והגדתם לאבי את כל כבודי במצרים (ויגש מה: יג)

Maran Reb Yissocher Dov of Belz zt’’l was invited to partake in the ‘Chanukas Habayis’’ – the inauguration of the new Shul in Hivniv.  Maran traveled to Hivniv to spend Shabbos, Parshas Vagivsh, and a pompous welcoming awaited him, with great honor notable for such a respectable guest.

Maran shared the Divrie Torah on the pasuk והגדתם לאבי את כל כבודי במצרים and related the following story.

The Apter Rav zt’’l was once traveling, and a big crowd gathered at every stopover to accord him an honorable greeting. The enormous crowds in his honor pained the Apter Rav. His son, Reb Yitzchak Meir of Zinkov zt’’l, saw his father’s pain and, to console his father, said: “All these people assembled in my honor.”

The Apter Rav calmed down, and the next day, he asked his son, “Why did they accord you such honor?” Reb Yitzchak Mier answered, ‘“Because I’m your son.”

According to this story, the Apter Rav explained the pasuk והגדתם – Yosef Hatzaddik meant to tell his father לאבי את כל כבודי במצרים – all the honor accorded to me in Mitzrayim is because I’m Yakov’s son.

When Maran concluded the story, he stood up from his chair and exclaimed, “And we say that when Yosef Hatzaddik said והגדתם לאבי את כל כבודי במצרים– he had in mind that all his honor in Mitzrayim is due to his Father in Heaven – and not Chas V’Shalom, in his honor.” And Maran concluded, “I don’t envy anyone who thinks for one minute it’s in his honor – and not in the honor of Hashem!”