Censored Radak on Vayigash: Divine Conspiracy or Inability?

In our ongoing series on censored commentary in the translations of Eliyahu Munk, let us consider the Radak’s commentary on Bereishit 45:27. The pasuk states:

וַיְדַבְּר֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו אֵ֣ת כׇּל־דִּבְרֵ֤י יוֹסֵף֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־הָ֣עֲגָל֔וֹת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֥ח יוֹסֵ֖ף לָשֵׂ֣את אֹת֑וֹ וַתְּחִ֕י ר֖וּחַ יַעֲקֹ֥ב אֲבִיהֶֽם׃

But when they recounted all that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

What does a spirit / ruach living / reviving mean? Well, Rashi explains this means that the Divine spirit rested upon him again, meaning that he received prophecy.

ותחי רוח יעקב. שָׁרְתָה עָלָיו שְׁכִינָה, שֶׁפֵּרְשָׁה מִמֶּנּוּ:

ותחי רוח יעקב THE SPIRIT OF JACOB [THEIR FATHER] REVIVED — The Shechinah that had departed from him, rested again upon him (cf. Onkelos).

Radak says it means that he was happy again. Then cites Chazal about resumption of prophecy, and connects the two, on a peshat level — one can only receive prophecy when in a joyful state. And indeed, three pesukim later, we see the spirit of nevuah rest upon Yaakov. As Radak writes, and Eliyahu Munk translates:

ותחי, רוחו שהיתה כמו מתה כמו שאמר ויפג לבו. ורז"ל אמרו (אדרנספ"ל) כי זה רוח נבואה שפרשה ממנו מיום שיצא יוסף, כי אין רוח נבואה שורה אלא מתוך שמחה וכיון ששמע בבשורת בנו חזרה אליו רוח נבואה זהו שאמר ותחי. וזהו שלא נאמר לו בנבואה בדבר יוסף כל אותן השנים לפי שהיה אבל ונעצב, וכיון שאין הרוח פנוי מעסקי חמרי לא ידבק בו השכל, כי לא ידבק אלא בדומה לו, ובבאר שבע נגלה אליו אלהים במראת הלילה אחר ששבה אליו רוח נבואה:

ותחי רוח, his spirit which had been as dead from shock, now revived. Our sages (compare Rashi) have said that the “spirit” mentioned in our verse which was revived in Yaakov was the spirit of prophetic insights which had departed from him 22 years ago when Joseph had been sold. We have an ancient tradition, amply documented in history, that in the absence of joy in one’s life a person cannot enjoy such a spirit of prophecy. On the way to Egypt, at Beer Sheva, the prophetic spirit of Yaakov (Yisrael) did indeed become manifest again (46,2)

However, there is one point present in the Hebrew and missing in the English translation, namely the part I bolded above. I would translate it as:

“And this is why the matter of Yosef was not told to him [Yaakov] in prophecy for all of those years, for he was mournful and dispirited.”

I suspect that this omission, like many others, was motivated by theological considerations. Effectively, this is stating that circumstances prevented God from being able to communicate to Yaakov this important matter. He would have otherwise told him about it — and the circumstances would have turned out differently — but God is bound by this practical limitation regarding with whom He may speak.

Contrast this with other ideas you may find explaining this non-communication. For instance, be’eimek chevron meaning that this was all part of the Divine Plan (something that is clear anyway from a peshat reading of the narrative). So when Yaakov sends Yosef to his brothers from Emek Chevron in Bereshit 37:14:

מעמק חברון. וַהֲלֹא חֶבְרוֹן בָּהָר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַיַּעֲלוּ בַנֶּגֶב וַיָּבֹא עַד חֶבְרוֹן (במדבר י"ג), אֶלָּא מֵעֵצָה עֲמֻקָּה שֶׁל אוֹתוֹ צַדִּיק הַקָּבוּר בְּחֶבְרוֹן, לְקַיֵּם מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר לְאַבְרָהָם בֵּין הַבְּתָרִים כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ (בראשית ט״ו:י״ג):

מעמק חברון FROM THE VALE OF HEBRON — But was not Hebron situated on a hill, as it is said (Numbers 13:22) “And they went up into the South and they came unto Hebron” why then does it state that Jacob sent him from the עמק, (the vale, the deep part) of Hebron? But the meaning is that Jacob sent him in consequence of the necessity of bringing into operation the profound (עמוקה) thought of the righteous man who was buried in Hebron (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 22) — in order that there might be fulfilled that which was spoken to Abraham when the Covenant was made ‘between the parts” (cf. 15:13), “thy seed shall be a stranger etc.”

and maybe we can wonder if Yaakov was in on the plan (though a plain reading shows he was fooled). But regardless, Hashem wanted this to happen.

Or consider the idea that Hashem was bound by a cherem pronounced by the brothers, also in Rashi, on Bereshit 37:33:

חיה רעה אכלתהו. נִצְנְצָה בוֹ רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ, סוֹפוֹ שֶׁתִּתְגָּרֶה בוֹ אֵשֶׁת פּוֹטִיפַר. וְלָמָּה לֹא גִלָּה לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה? לְפִי שֶׁהֶחֱרִימוּ וְקִלְּלוּ אֶת כָּל מִי שֶׁיְּגַלֶּה, וְשִׁתְּפוּ לְהַקָּבָּ"ה עִמָּהֶם (תנחומא), אֲבָל יִצְחָק הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהוּא חַי, אָמַר הֵיאַךְ אֲגַלֶּה וְהַקָּבָּ"ה אֵינוֹ רוֹצֶה לְגַלּוֹת לוֹ:

חיה רעה אכלתהו AN EVIL BEAST HATH EATEN HIM — The spirit of prophecy was enkindled within him, for these words may be taken to mean that at some future time Potiphar’s wife would attack him (Genesis Rabbah 84:19). Why did not the Holy One, blessed be He, make known to him (Jacob) that he was still living? Because they had placed under a ban and a curse anyone of them who would make it known, and they made the Holy One, blessed be He, a party with them to this agreement (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeshev 2) Isaac, however, knew that he was living, but he thought, “How dare I reveal it since the Holy One, blessed be He does not wish to reveal it” (Genesis Rabbah 84:21).

Here, Rashi begins with Yaakov indeed uttering prophetic words, with the import being Potifar’s wife. So prophecy was decidedly NOT taken from him. If so, how come Hashem didn’t tell Yaakov? Religious reasons, that He abided by the cherem instituted by the brothers. And similarly, Yitzchak did not reveal it to Yaakov, even though Hashem had told him.

This is Hashem limiting Himself, which is theologically acceptable. But what Radak is saying seems like an external limitation upon God, from natural law, that He could not overcome. It makes sense that this idea would be censored out.