BS”D

Vayehi – The Real Secret Code

Dr M Bank

A Guten Erev Shabbos. This weeks parsha is parshas Vayehi. All about the end of Yaakov Avinu’s life in this world, the blessings he leaves for his sons and for world history. Why did H’shem take away his Nevuah when he was about to reveal the end of days to his sons?

The brochos were intrinsically meant to sustain the world. They weren’t just individual brochos to individual sons. This was a compilation of brochos that was critical for the continuation of Am Yisrael and the world at large. Then we are going to explore this week’s parsha’s intrinsic secret. I’d like to call this week’s parsha ‘The Real Secret Code’.

The parsha is unique because there is no space between it and the preceding parsha. Generally a sedra begins on a new line. Rashi describes Vayehi as stuma, closed. This describes something about Yaakov’s children when he passed away. The hearts of Israel were closed to suffering the intense despair of slavery. Immediately after his death a spiritual exile began. This was really a plunge into darkness. In the face of the physical and emotional challenges of slavery, Yaakov wanted to tell his children about the messianic age when the exile would end, but he was prevented when his vision was closed. It was hidden from him even after it had been revealed to him by way of nevua. The secret message that he was about to tell his sons was too important for even his sons to be zoche to. A tremendous insight develops from that.

The levaya of Yaakov Avinu was probably the biggest of world history. There had never been a levaya like his in the history of the world and there would never be one of such magnitude. The whole of Egypt came to the funeral. This must have been a vast number of people. Food was no problem for Yosef, he had enough food to feed the entire world. The 31 Kings of Canaan came. This was the most compelling compilation of all the powers of the civilised world of the time. They paid homage by placing their crowns on his coffin. Esav, who was living in Mount Seir, heard about his brother’s death. He too came to mourn for him with his sons and their followers. All of these together with Yaakov’s family, most importantly, came together to mourn for the loss of the greatest Tzadik in the world and to eulogise him. Keren Ora on Bereishis 50, 10 brings a braisa that the eulogy was so overpowering that even the horses and donkeys were crying. Animals can express pain and Bilam’s donkey even spoke to him. Once the burial party came to the Maarat HaMachpela, Esav came and put up an obstacle. Esav said, this cave is called Kiryat Arba, the City of Four because there is only room for the burial of 4 pairs. Who were these four pairs, according to Rav Yitzhak? Adam and Chava, Avraham and Sara, Yitzhak and Rivka and one other. Maseches Sota Daf ^.יג. The Egyptians are mentioned before Yosef’s brothers on the way to the levaya, but the brothers are mentioned first on their return. R’ Yochanan explains that at the beginning they had little respect for the brothers. After they witnessed the awesome honour bestowed upon the Tzadik HaOlam of their generation, the Egyptians treatedthem with tremendous respect and let them return ahead. They came to Goren – ‘the threshing floor of the thorns’. What does this mean? Abahu said, it teaches us that many Kings surrounded Yaakov’s coffin with their crowns, similar to a threshing floor that people surround with thorn bushes as a security measure. The Maharsha and Bereishia Rabba explain that when they saw Yosef’s crown hanging on the coffin, they all took off their crowns and hung them there as if to say, our crown has fallen. The action of Yosef, the superpower in the world, towards his father awakened in everybody the realisation of Yaakov’s stature in the eyes of the entire world. They surrounded the coffin with their crowns as if to say, just as the thorn bushes surrounding the threshing floor exist only for the wheat being produced there, so too, this entire world exists only for the sake of Yaakov. They reaised at that moment that despite their Kingdoms and their armies, they were only peripheral aspects of G-d’s creation, a collection of thorns, while Yaakov was the essence of creation (Brachosו:).

The descendants of Esav, Ishmael and Ketura all came there. The baraisa taught that they all came to do battle to prevent Yaakov being buried there. Esav and his men physically tried to stop the brothers, claiming that Maaras haMachpela was reserved for Esav and that they had no right to bury Yaakov there. This angered Yosef and the brothers because when Yitzhak died, Yaakov purchased not only Maaras HaMachpela but also the entire Eretz Canaan for a vast sum of money. Sotah ^.יג explains, there was room for just one more couple. Yaakov buried Leah there. They told Esav, ‘you sold your rights to our father Yaakov for a pot of lentils, going back to Bereishis 25, 29’. Esav admitted that he sold the bechor, the extra portion, but claimed he was still entitled to a single portion. At the time of Yitzhak’s fuineral, Yaakov made a mountain of gold and silver that he had acquired from the House of Lavan and offered Esav the gold and silver or the grave. Esav immediately took the heap of gold and silver and Yaakov took the burial place (Tanchuma, Vayechi 6). As is written in Bereishis 50, 5, Yosef said, “My father made me swear, saying: Behold, I am about to die; in the grave which I dug in the land of Canaan, there you are to bury me’…”. This was the exact instruction that Yaakov had given to Yosef. R’Yochanan said in the name of Rav Shimon Ben Yehotzedek, the word ‘chira’ in this verse means none other than selling, acquisition. Esav claimed that no such deal took place, knowing that Yosef had not been present. When Yosef replied that the deeds of sale were in Egypt, Esav challenged him to go and get the evidence. This would have taken days, possibly weeks. The people there would have lost interest and dissipated. This would have caused a tremendous Hillul H’shem. Naftali went to get the deed of sale of the birth right and Maaras HaMachpela, who could run like a wild deer. He could have made it to Egypt and back in a few hours. Anticipating what would happen when the documents were shown and his lie would be revealed, he prepared his men for war. They fought with the Bnei Yakov and the Egyptians, according to Rabbeinu Bachya. Sofo the son of Elifaz, who would become the father of Amalek, started the fighting. The Bnei yaakov slew 40 of Esav’s mightiest men. Hushim, the son of Dan, who was deaf, saw the commotion taking place. He immediately went into the thick of the battle, took out his sword and severed Esav’s head from his body. The body fell some distance away and came to rest among Esav’s men. Meanwhile, the Bnei Yaakov overpowered Esav’s men, buried their father with great honour, followed by 7 days of mourning. According to some commentaries, Yaakov was buried on the first day of Sukkos and mourning only began after termination of the Chag. When Hushim beheaded Esav, his eyes popped out and fell on the feet of Yaakov (Keren Or, citing the Zohar). Esav studied Torah under Avraham and Yitzhak. He deserved some kind of reward, but his study was only a mental exercise, like a puzzle or game of chess. They don’t see their soul bound up in it. Leah was due to be Esav’s wife. She prayed and the tears that poured from her eyes changed her destiny. Esav still cast his eyes upon her and wanted in death what he couldn’t have in life, to be buried with Leah. In the Zohar it says, Yaakov opened his eyes and smiled, hinted at in the posuk from Tehillim (58,11), ‘the righteous one will rejoice; when he sees vengeance he shall bury his feet in the blood of the wicked one’. ‘The wicked are estranged from the womb’. This is a reference to Esav who was drawn to idolatry whilst still in the womb. ‘The speakers of falsehood went astray even before birth’; Esav denied selling the grave. ‘They have venom like the venom of a snake’. Esav is associated with the primordial snake, the viper, that closes its ears so as not to associate with the voice of the charmers, the most skillful casters of spells. So Hushim was not swayed by their arguments. “I shall smash the teeth in their mouths, shatter the molars of the young lions, like the falling of the mole who do not see the sun”. Yaakov opening his eyes and smiling is very mystical. There are many stories of people’s neshamas coming back to the world in a vision. At the time of the levaya the neshama is still bound up in the body. ‘When he sees vengeance he shall bury his feet in the blood of the wicked one’ is a reference to Esav’s eyes. When people see this there say, there is justice for the righteous, there is G-d in the land. Yaakov’s joy was not personal revenge but rather the achievement of H’shem’s vengeance. When wicked men prosper and evil men flourish, this diminishes the kavod Shamayim; when a wicked person’s claims go unanswered for moments or even years. When justice is effected, this can restore the honour in a second. Esav’s prosperity was a very dark thing to all the kedusha in the world. His bloody end at the feet of the Tzadik Yaakov erased that and was a source of joy to those, like Yaakov, who cared for H’shem’s honour (Rav Chayim Shmulevitz, Sichos Mussar 5733). This was predicted by Rivka Immeinu at the beginning when she went to inquire what was going on in her womb. She revealed the secret when she sent Yaakov away to her brother Lavan and cried out to Yitzhak Avinu, shall I mourn both my sons on the same day. This is world history. This is difficult to understand. Yaakov passed away peacefully and Esav was still alive. We have to understand that until a person is buried, the mourning (the Shiva) does not start. On the day of Yaakov’s Levaya, on the day that he was actually taken to his kever in Maaras HaMachpela, Esav confronted the brothers and in a split second, the nevuah came to fruitition at the hands of Hushim be Dan. Esav was in fact buried on the same day as Yaakov. As it says in Ovadiah (1,21) ‘Ve'alu moshi'im bejar Tsiyon lishpot et-har Esav’. Esav is a source of confusion in the world, seeking to assert that H’shem is not the G-d of creation. They create all kinds of idolatry and claims against H’shem, against His Torah and against His nation and ultimately against themselves because their wickedness will come upon their own heads. All the plots of Esav against his brother Yaakov and to desecrate the shem H’shem will come upon his own head. At the end of days, the religion of Esav will be removed from the world. Only then can His name be one and can he be at one with his creation. We see the incredible evil of it. Righteous gentiles can do Teshuva. The religion that is against Torah cannot do Teshuva. Only those that want to serve the G-d of creation.

Ch.49, 1 “And Yaakov called to his sons, and said: 'Gather yourselves together, so that I may tell you that which will befall you in the end of days. 2. Assemble yourselves, and hear, sons of Yaakov; and listen to Yisrael your father”. An incredible thing happened at that moment – Yaakov lost his nevua. By using the form Kara with a Heh instead of an alef, Yakov taught that whatever will happen, it must be understood as a call from H’shem. Nothing is Bemikre – coincidence, rather it is Rak Mi H’. Even the word coincidence (Bemikre) in lashon HaKodesh means that H’shem is behind everything. R’ Tannenbaum explains that through the darkest moments of the Holocaust, seeing people revived rom the dead when they went to Bergen Belsen and helped people back to recovery, had it been in Esav’s hands those people would have been annihilated and there would have been nothing left of Am Yisrael, Has VeShalom, but for the Grace of H’shem. The first blossom of redemption started in Eretz Yisrael shortly after, against all odds. Nothing is coincidence. It is for us to seek to understand the core, according to Rav Hirsch. The end of days refers to the Messianic era. Yaakov wished to tell his sons when Moshiach would come to comfort them in their long exile. The Divine presence left him in that split second. Yaakov didn’t know why. Of course H’shem did not leave him. Have you ever been in the position of meeting someone whose name is on the tip of your tongue but escapes you. Its shocking., Sometimes you now that person very well, but you just hit a blank. You just cannot remember. Yaakov could not reveal the end but he gave each one the brocho to sustain them until the end of days. Each brocho was critical not just for the brothers themselves but for klal Yisrael and kol ha’olam kulo, for the entire world. We see by Avraham Avinu that H’shem said, how can I not reveal what I am about to do to Avraham Avinu. Avraham learnt how to negotiate with H’shem to save mankind. Yaakov didn’t know why the nevua was taken away from him, so he asked his sons, Is there anyone among you whose thoughts are not completely pure, who has some aspect of Avoda Zara, that does not have full faith in HaK’dosh Boruch Hu, that thinmks there is some power between him and H’shem?’ Such a thing would be catastrophic, because these are the sons of the greatest tzadik. He feared that one may have gone astray in the same way that Ishmael or Esav had. This was the first time in history that the response was, “Shema Yisrael”, listen our father, “H’shem Elo-keiu H’shem Ehad”. G-d is one, the only one in all of our hearts. Upon hearing this, his joy at realizing that the prophecy was not taken away because of any shortcoming in all of his family, he said “Boruch Shem Kevod Malchuso LeOlam Vaed”, Blessed is the name of H’shem’s glorious kingdom for ever and ever. The commentaries say that it was taken away because they shouldn’t know at the beginning of a deep and dark descent into exile, what will be way into the future. It is not relevant to them. They have to know that their brochos have to be guarded. The mitzvos have to be guarded.

Yaakov realised that H’shem did not want the time of the Sofet HaYamim to be revealed. Yisrael would find comfort not in deadlines. Am Yisrael would find comfort not in the fact that there was a certain day decreed to be Sofet HaYamim, but in the faith that performance of H’shem’s commandments. They were not interested in deadlines but lifelines. They were not interested in faith in a certain day, but faith everyday. They were attached not to the time, but to something beyond time, the Etz Chayim – ‘Ve’atem Hadvekim B’H’shem E-lokeichem, hayim kulchem hayom’ Everyday could be the day of Geula. Everyday could be the day of redemption but only for those that are clinging to H’shem and his Torah, ‘bechol nafshecha, bechol levavcha uvechol meodecha’ – with all your soul, all your might, all your heart, all your resources, let not one cent be wasted on anything that is not leshem shomayim.

Why is Yosef called Yosef HaTzadik? In Shamayim, his family would be in absolute awe of his avodas H’shem. As we explained regarding his second dream of the eleven stars, sun and moon, his brothers did not bow down to him physically, but acknowledged that he was really a tzadik and were in awe at his avodas H’shem.

Chapter 50, 15 “And when Yosef's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said: 'Maybe Yosef will hate us, and take revenge for all the evil which we did to him.'” 16, “So they instructed that Yosef be told, your father gave orders before his death, saying” 17 “So shall you say to Yosef: Please forgive the transgression of your brothers, and their sin, for that they did evil to you. And now, please forgive the spiteful deed of the servants of the G-d of your father.' And Yosef wept when they spoke to him”. 18 “And his brothers themselves also went and flung themselves before him and said: ’We are ready to be your slaves.' 19 And Yosef said to them: 'Fear not; for am I in place of G-d? 20 Although you intended for me harm, G-d meant it for good, to save many people alive”. The brothers thought that after Yaakov’s death, the brother’s attitude changed towards them tremendously. While he used to invite the entire family to dine with him every night during Yaakov’s lifetime, and received them very warmly, he now stopped doping this completely. They thought that this revealed his fiery animosity, and feared that he would now take revenge. They were terrified and they were wrong. Yosef’s reason was that yaakov insisted that Yosef sit at the head of the table. Now, however, Yosef felt uncomfortable about taking precedence of Reuven and Yehuda. However it would contravene protocol for the Viceroy to relinquish his position, so he relinquished the invitation (Tanchuma).Yosef knew that with Yakov’s passing there was a serious danger that Egyptian persecution could begin at any moment. This would be provoked if the Egyptians suspected that the Jews were seeking secret power and influence. To avoid this, Yosef stopped inviting the brothers to his palace (Gur Aryeh). Rav Hirsch notes that without the parents as a focal point for the family, it is natural for them to meet less often and even to drift. The brothers interpreted it as something very ominous developing. They felt that all of a sudden there was a total change of attitude. They instructed Yosef to be told. Fearful of Yosef’s reaction, they dispatched the sons of Bilhah, with whom he had always been very friendly to tell him that Yaakov had given instructions about such a situation before Yaakov left this world. This was absolutely not true, because Yaakov knew that Yosef would not seek revenge, but as the Sages document in Yevamos (65b), one may alter the truth for the sake of peace. This is a very dangerous thing also. After the emissaries delivered their message the rest of the brothers came to him and pleaded for mercy, according to Rashi. ‘Trangessions and sins’ – the first term implies intentional, very serious transgressions, while ‘their sins’ implies an unintentional mistake. What the brothers did was both. On the one hand they considered it justified because they sincerely felt endangered by Yosef’s attitude to the family and his ambitions (Akeidas Yitzhak). Yosef reassured his brothers that he had not intention to harm them and further, that even if he had a tiny amount of remorse, H’shem would certainly not allow a group of righteous people to by harmed by him, if H’shem protected him from a group. Rashi explains, if ten candles cannot extinguish one, how much more so can one not extinguish 10. This is a fabulous idea. What does a candle do? It can only light up other candles. In other words, kiruv, bring light in times of darkness. So we see that Yaakov chose the perfect word, in the darkest moment of world history when a normal person would have taken violent revenge. He would have made public executions of each one, confessions, the whole nation roaring with happiness to see a perception of justice upon their King being executed and their plot in previous times. He did not even have a thread of that. He said, you do not realise that we are just H’shem’s servants, his army. H’shem used your actions to ultimately bring about the salvation of the whole family from starvation. Yosef told them, ‘Fear not, for am I in place of G-d?” Now this was also a statement that Yaakov gave to Rachel when she said ‘give me children or I will surely perish’. He said ‘Am I in place of G-d’. A person works and walks constantly with H’shem. They see verything that happened as direct intervention, not a distant coincidence. Everyhtig that happens is direct, not random, Brownian motion, but Brochos according to H’shem;s ratzon. Whateever happens, even something difficult – Gam Zu Letova. That is a massive madrega. ‘Athough you intended me harm, H’shem intervened, for the good, in order to accomplish as it is so clear this day, that a vast people be kept alive…Not only you and the entire family will be kept alive. I had to go down to Egypt to prepare the way for the family. Not only was this decreed to me, to Yaakov Avinu or to Yitzhak Avinu. It was decreed to Avraham Avinu. It was known to Avraham Avinu what will be. ‘Your descendants will be in Exile for 400 years, they will be slaves to a mighty nation, and H’shem will personally have to intervene’. H’shem created it so. Only those who cling to H’shem will survive the devastation of the exile back then and the exile today. Now, do not fear, I will sustain you and your young ones. Thus he comforted them and spoke to their very heart”.

Yosef told his brothers a secret sign of the redemption that Yaakov had confided to him in the last moment of his life. Yaakov was prevented from saying to them that a redeemer would come to the enslaved Jews of Egypt. He would show them that G-d had declared poked pokadeti, I have indeed redeemed you, just as Yosef redeemed his brothers. H’shem pekod, He will surely remember you. The implication of the word is that after a long period of time, during which it seems that H’shem himself has forgotten his people, he will manifest his presence as if he had remembered them once more. This password was transmitted to the leaders of the people, and then, when Moses came to proclaim these words, they knew that he was truly speaking in the name of H’shem. On the surface one might wonder why some charlatan might not have come and used the same pre-ordained words. It was the very nature of the prophecy that it is above all logic. The fact that nobody besides Moshe Rabbeinu ever used this term, when he came and uttered these words, the nation immediately heard and believed. Where do these words come from? These words were first mentioned when Noach was in the ark (Bereishis 8, 3). The floods receded and it says, H’shem remembered him and reduced the floods. That was the first remez of pekad pekadeti. It is also given over to Sarah immeinu (Bereishis 20, 1) when she was without the ability to conceive, H’shem remembered her. It was an impossible thing in nature, Teva, that she could possibly give birth. H’shem remembered her and she gave birth at 90. This was something even she could not comprehend and even she laughed. Avraham rebuked her, saying ‘Yes you did laugh’. They had to give the name to the child – Yitzhak, because we will laugh. We see from this that a certain destiny was already set up. Yaakov revealed to Yosef, only to Yosef, these words, ‘Pekad Pekadeti’. We see, in next week’s parsha, Shemos, that with Yosef, this nevua was brought forward. It says”Yifkod eschem vealah eschem’, ‘H’ will surely remember you and bring you up out of the land to the land which He promised to Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov. These words identify the redeemer. During the last moments of his life, Yaakov had imparted to Yosef the secret sign of the future redemption from Egypt which Yosef now transmitted to the brothers. The words, although not said in Yaakov’s name, were a direct quote from him. The term pakad has the meaning of zachor (remember) usually meaning Divine Providence. The implication is that H’shem will manifest his rescue as he remembers and carried out his plan, as promised. Since a long period of time has elapsed between the promise and the event, H’shem is spoken of as remembering, as if H’shem had human qualties, Has Vechalila. It appears to us that H’shem forgot us, or forgot what was meant to be, heaven forbid. Nothing was forgotten, but providence has to be in its time. After a lapse of time H’shem carried it out. The term remembering cannot be taken literally because H’shem cannot forget. As we will see (in Shemos 3,16) the words Pakad Pokadeti were pivotal in the acceptance by Am Yisrael of moshe’s announcement of the impending redemption. When Moshe was given the mission to redeem the Jews from bondage, H’shem promised him, they will listen to you. Rashi explains that as soon as he addressed them with the words, Pakod Pakadeti, I have indeed remembered you, they will indeed listen to your voice. This was the sign passed on to him from the time of Yaakov and Yosef. These are the words that will herald the redemption. The first time Yosef says this in verse 24 he is quoting his father. When he repeats it in verse 25, it is in the context of his own request (Ramban). Pirkei De’R’Eliezer maintains this as proof of the authentic language of redemption, revealed to Avraham, transmitted to Yitzhak and Yaakov. Yosef was entrusted with this secret and gave it to his brothers, which ultimately reached Serach, the daughter of Asher. She had exceptional longevity and was the only one of Yaakov’s grandchildren still alive in the time of Moshe Rabbeinu. When Moshe came to the Elders, the Zekeinim, they asked Serach to verify whether Moshe’s words were authentic. When she replied in the affirmative, the Elders immediately believed him. The double phraseology, pakod yifkadeti implies a double remembrance. H’shem would remember them twice, in the days of Moshe Rabbeinu and in the future exiles, culminating in the days of Moshiach, in the month of Rosh Hashana and in the days of Pesach. Their servitude ended on Rosh Hashana and their servitude ended in the first of months (Midrash Gadol). The prmosie that H’shem would bring them up out of the land hints that some form of bondage had already begun. The Sages maintain that it was not severe until all the tribal ancestors disappeared. Yosef assured the brothers that their physical remains too would be brought up. All 12 sons would also be bought up to Israel from Egypt. Indeed this occurred. Each tribe took along the remains of his ancestor (Midrash Sachar Tov and Rabbeinu Bechaya) to the land which He promised to Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov. So we see that this was individual. The prophets redeemed you, leading you to Eretz Yisrael. From the beginning of time, the seeds for the ultimate redemption had been sown.

Rav Shternbuch in Taam Ve’Daas gives over an incredible insight, according to these words, ‘Pakad Yifkod’. The Gaon, HaRav Meir Shapiro tz”l said, when he protested the building of the University in Jerusalem, the expression remember is written doubly. When H’ redeems us he will redeem us both physically and spiritually. If we see that the return to the Land of Israel is accompanied only by physical improvement, and especially if it causes a desecration of the spiritual, the holiness of the Torah, through the building of institutions, we can be sure that this is no remembrance of redemption. Only when we acquire both the kemach and the Torah, while this be a sign of the redemption. According to the Zohar, the bodies of the righteous will have nothing of this world except the mitzvos and seudas mitzvos of Shabbos and Yom Tovim. The spirit of impurity cannot rule over them because they have never enjoyed anything of their own. Somebody who left the holy land and his body was contaminated with a spirit of impurity, the spirit is absorbed in him, until he becomes dust. If that body that has that impure spirit is brought up to be buried in the holy land, concerning the verse it says, ‘You came and contaminated my land, and you made my inheritance an abomination. My land, anyone that has a spirit of impurity cannot rule over. The bodyu of yours which was absorbed in the impurities you bring it to bury in the land that you contaminate’. Yosef’s body was never ruled by impurity. Although he lived in a foreign land, he never became impure. Even so, he did not want to bring up his body for burial in the holy land. He requested ‘bring up my bones…’ and not ‘my’ body, whereas with Yaakov it says, I shall lie with my forefathers and you shall carry me from Egypt, my whole body’. It is incredible, the righteous Yosef was concerned that perhaps he had enjoyed something in this world that was not worthy of his body being buried in Eretz Yisrael. The simple meaning of that which happened was that Yosef had authority to bury Yaakov straight away. It was kibud av. When Yosef died, there was no law that a body could be taken out of Egypt. He could not be buried until the absolute Yetzias Mitzrayim. By then, his body was bones. What we do know absolutely is that even from bones, the righteous will be reincarnated at the end of days and we see the secrets, the greatness of the funeral, the lavaya of Yaakov HaTzadik, the return of all the 12 sons, the Geula, be’ezras H’shem bimheira veyameinu. May we all be zoche to meet with our forefathers, Avraham Yitzhak and Yaakov Avinu, Moshiach Tzidkeinu, Eliyahu Hanavi, as only he will announce the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, and all our forefathers at the Beis HaMikdash, the Geula Shleima, and may we all celebrate the ulktimate Shabbat Shalom be’Olam Hazeh and Olam Haba. To kol Am Yisrael, Shabbat Shalom Umevorach.