English translation — ויחי א

A.

In the current parshah, the beginning¹

it is told how our father Jacob called his son Joseph and asked him — "Please do not bury me in Egypt ..

and carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place",

and then after Joseph promised him "I will do as you have said" Jacob said "Swear to me — and he swore to him".

It is seemingly perplexing

(as commentators ask²)

: Why did Jacob not content himself with Joseph's promise and demand from him also an oath?

Did Jacob perhaps, heaven forbid, suspect

that Joseph would not carry out his promise³?

Commentators answer²,

that the oath was not because of <b>Yosef</b>

(to ensure that he would fulfill his promise),

but because of <b>Pharaoh</b>: just as Pharaoh will want•³

that they should bury Yaakov in Egypt⁴

and will therefore seek to prevent Yosef from fulfilling Yaakov’s request — therefore Yaakov <b>made swear</b> Yosef about this

(and thereby

protect that Pharaoh should not be able to prevent,

because he will not force Yosef to violate an oath).

It has already been said many times,

that all questions that arise in the study of the plain meaning of Scripture are answered in Rashi's commentary on the Torah⁵.

Thus it is not understood: why does Rashi not address the aforementioned question

(which is a question

(also)

in the way of the plain meaning)?

Moreover: the content of the aforementioned commentary is indeed brought in Rashi's commentary,

but only later — in the account of the burial of Jacob

(in practice),

on what Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Go up and bury your father <b>as he made you swear</b>"⁶,

Rashi explains: as he made you swear,

and if not for the oath, I would not have let you go.

But from this very fact that Rashi does not say this in the same context but only later after the blessings etc. — it is proven,

that this is not the reason

(according to Rashi's explanation)

why Yaakov adjured Yosef

(otherwise,

Rashi would have said this immediately on the words "adjure me")

One must say,

that Rashi assumes that the reason why Yaakov adjured Yosef is

(not to use him as a pressure on Pharaoh,

but)

like the purpose of an oath <b>simply</b> — to strengthen the matter for <b>Yosef himself.</b>

And the question returns to its place: What was lacking in Yosef's promise that Yaakov should demand an oath from him specifically?

ב.

And one can explain the explanation in this:

The effect of a vow on a mere promise is:

When someone takes upon himself to do something with a vow,

he binds himself in a manner,

that the thing <b>must</b> be done under all circumstances — even if there will be many obstacles and hindrances not to do that thing,

he will,

by virtue of the vow,

not take into account any considerations and fulfill the vow under all circumstances.

And therefore there is also a difference in the attention to carrying out the matter:

When someone is

(simply)

promising to do something in the future,

it is not necessarily that this should him constantly

lie on the mind; when the time will come to <b>action</b> — he will <b>then</b> do all that is in his power to carry out his promise.

But when he takes it upon himself with an oath⁷,

he does not divert his mind from it,

feeling that the matter must be accomplished,

and if not, it is connected with the severity of transgressing an oath⁸.

And this is the reason

(simply)

why Jacob adjured Joseph "and you shall carry me up from Egypt",

and was not satisfied with what Joseph had promised him,

"I will do as you have said": Jacob wanted that Joseph should

<b>Consecutively</b> to protect in this.

Finding themselves "in a land not theirs"⁹

one cannot know which difficulties will arise to not allow Yosef later to carry out his promise; one must seek advice and strategies how to initially <b>protect</b> that there should be no obstacles <b>in the future</b>.

3.

But it is not entirely smooth:

Our Yosef knew of the difficulties mentioned above which demand that one should from the outset guard against them

(And especially since Yaakov had explicitly asked him,

sim na yadecha

(tachat yereichi)

— &lt;b&gt;vehishba&lt;/b&gt;"&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;,

that here is required an urgency of an oath)

— had seemingly his promise,

anochi e'eseh &lt;b&gt;chidvarecha&lt;/b&gt;" included also this matter,

that he will "do" in this in the manner of sim vehishba — then why did Yaakov &lt;b&gt;repeat&lt;/b&gt;,

hashivah li"?

So the explanation

(inner)

in this: The removal of Yaakov's body from Egypt at the time when the Jews &lt;b&gt;still remain in&lt;/b&gt; Egypt is seemingly not for the benefit of Bnei Yisrael — since the Almighty said "anochi eired imcha Mitzraimah

(And especially — in inwardness — is this the "inyan" of Yosef).

And therefore did Yaakov bind Yosef with an oath explicitly specifically.

will one understand this by prefacing the explanation,

that in this matter

(the negation of burial in the land of Egypt)

one finds a difference between Yaakov and Yosef: Yaakov commanded "&lt;b&gt;please do not bury me&lt;/b&gt; in Egypt ..

and you shall carry me out of Egypt" — that one should not allow that after his passing he remain in Egypt even in a &lt;b&gt;temporary&lt;/b&gt; manner; in contrast, Yosef only adjured the Children of Israel "and you shall bring up my bones from here",

but until the time of "He will surely remember you" the ark of Yosef was in Egypt&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;.

The reason

(inner¹³)

for the difference is*¹³

Jacob is above the exile of Egypt.

Therefore,

even after Jacob descended into Egypt, his place was in the land of Goshen,

separated¹⁴

from the Egyptians; and there itself there was no state of exile — the Jews had "the good of the land of Egypt, etc., the fat of the land"¹⁴,

and moreover: "And they took possessionof it

(in the land of Goshen)

— language of possession"¹⁷.

But not so Joseph descended into

(and among)

Egypt itself.

(from his own side)

is — Atzilus,

the world of unity which is entirely above the worlds of BYA,

and certainly from the darkness of Egypt; but the matter of Yosef is — "These are the generations of Yaakov, Yosef"¹⁸,

to bring down the matter of Yaakov into the worlds of BYA,

until into this lowest world¹⁹].

And therefore the body of Yaakov could not remain at all in Egypt,

and even more "and you shall lift me up from Egypt" — "lifting up",

more than "and you shall bring up",

ascent.

But not so Yosef,

who needed to act in Egypt,

his ark remained in Egypt all the time of the Egyptian exile; so that

(the merit of)

Yosef should be found together with Jews in their exile in Egypt²⁰

But by this Yosef adjured his brothers: <b>And you shall bring up</b> my bones from here — because the intention of the descent into Egypt is for the sake of the <b>ascent</b> afterwards; that through the fact that the ark of Yosef was in Egypt,

this brought about,

that at the time when the Jews went out from Egypt and "brought up" the bones of Yosef with them,

through this they brought up the holy sparks which were in

(the matters of)

Egypt²¹.

And this is also the reason why Yaakov demanded from Yosef an oath on the matter of immediately

"And you shall carry me up from Egypt": Since from the aspect

(the essence of)

<b>Yosef</b> it must come out that Yaakov should remain specifically <b>in</b> Egypt,

"Because of the merit that will be upon his children"²²

when they are in the exile of Egypt

(and through this one will accomplish in the matters of Egypt)

— therefore Yaakov wanted that Yosef should take this upon himself in a manner of <b>oath</b>,

above reason and understanding,

that a oath its subject is,

with which <b>binds</b> one oneself to do the thing in a manner of above considerations²⁴,

so,

that no reason

(and cause)

should not be any hindrance to carry out the thing].

D.

It remains however still not explained: why was by Jacob so improbable,

that Aron should remain in Egypt²⁵,

since that this could cause an elevation in the matters

(sparks of)

Egypt?

And one can say the explanation in this: "A prisoner cannot free himself from prison"²⁶.

And therefore,

in order that Jews,

being in Egypt,

should be able to ascend from Egypt and also elevate the matters of Egypt,

they need to have a connection — and the son is like the leg of his father^,2

— with <b>higher</b> than Egypt

(the prison).

And therefore Jacob had to be higher than Egypt,

and even more — he <b>adjured</b> <b>Joseph</b> "and you shall carry me up from Egypt",

because thereby he "bound" Joseph with the level of Jacob as he stands higher than Egypt

(and you shall carry me up from Egypt).

And by this it was possible afterwards regarding all <b>the children of Israel</b> the "and I will surely bring you up also"²⁸

— the ascent from the Egyptian exile²⁹.

ה.

From this one has a lesson for our time,

in this last exile:

However good the situation of a Jew in exile may be — both materially,

and also spiritually — that he has "the good of the land of Egypt etc. the fat of the land"; he learns Torah and fulfills commandments until he lives a true spiritual life

On the matter of "And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt"³⁰,

as the Alter Rebbe interprets³¹,

that because Jacob established in Egypt a "house of study"³²,

the "air in Egypt was <b>vayechi</b> lived"]

— he must, however, constantly know and remember,

that also in this situation and condition is felt the strong demand "and you shall carry me up from Egypt" until the strength of an oath — that is exile,

not the proper place for a Jew and he must be lifted out from it.

And this must be, as above, in a manner of <b>oath</b>³³

: additionally that it is a principle of the thirteen principles³⁴

in our Torah: I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, and even though he may tarry, nevertheless I await him every day that he will come,

and he knows that the perfection and purpose is the redemption

(as the holy Torah says and explains in the Written Torah and the Oral Torah — as the Rambam explains³⁵),

only this is a matter that occupies him in the innermost part of his soul,

until that he holds in <b>one</b> hoping and asking and pleading — "and you shall carry me up from Egypt"!

And as one says in every prayer

(on weekdays)

— "for Your salvation we hope all day,"

which this means that three times a day one proclaims and announces,

that one is

I hope for Your salvation "&lt;b&gt;all day&lt;/b&gt;" — a whole day and every day&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;.

And through the constant "declaration" — that one hopes and prays to the Almighty&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt;

for the complete redemption — one conducts oneself in exile according to the will of the Almighty

(Who sent Jews into exile)

And then exile does not cause a descent, heaven forbid and may it not be said, for a Jew,

and on the contrary: it becomes "and you shall lift me up from Egypt" — from Egypt itself is opened "and you shall lift me up",

the ascent — the advantage of light from darkness — until the level of <b>lift</b> the <b>head</b> of the children of Israel,

of each Jew and all Jews.

(From the talks of the tenth of Tevet 5743,

Motzaei Shabbat Parshat Beshalach 5738)