Bostoner Torah Insights: Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English Parshas Vayeishev – 23 Kislev 5786
Bostoner Torah Insights - Yerushalayim
Bostoner Torah Insights
Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English
Parshas Vayeishev – 23 Kislev 5786
Bostoner Rebbe shlit’a – Yerushalayim
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From the beginning of Sefer Bereishis until our Parsha it was rare for a son to die a natural death before the father. It seems quite striking that in Parshas Vayeishev we find two sons of Yehudah, Er and Onan, who are killed in his lifetime, seemingly Misah B’dei Shamayim, a punishment from Heaven.
Perhaps this punishment came to Yehudah as a middah k’neged middah. Hashem had promised Yaakov, as Rashi explains on the pasuk in Vayishlach (35:11), that ‘goy’ refers to Binyamin, and ‘kahal goyim’ refers to Menashe and Ephraim, who would come from Yosef, and who would be counted among the Shevatim. Accordingly, Yosef’s disappearance caused Yaakov tremendous pain — both because the son he loved was gone, and because the two shevatim destined to come from Yosef seemed lost as well.
In the narrative of selling Yosef, the Daas Zekenim explains the words ‘Chayah Ra’ah Achalas’hu’ with a sharp insight. Yehudah is called an ‘Aryeh’ a lion. Since he was the one who advised the brothers to sell Yosef, he was ultimately responsible for his disappearance. If Yehudah had instead instructed the brothers to to bring Yosef back home, they would have listened to him.
The Baalei Tosfos (Beraishis 37:32) explain ‘Vayishl’chu Es Ketones Hapasim’. Some say the brothers sent it through a messenger, who brought it to their father. Others say they themselves brought it to Yaakov so they would have an excuse ready to say ‘Tarof Toraf Yosef.’ The Baal HaTurim brings the connection with ‘Haker Na’, which only appears twice in Tanach. Yehudah used these words to mislead Yaakov (Beraishis 37:32), so he was punished with the same words Middah K’neged Middah, which Tamar then uses to remind Yehudah what he had done (Beraishis 38:25).
From here we can assume that the death of Yehudah’s two sons was also Middah K’neged Middah. He caused the situation where Yaakov feared he would not have the two Shevatim destined to come from Yosef. Yaakov mourned for Yosef for twenty-two years. Yaakov says “Eired El Beni Aveil Sheolah’ (Beraishis 37:35). On the simple level it means that Yaakov will mourn until the day he is placed in the grave. Chazal explain that it refers to Gehinnom, since Yaakov had a tradition from Hashem that if none of his sons died during his lifetime, he was guaranteed he would not see Gehinnom. So Yaakov feared that maybe his Mitah was not Shalem and that he would be held accountable.
Next week in Parshas Miketz (Beraishis 42:38), when Reuven suggests that he would allow his two sons to be killed if he did not bring back Binyamin, Rashi explains that Yaakov did not accept his offer, because having more dead grandchildren would not make Yaakov feel as though the death of Binyamin were avenged. Reuven was expressing that he should be punished Middah K’neged Middah if he returned without Binyamin and still didn’t find Yosef, as he felt responsible for them both.
But Yehudah understood that Reuven’s words applied to him. Yehudah had already received punishment for selling Yosef by losing two sons. Therefore, in Parshas Miketz Yehudah offers to be an Areiv. As Rashi explains, Yehudah was willing to give up his Olam HaBa if Binyamin was not returned to his father. Yehudah understood that his actions had severed the Shlaymus of the twelve tribes of Yisroel. Now he was ready to sacrifice everything in the next world for the restoration of Klal Yisroel and the Shivtei Kah in this world.
In the days of Chanukah, Matisyahu and his sons did the same. They were willing to give up everything for the Shleimus of Torah and Yiddishkeit. And this is our avodah on Chanukah: to think about how we can help ourselves, our families, and the people close to us gain new ‘Oros of Chanukah’ that will uplift us, our homes, and our friends, all the way until the coming of the Geulah Sheleimah, speedily in our days.