Can we find unity?

Vayechi

Genesis 47:28 - 50:26

Précis: As the Book of Genesis comes to a close, Jacob lived (yayechi) in the land of Egypt for 17 years and dies after giving a final, poetic, individualized ethical testament to each of his sons. In a great funeral procession, Joseph, his brothers, and Pharaoh and his court bring Jacob’s body to Machpela to be buried. At the end of the parasha, which is also the end of the Book of Genesis, Joseph, too, dies, after exacting a promise from his brothers and children to (eventually) bring his remains to the land of Israel as well.

            This week's reading ends the story of Jews as a family/clan, since we begin with the creation of the Jews as a nation in next week’s reading (Exodus).     

Genesis as a whole has a focus on family matters in general, and on sibling rivalry in particular. At the outset, we see that Cain and Abel, the first siblings, have a rivalry that results in murder. There are family rivalries explicit in the text (among Noah’s sons, between Lot and Abraham, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers) and there are additional rivalries hinted at as well (Rachel and Leah, Isaac and Ishmael). Most of these rivalries result in what we might call a “cold peace.” The Joseph story, however, seems different, as we see sibling rivalry overcome by repentance (t’shuvah) when the brothers offer themselves in place of Benjamin, and when at long last they apologize to Joseph for their treatment of him and the apology is accepted by Joseph as God’s will.

            Reading this parasha just a few weeks after celebrating Hanuka, when rivalry between Hellenist Jews and the Hasmoneans led to war, we can see a reason why the Sages were so focused on the family conflicts of Genesis, since these stories predicted the reality of a history of internal Jewish conflict.

            Sadly, despite our aspirations for “klal Yisrael,” we observe continuous religious disputes between and among our Jewish denominations in the United States.  The religious/political animosity we observe among the various contending constituencies in Israel is both horrifying and dangerous.  But if the sons of Jacob could peacefully reconcile, perhaps all of the current Children of Israel can find the unity which has so far eluded us. Is this foolish optimism, or is it a matter of hope? Optimism may be an aspect of one’s disposition, but hope is a matter of faith.  I prefer to hope for a new sense of unity among the Jewish People.