And he fell on his brother Binyamin's neck and wept

(Genesis 45:14)

Tevet 8, 5777/January 6, 2017

In this week's parashat Vayigash, the story of Yosef and his brothers comes to a dramatic climax. Shock, disbelief, confrontation, conciliation, and the shedding of many tears all mark the Vayigash narrative. One of the most poignant moments is when Yosef reveals to his brothers his true identity and tearfully embraces his brother Binyamin: "And he fell on his brother Binyamin's neck and wept, and Binyamin wept on his neck." (Genesis 45:14) Our sages tell us that their tears were not only tears of joy, but they were also tears of grief, as united in their embrace they both received a prophetic vision of the future destruction of the Tabernacle at Shiloh and the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem. The Tabernacle at Shiloh was located in the inheritance of Ephraim, the son of Yosef, and the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was located in the inheritance of Binyamin, hence their mutual prophecy and grief.

We first learn of Mount Moriah, the location of the Holy Temple, when Avraham is commanded by G-d to bring his son there, to build an altar, and to offer Yitzchak up to G-d. Of course G-d rescinds His commandment and Avraham and Yitzchak leave the mountain together. The binding of Yitzchak in the place of the Holy Temple has become a bonding experience for father and son, for Avraham and Yitzchak.

We next come across the place of the Holy Temple when Yitzchak first encounters his new bride Rivkah: "And Yitzchak went forth to pray in the field towards evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, camels were approaching. And Rivkah lifted her eyes, and saw Yitzchak, and she let herself down from the camel." (ibid 24:63-64) Our sages teach us that the field in which Yitzchak was praying was none other than Mount Moriah, the place of the Holy Temple. And in this case, the place of the Holy Temple is the setting for the dawning of a true and deep love between husband and wife.

The next time we encounter the place of the Holy Temple is when Yaakov, fleeing from Esau, lays his head down on the rocks of Beit El and experiences his dream of a ladder extending from earth to heaven, "And behold, HaShem was standing over him." (ibid 28:13) In this case, the place of the Holy Temple is offering comfort and safety for a man profoundly alone in the world, having left his parents and fleeing his brother.

The final 'mention' of the Holy Temple in the book of Genesis takes place in Yosef and Binyamin's embrace, as we have cited above. There, the Holy Temple is referred to in the context of brotherly love. The bond between father and son, the love between husband and wife, the place of refuge for a lonely soul and the loving embrace of brothers. The Holy Temple is all these things. It is not only a place of offerings and the service of the Kohanim (Temple Priests). It is a place where human beings come together to bask in G-d's loving light, to be healed by His embrace.

Vayigash begins with a confrontation between Yehudah and Yosef. Yehudah is defiantly defending his youngest brother Binyamin from the harm that he believes Yosef intends for him. This was Yosef's ultimate test of whether his brothers had learned the real lesson of being a brother's keeper. Yosef had been the victim of his brothers' contempt for him, but now Binyamin has become the beneficiary of Yehudah's rediscovered love and responsibility.

The Holy Temple rested in the spot where the inheritance of Binyamin bordered the inheritance of Yehudah. The stone altar stood in the inheritance of Binyamin. The Ark of the Covenant rested in the inheritance of Yehudah. In this manner, the Holy Temple eternally enshrined the promise of brotherly love, G-d's greatest hope for humanity. May we live up to G-d's expectations of us, rebuild the Holy Temple, and flock to it as a place of love and unity between man and man, between man and G-d!

-The Temple Institute