No More Mediation

The entire contentious relationship between Joseph and his brothers foretold deep divisions within the Jewish people. From the split of Israel into two kingdoms after King Solomon’s passing, to the many conflicts that have sadly punctuated Jewish life throughout history, division has become a staple of Jewish existence. It all began with Joseph and his brothers. Similarly, the reconciliation of Joseph and his brothers was a potent of the future period of Redemption when the two houses of Judah and Joseph will be united into one, under leadership of a single leader, Moshiach.

“No Man Stood”

The most powerful Biblical drama is arguably the poignant moment Joseph tells his brothers that he was Joseph! But before he utters these powerful words that brought about the rapprochement between Joseph and his brothers, the Torah relates the following:

Now Joseph could not restrain himself in the presence of all who stood before him, so he called out, “Remove everyone from before me!” Thus no man stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Two questions have been asked:

First, why does the Torah have to say that “no man stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers?” Isn’t it obvious that no one was there after he had ordered that all the Egyptians to leave the room?

One could offer a simple explanation that Joseph’s aides were concerned that his safety was endangered. After hearing the powerful words of Judah who was pleading for the freedom of his brother Benjamin, they were concerned that Judah and his brothers might attempt to use force against their master, Joseph. Thus, the Torah emphasizes that they did follow his order and left.

However, the question can still be raised why does the Torah have to tell you that there was no one there, It should have stated that they left.

Second, why does it say that no man “stood”? Does it make a difference if they were standing or sitting? It should have said, “There was no man there,” or better still, “and they left.”

Not Even Angels

The Chassidic work, Shem Mishmuel addresses both questions and explains that the word “man” here does not apply to the Egyptians who were in that room. Obviously, they would have complied with his order to leave the room. Instead, the man it refers to was an angel. In an earlier parsha when Joseph searches for his brothers in Shechem, he is met by a “man” who directs him to his brothers. This man, the Midrash states is none other than the angel Gabriel. We see that the Biblical word “man” can actually be referring to the guardian angel Gabriel.

One would have perhaps entertained the notion that the same guardian angel, who sent Joseph on his way to his brothers, which initiated the entire ordeal of Joseph’s slavery and subsequent rise to power, would also be there when this sad chapter of the rivalry between Joseph and his brothers was achieving closure.

The Torah thus underscores that no one was present; not even an angel, including the angel Gabriel.

Standing Room Only!

To buttress the argument that the word “man” here refers to an angel, the Torah uses the word “stood,” which alludes to angels who are referred to in Biblical literature as “standing beings” because they do not possess the human capability of growth. We grow as a result of meeting the challenges we confront and surmounting the obstacles placed in our path. Angels have no evil inclination and do not have any challenges and are therefore destined to remain standing on one level.

We now have to understand why the angel could not be there to guide Joseph as he had done at the beginning of this entire episode? If the angel can inaugurate a dynamic process which involved a conflict between brothers, the progenitors of the Jewish people, why couldn’t the angel also be involved in the resolution of that struggle, which had far reaching effects on Jewish unity?

Portent of the Future

The Shem Mishmuel addresses this question as well and explains that this fateful meeting of reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers was a portent of the future redemption for which no angelic involvement was necessary.

The premise for this assertion is that all that has happened to the Jewish people, all the twists and turns of their history, has already occurred in some fashion in the lives of the Patriarchs, Matriarchs and the 12 Tribes.

For example: When Abraham was compelled to go to Egypt because of the famine in Cana’an, it foretold the descent of the Jewish people into Egypt. Likewise, Joseph’s suffering was a portent of the ordeal the entire Jewish people would eventually endure in exile.

The entire contentious relationship between Joseph and his brothers foretold deep divisions within the Jewish people. From the split of Israel into two kingdoms after King Solomon’s passing, to the many conflicts that have sadly punctuated Jewish life throughout history, division has become a staple of Jewish existence. It all began with Joseph and his brothers.

Similarly, the reconciliation of Joseph and his brothers was a potent of the future period of Redemption when the two houses of Judah and Joseph will be united into one, under leadership of a single leader, Moshiach. Indeed, all of the conflicts, large and small, will be healed in the Messianic Age.

The seed for reconciliation was already planted in Joseph’s rapprochement with his brothers that occurred precisely at the moment he identified himself to his brothers and had everyone leave including the angels.

No More Mediators

With the above premise we can understand why even the angel was asked to leave.

In the Messianic Age there will no longer need to have angels assist us in our relationship with G-d. Although we may never make an angel our intermediary with G-d; the angels are needed to energize us and serve as our “advocates.” They take our prayers, remove their imperfections, “polish” and beautify them; to make them more appealing to G-d.

This function of the angels is alluded to in the dream of Jacob where he sees a ladder situated on the ground reaching into the heavens; angels going up and down the ladder.

The Zohar explains that the ladder symbolizes prayer that connects those of us who are situated on the ground with G-d above. However, to help us in our climb to the heavens, we avail ourselves of the spiritual forces known as angels. The angels also help to bring Divine inspiration down from the heavens into our earthly consciousness.

Now just as the angels assist us in our relationship with G- d, so too the angels can serve as mediators that help to bring two human parties closer to together; to help heal the rifts between people.

However, all this may be true in the pre-Messianic Era, when there exists a natural propensity for separation. Ever since G-d divided the lower waters from the upper waters on the second day of creation, the dynamic of division and conflict have become part of the human condition.

It is certainly true that the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai was intended to heal and reverse that division. However, G-d wanted us to be a part of that process, so that immediately after the revelation at Sinai, when G-d initiated the healing process by “descending” on Mount Sinai, He then “withdrew” and charged us to bring about that unity. While G-d empowered us to accomplish that unity; it is we who make it happen.

Every Mitzvah we do chips away at the natural propensity for separation—separation of ourselves from G-d and separation of one person with another. The cumulative efforts of thousands of years of Mitzvos will finally bring about the total reversal of the barriers that separate us from G-d and from each other. All this will be fully implemented with the coming of Moshiach, the final Jewish leader, who completes the task initiated by Moses, the first leader.

When the Messianic Age unfolds we will thus no longer need the support of the angels. Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers, which portended the ultimate reconciliation, did therefore not need any outside support. It did not even need the support from the spiritual forces known as angels.

In exile there are two forces that unite us: Either anti- Semitism and persecution or spiritual support and inspiration. By Joseph sending out all the Egyptians as well as the angels, Joseph was conveying a powerful message that in the end we will need neither of these supports to engender unity.

How does the Messianic Age change our interpersonal relationships?

The reason we have division today is based on the way we view one another. When we look with eyes of flesh, we see flesh. When we look with physical vision we see only the physicality of others. Since the physical is, by definition, limited and flawed, we see only the flaws in and limits of others.

When our eyes will open to see beyond the physical by seeing the Divine in everyone, there will be no division because we will see the inherent unity in everything.

The Wedding of the Future

With the above analysis of the Shem Mishmuel we can better appreciate the custom of breaking a glass at a wedding. The stated reason for this custom is to temper our joy so that we don’t forget the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash.

However, one may suggest a deeper reason. A wedding is a model of the future marriage with G-d that will be made complete. The broken glass, conversely, symbolizes the fact that in exile our relationships are precarious and subject to breaking, precisely because we are still in exile.

This conveys a twin message:

As long as we are in exile, albeit on the cusp of the final Redemption, we are vulnerable and we can use all the help that we can get from our families, friends and angels to keep our marriage strong.

And conversely, we should reflect on the joy of the wedding, the greatest joy known to us, and project this joy into the future. We must realize that this is but a sample and taste of the perpetual wedding celebration of the future, where glass will not break and the broken glass will be reconstituted. The more we think of and introduce the future into the present, the more powerful our marriage will become and the closer we will come to the final Redemption!

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayigash by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.