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Parshat Vayigash
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו

Discovering the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

כי עבדך ערב את הנער

"On the contrary, instill in our hearts that we shall notice the virtues of our fellowman and not their faults... that all shall be pleasurable before You..." ("Adraba" - Prayer of R. Elimelech of Lizansk)

The poignant climax of the story of Joseph and his brothers in this week's parsha - the tremendous brotherly love apparent in Judah's speech and the re-union of the brothers around Joseph's revelation to them - touch the soul of all, igniting within us all the deep brotherly love each one of us has towards his fellow Jew.

In the past we have shown how the mutual responsibility to our fellow Jew, as in the saying 'all Israel are cohorts ('areivim') to each other', is essentially tied to Israel's connection to the Zion. The Talmud Sanhedrin 43b interprets the verse in Dvarim (29, 28), 'the hidden is to HaShem our God,' said just before Israel's entrance into the Land. The Torah marks numbers of letters in this verse with dots. According to all opinions in the Talmud the dots are interpreted to narrow the mutual responsibility for the sins of our fellow Jew to begin only at the entrance to the Land of Israel in the era of Joshua, while opinions differ in regard to the difference between 'hidden' sins versus 'revealed' sins in regard to this mutual responsibility. The concept of 'mutual responsibility' between Jews is halachically grounded not just in regard to sins but also positively in regard to the ability to benefit another Jew by reciting a blessing for them, after which the fellow Jew answers Amen and is thereby exempted from pronouncing this blessing himself, for example. Just as mutual responsibility begins with the Land of Israel, so too mutual responsibility and unity of Israel is enhanced continuously in this Land as the Zohar (3, 93b) teaches us that Israel are considered 'one People' only in the Land of Israel, as the verse says, 'one Nation in the Land'.

Interestingly, as we mentioned two weeks ago, Zion has the same numerical value as Yoseph, and also the Midrash says that 'all that occurred upon Joseph occurred upon Zion'. This matter shows that just as the brothers re-united around Joseph, so too our People reaches its true unity around Zion. In the past we have also shown how Zion, according to the Arizal, is synonymous with Hebron. Indeed, Hebron means 'unity', its very name - is 'hibur - unity'. Also, our common roots, the holy Patriarchs of Hebron, constantly tie our people together. In this way we understand why Joseph asks at his revelation to the brothers, seemingly repetitiously after already asking the same question at the end of last week's parsha, 'is my father still alive?' In essence, Joseph wants to bind the brothers together even more by poignantly touching their common roots, their mutual father.

One of the sites of Hebron today whose name expresses the unity and peace of Israel, aside of Ma'arat HaMachpela of course, is Beit HaShalom, 'the House of Peace'. Indeed, this building lies on the main road that connects all Israel, when traveling, to its common roots, Ma'arat HaMachpela, where our Patriarchs and Matriarchs are buried. Yes, this is Hebron, City of the Patriarchs, City of Unity, also called by the book Shaar Hahatzer 'the Crown of Peace'.

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Real Stories from the Holy Land #202

"During the month of Shevat 5774 many booklets about the laws of peace and inter-personal conduct were handed out in the Hebron area in order to enhance the innate leadership of Hebron as 'the Crown of Peace' as posed by the book Shaar Hahatzer. Shortly after, in the month of Adar of that year, Beit HaShalom, 'the House of Peace', was settled by Jews, after being detained from such numbers of years..."

Sources: Midrash Tanhuma Vayigash 10, Shaar Hahatzer 380, Rosh and Rabeinu Yona ch. 3 Brachot, Samuel II 7, 23

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