Vayigash - ויגש : "And came near"
Torah : Genesis 44:18-47:27
Haftarah : Ezekiel 37:15-28
Gospel : Matthew 23-25

Thought for the Week:

"When Joseph declared, "I am Joseph," the masterful plan of God became clear to his brothers. Their questions were answered. All that had happened over the last twenty-two years fell into perspective. So, too, will it be in the time to come when God will reveal Himself and announce, "I am the LORD." The veil will be lifted from our eyes and we will comprehend everything that transpired throughout history." (Chofetz Chaim)

Commentary:

Genesis 45:3. Joseph's revelation to his brothers foreshadows the messianic redemption to come. For more than two decades, Joseph's brothers had lived in a state of anguish and remorse. They were responsible for their brother's exile and their father's suffering. Now everything seemed out of kilter. Somehow, the Egyptian viceroy's cup had been found in their midst. They were about to lose Benjamin and break their father's heart again. They were humiliated in the eyes of the Egyptians, accused of theft and spying, helpless under the irrational whims of a Gentile ruler. Meanwhile, their famil...