(כה) וַֽיַּעֲל֖וּ מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב אֲבִיהֶֽם׃ (כו) וַיַּגִּ֨דוּ ל֜וֹ לֵאמֹ֗ר ע֚וֹד יוֹסֵ֣ף חַ֔י וְכִֽי־ה֥וּא מֹשֵׁ֖ל בְּכׇל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וַיָּ֣פׇג לִבּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י לֹא־הֶאֱמִ֖ין לָהֶֽם׃
(25) They went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. (26) And they told him, “Joseph is still alive; yes, he is ruler over the whole land of Egypt.” His heart went numb, for he did not believe them.
ר׳ שמעון אומר כך עונש של בדאי שאפי׳ דובר אמת אין שומעין לו שכן מצינו בבניו של יעקב שכיזבו לאביהן בתחלה האמין להם שנאמר (בראשית ל״ז:ל״א) ויקחו את כתונת יוסף וישחטו שעיר עזים וכתיב (שם) ויכירה ויאמר כתונת בני אבל באחרונה אע״פ שדברו אמת לפניו לא האמין להם שנאמר (שם מה) ([ויפג לבו כי לא האמין להם]) ויגידו לו לאמר עוד יוסף חי ולא האמין להם . ויש אומרים רוח הקודש שנסתלקה מיעקב אבינו שרתה עליו באותה שעה שנא׳ (שם) ותחי רוח יעקב אביהם:
Rabbi Shimon would say: Such is the punishment for a liar, that even when he speaks the truth, no one listens to him. So we find with the children of Jacob, who deceived their father. In the beginning he believed them, as it says (Genesis 37:31), “They took Joseph’s coat, slaughtered a goat,” and then it says (Genesis 37:33), “He recognized it, and said: This is my son’s coat! But afterward, even when they spoke the truth to him, he did not believe them, as it says (Genesis 45:26), ([“His heart became numb, for he did not believe them.”]) “They told him, and said: Joseph is still alive…[but] he did not believe them.”
Some say that the holy spirit that had departed from Jacob now returned to him, as it says (Genesis 45:27), “And the spirit of their father Jacob was revived.”
(כח) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל רַ֛ב עוֹד־יוֹסֵ֥ף בְּנִ֖י חָ֑י אֵֽלְכָ֥ה וְאֶרְאֶ֖נּוּ בְּטֶ֥רֶם אָמֽוּת׃
(28) “Enough!” said Israel. “My son Joseph is still alive! I must go and see him before I die.”
רב עוד יוסף בני חי וכי הוא מושל, רב עוד לי אם הוא חי איני חושש בממשלתו.
רב, עוד יוסף בני חי, “it is plenty;” Yaakov meant that when the brothers told him that Joseph was alive, and that he was a ruler in Egypt, the second part of the sentence was unnecessary, as long as he knew that Joseph was alive. He was totally unconcerned with Joseph’s standing politically.
רב עוד יוסף. רב לי זאת השמחה:
IT IS ENOUGH; JOSEPH MY SON IS YET ALIVE. This happiness is enough for me.
What do we expect Jacob to do next?
וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב יַעֲקֹב אַחַר שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַשֵּׁם "לֹא יִקָּרֵא שִׁמְךָ עוֹד יַעֲקֹב כִּי אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל יִהְיֶה שְׁמֶךָ" הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיִּקְרָאֶנּוּ בַּשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד הַהוּא, וְכֵן הוּא נִזְכָּר בַּפָּרָשָׁה הַזֹּאת שְׁלֹשָׁה פְּעָמִים, אֲבָל קְרָאוֹ יַעֲקֹב לִרְמֹז כִּי עַתָּה לֹא יָשׂוֹר עִם אֱלֹהִים וְעִם אֲנָשִׁים וְיוּכָל, אֲבָל יִהְיֶה בְּבֵית עֲבָדִים עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶנּוּ גַּם עָלֹה, כִּי מֵעַתָּה הַגָּלוּת תַּתְחִיל בּוֹ. וְזֶה טַעַם "וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים מִצְרַיְמָה יַעֲקֹב וּבָנָיו" (בראשית מ"ו:ח'), כִּי בְּשֵׁם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יָבֹאוּ שָׁמָּה, כִּי יִפְרוּ הַבָּנִים וְיִרְבּוּ וְיִגְדַּל שְׁמָם וּכְבוֹדָם, אֲבָל יַעֲקֹב הוּא עַתָּה בְּרִדְתּוֹ שָׁם.
AND GOD SAID, JACOB, JACOB. After G-d had told him, Thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name, it would be proper that God call him by this glorious name, and so he is indeed mentioned three times in this section. However, God called him Jacob in order to hint that now he will not contend with G-d and men and prevail, [as the name Israel indicates], but he will be in a house of bondage until God will also bring him up again, since the exile now begins with him. This is the meaning of the verse, And these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons, for they would come there with the appellation, “children of Israel,” since the children would multiply and increase there and their name and glory would extend. However, he is “Jacob” when descending thereto.
יעקב יעקב. לְשׁוֹן חִבָּה:
יעקב יעקב JACOB, JACOB — The repetition of the name is a mark of affection (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Chapter 1 12).
Yaakov’s detour helps to move the patriarchal and matriarchal soap opera to the epic tale of the emerging Jewish nation. The long list of names of everyone in Yaakov’s family is a further clue as to what the entire Genesis story really is all about, i.e. preparation for Jewish nationhood.
(כט) וַיֶּאְסֹ֤ר יוֹסֵף֙ מֶרְכַּבְתּ֔וֹ וַיַּ֛עַל לִקְרַֽאת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל אָבִ֖יו גֹּ֑שְׁנָה וַיֵּרָ֣א אֵלָ֗יו וַיִּפֹּל֙ עַל־צַוָּארָ֔יו וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ עַל־צַוָּארָ֖יו עֽוֹד׃ (ל) וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶל־יוֹסֵ֖ף אָמ֣וּתָה הַפָּ֑עַם אַחֲרֵי֙ רְאוֹתִ֣י אֶת־פָּנֶ֔יךָ כִּ֥י עוֹדְךָ֖ חָֽי׃
(29) Joseph ordered his chariot and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel; he presented himself to him and, embracing him around the neck, he wept on his neck a good while. (30) Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now I can die, having seen for myself that you are still alive.”
From the beginning of the Yosef story, we have been waiting for the grand moment where father finally sees his son and his pain and grief is lifted. While the actual meeting is unsatisfying, the disappointment helps prepare Yaakov, Yosef , the entire family, and us, the readers, for the larger story and the more encompassing redemption. Parashat Vayigash moves us from the small, intimate family story and reassures Yaakov, his family and us, that God has promised us a greater redemption...