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Vayigash
(And He Neared)
(Sefer Bereishit) Genesis 44:18-47:27
44:18- “Then Yehudah came near unto him, and said,
Oh my master, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a
word
in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn
against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.
31- It shall come to pass, when he sees that the lad
is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants
shall
bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father
with sorrow to the grave.
32- For thy servant became surety for the lad unto
my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee,
then I
shall bear the blame to my father for ever.
33- Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant
abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and
let the
lad go up with his brethren.
45:1- Then Yoseph could not restrain himself before
all that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man
to
go out from me. And there stood no man with him when
Yoseph made himself known unto his brethren.
4- And Yoseph said unto his brethren, Come near to
me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I
am Yoseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
7- And Elohim sent me before you to place you a
remnant in the earth and sustain you by great
deliverance.
9- Hurry, and go up to my father, and say unto him,
Thus says thy son Yoseph, Elohim has set me as
master of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
11- And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are
five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household,
and
all that thou has, come to poverty.
12- And behold, your eyes see and the eyes of my
brother Benyamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to
you.
13- And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in
Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall
haste and
bring down my father hither.
25- And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the
land of Canaan unto Yaakov their father,
26- And told him, saying, Yoseph is yet alive, and
he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And
Yaakov's
heart fainted, for he believed them not.
27- And they told him all the words of Yoseph, which
he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons
which Yoseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of
Yaakov their father revived:
28- And Yisrael said, It is enough; Joseph my son is
yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.
46:2- And Elohim spoke to Yisrael in the visions of
the night and said, Yaakov Yaakov. And he said, Here
am I.
3- And he said, I am Elohim, the Elohim of thy
father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will
there make
of thee a great nation:
4- I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will
also surely bring thee up again: and Yoseph shall
put his
hand upon thine eyes.
28- And he sent Yehudah before him unto Yoseph, to
direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the
land of Goshen.
30- And Yisrael said unto Yoseph, Now let me die,
since I have seen thy face, because thou are yet
alive.
47:12- And Yoseph nourished his father, his brethren
and all his father's house with bread, unto the
infants.”
“When they go into the
tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with
water, that they die
not; or when they come near to the altar to
minister, to burn offering made by fire unto YHVH.”
(Exodus 30:20)
“iS it but a small thing unto you, that the Elohim
of Yisrael has separated you from the congregation
of
Yisrael, to bring you near to himself to do the
service of the tabernacle of YHVH, and to stand
before
the congregation to minister unto them?”
(Numbers 16:9)
“The holy portion of the land shall be for the
koHANIM the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall
come
near to minister unto yhvh: and it shall be a place
for their houses, and an holy place for the
sanctuary.”
(EzekIEL 45:4)
“As for me, nearness to Elohim is good: I have put
my trust in Adonai YHVH that I may tell of all thy
Works.”
(Psalms 73:28)
“Let my cry come near before thee, O YHVH: give me
understanding according to thy word. Let my
supplication come before thee: deliver me according
to thy word.”
(Psalms 119:169-170)
“My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone
forth, and mine arms shall judge the people;
the isles shall wait upon me,
and on mine arm shall they trust.”
(Isaiah 51:5)
Vayigash Summary:
1. Yisrael Draws Near to the Throne through
Yehudah:
Understanding that the answer given by ‘the Ruler’
was unacceptable to the heart of their father and
now unthinkable to their minds, Yehudah takes charge
of Yisrael’s sons. So, significant is his leadership
here, that this historical account will serve as the
model for approaching the throne of the Most High.
While it is true that Yehudah’s preeminence over his
brothers would be solidified within Yaakov’s
blessings to his sons, naming him to be the
representative head of all the tribes, what is more
significant is
the meaning of his name, i.e. praise. What happens
in this physical drama when a desperate son of
Yisrael
discovers his humility before the Authority of the
whole earth, expresses a spiritual reality that in
similar
fashion brings us before the majesty of HaShem. Our
steps to the Throne must be preceded by praise. In
Psalms 100:4, King David presents us with the key
toward drawing near to Elohim, urging us to:
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into
His courts with praise...”
Found within the words of Yehudah are: a reiteration
of the master’s original decree, giving subpoena
to Benyamin accompanied by an acknowledgment of how
critically Yaakov cherished the child of his later
years. Along with a melodious appeal for mercy,
declaring the conscientiousness by which they
carried out
his orders, is Yehudah’s altruism, as he willingly
offers to bear the punishment for the peace of his
Father.
This virtue of self-sacrifice always coexists with
authentic praise. Only after one has humbly
identified the
absolute need for HaShem’s pardon, can a soul
deliver such unfeigned praise. For when ones faces
the cords
of death, such desperation overcomes any remaining
fears of this life and lifts a voice, bold and true.
It is in
this same confident praise that Psalms 56:4 points
us to our own great deliverance; as it is written:
“In Elohim I will praise His word; in Elohim I have
put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do to
me.”
Yehudah brought tears to the eyes of his Potentate.
Determined to walk in the way, which pleased
his father, this son, who once had hesitated in
performing the vow’s made to one under his care,
i.e. Tamar,
now arises to the occasion, and leads a nation
before the Judge. Proverbs 1:8 reminds all those who
seek
HaShem’s audience to come near to Him, being mindful
of His words and observant of His decrees:
“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and
forsake not the Torah of thy mother.”
By risking his own life, Yehudah responds in
instantaneous faith, not with over-analysis which
leads to a
shrinking fear but with intrepid haste, pressing
Heaven’s courts, reflecting Isaiah 55:6’s quick call
to action:
“Seek ye YHVH while He may be found, call ye upon
Him while He is near.”
2. Down to Egypt for some
Bread, Yoseph is Sent on Ahead:
Inextricably bound to His people for the sake of the
Fathers, throughout Yisrael’s days, HaShem has
carefully considered our sojourning. Not only was
Yoseph Providentially given the childhood portents
to
elicit enough fraternal controversy to thrust him
down to Egypt, but likewise, would the further
subterfuge of
others in Egypt catapult him to prison’s destined
encounter with Pharaoh’s servant. Ever mindful of
our true
need, the Eternal forever prepares the resources
against that lean day. Isaiah 46:10 prophetically
tells all:
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from
ancient times the things that are not yet done,
saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My
pleasure.”
The words of His servants goad us to remain
steadfast in His faithfulness. Despite any
foreboding famine,
there is yet an overlooked Yoseph, who revives us
with promised provisions as conveyed in Joel
2:26-27:
“And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and
praise the name of YHVH your Elohim, that has dealt
wondrously with you: and My people shall never be
ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst
of Yisrael, and that I am YHVH your Elohim, and none
else: and My people shall never be ashamed.”
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