[Par-reg] For Parshat Miketz
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Wed Dec 12 08:10:03 EST 2012
Dedicated in Commemoration of the Yarhzheit
of
Chana Bas Menachem Mendel Yitzchak A"H
4 Tevet 5756
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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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