Parsha Points to Ponder for Vayigash

Published December 24, 2009

1) Why does the Torah have to mention that Er and Onan died IN THE LAND OF CANAAN (46:12), some- thing which we already know from reading about their death in Vayeishev?
2) Why does Yosef inform his family that he will tell Par’o that they were both SHEPHERDS and also PEOPLE WITH SHEEP (46:32)? Even if they did not own a lot of sheep they would want to live in the more sheep-friendly Goshen since shepherding was their trade.
3) Why does the Torah say that Yosef provided his family with BREAD ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN (47:12)? Would anyone have thought that Yosef did not provide enough food for all his family members?

Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by Rabbi Dov Lipman, who teaches at Reishit Yerushalayim and Machon Maayan in Beit Shemesh and is the author of “DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers (and adults) to Questions about the Jewish Faith” (Feldheim) and “TIMEOUT: Sports Stories as a Game Plan for Spiritual Success” a recent release by Devora Publishing (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Answers - Ponder the questions first and then look here

1) The Ohr HaChayim suggests that the Torah is providing some merit for their sins which led to their deaths. We must remember that they lived in Canaan where people acted immorally and this influenced them.
2) The Kli Yakar answers that the Egyptians despised shepherds since they worshiped sheep and shepherds tended to hit and abuse their flocks. Yosef had to tell Par’o that they were shepherds to insure that they could live on their own in Goshen. However, Yosef did not want Par’o to be upset that they chose a trade of people who hit and abuse their god, so he quickly explained that they chose this profession out of need since it happened to be that they owned many sheep and it was not with any intent to disgrace the Egyptian god.
3) The S’forno teaches that the Torah wants to clarify that Yosef did not abuse his power and take more for his family. Rather, he provided his family with the precise amount of food they needed to insure that others would also be fed.