Rav Podolsky z"l
When Yosef dispatched his brothers to return and bring their father down to Egypt, he imposed upon them an enigmatic order. "Al Tirg'zu Badarech." It is a curious phrase that has evoked many and sundry explanations (e.g. See Rashi). Perhaps we may be permitted to suggest an alternate interpretation.
Let us begin with an analogy. Young Billy was raised as an unaffiliated Jew. Robbed of his heritage, he had no idea the treasures the Torah held in store for him. But the Jewish soul yearns to cleave to its Creator. Unable to suppress his intense thirst for spirituality, Billy sets off in search of Truth. He experiments with Yoga, Zen, Islam, Christianity, and just about every other religion or cult he could find. He travels the world far and wide, spending much time, money and energy in a fruitless quest for the ever-elusive Truth.
Ironically, he ultimately finds himself in the one country known universally as the Holy Land. A short visit to the Western Wall, an unassuming tap on the shoulder, a warm invitation for a Shabbos meal, etc., eventually culminates in a genuine connection with that for which Billy -- now Baruch -- has always longed. One good dose of actual exposure to the Truth was sufficient to affix Baruch's commitment to Torah for life.
Baruch's family makes things no easier for him. Except for cutting off ties, they have very little patience for this Jewish "stuff". As far as they are concerned, their son has flipped out. "If only he was back in college with non-Jewish girls and drugs!" they lament.
To make matters worse, Baruch's progress in yeshiva is slow. He finds it difficult to master the skills required to plumb the profundities of the Talmud. Though he is excited to have discovered the Truth, he finds putting his commitment into long-term action far more forbidding. Even rudimentary Alef-Bais seems overwhelming in his hurry to compensate for lost time. He watches jealously as younger bochurim slice through the Gemara like a hot knife through butter while he straggles along behind with his Jastrow and Artscroll. Still, he perseveres nourished with the faith that ultimately he will succeed.
Eventually, Baruch marries, raises a family, and in general is a happy, Torah-observant Jew. There is one pent-up frustration, however, that is a lingering, though, silent thorn in Baruch's side. Walking along the car-less street one Shabbos eve, Baruch finally verbalizes his complaint. "Look at all these beautiful, religious children!" he tells his wife. "They didn't have to struggle to get where they are. They were born to frum parents; they have such a head start in life! Why did I have to travel in such a roundabout route just to get to where these children begin?" His wife had secretly harbored the same misgivings. Why indeed did Hashem make it so hard for them?
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Every neshama that comes into this world is given its own pekeleh, its own basket of trials and tribulations. These are uniquely designed and suited to facilitate the neshama's particular journey toward perfection. Just like DNA and snowflakes, no twoneshamos are precisely identical; each one has its own tafkid, its own purpose. Why one neshama entered the body of a wealthy philanthropist and another the body of the poverty-stricken recipient of charity is unknowable to us. Only the Master Planner grasps the secret behind the Blueprint.
Being creatures of very narrow scope, though, we often resent the need to travel the particular route mapped out for us. Why did I have to grow up in such a family, in such an environment? Why couldn't I have been born a Tzaddik? Why was all the difficulty necessary? Nevertheless, of one thing I can be absolutely sure. This is absolutely the best way for me.
Yosef worried that his brothers would become angry with themselves and with Hashem for the twenty-two year path they were forced to travel; a path on which they stumbled seriously, only to be proven gravely wrong at the end. Why was all this necessary? Why could they not have simply moved to Egypt like their great grandfather Avraham before them?
The brothers were liable to become angry with "the way" they were made to experience. Thus he admonished them: "Al Tirgzu Badarech -- Do not be angry with the way." Everything that Hashem does is the most consummate good that can be. G-d defines good. Although we usually don't understand, all the tribulations we had to undergo were absolutely necessary in order for us to be who we are, today, and to allow us to accomplish our missions, tomorrow.
Thus, it is only via this "way" that we can get ahead in life -- way ahead!
