A vort from the Rebbe on this week's parashah, Parashat Vayigash. In Parashat Vayigash we learn that after Yosef identified himself to his brothers, he told them to go home and bring Yaakov and his family back to Mitzrayim. And one of the things the pasuk says is, ולאביו שלח כזאת עשרה חמורים נושאים מטוב מצרים, that he sent to his father ten donkeys loaded with the best of Mitzrayim. And Rashi says, one of the peshatim is שלח לו יין ישן, he sent him old wine, שדעת זקנים נוחה הימנו, old people like it. So that's why he sent him old wine.

But the Rebbe says there is another reason we could say why he sent him wine. Rashi said earlier in Parashat Miketz that from when Yosef was sold, Yosef did not drink any wine. And not only Yosef did not drink any wine, his brothers didn't drink any wine either. And that's why when he called them into the house and they had a party together, and it says וישתו וישכרו עמו, they drank, it's the first time in twenty-two years that they drank wine. It's obvious that just like Yosef and his brothers did not drink wine during these years, neither did Yaakov Avinu himself. Because if the peshat is they would drink they would not drink wine because it's a form of doing teshuvah, then there's no reason why Yaakov shouldn't drink wine, it's only the brothers. But since we say that Yosef also didn't drink wine, that's obviously not because it's a form of teshuvah, Yosef didn't do anything wrong, it's a form of aveilut, it's a way of expressing their mourning. So in that case, if Yosef and his brothers expressed the mourning, certainly Yaakov Avinu expressed the mourning that way through not drinking wine. So Yosef understood that Yaakov did not drink wine for twenty-two years, and therefore now, when came the good news that Yosef is alive, now you're able to drink wine. Just like Yosef met the brothers and he took them into the house, and he had a seudah with them, they drank wine, and that's the beginning of the time when the mourning is over—it wasn't over yet, but that was the beginning—so here for sure, when Yaakov would hear the good news that Yosef is alive, so now is the time that he should drink wine. That's why he sent him wine.

But the Rebbe adds, why did he send him old wine? It was a remez, it's supposed to hint something to Yaakov. Old wine means it's laying for a long time. For how long was it laying? Well, if he didn't drink wine for twenty-two years, so we could assume it's only a remez, but we could assume that the wine was there from before twenty-two years. Twenty-two years ago, he stopped drinking wine and he kept the wine, and now the wine got old. So he was showing Yaakov Avinu that I had wine prepared all these twenty-two years that I knew that I would definitely meet with you again and we will be able to drink wine again. So by sending him the old wine he showed how strong his bitachon was, that as hard as it was for him, he had bitachon in the Eibershter that he will again see Yaakov Avinu. And that remez was sent to Yaakov by sending him old wine: this is the wine I have for a long time, waiting for the moment when I will be able to send it to you and be able to drink it. So this is a remez of the bitachon of Yosef what he sent to Yaakov. And the lesson to take from here is obviously the ענין of bitachon, that no matter how hard sometimes, chas veshalom, things are, you always have to have bitachon and have, so to speak, be ready that the moment will come and Hashem will save you, and you will be able to celebrate, just like Yaakov and Yosef. And Yosef sent him old wine showing him that I had wine readied all the time waiting for the moment we were able to be celebrate we were able to celebrate, and now he sent him that wine. So we too have to do the same, we have to be ready to celebrate anything that seems to be negative, but we have to have the bitachon the Eibershter will help us, and we will celebrate it with a great simcha.