His brothers could not answer him because they were dumbfounded before him. (Bereishis 45:3)
Abba Kohen Bardela said: Woe to us when it comes to the Day of Judgment; woe to us when it comes to the day of reproof. Bila’am was the wisest man among the nations of the world, yet he could not withstand the reproof of his mule... Yosef was small, of the youngest among the tribes, yet his brothers could not withstand his reproof... When Hakadosh Baruch Hu will come and reprove each person according to what he is... surely it will be so. (Bereishis Rabbah 93:10)
Do We Know Ourselves?
Chazal are describing to us the great Day of Judgment that will be, when every person will be reproved for his deeds. And this judgment will be “according to what he is.” What is the significance of these words that Chazal added to the description?
It alludes to the fact that a person does not really know himself or what he is doing. We have no idea for what we will be reproved and for what we will not. That is why Chazal say, “Woe to us when it comes to the Day of Judgment.”
The point is illustrated by what transpired between Yosef and his brothers. The brothers felt something was going on that they did not understand. They went down to Egypt due to famine, and they were told, “You are spies.” They were requested to present their youngest brother, and they discovered their money returned in the mouths of their sacks. They started to get scared, and asked themselves: ּנוָקִים לֹלֱה אָׂשָאת עֹּה זַמ – What is this thing that Hashem has done to us?
In other words, what is the middah k’neged middah here?
They felt that Hashem was holding them responsible for something but they had no idea what it was. Then the whole picture suddenly became clear: יִתֹם אֶּתְרַכְר מֶׁשֲם אֶיכִחֲף אֵסֹי יוִנֲ א הָמְיָרְצִ מ– I am Yosef your brother, that you sold me to Egypt.
The brothers were taken by total surprise because they never imagined that Yosef might be the person standing in front of them. When he revealed his identity and said, “You sold me to Egypt,” they could not withstand his reproof. They were simply dumbfounded.
In the future, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will come and rebuke each person according to what he truly is, not according to what he thinks or imagines he is. I will bring a few examples showing how far we are from appreciating our true inner nature, which has not only its positive side but also its unfortunate side.
Parshah Topic: Deep Judgment
