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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

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