Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth

Vayigash: A Coded Message of Many Dimensions
Likkutei Sichos, Volume 30, Vayigash 2
Translated by Eliyahu Touger and Sholom B Wineberg.
From the Sichos in English Collection
The message was sent in a code that communicated multidimensional implications.
When Yosef wanted to assure his father that he was alive, he sent wagons, agalos, hinting at the passage of eglah arufah, the decapitated calf, the last subject Yaakov and Yosef had studied together.
The sichah to follow analyzes the lessons to be derived from the passage of eglah arufah and the effect Yosef’s message had on our ancestor, Yaakov. Yaakov understood the full depth of the communication Yosef had sent him and rejoiced. Yosef was not only informing Yaakov that he was alive; he was clarifying to him that he was still firmly adhering to his righteousness and Torah knowledge. He was spiritually alive. That was a source of joy for his father.
But there was a deeper message that Yaakov heard, and because of that, Yaakov marveled at his son. He realized that Yosef’s descent to Egypt would be the beginning of the entire Jewish people’s descent there. Because Yosef would serve as an exemplar and a source of influence, his Divine service possessed unique and novel dimensions that would empower Yaakov’s descendants to maintain their spiritual integrity even while in exile in Egypt. Beyond that, Yosef would impart to them the potential to rule over the influences of exile with absolute dominion and transform those influences into factors contributing to holiness.
A Sign of Life
On the verse,1 “He saw the wagons Yosef sent… and the spirit of Yaakov came alive,” the Midrash2 – quoted by Rashi3 – explains that the wagons were a sign Yosef sent to Yaakov. Yosef had instructed his brothers that, were Yaakov not to believe them when they told him that Yosef was still alive, they should tell him that Yosef sent him this message, “When I left you, was I not engaged in studying the subject of eglah arufah4with you?” This is intimated by the verse,5 “He saw the wagons Yosef sent,” because in Hebrew agalos, “wagons,” and eglah, “calf,” share the same root letters.
Building on that, the Midrash6interprets Yaakov’s exclamation in the next verse,7 “There is still great joy left for me. My son Yosef is still alive,” Yaakov was saying: “My son Yosef
possesses great inner strength. Look how many difficulties he experienced, and yet he adhered to his righteousness to a far greater degree than I did!”
Clearly, the intent of the Midrash8 is to explain that when Yaakov said, “My son Yosef is still alive,” his intent was that not only was Yosef physically alive, but – and primarily – that he was spiritually alive. He was living as “my son Yosef,” a life befitting Yaakov’s son.9
From the fact that the Midrash links the two – the sign that Yosef sent to his father that he was alive in a physical sense and Yaakov’s recognition that Yosef “adhered to his righteousness” and this was “his life” – it is logical to conclude that the two are interrelated: The sign that Yosef sent his father not only informed him that he was actually alive, but was primarily intended to demonstrate that he was still “adhering to his righteousness.”
This is clearly understood. The fact that Yosef remembered the Torah subject that he was studying at the time he was separated from Yaakov, 22 years previously, demonstrates that his Torah knowledge was preserved and he was “adhering to his righteousness” as before.10
Further explanation is nevertheless required: It is obvious that all the acts – particularly those recorded in the Torah – performed by the Patriarchs and Yaakov’s sons reveal a precise intent. Thus, with regard to the matter at hand, it is clear that the sign Yosef gave his brothers to show Yaakov that he was alive was not a casual, incidental matter. Instead, the meaning of the sign (the subject of eglah arufah) is integrally connected to the message that Yosef was still alive. Indeed, various commentaries have explained the connection between the two at length.11 According to the above explanation – that the sign was intended to indicate to Yaakov that Yosef was still adhering to his righteousness – it is understood that the subject of eglah arufah is also relevant to this message.
Confronting the Challenges of “the Field”
2. To offer a possible explanation: The import of eglah arufah is reflected in the straightforward meaning of the passage, as it is written:12
If a corpse be found on the land… fallen in the field, and it is not known who slew the person, then your elders and judges – i.e., the Great Sanhedrin13 – shall go forth, and they shall measure to the cities around the corpse… the elders of that city shall bring the calf down to a rugged valley… and all the elders of that city shall wash their hands over the calf… and they shall announce and say, “Our hands did not shed this blood....”
The reason for this rite is:14
a) to publicize that a corpse was found lying in the field so that it would be easier to find the murderer, and
b) also of primary importance, so that the general populace “will hear and fear” (to borrow an expression used in the Torah in several contexts),15 and in this way, from the outset do everything possible to prevent the possibility of a traveler being murdered.
To explain the parallel to this concept in our Divine service: G‑d is the source of life, as indicated by the verse,16 “You who are attached to G‑d your L‑rd are all alive today.” In a spiritual sense, a “corpse” is one whose attachment (deveikus) to G‑d was interrupted.
The cause of this interruption is the fact that he was in the field – (and more specifically, that he had “ ‘fallen’ – descended – in the field”)17 – a place associated with “Esav… the man of the field.”18Esav schemes to trap those who have strayed into the field – outside the tent of Torah and Judaism – and cut them off from their attachment to the living G‑d, their source of life, and leave them as “corpses … in the field,” or at least to weaken their attachment to Him.
This challenge is addressed by the Torah’s directive, “Your elders and judges shall go forth….” This is the task and responsibility of the elders and judges of the Jewish people as a whole – including the High Court in Jerusalem – to do whatever is dependent on them to correct the state of their fellow Jews and prevent the possibility of there being “a corpse… in the field.”19
This theme is emphasized by their pronouncement,20 “Our hands did not shed this blood,” interpreted21 to mean, “We did not see him and allow him to leave without provisions and accompaniment.” The intent is that the elders of the city have the responsibility to accompany every Jew who, in a spiritual sense, goes out from the city to the field. They must provide him with provisions for his journey – i.e., Torah, which is described with the analogy of food22 and garments, which serve as an analogy for mitzvos. Thus, Tana D’Bei Eliyahu Rabbah23comments on the verse,24 “If you see one who is naked, clothe him”:
If you see a person who does not possess knowledge of the words of Torah, bring him into your home and teach him to recite the Shema and the prayers…. Encourage him to perform mitzvos, for the meaning of a person who has been denuded among the Jewish people is solely one who is lacking in the Torah and its mitzvos.
It is the responsibility of the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people to care for those going out to the field, to strengthen them and defend them from all the dangers lurking while he is in the field.
On this basis, it is possible to explain the inner rationale why Yaakov was studying the passage of eglah arufah with Yosef before they were separated. Before Yosef descended to Egypt25 (“the nakedness of the land”26), where he was “taken captive among the
nations,”27 he needed additional spiritual strength to “adhere to his righteousness” there. This was the purpose of Yaakov teaching him the passage of eglah arufah, because it charges the elders of the city with the task of accompanying a person going out to the field and providing him with everything he needs while he is in the field. Studying this passage empowered Yosef to “adhere to his righteousness,” even in Egypt.
Therefore, when Yosef wanted to show Yaakov he was (also) spiritually alive, he told his brothers to give Yaakov this sign, the passage of eglah arufah. Yosef was intimating that he kept this passage in mind at all times and the strength it imparted enabled him not to be influenced at all by his surroundings in Egypt, but rather to maintain his Torah knowledge and righteousness.
When Yaakov saw the wagons, “the spirit of Yaakov came alive;”1 Yaakov was granted new spiritual life. In particular, this is true because Yaakov’s spiritual vitality is dependent on the spiritual vitality of his children,28 as our Sages state,29 “Just as his descendants are alive, so too is he alive.”
Beyond Despair
3.Further explanation is nevertheless required. The Midrash cited above interprets Yaakov’s words, “There is still great joy left for me. My son Yosef is still alive,” as implying: “ ‘Great’ is the inner strength of my son Yosef…. He adhered to his righteousness to a far greater degree than I did. I sinned, saying, ‘My path is hidden from G‑d.’ ”30
In another source, the Midrash31explains that Yaakov had experienced despair that did not befit him. Thus, it comments on Yaakov’s words to his sons,32 “Why have you brought evil upon me by telling the man that you have another brother?”
So said the Holy One, blessed be He: “I am busy making his son a ruler in Egypt, and he complains, ‘Why have you brought evil upon me?’ ” G‑d’s displeasure is indicated by the verse,30 “Yaakov, why should you say… ‘My path is hidden from G‑d.’ ”
On the surface, it is necessary to understand why it was necessary at this juncture for Yaakov to say that Yosef “adhered to his righteousness to a far greater degree than I did.”
Another point requires explanation: According to Jewish custom – which is comparable to the Torah itself33 – the reading for the third aliyah (or according to other customs,34 the fourth aliyah) – ends with the verse, “They told him all of Yosef’s words… and he saw the wagons Yosef sent… and the spirit of Yaakov came alive.” The following verse, “Yisrael said, ‘There is still great joy left for me. My son Yosef is still alive,’ ” begins the reading for the fourth (or the fifth) aliyah. Why is an interruption made in the middle of a narrative?
A similar question arises regarding the beginning of the reading for the third aliyah. That reading begins in the middle of Yosef’s words of reassurance to his brothers,35 “And now, it was not you who sent me here, but G‑d, and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, a lord over all his household, and a ruler over the entire land of Egypt.” On the surface, this verse emphasizes and continues the message from the preceding verses, in which Yosef tells his brothers:36 “I am your brother Yosef… But now do not be sad, and let it not trouble you that you sold me here, for it was for the sake of sustenance that G‑d sent me before you. For already two years of famine have passed…. G‑d sent me before you so there would be a posterity of yours in the land, and to enable you to live via a great deliverance.”
These verses conclude the reading for the second aliyah. The following verse, “And now, it was not you who sent me here…” begins the reading for the third aliyah. Why is an interruption made in the middle of Yosef’s words to his brothers when both verses emphasize the same theme – that his descent into Egypt was part of a Divine mission?
There is another puzzling point: Yosef’s emphasis on negating his brothers’ guilt –“It was not you who sent me here, but G‑d” – seems more closely related to his initial statements, “Do not be sad, and let it not trouble you that you sold me here.” He was telling his brothers, “Do not be sad” because “It was not you who sent me here, but G‑d.” Why is this emphasis made after pausing to begin the third aliyah, before continuing Yosef’s words: “He – i.e., G‑d – has made me a father to Pharaoh, a lord over all his household, and a ruler over the entire land of Egypt”?
Yosef’s Spiritual Legacy
4. It could be said that all the above can be explained as follows: The reason that Yosef was the first Jew to descend to Egypt – and that his descent was the cause and the beginning37 of the entire Jewish people’s descent there – was that the descent to Egypt relates to the unique and novel dimension that characterized Yosef’s Divine service.
As explained in many sources,38 the reason the Patriarchs and Yaakov’s sons chose to be shepherds is because that occupation does not involve a great degree of difficulty and allows one to remain removed from worldly matters. Thus, it did not disturb their continuous attachment (deveikus) to G‑d.
Yosef, by contrast, followed a different path of Divine service. He was deeply involved with worldly matters. In Potiphar’s house, Potiphar appointed him “over his house and entrusted everything he owned to his hand.”39 Similarly, when he was in jail, the chief warden entrusted him with “all the prisoners… and everything that was done there was done by his word.”40 How much more so did this apply when he became the viceroy and controlled all the affairs of Egypt, to the extent that “By your command, all my people shall be
nourished”41 and “Without your consent, no one may lift his hand or foot in the entire land of Egypt!”42 Nevertheless, all this immense involvement did not confound or disturb him and he remained attached to G‑d with an all-encompassing bond.
This is the inner reason why the descent of the Jewish people to Egypt began with Yosef. Through his Divine service there, Yosef empowered the Jewish people to emulate his conduct and maintain their spiritual integrity even while in exile in Egypt, “in a land not their own.”43
This was Yosef’s intent in telling his brothers, “It was for the sake of sustenance that G‑d sent me before you.… G‑d sent me before you so there would be a posterity of yours in the land.” Yosef’s descent to Egypt was a mission from G‑d to open the channel of Divine service in that land and empower the Jews44 to maintain themselves in exile, to live with spiritual vitality even there, as it is written,16 “You who are attached to G‑d your L‑rd are all alive today,” even in Egypt.
On this basis, it is possible to understand Yosef’s precise choice of wording when he told his brothers, “It was for the sake of sustenance that G‑d sent me…,” “G‑d sent me,” and “It was not you who sent me here, but G‑d.”45In all the above verses, when referring to G‑d, Yosef specifically used the name Elokim, the name of G‑d identified with the attribute of judgment and might, and not the name י-ה-ו-ה , the name of G‑d identified with the attribute of mercy. The rationale is that this Divine mission involved a descent into exile, a place where G‑dliness is hidden, in a manner that brought about pain and anguish for Yosef and Yaakov. G‑d’s mercies were not overtly apparent. Even in such a situation, Yosef made it possible for his descent there to bring about “sustenance… to enable you to live via a great deliverance.”
To Master Darkness
5. Nevertheless, this was not the ultimate purpose of Yosef’s mission in Egypt. What has been described until now involves only negating the harmful influences of Egypt, defending the Jews against the undesirable aspects of exile. As explained, Yosef’s Divine service enabled them to remain attached to G‑d as they were before, even in this new setting. However, this was not the primary contribution of Yosef.
The fundamental and novel element of Yosef’s Divine service was – as his name implies46 – the ability to increase.47 In that vein, Rachel’s prayer when she named him48 – Yosef HaShem li ben achair, “May G‑d increase for me another son”– is interpreted49 to mean that Yosef has the potential to transform even one who is an achair, an “other”(estranged from the realm of holiness), into a “son” for G‑d.
Not only does Yosef remain unaffected by the challenges and obstacles of the exile, but he takes control over them and subjugates them to holiness.
In a similar manner, Rambam states that Mashiach will perform a two-fold mission. He will “renew the Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial sovereignty… so that the observance of all the statutes will return to their previous state,”50 by “building the Beis HaMikdash in its place.”51In addition to this achievement on behalf of the Jewish people, enabling them to serve G‑d in a consummate manner, he will “improve the entire world, motivating all the nations to serve G‑d together, as it is written,52 ‘I will transform the peoples to a purer language that they all will call upon the name of G‑d....’ ”51
Yosef performed similar activities in Egypt. He was the viceroy and “Without his consent, no one could lift his hand or his foot in the entire land of Egypt;”42 “Yosef was the ruler over the land.”53 As related at the end of this Torah reading,54 Yosef purchased the Egyptians and their land and transferred the populace from one end of Egypt to the other. He did all this not only to establish his rule over the Egyptians in a physical sense, but also so that they would recognize55 “the G‑d of heaven and earth”56 and observe the Seven Universal Laws Commanded to Noach and his Descendants.57Indeed, Yosef’s efforts to refine the Egyptians extended to – as our Sages comment,58 cited by Rashi59 – his compelling them to circumcise themselves.60
Two Missions
6. There is a fundamental difference between these two dimensions of Yosef’s mission in Egypt, namely:
a) He empowered the Jews so that the influences of Egypt and exile would not disrupt their attachment to G‑d.
b) He ruled over the influences of exile to the extent that they were subjugated and transformed into holiness.
The potential to impart strength to the Jewish people so that the influences of exile would not disturb their attachment to G‑d was generated by Yosef. Nevertheless, this potential did not remain exclusively his. Yosef conveyed this power to every member of the Jewish people and enabled them to internalize it until they were identified with it.
This is the inner meaning of our Sages’ statement,61 “The entire Jewish people are called Yosef because he sustained and nurtured them in the time of famine.” Yosef did not merely nurture his brothers in a physical sense. Rather, he provided them with spiritual nurture,44 empowering every Jew to live spiritually in an appropriate manner, even in a time of spiritual famine, despite the concealment of G‑dliness that characterizes exile. Moreover, Yosef
imparted this potential to the Jewish people in a manner resembling food, nurture that becomes part of one’s flesh and blood; i.e., they identified with it to the extent that it became their own. Therefore, “the entire Jewish people are called Yosef,” because this quality that characterized Yosef became part of their own being.
However, the second objective – the potential to rule over Egypt – remained Yosef’s individual quality. Thus, he alone was the ruler over Egypt. True, the Jewish people as a whole possess the potential to rule over the influences of exile with absolute dominion (as Yosef did). However, this quality is not identified with them. It is Yosef’s alone. The power they have to rule over the influences of exile is only when they act as agents of Yosef.62
When a Father Marvels at His Son.
7. Based on the above, it is possible to explain the preciseness in the choice of a) the wording in the verses cited above and b) the point at which the reading for the third aliyah begins:63
The two objectives mentioned above with regard to Yosef’s achievements in Egypt are reflected in the two dimensions mentioned by Yosef in his description of the mission on which “G‑d – Elokim – sent him” to Egypt:
a) “It was for the sake of sustenance” – interpreted by Rashi64 as “to be a source of sustenance for you” – “that G‑d sent me before you… so there would be a posterity of yours in the land, and to enable you to live via a great deliverance;” i.e., Yosef brought about a change within the Jewish people, empowering them to maintain their spiritual standing in exile.
b) “It was not you who sent me here, but G‑d. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, a lord over all his household, and a ruler over the entire land of Egypt.”35 This verse reflects the second mission with which Yosef was charged – to rule over Egypt.
This mission is also associated with G‑d’s name Elokim, for the dominion over the nations and the influence of exile relates to Elokim, the name of G‑d associated with judgment. (Indeed, for this reason, judges are referred to as elokim.65)
On this basis, it can be explained why Yosef couched his words in the negative – “It was not you who sent me here” – only with regard to the second dimension of the mission. Possibly, Yosef’s purpose in choosing these words went beyond their straightforward meaning – that the reason for his descent to Egypt was not because of his brother’s intent in selling him to Egypt. He was telling them that this second dimension of his mission in Egypt, that G‑d “made him… a ruler over the entire land of Egypt” does not relate to them66 – “it was not
you.” Instead, it reflects his own unique quality, as a result of which he became the ruler over the entire land.
The distinction between the two dimensions of Yosef’s mission is the reason why they are separated when the Torah is read and they are mentioned in two different aliyos. The second dimension of Yosef’s mission represents an aliyah, an ascent, over the first. That dimension specifically makes possible an increase,67as alluded to in the rationale for Yosef’s name, “May G‑d increase for me another son.”
Similar concepts apply regarding the interruption made between the description of Yaakov’s responses in the conclusion of the third aliyah and the beginning of the fourth aliyah. The first point, “He saw the wagons that Yosef sent,” demonstrated to Yaakov that Yosef adhered to his righteousness even in Egypt. As a result, “The spirit of Yaakov came alive.”
Nevertheless, in a larger sense, Yaakov did not regard this as so great a novelty since he had experienced a somewhat similar challenge. He had spent 20 years in the household of Lavan the Aramite – a challenge that neither Avraham nor Yitzchak had faced. There, he labored “with all his strength,”68 and still emerged “with his Torah knowledge intact.”69As Rashi highlights, Yaakov was able to say,70 “I dwelled with Lavan the wicked, yet I observed the 613 mitzvos and did not learn from his evil deeds.”
By contrast, the second dimension of Yosef’s mission – that he became the ruler of Egypt – was a novelty, unable to be foreseen even by Yaakov.71 Therefore, after stating that “The spirit of Yaakov came alive,” the Torah further adds that Yaakov exclaimed, “There is still great joy left for me. My son Yosef is still alive.” As the Midrash explains, Yaakov was marveling that Yosef’s inner strength was “great,” more so than his own.72
For this reason, this point is stated in a different aliyah, at the beginning of the fourth aliyah,since – as explained above – it reflects a loftier level of Divine service.
The Mission of Our Generation
8. The above enables us to derive a unique lesson regarding the Divine service required in our generation, for the first name of its leader, my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, was Yosef.
My revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, the Yosef of our generation, opened and paved the way for his students and his shluchim who follow his path – and via them, for the entire Jewish people – to be able to occupy themselves with spreading Torah and Judaism and disseminating the wellsprings of Chassidus in all places and under all circumstances, reaching even “Egypt,” i.e., the remotest spiritual peripheries.73
Moreover, these efforts – even when carried out in “Egypt” – will not detract from their attachment to G‑d. On the contrary, they will have an influence on the entire land of “Egypt,” “compeling all the inhabitants of the world to accept the Commandments given to Noach and his descendants… because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded them in the Torah and informed us through Moshe, our teacher,” as Rambam explicitly rules.74
True, at times, it may initially appear that one’s mission is directed by Elokim – i.e., it involves judgment and the concealment of G‑dliness. In particular, this applies when the concealment could lead to pain and inner anguish. Nevertheless, Yosef conveys the strength to reveal G‑dliness in whatever place a Jew’s mission leads. Indeed, the descent enables him to ascend to an even loftier rung,67 fulfilling the prayer, “May G‑d increase for me another son,”75 reaching peaks incomparably higher than one’s expectations.72
By increasing the energy and intensity in the efforts promoted by Yosef – spreading Torah, Judaism, and the wellsprings of Chassidus outward, reaching even the most extreme peripheries – we hasten and draw closer the complete and ultimate Redemption led by Mashiach. At that time, he will build the Beis HaMikdash in its place, gather the dispersed remnant of the Jewish people, and improve the entire world to serve G‑d together.76 May this take place speedily, in our days.
Likkutei Sichos, Volume 30, P. 222ff. (Adapted from a sichah delivered on 5 Teves, 5747 [1986])