Joseph & His Brothers

'Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me," and they drew closer. And he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. But now do not be sad, and let it not trouble you that you sold me here, for it was to preserve life that God sent me before you.' (Genesis 45:4-5)

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In this week's Torah portion, Vayigash, after an intense and moving dialogue between Joseph and Judah, Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, that he is the viceroy to Egypt's kingdom and their long lost brother. Our Sages remark that the shock and surprise they felt at that moment is akin to the shock we will feel at the time of the redemption and coming of Mashiach, when we will understand God's Presence was here all along.

What's so powerful and insightful here is Joseph's magnanimous reaction to his brother's ill treatment of him in the past. Hated by his brothers, Joseph was thrown into a pit and instead of killing him, his brothers sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites. We know the rest of the story, as Joseph moves from servant to prisoner, and then rises to 2nd in command of the strongest nation of his time, with the vision and interpretation of Pharaoh's dream that famine was on its way that ultimately saved not only Egypt's people, but the entire Middle East. 

How often do we focus on the deeper reasons behind what happens to us? Judaism teaches that everything that happens to us has a Divine plan and significance behind it. Yes, those that execute those plans toward us have free choice to do so, but that event was meant to happeneither way. It is up to us to choose to focus on the messenger of that plan, or the Director of the plan behind it all. Joseph chose to live his life according to the latter. He was meant to experience hard times, to descend into Egypt and servitude, in order to save the world. His brothers did wrong him, but he chose not to dwell on their mistake, but on the Divine plan behind it that was no mistake at all. 

{Mind and perspective are crucial to interpersonal peace. At the end of Ch. 12 in his magnum opos, Tanya, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi writes a radical idea when we are wronged: So, too, in matters between man and his fellow-man. As soon as there rises from his heart to his mind any animosity or hatred, God forbid, or jealousy, anger or a grudge, he will bar them from his mind and will, refusing even to think of them. On the contrary, his mind will prevail over and dominate the feelings of his heart, to do the exact opposite of that which the heart desires, namely, to conduct himself toward his fellow with the quality of kindness and to display towards his fellow a disproportionate love, in suffering from him to the furthest extreme, without being provoked into anger or to take revenge in kind, God forbid, even without anger; but, on the contrary, to repay offenders with favors, as taught in the Zohar, that we should learn from the example of Joseph’s conduct with his brothers, when he repaid them for the suffering they brought upon him, with kindness and favors.}   

Like our forefather Joseph, let's try to focus on the deeper plan and not on the superficial experiences that occur to us. This doesn't mean to roll over and accept abuse, but rather to recognize that those around us have zero control over our fate, and that what happens to us has a deeper purpose.

Shabbat Shalom!    

The Shining Light of Egypt

"Do not be distressed...for having sold me...since it was in order to provide for your needs that G-d sent me ahead of you.... It was not you who sent me here, but G-d. He has made me...ruler over all Egypt." (Genesis 45: 5-8)



In this week's Torah portion, Vayigash, Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers in one of the most moving events of the entire Torah. Incredible lessons can be learned from Joseph and the way he lived his life; lessons that are very relevant to our lives today. So why Joseph more than any of the other great Jewish forefather and leader? It's because Joseph was the first descendant of Abraham to really leave the realm of solitude and holiness, and venture into the immoral abyss of a land like Egypt for such a long time, and at such a young age. True, his father Jacob also entered a tough situation under his evil father-in-law Laban. In that respect, our Sages teach us that Joseph & Jacob were extremely close, their connection & destiny intertwined, as it says: "All that happened to Jacob, happened to Joseph" (both had important dreams, both were hated by their brothers, and the list goes on.)

But nothing compares to 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. At the young age of 17, he is solicited constantly by his employer's wife, and yet he resists time and again. And this lady 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! And yet Joseph stayed true to his belief in G-d and moral path. He knew that he wasn't brought to Egypt by chance. He knew that he was in prison for a reason (12 years for a crime he never committed). And he knew that he was placed in control over the entire Egyptian nation, 2nd only to Pharaoh, for a reason. 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, one that would contribute to creating a better world, that G-d could 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.

We sit thousands of years later in front of a computer screen, on the verge of the year 2012. And yet the example of the life of Joseph rings truer now than ever. As a whole, the Jewish people have not diverted from the path of our forefather Joseph. Just like Joseph helped the people of his time spiritually as well as physically, Jews throughout history have done the same. Spiritually, the Torah of the Jews ultimately revolutionized western thinking, as the 2nd president of the U.S. John Adams once said: "I will insist the Hebrews have [contributed] more to civilize men than any other nation."

Which brings me to the physical part. This week, the week of Joseph, the one who sustained the entire world with food in his time, I came across videos online of various people who have dedicated their lives to helping others, often starting organizations from scratch. Many that I came across were Jewish (see here for a very inspiring example, as well as here). And it seemed that everywhere I looked this week, I was seeing people who help others. And then I experienced it myself. After spending a day just watching videos of this (hey it's winter break ;), my mother took me into "the field of duty." She runs the gemach AKA The Jewish gift closet, where items are donated by the community, and given to those in need. As we lugged tables, chairs, a rug, etc. to downtown San Diego late at night, I wasn't feeling so cheery to be quite honest. "Man, I thought you felt inspired by those videos to change the world!?" I thought. But after all of the hard work, as we readied to leave, the old & lonely man in his once (truly) empty apartment, gave us a big smile. He would now have a cover against the cold - a thick blanket we had brought him. I realized that we have to fix the world one person at a time, with one deed at a time.

Judaism asks us to try our best in 2 areas: Our relationship with man, and our relationship with G-d. Both are important, and both benefit the realm of the other. Through being a spiritually sensitive person, learning Torah, praying, doing mitzvot, one learns and feels the needs of others, and the importance of being kind and helping another. For every soul is important, every act crucial. "Save a life, and you've saved a world" (the Talmud). And on the other hand, as Hillel said: "Don't do onto another, what you would not want done to yourself. This is the whole Torah, the rest is but commentary." At times in Torah, the Jewish people are called by the name of Yoseph (Hebrew for Joseph). Kabbalah teaches us that our forefathers bestowed their spiritual essence onto their descendants - to us. We can and must stay spiritually and morally upright even in Egypt, today's selfish and materialistic society, and be a light onto those around us, like our father Joseph.

Shabbat Shalom!

Crying for Another

In this week's Torah portion, we read about one of the most dramatic stories ever to be recorded.
The story of Joseph and his 11 brothers.
After being sold into slavery, spending 12 years in prison, and then emerging as viceroy to Pharaoh,
Joseph meets his brothers once again. When he sees his youngest brother (Benjamin) Binyomin, after being separated from him for so many years,
the Torah says: "He fell upon his brother Binyomin's neck and wept, and Binyomin wept upon his neck."

Now we know that every word in the Torah is exact and lad
en with layers & layers of deep meaning.
Why can't the Torah just say: "And they wept on each other's necks" or just "they wept." Why mention neck twice?
The 12th-century Torah Commentator Rashi explains: 'Joseph wept for the 2 temples that would be built in Binyomin's territory in Israel & that would later be destroyed.
And Binyomin wept for the Tabernacle in Shiloh, Joseph's territory, which would be destroyed.'
What connection does the tabernacle and the temple (where the holy ark which contained the two tablets resided)
have to do with the neck specifically?

Where is the neck positioned?
The neck connects the body with the head.
The head contains the brain which controls the body; also, it contains the senses of sight, hearing, tasting, smelling - all of the acute, powerful abilities of a person.
The body, in comparison, leaves much to be desired in these areas of human experience.
The temple was the neck of the universe.
A place where people, and G-d, could connect.
Where the physical, mundane world and the infinite G-d could meet and bond.

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But one question remains: Why didn't they cry for their own, personal destructions in their own territories??

From this we can learn a fundamental lesson in our own lives:
When my "temple" is at threat of being destructed - when my spiritual or physical situation is at risk, the obligation is on me to fix it.
If hard times occur in life, one must turn to G-d for Help, but must also work with utmost energy to fix the problem.
And if what appears to be something bad occurs, we must trust that G-d Had a good intention behind it, and try to accept it as such.

BUT, when misfortune occurs to another, we mustn't expect them to take care of themselves, and turn away, trusting that it was all for the good.
We must cry for them and feel every ounce of their pain.
We can't be content with a hidden good, but rather we must demand for a revealed good.
We learn this all from our forefathers Yosef and Binyomin:
Try feeling for someone else, rather than just ourselves.

May there be no more pain or tears for anybody anymore!
May Moshaich come now before Shabbat and take all of us to Jerusalem with the rebuilding of the 3rd & final Temple!

Shabbat Shalom,

Daniel