Vayigash – Once Upon a Week

Read the transcript below, or watch a video of the teaching by Yehuda Bachana.

Dear friends, today we are going to read the Torah Portion called Vayigash. Our reading begins with the dramatic development of the story. Joseph, unrecognized by his brothers, sets them up, and the silver goblet, that was reported stolen, is found in Benjamin’s belongings. It seems like his fate is sealed: to be sold as a slave in Egypt, in the same way it happened to his brother Joseph.

But what we do not understand from reading the story beforehand, is why Joseph did not take any steps in order to find and reconnect with his family in Canaan. More so, fate literally brought his brothers to his doorstep. Why didn’t he try to check, what do they think of him now, after all these years?

We know that 22 years had passed, and we know that Joseph was only 17 years old when he was sold to Egypt, it means that back then, his older brothers were in their 20s and 30s, and now they are around 40 or 50. Everyone grew up, became more mature and wiser, and Joseph’s brothers are no longer the hothead jealous youngsters.

So why didn’t Joseph reveal himself to his brothers? Why didn’t he get in touch with his family, when his life turned around, when he achieved his high position, when he got to the top of the Egyptian leadership?

I don’t have an answer to why he did not reveal himself to his brothers at the very beginning. My assumption would be, that seeing his brothers so close was for Joseph a combination of shock and a post-traumatic experience. All his bad and scary memories overwhelmed him, he felt again the same fear that he felt in the dry pit of the Dothan Valley.

He remembered how his brothers casually discussed his fate over lunch, trying to decide the best way of killing him. Maybe he remembered the horrors of that trip to Egypt, as a slave in a caravan of merchants. All those feeling and memories caught him unprepared and he didn’t know how to control them.

It can all be explained by his surprise and the pressure of a moment. He doesn’t know what to do when the pain and memories are so overwhelming.

I can understand this moment, when he finally sees his brothers face to face. But what about all the previous years, why didn’t he get in touch with his family?

When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, he was promoted and became the second-most important person in Egypt after Pharaoh. In one moment, he was a Hebrew slave in prison, miserable and despised by all, and in the next moment, he is above all, above the counselors, above the wizards, above the ministers and all the officials of Egypt.

How did the people in the king’s palace receive the newcomer, when he became only second to the king? When he became their boss? When a moment ago, he was nothing: a Hebrew prisoner, accused of attempted rape by another Egyptian official.

The Egyptian attitude towards Hebrews is clearly seen in a text from the last week’s reading. When the brothers arrived to Egypt the second time, Joseph invited them to share his meal, and they were sitting at separate tables:

If the joining of a Hebrew to a meal was considered detestable, we can only imagine the feelings of the different ministers and officials in the palace about Joseph’s sudden promotion, when this detestable Hebrew dude became their boss. We can assume that they envied and probably even hated Joseph.

And Joseph? Oh, he learned to recognize this feeling of envy and hatred, and he tried to get as far from it as possible. He knew that any wrong step would be interpreted in the worst possible way, and that for any mistake he would pay dearly.

That’s why Joseph had to show absolute loyalty to Pharaoh and to the Egyptian people. He was observed by a thousand eyes, and his every move was examined through a magnifying glass. He had to forget his past and his heritage and be completely dedicated to Egypt.

Even after Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he did not make any personal decisions without asking Pharaoh first:

And the carriages that brought Jacob to Egypt did not belong to Joseph, but to Pharaoh:

This way no one would criticize Joseph, because it was Pharaoh’s decision. So, it is not surprising, that after some time, when the new Pharaoh, who did not know Joseph, came to power, he made the children of Israel into slaves.

Now, with better understanding of the situation, I would like to go back to the beginning of our Torah portion and examine Judah’s speech.

We all have sensitive spots in our relationships with our family members, with our parents, siblings, spouses and children. Joseph is no different, and in a little while we will learn that he misses his family very much. He misses his father, he is tired of being alone, tired of being cautious of his every step in the palace.

And Judah? Jewish history followed in his steps, we are all called by his name, Jews — meaning “coming from Judah”. God has chosen Judah and established the house of David through him.

Yeshua the Messiah comes from the seed of Judah and from the house of David. In the New Testament Yeshua is called a Jew, He was crucified as a King of Jews, and others, like the Samaritans, knew that He is a Jew. In John chapter 4, we witness a meeting between Yeshua and a Samaritan woman, who is telling Him “You are a Jew…” (John 4:9).

In our Torah portion, the brothers, headed by Judah, are making their last attempt to save Benjamin, and it involves a personal scarifies. Judah is willing to take Benjamin’s punishment upon himself and to become a slave instead of Benjamin.

And here again, his leadership qualities are impressive. This sacrifice reminds us of Messiah, who will come from the seed of Judah, and will offer us all the eternal sacrifice. He will offer to give Himself for us, so that we can be free. This is Yeshua the Messiah.

As I said before, we all have soft spots, and Judah noticed a soft spot in Joseph. When I read the book of Genesis, I am impressed with Judah’s wisdom, he knows how to go with your line of thought, and then turn it to a different direction.

In my opinion, it is a positive quality, it is wisdom, and this is how Judah managed to convince his brothers in the Dothan Valley not to kill Joseph. Two of the brothers wanted to save Joseph: Judah and Reuben. It appears that Judah was in line with most of the brothers, that is, to kill Joseph, and then, in the last moment he convinced them not to kill Joseph, but to get rid of him in a different way.

The same two brothers, Judah and Reuben, later tried to convince Jacob to let them take Benjamin to Egypt, so they can buy more food. Jacob refuses Reuben, but hears out Judah, because Judah has this ability to influence people around him.

In our Torah portion Judah recognized a soft spot in Joseph, he saw that Joseph was touched when they spoke about their father and younger brother. Judah noticed that Joseph is acting differently in Benjamin’s presence, when he blessed Benjamin, and gave him the largest portion during the meal.

Generally speaking, Joseph is acting in a strange way, and it is described in the following verse:

This verse says that the brothers found the situation strange.

The care for Benjamin, the younger brother, and the unusual, beyond normal, interest in their father. I am sure that Judah had noticed all of it.

Judah saw this soft spot and aimed right to it. In his speech, Judah used the word father, in every possible way, 14 times! He mentioned the image of a younger brother or a youth 12 times!

The main purpose of his speech was to make it clear to Joseph that they did not want to hurt their younger brother and their father. Judah is squeezing Joseph’s soft spot until Joseph could not take it any longer and burst into tears.

The first question that he asked was,

Joseph is tired to be alone, he misses home, he misses his father’s love. As Messianic believers, as Jews who believe in Yeshua the Messiah and the New Testament, we see many similarities between Joseph and Yeshua. Same as Joseph, Yeshua wants to get back home, to His brothers, to His family, to His people.

And when the nation of Israel will be ready, Yeshua will confess and tell us: “I am Yeshua, your brother, come to me and I will give you the bread of life.”

“Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me.’” Joseph explained to his brothers that everything that happened till this moment was part of God’s plan.

Yeshua is calling us to Him:

Yeshua will comfort us and tell us not to worry that we sold Him to foreign nations, because all of it is actually a part of the divine plan of the salvation of the world. He will say it in the same way, as Joseph: “…because it was to save lives that God send me ahead of you”.

God has sent Yeshua the Messiah ahead of us. To save many, so we can have an eternal life in Him.

The accusation that we, the Jews, have killed God, is a ridiculous one. First of all, how can a human kill God?

Second: “to save lives God send me ahead of you”. Yeshua came to save the world, to give to the world the bread of life, all of it, as part of the divine plan.

And contrary to the life of Joseph, who was forcibly sold into Egyptian slavery and the situation was imposed on him, in Yeshua’s case, He did it by His own free will. He came here to take upon Himself our sins, and to give us life.

Following Joseph’s words, his brothers are returning home to Jacob:

Although Joseph’s brothers saw with their own eyes that he is alive and is ruling the Egyptian Empire, they still didn’t believe him at first. Joseph had to convince them that it is really him.

And now they are coming back to Jacob, their carts are filled with the best Egypt has to offer: food, clothing, money. But Jacob does not believe them. He sees the goods but does not believe.

Our situation today is quite similar. Yeshua is alive, but He looks like an Egyptian, He is dressed like an Egyptian. They paint Him blond with blue eyes, He looks European, a foreigner, a stranger to His own culture.

And what about us? The sons of Jacob, the children of Israel. We are suffering form hunger, a spiritual hunger.

When the time will be right, and we as Messianic Jews pray that it will happen soon, Yeshua will reveal Himself and will say: “I am Yeshua, your brother, your own flesh and blood”.

It is a very exciting Torah portion, it speaks about reconciliation, and relationships healing in the family. And at the end of his life Jacob finally receives peace and comfort.

When Jacob is brought before Pharaoh and is asked about his age, he answered:

Till now Jacob said that his years have being few and difficult, but now he gets to rest in the arms of his family. He receives land in the region of Goshen and there he enjoys calm and prosperity.

This portion starts with Joseph’s dramatic revelation and ends in a good and encouraging way:

Jacob lived in Egypt with his family for 17 years.

Shabbat Shalom.