לֶךְ נָא רְאֵה וְגוֹ׳. עַתָּה הוּא מְפָרֵשׁ שְׁלִיחוּת הַמִּצְוָה שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה, וְאָמַר וַהֲשִׁיבֵנִי דָּבָר – עֲשָׂאוֹ שָׁלִיחַ לְהַחְזִיר לוֹ תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁבָּזֶה אֲפִלּוּ לְמַאן דְּאָמַר (פסחים ח:) שְׁלוּחֵי מִצְוָה אֵינָם נִזּוֹקִים דַּוְקָא בַּהֲלִיכָתָן אֲבָל לֹא בַּחֲזָרָתָן, בִּמְצִיאוּת זֶה עֲשָׂאוֹ שָׁלִיחַ גַּם בַּחֲזָרָתוֹ, וּמֵעַתָּה הֲרֵי הוּא בָּטוּחַ שֶׁיָּשׁוּב בְּשָׁלוֹם אֵצֶל אָבִיו. לך נא ראה, "Please go and have a look, etc." Now Jacob spelled out the details of the commandment Joseph was to fulfil including bringing back a report to his father. This would make him his father's messenger both on the outward journey and on the return journey. If the bringing back of the report became a separate commandment this would act as protection for Joseph even according to the view in the Talmud that such messengers are enjoying divine protection only until they reach their destination. Jacob made sure that Joseph had two destinations. Joseph could now rest assured that he would return safely.
וַהֲגַם שֶׁהָיוּ אֶחָיו שׂוֹנְאִים אוֹתוֹ וּשְׁכִיחַ הֶזֵּיקָא, סוֹבֵר יַעֲקֹב כְּדַעַת רַבָּנָן שֶׁחוֹלְקִים עִם פְּלִימוֹ בִּפְסָחִים (דף ח׳) וְזֶה לְשׁוֹנוֹ: תַּנְיָא, חוֹר שֶׁבֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לְאַרְמָאי בּוֹדֵק עַד מָקוֹם שֶׁיָּדוֹ מַגַּעַת, פְּלִימוֹ אוֹמֵר, כָּל עַצְמוֹ אֵינוֹ בּוֹדֵק מִפְּנֵי הַסַּכָּנָה, וּפָרִיךְ, וְהָאָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר שְׁלוּחֵי מִצְוָה אֵינָם נִיזּוֹקִים, וּמְשַׁנֵּי הֵיכִי דִּשְׁכִיחַ הֶזֵּיקָא שַׁאנִי וְכוּ׳ עַד כָּאן. וַחֲכָמִים שֶׁחוֹלְקִים עִם פְּלִימוֹ סוֹבְרִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְחַלֵּק בֵּין מְצִיאוּת שֶׁלְּפָנֵינוּ לִמְצִיאוּת שְׁמוּאֵל, כִּי שָׁם שְׁכִיחַ וַדַּאי הֶזֵּיקָא כִּי יִשְׁמַע שָׁאוּל שֶׁמּוֹשֵׁחַ אֶת דָּוִד לְמֶלֶךְ בִּמְקוֹמוֹ, וְאֵין לְךָ שְׁכִיחַ הֶזֵּיקָא כָּזוֹ, מַה שֶׁאֵין כֵּן חֲשָׁשׁ שֶׁמָּא הַגּוֹי יַעֲלִיל עָלָיו אֵינוֹ קָרוּי שְׁכִיחַ הֶזֵּיקָא. וּמִמֶּנָּה נִשְׁמַע לְמַה שֶׁלְּפָנֵינוּ שֶׁאֶחָיו לֹא הָיוּ וַדַּאי שְׁכִיחַ הֶזֵּיקָא, כִּי לֹא יַעֲלֶה עַל דַּעַת יַעֲקֹב שֶׁכָּל כָּךְ יִשְׂנְאוּהוּ בְּגֶדֶר שֶׁלֹּא יַצִּיל מִיָּדָם שְׁלִיחוּת מִצְוָה. וְגַם הַהוּא דְּסוּלָּם רָעוּעַ שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּקִדּוּשִׁין (דף לט:) שְׁכִיחַ הֶזֵּיקָא הוּא יוֹתֵר מִבְּדִיקַת חוֹר שֶׁבֵּין יְהוּדִי לְגוֹי וּמִמְּצִיאוּת הָאַחִים שֶׁאֵינָם חֲשׁוּדִים כָּל כָּךְ לְהָרַע לַאֲחִיהֶם. וְאוּלַי גַּם לִסְבָרַת פְּלִימוֹ יֵשׁ לוֹמַר שֶׁאֵינוֹ חָשׁוּב שְׁכִיחַ הֶזֵּיקָא בִּמְצִיאוּת זֶה שֶׁל בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב, וּשְׁלִיחוּת מִצְוָה מַצֶּלֶת מִן הַנֶּזֶק. Jacob believed that despite the fact that the brothers hated Joseph and it was therefore not unlikely that he would be in danger, the מצוה he performed by obeying his father would protect him. He based himself on the following discussion in Pesachim 8. We are taught in a Baraita: When there is a hole in a wall dividing the property of a Jew from that of a Gentile, one needs to search for possible chametz as far as one's arm can reach. Plymo says that one does not have to endanger oneself in order to locate such chametz. The Talmud counters that Rabbi Eleazar has said that when one is engaged in the performance of a מצוה one is not liable to suffer harm. So why should considerations of danger prevent someone from searching for chametz? The Talmud answers that the rule of Rabbi Eleazar holds true only where danger is not likely to be encountered. The other rabbis who disagree with Plymo hold that the two situations are not alike. When danger is apparent, such as certain hornets having their lairs inside the holes of a wall, one endangers one's life frivolously by putting in one's arm searching for chametz. When the danger consists of the Gentile possibly accusing the Jew of engaging in sorcery because he performs an act such as looking for chametz, something that seems non-sensical to the Gentile this is no reason to desist and to rely on miracles instead. The Talmud cites the incident of Samuel enquiring of G'd how he could endanger himself carying out his command to anoint David when there was a price on David's head? G'd told him to pretend to go to Hebron to slaughter an animal for G'd (Samuel I 16,2). Samuel was in very real danger, as the chances that king Saul would hear about his trip to Hebron were close to 100% and he would be very suspect. Such danger could not be compared with that of searching for chametz in a wall and the Gentile neighbour jumping to the wrong conclusion. Joseph's brothers had never been suspected of planning to actually harm him physically. Plymo might also not have considered Joseph's danger at the hands of his brothers as real enough for him not to rely on Rabbi Eleazar's dictum that the performance of the מצוה would act as his shield.
וְאִם תֹּאמַר, אִם כֵּן לָמָּה הָיָה מַה שֶׁהָיָה לְעֶבֶד נִמְכַּר יוֹסֵף? יֵשׁ לוֹמַר שֶׁנֶּזֶק שֶׁתַּכְלִיתוֹ הֲטָבָה וּמַעֲלָה גְּדוֹלָה אֵינוֹ חָשׁוּב נֶזֶק. In view of the above you may well ask how it was that Joseph wound up being sold as a slave, etc.? The answer is that when Rabbi Eleazar said that שלוחי מצוה אינן ניזקין, people on a מצוה mission would not come to harm, he meant permanent harm. Joseph wound up as the ruler of Egypt as a result of having been sent to his brothers. The fact that he experienced degradation on the way was merely a preparation for his eventual elevation.
וְעוֹד טַעַם יֵשׁ בַּדָּבָר, וְהוּא כִּי יַעֲקֹב עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם דִּקְדֵּק בִּדְבָרָיו בַּשְּׁלִיחוּת הֲלֹא אַחֶיךָ רוֹעִים בִּשְׁכֶם לְכָה וְאֶשְׁלָחֲךָ אֲלֵיהֶם. הֲרֵי גִּלָּה דַּעְתּוֹ בְּפֵרוּשׁ כִּי שְׁלִיחוּתוֹ הוּא לִשְׁכֶם, וּכְשֶׁהָלַךְ יוֹסֵף וְלֹא מְצָאָם בִּשְׁכֶם וְהָלַךְ לְחַזֵּר אַחֲרֵיהֶם בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר, הֲרֵי הוּא שְׁלִיחַ עַצְמוֹ, כִּי אָבִיו לֹא שְׁלָחוֹ לָלֶכֶת לְמָקוֹם אַחֵר וְאֵין כָּאן שְׁלִיחוּת מִצְוָה, אֲשֶׁר עַל כֵּן הָיָה מַה שֶׁהָיָה. וְיַעֲקֹב נִתְכַּוֵּן בְּמַה שֶׁיִּחֵד לוֹ הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁצָּפָה בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ כִּי לְמָקוֹם אַחֵר יִקְרָאֶנּוּ אָסוֹן כַּאֲשֶׁר קָרָהוּ, וּבְדֶרֶךְ שְׁכֶם לֹא תִּמְצָאֵהוּ רָעָה. וְיוֹסֵף עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם חָשַׁב כִּי מַה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ אָבִיו שְׁכֶם, הָיָה מוֹרֶה מָקוֹם לוֹ וְאֵין הַדְּבָרִים בְּדִיּוּק, וְהַשֵּׁם גִּלְגֵּל גִּלְגּוּלִים לַעֲשׂוֹת אֲשֶׁר זָמַם לַעֲשׂוֹת. There is another aspect to all this. When Jacob despatched Joseph he was very careful to refer to the location where the brothers were supposed to be tending the sheep. He asked: "are not your brothers tending the flocks at Shechem?" He had therefore made it plain that Joseph was supposed to go to Shechem. When Joseph went to Shechem and failed to find the brothers his mission was completed. If he decided nonetheless to go to Dothan to locate them there he was no longer his father's messenger. This is why he was no longer protected by performing a commandment of his father. Jacob was convinced that no harm would befall Joseph at Shechem. Joseph thought that his father had mentioned Shechem only as a likely place where he would find his brothers but that his mission was not restricted to Shechem.
וַיָּבֹא שְׁכֶמָה. מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ אָבִיו שָׁמָּה, וְלֹא מְצָאָם, וְהָיָה מְחַזֵּר אַחֲרֵיהֶם. וְלֹא הֻצְרַךְ לוֹמַר הַדָּבָר, כִּי הַדָּבָר מוּבָן מֵאָמְרוֹ ״וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אִישׁ וְהִנֵּה תֹעֶה״ אַחַר שֶׁבָּא שְׁכֶמָה. ויבא שכמה, He arrived at Shechem. The place to which his father had sent him; however, he did not find his brothers. He searched for them, something the Torah did not need to spell out as otherwise the first words in the next verse, i.e. "A man found him," would not make sense. By now Joseph was lost.