Yosef gave his brothers gifts, including clothing and silver items. He sent the same to his father, along with ten donkeys carrying “from the good of Egypt,” which the Gemara says refers to old wine which soothes the elderly.
He also sent ten female donkeys carrying all sorts of food. This was intended to provide Yaakov with food for the journey, but it wasn’t that long of a trip. Why did Yosef send so much?
While I don’t have a source for this, it could be that Yosef was symbolically making up for all the times when Yaakov didn’t drink wine or eat so much because he was in mourning for Yosef. Now that Hashem’s plan was revealed somewhat, Yosef was not only alive, but a powerful and important personage supporting many people, Yaakov’s mourning was seen to be in error.
The message was a reminder that Hashem always has a plan and we should not despair.
Also, the commentaries point out that Yosef’s gift required each brother (except Binyamin) to lead two donkeys back to their father. This may have been a subtle hint to them that though it was part of Hashem’s plan for him to be sold, their involvement was a choice they made which had consequences. They owed their father a debt for the pain they caused him, even if it would have happened with or without them.
Thought of the week:
When you have an ability, you must respond to it. That’s called responsibility.
