Vayigash

Edward Aloysius Murphy Jr. coined the famous phrase known as “Murphy’s Law” which states: “Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” His philosophy was: “Smile…tomorrow will be worse.” Even during the good times, Murphy would think to himself: “If everything is going right…something is wrong.”

In this week’s parsha Yosef proves to be a non-believer in Murphy’s Law.

After Yosef reveals himself to his brothers he tells them (45;5,8): “And now, be not distressed, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here…It was not you who sent me here, but Hashem.”

What is Yosef talking about? The brothers agreed to send him away (see: 37;27) due to their jealousy and hatred–How could Yosef now say that it was really Hashem who had sent him away? (Note: This consolation didn’t even work, for the Torah relates later on (50;15) that Yosef’s brothers thought he wanted to take revenge on them after Yaakov died.)

I think the answer is that Yosef believed in Nachum Ish Gamzu’s phrase of “Gam Zu Le’tovah” (meaning, “this also is for the best”). The Gemara (Taanis, 21a) relates the following story: Nachum Ish Gamzu was sent by his community to give a treasure chest full of precious stones to the king as a tribute. While staying at an inn on the way, the innkeeper replaced the jewels with earth. The next day, Nachum presented the chest to the king to which the king reacted with anger–wanting to kill the Jews. Nachum then said his famous line– Gam Zu Le’tovah (“this is also for the best”) and immediately Eliyahu HaNavi appeared in disguise and told the king that the earth was Avraham Avinu’s miraculous earth to which he turned into swords. The king then tested it at war and it proved successful. As a result, the king sent Nachum back with a chest full of jewels. On the way back, Nachum stayed at the same inn and related the amazing story to the innkeeper. The innkeeper then took a bunch of rubble and presented it to the king–telling him that Nachum’s earth came from here. The king was overjoyed and immediately sent the earth to his army. When the earth proved to be plain dirt, the king ordered the innkeeper to be put to death (see also: Berachot 60b, concerning Rabbi Akiva’s famous saying, “Everything Hashem does must be for the good” and an interesting story. Also, see Shulchan Aruch, 222;3 which states that one is required to bless Hashem for the bad just as he blesses Him for the good.)

However, what is the meaning of this phrase “this also is for the best”? How could everything (i.e. selling your brother) be a good thing?

I think the answer is that everything is always for the best because it comes from Hashem. When one realizes that Hashem is in control of the whole world and that He truly cares for everyone then they come to see that everything that happens is for the best. Similarly,  Yosef told his brothers after Yaakov’s death (50;20): “Although you intended me hard, Hashem intended it for the good.” Meaning, Hashem is in control of everything and he only intends to give to good towards me.

However, the brothers were clearly at fault for selling Yosef, for the Torah states (37;27): “Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites….and his brothers listened (Rashi: “listened” means “accepted”).” Therefore, even though everything is from Hashem, why should the brothers not reproach themselves if they clearly sinned?

The Gemara (Bava Kama, 85a) states that if a person wounds his friend then the Torah makes him liable to pay for the medical expenses. Now, the Gemara then explains that since the Torah requires the damager to pay for the medical expenses of the victim then obviously the doctor is permitted to heal him. However, wouldn’t the doctor be permitted to heal the victim even if the damager wasn’t obligated to pay for his medical expenses? Rashi answers: One might have thought that just as Hashem brought the illness upon him so too Hashem will also heal him, and the doctor should therefore not get involved. Still, nevertheless, the doctor is permitted to heal him. We could learn from this case (where a person wounds his friend) that everything a person does comes from Hashem–for even though he clearly wounded his friend, the sages still consider it as though Hashem was the one who caused the damage.

Based on this, I think we could answer that Hashem simply used the brothers as ”puppets” to get Yosef to Egypt. Therefore, Yosef was telling the brothers not to worry, for in reality it was really Hashem who sold him to Egypt (they were only at fault for their jealousy and hatred–not for the sale that followed). Thus, even the sale was a good thing.

Now, why did Hashem cause Yosef to go through so much suffering in order to become the viceroy of Egypt?

The Mishna (Pirkei Avos 4;19) states: ”It is not in our power to explain either the tranquility of the wicked or the suffering of the righteous.” However, perhaps we could come up with an answer…

Now, from where did suffering originate? Interestingly, the Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah, 65;4) relates that there was no suffering until the time of Yitzchak Avinu. Yitzchak then said to Hashem, “If a person dies without experiencing pain, the full strictness of Heavenly judgment will be applied against him. But pains in this world will spare him from punishment in the World to Come.” Hashem replied, “I swear, you asked for a good thing, and I’ll start with you!” The Midrash relates that Yitzchak then became blind.

For this reason, I believe, the Gemara (Erchin, 16b) states: Any person which receives no suffering for 40 days is considered to have already received their share in the World to Come. Thus, Hashem made Yosef suffer because all the righteous require suffering in order to gain merits in the World to Come.

However, the Gemara (Shabbat, 55a) also states “there is no suffering without transgression.” Therefore, we see that suffering isn’t a requirement for the World to Come…Rather, suffering only comes about through transgressions!

Rabbeinu Yona writes (Shaarei Teshuva, 2;2-4) that Hashem causes suffering for 2 reasons: 1)To atone for sins, 2) So the evil will repent. Therefore, I think Hashem made Yosef suffer his way to becoming the king of Egypt in order to atone for his sins…As Rashi (37;2) states: “because of the report that he related about them that they call their brothers (the sons of Bilhah & Zilpah) servants, Yosef was sold as a slave.” Meaning, Hashem punished him exactly for his sins. Therefore, since he accused the brothers of calling their fellow brothers slaves, Hashem punished him by making him an actual slave.

I think we could learn out from here, again, that it was really Hashem who sold Yosef to Egypt (and the brothers were merely used as “puppets” to get him there), for he needed to punish him exactly for his negative deeds.

Rashi (37;20) relates that Hashem said, “we shall see whose words will come true whether yours (the brothers) or mine.” Meaning, even though the brothers said (37;20) “let us kill him,” Hashem had other plans. Therefore, we see that from the very beginning Hashem was planning on saving Yosef, even though the brothers wished to kill him. Thus, perhaps we could learn out again that it was really hashem who sold Yosef and that the brothers were merely used as “puppets”–for we see that the sale was in Hashem’s plan the whole time.

Summary: Yosef told his brothers (45;8) “It was not you who sent me here, but Hashem.” However, the brothers agreed to sell him (see: 37;27)!?! I think Yosef was relating to his brothers the principal of “Gam Zu Letovah” (meaning, “this also is for the best”). Simply speaking, that means that everything comes from Hashem and must be good. However, I think the answer is that Yosef was telling his brothers that it was really Hashem who had sold him, for we find many times that Hashem will purposely cause people to sin in order to get his wishes (e.g. Bava Kama 85a–see above). And why would Hashem cause the brothers to sell Yosef? Perhaps to punish him “midah keneged midah” (measure for measure), for as Rashi relates (37;2), Yosef would tell Yaakov that the brothers would call the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah servants. At any rate, although the brothers wanted to kill Yosef (37;20), Hashem had others plans from the very beginning, as we see from Rashi (37;20–explanation above).