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From: "Yeshivat Har Etzion's
Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash"
To: yhe-parsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject: PARSHA61 -12: Parashat Vayechi
YESHIVAT
HAR ETZION
YISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************
PARASHAT
VAYECHI
The
Path of Repentance:
A Response to Rav
Yoel Bin-Nun
By
Rav Ya'akov Medan
Adapted
by Rav Zvi Shimon
I would like to critique the theory offered by Rav
Yoel Bin-Nun in last week's shiur and to offer
an
alternate explanation.
I) CRITIQUE OF RAV BIN-NUN'S THEORY
I find untenable Rav Bin-Nun's thesis that
Yosef
suspected that his father had rejected him and
had
approved of the brothers' actions. Yosef knew that he
was, after all, his father's favorite son, and that his
father had made him the striped coat. He also knew that
his father had loved Rachel more than his other wives.
Above all, would a man like Ya'akov behave so
deceitfully, sending Yosef to his brothers on the false
pretext of ascertaining their well-being, intending in
fact that they sell him as a slave? Is there a son who
would suspect his father of such a deed? This assumption
is totally unrealistic.
It also remains unclear why Yosef, surprised
that
his father did not seek him out, came to harbor the kind
of suspicions attributed to him by R. Bin-Nun. How could
he be certain that his father knew of the sale, but
refrained from searching for him? Why did it not occur
to him that his father regarded him as dead? To this
day, a person who disappears without a trace is presumed
dead. Why should we assume that Yosef did not believe
that the brothers were lying to his father? It
was
precisely because the brothers did not habitually report
their actions to their father that Yosef found
it
necessary to tell his father all their misdeeds (37:2).
In addition, R. Bin-Nun claims that Yosef's stubborn
silence was broken upon hearing Yehuda report Ya'akov's
words: "He was surely devoured and I have not seen him
since" (44:28). Yosef realized at this point that his
father had not deserted him. However, according to the
simplest reading of the text, Yosef's resistance broke
down when Yehuda offered himself as a slave instead of
Binyamin:
"... Therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father unless the boy is with me? Let me not see to the sorrow that would overcome my father! ... Yosef could no longer restrain himself." (44:32-45:1)
R. Bin-Nun claims that Yosef's feelings of rejection
by his family are the foundation for the naming of his
first born "Menashe," meaning, "God has made me forget my
hardship and my father's home" (nashani =
made me
forget).
In my opinion, the meaning
of the verse is
different. "My hardship" (amali) is to be understood as
follows (see Ibn Ezra, Bereishit 6:13): "God has made me
forget completely my hardship and the HARDSHIP of my
parental home." Yosef does not offer thanks to God for
having made him forget his parental home, but rather
offers thanks for enabling him to forget his tribulations
in his father's house. It is only after Yosef rises to
the throne that he is able to make sense of his suffering
in the two previous episodes, in prison ("amali") and in
his father's house ("beit avi").
II) AN ALTERNATE EXPLANATION
Abarbanel offers the following
explanation for
Yosef's not contacting his father while in Egypt:
"Even after Yosef tested his brothers by
accusing them of espionage, he was still not certain whether they loved Binyamin or whether they still
hated Rachel's children, so he focused on Binyamin to see whether they would try to save him."
(chap. 42, questions 4 & 6)
Yosef's behavior is part of an overall scheme
to test the brothers and provide them with an opportunity to
repent fully for selling him into slavery. The sin of
Yosef's brothers is one of the more serious sins related
in the book of Bereishit. Both the Torah (Shemot 21:17,
20:13; see Rashi ibid.; Devarim 24:7) and the Prophets
(Yoel 4, Amos 2:6-10 and many others) equate this sin of
selling a free man into bondage with the gravest of sins.
The penitence of Yosef's brothers is not an incidental
event appearing as part of another story, but a major
theme of the narrative.
Reuven and Yehuda were vying
for the family
leadership, Ya'akov having effectively ceased playing the
leadership role (see for example 34:5, 34:13-14, 35:22,
43:5). After Shimon and Levi are excluded from the race
for leadership, the struggle continues between Reuven and
Yehuda. It finds expression in their argument as to
Yosef's fate (37:22,26-27), in the recognition of the sin
of his sale (42:22 vs. 44:16), in the assumption of
responsibility for Binyamin in Egypt (42:37 vs. 43:8-9)
and in additional verses in the Torah.
Reuven and Yehuda were each engaged in a process of
penitence for similar sins, Reuven for having slept with
his father's wife (as appears from the simple textual
reading), Yehuda for having lain, albeit unknowingly,
with his son's wife. It seems clear that their individual
repentance is also part of the leadership struggle.
At first glance, there seems to be no
connection
between Reuven's sin with his father's wife or Yehuda's
sin with his son's wife and the selling of Yosef. This,
however, is misleading. According to the simple reading
of the text, Reuven's intention when committing his sin
was to inherit his father's leadership role during his
father's lifetime, like Avshalom who slept with David's
concubine. His attempt to rescue Yosef and
Yosef's
dreams of royalty (37:20) are part of his repentance for
his sin with Bilha.
The proximity of the story of Yehuda and Tamar
to
the selling of Yosef indicates a connection as well. The
chain of disasters that strike Yehuda, the loss of his
wife and two sons, is apparently a punishment for selling
Yosef. Reuven later advances the strange suggestion that
Ya'akov kill his two sons, should he fail to return
Binyamin from Egypt (42:37). It would seem that he was
influenced by the punishment Yehuda had received for
selling Yosef - the death of his two sons. This terrible
punishment for a terrible sin is branded into Reuven's
consciousness. Reuven is ready to receive the
same
punishment if he deserts Binyamin in Egypt.
Initially, Yehuda did not imagine that his sons died
due to his sin, believing instead that "Tamar's fate is
that her husbands will die" (Yevamot 34;
see also
Bereishit 38:11). Finally, Yehuda realizes that Tamar
was in the right and he admits, "She is more righteous
than I" (38:26). Only at this stage did he realize that
she was not destined to have her husbands die, but rather
that it was his destiny to lose his sons. The sin was
his. From this recognition he rebuilds his shattered
home.
The process of repentance accompanies the brothers
wherever they go. When the Egyptian viceroy commands
them to bring Binyamin, the second son of Rachel, the
brothers are immediately reminded of the sale of Yosef.
The two contenders - Reuven and Yehuda - respond in
character. Reuven sees only the punishment for
the
crime, and he does not suggest
any means of
rectification.
"And Reuven answered them: 'Did I not tell you,
Do not sin against the child; but you did not listen, and now his blood is being avenged.'" (42:22)
Yehuda acknowledges his sin, but also suggests
a
positive path of repentance for the evil done. He is not
satisfied with sackcloth and fasting, which are merely
expressions of mourning and acceptanceof the verdict.
"And they tore their clothes ... And Yehuda
said, 'What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has
revealed the sin of your servants; we have become my lord's slaves.'" (44:13-17)
And further on, Yehuda suggests firm action:
"Let your servant stay instead of the boy as a slave to my lord and let the boy go up with his brothers." (44:33)
From Yehuda's speech, it is apparent that when
he said, "God has revealed the sin of your servants," he was
not confessing to stealing the cup. He considered the
whole episode of the stolen goblet as a fabrication.
Otherwise there is no sense in his recounting
of
Binyamin's journey to Egypt, nor in his suggesting that
he replace Binyamin. Rather, "God has revealed the SIN of
your servants" undoubtedly refers to the selling
of
Yosef.
Similarly, Yehuda's words to his father, "If I bring
him not to you and set him before you, then I shall have
SINNED to you for all days" (43:9),
indicate his
understanding of the connection between Yosef's being
brought down to Egypt and Binyamin being brought down to
Egypt. Binyamin's abandonment in Egypt would be
a
continuation of his grievous sin of selling
Yosef.
Otherwise, how can we understand what sin he is referring
to and why he should be punished if Binyamin is taken
forcibly? We must therefore view the necessity
of
bringing Binyamin down to Egypt as a consequence of the
sin. For Yehuda, protecting Binyamin at all costs is the
atonement demanded for the selling of Yosef. In offering
their respective propositions, Reuven and Yehuda remain
faithful to their personalities: Reuven
through
acceptance of the punishment, and Yehuda
through
confrontation with the sin itself.
Our assumption is that Yosef too was plagued by his
brothers' sin and, consequently, with the future of the
house of Israel, no less than with his own fate. From
the time he was sold, he had begun to rebuild not only
his own life, but his family's unity. This unification
was not to be forced upon his brothers, but
rather
achieved by willingness and love. Yosef
desired
a
unification born of his brothers' regretting their sin, a
product of wholehearted repentance. Yosef believed in
his own ability to initiate such a process or at least to
test its existence.
Yosef had commanded his brothers to bring Binyamin
to Egypt. When the brothers actually brought Binyamin to
Egypt, despite the danger, in order to redeem Shimon and
to buy food, Yosef, who was unaware
of Yehuda's
assumption of guardianship and its importance, presumably
saw the brothers' action as yet another failure to meet
the test and challenge that he had set before them.
Yosef cries three times. The first two
times he
cries in private, and then restrains himself. The third
time he breaks down totally and cries, openly and without
control. R. Bin-Nun cites the third episode as proof
that Yosef was taken by surprise by the developments, and
therefore concludes that this outcome had not
been
planned by Yosef. However, R. Bin-Nun ignores
the
obvious connection between the three instances. Let us
examine these three episodes.
A) First Tears:
The brothers are subjected
to an intensive
interrogation during three days of imprisonment, inducing
them to repent for their sin and accept the punishment
and suffering, with Reuven in the lead (42:21,22).
"On the third day, Yosef said to them, 'Do this and you shall live, for I am a God-fearing man. If you are honest men, let one of you brothers be held in your place of detention, while the rest of you go and take home rations for your starving households; but you must bring me your youngest brother, that your words may be verified and that you may not die.' And they did accordingly. They said to one another, 'Alas, we
are being punished on account of our brother [Yosef], because we looked on at his anguish, yet paid no heed as he
pleaded with us. That is why this distress has come upon us.' Then Reuven spoke up and said to them, 'Did I
not tell you, Do not sin against the child; but you did not listen, and now his blood is being avenged.' They did not know that Yosef understood, for there was an interpreter between him and them. He turned away from them, and wept. But he came back to them and spoke to them; and he took Shimon from among them and had him bound before their eyes." (42:18-24)
We have previously defined this kind of repentance as "Reuven's repentance," a repentance which involves
submission and acceptance of the verdict, but lacks a
program for improvement and change. Yosef is prepared to
accept his brothers' confession and their submission. He
witnesses the beginning of the ten brothers' reconnection
to the sons of Rachel, and he cries (42:24). But this is
not sufficient for him. He requires a fuller, deeper
repentance.
B) Second Tears
Yosef expected that the brothers would return to him
empty-handed, placing themselves in danger by explaining
to him that they had decided not to endanger Binyamin for
the sake of Shimon and were willing to suffer the shame
of hunger. This is what would have happened, had Ya'akov
had his way. Thus Yosef was disappointed when it became
clear to him that the brothers had brought Binyamin in
order to redeem Shimon, despite the danger to their
youngest brother.
"Looking about, he saw his brother
Binyamin, his mother's son, and asked, 'Is this your
youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?' And he went
on, 'May God be gracious to you, my boy.' With that, Yosef hurried out, for he was
overcome with feeling toward his brother and was on the verge of tears; he went into a room and wept there." (43:29-30)
Yosef is still unaware of Yehuda's assumption
of
responsibility for Binyamin. His mercy is aroused when
he realizes that his younger brother's fate is to be no
better than his own - Yosef views Binyamin's
being
brought to Egypt as a recurrence of his own sale. True,
in this case it is brought on by hunger and is not the
outcome of jealousy or hatred. Nonetheless, this was not
the total repentance that was expected in the wake of the
confessions he had heard from the brothers and Reuven
previously.
The verse tells us that Yosef feels
compassion
towards Binyamin, and weeps in private. Yosef believes
that Yehuda, the man who had proposed his sale, had
prevailed over Reuven, the man who had tried to save him. This is the only possible explanation of Yosef's crying
over Binyamin, his tears being tears of mercy
for
Binyamin and not tears of happiness at the event of their
meeting. Why else should the exiled brother, who had
spent a third of his life in prison, have pitied his
thirty-year old brother, who had remained with his father
and raised a large family?
C) Third Tears
Yosef decided to test his brothers once more. This
time, however, the test would be more difficult. He
makes his brothers jealous of Binyamin in the same way
that they had once been jealous of him. He displays more
outward affection for Binyamin than for them
and
increases his portion five times over, as well as giving
him a striped coat (and five other garments, 43:34). He
also attempts to arouse the brothers' hatred towards
Binyamin for having stolen his goblet, an act that re-implicated them for the crime of espionage. Yosef's aim
is to test their reaction to the prospect of Binyamin's
permanent enslavement in Egypt.
The brothers rend their garments
(parallel to
Yosef's coat, 37:23). Yehuda says, "God has revealed the
sin of your servants," and then offers himself
into
permanent slavery as atonement for his lifelong sin
towards his father.
"Yehuda approached him and said: '...Now your servant has pledged himself for the boy to my father, saying, If I do not bring him back to you, I
shall have sinned to my father for all days. Therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go
back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father unless the boy is with me? Let me not be witness to the woe that would overtake my father.' Yosef could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, 'Haeveryone withdraw from me!' So there was no one else about when Yosef made himself known to his brothers. His sobs were so loud that the Egyptians could hear, and so the news reached Pharaoh's palace." (44:32-45:2)
At this point, Yosef is convinced of their
total repentance. Yehuda's act combines two
kinds of repentance. The first form of repentance is
that
required by the early mystics (foremost, Rabbi Eliezer of
Worms, author of the Sefer Rokeach), whereby penance must
counterbalance the crime. Yehuda, in a torn garment as a
permanent slave in Egypt, is in the exact position he had
placed Yosef. Secondly, we have the repentance
as
defined by the Rambam:
"What is complete repentance? When a
person is confronted with the opportunity to repeat his sin but restrains himself because of repentance, and
not because of fear or weakness." (Hilkhot Teshuva 2:1)
Yehuda now is prepared to give his life
to save
Binyamin. Yosef comes to realize his mistake in crying
for pity over Binyamin. He understands that Binyamin's
being brought down to Egypt was not the result of the
brothers' disdain for Binyamin but rather the result of
Yehuda's becoming Binyamin's guarantor.
Yehuda's
repentance, including his attempt to amend the past, is a
continuation and completion of Reuven's
atonement.
Yosef's weeping for the third time is a continuation of
his weeping the first time, when Reuven submitted to the
divine punishment.
When the repentance is complete, Yosef is no longer capable of restraining himself, and he weeps openly. At
this stage, the brothers' repentance for selling Yosef
into slavery is complete and Yosef can reveal himself to
them.
(This presentation of Rav Medan's ideas is abridged from
a much longer article in Megadim, vol. 2.)
RAV BIN-NUN RESPONDS:
After carefully reading Rav
Medan's detailed
arguments, I nevertheless maintain that my presentation
of the events is the correct one.
There is clearly a process of
repentance and
rectification on the part of Yosef's brothers, and this
is our guide to understanding the affair. But all this
is God's plan, not Yosef's. All of R. Medan's evidence
proving a process of repentance is correct; but there is
no reason to credit Yosef with this.
At the end of Bereishit (50:15-21) we
find the
brothers, after Ya'akov's death, prostrating themselves
before Yosef and offering themselves as slaves. This
indicates that their prior repentance had not
been
complete, and they did not regard Yosef as
having
orchestrated (and accepted) their repentance earlier.
Thus, the challenge of repentance offered the brothers
regarding Binyamin is a challenge issuing from God. Yosef
himself was forever acting according to natural, human
considerations, as I explained.
It should be noted that R. Medan gives an extremely contrived interpretation of the verse
explaining
Menashe's name, "For God has forced me to forget all my
tribulations and my father's house." The verse seemingly
coheres with my explanation. He also totally ignores the
significance of Yehuda's quotation of Ya'akov's words,
"You have know that my wife bore me two; one departed
from me and I said he was surely devoured." There is no
proof that Yosef's inability to restrain his tears was
due solely to Yehuda's final words and not to Yehuda's
speech as a whole.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433
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