Parshat Mikeitz
D’vrei torah by: Hannah Grossman

This week’s parsha, Mikeitz, meaning “the end” continues the story of Yoseph’s
time in Egypt by beginning with “the end” of his imprisonment. When Pharaoh
dreams of seven fat, healthy cows which are devoured by seven lean cows and
seven good ears of grain swallowed by seven thin, wind-parched ears he grows
agitated that no one in his court is able to interpret his dream. Suddenly,
the sar hamaskim remembers Yoseph, the Hebrew prisoner who so accurately
interpreted the dream which brought about his release from prison. Pharaoh
sends for Yoseph who interprets his two dreams to mean that seven years of
plenty will be followed by seven years of famine. Not only does he interpret
the dreams, but he advises Pharaoh on how to go about in the preparations.
Seeing ruach elokim within Yoseph, Pharaoh appoints him viceroy of Egypt-he is
to be in charge of organizing the stockpiling of food and he is also given
control over the entire land. Yoseph marries Asnat, Potiphar’s daughter, and
they have two sons- Menashe and Ephraim.

Just as Yoseph had prefigured, famine approaches after seven years of plenty.
It is so pervasive that all the lands of the earth come to Egypt for food.
Among those seeking food are ten of Yaakov’s sons- whom Yoseph immediately
identifies as his brothers, but who do not reciprocate the recognition.
The Ramban states that when Yoseph saw ten of his eleven brothers
before him he remembered his dream which he interpreted to mean that they
would all one day bow down to him. Yoseph saw that the fulfillment of this
foretelling could not take place in their country; he saw that it could happen
only in Egypt where they would see his tremendous success. All of Yoseph’s
actions in this parsha are the result of his determination to have his dreams
fulfilled. It was not enough for ten of his brothers to bow down to him- in
order for the complete fulfillment of the dream, Binyamin, whom Yaakov kept at
home, as well as Yaakov himself, would have to come and bow down to him as
well.

But according to Rav Yoseph Medan, Yoseph did not send his brothers
back home to bring back Binyamin for his own, selfish goals. Medan asks, “Why
did Yoseph not send word to his father, the moment that he rose to his
elevated position in Egypt, telling him that he was still alive? Why did he
allow his father to suffer such profound anguish and mourning for his son an
additional nine years?” He wanted to fulfill his dream, but also wanted his
brothers to benefit on a different level- on a level no one in the Torah has
yet reached. Tshuva. There has been a plethora of sinning so far in Bereshit
but not until now has one truly done tshuva. Yoseph wanted his brothers to
repent for what they had done to him and the means by which he would do this
was by directing them into a situation fairly analogous to that which they
were in during his sale. They had sold him into slavery years before and now
he is demanding them to re-experience the same situation- to bring Binyamin
and to leave him to his fate as a slave in Egypt- or other potential harm. If
they change their ways, they will have exhibited true tshuva and as the word
indicates, the family members will return to each other.

Yoseph demands them to return to their father’s house and to bring back
Binyamin to prove that they are who they are. Keeping Shimon as a hostage
until they return, the brothers are faced with a situation similar to their
initial sin as a group- and a chance to perform genuine tshuva. The fear that
possible harm will be done to Binyamin if they bring him to Egypt, Reuven and
Yehuda see this as a punishment for their earlier sins- Reuven with Bilha and
Yehuda with Tamar. With disparate ways of repentance, they approach the
bringing of Binyamin differently. Reuven had dressed in sackcloth and fasted
while Yehuda admitted to his sin. Have you ever found yourself in a situation
and made the wrong decision and later found yourself in the same situation but
have changed the way you approach it? The brothers are told to bring Binyamin
down to Egypt to prove that they are who they say they are and also to free
Shimon, who may become enslaved if they fail to return with the twelfth
brother. They do what they are told and eventually, by the beginning of next
week’s parsha, vayigash, Yoseph identifies himself and conciliates with his
brothers.

Had Yoseph simply sent word to Yaakov telling him that he was alive,
Yaakov surely would have freed him but his brothers would still hate him and
would most likely try to rid themselves of him another time. Leading them to
perform tshuva, he wanted the family to return to each other by regretting
what they had done to him. As Rav Yoseph Medan says, “he wanted a
reunification based on the brothers’.complete repentance.”
In Mikeitz we see the reunification of family and a certain
dedication. Yoseph could have killed his brothers when they came down to
Egypt. But he had a dedication to his family and to the Jewish people. Later
we see his strong commitment to the physical land of Israel as he asks for his
bones to be buried in the land of Israel. On Chanukah (the root of which
means dedication), we remember the rededication of the temple and express our
commitment to the Jewish lineage. So as we look around now at the rest of the
KHH family- we should not overlook the greatness of this continuous devotion
we reaffirm each time we come together and carry out traditions which have
kept the Jewish people together for thousands of years. I hope that as we all
light the chanukiah these next few nights with each other we don’t overlook
the significance of it all.