In Parshat Miketz, Yosef tells his
brothers that in order to prove that they are not spies they must go back home
and return with their youngest brother.
Upon the brothers arrival we read (Breisheet
42:29):
They came to their father Yaakov, to
the Land of C’naan, and they told him all that had happened to them…
Notice that the verse first notifies
us that they came to their father and then it mentions that they came to the
Land of C’naan.
In contrast, In Parshat Vayigash,
after Yosef reveals who he really is, he sends his brothers home to bring back
their father. There, the order is reversed. First the Land of C’naan is
mentioned followed by their father (Breisheet 45:25):
They went up from Egypt, and they
came to the Land of C’naan, to their father Yaakov.
What is the reason for the change in
order?
The Netziv in his commentary HaEmek
Davar explains that this time, they came first to part with the Land, as they
knew that now the entire nation would be moving to Egypt while seeing their
father was secondary as he would be coming with them.
Leaving Israel can be difficult
especially when you don’t know when you will be returning.
The same is true today. Those who
live in Israel and are attached to the Land feel a sense of sadness when they
leave, even if it is for a short time or a vacation.
Even Israelis who choose to relocate
often feel a sense of loss when they are leaving as well as while they are gone.
When Israelis who go on “shlichut”
to serve as emissaries on behalf of Israel in the Diaspora for a limited amount
of time, they think that they know exactly when they will be back in Israel.
Yet things don’t always work out as planned due to circumstances that may be
beyond their control and they are not always back when they expected.
Tourists would had a good experience
often have a hard time leaving Israel as they can never be sure of when they
will return.
May we all merit to spend as much
time as we would like in the modern State of Israel and appreciate every moment.
