In this week’s Parsha (Bereishes 37:35) Yaakov is grieving intensely over the purported loss of his dear son Yosef. He’s inconsolable. His children attempt to comfort him and to console him. The pasuk says that all of Yaakov’s children arose to comfort him. However, vayema’ein lehisnachem – Yaakov refused to be consoled. The Torah does not reveal to us what precisely the Shevatim said and how they attempted to make their father Yaakov feel better.
I heard from Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita that the Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh says that Yaakov’s children did not say anything to him. Rather, it was the mere fact that his eleven sons and all their offspring gathered together. Yaakov’s children were showing him, why mourn? Look at this huge gathering of all your descendants! They were telling their father that the loss of one child shouldn’t put him in such a state when he had so much. But Yaakov said otherwise. By the loss of Yosef, one of Yaakov’s twelve sons, even though it was only one child that one child was priceless. That one child is irreplaceable. That’s why Yaakov refused to be comforted.
Every child is dear to Hashem and Hashem is in pain. Hashem is mourning the loss of the fact that close to ninety percent of His children are lost. One cannot imagine the pain Hashem has! We try to comfort Hashem by pointing out different yeshivos that are teeming with talmidei chachamim (Torah scholars), but Hashem says vayema’ein lehisnachem – Hashem’s reaction is: that doesn’t comfort me because every single child of mine is precious! Every child of mine is priceless! Every child of Mine is irreplaceable! Hashem wants all His children back, no matter how unaffiliated they are because they are His children! It is dependent on us to realize that all these Jews are never to be replaced!
There was a woman who had a twelve-year-old son who was very disrespectful and rebellious. She gave up on her kid. She called her sister who lived in another town and said, “I’m begging you, please take my son as your foster child.” The sister had six children of her own, and they were not the easiest kids. The sister replied that she did not see how she could take him. Yet the boy’s mother persisted and said, “There is nobody else in the world; you are my only sister. Should I rather give him to a stranger as a foster child? That would be awful.” The sister agreed and took the boy in. The boy behaved terribly and was a horrible example for the rest of the family. Every day was a struggle and a constant battle.
The aunt’s husband taught in the local yeshivah where this boy learned. The principal tried his best to cope with the kid, but one day he called up the aunt and said, “I feel awkward talking to your husband because he is my employee – he is a teacher in our school; so, I am talking to you. I cannot tolerate this child anymore. He is going to have to be expelled.” The first thing the woman felt was elation. She thought this could be the excuse for her to get out of the responsibility of taking care of her nephew. She would simply tell her sister that the boy’s school is expelling him.
Then something happened. She said to the principal, “Do what you must do, but if you expel him, my husband is quitting his job. The principal couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He replied, “Okay, we’ll put him on probation. The boy came home that day, looked his aunt right in the eye, and said, “Is it true? Did you really put my uncle’s job on the line to save me? You were willing to risk your whole livelihood, the bread on your table, just for me?” The principal told the boy about the conversation.
The aunt said, “It’s true.” The kid was never the same. This act of kindness was what he needed to turn around his life around – someone to put their life on the line for him. This woman understood how every person is considered Hashem’s only child. Every single person is irreplaceable!
Please check out the Jewish n’ Joyful podcast. The podcast and its videos are available on all main streaming platforms. Just search up Jewish n’ Joyful. Feedback is greatly appreciated. To receive our weekly email, email us at [email protected] or visit our website parshaknowledge.com Have a great Shabbos!
