Parshat Vayechi - Exceeding Our Limits
by Rabbi Lobel
(Chapter 47: 29-31) “The time approached for Israel (Jacob) to die, so he called for his son, for Joseph, and said to him, ‘Please- if I have found favor in your eyes, please place your hand under my thigh and do kindness and truth with me- please do not bury me in Egypt. And I will lie down with my fathers and you shall transport me out of Egypt and bury me in their grave.’ He said, ‘I will do in accordance with your words.’ And Jacob said, ‘Swear to me’ and Joseph swore to him.”
It seems from the verses above that at first Jacob asked Joseph to bury him in Hebron with his fathers; Joseph agreed and gave him his word. Then Jacob asked Joseph to take on an oath that he will not falter, and Joseph accepted.
The Ramban explains that it would be ludicrous to suggest that Jacob did not trust Joseph. Rather, Jacob placed an additional oath on Joseph so that Joseph would not succumb to the pressures placed by Pharaoh. Pharaoh, seemingly, would be reluctant in sending Joseph to bury his father. Also, Pharaoh wanted Jacob enshrined in the tombs of Egypt. The Ramban, therefore, explains that the oath would ensure that Joseph use extra due diligence in fulfilling his father’s wishes.
Following the Ramban’s interpretation, one may still ask why the oath was required. Wasn’t it sufficient for Joseph to say “I will do in accordance with your words”? Doesn’t past experience tell us that Joseph, even under the threat of death, was willing to carry out his father’s wishes? After all, as the Ramban explains (Parshat Vayeshev 37:14), Joseph went to check on his brothers, at his father’s request, knowing that his brothers were conspiring to harm him. It therefore becomes necessary to explain that Joseph could have potentially found himself in a situation where he would not have been able to fulfill his father’s wishes except for the fact that he had taken an oath.
Often, a person finds himself in an impossible situation. Yet, when the stakes are high enough, he somehow achieves what had only seemed impossible. Jacob wanted Joseph to understand what was at stake.
On a personal level, when it comes to supporting and helping our fellow man, one should internalize the magnitude of what one is doing to push himself to the next level. It may seem, at certain times, that we cannot be of help or can do no more. However, if we understand the foundation of what chessed (kindness) is built upon, we can persevere to help even in the most hopeless situations.
|
