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The Need For
Brotherly Love

T

he poignant moment when
brothers Joseph and Benjamin
are reunited after a separation of
22 years is one of the most tender scenes
in the Torah. After a long chronicle
of difficult brotherly relationships, we
finally come across two brothers who
truly love each other.
The only children of Jacob’s beloved
of brotherly hatred, the love between
Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin shared
the same womb; and when their mother Joseph and Benjamin stands out as a
shining example of the potential for
died in childbirth, we can feel assured
that Joseph drew Benjamin close to him, unconditional love.
Rashi links their tears during
protected him and shared with
their meeting to the destruc-
him the precious memories of
tion of our Sanctuaries — the
the mother Benjamin never
result of jealousy and enmity
knew. Their exclusive relation-
between Jew and Jew. Indeed,
ship must have made their
they each weep for the future
eventual separation even more
tragedies that will befall their
painful and traumatic. After all,
descendants. But although
Benjamin was the only brother
each brother will be blessed
totally uninvolved in the fam-
Rabbi Shlomo with a sanctuary on his allotted
ily tension and sibling rivalry
Riskin
land, the brothers weep not for
against Joseph.
themselves, but each for the
But I am left wondering:
other.
Where are the joy, the elation, the
This act of selfless weeping and
celebration? Why does the Torah only
unconditional love becomes the only
record the weeping of the brothers at
hope against the tragedies implicit in
this dramatic moment of their reunion?
the sale of Joseph into slavery. The only
Rashi cites and explains a midrashic
interpretation suggesting that these tears thing that can repair that sin — and by
implication the sins of all the causeless
relate to the future destruction of the
hatred between factions down the long
two Temples allotted to the portion of
road of Jewish history — is nothing less
Benjamin, and to the destruction of the
sanctuary in Shilo allotted to the portion than a love in which the other comes
first, when one weeps for the other’s
of Joseph. Rashi stresses that Joseph’s
tears are for Benjamin’s destruction, and tragedy rather than for his own.
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen
Benjamin’s tears are for Joseph’s destruc-
Kook taught that if the Temples were
tion.
destroyed because of causeless hatred,
In the tradition of “the events of the
the Temple will only be rebuilt because
fathers foreshadow the history of the
of causeless love, exemplified by the
children,” we can see that all tragedies
tears of Joseph and Benjamin. Rashi
to befall the Jewish people have their
is providing a prescient lesson for our
source in the sale of Joseph as a slave.
troubled times.
This act was the foundation of causeless
hatred between Jews.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is chancellor of Ohr Torah
Rashi’s interpretation assumes
Stone and chief rabbi of Efrat Israel.
profound significance. In the midst

Parshat Vayigash:
Genesis 44:18-47:27;
Ezekiel 37:15-37-28.

It
on the
the
It may
may be
be beautiful on
outside
what's on
on the
the
outside but
but it's
its what’s
inside
counts
inside
that that
really
counts.

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