Circling the Wagons

...   and  when  he  saw  the  wagons   (agalot) which Joseph had sent to carry

him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.                        Genesis 45:27

            Some classical commentators are bothered by the question that it was actually Pharaoh, not Joseph who sent the wagons. Rashi suggests the word agalot  to be  symbolic of the last Halachic issue which Joseph studied with Jacob before being sold into slavery, egla arufa  (the red heifer: Deuteronomy 21:1 -9).

            Da’at Z’kainim of the Tosafists follow Rashi’s approach that the wagons are symbolic of the last Halachic issue which Joseph studied with Jacob, but find his play on words (egla/agalot) too forced.  Rather, the Tosafists suggest that Jacob and Joseph were studying the dedication of the Tabernacle, at which the tribal princes donated six wagons [Numbers 7:3]. 

            This comment is an obvious anachronism, and therefore must be understood on the symbolic level.  Our Sages teach us that the history of the Forefathers presages that of their descendants. Based upon this approach, my father explained the lesson: though Joseph was being sold into slavery and through this the Children of Israel would be sent to subjugation in Egypt, he and Jacob were focused on the future, on building the Tabernacle.

            Rather than being caught up in the suffering of exile, a Jew should be optimistically looking forward to a brilliant future which includes the Temple.

            Perhaps we can add an additional point. Of the offerings of the tribal princes, only the wagons were joint offerings, brought by two princes. Thus the wagons are the symbol of unity among the tribes, which is the prerequisite for building the Temple.