Parshat Va'Yehi
In 50:4-5 we find Yosef asking Pharoah for permission to go and bury his dead father.
1. It says Yosef spoke to the house of Pharoah and requested they pass on his request to Pharoah.
Wasn't Yosef the "Second to the King"? Why did he have to go through Pharoah's secretary for this? why could he not just go right to Pharoah and ask for himself? Yosef just spent about 14 years running Egypt and saving it from collapse in the famine, you would think he had Pharoah's ear and could ask him what he wanted when he wanted...
2. Why did Yosef need Pharoah's permission to go bury his father? Yosef just saved Egypt from collapse. He is second to the king. He is responsible for making the most important decisions in Egypt over the past 14 years or so. And Yosef needs to ask permission to go bury his dead father?
My only suggestion is that despite Yosef's importance, when something becomes personal previous relationships do not matter. Pharoah was concerned to let Yosef leave Egypt. He was concerned about letting Yaakov be buried outside of Egypt. These possibilities held a threat, Pharoah perceived at least, to Egypt. So it did not matter how important Yosef was. With Pharoah perceiving a threat, Yosef's importance was insignificant to him. He made sure to let Yosef know that in this regard he could not move without Pharoah's permission.
It is an important lesson about knowing your place and not thinking you have a free pass based on previous actions.
Anybody have something better?
Showing posts with label Vayehi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vayehi. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Va'Yehi: why shchem?
Parshat Va'Yehi
in 48:21 Yaakov tells Yosef, "ואני נתתי שכם אחד על אחיך" and Rashi explains that he actually gave to Yosef the city of Shchem which was above his regular portion which he was to receive.
Why Shchem? He could have given Yosef a different city as a gift. Why Shchem? Shchem, if it should have gone to anybody outside his inheritance, should maybe have gone to Shimon or Levi who destroyed it to save their sisters honor. Why would Yaakov give Shchem to Yosef?
Also, I looked at a map (not a great one) delineating the portions of the tribal divisions in Israel. Shchem is inside the portion of Menashe. So it was not really above and beyond the inheritance of Yosef. It was part of his portion anyways? Unless you say that the area of Shchem was not supposed to be part of Menashe (I guess it would have gone to Binyamin whose region borders Menashe's) but more land was included for contiguity between the rest of Menashe and Shchem...
Anybody?
in 48:21 Yaakov tells Yosef, "ואני נתתי שכם אחד על אחיך" and Rashi explains that he actually gave to Yosef the city of Shchem which was above his regular portion which he was to receive.
Why Shchem? He could have given Yosef a different city as a gift. Why Shchem? Shchem, if it should have gone to anybody outside his inheritance, should maybe have gone to Shimon or Levi who destroyed it to save their sisters honor. Why would Yaakov give Shchem to Yosef?
Also, I looked at a map (not a great one) delineating the portions of the tribal divisions in Israel. Shchem is inside the portion of Menashe. So it was not really above and beyond the inheritance of Yosef. It was part of his portion anyways? Unless you say that the area of Shchem was not supposed to be part of Menashe (I guess it would have gone to Binyamin whose region borders Menashe's) but more land was included for contiguity between the rest of Menashe and Shchem...
Anybody?
Va'Yehi: letting opportunity slip away
Parshat Va'Yehi
In 48:1, Yosef finds out that his father is nearing the time of his death. He takes his two sons and goes to visit Yaakov and receive brachos from him.
We do not find any of the other sons bringing their kids for brachos, though we do find Yaakov gathering his sons and giving them brachos.
But here we find Yosef doing something none of the other brothers did. Yosef saw an opportunity and realized that it was slipping away. In a little while there would never be this opportunity again. If he wanted it to happen, he had to act right away. If he wanted to make sure his sons would get blessings from their grandfather Yaakov, he had to go right now.
Yosef realized this. Maybe he was the only one of the sons who realized it, or who had the perception to act and to take advantage of such an opportunity.
We can learn from Yosef about the importance of recognizing and being aware of the situation, and not letting opportunity slip away.
In 48:1, Yosef finds out that his father is nearing the time of his death. He takes his two sons and goes to visit Yaakov and receive brachos from him.
We do not find any of the other sons bringing their kids for brachos, though we do find Yaakov gathering his sons and giving them brachos.
But here we find Yosef doing something none of the other brothers did. Yosef saw an opportunity and realized that it was slipping away. In a little while there would never be this opportunity again. If he wanted it to happen, he had to act right away. If he wanted to make sure his sons would get blessings from their grandfather Yaakov, he had to go right now.
Yosef realized this. Maybe he was the only one of the sons who realized it, or who had the perception to act and to take advantage of such an opportunity.
We can learn from Yosef about the importance of recognizing and being aware of the situation, and not letting opportunity slip away.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
hashgacha
Parshat VaYehi
Yaakov passes away and the brothers get nervous. They fear that now that their father is no longer around, Yosef will take advantage and finally get his revenge for what they had done to him.
Yosef realizes their fears and he says in 50:20 "ואתם חשבתם עלי רעה אלקים חשבה לטבה" - you planned to do to me evil, yet Hashem turned it around for good.
Yosef, according to Rashi, was assuring them that they had nothing to worry about. He will not do anything to them anyway because only what Hashem wants can happen. If hashem wants bad to happen to you, he will find a way, and if He wants good so even if I plan bad it will not be successful. Just like when you planned bad for me and it turned out good.
Yosef learned an amazing lesson from a tragic story that happened to him. he was treated horribly by his brothers. yet he held no ill feelings toward them because he realized they were only the middle men involved and it was really from Hashem. Because of that there is not even a point in trying to harm someone else, because it is all up to Hashem.
Yosef had an amazing level of bitachon.
Yaakov passes away and the brothers get nervous. They fear that now that their father is no longer around, Yosef will take advantage and finally get his revenge for what they had done to him.
Yosef realizes their fears and he says in 50:20 "ואתם חשבתם עלי רעה אלקים חשבה לטבה" - you planned to do to me evil, yet Hashem turned it around for good.
Yosef, according to Rashi, was assuring them that they had nothing to worry about. He will not do anything to them anyway because only what Hashem wants can happen. If hashem wants bad to happen to you, he will find a way, and if He wants good so even if I plan bad it will not be successful. Just like when you planned bad for me and it turned out good.
Yosef learned an amazing lesson from a tragic story that happened to him. he was treated horribly by his brothers. yet he held no ill feelings toward them because he realized they were only the middle men involved and it was really from Hashem. Because of that there is not even a point in trying to harm someone else, because it is all up to Hashem.
Yosef had an amazing level of bitachon.
My boys
Parshat VaYehi
In 45:8-9 we find Yosef bringing his two sons, Menashe and Efraim, to be blessed by Yaakov before he passes away. They approach Yaakov and Yaakov asks, "ויאמר מי אלה? ויאמר יוסף אל אביו בני הם" - Yaakov said Who are they? an Yosef said to his father They are my sons.
Rashi explains that Yaakov asked how he could have such descendants as Yeravam, Ahab and Yahu from Efraim and Menashe, and maybe because of these descendants they are not worthy of the blessings.
Yosef responded to Yaakov by saying "בני הם" - they are my sons.
What happens later does not matter. For better or worse they are still our children, and therefore deserving of our love - deserving of your brachos.Leave the later problems for later, do not deny them the brachos just because of things that will happen later.
In 45:8-9 we find Yosef bringing his two sons, Menashe and Efraim, to be blessed by Yaakov before he passes away. They approach Yaakov and Yaakov asks, "ויאמר מי אלה? ויאמר יוסף אל אביו בני הם" - Yaakov said Who are they? an Yosef said to his father They are my sons.
Rashi explains that Yaakov asked how he could have such descendants as Yeravam, Ahab and Yahu from Efraim and Menashe, and maybe because of these descendants they are not worthy of the blessings.
Yosef responded to Yaakov by saying "בני הם" - they are my sons.
What happens later does not matter. For better or worse they are still our children, and therefore deserving of our love - deserving of your brachos.Leave the later problems for later, do not deny them the brachos just because of things that will happen later.
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