T

here is a dramatic 
moment in this week’s 
Torah portion, Vayechi. 
Joseph’s brothers are distraught 
and fearful. Many years before, 
they had turned on Joseph and 
sold him into 
slavery in Egypt 
because of their 
fears and con-
cerns at the time. 
This led to Joseph 
being separated 
from his father 
for more than 
20 years, causing 
unspeakable anguish to both 
Jacob and Joseph. The brothers 
had come to truly regret and 
show deep remorse for what 
they had done. Now they were 
all in Egypt, living with Joseph 
because of the famine. Together, 
they buried their father, Jacob, 
as described in this week’s 
Torah portion.
After the passing of Jacob, 
the brothers feared that with 
his father no longer around, 
Joseph would exact revenge for 

the pain they had inflicted on 
him all of those years before. 
And so they approached him 
with trepidation to inform him 
that Jacob’s dying wish was 
that Joseph should not take 
vengeance for what took place 
all those years before, and that 
he should instead grant them 
complete forgiveness for their 
wrongdoings.
The brothers completely sub-
jugate themselves before Joseph, 
offering themselves as his ser-
vants. Joseph dismisses their 
concerns immediately, and says 
to them: “Do not fear, for am I 
in place of God? You intended 
to harm me, [and yet] God 
intended it for good in order to 
accomplish — it is as clear as 
this day — in order to give life 
to a vast people. So now, do not 
fear, I will sustain you and your 
young ones.
” And he comforted 
them and spoke to their heart. 
(Bereishit 50:19-21)
In essence, Joseph was tell-
ing his brothers that God had 
a plan. They had to accept 

responsibility for their actions, 
but ultimately, what happened 
turned out for the best. Being 
thrown into the pit and then 
sold into slavery set in motion 
a series of events that would 
see Joseph become the vice-
roy of Egypt, and as Pharaoh’s 
righthand man, guide the coun-
try, and in fact the entire region, 
though the famine, preventing 
mass starvation. So Joseph was 
saying that God’s plan, although 
it involved much personal pain 
for him, was ultimately for the 
good.
In doing so, Joseph was artic-
ulating a fundamental Jewish 
belief — that no matter what 
happens in life, it is ultimately 
part of God’s plan; that God 
loves us and that everything 
that happens to us stems from 
that love. What we learn from 
this saga involving Joseph 
and his brothers is that it’s 
not always possible to discern 
God’s plan while it is unfold-
ing. Joseph was just a boy of 
17 when he was sold by his 

brothers into slavery, and he 
could never have foreseen what 
lay ahead. It took many years 
for the grand scheme to reveal 
itself.
But, what is so ironic in this 
situation is that Joseph thought 
he had understood God’s 
ultimate plan. Joseph’s under-
standing was that God allowed 
for him to be sold into slavery 
so that he would be able to get 
down to Egypt and save the 
region — including Jacob and 
his family — from the famine. 
But, there was actually a much 
bigger plan in play — a plan 
with more far-reaching conse-
quences, a plan that touched 
on the very essence of Jewish 
destiny and the forging of the 
Jewish people.

A CATALYST TO 
BRING CHANGE
God had foretold to Abraham 
how the nation of Israel would 
be born from suffering and 
slavery. And Joseph being sold 
into slavery was the means 
through which God orches-
trated that development. It was 
the catalyst that would eventu-
ally bring Jacob and his family 
to Egypt, where they would 
become a great nation, and then 
become enslaved, just as was 
promised to Abraham centuries 
before.
That was crucial, because 
God wanted the creation of the 
Jewish people to be through His 
miracles and His direct inter-
vention so that we would always 
owe our freedom and very exis-
tence as a nation to God — a 
nation born of God, so to speak. 
A supernatural nation, born 
in supernatural circumstances 
and worthy of its supernatural 
mission, brought to Mount 
Sinai to receive the Torah, the 
Divine document outlining that 
mission.
None of this could have hap-
pened to a self-reliant people 
living independently in their 

Seeing the 
 Big Picture

Chief Rabbi 
Warren 
Goldstein

SPIRIT
A WORD OF TORAH

44 | MARCH 10 • 2022 

