Gen. 37:1 - 40:23
Précis: The story of Joseph begins with the words, “And Jacob dwelt (vayeshev) in the land of his father’s travels.” We learn that Joseph is Jacob’s favorite son. Joseph receives the famous coat of many colors, and dreams strange dreams and relates them to his brothers and father, creating additional concern (jealousy) on their part. The sons conspire to do away with Joseph, but before he dies, they sell him into slavery. Jacob is devastated when the sons present evidence of Joseph’s “death.”
We then have an intervening story about Judah. He marries off his first son to Tamar. The son soon dies, and, the next son is married to the widow (“levirate marriage.”) The second son (Onan) dies, and Judah is loath to offer the third son. The widow dresses as a harlot, seduces Judah, becomes pregnant, and reveals herself to Judah as a woman wronged. He acknowledges her as a rightful daughter.
The scene shifts back to Joseph, who is now a servant in the household of Potiphar, an Egyptian official. Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce Joseph but he refuses her advances. She accuses him nonetheless of attempted rape, and Joseph is tossed into prison. There, he meets jailed servants of Pharaoh, for whom he interprets dreams successfully. When the chief butler is restored to his post, he promises to “remember” Joseph, but the parasha ends with the words, “but he forgot him.”
Gen. 37:13 “Israel said to Joseph, ‘Your brothers are pasturing their father’s flock in Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.’ He answered, ‘I am ready.’”
In my congregation, we adopt a concept annually which forms the basis for study. This year, we have chosen “Hineini” (usually translated as “I am here”) as the key concept for consideration. As we explain, “Hineini summons us to focus our attention to our journey of t’shuvah, repentance and return. In 5782, let us be abundantly present in our learning, tefillot (prayers), to religious and community life, to ourselves and to one another.”
I mention this theme because my review of the parasha drew my attention to this verse. What is translated as “I am ready” is another meaning of the Hebrew word hineini.
As we know from our readings, the word hineini is used more than once: For example, Abraham and Moses both use this word to respond to God, signaling their openness to hearing God’s message, or being prepared to obey God’s command. In this instance, we see Joseph responding to his father as both acknowledgement and obeisance.
As Rabbi David Cohen has suggested (Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, 2/26/14)
“To say ‘hineni’ is to live simultaneously in the past, present and future: To be aware of our past as a source of our identity and values; to see the future, alert to its possibilities, committed to its betterment; and to experience every day in the present, living according to our values, grateful for every moment.”
As some commentators have noted, Joseph led a remarkably solitary existence, estranged from his family for most of his life, rising from slavery and prison to the heights of political power. His statement of “hineini” at this beginning of his narrative is a harbinger of the arc of his life, which we can hope to emulate. He was present, he was ready, and he acted when the opportunity to do so arose.
We are the inheritors of a rich tradition of teaching which forms the foundation of our ethos. We should strive daily to live up to those demands, and we should look in hope to a future where gratitude is common, where love of our fellow human beings and the earth we live on is universal, and where justice is available and provided to all. We should always respond to the challenges we face with "hineini."
