[Par-lite] For Parshat Miketz - shiur

[Menachem Leibtag]

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     THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]

          In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag

     Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag

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                 PARSHAT MIKETZ - shiur

  

  Does Yosef have a plan?

     He was certainly planning [a way out of
jail] when he

interpreted the dream of the "sar ha'Mashkim"
(see 40:13-15).

     He was definitely planning [his own
'political

appointment'] when he interpreted Pharaoh's
dreams (see 41:33-

36!).

     Clearly, Yosef was not only a dreamer;
he was also a

'master planner'.   But what was his plan
when he: accused his

brothers of being spies, returned their
money, and hid his cup

in Binyamin's bag, etc.?  Was he simply
'teasing' his brothers

- in revenge; or did he have a more
altruistic motive?

     As the Torah never reveals that motive,
answering this

question requires a lot of detective work.

  In the following shiur, we attempt to piece
this puzzle

together by weaving together some of the
theories presented by

earlier commentators (& then by adding a
little touch of our

own).

 

INTRODUCTION

     Before we begin our study, a point of
methodology in

regard to what allows us to search for an
underlying motive

behind Yosef's behavior.

     As Chumash is a book of "nevuah"
[prophecy], and not

simply an historical chronicle, we assume
that its stories

carry a prophetic message.  Certainly,
commentators can argue

in regard to the precise message that should
be derived from

each story, and how to arrive [and who can
arrive] at any

conclusion.  Nonetheless, all concur that
Chumash should be

studied in search for its prophetic
lesson(s).

     This does not imply that we must assume
that every action

taken by our forefathers was altruistic.
However, it does

imply that if the Torah records a certain set
of events, that

they were written for the purpose that we
study its detail in

search of a significant message for future
generations.

     With this in mind, we begin our study of
the famous story

of Yosef and his brothers.

 

WHY YOSEF DOESN'T WRITE HOME

     Considering Yosef's very close
relationship with his

father [recall how the Torah described him as
Yaakov's "ben

zkunim" - see 37:3], one would have expected
that he make

every possible attempt to contact his father.
Yet, even after

his appointment as head servant of the House
of Potiphar, and

later as the Commissioner of Egypt, (second
only to Pharaoh

/see 41:44), Yosef makes no effort to inform
his father that

he is alive and well.

  Does Yosef no longer care for his father
who loved him so

dearly and now grieves for his lost son?  Has
he wiped his

past from his memory?

     To answer this question, Ramban (see his
commentary to

42:9) suggests that Yosef's actions were
motivated by his

aspiration to ensure the fulfillment of his
dreams.  According

to Ramban, Yosef understood that his slavery,
and his entire

predicament in Egypt, was part of a Divine
plan to ensure that

his childhood dreams would come true.  He
also understood (for

some reason) that for this to happen, he
could not contact his

family. And when necessary, he would even
'plan ahead' to help

his dreams along.

     Ramban's interpretation beautifully
explains Yosef's

first plan [i.e. accusing his brothers as
spies] - as its goal

was to force the brothers to bring Binyamin,
so that ALL the

brothers would bow down to him.  This would
enable the

fulfillment of his first dream - of the
sheaves bowing down to

him in the field.  His second plan [i.e.
hiding his cup in

Binyamin's bag] was to force them to bring
his father as well

- to fulfill his second dream - i.e. the sun
and moon and

stars bowing down - while protecting Binyamin
in the interim

(from potential injury by his brothers).  In
this manner,

Ramban explains why Yosef did not write home:

  "For had it not been for this (need to
fulfill his dreams),

  Yosef would have committed a terrible sin
to cause his

  father such grief and make him spend so
many years in

  sorrow..."

       [See Ramban on 42:9, read carefully.]

       

     According to Ramban, Yosef's need to
fulfill his dreams

'allowed' him to treat his father and
brothers in such a cruel

manner.

 

FULFILLING 'DREAMS' OR KEEPING 'HALACHA'?

  In case you found something 'bothersome'
about Ramban's

approach, don't feel bad.  Later commentators
take issue with

his conclusion that it would be permissible
to cause other

people terrible grief, just to make sure a
'dream comes true'.

  [See Nechama Leibowitz on Sefer Breishit
who quotes various

  sources in this regard and deals with this
issue in depth.]

  

     This question leads Abravanel to suggest
a very different

approach.  He agrees (like Ramban) that Yosef
had a 'master

plan', however, he disagrees as to its goal.

  Abravanel contends that Yosef's goal was to
bring his

brothers towards repentance for their
terrible deeds.

Although he planned to ultimately 'reveal'
himself; before

doing so, he wanted to make sure that they
had first performed

proper "teshuva".

     Abravanel's approach neatly explains
just about all of

Yosef's actions - which certainly caused his
brothers to

repent (see 42:21 & 44:16).  However, it is
not so clear why

the goal of 'helping' his brothers to perform
"teshuva" would

allow Yosef to cause his father continued
grief.  [We'll

return to this question later in our shiur.]

     Furthermore, Abravanel's interpretation
only explains

Yosef's behavior after his brothers arrived
to buy food; but

it does not explain why Yosef did not contact
his father for

some twenty years beforehand!

 

DREAMS REMEMBERED, OR FORGOTTEN?

     One could suggest an approach exactly
the opposite of

Ramban's - i.e. that Yosef had 'forgotten'
his dreams (i.e.

since the time that he was sold).  It is only
after he sees

his brothers some twenty years later - as
they  bow down to

him (when they came to buy food) - that he
suddenly

'remembers' his childhood dreams.

  To verify this, simply review 42:9 in its
context, noting

how it seems to imply that it was at this
point when Yosef

remembered his dreams, and not earlier!
[Note Rashi on 42:9

as well!]

     In other words, we posit that Yosef's
behavior before his

brothers arrived stems from the fact that he
had 'given up' on

his childhood dreams, while his behavior (and
'master plan')

after they arrive stems from his renewed
understanding of

their significance.   Let's begin by
explaining why Yosef

didn't contact home during those twenty
years, by considering

his predicament in Egypt:

  In regard to his brothers, why would Yosef
want to contact

(or ever see) them again?  After all, they
had thrown him into

a pit and then sold him into slavery (or at
least he thought

they were behind the sale/ see last week's
shiur)!

  Furthermore, considering how Egyptian
society 'looked down'

at the "Ivrim" (see 43:32), contacting his
brothers could have

endangered his reputable position in Egyptian
society.

  Nonetheless, even though Yosef had ample
reason for not

contacting his brothers, it remains difficult
to understand

why he didn't contact his father (and let's
not forget his

full brother Binyamin).   Could it be that
his despise for the

rest of his family was greater than his love
for his father

and brother?

  One could suggest that by the time that
Yosef had reached a

position of power, he was quite sure that his
father had

already died   Recall that Yaakov was about
110 years old when

Yosef was sold, so it would only be logical
for him to assume

that his father had died (or soon would /
note 43:7 & 45:3!).

  Hence, the slight chance that his father
was still alive was

simply not worth the price of returning to
deal with his

brothers.  [

 

YOSEF 'HAD' A DREAM

  A more sophisticated approach to explain
why Yosef didn't

write home, is presented by Rav Yoel Bin Nun
[in an article in

Megadim Vol. I /a publication of the Herzog
Teachers

Institute].

  In that article, Rav Yoel posits that Yosef
had no idea that

his father believed he was dead.  Quite the
opposite - Yosef

assumed that his father would find out that
he was sold (i.e.

one of the brothers would 'snitch'), and
hence he had expected

that his father would demand that the
brothers trace his

whereabouts and come to his rescue!  After
all, the Yishmaelim

[distant "mishpacha"] were international
traders who traveled

quite often between Eretz Canaan and Egypt.
Surely, Yosef

hoped, his family would come to his rescue.

  Recall as well that Yosef was unaware of
how the brothers

tricked their father to believe he was dead
(with the blood-

stained coat).  Therefore, Yosef assumes that
everyone knows

that he is alive, and that he was sold as a
slave in Egypt.

During his first year or so of slavery, he is
'sure' that in a

short time, someone in his family will come
to his rescue.

  However, many months pass and no one shows.
Yosef's hopes

are replaced with feelings of rejection.
After several months

(or years), he may have reached the
conclusion that his family

doesn't want him to return; but there had to
have been a

reason.

 

REJECTED FROM THE BECHIRA PROCESS

  Rav Yoel posits that Yosef had reached the
conclusion that

there must have been some divine decree that
he was 'rejected'

from the family, i.e. from the entire
"bechira" process - in

manner similar to the rejection of his Uncle
Esav or great

Uncle Yishmael. It may have appeared to him
that only the

children of Leah were chosen, while the
children of Rachel

were rejected, as reflected in Rachel's
premature death, and

the fact that she was buried on the
'roadside' (while Leah was

later to be buried in the Tomb of the
Patriarchs).

  His childhood dreams are now forgotten, and
reluctantly, he

accepted his new fate.

     Yosef, convinced that his family has
abandoned him,

accepts this fate and decides to lead his own
life.  Just as

Eisav established himself in Edom, Yosef will
make a name for

himself in Egypt.  He can even bring the name
of God into

society in his own way, despite not being
part of the Chosen

Nation.

     The following chart reflects what may
have been Yosef's

perception of the outcome of the "bechira"
process (based on

this original 'misunderstanding'):

 

               CHOSEN          REJECTED

               =======         ========

       \    AVRAHAM    /

        \      |      /

         \  YITZCHAK /    Yishmael & bnei
Ktura

          \    |    /

           \ YAAKOV/          Eisav

            \  |  /

           BNEI LEAH           bnei Rachel

            /  |  \

           /   6   \

          /  TRIBES \

         /           \

        /             \

 

     In summary, we posit that Yosef never
contacted his

family during those twenty years, as he
mistakenly assumed

that they did not want to contact him, as
there had been a

divine decision that he was 'rejected' from
the 'chosen

family', This tragic misunderstanding can
explain why Yosef,

even after rising to power, never contacted
his father as

well.

     Now we must consider the second stage,
i.e. an

explanation for Yosef's behavior after his
brothers arrive to

buy food.

 

YOSEF HAS A PLAN

     After spending years under this
assumption that he has

been 'rejected' - everything changes when
Yosef sees his

brothers among the many who came down to
Egypt to buy grain.

As they bow down before him, Yosef suddenly
'remembers' his

long forgotten dreams (see 42:9), for they
now appear to have

come true!   Should Yosef dismiss this as
pure coincidence, or

should this partial fulfillment of his
childhood dreams lead

him to reconsider his earlier conclusions?

     It is understandable why Yosef doesn't
immediately reveal

himself.  He needs some time. But, if he
simply wanted to hide

his identity from them, he could have just
ignored them.

[Surely, Yosef did not need to entertain
every foreigner who

came to purchase food.]

  But why does Yosef accuse his brothers of
being spies? Why

does he return their money? Later, when they
come back, why

does he plant his special cup in Binyamin's
bag?

     Certainly, we would not expect that
Yosef was just

'teasing' his brothers - to 'get back' at
them.  Rather, it

would make more sense to assume that Yosef
has a plan - and

his actions suggest that he has strategy; but
it is not so

clear what that master plan is.

     In his article, Rav Bin Nun explains
Yosef's 'plan' as an

attempt to determine what had happened to
Binyamin. The fact

that Binyamin was not with the brothers the
first time they

came to Egypt supports his suspicion that
Bnei Rachel had been

rejected. Therefore, his primary goal is to
find out if

Binyamin is still alive.

  If Binyamin is indeed alive, then Yosef
could question him

concerning what 'really' happened in the
family, and afterward

possibly re-unite with his family.  On the
other hand, if

Binyamin never shows (and hence probably not
alive), Yosef

would remain incognito - preferring never to
reunite with his

brothers.

  [This can explain why Yosef accuses his
brothers of being

  spies.  The 'spy accusation' allows Yosef
to question them

  concerning their family roots etc., without
raising their

  suspicion that he may be their brother.]

 

     Although Rav Yoel's explanation flows
nicely from the

above presentation, it does not explain every
detail of

Yosef's behavior once Binyamin does arrive.
After all, once

Binyamin comes, why doesn't Yosef simply take
him aside and

question him.  If Yosef only needs to
determine what really

happened in the "bechira" process, what point
is there in

planting his cup in Binyamin's bag?

     Surely, one cannot remain oblivious to
Yosef's obvious

attempt to create a situation that prompts
the brothers to

repent (as Abravanel explains so
beautifully).

  On the other hand, one must also explain
why Yosef returns

their money, and why he seats them in order
of their birth,

etc.  These acts seem to be more of a 'tease'
than an impetus

for them to do "teshuva" (repentance). What
is Yosef's

intention in all of this?

     Furthermore, if his goal, as Abravanel
explains, is only

to cause his brothers to repent, then his
'second' plan seems

unnecessary - after all, they had already
shown remorse for

their sin at the first encounter. Recall
their initial

remorse, that Yosef himself overheard, when
they stated:

  "Alas we are GUILTY, for we heard his
crying out [when he

  was thrown in the pit], but we did not
listen ... therefore

  this fate has befallen us..."  (See
42:21-23)

 

     And if that was not enough, then
Yehuda's plea and

admission of guilt (see 44:16) certainly
would have sufficed

     Finally, even if Abravanel's contention
is correct, who

gives Yosef the right to 'test' his brothers
to see if they

have repented? Is Yosef allowed to play God?
Is he permitted

to tease, trick, and confuse others - in
order to awaken their

soul?  And even if so, does this justify
causing his father

further aggravation?

 

PLAYING 'GOD' OR PLAYING 'LEADER'

     One could suggest the following
explanation for Yosef's

behavior (once the brothers arrived) - which
is quite similar

to Abravanel's approach, but from a very
different angle.

Let's explain:

     Even though Yosef may have forgotten his
dreams for some

twenty years, when his brothers arrive in
Egypt and bow down

to him - everything changes!  Totally shocked
by what

happened, it suddenly dawns upon him that his
childhood dreams

may actually be coming true after all.  Maybe
he wasn't

rejected?  Maybe, his conclusions regarding
his family were

all wrong?

  On the other hand, Binyamin is not with
them.  But, if

Binyamin is still alive and part of the
family (as his

brothers now claim), then maybe the children
of Rachel are

indeed included in the "bechira" process!

  But now that Yosef had become an 'expert'
at dream

interpretation, he not only 'remember his
dreams', but he now

begins to understand their purpose!  These
dreams were not

merely 'predictions' of future events - but
rather could serve

as guide - to inspire appropriate behavior!

  Because of his dreams, Yosef now
understands that his

'brothers bowing down' indicates not only
that he is included

in the "bechira" process - but more important
- that he is

destined to assume family leadership.

  [See the TSC shiur on Parshat Toldot, where
we explained

  that once the 'bechira' process reached its
critical stage,

  i.e. that all the children of one of the
Avot would be

  chosen - at this point, one of the brothers
needs to chosen

  to assume the responsibility of family
leadership.]

  

  It is here where our approach will differ
from the other

approaches that we have discussed thus far.

  We posit that when Yosef sees his brothers
bowing down, he

not only remembers his dreams, he immediately
understands

their deeper meaning - that they foresee his
destiny to become

the family leader, and that all twelve
brothers will be

included in the chosen family.

  It is Yosef's realization of this destiny
that guides his

ensuing behavior - and triggers his 'master
plan'.

  Before we explain how, let's begin by first
explaining what

Yosef cannot do!

  Imagine what would have happened had Yosef
revealed his

identity immediately, as soon as he
recognized his brothers!

They would have 'melted' on the spot.  How
could they have

faced him, talk to him?  The shame of their
relationship would

have created an eternal barrier. They would
never be able to

speak to him, let alone work together as a
family.

  

     As family 'leader' - Yosef now
recognizes his

responsibility to keep the 'chosen' family
united and cohesive

e.  Yosef's plan is simple -he must plan a
strategy that would

reunite the family - to bond them in a manner
that could

continue to achieve together.

     Yosef does not need to play GOD, to
ensure that his

brothers repent - that would be their own
responsibility.

Yosef, however, does have a new
responsibility to play LEADER.

  Hence, Yosef conceives a plan that will
rehabilitate the

family unity - he needs to enable his
brothers with a way by

which they can 'redeem themselves'!  But, to
accomplish this,

he must put them through a difficult test:

  After procuring the minimal information
that he needs by his

'spies' accusation (see 42:7-10 AND 43:7!),
he decides to

create a situation where the brothers must
choose if they are

willing to forfeit their own freedom - in
order to save

Binyamin.  Should they 'pass this test', it
will be much

easier for them to work with Yosef in the
future.

  Indeed, this plan may cause his father a
few extra weeks of

suffering.  But Yosef must restrain his
emotions, for he hopes

that it will unfold quickly.

  [Yosef probably expected that the brothers
would bring

  Binyamin down immediately.  He did not
expect that Yaakov

  would be so reluctant to send Binyamin
away.]

  

  Therefore, Yosef's keeps Shimon in jail, to
ensure that his

brothers will bring Binyamin.  Once Binyamin
will come, Yosef

plans the big 'set up' - where he will plant
his cup in

Binyamin's bag, thus giving a chance for his
brothers to

'prove themselves' (as they so well do).

  While doing so, Yosef does many other
things to make the

brothers wonder and think - to shake them up
a bit [what we

call "cheshbon ha'nefesh".]  He also returns
their money, and

shows kindness to them, for he truly does
care about their own

welfare! But by planting his cup in
Binyamin's bag, Yosef

provides his brothers with a special
opportunity so they can

prove to themselves that they have done
"teshuva"!  Only after

they demonstrate their willingness to give up
their own lives

for Binyamin, will they be able to face
themselves, and Yosef

- and unite as a cohesive family - to take on
the challenges

that lay in the future.

  

  Once Yehuda, on behalf of his brothers,
admits their guilt

and makes his noble offer to become his
servant (instead of

Binyamin/ see 44:16 & 44:33-34), that might
have been enough -

but Yosef may have wanted to 'push' his
brothers even a bit

farther.  But when he hears Yehuda's petition
concerning the

fate of his father (at the beginning of
Parshat Vayigash),

Yosef can not hold back any more' - he
'breaks down' and

reveals himself.

     To support our thesis, note how Yosef
(after revealing

his identify and his instinctive opening
question regarding

the health of his father) immediately
emphasizes his assurance

that he is not angry with his brothers, and
implores them to

recognize the Hand of God behind these
events.

  By doing so, Yosef also alludes to his
brothers that they

too should look to the future, instead of
dwelling on the past

(see 45:1-8).

 

MAASE AVOT SIMAN LA'BANIM

     By the end of this entire episode, God
had created a

situation that would guarantee the physical
survival of Am

Yisrael during the famine, while setting the
stage for their

future redemption.  Yosef, in the meantime,
had created a

situation that would keep Am Yisrael united
during this

formative stage in land of Egypt

     Throughout the generations, God oversees
our history,

while creating opportunities for our
redemption.  However, as

we enjoy His providence, it remains OUR OWN
responsibility to

make sure that we remain united as our
destiny unfolds.

Although quite difficult, it remains an
eternal challenge for

Jewish leadership.

 

                         shabbat shalom,

                         menachem

 

================

FOR FURTHER IYUN

 

"SINAT ACHIM" & IDEALISM - a 'mini- shiur'

     Can there be any excuse for the brothers
conspiring to

kill Yosef?  How are we to understand the
behavior of our

ancestors?  Is their goal simply to teach us
of our 'shameful'

heritage, or do they carry a message for
future generations?

     In the following mini-shiur, we attempts
to tackle this

difficult question by projecting the "bechira
process" - the

theme that we have been following in Sefer
Breishit - onto the

story of Yosef and his brothers.

 

INTRODUCTION

     At first glance, the brothers' hatred of
Yosef appears to

stem from a petty sibling rivalry.  However,
when we consider

the Torah's story of Yosef's dreams (see
37:2-12), it is

possible to arrive at a deeper understanding
of their actions.

Therefore, we begin our shiur with a quick
review of these two

dreams:

(1)    "And behold we were gathering sheaves
in the field, and

  my sheaf stood up and remained upright.
Your sheaves then

  gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf"
(37:7);

(2)    "... and behold - the sun, the moon,
and eleven stars

  were bowing down to me." (37:9)

 

     One doesn't have to be a prophet to
interpret these two

dreams. Clearly, they point to Yosef's
developing sense of

superiority over the entire family.  However,
these dreams

also echo an earlier sibling rivalry in
Chumash - that between

Yaakov and Eisav!  Note the similarity
between these dreams

and Yitzchak's blessing to Yaakov (i.e. the
blessing that he

intended to give it to Eisav):

     "May God bless you with... an abundance
of grain...

  Be MASTER OVER your brothers, and let your
mother's sons BOW

  DOWN to you."   (27:28)

 

     Recall our explanation that this
blessing reflected

Yitzchak's original understanding that both
of his sons were

chosen, and hence it became the father's
responsibility to

appoint a family 'leader'.  However, as that
story progressed,

it became clear to Yitzchak that only Yaakov
was chosen.

Then, as we advance to the next generation,
it appears that

ALL of Yaakov's children will be chosen (and
not only one).

Therefore, it will become necessary for
Yaakov to appoint a

'family leader' from among his twelve sons -
but it is not yet

clear who this 'leader' will be.

     With this in mind, it would appear that
Yosef's dreams

reflect his aspiration to attain this
leadership position.

[One could also suggest that they may reflect
Yosef's

understanding that he would be the ONLY
'chosen son,' just as

Yaakov himself emerged as Yitzchak's only
chosen son!

     This perception is supported not only by
Yosef's dreams,

but also by several other factors, such as:

*   Yaakov's love and special treatment of
Yosef (see 37:3);

*   his "ktonet pasim" (special cloak), a
sign of royalty;

*   Yosef is the first son of Rachel,
Yaakov's 'primary'

wife;

*   Yaakov's silence regarding Yosef's dreams
(see 37:11);

 

ALL IN THE NAME OF GOD

  In the brothers' eyes, it becomes rather
clear that Yaakov

plans to name Yosef (or possibly Yosef and
Binyamin, the son's

of Rachel) as his exclusive heir(s).  Yosef's
dreams simply

added 'fuel to the flame!'

     This background allows us to suggest an
ideological basis

for the brothers' decision to kill Yosef, as
follows:

     Had Yosef acted in a more righteous
manner, his brothers

may have conceded to his destiny as either
the 'leader' or the

'chosen' son. However, their perception of
Yosef's character

troubled them. In their eyes (as the Parshat
Vayeshev

testifies), Yosef was a slanderer: "And Yosef
brought bad

reports ('diba ra'ah') of his brothers to his
father." (see

37:2)

     The brothers, aware of the challenges
facing God's

special Nation, recognized the need for
exemplary leadership.

Could Yosef possibly assume this role?  To
the brothers, the

mere thought of 'Yosef the Slanderer'
becoming the leader was

horrific. From their perspective, it was
simply unthinkable

that Yosef could assume the leadership of a
nation destined by

God to be characterized by "tzedek u'mishpat"
(see 18:19). For

the sake of "klal Yisrael," they conclude:
Yosef must be

weeded out!

     Hence, the brothers faced a predicament
similar to that

of Rivka in the previous generation. Just as
Rivka had

realized that Yitzchak was mistaken in his
favoring of Eisav,

so too the brothers conclude that Yaakov is
mistaken by

favoring Yosef.

  However, just as Rivka resorted to
'trickery' to ensure that

the proper son would be blessed, so too the
brothers decide to

use 'trickery' to ensure that Yosef would not
be appointed

their leader. Considering that the entire
fate of "Am Yisrael"

was at stake, the brothers allow themselves
to 'bend the

rules' a bit, so as to secure the nation's
future.

     An ideal opportunity (for the brothers)
arises when Yosef

arrives at Dotan to visit them. In order to
dispose of this

menace, they plot first to kill him. Later
they opt to sell

him - off to a distant land. In either case,
their stated goal

is to make sure that Yosef is removed from
the Divine family

(see 37:20 - "v'nireh mah yihiyu
chalomotav"). Out of respect

and concern for their father, lest he fret
and worry about his

'missing' son for the rest of his life, they
will dip Yosef's

coat in blood so that Yaakov will think that
he was truly

dead. Hopefully, their father will finally
realize that Yosef

was "nidcheh" (rejected), and now Am Yisrael
can continue to

develop in the proper fashion.

     Thus, based on the theme of Sefer
Breishit, the brothers'

plot to dispose of Yosef, though inexcusable,
is

understandable. It is not simply out of petty
jealousy that

they want to kill Yosef, but rather out of a
'sincere' concern

for the future of Am Yisrael.

 

MAASE AVOT SIMAN LA'BANIM

     If our above assumptions are correct,
then the story of

Yosef and his brothers leaves us with a
poignant message.

When making important decisions that may
affect the future of

our communities we must make sure that lofty
spiritual goals

do not blind us from the most basic
principles of moral

behavior..

  [Based on this discussion, one could
suggest that the

  "piyut" that we recite on Yom Kippur about
the Ten Martyrs

  (who were killed by the Romans during the
time of the

  destruction of the Second Temple and the
Bar Kochba revolt)

  reflects a similar message.  In that piyut,
Chazal connect

  those tragedies to the brothers' selling of
Yosef.  Even

  though that event had taken place over a
thousand years

  earlier, Chazal consider the behavior of Am
Yisrael during

  that time period similar to that of Yosef
and his brothers.

    To understand why, recall that Chazal
cite "sinat chinam"

  [petty hatred of one another] as the
primary sin of that

  generation (even though Torah study was at
an all time high

  - see Mesechet Gittin 55b with regard to
the story of Kamtza

  and Bar Kamtza. See also Yoma 9b).  Hence,
that piyut is

  making a similar statement, but in a more
'poetic' manner.

  The generation of "churban bayit sheni" had
repeated the sin

  of "sinat achim" in a manner similar to
Yosef's brothers.

  Hence they deserved to be punished, as the
later generation

  continues in the same pattern of sin.]

 

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