B"H

Thursday, Kislev 21, 5779 / November 29, 2018

This week's Parsha, Vayeishev, describes the special relationship that Yaakov had with his son Joseph.  The Torah says, "Israel [Yaakov] loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son born to him in his old age; and he made him a coat of many colors."  Yaakov's special relationship with Joseph caused jealousy and rift between the brothers and Joseph.

We read about Joseph's dreams which he told his brothers, for which they hated him even more.

In his first dream, he and his brothers were out in the field binding sheaves when his brothers’ sheaves bowed down to his. In the second dream, the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed to him. The eleven stars refer to his eleven brothers, further increasing their jealousy and hatred for him.

Later, when Yaakov sends Joseph out to the field to check on his brothers, they remove the coat of many colors and put him in a pit. They then sell him to a caravan of merchants and Joseph ends up in Egypt where he is sold as a slave to Potifar. The brothers show Yaakov the Joseph’s coat, which they dipped in blood. This gives Yaakov the impression that Joseph was devoured by an animal.

In Egypt, Joseph refuses the advances of Potifar's wife and he runs out of the house. She later complains to her husband that it was Joseph who wanted to force himself upon her, which results in Joseph being imprisoned.

At the end of the Parsha, Joseph properly interprets the dreams of the king's butler and baker who were also in prison. In next week's Parsha, Mikeitz, Joseph is summoned to interpret King Pharaoh's dreams, as a result of which Pharaoh appoints him ruler over Egypt.

All these years, Yaakov thought that Joseph was devoured by a wild animal and he mourned after all these years.  Only later did Yaakov come to Egypt where he was re-united with Joseph.

Q.   How many years were Yaakov and Joseph separated?

A.   For 22 years. He was sold at the age of 17 and reunited with his father, in Egypt, at 39.

Q.   What did Yaakov deserve such harsh punishment for 22 years?

A.  It was measure for measure for the 22 years which Yaakov was away from his parents. He spent 20 years with his father-in-law and two more years on the road returning home.

There is a silver lining in this story. Although it was a punishment, Joseph's ending up in Egypt was ordained by Divine Providence to also benefit Yaakov’s family. G-d told Abraham, many years earlier, that his descendants would be enslaved in a foreign land. By Joseph being sold to the Egyptian, which resulted in his becoming ruler of Egypt it made Yaakov’s transition to Egypt much easier.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY