B"H

Tuesday, Tevet 3, 5776 / December 15, 2015 – HAKHEL YEAR

This week’s Parsha is Vayigash, which is the 11th Parsha in the Book of Genesis.

In this Parsha the Torah tells the story of how Joseph, who was the ruler of Egypt, reveals his identity to his brothers, who many years earlier sold him into slavery.

The Parsha also tells how Yaakov and his family all moved to Egypt to be with Joseph. With this move began the Jewish exile in Egypt. The harsh slave labor actually started many years later. However, with Yaakov and his family leaving the Land of Canaan (Israel) and coming to settle in Egypt, we begin the count of the exile in Egypt.

Q.    How many years was Joseph away from his father and brothers?

A. Twenty two years. Joseph was seventeen when he was sold to the Egyptians and he was thirty nine when his brothers came to Egypt and he reveals his identity to them.  

Q.  For Joseph it all worked out well in the end. He became ruler of the land of Egypt and was in charge of the enormous food distribution. But why did his father, Yaakov, deserve to be punished so harshly as not to know Joseph’s whereabouts for twenty two years?

A.  Many years earlier, Yaakov left his parents and went to Lavan to marry his daughters. Yaakov was away from his parents at that time for twenty two years. By the time he returned, his mother had already passed away. Joseph’s being away from Yaakov was a punishment for the years that Yaakov was away from his parents and didn’t fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of honoring his parents. Joseph’s being away for twenty two years was a punishment measure for measure to Yaakov.

Q.  With Yaakov’s moving to Egypt began the Egyptian exile. How long did they live in Egypt until the Exodus from Egypt?

A.  They lived in Egypt for two hundred and ten years.

Q.  How many people did Yaakov’s family number when they came to Egypt.

A. Together with Joseph and his two sons (who were in Egypt already) and Yocheved, Moshe’s mother, who was born as they entered Egypt, they were seventy people. This number includes only Yaakov’s descendants. It doesn’t include their wives.

Q.  What did Joseph tell his brothers to ease their embarrassment that they sold him into slavery?

A.  He said to them, “Don’t be upset or angry with yourselves that you sold me to this place, for now we see that G-d sent me here ahead of you to save your lives… It was not you who sent me here, but G-d…”

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY