Wednesday, December 12, 2018

A Selfless Greeting

When Yosef goes to greet Yaakov, it says, (וירא אליו ויפול על צואריו (מו:כט.  Rashi understands the possuk to be saying first Yosef appeared before Yaakov and then he fell on his neck.  The Ramban asks its obvious that Yosef saw Yaakov before he fell on his neck, what is the possuk teaching us?  Therefore, he understands that the verse means when Yaakov (whose eyes were weak) finally recognized Yosef, then he cried on Yosef’s neck.  The בעלי מוסר (Rav Leeb Chosman and Rav Chaim Shmulevetz) answer that the possuk is teaching us that Yosef's whole intent in going to greet his father wasn't for his own sake to see his father, rather it was purely to be seen by his father.  When Rashi says יוסף נראה אל אביו, he means to describe Yosef's mindset when greeting his father. Yosef was only thinking about the pleasure his father will have for seeing him for the first time in 22 years, he wasn't focused on himself.  Yosef told his brothers to inform Yaakov about all his fame, honor and riches in Egypt.  Was it the intent of Yosef to brag, why did he need them to tell all of this to Yaakov?  The בעלי מוסר say that Yosef’s intent wasn’t to take any fame and honor for himself (he keeps on stressing that it all came from Hashem,) rather he wanted to make his father proud of him.

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