Blessings

 Vayechi

Gen. 47:28 - 50:26

 

Précis: As the Book of Genesis comes to a close, Jacob lived (vayechi) 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, Joseph dies after exacting a promise to bring his remains to the land of Israel as well.

Gen. 49:1-27 “And Jacob called his sons and said, ‘Come together, I may tell you what is to befall you in the days to come. Assemble and hearken, O sons of Jacob. Harken to Israel your father. Reuben, you are my first-born…’”

  

Rabbi Yaakov Pollak has written about the idea of “blessing” in the Book of Genesis which we conclude this week (MyJewishLearning.com, 1/10/17).

            How seriously should we take blessings we receive from others? The Sages state, unsurprisingly, “it depends.” It depends on who gives the blessing, and it depends on who receives the blessing.

            Early in the family saga we encounter in this Book, God Himself says to Abraham that “You will be a blessing” and thereby provides Abraham the imprimatur of Divine authority, and with it, the ability to bless others and to be a role model as well.  At his death Abraham bequeathed Isaac “all he possessed” as well as gifts to his other descendants. Midrash states, according to Rabbi Pollak, that Abraham gave much more than material wealth to Isaac; he gave him his essence and his connection to God. Jacob received this same gift (through subterfuge) from Isaac. As Jacob lay dying, he made his prophetic testimony regarding each of his sons. In addition to the individualized statements, he passed on to each of them the spiritual inheritance which God had originally granted to Abraham. In effect, all of the Children of Israel are inheritors of the Divine blessing.

            Because each of us is indirectly an inheritor of this same blessing, we should recognize that it is more than a grant of goodness, but rather a challenge to live up to Abraham’s ability to bless others and to act as a role model. How are we to accomplish this? What spiritual legacy will we each leave behind?

            I submit it is through actions, both great and small, that we leave behind a legacy which others can follow. It is found in the foundations of our tradition: study of Torah, acts of personal kindheartedness, and charitable acts. It may be visiting the sick, donating to a charity, comforting the bereaved, celebrating with a bride and groom, or by showing our children that with age wisdom can come, and that we all have the ability to overcome to some small degree the human weaknesses which all of us share.  

It would look bad

 Vayigash

Gen. 18 - 48:27

 

Précis: We approach the end of the Joseph saga. Benjamin is being held by Joseph as the alleged thief of a gold cup. Judah comes near (vayigash) Joseph, and begs for his brother’s life, offering himself as a substitute. Joseph is overcome and reveals himself to his brothers, forgiving them for selling him into slavery, stating that it was all part of God’s plan. Joseph sends them back home to bring Jacob and their families down to Egypt in order to survive the upcoming famine. They comply, and Joseph arranges for them to reside in the land of Goshen, living off “the fat of the land” at Pharaoh’s insistence. During the remainder of the famine, Joseph purchases land and cattle for Pharaoh, making serfs of the Egyptian people in exchange for the grain stored during the seven years of plenty. The Israelites prosper and multiply.

 

Gen. 45:1 “Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all of the retainers that stood before him, and he cried, ‘Cause every man to go out from me.’ And there stood no retainer with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.’”         

            The ending of the Joseph saga approaches, as he identifies himself to his brothers, after sending out the Egyptian attendants from the room. Was this merely an insistence on family privacy? As I have mentioned, Rashi suggests that Joseph did not want to reveal to the Egyptians the brothers’ sins against him, and Rashi deduces from that an obligation to resist public shame of others.  

            In these days of increased anti-Semitism, I might suggest another rationale for Joseph’s actions: he did not want to Egyptians to know of the wrongs committed by his family because, as my grandfather would day, “It would look bad for the Jews.” We, as a People who have survived millennia of persecution, remain fearful (perhaps justifiably so) that a wrong committed by any Jew reflects adversely on all of us. This is today seen most commonly in the conflation between those who criticize Israeli policies and Jews I general. Contrary to Joseph’s decision to hide the facts, we need to actively display our belief in Israeli democracy, warts and all, and our support for the State. We may disagree with particular actions of particular Israeli governments, but is that not the mark of true freedom? Is that not the great gift of the Jewish People to the world?