A responsible adult is needed to preserve the national consensus

Parshah and its implementation - Parshat Vayigash - and the war of the 'Iron Swords' 5784

Rabbi Eliezer Haim Shenvald

Dedicated to the memory of our soldier Staff Sergeant Major Azaria Yehezkel - May Hashem avenge his blood - the oldest combat reserve soldier to have fallen in war. Dedicated to the IDF soldiers' success, to safeguard them lest any harm come to them, to the healing of all the wounded and the return of the abducted.

Success in the 'Iron Swords' war depends on national consensus and if its goals are maintained. 'National consensus' is a very important strategic element in 'national security', and in times of war is most necessary.  Without it, the army will not reach its capabilities to the fullest and will not win. However, even routine national existence depends on 'national consensus' between the different sectors of society. It depends on the citizens' willingness to volunteer for national tasks, development, building the land, strengthening and the success of the country. Above all, a 'national consensus' is needed on the controversial issues of principle. This is an existential necessity because lack of agreement on these issues could unravel the national security, and cause a rupture, even if there is an agreement on other issues.

But how do you create 'national consensus' around disputed fundamental issues at the national level? What is the agreed upon method by which decisions are formulated on these issues?

A democratic society sanctifies freedom of speech and everyone's ability to express their opinion. Everyone has an equal ability to decide and no one's opinion is considered better. The basis for the society's democratic existence is that decisions are made by a 'majority'. 'National consensus' on controversial issues should be reached by agreements through negotiations between the parties, or by the majority, in the Knesset, with elections, or in a 'referendum'. However, sometimes there is also a dispute over this, because there are those who request that fundamental issues be decided by a 'normal majority' and there are those who insist that they be decided only by a 'privileged majority', because a 'normal majority' is sometimes achieved randomly. Since the people of Israel became part of the history, and were consolidated into a nation, we have been known as a 'stubborn, intransigent nation', a nation of opinionated people. Everyone has an opinion and insists on it, in many cases without willingness to compromise. A 'responsible adult' is needed, who is accepted by both parties in order to reach an agreement between them.

For many months before the war there was a severe public dispute that escalated, and threatened to tear the nation apart into a 'civil war'. Beyond the controversial issues, there was also an appeal on how to reach a 'national consensus' and the way to reach a decision on the controversial issues of principle. Some challenged the representatives' majority legitimacy in the Knesset to rule on them.

Our satanic enemies and their spokespeople claimed that all the disagreements among our people, and the insubordination and refusal to follow orders, were interpreted as weaknesses and were seen as an opportunity to carry out the barbaric attack for which they had been training for several years. In this case they can be believed, although as a general rule their reliability cannot be trusted.

The Shabbat Simchat Torah heavy tragedy caused the opposite! It created a 'national consensus' around the need to wage an existential war to destroy them. Soldiers and commanders from all ends of the social spectrum and from all sectors fight together shoulder to shoulder, and are ready to give their lives to achieve victory. We all hope that it will be preserved even after the war. For this, a 'responsible adult' is needed, a person or even a group, who will be able to create the conditions for preserving the 'national consensus'.

At the climax of our Parasha, Yosef reveals his true identity to his brothers:

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יוֹסֵ֤ף אֶל אֶחָיו֙ אֲנִ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף הַע֥וֹד אָבִ֖י חָ֑י וְלֹֽא יָכְל֤וּ אֶחָיו֙ לַעֲנ֣וֹת אֹת֔וֹ כִּ֥י נִבְהֲל֖וּ מִפָּנָֽיו׃

"Yosef said to his brothers, “I am Yosef. Is my father still well?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dumbfounded were they on account of him". (Bereshit 45:3)

כי נבהלו מפניו יראו ודאגו על אשר עשו לו

“For they were frightened of him.” They were afraid of what he might do to them as reprisals for what they had done to him. (Chezkuni ibid).

The frightened brothers feared that he would use his position to punish them for selling him. Yosef is the 'responsible adult' and would never think of harming his brothers, despite the disagreements and the suffering they caused him. He saw the sale as part of providence that directed him to fulfill his mission. However, all along the way he does not manage to allay their fears:

והיו אחיו סבורים ששוטמם כשם שעשו לו לו ישטמנו יוסף (שם נ' ט"ו) ולא עשה להם כן אלא פרע להם טובות תחת רעות

"And his brothers believed that they would be shamed as they had done to him as Yosef had been shamed but he did not do the same to them, but rewarded them good for bad" (Pesikta Rabbati 13)

After Ya'acov's death they feared again:

וַיִּרְא֤וּ אֲחֵֽי יוֹסֵף֙ כִּי מֵ֣ת אֲבִיהֶ֔ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ ל֥וּ יִשְׂטְמֵ֖נוּ יוֹסֵ֑ף וְהָשֵׁ֤ב יָשִׁיב֙ לָ֔נוּ אֵ֚ת כׇּל הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר גָּמַ֖לְנוּ אֹתֽוֹ׃

"When Yosef’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Yosef still bears a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrong that we did to him!” (Bereshit 50:15)

שמא יטור לנו איבה

"Perhaps Yosef will harbor a hatred for us". (Ibn Ezra ibid)

This is the reason why, even before the family's descent to Egypt, Ya'acov sent Yehuda, who was closer to Yosef, and appointed him as the 'responsible adult' to create an 'agreement' between Yosef and his brothers and to prevent discord:

וְאֶת יְהוּדָ֞ה שָׁלַ֤ח לְפָנָיו֙ אֶל יוֹסֵ֔ף לְהוֹרֹ֥ת לְפָנָ֖יו גֹּ֑שְׁנָה

"He had sent Yehuda ahead of him to Yosef, to point the way before him to Goshen..." (Bereshit 46:28)

לפי שיהודה היה חביב על יוסף מכל השבטים. שכיון שנמצא הגביע באמתחת בנימין לא נתן אחד מהם נפשו להצילו אלא יהודה.

"Yehuda was Yosef's favorite of all the tribes. When the cup was found in Binyamin's basket, not one of them gave his life to save him, but Yehuda". (Midrash Lekach Tov Bereshit 46:28)