Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Vayigash #2- Why Cry?
It says in perek mem hey, pasuk yud daled it says, "וַיִּפֹּל עַל צַוְּארֵי בִנְיָמִן אָחִיו" - "Yosef fell on the neck of his brother Binyamin and wept." Rashi comments that Yosef was crying about the future destruction of the two batei hamikdash. But why was Yosef crying about the bet hamikdash now? it seems like a very random time to be thinking about the destructions.
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The Rambam says that Yosef cried, and not Yaakov, becuase Yaakov had used up all his tears in the 22 years between seeing his son and their reunion. Yosef, at this moment, was feeling very nostalgic. Seeing his father made him remember his home and family and he cried of nostalgia and longing. Rav SR Hirsch also says that Yosef is seen crying often in the Torah so this is not unusual. He cries 8 times, mentioned in the text.
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