Parashat Vayigash

By Rabbi Shlomo Zargari:

וַיִּקְח֣וּ אֶת־מִקְנֵיהֶ֗ם וְאֶת־רְכוּשָׁם֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר רָֽכְשׁוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ מִצְרָ֑יְמָה יַעֲקֹ֖ב וְכָל־זַרְע֥וֹ אִתּֽוֹ

(Bereshit 45,6)
The pasuk teaches us that Yaakov Avinu and his descendants went to Egypt.

The Midrash teaches us that as long as any of the people who came to Egypt were alive, the subjugation and slavery would not start, as the pasuk says:
וַיָּ֤מָת יוֹסֵף֙ וְכָל־אֶחָ֔יו וְכֹ֖ל הַדּ֥וֹר הַהֽוּא

Yosef and all his brothers and all the generation passed away.

The אור החיים הקדוש explains, the reason is because Yaakov Avinu and the shevatim knew the decree that HaShem made regarding the enslavement and the suffering of the descendants of Avraham Avinu, and yet, they accepted it upon themselves with the love they had for HaShem, and with that feeling they descended to Egypt.

The Talmud ( Berachot 62a) says: the cure for hardships is to accept them and to realize that it’s coming from the Just King. Therefore, being that they accepted the decree in this manner, the hardships and slavery were not endured by them.

Zohar Hakadosh (ח״ג קצח) explains the pasuk in Tehilim:

אַשְׁרֵ֗י שֶׁ֤אֵ֣ל יַעֲקֹ֣ב בְּעֶזְר֑וֹ שִׂ֝בְר֗וֹ
עַל־ה’ אֱלֹקיו

Fortunate is one that the GD of Yaakov is helping him, his hope is upon his HaShem.
( Tehilim 146,5)

Yaakov Avinu was willing to break himself and to accept the hardships if they were the will of HaShem.
And that’s what the pasuk is hinting at:
וַיַּ֣רְא יַעֲקֹ֔ב כִּ֥י יֶשׁ־שֶׁ֖בֶר בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַעֲקֹב֙ לְבָנָ֔יו לָ֖מָּה תִּתְרָאֽוּ

Yaakov saw there’s שבר in Egypt; we translate שבר as food rations. We could also see the hint as “to break,” meaning that he understood he was being led to Egypt into exile to suffer, and he accepted it with a full heart. And because of that he merited the best years of his life there!

Shabbat Shalom