Vayigash: The U.S.I. – United Strengths of Israel

by Rav Yaakov Shapira, Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The portion begins with Yehuda dramatically approaching Yosef – whom he knows only as the viceroy of Egypt, but not that he is actually his long-lost brother – to demand that he release their Binyamin to his father Yaakov. The Medrash describes this encounter as one between powerful kings. Let us seek to understand the profound meaning of this portrayal, even as we also seek to answer these questions: 

1. How did the fathers of the holy Tribes of Israel, who were great tsaddikim, even consider killing their brother Yosef, whom the Zohar refers to as the pillar of [the foundation of] the world?

2. Their father Yaakov said that he wanted no share in the counsel of the instigators (Shimon and Levi; B'reshit 49,6). How, then, did G-d Himself allow the sale of Yosef to take place?

3. Why did Yosef not inform Yaakov of his whereabouts throughout the period that he was the ruler in Egypt?

The Holy Sh'lah (R. Yeshayahu HaLevi Horowitz, born in Prague, died in Safed in 1630) wrote that each of the Tribes has its unique function within the Jewish People, namely, to reveal certain powers and forces in the nation. The dispute here was not just a regular brotherly spat, but rather a struggle over the very future of the Israeli dynasty. The forces of each Tribe do not, in fact, clash with each other – but this had to be made manifest, via a long and painful process.

The dynasty of Joseph, the Sh'lah continues, was slated not to replace the dynasty of Judah, the ancestor of David and his kingdom, but rather to prepare the way for it. Yehuda, who feared that Yosef was demanding the kingship in Israel for himself alone, was accordingly prepared to follow the dictate of the Talmud (Sanhedrin 110a) that "whoever challenges the dynasty of the House of David should be bitten by a snake." Yosef, therefore, knew he had to explain the truth to the brothers. After he revealed to them his true identity (45,3), he explained to them that he had been Divinely sent simply to prepare the way for the eternal Israelite kingdom. 

That is, in order for the Kingdom of Judah/David to be stabilized, it must be preceded by the Kingdom of Joseph. It wasn't only Adam [who lived 930 years, instead of 1,000] who gave 70 years of his life to David, as the Medrash teaches; the Zohar says that Yosef, too, gave years of his life to King David. Yosef is the foundation for the Kingdom of Yehuda and the Dynasty of David. He was sent to Egypt in order to purify that lowly land that is called the "nakedness of the land" – and that is why he originally accused the brothers of coming to spy on the "nakedness of the land" (42,9), as if to say, "That's not your job right now! It's my job to purify this land, and later Yehuda will take over!"

We read that Yaakov sent Yehuda ahead of the other brothers (46,28) to prepare the way for them spiritually. But Yosef's mission had to be first, and this is why he was Divinely sent well before the brothers came. And this mission was not only for then, but for the future as well: The Messiah ben Yosef is the predecessor of the Messiah ben David, for whom he will pave the way.

Responsibility

We know that Yehuda was willing to give his life for the sake of Binyamin, second son of our Matriarch Rachel. The explanation for this is that the Kingdom of Israel actually began with Binyamin's descendant King Sha'ul. Binyamin's strength lies in the fact that he never bowed down to Esav, as the other brothers did, and in that his descendant Mordechai similarly did not bow before Haman; this refusal to accept any authority other than G-d is precisely what is necessary for a King of Israel (Horayot 3,3). 

Yehuda explained to Yosef that he had made himself a "guarantor" (44,32) for Binyamin to Yaakov. This was one reason why Yaakov sent Yehuda to prepare a Torah academy in Egypt; another reason was in order to reveal the attribute of royalty and leadership [in Yehuda's pioneering Torah activities] – for all the actions of the brothers were actually for the purpose of revealing the force of Royalty in Israel.

When Yaakov originally sent Yosef to see how his brothers were doing up north near She'chem and to bring back a report, Yosef fulfilled this mission with great self-sacrifice, for he knew that his brothers were hostile towards him, and he ended up being sold into slavery. But he did so because he wished to connect the Kingdom of Yosef to that of Yehuda, as stated above. 

The Prophet Yechezkel (37,17) foresaw the unity of these two kingdoms. And as explained by HaRav Kook in his famous eulogy for Binyamin Zev Herzl, Israel is destined to combine its two holy forces - Torah and holiness with that of earthy nationalism – to form a nationalism that is not secular but is rather infused with sanctity. May this come to full fruition speedily in our days!