In perek מה pesukim ד-ה, Yosef is talking to his brothers regarding the selling.
| ד.וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹסֵף אֶל אֶחָיו גְּשׁוּ נָא אֵלַי וַיִּגָּשׁוּ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲנִי יוֹסֵף אֲחִיכֶם אֲשֶׁר מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי מִצְרָיְמָה: |
| :ה. וְעַתָּה | אַל תֵּעָצְבוּ וְאַל יִחַר בְּעֵינֵיכֶם כִּי מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי הֵנָּה כִּי לְמִחְיָה שְׁלָחַנִי אֱלֹהִים לִפְנֵיכֶם Yosef acknowledges that he was sold and that it was for a greater purpose(Hashem's action). Ramban asks that if Yosef realized these things and was a very powerful man, why didn't he contact Yaakov to tell him he was ok? Rabbi Leibtag gives an answer to this question. He says that throughout the Torah we see the concept of נבחר ונדחה, one chosen and one rejected. For example, קין והבל or רחל ולאה. In both of these cases, one was chosen or more loved than the other, who was pushed away. R' Leibtag continues to say that Yosef thought he was the נדחה (pushed away) and the brothers were נבחר . Therefore, he didnt make an effort to contact Yaakov because he believed that just like the others who were pushed away in the torah, he wasnt meant to be chosen. Are there any other reasons as to why Yosef didnt try and contact Yaakov? Or why Yosef acknowledged Hashem in the pasuk regarding the selling? |
To explain Yosef's behavior, Rav Yoel bin nun suggests that Yosef had no idea that his father believed he was dead. Rather, Yosef assumed that the brothers knew of his sale, and hence he expected his father to come to his rescue. After all, the Yishmaelim were international traders who traveled quite often through Eretz Canaan. Surely, Yosef hoped, his father would find out that he was sold and demand that the brothers trace the sale and then go to Egypt to buy him back. However, many months passed and no one showed. Yosef's hopes were replaced by a feeling of rejection. After several months (or years), he gradually reached the conclusion that he must have been 'rejected'. Reluctantly, he accepted his new fate, understanding that he was no longer wanted by his family.
ReplyDeleteaccording to chazal the brother convented a court and issued a psak din sentencing yosef for spiritual shortcomings on his part. part of his sentence in addition to his sale to the ishmaelites was that he was forced to swear that he would never reveal to their father what happened to him or where he was yosef took the oath
ReplyDeleteIn Pasuk Hey- Yosef uses the words "and now". why does he begin with this statement? The Be'er Yosef suggests that only now did he feel the brothers deserved to be forgiven for what they had done. the Talmud - Brachot 12b - explains that if a person sins and then feels shame for having done so - all his sins are therefore forgiven. Therefore -now- that the brothers had shown themselves unable to answer because of their shame, Rashi explains they deserved to be forgiven. based on my own interpretation Hashem is acknowledged in the Pasuk regarding the selling because ultimately Hashem planned for all of this to happen and NOW is the time that Hashem is forgiving the brothers. Hashem is the maker of these events and He controls every detail. Yes, the brothers did teshuva, but Hashem is the one who decided to forgive them.
ReplyDeleteShabbat Shalom!