This week's Parsha typically falls around the time of Chanukah. A lot of this parsha deals with the idea of going down to Egypt and the beginning of the Golus. We saw last week that Yosef is closely associated with Moshiach, but we will continue this even further this week. Rashi notes the names that Binyamin gave to his sons noting of course the P'shat of the trials of Yosef " Do you have a brother from your mother? He said to him I had a brother. But I do not know where he is. Yosef asked do you have sons? He said to him I have 10, Yosef said to him what are their names ? He said to them Bela, Becher, etc Yosef said to him what are the natures of these names? He said to him they are all because of my brother. all of them allude to my brother, and the troubles that encountered him. Bela because he was swallowed up by the nations, Becher because he was the firstborn of his mother, Ashbel because G-d made him a captive, Gera because he sojourns in an inn, Naaman because he was exceedingly pleasant, Achi and Rosh because he was my brother and my chief, Muppim because he studied from the mouth of my father, Chuppim, because he did not see my wedding canopy nor did I see his wedding canopy, and Ard because he descended among the nations, as stated in Tractate Sotah 36B". This as is understood is both prophetic for Yosef HaTzaddik's life as well as for Moshiach ben Yosef, for Moshiach ben Yosef is to be like his father. Moshiach ben Yosef- for it is written "Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles" and also Becher and Gera saying "and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped Him in strips of cloth and set Him down in a manger, since there was no room for them in the inn." Ashbel for G-d made him a captive- “It is written I found my servant David. Where did G-d find him? In Sodom”!! (Bereishit Rabbah 41:4; 50:10). And Mpannim- for he knows Avroham- Yeshua answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who gives Me glory—the One of whom you say, ‘He is our Gd.’ Yet you do not know Him, but I know Him. If I say I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you. Yet I do know Him and keep His Word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was thrilled.” Then the Judeans said to Him, “You’re not even fifty years old and you’ve seen Abraham?” Yeshua answered, “Amen, amen I tell you, before Abraham was, I am!” and finally Ard because he descended among the nations, it is now such the case that he has lost almost all resemblance to being Jewish at all- this one needs no scriptural texts as he is often seen in Judaism as associated with goyim. In fact I was declared a legal goy because of my belief in him in a Shul one Shabbos.
The Baal Haturim brings a fascinating Remez regarding the name Yosef received in Mitzryaim "Zaphenath-Paneah The gematria of this name (828) is equal to that of the phrase revealer of things that have been hidden". It is known in Judaism that Moshiach will reveal things that will be hidden for the last Lubavitcher Rebbe said that " In the times of Moshiach even the pig will be kosher, for he will reveal the spiritual nature of all things, and draw out the hidden sparks" The Baal Haturim again brings out- ״Zapenath Paneah This name is the acryonm of צדיק פטפט נפש תאוה a righteous man he prevailed against his soul's desire,(this is found in Bava Basra 109b) but Potiphar oppressed his soul without reason. Alternatively he is צופה a visionary, פודה a redeemer, נב׳א a prophet, תומך a support, פאתר an interpreter, ענן a humble person, נבון an understanding one, חוזה a seer. " This is interesting as well for we see the same things Chazal says about Moshiach ben Yosef. It says in "Sanhedrin 98a that if the generation is unworthy he will come humble and riding on a donkey." We see him to be a seer, and one who reveals the deep things of Torah as well.
Ramban also talks of redemption later on in our Parsha, as he notes that Mitzrayim is like the last golus. "There in Bereshis Rabbah the Rabbis expounded on the verse in yet another way, saying Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi interpreted the verse as alluding to the exiles. And G-d Almighty give you compassion before the man- this is a reference to the HKB"H as it is said The Eternal is a man of war- and it is written He gave them compassion before their captors. That he may send away your brother this alludes to the Ten tribes exiled by the Assyrians.. The other one and Benjamin- this refers to the exile of Judah and Benjamin. And as for me, bereaved by the first destruction brought about by the Babylonians I am bereaved by the second destruction caused by the Romans but no more will I be bereaved. This is the language of the Rabbis, may their memory be blessed. The intent of this text is to suggest that Yaakov's going down to Mitzrayim alludes to our present exile at the hand of Edom as I will explain. ( Ramban on Vayechi" I have already mentioned that Yaakov's descent into Mitzrayim alludes to our present exile at the hand of the "fourth beast" which represents Rome. There are many parallels for it was Yaakov's sons themselves who by the sale of their brother Yosef. caused their going down there. .....Our relationship with our brothers Rome and Edom is similar. We ourselves have caused our falling into their clutches as they made a covenant with the Romans and Agrippa the last king during the second temple, fled to them for help. It was due to the famine that Jerusalem was captured by the Romans, and the exile has exceedingly prolonged itself over us with its end, unlike the other exiles being unknown. We are in it as the dead who say our bones are dried up, we are completely cut off. But in the end they will bring us from all the nations as an offering to the Eternal. and they will be in deep sorrow as they will behold our glory and we will see the vengeance of the Eternal May he raise us that we may live in his presence) And the prophet Yaakov saw this matter at it's very inception, and so he prayed about it in a general way, which was applicable to the moment as well as the future. This verse according to their interpretation contains a great mystic thought . Yaakov was saying and G-d almighty by the Divine attribute of justice give you the compassion that is before him. meaning that he should direct you upward from the divine attribute of Justice to that of compassion". There is so much to unpack here. How correct is Ramban for we in fact "sold" Moshiach ben Yosef to the Romans- it was the Romans who after that sale made him disappear, for his revealing of hidden things, and expounding upon Torah with the intention of bringing us from the divine attribute of Justice to compassion. For all of Yeshua's secret hidden depths of Torah are for the revelation of Hashem's divine attribute of Compassion. Also the Golus is extended for we refuse to bow before Moshiach ben Yosef, recognizing him as being the building of Hashem's attribute of Compassion. This is the secret of Kabala of Chassidus that we should be brought up by Moshiach ben Yosef to the reception of King Moshiach ben David, if we but reconcile with the Moshiach ben Yosef who is currently residing as the Talmud in Sanhedrin states in" the gates of Rome wrapping the bandages of the lepers" and this is important because those who recognize Moshiach ben Yosef and acknowledge him as such are considered lepers by us. May we recognize him, and may he make himself known to us through the great evidence of our Teshuvah. We want Moshiach, We want Moshiach now! Let's not wait for the Teshuvah by force Talmud 90A tells us is possible. Let's do Teshuvah out of love and be restored to Moshiach ben Yosef to usher in Moshiach - all that is necessary for Moshiach ben David is Teshuvah and Mitzvohs!