Vayechi
Imbuing Spirituality/Why Yosef Wept
Imbuing Spirituality
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף רְאֹ֥ה פָנֶ֖יךָ לֹ֣א פִלָּ֑לְתִּי וְהִנֵּ֨ה הֶרְאָ֥ה אֹתִ֛י אֱלֹהִ֖ים גַּ֥ם אֶת־זַרְעֶֽךָ
“Yisrael said to Yosef ‘I did not ____ to see your face, and here Hashem has shown me your children as well.’”
48:11
There are various explanations for the meaning of the word “פללתי” in this pasuk:
Thought; “I did not think I would see your face.”1
Deliberation (judgment); “I did not consider the possibility of seeing your face.”2
Prayer; “I did not pray to see your face.”3
R. Hirsch explains what the root “פלל” means:
“To bring a spiritual element, a thought, a truth, a principle, etc. into a circle of thoughts or circumstances, and to connect them through this introduced element and unite them.4
Hence, פלל the business of the judge, who brings the principle of right and law into all relationships and thereby shapes multiplicity into unity…
התפלל: to imbue oneself with divine thoughts. Jewish prayer is not from within but from without. If praying is only from the inside out, laying out thoughts already within, "mandatory" prayers, especially at a fixed time, to be prayed by the multitudes, would be sheer madness. It would be assumed that on command at a given moment, certain thoughts and feelings are present in any number of people and need to be expressed. Not so. התפלל means: To permeate within again and again truths that are always applicable, because otherwise they weaken, disappear, and yes, may already have disappeared.
Here, “ראה פניך לא פללתי” means the thought of seeing you again was so far from any possibility of realization that I could not get it into my inner being.”
This is a powerful insight into what tefilah is all about.
Why Yosef Wept
כֹּֽה־תֹאמְר֣וּ לְיוֹסֵ֗ף אָ֣נָּ֡א שָׂ֣א נָ֠א פֶּ֣שַׁע אַחֶ֤יךָ וְחַטָּאתָם֙ כִּי־רָעָ֣ה גְמָל֔וּךָ וְעַתָּה֙ שָׂ֣א נָ֔א לְפֶ֥שַׁע עַבְדֵ֖י אֱלֹהֵ֣י אָבִ֑יךָ וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ יוֹסֵ֖ף בְּדַבְּרָ֥ם אֵלָֽיו
“So shall you say to Yosef, ‘please forgive the crime of your brothers, and their sin, for they have done evil to you. Now, please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father. Yosef wept as his brothers spoke to him.”
50:17
Why did Yosef weep? Perhaps he was feeling compassion toward his brothers who were afraid.5 Perhaps he was reminded of Yaakov and was feeling the loss.6 Maybe he was hurt that Yaakov suspected him of taking revenge against his brothers.7 Or maybe he was pained by the very fact that his brothers thought he would take revenge.8
R. Aharon Lichtenstein writes:
“It is clear why Yosef cries: what more could he have done for them in order to gain their faith, their affection, and their trust? Yosef has removed his mask; he has returned to his roots. He has revealed himself, wept aloud, brought together the torn shreds of their fraternity. What else can he do? Despite all of this, Yosef’s brothers continue to regard him with suspicion, and fear that he will take revenge. Is this the level of brotherly love they award him? Admittedly, they have moved away from their starting point of “They hated him even more,” but the same primal distrust remains.”
חזק חזק ונתחזק
Rashi. The Netziv in Haamek Davar explains that it is specifically thought along with the effort to execute the thought. Rashi brings a proof from Yeshaya 16:3. The meaning of the word “פלילה” there, however, is unclear, and may also mean deliberations/judgment. It is possible that Rashi agrees with the other meforshim and simplifies “deliberating” as “thought.”
Sechel Tov, Rashbam, Radak, Chizkuni in his second explanation, R. Avraham ben HaRambam, Rabeinu Meyuchas.
Lekach Tov, Radak in the name of some commentators, Chizkuni in his first explanation. Praying for a dead person to be alive is a tefilas shav - prayer in vain. Yaakov was so certain that Yosef was killed that he did not pray to see him again.
As “בלל” means to mix in something physical, “פלל” means to mix in something spiritual.
Bechor Shor.
Rabeinu Bachye.
Tur.
Rabeinu Avigdor. See also Haamek Davar.