Who Recognizes Joseph? 2000

 WHO RECOGNIZES JOSEPH?Rabbi Binyamin Kahane Editor of Kahane on the Parsha note: This Dvar Torah is the verylast that Rabbi Binyamin Kahane wrote. Tens of thousands of copies- somestained with blood- were found in the car in which he and his wife weremurdered. "And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him"(Genesis 42:8). The simple meaning of this verse, as the commentators explain,is that the brothers did not recognize Joseph because he was young andbeardless when they sold him. Joseph, on the other hand, recognized hisbrothers because they already had beards the last time he saw them. Rashi digs deeper, explaining that the verse is referring to more than justexternal appearances. He writes that when Joseph encountered his brothers onthat fateful day in Shechem, they did not "recognize" him- that is,they did not act brotherly towards him and sold him to the Ishmaelites. Butwhen the brothers were at Joseph's mercy, he "recognized" them- thatis, he acted brotherly towards them and did not take revenge for all the painthey had caused him. A brief digression: According to tradition, there are two Messiahs- the Messiahson of Joseph and the Messiah son of David. The at'chalta d'geula- the stagebefore the conclusion of the redemption when all surviving nations will acceptthe yoke of heaven- is the period of the Messiah son of Joseph. The Vilna Gaon,in his work Kol HaTor, calls the Messiah son of Joseph the "Mashiachd'At'chalta." He explains that both Messiahs live in every singlegeneration, functioning in their roles. The role of the Messiah son of Josephis to involve himself in the physical side of the redemption. If the Jews in aparticular generation do not merit the redemption, the roles of the Messiahsare passed down to candidates in the next generation. Let us now return to the verse with which we began this article, quoting thewords of the Vilna Gaon in Kol HaTor. "Joseph recognized his brothers, butthey did not recognize him': This is one of Joseph's attributes. Not just inhis generation, but in every generation, the Messiah son of Joseph recognizeshis brothers but they do not recognize him. It is an act of Satan whichconceals the Messiah's attributes such that the Jews unfortunately do notrecognize his footsteps and, in fact, scoffs at them...If not for this; ourtroubles would already be over. If Israel 'recognized Joseph,' if Israelrecognized the footsteps of the Messiah son of Joseph- i.e., the ingathering ofthe exiles, etc.- we would already be completely redeemed" (ch. 2, 1:39). Is it even necessary to expound upon our alienation from "Joseph"today? Not only is there alienation from him, but a conspiracy against him. Asthe Torah states regarding Joseph's brothers: "And they conspired againsthim to slay him" (Genesis 37:18). They see Joseph and his dreams as athreat to them. "What??!! You are going to bring the redemption? You, theyoungest among us?" They decide he constitutes a danger and must bekilled. Yet, just as Rashi explains that Joseph "recognized" his brothers,behaving brotherly towards them, so, too, does the Messiah son of Joseph andhis followers- those who carry on the task of bringing the redemption to theJewish people- willingly endure personal suffering for Israel's salvation, alldue to the ardent Ahavat Yisrael burning within them. These days are critical ones. The Intifada that broke out on Rosh Hashanahcentered on Shechem and Kever Yosef during the first few days. Afterwards,Kever Yosef was abandoned and sold to the Ishmaelites as discarded baggage.Our response must be the opposite: We must cling to all those tasks of theMessiah son of Joseph- conquering the land and fighting against the nations anderev rav within our midst. We needn't worry about being popular or palatable inthe eyes of those who are unwilling to recognize Joseph. If we act in this fashion, those who wish to recognize Joseph will see andunderstand that "OD YOSEF CHAI!" Darka Shel Torah, 2000 Shabbat Shalom Chanukah Sameach Chodesh Tov Barbara  Anyonereading this Rabbi Binyamin Kahane article and is not on my personal list toreceive the weekly articles written by Rabbi Meir Kahane and Rabbi Binyamin Kahane and would like to be,please contact me at barbaraandchaim@gmail.com  To view articles written by Rabbi Meir Kahane and Rabbi BinyaminKahane go to blog: www.barbaraginsberg-kahane.blogspot.com   Facebook:  Barbara Sandra Ginsberg Rav Kahane Divrei Torah Pictures Viewpoints Youtubes, VideosFirst join Telegram and then hit link and you will see all. Telegram link: https://t.me/RKDTVP