D’var Torah: Vayigash
The Approach That Changes Everything
Parashat Vayigash opens with a moment of unbearable tension: “וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו יְהוּדָה—And Judah approached him” (Genesis 44:18). But what does vayigash truly mean?
Rashi understands it as approaching for battle—Judah ready to fight. Ramban sees it as drawing near for appeasement, Judah preparing to plead. The Midrash Tanchuma offers yet another dimension: approaching for prayer, Judah seeking divine intervention. One verb, three faces: confrontation, supplication, communion.
The drama crescendos when Joseph reveals himself: “אֲנִי יוֹסֵף הַעוֹד אָבִי חָי—I am Joseph; is my father still alive?” (Genesis 45:3). His brothers cannot answer, “כִּי נִבְהֲלוּ מִפָּנָיו—for they were terrified before him.” In Masechet Chagigah (4b-5a), Rabbi Elazar reads this terror as more than fear of execution. He teaches: “Woe unto us from the Day of Judgment, woe unto us from the Day of Rebuke! If Joseph’s single question left his brothers unable to speak, how much more so when הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא confronts each of us with our deeds?”
This narrative isn’t merely ancient history—it spurs us on to demand of ourselves a cheshbon hanefesh, a spiritual accounting. Joseph’s question reverberates through time: What have we done to those we love? Where have we betrayed trust, sown division, allowed jealousy to poison relationships?
Our daily prayers offer moments when we stand before the מִקְוֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל, the One who purifies souls, and must answer honestly: What do we need to make t’shuvah for? Which transgressions are we ready to own? ויגש Vayigash—approaching—becomes our spiritual posture. Like Judah, we must find the courage to draw near with authentic regret, holy shame, and readiness to repair.
From Parshat Lekh L’kha to Vayigash, our ancestors modeled this mission: Abraham and Sarah pursued justice and chesed; Isaac and Rebecca chose to build Zion and remain in Israel; Jacob, Leah, and Rachel built families despite heartbreak; Joseph contributed to society even in exile. All our ancestors teach us to reject idols, build communities, establish societies where law rules and some amount of agency and creativity pushes boundaries and even changes old ways – yet with respect for the foundations of God, family and brotherhood. The message by the end of Genesis is do the hard work toward of reconciliation and, moreover, even if it is not entirely worked out take responsibility for each other. Brothers and sisters must stand with each other especially among the Jewish People.
Only we can ultimately declare, with Joseph’s faith, that God wove our past’s pain into present blessing and future promise.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bolton