CHAMISHOH MI YODEI'A - FIVE QUESTIONS ON THE WEEKLY SEDRAH - PARSHAS VA'YIGASH 5770 - BS"D

2) Ch. 45, v. 4: "Asher m'chartem osi Mitzroimoh" - The Rashbam on 37:28 says that Yoseif's brothers did not sell him, but rather the Midyonim lifted him out of the pit and sold him to the Yish'm'eilim. He then explains the words of our verse, "Asher M'CHARTEM osi Mitzroimoh" to mean that you have CAUSED me to be sold. Why didn't the Rashbam simply explain these words to mean that "you have sold me" and explain that Yoseif logically assumed that when others pulled him out, that they had purchased him as a slave from his brothers?

3) Ch. 45, v. 26-27: "V'chi hu mosheil......ki lo he'emin eis kol divrei Yoseif" - Why did they first only mention that Yoseif was the ruler of Egypt, and only after "their father did not believe them" did they go on to relate the rest of Yoseif's words of verses 10,11, and 13?

4) Ch. 46, v. 1: "Va'yisa Yaakov v'chol asher lo va'yovo Beiroh Shova" - Yoseif sent wagons for the transport of Yaakov's household and belongings (45:19). We find that Yaakov used them, as mentioned later in verse 5, "Va'yisu es Yaakov …… bo'agolos." Why was no mention of the wagons made in our verse?

5) Ch. 46, v. 27: "Kol ha'nefesh ...... shivim" - The gemara Sotoh 12a and B.B. 123a says that Yocheved, the daughter of Levi, was born upon entry into Egypt. This explains why the Torah says that 70 souls of Yaakov's family went to Egypt, while upon counting the people listed we only find 69. According to this, she was conceived during the time of famine that had also effected the land of Canaan. The gemara Taanis 11a says that during the time of famine one should not have relations with his wife. This is derived from the verse in Breishis 41:50 which says that "to Yoseif were born two sons BEFORE the onset of the years of famine." How then was Levi permitted to have relations with his wife during the famine?

ANSWERS:

#1

The Holy Alshich answers that when they thought that they would ALL become slaves, Yehudoh felt that this was Divine retribution, as they were all (see Ohr Hachaim Hakodosh regarding Binyomin's innocence) guilty for the sale of Yoseif as a slave, but now that only Binyomin was going to be enslaved, Yehudoh realized that this was not Divine punishment, but rather trumped up charges by Yoseif.

#2

Possibly Yoseif had a discussion with them and they told him that they found him in the pit and simply took him as a slave. Alternatively, he did not know his brothers' intentions and judged them favourably, thinking that they threw him into the pit to scare him and show him their displeasure with his earlier actions. This gave him no right to assume that they would sell him as a slave.

However, there might be a more compelling reason for the Rashbam to have to "squeeze" his interpretation into the word M'CHARTEM. Rashi (M.R. 91:8) on the words "Va'ye'esor oso L'EINEIHEM" (42:24), says that Yoseif only had Shimon incarcerated as long as his brothers were still in front of him, but as soon as they left he released Shimon and wined and dined him. No doubt this means that he told Shimon that he was Yoseif and asked him to play along in the future as the story would unfold. Otherwise Shimon could not fathom why he was released and upon the return of his brothers would tell them that he was immediately released. This might possibly lead to their figuring out that he was Yoseif and that is why he treated Shimon in a brotherly manner. No doubt Yoseif wanted to avoid this scenario, so he must have let out everything to Shimon.

Surely Shimon reacted by asking Yoseif how he ended up as the viceroy in Egypt since the brothers never sold him and upon returning to the pit found it empty. Yoseif responded that the Midyonim to whom he was sold by the brothers sold him to Yish'm'eilim who brought him down to Egypt. Shimon set him straight by telling him that by the time that they returned to the pit he was already gone and the Midyonim took him of their own volition.

So Yoseif already knew that he was not sold by the brothers, and therefore the Rashbam explains the word M'CHARTEM as "you have CAUSED me to be sold.

#3

Although Yoseif requested that they relate the details of his exalted and honourable position, they knew that their father was interested in ONE THING ONLY. Was Yoseif still true to the Torah? They therefore said that he was "MOSHEIL b'chol eretz Mitzroyim," that he had mastery over Egypt, and not that Egypt had mastered over him and changed his values. This their father did not believe. After all, Yoseif had been on his own for twenty-two years with no support from anyone. The brothers hoped their elaboration would convince Yaakov, but it wasn't until he saw the "agolos," the wagons, which were an indication that Yoseif was still connected to the Torah they had studied together, that Yaakov was convinced.

#4

The Mahari"l Diskin answers that Yaakov began his journey to Mitzrayim without delay. However he stopped at the southern end of Eretz Yisroel, as he was reluctant to leave Eretz Yisroel without receiving permission from Hashem to do so. Hashem appeared to him and told him to descend (verses 2-4). On his trip to Beir Sheva he was not sure that he would go to Egypt, so he had no permission to make use of the transportation offered by Paroh, as it was only given to bring him to Egypt, which he was not yet sure that he would do. Only after receiving permission from Hashem did he make use of the wagons.

#5

Tosfos on the above-mentioned gemara asks this question in d.h. "Ossur." Rabbi Eliyohu Mizrachi answers that since Levi did not have a daughter yet, he had not fulfilled the mitzvoh of "pru ur'vu," reproducing, which is only fulfilled when one has a son and a daughter (E.H. #1:5). He was therefore permitted to reproduce even during a famine. The Beis Yoseif on the Tur O.Ch. #574 asks on R.E.M. from the above-mentioned gemara. Why did Yoseif refrain from reproducing during the famine since he also had no daughter and had not yet fulfilled the mitzvoh of "pru ur'vu?"

The Ponim Yofos answers this question by first posing another difficulty. Even if a man were permitted to reproduce during the time of a famine in pursuit of "pru ur'vu," but how may his wife be involved? She does not have this mitzvoh, and does have the restriction during a famine. He answers that halachic commentators on E.H. #1 say that a woman does have a mitzvoh of repopulating the world on a replacement basis, meaning that she should have one child, male or female to replace herself. This is in fulfillment of the verse, "Losheves y'tzoroh lo sohu v'ro'oh" (Yeshayohu 45:18). We see from the gemara Sanhedrin 58b that Yocheved was only a paternal sister to her three brothers. We may assume that the mother of Yocheved had no previous children, thus she was permitted to reproduce during the time of famine to comply with "Losheves y'tzoroh," and Levi was permitted in pursuit of the mitzvoh of "p'ru ur'vu."

This was not the case with Yoseif. He had two sons from his wife Osnas, and although he had permission to reproduce to fulfill "p'ru ur'vu," Osnas was not allowed as she already had two sons. This would explain why in the verse from which we derive the restriction during a famine (Breishis 41:50), the Torah stresses that Yoseif's two sons were born from Osnas, "U'l'Yoseif yulad shnei vonim b'terem tovo shnas horo'ov ASHER YOLDOH LO OSNAS." Had they been born from another woman and Osnas would still be childless, Yoseif would have been permitted to pursue "p'ru ur'vu" and Osnas would have been permitted to pursue "losheves y'tzoroh." (Ponim Yofos)

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