Torah · Weekly Parasha VideoParashat MiketzRabbi Uri Nahum · June 19, 2017 · Miketz · מקץ · 15 Min Parasha RoundupSave⌄ShareParasha class with Rabbi Uri Nahum, from BSD Productions’ 15 Min Parasha Roundup.Transcript0:05Parashat Miketz. This week's parasha has 146 pesukim, one of the long parashiyot in Sefer0:12Bereishit, and the parasha tells us about Yosef's rise to greatness, as well as the reunion between Yosef and his brothers after the many years that he's been away from home.0:20And as most of the years, Parashat Miketz falls out during0:24Chanukah, and the remez is found in this week's parasha as well, many remazim.0:27One is, we find0:29the word or is found eight times in the Torah, six times in Parashat Bereishit, and the seventh time is in this week's parasha, Parashat Miketz, where it says, haboker or.0:40We divided the parasha into six parts.0:43This first part of the parasha Torah tells us about the Pharaoh's dreams and Yosef's interpretations.0:47The second part of the parasha is Yosef's rise to greatness, and where the Torah tells us also about the years of plenty and the seven years of hunger.0:56The third part of the parasha is the first meeting between Yosef and his brothers.1:00The fourth part of the parasha is when the Shvatim come back home to Yaakov in order to get Binyamin.1:08The fifth part of the parasha is the second meeting between the brothers and Yosef,1:12and finally the parasha concludes with the story of the gevia hakesef, the silver goblet, which was placed intentionally by Yosef in Binyamin's sack.1:21No mezvot in this week's parasha. Let's get to the parasha, and it's a lot of points in this parasha.1:26Torah begins with Pharaoh's dream.1:28Torah tells us that Pharaoh was having dreams, and he was having both dreams on the same night.1:33He had a dream, he went to sleep, and he woke up after the dream, and afterwards he had again a second dream.1:41What were the dreams?1:42The first dream, he saw seven fat cows coming out of the Nile, and afterwards he saw seven skinny cows consuming, swallowing up the seven fat cows,1:54and the skinny cows remained skinny.1:56He woke up from this dream and he went back to sleep again, and he had a second dream.1:59In the second dream, he saw seven wheat stalks in one stem, which looked very full, and they were also consumed by seven skinny, weak-looking stalks.2:09And this dream Paro had, and he woke up and he was shaken from it.2:15The Midrash tells us that actually Paro was seeing this dream for two years.2:18It was only now that he was able to see the dream and to remember it,2:24and therefore Paro calls for interpretation.2:27The some Midrashim point out that Paro really saw the interpretation of this dream; he just forgot the interpretation.2:31That's why when people were called to interpret the dream for Paro, nobody was able to interpret it.2:36It's not that Paro couldn't accept it.2:38He knew that he saw the interpretation, and none of the interpretations that he heard matched exactly what he saw.2:44Finally, the sar hamashkim, where the said the Torah tells us his name was Mirod.2:48Mirod, sar hamashkim, introduces Yosef to Paro, and he introduces him as the interpreter of dreams.2:54He is the one who interpreted sar hamashkim's dream, which came true,2:59as sar hamashkim got back to his position, and therefore Yosef is called upon to come out of jail3:04and to bring out Yosef. And the Chachamim tell us that this happened on Rosh Hashanah.3:08Rosh Hashanah, Yosef comes out. He's given a haircut, he's shaven, because he was in the dungeon.3:15He wasn't dressed up, he3:17wasn't—now he's adorned, and he comes in front of the king, and Paro tells him his dream.3:23The Midrash tells us that Paro tried to switch the dream, tried to change the dream.3:27However, Yosef knew exactly what the dream was, and he told3:31Paro that both dreams really had one message,3:35and the one message is that the seven fat cows and the seven fat, the big bundles, represent that there will be seven years of plenty.3:44A lot of food will come, a lot of blessing will come to Mitzrayim.3:47However, there will be another seven years immediately following it,3:51and those seven years will make the first seven years forgotten.3:55And these seven years of hunger will be years of3:58famine where everybody is not going to even remember the years of plenty.4:01So therefore, as a good advice, says Yosef,4:05you should find for yourself an ish chacham v'navon, a wise and smart man,4:10who's going to handle the stores of all the years of plenty.4:13And we move on now to the second part of the parasha, where we see Yosef's rise to greatness.4:18Yosef is appointed as the Mishneh LaMelech,4:21and Seder HaDorot explains that it was done through a whole trial, it wasn't done immediately.4:25In the end, Yosef, 30 years old at this time,4:2912 years after being placed in jail from Potiphar's house,4:33and about 13 years from the time he was sold from his brothers,4:37is now appointed as a Mishneh LaMelech.4:40He is given a special garment to wear.4:42He's adorned with special jewelry from4:45Paro. In fact, Paro gives him his ring, and he tells him that you will be second in command.4:49I will be the only one who is above you.4:51Nothing could move and function in Mitzrayim without your word.4:55He was given a special chariot which would ride right next to the king's chariot,5:00and he was given a new name.5:02Yosef's new name, which he was known now as,5:05Safnat Paaneach. So we have to keep that in mind when reading the5:07parasha. The Torah tells us about Yosef, but you should know5:10everybody referred to Yosef in Mitzrayim at the time as5:13Safnat Paaneach, which is the one who interprets that which is hidden,5:16like the word safun, which is hidden, which talks about the afikoman on Pesach.5:22Safnat is something that's hidden; Paaneach is that which he reveals.5:25Also, Paro becomes5:28Yosef's shadchan, and he puts together Yosef with his wife Asenat,5:33who happens to be the adopted daughter of Potiphar,5:36which happens to be also the daughter of5:40Dinah when she got impregnated from... Shechem ben Hamor.5:43And then the Torah tells us about the years of plenty.5:46Seven years came, and there was a tremendous amount of blessing in all of the land of Egypt.5:50And Yosef gets to work right away.5:52He starts storing up all the crops and the earth that they came from5:56from all over the land. He takes it, he starts storing it.5:59Meanwhile, in those seven years, Yosef was blessed with two boys, Menashe and Ephraim.6:04And then the seven years of famine come,6:07and the hunger was not only in Egypt;6:10it was all over the6:11world. In fact, Egypt was the only place that was able to supply food because Yosef stored it.6:16However, this was not true by all the other Egyptians.6:19All the food that the Egyptians stored started rotting,6:22was found to be rotten.6:24It was only Yosef's food that was still fresh,6:27and therefore Yosef commanded that anybody who wants food has to follow my rules.6:31And he made four specific rules that Midrash talks about.6:33Number one is nobody could buy food in6:38wholesale. You may only purchase food for personal use, not for commercial use.6:41Number two is if anybody wanted to buy food,6:44he has to himself come personally to buy the food or send his own children.6:49He may not send any servants to buy food on his behalf.6:52This is a rule not only to people of Egypt, but even people who came from outside of Egypt.6:56Also, anybody who would come into Egypt to buy food from outside of Egypt7:00must be recorded, his name and where he came from,7:03and these names were then given to Yosef every evening to look over.7:08And finally, the rule was that Yosef made7:11anybody who wanted food must have circumcision.7:14He must have a brit milah in order to be able to buy food.7:17The third part of the parashah, we move on to it,7:19and now the Torah tells us how the brothers came down to Mitzrayim.7:24In fact, the brothers didn't really need to come down to Mitzrayim.7:27They had plenty of7:28food. However, it was at the urge of Yaakov Avinu's... Yaakov Avinu, that the brothers came down to Mitzrayim.7:35Yaakov Avinu tells his children,7:37Lamah tisra'u? Even though you have plenty, you know what? Everybody around you is hungry.7:40Everybody is going through starvation.7:41There's a great depression in the whole world.7:43So just make yourself look like you also need food.7:46Go down to Mitzrayim.7:47And therefore the brothers go down to Mitzrayim,7:49but they're warned by7:51Yaakov, in order to avoid ayin hara, you should enter from different gates of the city.7:54And the ten brothers come down,7:55and the pasuk calls them achei Yosef, the brothers of Yosef,7:58because the Chachamim tell us.8:00The ten brothers, when they went down to Mitzrayim, they didn't just go down to get food,8:05but they felt very bad for selling Yosef,8:08and they were searching for Yosef to bring him back home.8:11And they knew that Yosef was sold to Egypt,8:14so therefore they went to different gates.8:15Also, they figured he was scattered throughout the country in order to look for Yosef.8:21However, when they came in, their names were recorded,8:24and Yosef sees that his brothers were there, so he puts out a search for the8:27brothers. And where are the brothers found? They're found in the market of the prostitutes.8:31And when they're brought into Yosef, he says, I don't understand, what are you guys doing here?8:34Why, if you're all brothers, why'd you scatter throughout the country?8:37And therefore Yosef accuses the brothers of spying out the land.8:41And the brothers defend themselves and they explain, No, we came really because there was a hunger,8:44and we came to look for our brother Yosef,8:46and we have another brother Binyamin back home,8:49and we have a father in his8:51well. Conversation back and forth, and the Torah says that he arrests the brothers for three days.8:54Afterwards he brings them out and he says, Listen, I'll accept that you are not spying9:02if you could prove to me that your brother really exists.9:07If you said you have a younger brother and you call him Binyamin, whatever it is, bring him back to me.9:12If you bring him back, then I'll know that you are saying the truth and you're not spying.9:17And in order to make sure that you guys come back, I'm going to make sure I'm going to put one of you in jail.9:22Yosef takes Shimon and he puts him and he arrests him to the eyes of his brothers,9:26so this way he holds him as some sort of a bail to allow the brothers to go back to bring Binyamin to him.9:37On the way back home, Yosef, however, commands his servants that all the money that the brothers paid for their food9:42to be placed back in their sack of food.9:45And the brothers will see soon; they'll discover that later on.9:48We move on to the fourth part of the9:52parashah, and the Torah tells us about the brothers going back to Yaakov in order to get9:56Binyamin. When they come home, they report to Yaakov everything that happened,9:59and they say, first of all, the person in charge of Mitzrayim was so10:04grandur. Everybody respected him, everybody bowed down to him.10:06He was the top man,10:08and everything ran by him.10:10And he was so scary, and he was so tough with us,10:12and he spoke very hard to10:13us. And they relate the whole story back to Yaakov10:16Avinu, in which Yaakov starts crying.10:19He says, What did you do to me?10:21Yosef is missing. Now you want to take10:23Binyamin? Under no circumstances will I give you Binyamin to go down to Mitzrayim.10:26It's then that Reuven, the oldest, comes10:28and he tells his father, I'm ready to offer my two children as a collateral.10:32If I don't bring back Binyamin, I take responsibility.10:36I'm ready to kill my own two children.10:38Of course, Yaakov refuses.10:40He doesn't want to hear of it.10:41Yehudah tells the brothers, Just wait.10:42When it gets really, really bad and the hunger gets stronger,10:46then Yaakov will have to let us take Binyamin with us,10:49because otherwise we'll all die here in hunger.10:52And that's exactly what happens.10:53The hunger gets stronger, and Yaakov requests that his children go back to Mitzrayim,10:57at which point Yehudah says, We told you about it. We cannot go back without11:02Binyamin. Finally, after much deliberation back and forth,11:04Yehudah offers his olam haba as a collateral for Binyamin's return.11:09If I don't bring back Binyamin, says11:12Yehudah, I'm ready to give up my share in11:16olam haba. It's only then that Yaakov agrees, and he sends Binyamin together with the brothers.11:21However, he gives them three things.11:24Besides Binyamin, he tells them to take the old money that they found in their sacks.11:31And he tells him also to take more money in case the prices went up.11:36Number two is he writes a special letter to Yosef, thinking he's11:40safek paneach, and he writes to him a special letter in which he warns him not to harm11:45Binyamin. And finally, he takes from the finest of the fruits that were found in11:49Eretz Yisrael, which is called zimrat haaretz, different types of nuts and fruits,11:52to be brought as a gift to this man, safek paneach, which is really Yosef.11:57And we move on now to the fifth part of the parashah,11:59the second meeting between Yosef and his brothers.12:01First, when they come back to12:03Egypt, they're told that they're going to have a special meal in the house of Yosef,12:07and all the brothers are invited to the house of Yosef,12:09and they're thinking, Uh-oh, here's another setup.12:12However, so the brothers come, they offer their money,12:14and they say, Listen, here's our money that we found in our sacks,12:17to which the servants deny that they ever, you know, lost their money.12:20They said, We got your money. I don't know who put back your money.12:23And then the brothers are told that they're going to have a meal together with Yosef.12:26They should prepare themselves, and they were shown how to do12:28shechitah. Here is where we find the first Beit Yosef meat in history.12:32They were eating in the house of Yosef,12:34and they were shown, like the Gemara says, they were shown the12:37shechitah, how to do shechitah over there,12:39and that's where you find it.12:42Finally, Yosef comes in.12:44Yosef comes in. He finally meets Binyamin after all these years,12:48and when Yosef comes in, all the brothers bow down to him,12:50fulfilling his dream that he had about 13 years ago.12:54Yosef is introduced to12:57Binyamin, plus he's given the letter from Yaakov12:59Avinu, and after reading the letter, Yaakov gets very emotional.13:02After talking, Binyamin gets emotional.13:04He moves to the side, to the back room, where he cries.13:07The brothers are then seated inside.13:09The Egyptians are seated alone, and the brothers are also seated per family.13:12Each of the brothers from specific mothers,13:15the children of Leah were seated together,13:17the children of Bilhah together, and Zilpah together,13:20and Yosef and Binyamin sat together,13:21and they had the meal.13:23In that meal, they were offered wine,13:26and for the first time in 22 years, 22 years,13:28both Yosef and the brothers drink wine13:32because they were each13:34morning—not 22 years, excuse me—for the first time in 13 years.13:37In 22 years, excuse me, the brothers were finally drinking wine.13:41And finally we move on to the silver goblet,13:44the last part of this week's13:45parashah. Yosef, in the middle of the meal, reveals himself to13:49Binyamin, and he tells him exactly the plan that he's planning to do,13:52that he's going to place his silver goblet,13:54which he was doing magic from, into Binyamin's sack.13:57And afterwards, he tells him of his purpose14:01of why he's doing what he's doing.14:02He wants to see if the brothers really have done14:04teshuvah, of selling him.14:07The silver goblet is placed in Binyamin's sack,14:09plus everybody's money is placed in his own sack,14:11and they're sent off.14:13And Yosef commands his servant, who placed the goblet,14:15he tells him the whole plan:14:17You go and you chase them in the middle of the road,14:19and tell them, I don't understand.14:20My master has done so good to you. He's been so good to you.14:23He served you, and he put you in his own house,14:25and you steal his own goblet?14:26Of course they're going to deny it,14:27and then you'll search and you'll find it.14:29And that's exactly what happens.14:30The servant chases after the brothers in the middle of the road.14:34Everybody opens up their sack,14:35and after searching everybody's sack,14:37finally he comes to14:38Binyamin. He finds the silver goblet,14:39and the brothers, what could they say?14:40Here it is. They're caught14:43red-handed. They go back to Mitzrayim.14:45The Midrash tells us that they were ready to go back to Mitzrayim14:48to fight.14:49If Yosef doesn't want to let the brothers go back,14:51they're ready to destroy all of Mitzrayim14:53in order to bring back14:55Binyamin. And finally the brothers come,14:57and they bow down again to Yosef,15:00and they offer themselves as slaves,15:02to which Yosef replies,15:04No. The only person who stole from me,15:06he shall be my slave, and you guys could go home.15:09And that's how the Torah ends in this week's15:11parashah. What can we learn from this week's15:14parashah? I'll tell you one thing.15:16There's an excitement every time we come to this part of the15:19parashah. Every time, we all know the story.15:21We all know what's going to15:22happen. We all know Yosef is going to reveal himself.15:23We all know this15:25parashah, but yet, year after year when we learn it15:28and we go through the story,15:29it's still find the same excitement.15:31This is a lesson also15:34that we can learn and apply together to the holiday of Hanukkah.15:37The sefarim bring down15:38that we light in Hanukkah15:42ad shetichleh regel min ha-shuk, and as the Chidushei Harim explains,15:45it's to take away the regilut.15:47It's to take away the15:48boringness, that we shouldn't do mitzvot in a habit, in a way of habit.15:54Rather, we should do with excitement.15:56Regel min ha-shuk, we shouldn't be people just accustomed to things.15:59We should always do with excitement.16:00This parasha shows us how time and time again, year in, year after year, we read the parasha, we know the story, and yet we still come to it with such excitement.16:09Bezrat Hashem, we should be zocheh to carry this excitement with us throughout all of the Torah and all parts of the Torah and all of our mitzvot from now on throughout the year.16:18Shabbat shalom, Chanukah sameach.