The Shem MiShmuel asks why the brothers found this possibility so astonishing. If it was because Yosef was one of the youngest, then what was the difference between Yosef and Yehuda, whom they accepted as their ruler, and was only three years older. Moreover, David HaMelech was the youngest in his family, yet he became King.[2]
In order to answer this question, it is necessary to analyze on a deeper level the historical roles of Yehuda and Yosef.
Chazal and the sefarim hakedoshim tell us that two Moshiachs will redeem the Jewish nation: Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben David. Moshiach ben Yosef will achieve the ‘sur merah’[3] aspect of Avodas HaShem by defeating the enemies of the nation. In that way he will pave the way for Moshiach ben David to complete the ‘aseh tov’ aspect of Avodas HaShem by bringing about the ingathering of the exiles and rebuilding the Beis HaMikdash. Furthermore, the sources tell us that in every generation throughout history there are people who had the potential to fulfill these roles, but failed either through their own mistakes or the flaws of the nation as a whole.
In this vein, Shaul HaMelech was intended to fulfill the role of Moshiach Ben Yosef by wiping out Amalek. Had he done this, then David HaMelech would have become the King and been Moshiach. He would have not have had to fight any wars and would have built the Beis HaMikdash. Once Shaul failed in his task, David now had to assume the role of Moshiach ben Yosef as well and fight the wars. But, because of the blood that he spilt in the process, HaShem informed him that could not build the Beis Hamikdash.[4]
The one question on this analysis is that Shaul was from the Tribe of Binyamin, not Yosef. The first point to help answer this, is that Binyamin was also a descendant of Rachel and therefore inherited the same propensity for destroying evil. On a deeper level, it is clear that Binyamin represents a kind of continuation of Yosef.
This is seen in a number of ways: For example, Chazal tell us that Yosef was destined to have twelve sons who would constitute twelve tribes, however during the incident with Potiphar’s wife, ten drops of seed were lost and as a result Yosef only had two sons, Ephraim and Menashe. His brother, Binyamin, had a further ten sons which completes the number of the two combined to twelve sons. Moreover, the Gemara tells us that all the names of Binyamin’s sons were connected to the loss of his beloved brother, Yosef.[5]
Accordingly, it is understandable that the closest replacement to a descendant of Yosef would be one from his brother, Binyamin. But the question remains as to why couldn’t the first King be from Yosef? The Shem MiShmuel addresses this problem with a fascinating approach. He begins by citing a concept discussed by the Ramban based on the verse in Parshas Nitzavim: “Perhaps there is among you a root flourishing with gall and wormwood.”[6]
The Ramban writes that this comes to allude to the fact that a very minor weakness or failing at the root of something will develop in time to something much larger and more pernicious. Based on this idea, the Shem MiShmuel explains how the evil king Yeravam[7] of the tribe of Ephraim[8] could emerge from the righteous Yosef. He notes how the Torah records that Yosef spoke badly about his brothers.[9]
It is clear that Yosef sinned in a very minor way when he did this, because he perceived that they were acting incorrectly in a number of areas. It is also evident that Yosef’s intents were pure, but on a subtle level they were inappropriate, and for someone of his spiritual stature the Torah treats it as if he spoke outright lashon hara.
The Shem MiShmuel explains that Yeravam’s major failings emanated from the initial, minor flaw displayed by Yosef in his behavior towards his brothers. In this way, a weakness that was very minor in its root, mushroomed in later generations in a far more destructive fashion.[10]
The Shem MiShmuel continues that Yeravam became King after the Beis HaMikdash had already been built, and he caused tremendous damage to the spiritual level of the Jewish people. He cites Chazal with regard to an earlier rebellion in the time of David HaMelech of Sheva bin Bichri, which took place well before the Beis HaMikdash had been built.
Chazal say that, in truth, Yeravam’s rebellion should have been in the time of Sheva bin Bichri’s, but had that taken place then, it would have caused so much spiritual damage that the Beis HaMikdash would never have been built at all. Based on this, the Shem MiShmuel writes, that all the more so, had a person like Yeravam become King before David HaMelech, it would have caused so much damage that it could have prevented the whole creation of the Davidic Dynasty and the resultant Beis HaMikdash.
Accordingly, it was not possible for a King from the tribe of Yosef to become King before David, because had that taken place, he may well have had the same spiritual weakness as Yeravam, based on the root failing of Yosef, with disastrous consequences. Therefore, although it was essential that a descendant of Rachel be King, because the Bnei Rachel had a special power against Amalek, the first King could not be from Yosef, but rather he had to be from the only other descendant of Rachel, Binyamin.
To return to the original question, why did the brothers find it so hard to envisage that Yosef could be the King. The Shem Mishmuel explains that they saw his minute flaw that was manifest in his lashon hara, and they recognized that it could expand in a disastrous fashion in the future, preventing Yosef’s descendants from being effective Kings, with terrible consequences. In that sense, they were correct with regard to Yeravam, however, it seems that their mistake was that it was not set in stone that every descendant of Yosef would choose the evil approach. Indeed we know that the Mashiach ben Yosef is destined to usher in the era of Moshiach.
One lesson to be derived from these ideas is that while the spiritual genes that a person inherits do have an effect on him, they need not define him. Each person is judged based on his unique set of characteristics, and how he deals with his challenges.
The descendants of Yosef may have had a propensity to sinning in a certain area, but many overcame this and became great tzaddikim.[11]
May we all merit to overcome our challenges and reach our own, unique potential.
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