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Why did Binyamin name all ten of his sons after his lost brother Yosef? The Midrash Rabba reveals that each name commemorates a different aspect of Yosef's life and fate. The shiur explores the deeper purpose: Binyamin understood that Yosef was destined to have twelve children as a foundational entity within Klal Yisrael, parallel to Yaakov's twelve sons. When Yosef disappeared, Binyamin sought to fulfill this spiritual reality by having his own children embody the unfulfilled potential of Yosef's twelve, creating an entity that preserves Yosef's kochos within the structure of the nation.
This shiur analyzes a remarkable Midrash Rabba on Parshas Vayigash that describes a conversation between Yosef and Binyamin before Yosef reveals his identity. The Midrash states that Yosef asked Binyamin if he had children, and Binyamin responded that he had ten sons, each named after his lost brother Yosef. The names include Bela (because he was swallowed from me), Becher (he was my older brother), Ashbel (he was captured from me), Geira (he lived in another land), Naaman (his actions were pleasant and faithful), and others—each commemorating a different aspect of Yosef's life and tragic disappearance. Rabbi Zweig begins by raising fundamental textual difficulties with this Midrash. First, how does Chazal know that such a conversation occurred at all? The Torah (תורה) merely lists the names of Binyamin's sons among those who descended to Egypt, without any indication of a discussion between the brothers. Second, if Chazal derive this from the names themselves, why are the names so repetitive? Bela, Becher, Ashbel, and others all seem to refer to the same basic tragedy—that Yosef was taken away. Why not simply give one child a commemorative name? Third, the order of the names seems disjointed—Binyamin first told Yosef that his brother's actions were pleasant and faithful, yet that name (Naaman) comes later in the list. Fourth, Binyamin makes statements that seem impossible for him to know—such as referring to Yosef being "captured" (nishba) and taken to another land, when everyone believed Yosef was dead. How did Binyamin know there was a "cover-up" when even Yaakov didn't suspect it?
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Parshas Vayigash, Midrash Rabba
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