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Why were the Jews enslaved in Egypt for 400 years after Avrohom merely asked "bamah eida"? The shiur develops that Egypt was meant to be a learning laboratory—witnessing absolute servitude to Pharaoh as deity's representative would teach Klal Yisrael how to serve Hashem (ה׳) without merit-based thinking. Yosef embodied this, serving purely for Hashem's will even toward hostile brothers, and Yaakov empowered Pharaoh to create the perfect model.
Rabbi Zweig begins by noting that Parshas Vayigash and the surrounding parshas contain numerous textual difficulties. The central problem is that all the friction between Yosef and his brothers was orchestrated by Hashem (ה׳)—yet Hashem communicated through Yaakov Avinu, a prophet. Why didn't Hashem simply have Yaakov deliver the prophecy that Yosef would rule over his brothers, rather than having Yosef tell his dreams and create resentment? If the message came through the proper channel, there would have been no resistance. Additionally, the Gemara (גמרא) in Brachos interprets the Sar Hamashkim's dream about three vines as referring to Yerushalayim, the Beis Hamikdash, and the three kings (Shaul, Dovid, Shlomo). This seems entirely out of place—why would an Egyptian butler's dream contain profound Jewish national prophecy? What relevance does this have to the narrative?
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Bereishis 47:1-31 (Parshas Vayigash)
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