so that's what he's
saying they're they're they're equal to
to all the others one other thing though
that always struck me is that as
beautiful a gift as it is that yoseph
has his two sons woven into the
structure of the
tribes his name is not there his name is
not there there is no tribe of Yosef and
that underscores something we we
mentioned before but yoseph is a very
we'll see it again in a moment it's a
very it's sad sad story he has never
want he tremendously successful the
Torah says he's an is doesn't say that
about anybody else he's a successful guy
wherever you put him right the Great
American sucess success story what
wherever you put him he rises to the top
but he's always on the outside he's
never won with whatever Community
surrounds him he's alone among the
brothers he's alone among the Egyptian
as well we spoke about that when we
spoke about why he couldn't contact his
father doesn't that sound a little bit
like
Jews she said doesn't sound like Jews
all right well all right well the symbol
of galut that could be right very good
very good correct but it's but on a
personal level it's a sad statement in
other words it's he his he he he wants
to be one with the brothers he wants to
to that reconciliation to be full and
and it never happens let let me ask you
if to save save the questions I'll give
I'll give us time at the end all right
so what happens now so Yakov turns and
so this PUK is very important that you
could lead it read it and not recognize
when Yakov says
leim what he is do they belong to me
what he is doing on a technical level is
he is placing them among the tribes he's
raising them to that
position those that are born to you
after them they're yours they're not
these just these two will be become
tribes and the rest will be part of the
family and he then
says spokes about Ro's death not clear
why he brings that in now but not going
to discuss that now V ESP
y v
m who's
that now stop right there right here is
yov saying I never expected to see yose
and now I've seen your children right
and Y and saying they're going to be
tribes I'm raising them them to to a
very important stature
behave he doesn't see he doesn't
recognize them now and this is a point
that you could argue with me on but I I
I think I'm right uh y y says
Bim they are my children my sons that
God has given to me in this and I'll
come back to that
and and he andov again
says I I never expected to see you again
and he's now God has allowed me to see
your
children but the intermediate sentence
between before
the his eyes are are heavy because of
his old age and he can't see well
so we might be tempted to say when he
says
Lee that it's because of the blindness I
mean that that would seem to be a
reasonable statement but the Torah does
not speak of the blindness before he
says mea right in other words he says me
and yoseph answers and then the Torah
says his eyes are are dimmed and and he
calls them closer so there's another
reason that he doesn't recognize them
what's the other reason
right they're Egyptians that we we the
fact is they're Egyptians in other words
they are part of the culture that
surrounds them we
always the way we're addressing the
things we do changes by the culture Etc
and sometimes it's woven into the fabric
of our of our tradition and sometimes we
have to say no that can't be part of the
M but that's that part hold up all right
at the end all right not a question
what it's not who are I who have they
become not who are who are they but
who well you're you're reading into his
question that the balance that we're
talking about that's very nice but
that's not what he
says I think I think that's what's the
Torah is teaching us the Torah is
teaching us that we change based upon
our our surround ings and that's why y
says by the way
aim that that this these are the
children that God gave to me here right
so this is I've had to deal with that so
what you see is the movement of of
tradition to the Next Generation other
words it's intergenerational now it's
not just parents to children now yakob
is relating to his grandchildren raising
their stature but you also see the
tension the tension of growing up in an
alien society and that tension is going
to appear even stronger in a few
moments turn right right well one of the
things we've said is that the definition
of m right I I I don't mind repeating
this because I think it's important the
definition of m is often misread all
right if you talk to people people will
say what's miss you receive from one
generation and you hand it down to the
next what what's
missing right you receive the tradition
it courses through you your time your
family Etc and then is handed down and
and it changes it
shapes obviously there are things we
would argue that don't change but
chalant isn't in the Torah right filter
fish isn't in the Torah I mean the the
the things that we say ashaz isn't the
Torah all right to to really be be clear
so so much of what we consider to be
Jewish experience and history are
contributions of previous generations
and we are doing the same thing so we
should be careful what we're what we're
contributing all right that's that's
what it comes down to and that's the
challenge of each generation is to to
create the box that I told you that
there is a
debate concerning how we traveled in the
desert right the Torah describes our
encampment when we're settled but
doesn't say what what it looked like
when it was moving and the two rabbis
argue of course one of them says kikora
they traveled like a single file right
in other words they broke up camp and
traveled in a singular line and his
proof text is done is
the note that the tribe of Don brings up
the rear you can only bring up the rear
if there's a rear bring up bring up so
that's that's why they traveled that way
according to the second position they
traveled Cavo no they were in a box
right and they traveled in a box they
just stood up and walked as a Tav see
I've what no no not an arc a
box as a box all right everybody got
that
and
the suggestion I would make is because
you can ask why doesn't the Torah tell
us how they traveled it tells us why
they settled that we travel on both
dimensions as ones on oneand we travel
as as a Kor because we're going
somewhere we're traveling somewhere
we're we're on that according to right
according to R salic that is the
contribution that Judaism made to the to
the concept of history that we believe
history is Destiny driven and not driven
by causality in other words that we're
moving somewhere it's not just the
product of what came before we it's
being pulled the second point though is
that as we travel kakora in each
generation we create our own Tav each
generation creates its box and that's
what we're talking about now and that is
that what what this generation looks
like what it in different countries
different ways etc etc and then we hand
down that box to the Next Generation as
well and they have to make their own box
and who's in who's out who do we accept
who don't we accept it's all all very
very at the at the borders of the box
it's very very um active right right and
very unclear where did get the idea that
the way they travel in the midor was The
Way They Carried around
when they buried
him I never heard that I don't remember
that it says that that they knew already
they all accepted where they had to be
because was they they they were in that
place I don't it's a m I think it's not
in the text okay next now we're and the
second comment just quickly on page four
is first of all
yov blesses them he
puts and he puts a before man which is a
whole another discussion but why do we
bless our kids to be like Ephraim andha
I mean when we bless the girls
it's why don't we
say that's one one answer that's survive
in galus that they are able to maintain
their traditions in in an alien society
and they represent this continuing Saga
of being able to do that the second
position second point is this is the
first time we see two brothers really
getting along right and and and they're
not just getting along but manasha is
willing to accept that even though he
should be the first now that that takes
that takes a real person right that
takes real guts so therefore what you
have is we are blessing them that they
should our children should be harmonious
and that they should be successful in an
alien Society all right then the next
thing that I put down is the quote in
the Torah vraim
as said as it is that Yosef is alone he
has the opportunity to see the birth of
children grandchildren and great
grandchildren and uh the Torah why is
the Torah telling us that again I think
because it's stressing as we leave this
period of the family how important and
beautiful the family is and and how much
it meant to to Yosef all right now what
the next section it says the coda to the
patriarchal matriarchal era all right so
this this is the scene at yakov's
deathbed this is the point where all of
his children are surrounding him and
there is a very beautiful medish that
underscores something that I said
earlier and that is that that this is
the moment where everybody is
everybody's in the process everybody's
in the river I say there's a river and
people ask me how I feel about my
children who are all different in their
the way they look at the world I say uh
there's a river and there are lots of
current in the river as long as you're
in the river we're okay so uh that so
that all of all of yakov's children are
in the river right all of them are part
of this The Sweep of
history but the gor takes it a step
further when you say the shma there's a
PUK you say that's not part of the shma
it's inserted right and that's why we
say it it
low in low low tones what is that
sh where did that come from so according
to kazal one possibility is the
following that as in that's what this
paragraph is saying as
Yakov looks at all of his children he
becomes fearful becomes afraid says how
do I know that all of my children will
be in the river how do I know that
they're all going to be part of our M
after all my grandfather had Isel right
my father had asov how do I know that
that these children of mine are all
going to be
within the children not children but the
grown grown children right sense their
father's
fear and what do they
say is
that this PK is actually born before we
see it appears in the Torah it appears
later in the Torah and that and what is
Israel at that point in this statement
yov
is when yov hears that he lies back down
on the bed and he
says now I know that God's honored
presence Etc will exist across the Earth
forever because if all these all of them
are in in with me then then I can I can
relax I can accept that all right turn
to the next
page there's a a an interesting um
interesting end to
the meeting between the brothers and yov
in that He blesses each one He blesses
the tribes right
prophetically but after
that the Torah says call
is all of these
TR descendants of Yakov end up being
tribes 12
12 and this is what the their father
said to them we we told you
that it's a very strange uh structure
each one according to his Blessing did
he bless them right why does it come P
should be did they did he bless him so
the rabbis say kazal say that what's
really happening is that at this point
yakob after giving them individual brot
includes them all in each others brot
but there's a problem with that if
that's what he wanted to do and that was
the end end game why doesn't he do that
from the start why doesn't he say here
are a whole series of that you all can
have and and the barot that he does give
are dependent and shaped by the
experience of the people and in other
words Yuda goes to malus because he did
Chua because he did the right thing
because he stood up with courage to save
Benyamin so what do you mean you
included them in all the brot so a
suggestion I would make is the following
that maybe what they're really saying is
that after giving them their individual
brot he gives them one overarching bra
that they should learn to
share that each one of them should share
of his Blessing with his brothers and
that's it's not only a blessing but it's
also a a SEO it's also a commandment
it's also a Direction all right I don't
think we're going to have have the time
to do everything but we're close take a
look at the next section
and clouds on the horizon all right and
what we're saying at this point is what
we've looked at is what's happening in
in the in the in the uh tribes in the
with in the family and how how did they
did they reconcile didn't they reconcile
um what were the brot etc etc but as
this is happening on a on a human level
what's also unfolding is the national
story the story right
and this is a paragraph the bottom of
page
five
which is is a paragraph
that we read often but we don't see how
brilliant the Torah is in in the in what
it tries to convey we're now talking
about the moment we're going back to the
moment that the brothers come back and
tell Yakov that yos is alive right and
take a look at how the Torah describes
that and what's key here what's key is
that yakov's
name shifts back and forth between
Israel and yov and in this case you can
really see why take a
look right they they come
from Tri they come to Canan to yov their
father forar they say to him you're not
going to believe it yoseph is alive
right and his reaction is what he can't
he that don't believe you right what
what are you what are you um what are
you telling me this for and torturing me
for it's not true right
V is called Y and they they no they said
this is what what yose said and this is
we're telling you he's alive he's
alive the next underlined section that
he sees the the carts or the Chariots
whatever they are the that that Jose has
allowed them to take to bring the family
up and he says well now I'm now I now I
believe it I'm beginning to believe now
there is a medish here and a and
aot the medish is that Yosef and Yakov
had a secret sign that identified them
to each other and what was that that
they were learning the passage of ela
arua when which is which it by the way
which is a passage dealing with the
responsibility of people to people right
and and what what's what's happened is
somebody is found dead between two towns
and the towns have to accept
responsibility for that right so it's a
very beautiful medish what's the he sees
the AOS and the only way those things
could be here is if what yose was was in
charge and sent them parro would have
never sent that so on a on a
level all right look at the next
sentence
is so suddenly he's no longer yakob
right he's transformed into Israel
because he is now going to see his his
beloved Son that that he that that he
has sought dead for so many years etc
etc V Isel and Israel traveled he's
skipping down the path he's he's really
can't wait
V
elim
is God Appears to him on this journey in
a night
vision which is night very which is very
cloudy it's very dark very dark and what
does God
say isov
right
jakov
um
correct uh and he answers here I
am don't be afraid to go down to Egypt
because I will make you into a great
nation there
right and you will be have a
reunion I will bring you down to MIT and
accompany you and I will accompany you
out and uh
where's y will put his hands on your
eyes which means you're going to you're
going to die in Egypt so what's
happening here God turns to Yakov who is
Israel and says to him don't be
afraid but he's not afraid he's not
acting like someone who's fearful so
what K says to him is yov yov you should
be afraid right because what's happening
now is not just a reunion between Father
and Son but the onet of a very difficult
period for for your for your predy so
you should know that this is
unfolding and you there's a piece of you
that should be hesitant here you
shouldn't be so so
excited then after saying you should be
afraid what does God say don't be afraid
because I'll take care of you right so
he's telling him the whole picture but
he's doing it in a way that it is saying
to him recognize the reality of this of
the
moment what happens look at the very
next statements by the bottom the
right
yov gets up from Bea where he's had this
encounter apparently with a KES but he's
not Israel right God has punctured the
balloon all right in other words is this
is not as simple as he thought
he's not he can't he's not going to he's
not even going they have to carry him
now right so in other words what has
happened is and this is this is what's
very key here is particularly in the
patriarchal and matriarchal era but in
other places too the Torah unfolds on
multiple levels right on one level it's
the story of a family on one level it's
a story of a nation and as these
multiple levels unfold old they coales
and one informs the other so what's
happening here is Hashem is saying to
Yakov this is this is a much more
important moment and a much more complex
moment than you
recognize yes it's true you're going to
you're going to see o safe and you'll
have that reunion but be aware of what
it means to you and your children and be
aware that you're embarking on this on
this path okay um the next section which
I'm not going to have time to do now now
and we perhaps we'll do when I come back
is yose's plan for his brothers what how
what he wants them to say to parro and
what parro responds etc etc um
basically I'll just put it out there
Yosef who is the Cosmopolitan Jew who
succeeds the the symbol of success in an
alien Society orchestrates the first
ghetto
ghetto right by basically saying tell
parro that you guys are Shepherds he'll
hate that they they let you live
separately so here's the Cosmopolitan
the guy who was successful in the alien
world turning to them and saying you got
to stay you got to create your distance
do they or don't they we'll talk about
that when I get back
yes I'm sorry