Parshas Vayigash - The Tzibbur is in Pain

After Yaakov’s family came down to Mitzrayim to be reunited with Yosef, Yosef introduced them to Pharaoh and secured a place for them to dwell and food to eat. The passuk (47:12) states, “Yosef sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the children.”  

Rashi comments that Yosef distributed the food based on the particular needs of each family.  

The Seforno adds yet another layer of clarity. He writes that although Yosef obviously had access to all the food he wanted, he only gave to his family what they actually needed. He did not offer an abundance of food because that would be inappropriate. As the Seforno writes based on the Gemara (Ta’anis 11), When a tzibbur is in pain, you can’t just ignore your surroundings and be insensitive thinking “well, I am okay”.  

Rashi - According to the children. According to the need of all the members of their household  

If this is true of Yosef – who literally saved the whole land of Mitzrayim – to have the sensitivity for the Mitzriyim, how much more so does it apply to our sensitivity to the situation of our own brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisroel. For the past 11 weeks we have seen K’lal Yisroel unite like never before in our times, reminiscent of the brothers and Yosef reuniting and leaving their past hard feelings behind for the sake of achdus. We need to continue to be mechazek these feelings and try to (1) feel the pain of those who are directly affected, and (2) feel the responsibility of not just being sensitive to, but actually being a participant in the ongoing battle. Even if not physically on the front lines in uniform, there is still a war being fought on the other fronts - - through tefillah, tzom, and tzedakah. 

May the beautiful achdus of K’lal Yisroel coming together like the rocks under Yaakov’s head, be a tremendous zechus to fight off the darkness we collectively face and bring the Beis Hamikdash speedily in our days. 

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