Weekly Reading Insights

Overview of the Weekly Reading

To be read on Shabbat Vayigash, 5 Tevet 5772/Dec. 31

Torah: Gen. 44:18-47:27; Haftorah: Ezekiel 37:15-28 (a prophecy of the ultimate resolution of the division between "Yehuda" and "Yosef")

Vayigash is the 11th Reading out of 12 in Genesis and it contains 5680 letters, in 1480 words, in 106 verses

Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27) opens with Yehuda begging Yosef (who had yet to reveal his true identity) to allow Benyamin to return home to Yaacov, and to keep Yehuda, instead. At this point, Yosef could not restrain his emotions any longer and declared his identity. He sent his brothers to bring Yaacov and the rest of their families to live in Egypt. Yaacov journeyed to Egypt to meet Yosef. On the way, G-d promised Yaacov that his offspring would become a great nation in Egypt. The portion then lists the individuals who went to Egypt which totaled 70. Yosef went out to greet his father. Yosef then took Yaacov to meet Pharaoh who allowed the family to live in Goshen as it was good shepherding land. The parsha concludes describing how the people of Egypt used up their money buying food during the famine. Eventually they had to sell their cattle and livestock to buy food. When this too was expended, they even sold their land to Pharaoh. Yosef moved the people from on side of the country to the other, and required them to give 1/5 of their crops to Pharaoh. Only the Egyptian priests were provided with food at no cost and owned their land. Meanwhile the Jewish nation grew.

This Shabbos, Parshas Vayigash is when we integrate and elevate the energy and lessons we gained and learned from Chanukah, and begin to apply them to the entire year.

The holiday of Chanukah is tied to oil--both because the evil decree of the Greeks to "defile all of the oil" (Talmud Shabbos 21/b) in the holy temple and also because of the miracle of finding one single pitcher of oil for the temple's candelabra that was still sealed with the stamp of the High Priest and that instead of one day, stayed lit for 8 days. This is why so much of Chanukah is connected to oil, including lighting our menorahs [preferably] with oil and eating fried foods like latkes and doughnuts.

In Chassidus and Kabbalah, oil symbolizes wisdom. Just like wisdom is the highest and most sublime element of a person, so also oil always rises to the top of any mixture. Just like wisdom can transform a person by affecting all aspects of their behavior, similarly oil is able to seep through almost any material from one side to another.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote in 1957 that "defiling all of the oils" is not just part of the Chanukah story, it is also a hint that the Greeks intended to take away the power and strength of the G-d conscious wisdom of the Jew's holy soul, defile it and replace it with secular, G-dless wisdom. In other words, they wanted to assimilate us.

In response was the miracle: "one pitcher of oil sealed with seal of the High Priest" was found. The divine power of wisdom in the holy soul, the "oil", was able to miraculously stay lit for the entire time, 8 days (7 days, the days in a week, is the normal natural cycle; 8 refers to beyond the natural). And it stayed lit until they were able to acquire pure oil in a natural way. On a spiritual level, until they were able to regain control of the spiritual life of the community.

Holidays are not just commemorations of events that happened in the past. Rather, by doing the commandments associated with the holidays we relive the event in our lives now. This is the second blessing we say on the Chanukah Lights, Blessed are you G-d, Lord of the universe Who made miracles for our forefathers in their time and in our times.

This is the lesson of Chanukah for us today. In this difficult and dark time of exile, when (Shabbos 21/b) "the sun is setting" and is leading us into the night, (the appropriate time to fulfill the commandment of lighting of the Chanukah lights), we have to be especially wary of defiled oil, G-dless wisdom. Further, we have to shine, both to ourselves and out to others. This is why some fulfill the commandment to light the Chanukah lights by lighting in their outer doorway and some by lighting in their window, to shine out to affect others. Some light in an inner doorway, to shine the light to their household, the same idea. And we light with pure oil, analogous to holy wisdom. Through this the holy wisdom can permeate to one's very core and to his surroundings, his portion of the world. When each of us does this, we illuminate the entire world.

We find similar statements in this week's Torah portion. After Yosef reveals his identity to his shocked brothers, he says (chap. 45, verse 5), "And now, do not be sad and do not be angry with yourselves that you sold me here, for it was to save our lives that G-d sent me before you." Later in the portion, G-d says to Jacob, "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, because…I will go down with you and I will take you out from there." The Torah is clearly telling us that even when a person is faced with great obstacles, we have to not only move forward, we have to know that G-d is with us and will help us succeed. Knowing that G-d is with us is the key to success.

A person who knows G-d is with him not only does not get distracted, he does not get unhappy. Unhappiness comes from a fear of loss. If I have nothing to lose, because it is all up to G-d, then there is nothing to feel bad about. It is said about the Rebbe Shlomo of Karlin, that he would not even touch the garment of a sad person. Rabbi Yisroel of Rushin would say that anyone who wants to connect to G-d must never allow himself to be overcome with sadness, as it says (I Chron.16:27), "In His place is only strength and love." Someone who is constantly sad is out of the Shechina's sanctuary. The Baal Shem Tov teaches that while sadness is not a sin, it leads to sin. Happiness that stems from doing the commandments is not always accessible to each person; happiness because we are G-d's chosen people is.

(for a free weekly email subscription, click here)
For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this week's Reading, see the archive.

FROM THE CHASSIDIC REBBES

"Here is seed grain for you, and you shall sow the ground." (47:23)
Joseph provided the seed but the people did the work of planting and harvesting. So, too, when we receive spiritual sustenance from the "Joseph" of our generation, its spiritual leaders, we must not be satisfied with our own survival; we must plant these spiritual seeds and actualize their potential.
(Lubavitcher Rebbe Chumash)

For more than a decade of "From the Chasidic Rebbes" on this Weekly Reading, see our archives

MOSHIACH THIS WEEK

Chanuka

Our kindling the Chanuka lights embodies more than just the commandment itself. Kabalists write that the light emanating from our Chanuka lights is of the stature of the light that was present during the days of creation, which was removed from this world and is stored away, to once again be present for the righteous in the days of Mashiach.

(from LChaim 1050, with permission)

Vayigash

When Yosef sent his brothers to bring his father Yaakov to Egypt, he sent to his father 10 male donkeys and 10 female donkeys loaded with all the best and finest things in all of Egypt. In reward for honoring his father in this way, G-d will redeem his descendants, the Children of Israel, through Mashiach. Because of his great humility, Mashiach is described as, "A poor person riding on a male donkey, on the offspring of a female donkey." (Zechariah 9:9).

[Sources: Midrash Lekach Tov quoted in Torah Shleimah 45:81. Adapted from Discover Moshiach in the Weekly Torah Portion, as published on mashiach.org]

For nearly a decade of "Moshiach This Week " on this Weekly Reading, see our archives

From the Kabbalah Commentaries on the Chumash ("5 Books of Moses")

13th century - "RambaN" - Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman

14th century - "Bachya" - Rabbi Bachya ben Asher

16th century - "Alsheich" - Rabbi Moshe Alshech of Tsfat

18th century - "Ohr HaChayim" - Rabbi Chaim Ben Attar

a sample for this week:

Alsheich

"I am Yosef! Is my father still alive? ....I am Joseph your brother. You sold me into Egypt...." [45:3-4]

Why does Joseph immediately ask 'is my father still alive'?
Why did Joseph have to repeat "I am Joseph your brother!?"

Joseph, who had reached a stage when he could no longer suppress his tears, because his pity had been stirred up, called out 'I am Joseph'. In order that his brothers should not think that what was uppermost in his mind was the abuse he had suffered from his brothers, he immediately asked about his father. He did not want his brothers to think that his tears were for himself, but to know that they were for the anguish his father had suffered. In the event the reader would think that the brothers' inability to respond was due to their not believing Joseph, the Torah explained that they felt too ashamed to make a reply.

Alternately, Joseph expressed amazement that G-d had not made him privy to the fact that his father was still alive although the holy spirit had departed from him until he received the news that Joseph was alive (45:27) and, "the spirit of their father revived."

Once the brothers that Joseph had not changed his name, that he referred to himself as Joseph, they approached him to examine his features and to confirm that the tzelem elokim, the image of G-d, was still visible on his face. When the brothers saw that his face shone, reflected spiritual purity, they were overcome.

(adapted from Torat Moshe - the 16th commentary of Rabbi Moshe Alshech of Zefat on the Torah, as translated and condensed in the English version of Eliyahu Munk)

For the rest of "The Masters of Kabbala and Chumash" on this Weekly Reading; and on all the other Readings.

A MYSTICAL CHASSIDIC DISCOURSE

Specifically, for an overview of the recommended articles in the columns:
Holy Zohar, Holy Ari, Mystic Classics, Chasidic Masters, Contemporary Kabbalists, and more,
click to Vayigash

From Shenei Luchot HaBrit by Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz; translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk.

Joseph in his capacity of the tzadik, the pillar of the world, had been the pipeline that made the kingdom of Judah possible and eventually the appearance of the Divine Presence on earth as manifest in the Holy Temple. Had Joseph not reigned as king in Egypt, King David may not have emanated from the tribe of Judah, and Israel might never have been forged into a single nation.

Re-instatement of the dynasty of David will again be preceded by the Kingdom of Joseph; Mashiach ben Joseph will precede the arrival of the Mashiach ben David. After the arrival of the Mashiach ben David, the Kingdom of Israel will reunite with the Kingdom of David and the Davidic dynasty will be restored to the Jewish people as an everlasting kingdom.

For another taste of recommended Kabbalah articles on a variety of subjects,
click to the our weekly Kabbalah magazine

The observance of nearly all the holidays, including Shabbat, is centered around festive meals. The only exception is Chanukah, where by rabbinical decree, the lighting of the candles is not only the primary celebration, it is the only celebration unique to the holiday. This serves to focus our attention on the miracle of the oil staying lit for 8 days, and not on the military victory over the Greeks. The reason for this is that the Greeks did not seek to kill us, but to make us forget our Judaism (see the paragraph "al hanisim" ["on the miracles"] that is added in the Amida and in Grace After Meals) and accept their philosophies and approach to life.

Weekly Reading Insights: 5772

a sample for this week:

Alsheich

Weekly Reading Insights:
5772