Before sending them back to Canaan, Yosef gave his brothers the following instructions: “Do not become agitated on the way” (al tirgezu b’derech) (Bereishis 45:24). The Gemara (Ta’anis 10b) interprets these words to mean “Do not take big steps”. What does this mean?
The Kotzker Rebbe explains that Yosef knew exactly what was going through his brothers’ minds. They just found out that Yosef was still alive. They knew what this would mean to their father. These were the days before the telephone, before the telegram, and before other means of instant communication that we have today. It took several days to travel from Egypt back to Eretz Canaan. They were thinking, “We can’t wait to tell our father the news. This is a three-day trip. We are going to make it in a day and a half!” Yosef therefore told them to travel at a normal pace.
Why? The Kotzker explains that when G-d brings suffering upon a person, He decrees that the suffering will end on such and such a day at such and such an hour at such and such a minute and at such a such a second. It will not depart a moment earlier or a moment later. Therefore, it does not help for them to think that they can make it happen quicker. The exact amount of time that Yaakov had to suffer thinking his son was murdered was preordained. If the brothers would have tried to speed up or take short cuts, they would not have gotten there any sooner.
The Imrei Shammai cites a similar explanation from the Baal HaTurim. According to the Baal HaTurim, Yosef’s message when he told his brothers “Al Tirgezu b’Derech” was: don’t go through fields that have already been sown. In other words, don’t think you are on such a holy and urgent mission that it justifies stepping on someone’s corn crop thinking “this is important! So what if this guy has a little less corn this year?” Yosef instructed them, “don’t do that. Don’t use your connections with the viceroy in Egypt to justify physical or moral shortcuts. Stay on the main highway. Don’t take special privileges. Shortcuts are not going to help. It will happen whenever it is going to happen.” (R’ Frand)
