How do we get to the “Promised Land”? A pat answer might be: “Just get on a plane.” Alas, we all know that the real answer is that this is a question that our people have been asking for generations, because the term “Promised Land” implies far more than just a physical location. It alludes to the an era of residing in a state of universal understanding of our role in the world in relation to our Creator. It refers to what we call the era of Moshiach. And so we contine to strive with the question of how we can get to the “Promised Land.”
If one reads Parshas Vayigash as the simple narrative conclusion of the story of Yoseph bringing his family to Egypt, one might miss an interesting verse that, perhaps, has resounding implications for the Jewish people: “And he sent his brothers, and they went, and he told them, “Do not be agitated on the way” (Bereishis 45:24). In the context of Bereishis, Yoseph has just finished revealing himself to his brothers, they have feasted together, he has loaded their caravan with provision and gifts, and it is time for them to go and get Yaakov. Throughout the perek, Yoseph has assured his brothers that he has forgiven them, that he is not upset with them, and that “God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth, and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance. So, it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Bereishis 45:7-8). Why then, is he worried that they will be agitated?
Many of the commentators explain that Yoseph was telling his brothers not to be concerned that they would be beset by highwaymen (robbers) or that people they would pass would try to steal from them. While the Rashbam* implies that this fear was the result of their underlying guilt, that those who are burdened with past sin have constant worry for disaster, the general consensus of those who understand the verse this way is that Yoseph was telling his brothers that they need not have this agitation because his name and position would protect them.
But there are other understandings of Yoseph’s statement as well. Rabbeinu Bahya points out that the sages in Gemara Taanis understand it as a warning not to get too involved in halachic discussions that might slow them down. The commentator says: “He did not mean to stop them from discussing such matters; he only did not want them to go into them at depth as this would prove time-consuming” (Sefaria translation).
Agitated, it must be pointed out, is just one translation/association of the word תִּרְגְּז֖וּ tirgzoo. A different understanding of the word tirgzoo is that it means quarrelsome. In this context, as the Radak* explains, Yoseph was worried that the brothers might spend the journey home blaming each other for all that had happened. He could imagine their ride home being full of “Well, if you hadn’t said we should kill him…” “It was your idea to throw him in the pit…” “Who thought deceiving our father was a good idea!” It is human nature to quarrel in this manner, but Yoseph wanted them to truly understand that everything had been hashgacha pratis, Divine purpose.
What, you might now be asking, does all of this have to do with the question of “How do we get to the promised land”? How do we get to the age of Moshiach. Moshiach is a complicated topic, and people throw around the term Messianic Age rather easily. Part of the process of the coming of the Moshianic Age, is that there will be two types of Moshiach - the Moshiach ben David whom most people mean when they use the term, will be the latter, the start of a new Davidic line on the throne of Israel. Prior to Moshiach ben Dovid, however, there will be Moshiach ben Yosef, whose role it will be to herald in the final era and to guide our people along the way. Thus it is interesting that this verse, 45:24, begins “Vayishlach es achiv, and he sent his brothers.” The verses just previous to this are filled with details of how he is provisioning them to leave and even the statement that he sent “she-asses laden with grain, bread, and provisions” to his father. The verse could very well have started with Vayelchoo, and they went. But he sent them. There is purpose to their travel.
How, then, did Yoseph Hatzadik guide the brothers along a way that would help their descendants so many generations later? He warned them not to be agitated or quarrelsome. The journey to the “Promised Land” is our journey through exile. On this journey we must be careful not to quarrel with one another, not to point fingers and cast blame for that which happens because all is part of the Divine plan. On this journey, we must study the Torah, learn our laws, delve into the richness of our heritage, but we must not get so involved in the details that we lose the path. We must remember that Torah encompasses far more than dos and donts, but living in this world and uplifting it. On this journey, we must not be agitated with what others will think of us because we travel under the authority of the Ultimate King. As long as we proceed in the path He has set forth (Torah), His name is our protection.
May we soon see the end of our journey!
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