In Parshas Vayigash, after a twenty-two year separation between Yosef and his family, the masquerade falls away as Yosef reveals himself to his astonished brothers.

Facing the imprisonment of Binyamin, in whose saddle-pack the goblet of Yosef was “found,” Yehuda - on behalf of the tribes - argues with passion for the sake of saving Binyamin. Under no circumstances, Yehuda makes clear, will the brothers allow Binyamin to be kept as a slave by the viceroy of Egypt. Yehuda - the father of royalty - takes responsibility for Binyamin, and demonstrates that twenty-two years after selling Yosef, the brothers are changed men. This time, they will not allow the son of Rachel and Yaakov to be lost to them.

When Yosef reveals himself, he reassures and comforts his stunned brothers, saying that it was not they who sold him to Egypt. With stalwart and unbreakable faith, he declares that it was all part of G-d’s Divine plan, so that he could be a sustainer of life and provider for Yaakov and the family. 

Yosef then sends his brothers back to Canaan with provisions, including money, wagons, clothing, and food. He instructs them to tell Yaakov that he is still alive, that he is the ruler over the whole land of Egypt. They are further commanded to move Yaakov and the entire family down to Egypt, specifically to the region of Goshen, where Yosef will be able to provide for them. 

כׇּל־הַנֶּ֧פֶשׁ לְבֵֽית־יַעֲקֹ֛ב הַבָּ֥אָה מִצְרַ֖יְמָה שִׁבְעִֽים - all souls to the house of Yaakov, that came to Egypt, were seventy (Bereishis 46:27). 

However, Yaakov did not just descend to Egypt and move there without preparation. In order to prepare for his move to Goshen - the final exile where he would live out the remaining years of his life - Yaakov sends Yehuda ahead of him. 

וְאֶת־יְהוּדָ֞ה שָׁלַ֤ח לְפָנָיו֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף לְהוֹרֹ֥ת לְפָנָ֖יו גֹּ֑שְׁנָה וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַ֥רְצָה גֹּֽשֶׁן - He sent Yehuda ahead of him to Yosef, to direct him to Goshen, and they came to the land of Goshen (46:28). 

For what purpose was Yehuda - the man of truth, faithfulness, acknowledgment, courage, humility, responsibility and leadership - sent ahead of Yaakov?

Rashi, quoting the Medrash, teaches: לפניו. קֹדֶם שֶׁיַּגִּיַע לְשָׁם. וּמִדְרַשׁ אַגָּדָה לְהוֹרוֹת לְפָנָיו – לְתַקֵּן לוֹ בֵּית תַּלְמוּד שֶׁמִּשָּׁם תֵּצֵא הוֹרָאָה - Yaakov sent Yehuda ahead, before he (Yaakov) would arrive there. And the Medrash teaches that לְהוֹרֹ֥ת לְפָנָ֖יו means: to establish a Beis Talmud, a house of study, from where teaching (of Torah) would go forth. 

Here we have Yaakov Avinu, the choicest of the patriarchs, descending to Egypt to finally be reunited with his long-lost son. He knew that this would be his final place of dwelling before his death, where he would live out the last seventeen years of his life. He further knew that this was the beginning of the Egyptian exile, and subsequent century-plus of enslavement for his descendants.

What was on his mind as he left his beloved land of Canaan? His thoughts were centered around the need for a yeshiva where Torah would be studied, and taught, in exile. For he knew that if there was a Torah center, around which the community was established, his children would spiritually survive.

This is an extremely powerful and important teaching for every generation, and must be heard by us, in our generation. With the travails and enemies of exile rising up all around us to destroy us, and with the pervasive and persuasive cultural norms that draw us into their magnetic field, we must be ever vigilant to remember our survival depends upon our adherence to Torah. The stronger our connection to Torah and mitzvos, the stronger our nation is, and will be.

Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm z’l writes, “Two weeks ago [two weeks prior to this drasha, which is dated December 6, 1975] Friday I woke up in my hotel room in Jerusalem, and turned on the radio. The news was traumatic. It informed us that during the night Palestinian terrorists had broken into a yeshiva in an isolated area, Ramat Magshimim, and there murdered three nineteen-year-old students. It was an especially devastating piece of news for me, because all three were classmates of one of my sons when we were in Israel several years ago.

“One young man, Shelomo Mocha, had been captured by the guerillas and wounded in his head, and the murderers intended to kidnap him and take him to Syria, but he escaped. It was he who told the story of what happened.

“That Saturday night, the television news informed us that the TV interviewer had gone to Ramat Magshimim to look for and interview Shelomo Mocha. He was not to be found in the office of the settlement. Where, the TV man inquired, could he find the young man? Was he perhaps in the hospital, recuperating from his wounds? No, Shelomo Mocha was not in the hospital. Had he possibly gone home, to reassure himself in the warmth of his friends and the bosom of his family? No, he was not at home. Had his parents possibly taken him on vacation to recover from this terrible trauma? No, he was not on vacation. Well, then, where was he? 

“The TV interviewer found him: in the beit midrash, in the study hall, studying Torah! What was he doing there? The answer was simple: ‘I and my friends came here to study Torah. They were killed, but had they lived, they would be doing this. So now I am studying for them too.’ The interviewer looked at the camera and told his audience, with begrudging incredulity, ‘Zehu kocha shel Torah,’ ‘This is the power of Torah!’” (Derashot Ledorot, Genesis, p.211-21).

Like Yaakov, we sojourn amongst the nations of the world who seek our destruction. It is Yaakov who teaches us how we can survive, and even continue to spiritually thrive, during the years - may Hashem save us - of exile. By immersing ourselves in Torah, and strengthening our connection to her teachings, mitzvos, values and truths, we too, like Yaakov will remain forevermore committed to Hashem and Am Yisrael. תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ משֶׁ֑ה מֽוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַֽעֲקֹֽב, The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the assembly of Yaakov (Devarim 33:4).

בברכת בשורות טובות ושבת שלום

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