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Parashat VaYeishev

Kisleiv 24 5777

Dedication & Responsibility: Yosef's Greatest

Quality?
by Rabbi Shaya First
Near the beginning of Parashat VaYeishev, Yaakov calls over
Yosef and asks him to travel to Shechem to check on the well-being
of Yosefs brothers and their sheep. Yosef acquiesces, and sets out
on his mission (BeReishit 37:13-14).
But Yosef has a tough journey. Along the way, not only does
Yosef fail to locate his brothers in Shechem as they had by that
point moved on to Dotan but he also gets lost in the fields, as the
Pasuk states, VeHineih Toeh BaSadeh, And behold, he was
straying in the field (37:15). He needs a stranger (who Rashi
identifies as the angel Gavriel) to guide him along the way, and
only after much searching does he finally manage to locate his
brothers and fulfill his fathers mission. He sees his brothers in
Dotan and sees them from afar before they spot him.
Why does the Torah tell us all these details about Yosefs
journey? Why it is so critical that we know about all of Yosefs
challenges along the road and the bumps along the way? Would it
not have sufficed just to skip straight from his fathers instructions
and Yosefs departure right to the encounter with the brothers?
Ramban (37:15 s.v. VaYimtzaeihu Ish VeHinei Toeh BaSadeh)
suggests that Yosefs journey is taught in detail to highlight how
the descent of the Shevatim to Egypt was divinely orchestrated, as
God directed Yosef into the hands of his brothers in spite of Yosefs
original struggle to find them. However, many other Meforshim,
including Rashbam, Seforno and Ramban himself earlier on in his
comments, add another dimension to the purpose of this segment
of the story: Yosefs journey highlights his incredible commitment
to fulfilling the mission laid out for him by his father. Even though
he had many excuses to give up along the way, he persevered. His
brothers were not in the town they were supposed to be in;
nonetheless, he continued searching. He got lost, but he didnt turn
around. He finally sees them, no doubt with murderous looks on
their faces, but nevertheless approaches them to fulfill his mission.
It was his journey, and he did not give up until he had finally
succeeded. He felt responsible to see his mission through to its end.

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December 24, 2016

Vol. 25 No. 14

As we are first introduced to Yosef, the Torah goes out of its

way to emphasize his dedication and commitment to fulfilling his
responsibilities, as this was perhaps Yosefs most striking quality.
It is one that comes up over and over again throughout his story.
In fact, Yosefs dedication and commitment to fulfilling his
responsibilities can be seen in a very striking way later in our
Parashah, in his reaction to the advances of Potifars wife. Yosef
refused her advances but why? Precisely what aspect of her
seduction repelled him? Was it the gravity of the sin of adultery?
Believe it or not, a close look at Yosefs comments to her
indicates that this may not have been the travesty at the forefront
of Yosefs mind at the time (or at the very least, not the one that
Yosef focused on in speaking to her). And he refused, telling his
masters wife: Behold! My master trusts me with everything in his
house, and all that is in his possession he has placed in my hand.
There is no one in this house ranked above me, and my master has
not withheld anything from me so how could I do this evil thing,
and thereby sin to God! (BeReishit 39:8-9). Yosef seems much
more focused on the betrayal of his responsibilities as the head of
Potifars household than on the specific sin of adultery. Potifar
gave me my job, he made me in charge of everything he owns
how could I possibly betray his trust? How could I shirk my own
responsibilities of taking care of his possessions by violating his
most sacred boundary? Yosef saw himself responsible for taking
care of Potifars household and would never dream of betraying
this trust.
Yosefs propensity to fulfill his responsibilities may also
explain the answer to perhaps the most perplexing question of
these coming Parashiyot: why Yosef never phoned home while
stuck in Egypt, why he never tried getting in touch with his
beloved father to rescue him. Many of the Meforshim explain that
Yosef saw himself as responsible for fulfilling the dreams he had
dreamt of as a child, and went to tremendous lengths as we will
read about over the next few weeks to ensure that they came to
fruition.
Yosefs dedication and commitment to fulfilling his
responsibilities and reaching his goals are exemplary. As we read
through his story over the coming weeks, we should strive to
consider how we can emulate his devotion in ourselves.

Yehudahs Actions Righteous or Wicked?

by Moshe Davis (17)
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 6b) discusses different opinions of
how to understand the phrase Botzeia Beireich Nieitz Hashem

K
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(Tehillim 10:3). Rabi Meir states that this phrase refers to

Yehudah in this weeks Parashah, when he says to his
brothers while Yosef is in the pit: Mah Betza Ki Naharog Et
Achinu, What profit will we gain from killing our brother?
(BeReishit 37:26). If Rabi Meir is correct, the implication of the
phrase, Botzeia Beireich Nieitz Hashem would be
anyone who blesses Yehudah for what he did, its as if he
cursed Hashem.
However, this understand of Rabi Meir is very troubling.
The brothers threw Yosef in a deep pit in the desert so that he
wouldnt be able to get out and there would be no one around
to help him. The brothers were planning on leaving Yosef
there to die, a terrible act of murder, on a brother no
less. When Yehudah stepped in and told the brothers they
shouldnt kill their brother in cold blood, it definitely seems
like he was acting nobly to save Yosefs life; so why would
the Gemara tell us that what Yehudah did was a terrible act
and someone who applauds his behavior should be cursed?
There is a Midrash that states, anyone who starts a
Mitzvah but doesnt complete it is punished by having to
bury his wife and children. And lo and behold, we see that
this exact punishment falls upon Yehudah when his children,
Eir and Onan, die (BeReishit 38). But this Midrash is even
more perplexing than the Gemara! The other brothers didnt
do anything at all to help the situation, they didnt perform
even a partial Mitzvah, and we see no punishment meted out
to them, especially not burying their children. So why was
Yehudah punished so harshly? It would seem more
appropriate for the other brothers to receive a harsh
punishment!
Rav Yeruchum Levovitz gives an explanation to this
difficult question. Yehudah was the leader of the brothers;
therefore, he was responsible for all their actions. Being the
leader, he could have stopped the evil plan in its entirety.
However, he missed the opportunity to really save his brother
and his father from all of their future misery.
Rav Yeruchum Levovitz also says that the brothers
werent punished because they never even attempted to save
Yosef. Yehudah, on the other hand, began and then stopped.
He started the Mitzvah, and then killed the life of the
Mitzvah, and for that, he was punished with the death of his
children.
The severity of the punishment that was meted out to
Yehudah should serve as a lesson that we must learn from,
that we must take Shemirat HaMitzvot very seriously. One
should not carelessly perform acts, but rather should have
focus and know what he is doing and why he is doing it. If
we take this message to heart and are careful to complete all

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I thank Rav Asher Brander for allowing me to adapt and expand his
article on this topic, published in his excellent work Teachings.

our Mitzvot full-heartedly, we will, BeEzrat Hashem, not face any

drastic punishments as Yehudah did.

The Am Keshei Oref: The Perfect Nation to

Receive the Torah
by Rabbi Chaim Jachter
Over the years1, Jews have been privileged to receive many
appellations. Among the more famous (and positive) are Chosen
People, People of the Book, Eternal People, and Light unto
the Nations (Am HaNivchar, Am HaSefer, Am HaNetzach, Or
LaGoyim, respectively). In Parashat Ki Tisa, our people receiving
yet another tag one that for good reason evokes mixed feelings,
yet in whose depth may lie the secret of our eternity.
The source of the appellation? Hashem himself who relates
the following to Moshe in the terrible Golden Calf aftermath
(Shemot, 32:9-10):
I have seen [observed] this people, and behold they are a
stiff-necked people. Now leave Me alone and My wrath
will blaze against them and destroy them. I will then make
you into a great nation.
There it is: Am Keshei Oref a stiff-necked people. You might
have heard of the term, one that evokes a particular
uncomplimentary image, especially according to Rashis simple
explanation (ad loc. s.v. Keshei Oref): So-called because they turn
their stiff necks towards those who reprimand them and refuse to
listen. A picture of a passive aggressive nation emerges, one that
refuses to respond to reprimands while perhaps even ignoring the
essential rebuke.
One chapter later, Hashem informs Moshe that He will now be
sending a proxy angel to watch over Bnei Yisrael (instead of His
direct stewardship). In explaining why, Hashem invokes this
notion twice again (Shemot 33:3 and 5):
I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the
Canaanites [You will then] enter a land flowing with
milk and honey for I will not go up among you, for you
are a stiff-necked people and I may destroy you along the
way. Say to the Bnei Yisrael, You are a stiff-necked
people. Were I to go up among you I would destroy
you.
In sum, one can reasonably assume that Keshei Oref is not the
thing to be, the phrase connoting a noxious combination of
impudence mixed with more than a dash of stubbornness.

The Problem
Heres the problem: In defending Am Yisrael, Moshe uses the
very same Keshei Oref notion as the essential rationale for our
salvation (Shemot, 34:9):
Moshe hastened, bowed to the ground and said, If I
have found favor in Your eyes my Master, let my Master
go among us [Ki Am Keshei Oref Hu] because it is a stiffnecked people, pardon our iniquity and our sins, and take
us as Your own possession.
Keshei Oref as a reason for mercy does not sound like a
winning argument. It almost seems that Moshe employs Keshei
Oref as a desired state.
Four Classic Solutions Ibn Janach, Ibn Ezra, Ramban and Midrash
Ibn Ezra presents two possible explanations of the text. First,
he presents the opinion of Rav Mereinos (Rav Yonah Ibn Janach),
who explains that the word Ki in our context of Ki it is a stiff
necked people should be rendered as if to say, even though it is
a stiff necked people (for the word Ki can also mean even
though2).
Opting with the more standard usage of the word Ki as
causative, Ibn Ezra offers a different approach, translating our
phrase as Because we are stiff necked because I admit that we
have sinned, I admit that it is a stiff necked people and therefore
you shall forgive.
Ibn Ezras second notion runs like this: Hashem, we dont
attempt to redefine truth in light of our behavior, nor do we make
a theology of our weaknesses a tendency from which frail man
often suffers. In classic Berditchever Rebbe style, Moshe turns to
Hashem and says: but at least we are honest.

The message seems to be saying the following: a

Malach is constricted; he has no leeway and must punish
us! However, Hashem understands us in great depth
and can find in our being Keshei Oref the very building
blocks of forgiveness. How so? Rambans beautiful
words open the door:
And while in the time of anger it would have
been better to send an angel because they are
stiff necked ... in the time of Ratzon [favor], the
Shechinah is better because they are stiff
necked, for He will have more mercy on his
servants [And Hashem assented to Moshes
request].
Remarkably, after Bnei Yisrael does its Teshuvah,
the stiff necked nature of the Jewish people will coax
Divine mercy. Ramban does not reveal the metaphysics
of that equation; however, a beautiful Midrash does
(Shemot Rabbah 42:9):
And, behold, it is a stiff necked people- Rabi
Yakim said: Three are the undaunted: among
beasts, it is the dog; among birds, it is the cock;
and among the nations it is Israel. Rabi Yitzchak
ben Redifa said in the name of Rabi Ammi: You
think that this is said disparagingly, but it is
really in their praise. Rabi Abin said: To this
very day Israelites in the Diaspora are called the
stiff necked people.

Keshei Oref per se is a trait, not a pejorative. By

A Third Approach, an Amalgam of Ramban, Zohar, Midrash and Basic definition, a trait is willy-nilly, neither here nor there.
Human Observation
The key with any trait is its manner of implementation3.
In dealings with cell phone providers, credit card companies A classic Kotzker story drives home the point: The
and the airlines, many invariably find themselves speaking to the Kotzker once taught that every emotion/thought has
manager. Moshe turns to God and says: Hashem Your people value. Rebbe, of what value is heresy or doubt? a
do not want an agent. They want the Divine Manager. Why? The cynical Chassid asked. The Kotzker thought for a
words of the Zohar Chadash explain (Lech Lecha 41b):
moment and responded: When a beggar knocks on
your door, dont believe that that God shall provide.
For it is a stiff necked people and You shall forgive for Take out your wallet and give him money.
You are forgiving and we are stiff-necked (and therefore)
Our stiff necked-ness has served us well; a key
You shall forgive . The Jews are obstinate and wearying ingredient in what no less divergent personalities than
and when they sin, the angel can do only judgment and Rav Yaakov Emden and Mark Twain pointed out as one
not forgiveness, but You are merciful and gracious.
of the great enigmas and miracles of human civilization:
the immortality of the Jew. Does anyone really doubt
2

Ibn Ezra to Shemot 13:17 cites Rav Moshe Ibn Jikatila who interprets the
word Ki in this Pasuk to mean even though. The word Ki in Yehoshua
17:18 and Tehillim 41:5 can be reasonably understood as meaning even
though as well.
3 Moshe Rabbeinus request of God can be understood as a
commitment to transform our stubborn nature from the negative

the refusal to abide by the divine command to the positive to

adhere to the divine command through thick and thin. This is an
example of Chazals teaching (Yoma 96b ) that Teshuvah
MeiAhavah, repentance motivated by love of God, transforms sins
into merits, Zedonot Naasot KeZechuyot.

Rav Hirsch - The Am Keshei Oref: The Perfect Nation to Receive the
Torah
In a variation on the Midrashs theme, Rav Hirsch (to Shemot
34:9) writes about the natural innate obstinacy of the race, which
made Israel the most suitable for the revelation of the Divinity of
His Torah. We can explain Rav Hirsch in light of the fact that the
most contentious and argumentative (and highly intelligent)
people accepted the divine origin of the Torah, which
demonstrates that the Torah is indeed of divine origin. The stiff
necked nation would never have accepted the Torah as being of
I know that you fasted today, but I am not going to divine origin had it not indeed been of divine origin. We can
invoke the death penalty you deserve according to the understand Moshe Rabbeinu as arguing to Hashem that He should
Law. Instead you are going to climb that mountain and forgive us since it is precisely the fact that we are the Am Keshei
slide down on your stomachs. Those among you who Oref that proves the authenticity of the claim that Hashem gave us
would like to repent may say they were wrong to disobey the Torah.
army regulations and fasting today. Those who wish to do
Conclusion
so may raise their hands.
Mark Twain wondered what the secret of the Jews
immortality is. Part of the answer is our natural inclination to be
Dr. Eliach continues and relates:
the Am Keshei Oref. This proven prophecy resonates deeply
within us as we understand how this stubborn nature has allowed
Not a single hand went up. And so, the tired, soaked, us to persevere in our adherence to Torah observance in spite of
starving, the emaciated Jews climbed the wet, slippery manifold challenges in each and every generation throughout the
mountain. When they reached the top, they were ordered millennia. Thoughtful individuals recognize that we are indeed the
to slide down on their stomachs. When they reached the Am Keshei Oref and that this constitutes yet another reason to
bottom, they were ordered to line up again. They were acknowledge the Torah to be of divine origin.
asked if there were individuals who wished to repent and
be spared the ordeal. Mud-covered figures with feverish
eyes looked at the clean shaven German officer in silent
defiance. And so ten times they repeated the humiliating
Editors-in-Chief: Hillel Koslowe, Yehuda Koslowe
performance, each time with more determination, each
time with more strength, climbing and sliding from an
Publication Editors: Moshe Davis, Tani Greengart,
unknown Polish mountain which on that soggy Yom
Shlomi Helfgot, Binyamin Jachter, Ned Krasnopolsky
Kippur night became a symbol of Jewish courage.
Publishing Manager: Eitan Leff, Avi Roth
After the ordeal was over, a young German officer of low
Staff: Shmuel Bak, Eli Englard, Nachum Freedman, Gabe
rank walked over to the group and said, I dont know
Greenberg, Meir Lightman, Shai Rosalimsky, David
who will win this war, but one thing I am sure of people
Rothchild, Yehuda Saks
like you, a nation like yours, will never be defeated,
Rabbinic Advisor: Rabbi Chaim Jachter
never.
Questions, comments? Contact us at:

that by all standards of natural history, we ought to have been a

relic of the past, an academic fascination for aspiring PhDs?
Dr. Yaffa Eliach presents an incredible story in her work
Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust (pages 101-105) which illustrates how
our stubbornness translates into our immortality. Dr. Eliach tells of
a Jewish labor battalion slaving under brutal Nazi control who
refused to eat on Yom Kippur despite threat of execution for failure
to comply. After the fast was completed, the Nazi commander
approached the group and said:

Our Am Keshei Oref nature enabled us to persist and survive

the most difficult challenges imposed upon us from the brutal and
powerful atheist rule of the Soviet Union to the challenge of
observing Shabbat in the United States at a time when a six day
work week was the norm and Jewish workers were told If you do
not come to work on Saturday, do not bother coming to work on
Monday4.

I stand in awe of my grandfather (and namesake) Chaim Adler ztl, who

stood firm and was fired week and week for refusing to work on Shabbat, in
grand Am Keshei Oref tradition. It took great courage and steadfast
determination for my grandfather to do this at a time when his wife and five
4

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small children depended on him for sustenance in those years (the 1920s),
when government welfare was not extended even to those in the most dire of
circumstances.