SAN DIEGO — Last week’s Parshah ended with Joseph accusing Benjamin of stealing Pharaoh’s cup. Benjamin would not be allowed to return home because of it. In this week’s Torah portion, called Vayigash, we see Joseph’s brother, Judah, pleading to be the one who stays behind. Since Benjamin means so much to Jacob, Judah is afraid their father will die if they return without their youngest brother.
Joseph is so moved by Judah’s pleas, he sends everyone out except his brothers and tells them who he really is. At first the brothers are so surprised, they can’t even speak. Joseph tells them not to feel bad, that God had arranged for everything to happen the way it did. God worked it out so Joseph could be in a position to save everyone throughout the land when the famine arrived.
When Pharaoh is told about Joseph’s brothers, he is pleased. He tells them to return home and gather their families. He will give them a good piece of land in Egypt. Joseph sends them home with food and supplies. As they leave, he tells them: “Do not be quarrelsome on the way.”
On the way to Egypt, Jacob stops to thank God. God speaks to him in a vision. God promises to make Jacob a great nation. There is a listing of Jacob’s children and their families.
The last part of this Parshah shows Joseph’s leadership when helping the people hurt by the famine. No one is turned away when they come to ask for help. If they have no money, Joseph accepts their livestock in trade for food. When the people have nothing left to trade, Joseph accepts their land and lets them work for the Pharaoh in trade. The people could keep most of what they farm for themselves. Joseph would only a small part of each farmer’s crops to pay for the help they receive.
What this means: In this Parshah we see how Joseph finds meaning in the horrible way his brothers treated him. He values family above everything else. Not only does he find a way to move forward, he helps his brothers as well. When he sends them home, he tells them, “Do not be quarrelsome on the way.” He wants them to forgive themselves and move forward without arguing about their past behavior.
What can you do: Sometimes when someone is angry, they say or do things that are mean. Later, they realize what they did was hurtful. But it is often hard to go back and fix it. The longer it takes before trying to make things right, the more difficult is becomes. Joseph’s brothers took so long, they didn’t even know their brother when they saw him. But Joseph knew them, and gave them the chance to become a family again by telling them everything was okay. If someone has said or done something hurtful, it is okay for you to go to them and tell them you want to work things out and be friends again.
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Marcia Berneger is a retired elementary school teacher as well as a teacher at Torah school. She is the author of such children’s books as Buster the Little Garbage Truck, and A Dreidel in Time.
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Marcia Berneger is a retired elementary school teacher. She loves writing stories for children. She is the author of such children’s books as Buster the Little Garbage Truck, and A Dreidel in Time.