Vayigash begins with the continuation of the climactic scene in which Joseph tests – and finally reveals himself to – his brothers. Moved by Judah’s impassioned plea for Benjamin’s freedom, in return for which he declares himself ready to take Benjamin’s place as a slave, Joseph discloses his identity and the estrangement of the brothers comes to an end. On…
…so it is for us. That is the force of the word that gives our parsha its name: Vayigash. “And he came close.” Then Judah came close to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.” Gen. 44:18 For…
The Summary This summary is adapted from this week’s main Covenant & Conversation essay by Rabbi Sacks. To kick off Vayigash, Rabbi Sacks quotes Schopenhauer’s question, “What do porcupines do in winter?” In trying to stay warm, porcupines face a dilemma. If they huddle too close together they will injure each other. But if they remain too far apart, they…
Maimonides called his ideal type of human being – the sage – a rofeh nefashot, a “healer of souls”.[1] Today we call such a person a psychotherapist, a word coined relatively recently from the Greek word psyche, meaning “soul”, and therapeia, “healing”. It is astonishing how many of the pioneering soul-healers in modern times have been Jewish. Almost all the…
…Hass Robinson now shares her own reflections on Rabbi Sacks’ essay for Vayigash. Do you have a favourite quote from Rabbi Sacks’ essay this week? Yes, I do! My favourite quote for this week has to be, “We cannot change the past, but by changing the way we think about the past, we can change the future.” What do these…
…correspond to the three times in the Hebrew Bible where the word Vayigash, “and he drew close,” is used in connection with prayer. The first is the moment when Abraham hears of God’s intention to destroy Sodom and Gemorah and the cities of the plain. “Abraham approached [vayigash] and said: Will You sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ….
The Parsha in a Nutshell Vayigash begins with the scene that is the dramatic climax to the story that began in last week’s parsha, in which Yosef finally reveals himself to his brothers. Moved by Judah’s emotional and passionate appeal for Benjamin’s freedom, in return for which he declares himself ready to take Benjamin’s place as a slave, Yosef reveals…
…they who survived the Babylonian exile. So it was not Joseph but Judah who conferred his identity on the people, Judah who became the ancestor of Israel’s greatest king, David, Judah from whom the messiah will be born. Why Judah, not Joseph? The answer undoubtedly lies in the beginning of Vayigash, as the two brothers confront one another, and Judah…
…turned out otherwise. Joseph’s descendants, the tribes of Ephraim and Menashe, disappeared from the pages of history after the Assyrian conquest in 722 BCE, while Judah’s descendants, starting with David, became kings. The tribe of Judah survived the Babylonian conquest, and it is Judah whose name we bear as a people. We are Yehudim, “Jews.” This week’s parsha of Vayigash…
…the son he had once loved. That is why he never sent a message to Jacob that he was still alive. If this is so, it sheds new light on the great opening scene of Vayigash. What was it in Judah’s speech that made Joseph break down in tears and finally reveal his identity to his brothers? One answer is…