Ben Ish Chai on the Miracle of Seeing Yosef from Afar
Gan Hatorah | December 03, 2023
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Ben Ish Chai on the Miracle of Seeing Yosef from Afar

Gan Hatorah | December 31, 2025

בן איש חי – 37:18 “ויראו אותו מרחוק, ובטרם יקרב אליהם ויתנכלו אותו להמיתו” – “They saw him from afar, and when he had not yet approached then they conspired against him to kill him.” Why does the Torah need to tell us that the brothers saw Yosef from afar – when it would have been enough to say, “ובטרם יקרב אליהם”? This occurred through a miracle from Shomayim, that the light illuminated Yosef so that the brothers were able to see him from very far away – a distance that was further than one can naturally see another. This way, the brothers had much more time than in a usual situation, between seeing Yosef and getting upset, until Yosef actually arrived. This miracle was performed so that the brothers would have time for their anger to dissipate somewhat. They initially all wanted to kill Yosef, though with time, their anger subsided somewhat, and they were able to be convinced not to kill him.

בן איש חי – 37:18 “ויראו אותו מרחוק, ובטרם יקרב אליהם ויתנכלו אותו להמיתו” – “They saw him from afar, and when he had not yet approached then they conspired against him to kill him.” Why does the Torah need to tell us that the brothers saw Yosef from afar – when it would have been enough to say, “ובטרם יקרב אליהם”? This occurred through a miracle from Shomayim, that the light illuminated Yosef so that the brothers were able to see him from very far away – a distance that was further than one can naturally see another. This way, the brothers had much more time than in a usual situation, between seeing Yosef and getting upset, until Yosef actually arrived. This miracle was performed so that the brothers would have time for their anger to dissipate somewhat. They initially all wanted to kill Yosef, though with time, their anger subsided somewhat, and they were able to be convinced not to kill him.

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