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Yosef: Man of Peace





                                         Rabbi Eliezer Kashtiel





                  t the beginning of  Parshat   This insight into Yosef’s designated mis-  groups within the Jewish people and will
                  Vayeishev, the Torah describes   sion can help us understand the reason   thus bring about the ingathering of exiles
                  the animosity that Yosef’s   for his brothers’ animosity toward him.   (Netzach Yisrael, 37).
        Abrothers harbored toward           Rav Kook discusses how enmity can be a   Yosef would later teach his brothers the
        him: “His brothers saw that their father   constructive force:          priceless value of harmony, brotherhood,
        loved him more than all his brothers, and   “In order for individual elements to come
        they despised him and they were unable to   into existence, each element must stand   and maintaining their connection to
                                                                                their father. In Parshat Mikeitz, the Torah
        speak with him peacefully… And his broth-  out with a unique identity… The funda-  describes how Yosef subjected his broth-
        ers said to him, ‘Will you truly be a king   mental reason for conflict in life and in   ers to an exhausting ordeal until they
        over us, and will you truly rule over us?’   society, and the purpose of all constraints   finally acknowledged the idea that he
        And they despised him even more because   on ideas or faiths, is to create a place   had stressed throughout his life: “We are
        of his dreams and because of his words”   where every individual value can develop   all the sons of one man” (Bereishit 42:11).
        (Bereishit 37:4–8).                 properly and where others – other people,   In the same encounter, the brothers also
        Rashi comments, “He spent much time   other nations, other attitudes and char-  discovered their capacity to join forces to
        with the sons of Bilhah, for his brothers   acters, or other concepts and faiths – will   save a single member of their family – in
        would disparage them, but he would   not usurp its place” (Orot HaKodesh 4:498).  this case Binyamin – even if it meant that
        reach out to them.” Yosef also reported to   When Yosef tried to foster unity within   they would be enslaved.
        Ya’akov that his brothers were disdain-  the family, his brothers were infuriated.   Peaceful coexistence certainly requires an
        fully referring to them as servants. All of   They saw it as an attempt to erase their   awareness of every person’s uniqueness
        this points to a major difference between   individual identities. The conflict between   and of the vast diversity of the individu-
        Leah’s sons and Yosef: Leah’s sons felt that   Yosef and his brothers thus represented a   als in our nation. At the same time, it is
        it was important to stress the differences   fierce battle between two different spir-  important to identify the common charac-
        in standing between the various mem-  itual forces. As Rav Kook formulates it:   teristics that make all of us the same and
        bers of the family, whereas Yosef sought   “Two majestic voices can be heard in the   to see to it that all of us, without excep-
        to cultivate unity among all his brothers.  world with great intensity… [One is] the   tion, live together in harmony as parts of
                                            voice of harmony, the voice that demands
        Yosef’s overarching goal was for the broth-  complete coordination, equivalence, and   a cohesive whole.
        ers to live together in peace and harmony.   homogeneity, the voice of peace… In con-  Dedicated in memory of the 14 graduates of
        He felt it was important to emphasize that   trast, there also thunders… the voice that   Mosdot Bnei David - Eli who have died defend-
        they were all the sons of the same father,   roars for the power of the lone individ-  ing Israel in this war.
        that they all shared the same roots.  ual, for the conflict of life in which every    Translation: R. Dovid Sussman

        It would seem that the ketonet pasim, the   person seeks to overpower his fellow, and
        striped tunic that Ya’akov gave to Yosef,   for the accentuation of every unique attri-   Editing and adaptation: R. Yitzchak Twersky,
        was symbolic of Yosef’s role. The stripes of   bute” (Orot HaKodesh 4:493).  Academic Language Experts
        various colors symbolized the differences   The Maharal teaches that the phenome-
        between the brothers, while the stripes’   non of brotherhood will be cultivated by
        coexistence in the garment represented   Mashiach ben Yosef, who will work to find
        Yosef’s capacity to unify the family.  common ground between all the various





                              Siman Labanim is a ground-breaking English translation of Rav Kashtiel’s popular
                              collection of shiurim on the weekly parasha. With this publication, his uplifting writings
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                              program of Bnei David in Eli, is the author of many volumes of parshanut on the Tanach
                              and has long been one of the most prominent Religious Zionist voices in Israel today.
                              If you wish to purchase the sefarim, please contact Maura Ruskin at +972-523826844
                              or by email at maura.ruskin@gmail.com



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