Or HaChaim: A Short and Sweet Torah Teaching on Parashat Vayigash

'And Israel said to Joseph, Now I can die, after seeing your face, for you are still alive' (Genesis 46:30).

In this verse, Jacob expresses a sense of completeness and joy that only manifested after seeing Joseph with his own eyes and realizing his state. Although Jacob was informed that Joseph was alive, the news alone did not fill his heart with complete joy. He remained worried and broken for several main reasons:

Firstly, Jacob feared that Joseph, who lived among the nations and especially in the impurity of Egypt, had strayed from his spiritual path and become lowly like a slave among rulers.

Beyond that, Jacob had to confront the contradiction between 'Joseph was surely torn to pieces by a wild beast,' and the news that Joseph was alive.

'Indeed, Jacob's words suggest that although he received the news that Joseph was still living, it was only useful to know his existence. Yet his heart remained heavy about the possibility of Joseph being among the nations, low as a slave of rulers, whether he was still righteous and had not become blind nor lost his vigor, or due to his being separated and inside the husks, especially the impurity of Egypt, and particularly because of what he had understood from the divine spirit which said (Ch. 37) Joseph was surely torn to pieces by a wild beast (Bereshit Rabbah, Ch. 84).'

The Recognition of the Face - A Testimony to His Spiritual State

Or HaChaim explains that Jacob wanted to see Joseph to confirm his spiritual state. The appearance of the face indicates a person's deeds and saints have the ability to recognize through the face the essence and inner state of a person. Therefore, when Jacob saw Joseph, he recognized from his face his spiritual state, not only was he physically alive, but he also remained righteous and moral, not affected by the impurity of Egypt and the surrounding husks.

Thus, only after Jacob saw his son's face and understood that Joseph had not lost his purity and noble traits, did he say, 'Now I can die' – now that I've seen you and recognized your high spiritual state, I can die in joy and peace. Previously, when only hearing that Joseph was still alive, his joy was not yet complete due to the serious concerns he had about his son's spiritual condition. But now, after Joseph descended to him, saw his face, and understood that Joseph stood the test and remained righteous, he felt his joy was complete.

'... And moreover Jacob the righteous one, thus his joy was not complete due to this doubt until he saw him and recognized him by his face, for the recognition of the face gives a true response about a person, and likewise we find for completely righteous ones and many who recognized by the imprint of the face man's actions, certainly Jacob our father recognized, that when he recognized him he said to him I can die this time, meaning this time by seeing you, not previously when I was informed.'

The Meaning of 'You Are Still Alive'

The words 'you are still alive' gain a deeper meaning according to this interpretation: it is not just about Joseph being physically alive, but that he is still spiritually alive, remained righteous as before - despite living in the land of Egypt, a place of impurity. Joseph's face had not changed and testified about him that he is still alive (still righteous) since the righteous are called 'alive' during their lives and even in their deaths.

'And the reason, after seeing your face and recognizing in them that you are still alive meaning righteous as before and your image had not changed as it was, rather you are still alive because the righteous are called alive (Berachot 18) and it is correct.'

Or HaChaim's words reflect a deep perspective on the essence of life in the eyes of the righteous. They do not see life as a value in itself unless it reflects moral and spiritual values. Jacob's joy illustrates how much spiritual life is significant in the eyes of the righteous, more than the physical life.

Rabbi Shneor Guetta - You Have Proven to Be Righteous. Watch