A vort from the Rebbe on this week's פרשה, פרשת מקץ. In פרשת מקץ, we learn that when there was a hunger all over the world, Yaakov saw that there is food in Mitzrayim, so he said to his children, למה תתראו, why should you show yourself? In other words, he was telling them to go and buy food, and he started off by giving the introduction of למה תתראו, why do you show off? And Rashi explains what that means. Rashi says he's saying למה תראו עצמכם בפני בני ישמעאל ובני עשו כאילו אתם שבעים. Why do you show yourself in front of the Yishmael and in front of Esav, that those families, כאילו אתם שבעים, as if you are full, as if you have enough. And Rashi adds, כי באותה שעה עדיין היה להם תבואה. At that time, they still had grain, they still had food. So the Rebbe asks many kushyot, but just to mention one or two, that from the words that he said, why do you show yourself for Yishmael and Esav as if you are full, as if you have enough, it means that really they didn't have enough. They just made it look as if they had enough. And then Rashi says, as we just mentioned, because then they still had enough תבואה. So it's a contradiction. By saying that you're showing as if you have enough, as if you're full, means that you don't really have, and then Rashi says they had enough at that time. So what does that mean?

So the Rebbe explains that it means like this: They had enough at that time for then, but they made it look, people were able to see that they feel as if they have enough for a long, long time later on. And that's what they did. They showed themselves as if they are שבעים, as if they're full, as if they have enough, not just for now. Really, all they had was enough for now. That's what Rashi said, באותה שעה עדיין היה להם תבואה. At that time they had, but for later they didn't have, and the best proof that they didn't have for later is that when the food they bought in Mitzrayim finished, they had to go again. That means they didn't have any extra for later. So they only had enough for then. But what they made themselves look, and people what looked at them looked as if they have, the feeling they showed and everything, as if they have enough for who knows how long, a long, long time. Why did they do that? Why did they make it look that way, as if they have enough when they really didn't have enough? So the Rebbe explains, because they had the real bitachon. They had the real bitachon in Hashem that Hashem will provide for them always. So they felt mamash as if they have enough. They only had enough for now, but they felt and they wanted everyone to see that they feel bitachon in Hashem, they have the real bitachon in Hashem that Hashem will provide them for later on. And that's what Rashi means, that Rashi says that they made it look כאילו הם שבעים, as if they're full for later because at that time they only had for now, but nevertheless, they wanted to show their bitachon in Hashem, that's why they made it look as if they have enough for later on. And that's a lesson to every single Yid, every Yid has to know that no matter what, you have to have bitachon in Hashem. Even if you only have something for now and you don't know what's going to be tomorrow, so you have to do everything bederech hateva to get it. That's why they went down to מצרים to buy everything, but nevertheless, as far as their feeling was and what you could see on them, they have the full trust in Hashem that Hashem will provide, as lefoel it happened that they got the food the whole time.