Vayigash 45:22 · unit 1

Parashas Vayigash · Passuk 45:22

The Complete Passuk

לְכֻלָּ֥ם נָתַ֛ן לָאִ֖ישׁ חֲלִפ֣וֹת שְׂמָלֹ֑ת וּלְבִנְיָמִ֤ן נָתַן֙ שְׁלֹ֣שׁ מֵא֣וֹת כֶּ֔סֶף וְחָמֵ֖שׁ חֲלִפֹ֥ת שְׂמָלֹֽת׃

To each of them he gave changes of clothing, but to Binyamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Megillah 16a–b.

TT lemma: וחמש חליפות שמלות.

Sefaria — Megillah 16b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וְכִי אֶפְשָׁר, דָּבָר שֶׁנִּצְטַעֵר בּוֹ אוֹתוֹ צַדִּיק יִכָּשֵׁל בּוֹ? אָמַר רַבִּי בִּנְיָמִין בַּר יֶפֶת: רָמַז רָמַז לוֹ, שֶׁעָתִיד לָצֵאת מִמֶּנּוּ בֵּן שֶׁיֵּצֵא מִלִּפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ בַּחֲמִשָּׁה לְבוּשֵׁי מַלְכוּת — וְאֵיזֶה הוּא? זֶה מָרְדְּכַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וּמָרְדְּכַי יָצָא מִלִּפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ בִּלְבוּשׁ מַלְכוּת״.

English: Is it possible that the very matter that caused that righteous man distress would be the matter in which he himself would stumble? Rabbi Binyamin bar Yefet said: He hinted to him that a descendant would one day go forth from before the king in five royal garments — and who is that? Mordechai, as it is said, “And Mordechai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel.”

On the daf / in context: The five changes of clothing given to Binyamin are read as an allusion to the five royal garments in which Mordechai would later appear.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The number five is treated as a prophetic hint rather than a cause of envy.

What Is Learned

The five changes of clothing given to Binyamin allude to the five royal garments of Mordechai; Yosef was not repeating the error that had once caused his own distress.