by Rabbi Berach Steinfeld
In Bereishis 47:28 the posuk tells us how long Yaakov lived in Mitzrayim. It tells us he lived for 17 years in Mitzrayim and his total lifetime was 147 years. The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh questions, why is it so important to know how long Yaakov lived in Mitzrayim?
The Ramban on Bereishis 26:5 says that Avraham listened to Hashem and kept the Mitzvos, Chukim and Torah. Rashi goes through in great detail how Avraham kept all of Torah despite the fact that the Torah was not yet given to Klal Yisroel. The Gemara in Yevamos 21a and Yuma 67b says that Avraham even taught his children to keep the Torah. The Ramban asks if this is so, how could Yaakov build a matzeivah which is forbidden? How could Yaakov marry two sisters which is forbidden in the Torah? The Ramban answers that the Avos only kept the Torah while in Eretz Yisroel. Yaakov married the two sisters out of Eretz Yisroel. Amram married his aunt while he was in Mitzrayim, not in Eretz Yisroel. We do find that Yosef kept Shabbos in Mitzrayim because the mitzvah of Shabbos weighs like kol haTorah kula.
The Chasam Sofer in Parshas Miketz explains that despite the fact that the Avos did not keep the Torah in Chutz LeAretz, that was only in the case where they were in Chutz Le’Aretz temporarily and were intending to return to Eretz Yisroel. Yosef, who was down in Mitzrayim and knew that he was not coming back, kept all the mitzvos in Chutz Le’Aretz because if he would not keep the Torah in Chutz Le’Aretz he would never be able to keep the Torah. When the Avos left Eretz Yisroel they knew that they would return to Eretz Yisroel, so they had no need to keep mitzvos in Chutz Le’Aretz. Yosef knew he was not coming back and therefore had to keep mitzvos in Chutz Le’Aretz. When Yaakov went down to Mitzrayim he knew that he will not go back to Eretz Yisroel as Hashem promised him that Hashem will bring him up which was referring to the fact that Yaakov would be buried in Eretz Yisroel, therefore when and while he was in Mitzrayim he continued keeping all the mitzvos.
That is why the posuk teaches us that he lived in Mitzrayim for 17 years which is the gematria of tov. We know that tov stands for Torah as the posuk calls the Torah a “Lekach Tov.” The posuk is teaching us that, despite the fact that when Yaakov was in Chutz Le’Aretz he married two sisters and built a matzeiva. However, when Yaakov arrived in Mitzrayim he did keep the Torah since he knew he was there to stay, hence the importance of the posuk telling us how long Yaakov lived in Mitzrayim.
May we be zocheh to the Geulah Sheleima and be able to be mekayem mitzvos in Eretz Yisroel.
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