Then Yosef said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me," and they drew closer. And he said, "I am your brother Yosef, whom you sold into Egypt. But now do not be sad, and let it not trouble you that you sold me here, for it was to preserve life that Hashem sent me before you. For already two years of famine have passed in the midst of the land, and for another five years, there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And Hashem sent me before you to make for you a remnant in the land, and to preserve it for you for a great deliverance. And now, you did not send me here, but Hashem, and He made me a father to Pharaoh, a lord over all his household, and a ruler over the entire land of Egypt. (45: 4-8)
It is interesting to note that Yosef is repeating himself to the brothers on the subject of them selling him to Egypt: Posuk 5 Yosef is telling them not to be sad that they sold him. this is interesting, why shouldn’t they be sad, after all it caused them? Then in Posuk 6 he continues that Hashem sent me here, and it wasn’t you that sent me. Then in posuk 8 Yosef repeats it with more authority: And now, you did not send me here, but Hashem, and He made me a father to Pharaoh, a lord over all his household, and a ruler over the entire land of Egypt. What was the intention of Yosef with the lengthy discussions?
We turn the events to Parshas Miketz, as Yosef places the money of the brothers in their baggage. This raises an alarm amongst them as they return with Binyamin, and they answer in defense, that they found money in their baggage and came to return it. Yosef had a plan to have all his brothers bow to him and feel regret on their sale. This was based on Hashem’s will in his dream. Yosef knew all along that Hashem wanted him to end up in Egypt. The obvious way would be through his brothers selling him to Egypt. Therefore, the brothers didn’t really do evil by selling him, as they were only serving the plan of Hashem.
Yosef wanted to relay this message very clearly to his brothers: The brothers admitted that Yosef was a great tzaddik. A tzaddik has Ahavas Yisrael and always goes with the Emes. It is known that Atzvus or sadness comes from falsehood or Sheker. When someone goes with Emes, he realizes that everything is from Hashem. Therefore, Yosef told the brothers, “But now do not be sad” and explaining them that the Emes was that they did not sell him, as it was only an avenue of getting to Egypt and becoming a ruler. This is Posuk 5, and to bolster his words, Yosef said: And now, you did not send me here, but Hashem, and He made me a father to Pharaoh, a lord over all his household, and a ruler over the entire land of Egypt.
This overcame the brothers mood of restlessness, realizing that they did not know that they had such a brother, who showed no animosity, nor hatred towards them causing Yosef such humiliation. Rashi quotes the Gemarra Megilah 16b oi ¦n ̈i §p ¦a i ¦g ̈` i¥pi ¥r §e Yosef compares them all together, saying that just as I have no hatred for my brother Binyamin, who was not in my sale, so I have no hatred in my heart for you. Rather, Yosef encourages them, that they did nothing wrong. After this dialogue, when the brothers returned later to Yaakov, in Posuk 26 And they told him, saying, "Yosef is still alive," and they told him that he ruled over the entire land of Egypt, and his heart changed, for he did not believe them. Yaakov wanted to hear if Yosef was still the Yosef Hatzaddik, and being a ruler was worthless to him. However, in Posuk 27 ,m ¤d ¥l £` x ¤A ¦C x ¤W £` s ¥qFi i ¥x §a ¦C l ̈M z ¥` ei ̈l ¥` Ex §A ©c §i ©e (zwwf vwwn) And they told him all of Yosef's words that he had said to them, the word “all” is referring to his great level of Ahavas Yisrael and Emes, and that he had no hatred feelings towards them. This uplifted Yaakov m ¤di ¦a £` aŸw£r ©i ©gEx i ¦g §Y ©e and the spirit of their father Yaakov was revived. And Yisrael said, "Enough! My son Yosef is still alive. Of course he was alive, as Yaakov knew he was alive as the commentaries prove that only a dead person gets forgotten from the mind, and Yaakov constantly thought about Yosef.
Here, Yaakov saw that Yosef was alive in his righteousness and spiritual level, this was important to him. As in Parhsas Vayeishev it states that everything that Yaakov learned in Yeshivas Shem and Ever, he gave over to Yosef. Yaakov was the epitome of Emes awril zn` ozz, and therefore said: he must go see Yosef who continues to go with Middas Emes. This is a powerful lesson from Yosef, always to look what will happen in the end. The hardships endured are only avenues to reach the good plan of Hashem!
(Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
