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Why did Yosef cause his father so much anguish and not reveal himself? The shiur explains that Yosef held malchus must be established to unify the avos with Klal Yisrael—making Yaakov not just a forefather but part of the nation itself. The brothers disagreed, holding that the period of avos had ended and the period of bonim had begun.
This shiur addresses a fundamental difficulty in Parshas Vayigash: How could Yosef HaTzadik justify causing his father such tremendous suffering by not revealing himself and by maneuvering him through the test with Binyamin? While the brothers could perhaps justify selling Yosef based on their understanding that he deserved death, Yosef's behavior toward his father appears inexplicable. This leads to examining a deeper machlokes between Yosef and his brothers regarding the nature of malchus and when the period of avos ends. The Gemara (גמרא) records that Yosef reported his brothers were eating ever min hachai (a limb from a living animal). The Rishonim (including the Mizrachi) explain this refers to eating from an animal that was m'farcheises (still convulsing after shechita). For a Ben Yisrael this is permitted, but for a Ben Noach it is forbidden. The dispute was whether the brothers had a din of Ben Yisrael (and thus could rely on the kulos of a Jew) or only had a din of Ben Noach. This reflects a fundamental disagreement: Had the period of avos ended and the period of bonim (the nation) begun?
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Parshas Vayigash
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What is the primary purpose of the cities of refuge - protecting the accidental killer or something else? The shiur argues that creating respect for law takes precedence over providing sanctuary. True deterrence comes from recognizing the gravity of murder itself, not fear of punishment.
