Lighting The Darkness

In this week's Torah portion, Vayeishev, we read about the sale of Joseph by his brothers into slavery. At only 17 years old, Joseph is forced to leave his realm of comfort and holiness in Israel with his father Jacob, venturing into the immoral abyss of Egypt. Everything happens for a reason, how much more so in the case of the lives of our forefathers. So what lessons can we learn from the life of Joseph?

After being sold by his very own brothers to a caravan heading for Egypt, Joseph goes through struggle after struggle, test after test. Still in his teen years, he is solicited incessantly by his employer's wife, and yet he resists time and again. And she couldn't have been the only one; It is said that Joseph had an indescribable beauty, such that whenever he would walk on the street, women would stop what they were doing just to catch sight of him, and would often injure themselves in the process! Yet Joseph stayed true to his moral ideals. He knew that he wasn't sent down to Egypt simply because of his brother's jealousy, but that it was God who wanted him there for some mission.

During the low points - when he was unfairly sent to prison in Egypt for 12 years for a crime he never committed, to the high points - when he was placed in control over the entire Egyptian nation, second only to Pharaoh, he knew it was for a higher purpose. Joseph not only accepted his tough situations with good faith and a smile, he embraced them with the full knowledge that he was placed there for a special mission of creating a better world that God would be proud of. Ultimately, it was Joseph whose plan ended up saving - not only the Egyptian people - but the entire world during the great famine of his time. Instead of succumbing to Egypt's temptations, or wallowing in self pity over the unfair hardships he had endured, Joseph shined, turning the darkness in his life into light.

One special example can be seen while Joseph was imprisoned in a dungeon after being falsely accused. One morning, he sees two dejected prisoners (Pharaoh's butler and baker) and walks over to them with a friendly smile. "Maduah p'neichem ra'im hayom?" he asks them. "Why are your faces sad today?" They tell Joseph of their bad dreams and he interprets them. The butler is later freed, and upon hearing Pharaoh's nightmare, he begrudgingly admits that there is a Hebrew slave that can interpret dreams. Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream as meaning that starvation will hit Egypt soon, and Pharaoh then raises him to second in command, in charge of saving grain in order to eventually feed the entire starving world. How easy and normal would it have been for Joseph to have been sulking in prison, falsely accused and alone without family. Instead, he saw his miserable situation as a divinely planned opportunity. And because of one kind action, one friendly gesture, Joseph ended up saving the entire world!

Irregardless of our dire circumstances, the Jewish people have followed in their ancestor's path of looking at life as a mission with great importance. As the 2nd president of the United States, John Adams, once said: "I will insist the Hebrews have [contributed] more to civilize men than any other nation." As the eight nights of Hanukkah begin this Wednesday evening, may we take note of the light of the candles, working to illuminate the darkness of the world, one candle at a time.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Rabbi Daniel