Shlomo's Thoughts on the Torah

Ritual is important. The Book of Leviticus deals with the ritual of the Tabernacle and the bringing of sacrifices. But if it is not tied to morality, it is meaningless.

The Commandment of the Red Heifer is one of the hardest to understand. One of the lessons from it is that sometimes there is no good decision. That we have to make a choice between a bad decision and a worse one.

Before the Jews travel to Egypt Judah has to set up the infrastructure of a Jewish society. This will allow the Jews to live according to their ways while in Egypt.

When Judah approaches Joseph he does so as a proud Jew. This teaches us that we should be proud of who we are.

Judah & Joseph represent two different types of leaders. Each has positive abilities. The Torah shows how they need to work together

Judah shows trued leadership when he takes upon himself to save Benjamin by being willing to be taken prisoner in Benjamin's place. True leadership is based on taking action and taking responsibility for that action.

Yehudah Steps ForwardThis week we begin Parashat Vayigash, and we left last week’s parashah on a dramatic cliffhanger.Binyamin has been framed.Yosef—still unrecognized by his brothers—has deliberately arranged events so that Binyamin, the youngest brother and the other son of Rachel, appears guilty and is about to be taken as a slave.This is not cruelty; it is a test.Yosef remembers exactly what his brothers did to him. He knows that Binyamin now occupies the position he once held:youngest sonchild of Rachelbeloved by their father, YaakovThe question Yosef must answer is simple but painful:Have they changed?Will they defend Binyamin, or will they abandon him the way they abandoned me?At this crucial moment, Yehudah steps forward.This is deeply significant because it was Yehudah who originally suggested selling Yosef:“Why should we kill him and gain nothing? Let us sell him.”Now Yehudah confronts the ruler of Egypt and declares, in essence:Binyamin will not be taken as a slaveHe will not be imprisonedIf necessary, they will fight Egypt itselfYehudah offers himself in Binyamin’s placeThis is full teshuvah—repentance through action.He faces the same moral test and chooses the opposite path.At that point, Yosef can no longer restrain himself.He sends all the Egyptians out of the room so that he is alone with his brothers, and he says:“I am Yosef. Does my father still live?”With those words, everything becomes clear.The brothers understand:Yosef is aliveTheir guilt is realTheir repentance has been acceptedYosef reassures them and explains the deeper truth:What you intended for harm, God intended for good.This was all part of God’s plan—to place me here as ruler of Egypt during the famine so that our family could survive.At this point, we see a pattern that will repeat throughout Jewish history:Yosef represents external leadershipThe diplomatThe one who deals with nations and governmentsThe face of the Jewish people to the worldYehudah represents internal leadershipSpiritual directionMoral authorityThe future source of Jewish kingshipWhen Yaakov is told that Yosef is alive, Yehudah is sent ahead to Egypt—not to rule, but to prepare.Yehudah goes ahead to Goshen to:Establish places of learningLay the spiritual and communal groundworkEnsure Jewish life can survive intact in exileYosef provides material security.Yehudah provides spiritual continuity.Together, they ensure the future of the Jewish people.In the end, everyone comes to see:Nothing happened by accidentEvery painful moment had purposeEven human wrongdoing can be transformed into divine planParashat Vayigash teaches us that true repentance is proven by changed behavior—and that God can weave redemption even out of betrayal.Yehudah’s Moment of TruthYosef Reveals HimselfYosef and Yehudah: Two Forms of LeadershipSettling in GoshenThe Deeper Message

The story of Joseph testing his brothers is important. Did his brothers repent for what hey had done to him? He does this by testing them under similar circumstances. This is how you will know if someone really made repentance.

Our enemies do not care if they benefit from their hatred. All they care about is attacking. We, on he other hand care about building and making the world a better place through hard work and keeping God's Commandments.

Esau does not plan for the future. He wants what he wants, and he wants it now. Jacob thinks things through. He plans for the future by working today.

The key word for this week's portion is jealousy. Esau is jealous of Jacob. He felt that he was tricked into giving up his birthright. The truth is that he would not have died if he had waited a little to get food. He blamed Jacob for his bad judgement.

The problem with Esau is that he wants instant gratification. Jacob is into delayed gratification. That is what sets off the entire fight between them. And this is why Esau really loses his birthright.

When Abraham dies, Ishmael and Isaac bury him together. They know that they cannot live together but are not fighting each other. By building boundaries they keep the peace between themselves.

The states that Isaac married Rebecca and then he loved her. What we are being taught that that our love for our spouse grows with time.

The conditions that Abraham lays down in what to look for in a wife for Isaac, he is showing that he is concerned about his grandchildren & their morality.

After burying Sarah Abraham realizes that the urgency of getting Isaac a bride. This shows us that Abraham knew that his time was up and now Isaac was the leader. That the mission was what was important, not him.

The Torah makes the point that Abraham bought the tomb in which Sarah was to be buried to stress that we have the title to the land. That even though God has promised us the land, we can show that we have a deed to it.

In this week's portion we learn about the death of Sarah and the respect that we owe those who have passed away. This is one of the main issues in the Torah. No matter what the reason that a person dies we are required to respect their bodies.

The story of the binding of Isaac is about the trust that we should have in God. That no matter how bad the situation seems to be, we know that we are under God's protection.

One of the most important lessons we can learn from the Torah is that we are not entitled to leadership. It has to be earned through our hard work and diligence.