Dvar Torah - Vayigash 5785
In this week’s parsha, Yosef finally revealed to his brothers that he was the Viceroy of Egypt. The brothers were taken aback, and were unable to respond to Yosef, possibly because of their shame in selling him as a slave. In response, Yosef told them: “And now, do not worry, nor reproach yourselves [אל יחר בעיניכם literally ‘let it not be anything disturbing in your eyes’] for having sold me here, for it was to be a provider that G-d sent me ahead of you.” (Beraishis 45:5). Yosef told his brothers that despite the shame that they felt for having sold their brother into slavery, they should recognize that it was all for the best, because it was all part of Hashem’s plan. The sale indirectly resulted in Yosef being in a position of authority where he could help his family survive the years of famine.
The Abarbanel wonders how Yosef could tell his brothers not to feel shame for what they did. The brothers realized when Yosef said “I am Yosef” that all of their justifications for selling him as a slave were revealed to be wrong. The fact that the sale turned out well does not mitigate their offense. Since it was now clear that what they did was wrong, the positive outcome should be irrelevant to the moral result, and their feelings of shame should not be minimized.
Rav Hirsch ZT”L explains that Yosef told the brothers that he understood that their feelings of shame and regret for what they did are justified. However, he also told them: אל יחר בעיניכם - that what is יחר disturbing in your feelings can be looked at it in a positive light by the insight of your eyes בעיניכם, e.g. your intelligence. They need to look at their actions “with other eyes”, and view what they did in light of the ultimate result. They should realize that their actions were part of a Divine plan for the good of the Bnai Yisroel, and they should temper their feelings of guilt based on that realization.
Hirsch points out that the same language is used earlier in Beraishis when Rochel refused to rise up in respect for her father Lavan while she was sitting on her camel. She told Lavan “אל יחר בעיני אדני- let it not be annoying in the eyes of my lord.” (Beraishis 31:35). Rochel told her father that what appeared to him to be an act of disrespect should be tempered by the fact that “the manner of women is upon me.” (Ibid.). In other words, by looking at the fact that Rochel did not rise up in light of her physical condition, Lavan’s initial feelings of anger should be replaced by sympathy. Hirsch says the same applies here. Now that the brothers understood the ultimate result was directed by Hashem’s providence, they should see what they did in a different perspective and no longer feel their initial emotions of shame and guilt.
We see that much of how we feel depends on our viewpoint. We can look at things one way and feel guilty for what we did. Sometimes, people get stuck on their guilt and are unable to move past their feelings to continue in a positive way with their lives. Yosef told his brothers that they had the capability to look at what they did from a different viewpoint and move forward as a reunited family. Everyone ultimately faces difficulties in their lives. However, the Torah tells us that Hashem has a Divine plan and whatever happens is ultimately for the best. When we look at things in perspective, we can transform negative emotions to positive ones, and advance in our path to become better human beings and servants of Hashem.
