פרשת וישב
This week’s parsha begins with the infamous recounting of the story of Yosef and his brothers. We know from chazal that the brothers were all righteous, so obviously their initial decision to kill Yosef wasn’t the disgusting act of brutality and barbarism which a simple understanding of the Chumash seems to imply. Chazal tell us that the brothers had in fact reached a verdict, deciding that Yosef had the halachic status of a “rodef,” and according to Torah law, he had to be killed. HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself, chazal tell us, even approved of their decision. However, just as the brothers prepared to put Yosef to death, Yehuda stepped forward and saved Yosef’s life with the immortal words
מה בצע כי נהרוג את אחינו וכסינו את דמו?
What gain will we have if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
According to chazal, what was Yehuda talking about? Why was Yehuda trying to dissuade his brothers, arguing that it wasn’t a good idea? Yosef was a rodef according to Torah law! And Yehuda himself was part of the beis din that decided it!!! Law must be carried out!!!
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz answers this question using Rashi. The final part of the verse “וכסינו את דמו” Rashi renders to mean “we’ll hide his death.” Rav Chaim explains that Yehuda was arguing on the implementation of the psak itself. If we have to hide his death and do a cover-up on the execution, we’re not taking full responsibility for our psak. And a psak for which we can’t take full responsibility can’t be carried out. We see from here, concludes Rav Chaim, the incredible importance of taking responsibility for all of our actions. A person who doesn’t know how to take responsibility is not a functional and participating member of society. To prove this point, Rabbi Shimon ben Nesanel in Pirke Avos (2,9) says that the path from which one must keep the most distance is that of one who takes a loan but doesn’t pay it back. Why? Such is the path of one who ignores responsibility. On the other hand, one who takes responsibility even for things beyond himself is fitting for kingship. The Tosefta in the 4th chapter of Brachos asks, “Why was Yehuda fitting for royalty? Because he said ‘What gain will we have if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?’” That’s the very same verse we cited above! It was Yehuda’s responsibility that caused him to be fitting for greatness!
Yosef also merited being a ruler of Egypt due to this trait. When Potifar tried to entice Yosef to sin with her, he dismissed her by citing the responsibilities he had both to her husband and, of course, to G-d. The Gemara in Sota 36 adds that what helped Yosef to restrain himself from Potifar was that he saw his father’s image. The responsibility of embodying his family’s morals gave him the power to resist the greatest test that man may ever have.
So, how does such a thing work? How does responsibility give a person more strength, when it’s something we’re all afraid of? Won’t it overburden us? Rav Yechezkel Levenshtein, at the hesped of the Brisker Rav, revealed the reason that he believed the Brisker Rav became the great man he was. While the Chazon Ish was alive, everybody came to him with their questions and problems. The Brisker Rav himself would come often with his own questions to the Chazon Ish. When the Chazon Ish passed away, he left a great vacuum. Who would answer and help all the Jewish people? The Brisker Rav realized that he had an obligation to do his best to take on the incredible burden of Clall Yisrael. Rav Yechezel believed that it was this decision that allowed the Brisker Rav to transcend and become as great as he was. He added that we can learn from the Brisker Rav that all of us have great powers within us that aren’t being utilized. So they remain dormant. But if we really decided to take on responsibility for people besides ourselves, we would be surprised to find how great we really could be. We see from here that, in fact, taking on responsibility makes us into who we should be.
With Chanuka approaching, another point to add is that Hashem can even give superhuman strengths to those who decide to take on responsibility. Rav Reuven Fine says that the only way the Jews could even dream of fighting a world power such as the Greeks with so few soldiers was because of the great sense of responsibility that permeated the soul of every Jew who fought, towards G-d and His Torah. And despite their weakness in numbers, weapons, and physical strength, they prevailed over the greatest empire of the time in a miraculous fashion that was only possible with the help of G-d. According to Josephus, until the recapturing of the Beis HaMikdash and the lighting of the menorah, the Jews were invincible! No casualties!!! It’s incredible to imagine how much we could be assisted in our own lives if we ourselves took on more responsibility. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz brings an example of this from the Talmud Yerushalmi in Bikurim chapter 3 that teaches that a chasan at the time of marriage is forgiven for all his sins. Even if he didn’t do tshuva!!! (If you’re a chasan, don’t read the previous sentence that implies you don’t have to do tshuva.) Why is this so? Rav Chaim explains that due to his new responsibility of caring for another human being, G-d wants to help this man in every way He can. By taking away a chasan’s sins, the chasan can now begin a new life with his wife totally free of sin. That is something that will definitely make his newfound responsibility easier to deal with.
Rav Nasan Tzvi Finkel Z”L, who recently passed away, is very deserving to be mentioned in connection with what we have been discussing. Despite the pain and struggle of Parkinson’s disease (that started even before the time he was Rosh Yeshiva), Rav Nasan always gave shiurim and knew most of the yeshiva bachurim by name. He was reported to have worried and cared for every single yeshiva bachur, though they were many. To him, they were all like his only child. And in addition to caring for every student personally, he was responsible for building Mir into the biggest yeshiva in the world. All of these accomplishments aren’t typical for the average person who is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Nevertheless, Hashem gave Rav Nasan assistance to accomplish things that very few before him had.
May we all merit taking on more responsibility and seeing how great we really can be!!!