Parsha:

Vayigash 

Collections: R' Brander 4 Minute Video Series

Description

Is there a mandated moral course of action to take in situations where there is no explicit ruling in the Torah? In Parshat Vayigash we find assurances of how this responsibility is part of the Jewish halakhic mandate. In sending agalot to his father, Yosef alludes to the final issue they studied, Eglah Arufah, which requires protections for vulnerable travelers, reminding us that the lives of the Avot and Imahot were consumed with discussing ideals that would eventually make up the ethical fiber of the Jewish people. This ethical foundation is emphasized several times within the Book of Bereishit and it is why our Sages call it ספר הישר – “The Book of Righteousness,” for it animates an ethos that will shape Judaism and its worldview.