Ilustration Credit: Rivka Tsinman
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
For a really long time, Yaakov absolutely refused to send Binyamin to מִצְרַיִם (Mitzrayim, Egypt). What made him finally change his mind?
Midrash Hagadol
Once, two pious people set sail on their way to do a mitzvah. A storm threatened to sink their boat.
מדרש הגדול
מַעֲשֶׂה בִּשְׁנֵי חֲסִידִים שֶׁפֵּרְשׁוּ בַּיָּם הַגָּדוֹל לִדְבָר מִצְוָה, עָמַד עֲלֵיהֶם נַחְשׁוֹל בַּיָּם וּבִקֵּשׁ לְטָבְעָם.
לֵית בִּישׁ מִן דָּא. Nothing could be worse than this.
אִית בִּישׁ רַב מִן דָּא! Yes, there is something even worse than this.
אָנוּ עַל שַׁעֲרֵי מִיתָה, וְאִית לָךְ בִּישׁ מִן הֲדָא? Here we are at the gates of death, and you know something worse than this?
הֵן! Yes!
וְאֵיזֶה זֶה? What?
זֶה יוֹם שֶׁבְּנוֹ אוֹמֵר לוֹ: תֵּן לִי פַּת וְאֵין לוֹ מָה יִתֵּן לוֹ.
It’s the day your child says to you, give me something to eat, and you don’t have anything to give them.
The proof is from Yaakov. As long as they had food at home he wouldn’t let Binyanim go to Mitzrayim. But once they ran out, Yaakov said: “Take your brother too…” and he prayed for them, “May El Shaddai give you mercy…”
תֵּדַע לְךָ, הֲרֵי יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהָיְתָה קֻפָּה מְלֵאָה פַּת הָיָה לוֹעֵס וְאוֹמֵר: לֹא יֵרֵד בְּנִי עִמָּכֶם. כֵּיוָן דְּחָסַלְתְּ אָמַר: "וְאֶת אֲחֵיכֶם קְחוּ" וְהִתְחִיל מִתְפַּלֵּל עֲלֵיהֶם: "וְאֵ-ל שַׁדַּי יִתֵּן לָכֶם רַחֲמִים..."
Our midrash suggests that Yaakov might have let himself be hungry for longer. But once his own children were experiencing hunger, he was in the worst possible situation. So he changed his mind and let Binyamin go.
- Why do you think a situation of not having enough food to give to children can be worse than a situation of being in great danger? What does that say about how we’re supposed to look at our own suffering as compared to someone else’s suffering?
- Can you think of things that you are willing to tolerate yourself, but you wouldn’t want your friends or family to experience?
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