EXTRA · 46:28 · classical material not listed by Torah Temimah under this passuk

Vayigash 46:28 · EXTRA

Parashas Vayigash · Passuk 46:28

The Complete Passuk

וְאֶת־יְהוּדָ֞ה שָׁלַ֤ח לְפָנָיו֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף לְהוֹרֹ֥ת לְפָנָ֖יו גֹּ֑שְׁנָה וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַ֥רְצָה גֹּֽשֶׁן׃

He sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to show the way before him to Goshen; and they came to the land of Goshen.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Classical midrash (Bereishis Rabbah / Rashi) on lehorot — to prepare a house of study.

Sefaria — Bereishis Rabbah 95

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וְאֶת יְהוּדָה שָׁלַח לְפָנָיו אֶל יוֹסֵף לְהוֹרֹת לְפָנָיו גֹּשְׁנָה — לְהוֹרוֹת, לִלְמֹד. שָׁלַח יַעֲקֹב אֶת יְהוּדָה לְהָכִין לוֹ בֵּית מִדְרָשׁ בְּגוֹשֶׁן, שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שָׁם לוֹמְדִים תּוֹרָה.

English: “He sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to show the way (lehorot) before him to Goshen” — “lehorot” means to teach. Yaakov sent Yehudah to prepare a house of study for him in Goshen, so that they would study Torah there.

On the daf / in context: The midrash reads the verb not merely as “to direct the way” but as “to instruct / to establish teaching,” making Yehudah’s mission the founding of a beit midrash before the family’s arrival.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13. A single verb is expanded from geographic guidance to the establishment of Torah study.

What Is Learned

Yaakov’s first priority upon entering Egypt was the establishment of a house of Torah study; he sent Yehudah ahead for that purpose.