Dvar Torah: Parashat Vayigash

In this week’s parashah, Vayigash, Yehuda requests Yosef to free Binyamin so that he can return home to Yaakov. Yosef sees the caring act of Yehuda offering himself as a slave in place of Binyamin, leading him to let go of his harsh feelings towards his brothers. Yosef then confesses to his brothers that he is Yosef and asks about Yaakov and whether or not he is still alive. Yosef sends his brothers to inform Yaakov that he is alive, and invites them all to live in Egypt. At the end of the parashah, Pharaoh gifts Eretz Goshen to Yaakov, his children, and generations to come. In return, Yaakov blesses Pharaoh. In Genesis 45:23, it says, "ולאביו שלח כזאת עשרה חמרים...ועשר אתנת". This pasuk translates to “to his father, he sent as follows: ten male donkeys...and ten female donkeys.” The main issue with this pasuk is that there is an additional word: כזאת. What is the purpose of adding this word? Why must the Torah add “as follows” to the pasuk. The answer is that Pharaoh was so greatly impressed with Yosef’s family that, as mentioned before, he decided to gift them Eretz Goshen. Pharaoh additionally told Yosef to load all of their animals with grain. This kind, caring, and generous act of Pharaoh influenced Yosef to send a gift of his own, and in a similar quantity as well: כזאת. Yosef’s gift was 10 loaded male and 10 female donkeys. Something to take away from Parashat Vayigash is the significance of inspiring others with your good deeds. Yosef would have never added his own additional gift if it weren’t for the great influence that Pharaoh had on him. One act of kindness can result in many more, and that is a very important value we should implement in our daily lives.