Is My Son Alive?

And they told him saying: Joseph is still alive and that he is governor over all the land of Egypt, and his heart stood still for he did not believe them. And they told him all the words of Joseph which he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons (agalot) which Joseph had sent to carry him, then the spirit of Jacob their father revived.                              Genesis 45:26-27

Rashi quotes the Midrash which tells us that the “agalot” were a sign sent by Joseph, a reminder that the last halacha studied by Joseph and Jacob was the law of egla arufa.

My father suggested the following understanding of our two verses. Jacob feared that if indeed Joseph had become the viceroy of Egypt, he may be highly assimilated and perhaps has abandoned the observance of mitzvot. Receiving Joseph’s message of the “agalot” indicated to Jacob that his favored son has remained faithful to the Torah which he had taught Joseph.

This understanding explains the meaning of a comment of Da’at Zekaim of the Tosafists on the following verse: “And Jacob said: ‘It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.’” Genesis 45:28:

His sons continued to talk about Joseph and his greatness, therefore Jacob said to them: “Tell me if my son is alive.”

The Tosafists’ comment seems odd: since his sons were relating the greatness of Joseph, Jacob obviously knew that his beloved son was alive, hence his question seems out of place. Rather, the point of Jacob’s question “is Joseph, my son, still alive?” i.e., is he the same Joseph who observed Torah and mitzvot.

The knowledge that his beloved son remained faithful to his tradition throughout his suffering and success in Egypt revived Jacob’s spirit and gave him the strength and desire to go down to Egypt.

There is an additional lesson to be learnt from the laws of egla arufa. The sages of the city nearest to the corpse must say “our hands did not spill this blood.” (Deuteronomy 21:7) When Joseph said to his brothers “… it is not you who sent me here, but God,” (Genesis 45:8) in effect he absolved them of guilt. Joseph essentially said to his brothers “you have not spilled my blood.” In so doing, Joseph reunited himself with his brothers.

Knowing that peace had been achieved within his family, which was now united, endowed Jacob with the strength to go into exile in Egypt. Jacob realized that with the unity of his children, they need not fear being in exile, and that by maintaining that unity his descendants’ salvation from exile will be guaranteed.