Gilad Shalit

Mashiach's Wife [the blog - not the person] notes that Shirat Devorah [the song in Shofetim - not the blog] deals heavily with the Final Redemption, and that the name "Gilad" is mentioned in it. She says:

I think that we will soon see that Gilad's release from Hamas captivity is connected to the revelation of Mashiach Tzidkeinu.

More than 2 years ago, I talked about how the sons of Gilad ben Machir ben Menashe may be describing Gilad Shalit's situation.

However, there's another angle on this. The 2 names "Gilad" and "Shalit" both describe the 2 happiest moments in Yosef Hatzaddik's troubled life.

Let's start with the name "Shalit" first. The only time the Torah uses the word שליט is when it describes Yosef's ascendency to the second-in-command in Egypt and being in charge of the food supplies there:

וְיוֹסֵף, הוּא הַשַּׁלִּיט עַל-הָאָרֶץ

And Joseph was the governor over the land

The name "Gilad" also describes a happy moment in Yosef's life. The verse says:

וַיַּרְא יוֹסֵף לְאֶפְרַיִם, בְּנֵי שִׁלֵּשִׁים; גַּם, בְּנֵי מָכִיר בֶּן-מְנַשֶּׁה--יֻלְּדוּ, עַל-בִּרְכֵּי יוֹסֵף

And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation; the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Joseph's knees.

Who were the sons of Machir, the son of Menashe?

The Torah tells us in Parshat Pinhas that at least one was Gilad:

בְּנֵי מְנַשֶּׁה, לְמָכִיר מִשְׁפַּחַת הַמָּכִירִי, וּמָכִיר, הוֹלִיד אֶת-גִּלְעָד; לְגִלְעָד, מִשְׁפַּחַת הַגִּלְעָדִי.

So, just as these were happy moments in Yosef's life, Gilad Shalit's release will BE"H be happy moments in the life of the Jewish nation. Not just in terms of his freedom, but of all of ours.