He says, "Woe unto us from the Day of Judgment; woe unto us from the day of rebuke!"
It's a powerful statement, isn't it? He uses Joseph as an example. Think about it: Joseph, a man of flesh and blood, rebuked his brothers, and they were overwhelmed! How much more so, Rabbi Elazar asks, will we be unable to stand before the Holy One, blessed be He, who is Judge, Litigant, and sits on the bench of judgment, judging each and every one of us? It’s a sobering thought, a real gut-check.
The passage then delves into the emotional reunion between Joseph and Benjamin, a scene filled with tears and unspoken history. "He fell upon the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck" (Genesis 45:14). But the rabbis, masters of close reading, notice something peculiar. The Hebrew word for "neck" used here, tzaverei, is plural. Did Benjamin have two necks? Of course not!
Instead, Rabbi Elazar ben Pedat offers a profound interpretation. He suggests that Joseph, through Ruach HaKodesh (רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ), the Divine Spirit, saw into the future. He saw that two Temples were destined to be built in Benjamin’s portion of the land, and, tragically, that they were destined to be destroyed. And Benjamin, in turn, wept because he saw that the Tabernacle in Shilo, which would reside in Joseph's territory, was also destined for destruction. Their tears weren't just for their past; they were for the future sorrows of their people.
Isn’t it amazing how much meaning can be packed into just a few words?
The passage concludes with a powerful image. "He raised his voice in weeping" (Genesis 45:2). Just as Joseph could only placate his brothers through weeping, the text suggests, so too will the Holy One, blessed be He, redeem Israel only through weeping. The verse from Jeremiah (31:9) is brought as proof: "They will come with weeping, and with supplications I will lead them."
What does this all mean? Perhaps it’s a reminder that even in times of great joy and reconciliation, there can be an undercurrent of sadness, a recognition of past hurts and future challenges. Maybe it's a call to empathy, to understanding that tears can be a powerful force for healing and redemption. And perhaps, most importantly, it's a reminder that even the most righteous among us will face the Divine Judge with a sense of awe and humility.