Vayigash
Genesis 44:18 - 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 Benjamin’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 in exchange for the grain stored during the seven years of plenty. The Israelites prosper and multiply.
Gen. 45:8 “And so, it is not you who sent me here but God…”
Jacob seeks to comfort his brothers, telling them that all that had transpired was part of God's Plan. Nahum Sarna comments on this verse, explaining that "God may use Man's evil purposes as the instrument of ultimate good, beyond the knowledge, desire or realization of the human agents involved.” He supports this point of view by quoting from Proverbs (16:9) - "A man may plot out his course, but it is the Lord who directs his steps.” A more modern saying goes: "Man plans, God laughs." What is suggested is that we can never really tell what the consequences of any particular course of action will be. One might even think that asking such a question is just a waste of time and effort.
Judaism repeatedly stresses the importance of free will, but does not speak clearly about the consequences of its exercise. Adam and Eve gain and exercise free will, and are expelled from the Garden of Eden. Joseph is sold into slavery, but his family is saved from famine. King David sends Bathsheba's husband on a deadly mission, loses a child, but then sires the next King. Job lives a righteous life but suffers unimaginable misfortune.
If the consequences of our actions are unpredictable, why do we bother with mitzvot? At various times and with differing degrees of emphasis, our tradition gives us a variety of reasons for the performance of the mitzvot. We are to "do mitzvahs" because (a) it is God’s will (b) there is inherent good in their performance, as we mimic God's attributes by performing mitzvot, (c) our performance of mitzvot reminds us that God is present in the universe, or (d) we will be rewarded, either in this world or in the world to come. As someone said (perhaps the King in The King and I?), "It is a question!"
Joseph states that God planned for the family to be saved from famine by orchestrating his sale into bondage. What the text is really telling us is that Joseph's role facilitated the transformation of his family into a nation, and allowed them first to grow numerous and wealthy, and later to survive their slavery in Egypt. But was survival the only goal? The text of the Exodus narrative seems to imply that Israelite slavery in Egypt was part of God's Plan, a necessary prerequisite to Revelation at Sinai.
I suggest that mere survival cannot be the only goal, whether as a people or as individuals. We are a questioning, wrestling people, trying always to define our role and mission, hoping (and praying) that God's Plan will be good for us and for our families.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution?
Mikketz
Genesis 41:1-44:17
Précis: At the end (mikketz) of two years of Joseph’s imprisonment, Pharaoh dreams of cows and ears of corn. The butler who had shared Joseph’s cell now remembers him, and calls him from prison. Joseph predicts seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh is so impressed that he appoints Joseph as his chief vizier and Joseph goes about storing grain during the times of plenty.
Joseph marries Asenath and they have two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. When the famine comes, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to purchase food; Joseph has them brought in while he remains in cognito. Joseph accuses the brothers of spying, and sends them home after they leave one brother hostage and promise to return with their youngest brother, Benjamin. Upon their return, the brothers (including Benjamin) meet the still-unidentified Joseph. Joseph has their bags filled not only with grain but also with the money used to purchase the grain. He also hides a gold cup in Benjamin’s belongings. When they are “caught” by Joseph’s men, they learn that whoever stole the cup would become Joseph’s slave, while the others return to their homeland. On this cliffhanger, the parasha ends.
Genesis 41:33-36 “Now let Pharaoh find a man of discernment and wisdom, and set him over the land of Egypt...and… organize the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty. Let all the food of the good years that are coming be gathered, and let… that food be a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will come.”
Imagine this scene: Joseph is brought from a prison cell to the court of Pharaoh where he is introduced to the ruler himself. Pharaoh has asked Joseph to interpret his dreams. This he does, but without being asked, Joseph also tells Pharaoh how to manage the dangers he has divined in Pharaoh’s dreams. This may be one of the great examples of “chutzpah” found in the Bible! On the other hand, this is a measure of Joseph’s unrivaled courage to present a solution without being asked to do so, and here lies a lesson we might consider.
We are often are problem-oriented instead of being solution-oriented. Negativity and the problems we face tend to be the main focus of our attention, whether as professional or interpersonal issues. Some decades ago, we Baby Boomers used to say “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” It seems to me that American society in the 21st Century has changed from the simple (simplistic?) days of the ‘60’s: we are more likely to say that the problems are so daunting and immense that there can be no real solutions.
Americans, spurred on by a rapacious media and by a polarized political system, seem to delight in focusing on all that is wrong, from unemployment, to global climate change, to wars, terrorism, and even Tiger Wood’s infidelities. Any solution-oriented suggested is immediately attacked (health care reform, financial regulation, cap and trade, etc.) and the attacks are often ad hominem without any kind of alternative, other than "no."
Joseph’s actions in this story show us that individuals can indeed propose real answers to dire problems and that the challenges looming ahead have to met with "courage, wisdom and discernment." We can no longer afford to be problem-oriented, and like Joseph, we need to be solution-oriented actors if we hope to overcome the obstacles before us.
PS – As Monty Python would say, “And now, for something completely different.” I was reading The Alienated Minority - The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe by Kenneth R. Stow, when I came across his discussion of early Jewish Italian commentaries on major Jewish texts written in "Judeo-Italian" (which used Hebrew script to transliterate Italian words). One such commentator, Judah Romano, explained what Maimonides meant when he used an obscure word "hararah" (a kind of flat cake which could be kept warm for eating on Shabbat without violating the laws of Shabbat). Romano used a one word Italian term to explain what this "flat cake" was, using the Hebrew letters peh-yod-zade-heh: "pizza" Stow writes, "This is the first known written attestation to this now international term." So while Jews may not have invented pizza, we were apparently the first to write about it!
Genesis 41:1-44:17
Précis: At the end (mikketz) of two years of Joseph’s imprisonment, Pharaoh dreams of cows and ears of corn. The butler who had shared Joseph’s cell now remembers him, and calls him from prison. Joseph predicts seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh is so impressed that he appoints Joseph as his chief vizier and Joseph goes about storing grain during the times of plenty.
Joseph marries Asenath and they have two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. When the famine comes, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to purchase food; Joseph has them brought in while he remains in cognito. Joseph accuses the brothers of spying, and sends them home after they leave one brother hostage and promise to return with their youngest brother, Benjamin. Upon their return, the brothers (including Benjamin) meet the still-unidentified Joseph. Joseph has their bags filled not only with grain but also with the money used to purchase the grain. He also hides a gold cup in Benjamin’s belongings. When they are “caught” by Joseph’s men, they learn that whoever stole the cup would become Joseph’s slave, while the others return to their homeland. On this cliffhanger, the parasha ends.
Genesis 41:33-36 “Now let Pharaoh find a man of discernment and wisdom, and set him over the land of Egypt...and… organize the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty. Let all the food of the good years that are coming be gathered, and let… that food be a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will come.”
Imagine this scene: Joseph is brought from a prison cell to the court of Pharaoh where he is introduced to the ruler himself. Pharaoh has asked Joseph to interpret his dreams. This he does, but without being asked, Joseph also tells Pharaoh how to manage the dangers he has divined in Pharaoh’s dreams. This may be one of the great examples of “chutzpah” found in the Bible! On the other hand, this is a measure of Joseph’s unrivaled courage to present a solution without being asked to do so, and here lies a lesson we might consider.
We are often are problem-oriented instead of being solution-oriented. Negativity and the problems we face tend to be the main focus of our attention, whether as professional or interpersonal issues. Some decades ago, we Baby Boomers used to say “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” It seems to me that American society in the 21st Century has changed from the simple (simplistic?) days of the ‘60’s: we are more likely to say that the problems are so daunting and immense that there can be no real solutions.
Americans, spurred on by a rapacious media and by a polarized political system, seem to delight in focusing on all that is wrong, from unemployment, to global climate change, to wars, terrorism, and even Tiger Wood’s infidelities. Any solution-oriented suggested is immediately attacked (health care reform, financial regulation, cap and trade, etc.) and the attacks are often ad hominem without any kind of alternative, other than "no."
Joseph’s actions in this story show us that individuals can indeed propose real answers to dire problems and that the challenges looming ahead have to met with "courage, wisdom and discernment." We can no longer afford to be problem-oriented, and like Joseph, we need to be solution-oriented actors if we hope to overcome the obstacles before us.
PS – As Monty Python would say, “And now, for something completely different.” I was reading The Alienated Minority - The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe by Kenneth R. Stow, when I came across his discussion of early Jewish Italian commentaries on major Jewish texts written in "Judeo-Italian" (which used Hebrew script to transliterate Italian words). One such commentator, Judah Romano, explained what Maimonides meant when he used an obscure word "hararah" (a kind of flat cake which could be kept warm for eating on Shabbat without violating the laws of Shabbat). Romano used a one word Italian term to explain what this "flat cake" was, using the Hebrew letters peh-yod-zade-heh: "pizza" Stow writes, "This is the first known written attestation to this now international term." So while Jews may not have invented pizza, we were apparently the first to write about it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)