I just saw a new interpretation of a very famous Medrash. The pasuk says “And Yosef said to his brothers, ‘I am Yosef, is my father still alive?’ and the brothers could not respond to him for they trembled before him.” (Bereshis 45:3)
The Medrash writes that this pasuk, indicating the speechlessness of the brothers in the face of Yosef’s inquiry, foreshadows for us the great shame and silence we will face at the time of the Day of Judgement. On that great day, when we will be standing before the Throne of Glory after having left this world, the emotions the Shevatim (Tribes) felt in the face of Yosef’s tochacha (chastisement) to them will be akin to what we will feel on the Day of Judgement, except what we will feel will be geometrically worse.
Yosef was the youngest of the Shevatim and yet they were not able to withstand his (implied) tochacha. How much more so will that be the case when Hashem confronts each of us with our shortcomings! We will certainly be speechless and won’t have what to answer. So says the Medrash.
However, the Medrash uses a peculiar expression. The Medrash says that at the time of the future Judgement, the Almighty will give tochacha to each and every individual “l’fi mah she’hu” (according to who he is). Many of the commentaries on the Medrash explore these three enigmatic words. In previous years, we discussed some of those explanations.
I recently heard a recording from Rav Isaac Bernstein, who cites an idea from the sefer Binyan Shlomo (by Rav Shlomo haKohen from Vilna, author of the commentary Cheshek Shlomo in the back of the Gemara). The Binyan Shlomo cites an interpretation of this Medrash that he heard from his brother (Rav Bezalel haKohen of Vilna):
In the end, Yosef’s sale to Egypt turned out good for him. Because of this sale, Yosef was able to save not only his family but the entire world. The Ohr Hachaim points this out in Parshas VaYeshev that we have a principle that those engaged on a mission that is a Mitzvah are not harmed. How then could Yosef, who was sent on a mission by his father to check on his brothers (thereby fulfilling the mitzvah of Kibud Av), be harmed as a result of this mission? The Ohr Hachaim answers that Yosef was not ultimately harmed by what happened. The Ohr Hachaim explains that a situation which involves initial harm, but, in the end, turns out for the best, is not considered harm. Yosef became the second most powerful person in the world, and saved his family and the whole world from famine and starvation. That is not harm!
The Sefas Emes says on the pasuk “that you sold me to here” (asher mechartem osi heina) as follows: Just as Chazal (Shabbos 87) say about the expression by the Luchos “asher shibarta” (that you broke) – Yasher Koach she’shibarta (congratulations for breaking them), so too the Sefas Emes says here by the brothers having sold Yosef, Yasher Koach she’machartem osi (congratulations for selling me). Thank you for selling me!
If that is the case, the Binyan Shlomo says, what did the brothers do wrong? Maybe they even did a mitzvah by selling Yosef? The Binyan Shlomo compares this to a case cited in the Talmud, where a person intended to eat a piece of pork and accidentally ate a piece of kosher lamb instead. Even though he technically did not do anything wrong, he still requires forgiveness and atonement.
This, the Binyan Shlomo says, is the interpretation of the Medrash: If Yosef’s brothers, who intended to do bad—but it turned out good—were nevertheless so embarrassed that they could not answer Yosef’s implied tochacha, how much more so in the future, when we approach the Throne of Honor and stand before the Ribono shel Olam, will we be embarrassed. By us, it will actually be a case of “intending to eat pork and indeed eating pork.” We intended to do bad and we did do bad. Woe to us from the Day of Tochacha. Woe to us from the Day of Judgement.
Here now is the cherry on the top of this ice cream sundae: The Gemara says in Maseches Nazir (23a) that the pasuk “Her husband will nullify her (vow) and Hashem will forgive her” is referring to a case of a woman who violated a vow that she made without realizing that her husband had already nullified the vow (and that it was therefore not binding). Even though she was not in violation of any vow, she still needs atonement because she intended to do something bad (in violating what she thought was a binding vow).
The Talmud says that when Rabbi Akiva would reach this pasuk, he cried: If someone who intends to eat pork but actually ate kosher meat still needs atonement and forgiveness, then someone who intends to eat pork and actually eats pork, how much more so. This is the same concept.
Rav Yosef Engel asks, there in Masechta Nazir, why was it Rabbi Akiva who was so struck by the lesson of this pasuk? Why did none of the other rabbis cry when they learned this pasuk? Why just Rabbi Akiva? Rav Engel answers (based on the Zohar and the writings of the Ari z”l) that the Asara Harugei Malchus (Ten Martyrs) who were killed during the Roman persecutions (about which we read on Yom Kippur) were the Gilgul Neshamos (transmigrated souls) of the ten brothers who sold Yosef. The reason the Asara Harugei Malchus had to experience such terrible suffering was that it was a kaparah for the Shevatim. The Ari z”l further states that Rabbi Akiva was the Gilgulof Shimon. Shimon is the brother who suggested the whole plot of selling Yosef. That is why Rabbi Akiva cried. He knew that the Shevatim were guilty of “intending to eat pork but actually eating kosher meat” and that they still needed atonement. He sensed that “I am going to pay the price.” The price he paid was suffering worse than the others: They scraped his skin with iron combs.... That is why Rabbi Akiva cried.
