When Yaakob's sons returned to Egypt and informed him that his beloved son, Yosef, was still alive, he at first didn't believe them (45:26). But Yaakob then saw the wagons that Yosef had sent with his brothers to use for carrying Yaakob to Egypt. At that point, Yaakob's "spirit was revived," and he realized that Yosef was, indeed, alive.
The Midrash famously explains that the "wagons" contained a "coded message" of sorts to Yaakob. The Hebrew word "Agalot" ("wagons") reminded Yaakob of the last subject which he taught to Yosef, the law of "Egla Arufa." This law applies in a situation where a murder occurred near a city, and the killer was not found. The city's leaders must perform a special ceremony, killing a young calf – "Egla" – in an area which cannot be cultivated, and this atoned for the crime which was committed. Yosef wanted to show Yaakob that he still remembered the Torah which Yaakob had taught him. And so when Yaakob saw the wagons, which alluded to the Torah which he taught Yosef, and which Yosef remembered, Yaakob knew that his son was indeed alive.
Why did Yaakob not initially believe his sons? And what changed once he saw the wagons?
Some commentators answered these questions by taking a closer look at what Yaakob's sons told him. They said, "Yosef is still alive – and he is in fact ruler over the land of Egypt." True "life," for a Jew, is a life of Torah commitment. The brothers were telling Yaakob that Yosef was spiritually "alive," dedicated to Hashem, even as he served as leader over Egypt. This is what Yaakob could not believe. He found it inconceivable that Yosef retained his spirituality, his religious commitment, while serving in a powerful position in a pagan country. Once Yaakob saw Yosef's hidden message, that he still remembered and felt connected to the Torah that Yaakob had taught him, he realized that it was true, that against all odds, Yosef was still "alive" in the truest sense of the word, full of spiritual life.
The same can be said of all of us, the entire Jewish People. Like Yosef, we were driven from our homeland, and were forced to live among foreign cultures. And, like Yosef, we endured a great number of hardships and difficulties. It would seem almost impossible for the Jewish Nation to remain "alive" through the centuries of exile and persecution, for us to retain our firm commitment to Torah and Misvot. And yet, to our nation's credit, we have remained spiritually "alive," we have persisted in our devotion to our faith and our traditions.
There is no doubt that each day, our Father, Hashem, looks down from the heavens and jubilantly exclaims, as Yaakob Abinu did, "Od… Beni Hai" – "My child is still alive!" Hashem takes great pride in the fact that despite all we've been through, even with all the spiritual challenges we have faced and continue to face, with all the lures and temptations that we confront, we nevertheless remain fervently committed to Him. We, Hashem's children, are still "alive," and we must continue to steadfastly adhere to our sacred traditions until this exile finally ends and we are prepared for the final redemption, may it come speedily and in our time, Amen.
Sun, January 5 2025 | 5 Tevet 5785