Rabbi Benjamin Yudin Discusses Parshas Vayigash on JM in the AM (5786)

Good morning every good shabas everybody tomorrow we have the privilege of reading paras vigash whoa in paras we are moving in a very literal sense is leaving it kahan he's going down to Egypt the rabbis tell us that in theory hashem could have brought down to Egypt in chains Meaning that this must be Hashem says to Abraham in chapter 15 in Schmo Puk 13 that ger your descendants are going to be first strangers then Abu Dum they're going to be enslaved then and they're going to be persecuted for a total of arameosana 400 years and the calculation of 400 210 is something that we can't go in. But one way or another, Yakob has to come down. So how does Hashem bring Yakob down? In the sweetest way possible, he has not seen his son Yoseph in 17 years. And now he's going down to see Yoseph before he dies. And we know he's going to have another 17 years which might very well have been the best comforting of his life. Now there is so much to say about paras vigos. I'd like to share with you that perhaps talk about center stage tonight tomorrow. Who's on the center stage? The answer is the parisha begins with viceroy Yehuda and spokesman for the brothers I'm sorry viceroy yoseph and spokesman for the brothers Yehuda. Now we know as the verse appears entail perk me 48 9. Now this happens to be the shyom that we recite every Monday. So on the verse, behold the kings assembled of they pass by together. Who among the many interpretations? Who are these kings? These kings are none other than Yoseph and Yehuda. At the moment, Yoseph is the second in command to all of Egypt. And Yehuda is going to be as we know next week appointed as the king of Israel. We have two divergent characters, two divergent personalities and it's important that we take a look at both. I'd like to suggest as indeed the Shish does that we just celebrated the Yomto of Kaneka and the Yom of Kaneka can be described in two words pursua meaning that we light the manora in the window we proclaim to the outside world who we are that we are Jewish and we are proud to be Jewish. This is something which Yehuda who we know was king of Israel. And the medish asks what did Yehuda desour? What did he do in order that he should get Malus? And so the topha says in bro that because nakon ben aminov was the first to jump into the yamsov in front of everybody. This was a miracle of msira nephesh pabim in front of the entire nation. In contrast, you have whereas Yehudo admits publicly many in the incident with Tamar. Yoseph performs a great act of Msesh literally of getting thrown into jail and leaving his coat behind. All that is in private ishayas. The Torah says that there was not an individual in the home. Nobody was there to see it. Had Yoseph sinned, quote, nobody would have known. And yet, Yoseph rises to the occasion. And Yoseph does not sin. So what we have in front of us is what you can call you representing the Kaneka story, the Kaneka miracle, the public miracle and Yose representing the Purim miracle. Where is God in Purim? We don't see him. Ter God is going to hide himself. It happens. Just so happens the king got drunk. Just so happens he asked for the queen. Just so happens she didn't come. Just so happens Esther was attractive and she becomes the next king. We can go on and on and on. And just so happens the king couldn't sleep. And just so happens someone comes. All these just so happens correct. None of them per se is a miracle. But we believe and we say the same before we readil as we just did regarding. And so we have two personalities. One you might call outgoing and the other one more introverted. one focusing on the community and one focusing on the private individual. Now I ask you which one is I can't even say the better one. The answer is clearly we need both. And I'd like to stress a very interesting point. Point I'd like to stress is two words. Be yourself. You have to take the time to look carefully at yourself and ask yourself, who am I? What am I? Is my inclination more as a Yehuda? Am I more an outgoing person? Or is my inclination more of a safe? Am I more withdrawn into myself and into perfecting my character? Now, this is so significant. Number one, we dare not try to be who we are not. And more important, listen carefully. It is bad if one doesn't know their faults, theiros. But it's worse if one doesn't know their malos, their good points, their their good features. You have to be aware of this so that you can be yourself. And that is I believe a very important aspect that we take away from parasikash very different in nature but as the ha tora tells us or paras we read from the book of and Hashem tells Yale Hanovi to take two pieces of wood and he should write on one of these pieces of wood he should write the name of Yehuda. On the other one, he should write the name of quote Yoseph, meaning Ephraim, one of the sons of Yehuda. And what should he do? The oam. And literally he should bring close one to the other. They should become one single wooden tablet. They shall become one in your hand. It's going to happen that there's going to be in the future. There's going to be this true aus and each person is going to recognize the worth of the next one and realize, wo, how different we are. But we're all the same as we are in this world to serve Hashem and to make this world a better place. Interestingly, what is the rashi on Israel? Hashem eloku. Hashem. So rashi on this spot tells us Israel. Listen carefully. Israel. Hashem locu. Right now, Hashem is our God. We, the Jewish nation, are the only ones that really serve him. However, Hashem God. In the future, the entire world will come to recognize that Hashem is the quote unquote one and only. Now, talking about recognizing Hashem is one of the only, one and only. And clearly, I want to remind everyone that this coming Tuesday is it is a fast day. It is a fast whereby we remember that the king of Bavil Nadar put a siege around Jerusalem for two and a half years and this marked the beginning of the end of the first pesa mikdash. Interestingly, first of all, let's just remind one another the fast begins in the New York, New Jersey area approximately 5:50 in the morning, 10 minutes to 6, and it ends approximately 511 in the evening. Clearly the shortest fast that we have. But while it might be the shortest fast, it is also extremely significant. If you're not allowed to fast, don't fast. If you can fast, you should fast. Now, listen carefully. There's a famous teaching of the Avraham. And the Abu Jaham bases this on a verse in the book of Yesl chapter 24 be the Hashem says to the Niad write down This day as this very day what happened elim the king of put the siege on Jerusaleim and once again that same phrase on this very day the Abu Draam in his commentary on the sitter writes that if a sur would fall on a shabas we would fast on chabas Whoa. This is something that we only do because the Torah says the same three words on this very day. Now think about it. If tisha when and if it falls on a shabas we don't fast on shabas we postpone it to the next day to Sunday. What is there about? So theam sofer in his commentary on for Assurves writes the following that every year on Assarves, Hashem convenes the heavenly court and they determine whether or not there's going to be the third bite built this coming year or unfortunately another year without the bas mikdash. On what day is this decision made? It's made on a suret base. Ah, if so says theam sulfare that just like if one has a terrible frightening dream so they're allowed to fast even on shabas and their fasting is a kind of owning for them. It's a kind of relief and pleasure for them because they want to undo the sad event that they saw in the dream. Similarly, if there is a judgment on a surve, we would fast on this day showing how much we pine, how much we miss the ban mikdash, how much we yearn for it. So the idea is one more time if you can fast and if you do and even if you don't what should your focus be this coming Tuesday your focus should be first of all on the Jewish nation that we as a nation pine can't wait until we have the third base amigga And it's a time of introspection, which I'd like to suggest in simple English means be yourself. Live up to the capabilities, live up to the characteristics that Hashem has blessed you. And if each one does theirs and lives up to their toughkid, their potential, we are certainly going to bring the basikdash a big step closer. Shabbat shalom and a meaningful fast to all.