1 year ago

Every Jew Must Demand To Be Taken Out Of Exile!

BEGIN WITH A GRIN
A drunk enters a bar walking on his hands. The bartender asks, “Tell me, why are you walking on your hands?” The drunk says, “I swore I’m not stepping foot into this place ever again.” • Full Article

BEGIN WITH A GRIN
A drunk enters a bar walking on his hands.
The bartender asks, “Tell me, why are you walking on your hands?”
The drunk says, “I swore I’m not stepping foot into this place ever again.”

A DEMANDING FATHER
In this week’s parsha, Vayechi, we read about Yaakov’s request/demand of his son, Yosef, “Carry me out of Egypt
and bury me in their [my forefathers] burial place.” After Yosef promises, “I will do as you say,” Yaakov is not
satisfied and he demands, “Swear to me,” and Yosef, the dutiful son, swears.
Whoever reads this story is astonished. Yaakov doesn’t trust Yosef? Why? Is Yosef’s word not a word? Must he
swear?!
Some will say, that’s the way it is with the Avos, they ask for oaths from everyone; it’s standard behavior. Avrohom
asked the king of Sodom to swear. He also demanded that Avimelech the king of Pelishtim swear and even Yaakov
asked Eisav to swear regarding the sale of the firstborn rights. Swearing is a normal thing.
It’s unnecessary to point out the ludicrousness of this comparison. In all the other cases, in which the Avos asked for
an oath, the person from whom they were asking the oath was unreliable: the King of Sodom, no small swindler;
Avimelech, a diplomatic thief and villain; and last (but not beloved), Eisav the wicked one!
Surely, people like these need to make an oath (and who knows whether an oath is enough or will help with
scoundrels like these), but to ask for an oath from Yosef the Tzaddik?! That’s a bit much.
Even if someone will say, what about when Avrohom asked for an oath from his loyal servant, Eliezer, for the
mission to find a wife for Yitzchok, there too, we can say that Avrohom knew that Eliezer had personal reasons to
betray this mission (having a daughter whom he wanted to marry Yitzchok). Therefore, Avrohom asked him to swear
because, Avrohom didn’t trust him a hundred percent. But would Yaakov suspect that his beloved son, Yosef, had
personal reasons to betray his father?!
The commentators (Ramban, Seforno, Kli Yakar) address this question and most of them explain that the purpose of
the oath was not for Yosef but for Pharaoh! Yaakov made Yosef swear so that Pharaoh wouldn’t prevent Yaakov’s
coffin from being taken out of Egypt with various excuses. This is because Pharaoh knew the value of an oath and he
wouldn’t compel Yosef to break an oath.
The interesting thing is that Rashi does not mention anything about this, not the question and not an answer. That
means, that according to Rashi, in the simple meaning of the text, the purpose of the oath was for Yosef. If so, the
question still remains, did Yaakov not trust Yosef?!
The Rebbe explains this with simple genius, with a powerful lesson in connection with bringing the true and
complete Geula. When a person makes a commitment with an oath, he is saying that it has to happen no matter
what. It makes no difference what stands in his way; it doesn’t matter what difficulties or problems arise, how many
upheavals or disruptions there will be on the way; it must happen. Therefore, a commitment under oath generates
complete focus on the task.
If something is promised without an oath, it could be forgotten, pushed to the subconscious, ignored for a while.
With an oath, the matter is with him 24/7. He can’t forget it and can’t ignore it, because it must be done no matter
what!

Therefore, Yaakov asked Yosef to swear. Yaakov wanted Yosef to think about it nonstop, because when you are in a
land that is not yours, one cannot know what will happen. One cannot anticipate the difficulties and problems that
might arise and prevent Yosef from fulfilling a promise. Creative ideas need to be found to prevent distraction,
forgetfulness and the problems that could crop up. This is precisely the reason why Yaakov wanted an oath, because
he knew that if Yosef swore, nothing would stand in his way until he did it. He wouldn’t rest until he attained the
goal. (Who knows, maybe the leaders of the Israeli government and the military should take an oath…)

DEMAND OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN
One minute though. Yosef himself didn’t know what would happen? He didn’t anticipate the obstacles that would
block him? Then, if he promised, “I will do as you say,” then he certainly meant, “I will do as you say through fire and
water!” “Nothing will stand in my way.” Why was an oath needed?
The deeper understanding of the spiritual essence of the souls of Yaakov and Yosef solves the mystery. Yaakov and
Yosef were opposite in nature and approach. Yaakov asked that his coffin leave Egypt immediately while Yosef’s
coffin remained in Egypt as long as the Jews were there. Yaakov, on his spiritual level, was above (the exile of )
Egypt, while Yosef’s mission was to make an impact upon (and within) Egypt. Yosef thought that taking Yaakov’s
coffin out of Egypt wasn’t beneficial for the Jewish people in Egypt. After all, without Yaakov, what would provide
them with the spiritual strength to withstand the enticements of Egypt? And his own coffin remained in Egypt (as
long as the Jews were there).
This is like our Rebbeim, and mainly the previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok, who were buried outside of Eretz
Yisrael, even though they could have asked to be buried in Eretz Yisrael. By being together with their Chassidim and
students, together with the Jewish people outside of Eretz Yisrael, they give us the strength to overcome the
difficulties of exile.
This is the reason that Yaakov had Yosef swear to take him out of Egypt, because according to Yosef’s spiritual avoda
and spiritual outlook, it was fitting to have Yaakov remain in Egypt as long as the Jews were there. However, upon
taking an oath… there’s no playing around. Yosef had to fulfill the oath despite the great sorrow and spiritual loss it
entailed.
The important lesson for our generation is that even when a Jew is living in “the land of Egypt,” learning Torah and
doing mitzvos in the best possible way, and he lives a spiritual life worthy of the name, he still needs to know and
always remember that he must demand, “take me out of Egypt!” Exile is not a place for a Jew!
He must even demand it of Hashem with the power of an oath which, as mentioned above, gives a person no rest as
he single-mindedly pursues the goal of Geula.
The Rebbe ends the sicha with a grandiose statement based on the writings of the Arizal which says, “Yosef, this is
[referring to] HKB”H.” Yaakov’s demanding of Yosef to swear alludes to every Jew (Yaakov) demanding that G-d
(Yosef) swear that He take us out of exile immediately!

TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY
We will end with a story about a promise and about burial. In the time of Rabbi Hillel of Paritch, Russia decreed that
you could not grow peyos. One of R’ Hillel’s opponents informed the local government about him and the
government allowed the tattler to forcibly cut R’ Hillel’s peyos.
A simple tailor passing by saw R’ Hillel covering his peyos with all his might and not allowing the wicked one to cut
them. The tailor chased away the informer and saved R’ Hillel. R’ Hillel thanked him and even promised him that
because of what he did, he would be buried next to him.
Years passed and R’ Hillel was appointed the rav of Bobroisk. Every year, he would go to Charson in Ukraine, which
was hundreds of kilometers away from Bobroisk and Paritch, by order of the Mittler Rebbe, and inspire the simple
folk to avodas Hashem in the way of Chassidus.

In the summer of 5624, when he was 96, R’ Hillel became sick while in Charson and he passed away on Shabbos
Nachamu. On Sunday, he was buried in Charson.
In the winter 5625, a poor man died who had been supported by the charity collectors of the city. Nobody knew his
name or where he was from and he was categorized as a “meis mitzva.” The members of the burial society took care
of him but the shamash of the burial society was too lazy to go out in the cold to the gabbai of the cemetery to ask
him where to bury the man. He decided on his own to bury him in any available place.
The next day, the townspeople noticed that next to the grave of the tzaddik, R’ Hillel, there was a new grave. It
turned out they had buried the poor man there. They couldn’t undo the burial and they wanted to find out the origin
of the deceased. They discovered his name and his father’s name and that he came from Paritch.
They sent a letter to the community in Paritch, asking to be told about the deceased. Was he a hidden tzaddik? In
the response there weren’t many details aside from the fact that this man had saved R’ Hillel many years before and
had been promised that he would be buried next to him!
Good Shabbos!