When Yaakov Avinu is about to bentch Efrayim and Menashe the Shechinah disappears. Yaakov immediately questions the purity of Yosef's offspring by saying מי אלה who are these children who appear not to be worthy of my blessings? Yosef responds with the words ינב הם אשר נתן לי אלקים בזה. Producing his betrothal and marriage contracts "They are my children whom Hashem gave through a marriage certified by this documentation." The Kiddushin and Kesuvah contracts are learned from the words בזה which conveys that Yosef showed Yaakov something that would verify the "kosherness" of his sons in order to receive the beracha as Rashi points out.
We can also source the words of Chazal that Yosef showed his father the documents, from the words נתן בזה of the passuk. The gematriah of these two words equals השטר. The Sifsei Chacahmim learns that Yosef was suspected of failing to convert his wife due to his high governmental position thus rendering the children unfit for receiving berachos. This would explain why the Shechinah departed specifically when the boys approached.
However this interpretation of the word בזה poses a few difficulties. If Yosef produced documents that testify to a kosher marriage similar to what we require today, then where did he get two kosher witnesses to testify in Mitzrayim to this marriage? Furthermore, how can these documents guarantee that his children are not mamzeirim or a result of also marrying someone forbidden from Klal Yisrael?
Therefore, we would like to suggest another interpretation of the word בזה. The Avnei Nezer explains the madraigah of Yosef called זה in parshas Vayeishev
ףסוי תדימ יכצבה ופירוש קמהðקמה אלומתי וגם אציו תשרפב האב תלמב י"שריפש ומכו הלעמל ומעט ירהש המק רבכש צבהðואם בן מה הוסיף שאמר וגם הילא אבש הגירדממ לפוðין שהיתה דבקה ביוסף מדריגה המקיימת ולא היה ðאך הע ל שדוקב ותדובע דימת התיה ןכ לעו תבקרðוכמו שרמזו במה שאין תבואתו קראת ðמעלה וזהו שמדריגת יוסף "זה " עודיכ וביאור הדבר כי "ז ה" קראת מדריגהð ה תחת הזמן כמ"ש בגור אריה ðשאי בא בðתðבמשה ש"זה" הדבר. התיהש םושמ ה צורך שעה לבד ובמדריגה זו היה דבק יוסףðבואתו התורה שלא תתבטל לעולם ואיð.
Concerning Yosef's dream of the sheaves Yosef said "My stalk erected itself and stood. Not only did it stand up but it also remained standing never to fall or to rot". Yosef was on the level of never losing a level that he acquired. In short he was above nature always ascending never descending. The word זה is pointing to something that is in front of you. This conveys that the madraigah of זה is constant and never is lost. Moshe Rabbeinu's nevuah was also with the word רבדה הז which was the nevuah of the Torah which essence was above nature and time.
With this understanding we can apply the same interpretation to the words the Malach said to Yosef נסעו מזה (Bereishis 37,17) they left here and they are not acting like your brothers any more (Rashi). From where did Chazal derive from מזה that it is referring to Yosef? According to our interpretation זה is the madraigah of Yosef. The malach was telling Yosef that his brothers completely disassociated themselves from him and his "supposed" level of זה.
When the Ribnitzer Rebbe ztl first made his appearance in New York, a lot of people were mumbling with negative undertones about the Zemanai Tefillah of the Rebbe which were way past the normal Halachich times and limits. I remember hearing then the response of the Satmer Rebbe R' Yoel ztl to the critics. Our Chazal tell us that עבירה גוררת עבירה if one falls and does an aveirah, then it will lead to a trail of more aveiros. "Let me ask you" said Rav Yoel. Did you ever see the Ribnitzer Rebbe do an aveirah besides davening in a time that you would never even daven in? If the answer is no, then that alone is proof that his davening schedule is not an aveirah. Big tzaddikim with great neshamos have a different cheshbon altogether. Just make sure that you daven on time Kerias Shma and Shemoneh Esari!
Yaakov saw that when Yosef's sons approached him the Shechinah departed. Yaakov thought that Yosef's living in the decadent country of Mitzrayim for 22 years all alone, had detrimental effect on his madraigah of purity and his children. Yosef answered the suspicion of his father by saying הזב םיקלא יל ןתנ רשא םה ינב they are my children which Hashem gave to me הזב when I was holding on the madraigah of זה, constant Aliyah in ruchniyus. If I had these children through an aveirah, you my holy father would be able to detect the negative effect on me and my children because עבירה גוררת עבירה.
Yosef was also alluding to that Efrayim and Menashe "my sons who were given to me by Hashem have also become זה gematriah 12, part of the Twelve Tribes. They are pure and baalei madraigos to the extent that they who are grandchildren to you, are worthy to become your children and be part of the Twelve Shevatim (Breishis 47,5). If you wonder then why the Shechinah departed from you when they approached to get blessed, the reason is because that the wicked Yeravam and Achav were destined to come from Efrayim, and Yehu and his sons are destined to come from Menashe (Rashi). However, these sons of mine that stand in front of you are worthy to receive your berachos since they are righteous and they came from my spiritual level of זה.
All of Am Yisrael are connected to Yosef and his level of הז if not completely at least partially. We are called שארית, וצאן יוסף. I want to suggest the following זה " " action that can apply to every one of us. The Baalei Mussar teach from the tefillah והסר שטן מלפנינו ומאחרינו that we ask Hashem to remove the Satan from "in front of us" insinuating that we are doomed to fail, and "from in back of us" damning us that our past history has demonstrated that we were unsuccessful in our endeavors for ruchniyus ascent. The key to victory over the yetzer harah is to focus only on the זה, what is right in front of you, in the now and present. If one could focus on the עכשו, he can muster up the strength to succeed in the moment of the present by being a warrior and not a worrier of the enemy of past and future.
On Shabbos when a Yid can feel the act of Hashem's creating the world ןיאמ שי, it gives a Yid the ability to forget about his past and future and only focus on the now. Chazal state that whoever says ויכולו becomes a partner with Hashem in מעשה בראשית. It doesn't mean in the past but in the present as the Ohr Chayim explains. That is why the gematriah of דיתע עבר past and future with its two words, equals יום שבת. On Shabbos when partnering with Hashem's creation, we are focused on the present which excludes the future and past. On Shabbos we have the ability to live, feel and bask in Hashem's presence.
Rav Brazil,
Gut Shabbos
