Parashas and Haftaras Vayiggash
There is a famous saying: Maaseh avos siman l’banim – the deeds of the forefathers are a sign for their descendants. The meaning of this saying is that the actions of the forefathers forged a path for the Jews of all future generations. The Maggid compares this to a man digging a well: once the well is dug, it remains available for all future comers. The Maggid says further that God deliberately put the forefathers in certain plights so that their prayers would serve as a reservoir of salvation for future generations. On occasion, God does the same with other tzaddikim.
In this vein, the Maggid says, the confrontation between Yehudah and Yosef at the beginning of parashas Vayiggash was a harbinger of the future rift between the Kingdom of Yehudah and the Kingdom of Yisrael during the period of Bayis Rishon. (The leading tribe of the Kingdom of Yisrael was Ephraim, who comes from Yosef.) And their subsequent reconciliation was a harbinger of the reconciliation between these two kingdoms that will take place at the end of time.
This connection, the Maggid says, is the reason behind the choice of haftarah for parashas Vayiggash. In the haftarah, Hashem tells Yechezkel to take two pieces of wood, one representing Yehudah and the other Yisrael. Hashem then tells Yechezkel to put these two pieces of wood together, and watch them join together into one. This is a sign that Yehudah and Yisrael will eventually reach reconciliation.
David Zucker, Site Administrator
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