By Rabbi Moshe Pogrow
The underlying theme of the saga of Yosef, as, is that the whole chain of events clearly must be the work of hashgacha. Indeed, there is hardly another story that so clearly demonstrates the ways of Divine providence. It is a vivid commentary on the pasuk in Mishlei: “Rav mecholel kol, v’socher ksil v’socher ovrim” (26:10). The Master of the Universe produces all things from the smallest beginnings, be they physical or social. It is He Who causes all things to be born, to grow from the smallest seeds. Even fools and criminals unknowingly serve His purposes.
In the story of Yosef, the threads are revealed. In other stories, they are not. But from this particular story, we can learn the ways of Hashem. Through two selaim's worth of silk that Yaakov used to make Yosef's coat, the bris bein habesarim came to be fulfilled.
In Canaan, Yaakov's family would not have become a great nation—they would have merged with the surrounding population. In order to become a people and not assimilate, they had to come into the midst of a nation whose very nature was at odds with the Jewish ethos. That nation was Egypt.
Similarly, the religious fanaticism that gave rise to the ghettoes of the Middle Ages was G-d’s tool to keep us far from the sinful culture of the times, so that we could cultivate the happiness of family life and community within our own closed circle.
Both the first galus, the migration of Yaakov and the shevatim to Egypt, and the last, the destruction of the Second Temple, resulted from jealousy and baseless hatred. The kur habarzel of galus, the suffering of oppression, is designed to refine and purify all segments of our people, developing in us a sense of equality and brotherhood.
Based on the commentary of Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch zt”l on Chumash, with permission from the publisher.
