Parshas Vayichi

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, Zev Yehuda ben R' shmuel Mordechai, R' Baruch Moshe Aryeh ben R' Zev Yehuda, R' Dovid Meir ben Harav Shmuel, Avrohom ben Yitzchok Zev.. 

 

   In Perek mem zayin posuk lamud alef the posuk speaks of the conversation between Yaakov and Yosef and says "Vayomer hishava li, vayishava lo, vayishtachavu Yisroel al rosh hamita." "And he said to him swear to me (that you will bury me in Eretz Yisroel) and he swore to him, and Yisroel bowed at the head of the bed."

   The Ramban explains that Yaakov was not afraid that Yosef would not want to fulfill his father's wishes, after all Yosef had already responded "anochi e'eseh kidvarecha," "I will do as you said." Yaakov made him swear in order to strengthen the matter in the eyes of Pharaoh, because he would agree that it is incorrect to go against a promise. (Especially since Yosef had promised Pharaoh that he would never tell that he knew more languages than Pharaoh.)  Furthermore, Yaakov knew that having Yosef swear would cause him to work harder to fulfill his father's wishes.

   According to the end of the Ramban, a big part of Yaakov making Yosef swear is to cause him to work harder to fulfill his fathers wishes, it would crank up his "hishtadlus".  It sounds like that without the "Shvua", Yosef wouldn't have worked so hard to bring his father's body to Eretz Yisroel.

   The Rosh Yeshiva ztl asks that without the "shvua" Yosef would have been lazy about his fathers wishes? He was the kid who put his life in danger to go find his brothers in order to fulfill his fathers desire, even going above and beyond what his father actually asked him.  In this situation he would surely do all he could even if that meant putting his life in danger in order to get his father to Eretz Yisroel.  This being the case, why did Yaakov need to make Yosef swear in order to make him try harder?

   The Rosh Yeshiva explains that it must be had Yosef not sworn to his father he could have possibly been an "ones" and even with all his "mesiras nefesh" would not have been able to fulfill his fathers wishes.  Therefore Yaakov made him swear, and that "shvua" gave him new powers that without the "shvua" he would not have had.  Without the "shvua" he would have truly been an "ones" having done everything in his power, but swearing that he would do it caused his level of power to grow to levels that he would never have reached.

   We see from here two tremendous "chidushim" in "Yesodei Hamussar".  Firstly, we see how even when it seems that we peaked in our "hisorirus" and "zrizus" for a certain action, there is always more to grow.  Secondly, "hisorirus" can bring us to new levels of strength that we didn't have in the first place, to allow us to achieve things we could never have achieved before.   Good shabbos. . .