Parshas Mikeitz- The Scheming of Yosef
The deeds of our holy ancestors were performed with tremendous thought and calculation. The Torah records the events of these great tzaddikim as a source of lesson and inspiration for future generations. It becomes important to attempt to clarify the motives behind the behaviors of our Avos and Imahos in order to properly replicate their lofty actions. Sometimes, one can surmise the underlying motivations with relative ease, but other times the behaviors are puzzling, requiring the explanations of the great Rishonim and Acharonim. Yosef’s approach in dealing with his family reflects an example of the latter category.
Parshas Mikeitz introduces the Divinely assisted ascent of Yosef, from slave to viceroy of Mitzrayim. As he had previously predicted, a famine strikes the land, and people from all areas converge on Egypt, the only land prepared and equipped to handle the food shortage. The brothers of Yosef are sent at the behest of their father to purchase food from Egypt, as the famine had struck Eretz Canaan as well. Benyamin remained with Yaakov, as he feared sending him away, worried he would lose the last son of his beloved wife Rachel. Each of the ten brothers enter Mitzrayim through a different port of entry, and meet the viceroy overseeing the food distribution, Yosef. Although he recognizes them, they do not recognize him. Despite their ardent protest, Yosef accuses them of being spies who had entered Egypt to find its weak points, and throws them in prison for three days. He then removes them from prison, only leaving Shimon incarcerated. He gives the brothers food to bring back to their families, instructing them that Shimon would remain in Mitzrayim until they return with their youngest brother, Benyamin. They would not be permitted to visit him again until fulfilling this necessary condition. Reuvein tells the others that he suspects that they were being Divinely punished for the sale of Yosef in years prior. The brothers begin their journey back to Eretz Canaan and upon arriving at a rest stop realize that the monies that they had used for purchase in Egypt had been somehow returned to their bags, causing them to worry that they were being framed. Upon arriving back home, they inform their father of the condition the leader of Egypt had stipulated, and he completely refuses to send Benyamin in their company. Yehuda ultimately convinces Yaakov to agree, stating that he was willing to stake his Olam Haba’ah on the line, should Benyamin not be returned properly. The brothers return to Miztrayim with Benyamin in tow and Shimon rejoins the group. They bow to Yosef and the prior friction seems to dissolve. Yosef instructs the food distributors to secretly add his goblet to the sack of Benyamin, in addition to the regular portions of food. After the brothers take leave of his palace, Yosef sends officers after the brothers, claiming they had stolen his goblet. The brothers push back against this allegation, but a search ultimately reveals its presence in Benyamin’s bag. They are returned to Mitzrayim and the Parsha concludes with the reality that Benyamin would need to remain in Egypt as a slave to Yosef. Parshas Vayigash opens with Yehuda defending Benyamin, offering himself instead, and the revelation of the identity of Yosef that follows.
A cursory reading of this story may lead one to believe that Yosef was now using his position of power to take revenge against the brothers who had mistreated him years before. However, this is impossible to accept as Yosef was a tzaddik and would not act in a vengeful way, and Tosfos (Taanis 11a) identifies Yosef as a “chassid”, a level even higher than that of a tzaddik. Furthermore, Rashi (42:8) explains that in contrast to the lack of mercy the brothers showed Yosef in years prior (at the time of the sale), Yosef now dealt with them in a merciful way. Thus, these schemes were certainly not the actions of a spiteful victim, utilizing his newfound authority to inflict pain on those who previously caused him to suffer. This then begs an explanation. Yosef could have revealed his identity the first time he met his brothers. Instead he chose the above schemes, inflicting suffering on them, as well as on his dear father, Yaakov. Why not simply reveal himself immediately? What was his calculation in this elaborate plot?
There are a number of explanations presented in clarifying the above storyline, and we will discuss four:
Ramban provides two approaches to clarify the above events. In his first explanation, he states that Yosef needed to have the dreams that he had originally dreamt prior to his sale come to fruition (see beginning of Parshas Vayeishev). In order to fulfill the first dream (eleven bundles bowing to him, symbolizing the eleven brothers), Benyamin had to participate as well. He created this scenario via his condition, and indeed the eleven brothers did bow to him prior to leaving Egypt the second time. Upon their forced return they bowed again, partially fulfilling the second dream of the eleven stars bowing to Yosef. Ramban suggests a second explanation that Yosef needed to clearly see that the brothers had done teshuva, having repaired the rift that caused the sale years earlier. This would require an exhibition of love between the sons of Leah and those of Rachel. This was indeed exhibited when Yehuda took responsibility for Benyamin, offering himself as a slave in his stead. The Ramban supports these contentions, stating that otherwise Yosef would have had to send a message to Yaakov throughout their twenty-two years apart as a sign of life, in order to alleviate his fathers terrible suffering. He did not do so in order to have the dreams fulfilled, and to confirm the repaired rift between the brothers.
Kli Yakar finds the idea of artificially orchestrating a fulfillment of the dreams to be difficult. He argues that if Hashem wanted the dreams to be actualized then they would have been, without Yosef’s strategy. Instead he explains that Yosef understood that Hashem did not want Yaakov to know that Yosef was alive for twenty-two years, disallowing Yosef from honoring him. Yaakov had not honored his father Yitzchak for this amount of time, and mida k’neged mida Yosef was not to honor Yaakov in turn. Being that Hashem did not want Yaakov to know of his existence he did not send a message to his father. Furthermore, in regards to causing his brothers to suffer via the above schemes, Kli Yakar explains that each step was to atone for a particular wrongdoing that they had done to him earlier. He wished to help them be cleansed of the inappropriate behaviors, and treated each ill-action with a corresponding suffering.
Mei’am Lo’ez adds another layer to clarifying the above events. After selling Yosef, the brothers had declared a “cheirem”, a binding oath, disallowing anyone from revealing the true reality of the disappearance of Yosef to Yaakov. This was applicable to all the brothers, and even Hashem accepted this restriction. Due to this, Yosef did not inform Yaakov of his existence despite all of their years apart.
A final note to ponder: according to the first explanation of the Ramban, it would emerge that the importance of fulfilling the dreams of Yosef trumped alleviating the suffering of Yaakov. He did not contact his father and put his family through the pain associated with his schemes in order to ensure that the dreams would be actualized. It would appear that these dreams were quite important. What was so all-important about their fulfillment? Arguably, the future events of their descent to Egypt, and the eventual galus and ge’ula could have still occurred, regardless of these dreams coming to fruition? B’ezras Hashem this will be clarified in a later discussion.
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