Ask the Rabbi

45:24 “And he told them do not get angry on the way”

Rashi quotes a Gemara in Taanis that says that the Brothers should not stop on the way to discuss Divrei Halacha.

If it is true that the proper understanding of this pasuk is entirely concerned with the brothers learning Halacha then why was Yosef so adamantly against it?

R’ Sorotzkin answers, because they were carrying with themselves a remez to the topic of Eglah Arufa which is what Yosef had last learned with his father. Yosef therefore did not want them to discuss this on the way.

Why then did Yosef not say this straight out? This is very loose language!

Yosef understood that when people learn they often times either have sefarim to refer to or people who they can ask questions to. Only at this point are they able to reach a conclusive end while learning with as little argument as possible.

If they learn on the road however they will continue arguing to no end and they will end out in a skirmish. Yosef is telling them, “don’t argue on the way”, until you get back home and you can discuss these divrei halacha with Yaakov Avinu.

Who Wants Egyptian Wine?

“Uliaviv shalach kazos, asara chamorim nisiim mitov mitzraim” 45:23

'And to his father he sent like this: ten he-donkeys laden of the best of Egypt"

Chazal says that mitov mitzraim is referring to “old wine”which is something that old people enjoy.

Why is old wine seen as something that old people enjoy?

The Baal Tiv Gitten says that Wine is the one and only thing that gets better when it is older rather than younger. Therefore elderly people like old wine because it speaks well for them (the wiser the greater).

The Kihilos Yitzchak asks, why is old wine considered to be the greatest commodity of Mitzraim, it seems that the Egyptians did not know anything about this?! Yaakov was seemingly better off getting his Wine in Eretz Yisrael!

In Sefer Isaiah it says that Mitzraim is called Rahav – which means arrogant (gaaiva), this is because the Egyptians were always entrenched in their own desires and riches this made them baalei gaaiva.

The Gemara in Bava Basra (98) says that the wine of an arrogant person will become vinegar. This is why Mitzraim does not have good wine and Kol Shekein that they do not have aged wine.

For this exact reason Yosef sent Yaakov aged Egyptian wine. He wanted to show his father that he had not learned from the ways of the Egyptians.

This is also why this wine was valuable, because nice wine was hard to come by in Egypt because it would become vinegar because of their arrogance.

The Torah Temima however say that the reason why the wine was so valuable was because when people drink wine they like to drink stuff that is older than they are. This is seen in Megilla (12) by the feast of Achashveirosh, “Viyayin malchus rav” – everyone drank wine that was older than them in years. Therefore it was impossible to find wine that was older than Yaakov in Eretz Yisrael because at that time Yaakov was 130 years old, and Chazal tell us that at that time rain only fell once every 70 years in Eretz Yisrael. This is why Yosef sent Yaakov old wine from Egypt.

5 = 1... only on Purim!

After meeting with Yosef, Yosef gives his brothers all gifts to bring home. He gives all of the brothers Chalifos and Simlaos and then he gives Binyamin, 300 kesef and 5 dresses. These 5 garments/suits are nirmaz to a time when someone from Binyamin’s tribe would be destined to wear 5 Garments: Mordechai, wore the Kings royal garb; Techeiles, Vichor, Viateres zahav gidola, Vitachrich Bootz, and Argaman.

Q: Why didn’t Yosef even think about the possibility that the brothers would get jealous again like they did with him?

A: the Gr”a answers that in reality although Yosef gave Binyamin garments they were collectively worth just as much as the single garments that were given to the rest of the brothers.

Q: If they were all worth the same amount then why not give Binyamin 1 or all of the tribes 5?

A: Because like the earlier Nivua which Rashi discusses when Yosef cries on his “shoulders” because of the Beis Hamikdash, Yosef was hinting to another event that would eventually happen in Jewish history; Mordechai and Esther in Shushan.

I Missed You

In this weeks Parsha we see the reuniting of Yosef and Yaakov after 22 years of separation.

The pasuk says, (46:29,30) “Yosef harnessed his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he appeared to him, fell on his neck, and he wept on his neck excessively. Then Israel said to Yosef, I can die this time, after my having seen your face, because you are still alive.”

In Meseches Brachos( 58: ), as well as in the Tur Shulchan Aruch Siman 225 it says that if someone sees his friend after not seeing him for 30 days he should say a Shehechiyanu. If he hasn’t seen him for 12 months then he should say a “baruch michayei mesiim” because he is elated to see him after not seeing him for such a long time. All of these brachos should be said with shem and malchus as well.

If a person receives a letter from a friend who he has not seen for over a month, there are those Achronim who hold that a Shehechiyanu is required. The Mishna Brura paskins that safek brachos lihakel. By michayei meisim however, everyone agrees that a baruch michayei meisim is not said, if he had heard from him within the year.

The reason for this is written in the sefer chiddushei agados which says that the entire reason for why the bracha of michayei meisim is said is because every year people are judged between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur to see whether or not they will live or die. Therefore if one does not see someone from one Y”K to the next then a aruch michayei meisim is definitely in order but if one hears from him then it is not in order because the din is understandable.( According to this if someone does not see his friend for even 10 days from before R”H to after Y”K of the same year he would have to say a baruch michayei meisim)

This din does not differ whether it is for a man or a woman. If one is elated to see his/her friend then a bracha is in order. A man however only makes this bracha on his wife, mother, sister, and daughter. If this is true then for a woman then it would follow a similar scale; husband, father, brother and son.

The Mishna Brura says that if someone goes over 12 months without seeing a friend then a “baruch michayei meisim is said and not a shehechiyanu”. If one sees a “Chacham mei chachei Yisroel” then one should say on him, “asher chalak mikivodo lireiav” in addition to a michayei meisim and a shehechiyanu if you hadn’t seen him within 30 days.

If someone had never seen his friend and their relationship is entirely dependent upon being a “penpal”. After seeing them for the first time a bracha is NOT said. This because your relationship is not dependant on a personal relationship. Only once they become accustomed with each other’s physical appearance only then is a bracha said.

The Pri Megadim says that if a someones wife gives birth while he is in midinas hayam then after seeing the child for the first time a shehechiyanu / baruch michayei hameisim is said because you are immediately elated to see your own child.

The Ben Ish Chai says that a person should never say one of these brachos with shem hashem or malchus and the Kaf HaChaim says, that if one is in such a town where they are not noheg to say this bracha then they should say shehechiyanu without shem hashem and malchus and should say “baruch michayei meisim in his heart. This same thing applies with a new kid who is born to a man in a place where they are not noheg to say the bracha. He should eat a new fruit and have the baby in mind when eating the fruit.

R’ Ephraim Greenblatt says in his sefer, “Rivivos Ephraim”, that never in his life had he ever seen anyone say these brachos on seeing a person a new after not seeing each other for a while. He suggests that the reason for this is because people do not know how happy they have to be to see a person in order to say these brachos!

Parshas Vayigash - "Name That Tune"

Quickie/ Funfact - "And Yisrael settled in the Land of Mitzraim in the land of Goshen". Obviously Yaakov was going to be in Mitzraim why do we need this to be repeated?

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein answers that while he was in "gaalus", in Mitzraim, Yaakov wanted to make sure that his family would not mingle with the Egyptians. He realized that as a result of mingling the "Jewish" cause would be lost. Therefore while he had to be in Mitzraim, he made sure to settle in Goshen, an alienated place.

Earlier this week I was talking to my good friend R' Moshe Yosef Schertz Shlit"a and this is what came out of our conversation…

At the end of last week's Parsha the Torah left off discussing the tragic discovery of a royal goblet in the sack of Binyamin. Yosef, knowing well that Binyamin was his brother, takes Binyamin prisoner because of "his" criminal act. At the beginning of this week's Parsha, Yehuda approaches Pharoah with a request; that Binyamin be left unharmed and returned back to his family.

It seems however that Yehuda makes this request not only for the good of Binyamin and Yaakov but in fact to salvage his own Olam Haba.

Fore it was written in (43:8-9), "…send the lad with me, and let us arise and go, so we will lie and we will not die, neither we nor you nor our children. I will guarantee him; of my own hand and you can demand him. If I do not bring him back to you…then I will have sinned to you for all time."

Rashi commenting on the words, "I will have sinned to you for all time" says, that Yehuda was willing to forfeit his "Olam Haba".

(44:18) "Vayigash Eilav Yehuda, Bi Adoni…" "Then Yehuda approached him and said, if you please my lord…."

The (Gr"a) Vilna Gaon, commenting on this first Pasuk of Parshas Vayigash makes a very interesting observation. He says that Yehuda's motives can be detected through the cantillation notes of the pasuk itself!

"Kadmah VeAzlah Revii Zarkah Munach Segol"

"Got up and went, the fourth (Yehuda) who threw away rest eternal"

Yehuda went to save the life of his brother because he knew that if he did not return Binyamin safely; his Eternal life would be in permanent jeopardy.

In Parshas Lech Lecha we discussed what makes our stay in Olam Haba most enjoyable. The Slonimer Rav says that, yes, it is true, we will all merit to get Olam Haba but the way that we anticipate it while alive is what will make it most enjoyable

Yehuda's wishes and motives were not uncanny or selfish but in fact they were correct and admirable. So much so, that they are hinted to in the way that we sing the beginning of the Parsha.

HAVE A GREAT SHABBOS!