In Just Five Verses (Shemos)

The narratives of the Torah, from creation through the Exodus, cover an incredibly intense time period. A lot of things happen and so taking an extra look at where the text focuses can lead to particularly interesting. For instance, the dialogue between Yosef and Yehuda is repeated. On the other hand, moments that one would expect to be discussed in detail are covered only briefly. An excellent example of this brevity is the incident when Moshe slays an Egyptian taskmaster and is called out on it and ends up fleeing Pharaoh and Egypt. All of that takes place in five verses.

11: Some time after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen.
12: He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13:When he went out the next day, he found two Hebrews fighting; so he said to the offender, “Why do you strike your fellow?”
14: He retorted, “Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was frightened and thought: Then the matter is known!
15: Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock;

The verses of Shemos 2:11-15 are rather surprising really. From the narrative perspective Moshe has just been set up for a charmed life as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter – and that life is totally ignored in the text because it was all false. Instead, the Torah jumps right into a scene of murder! One almost feels as if one has been dropped into a vigilante movie scene.

These verses, however, are a pivotal moment in Moshe’s life. (Ok, there were a lot of pivotal moments.) One could read this text and cheer at Moshe for stepping up for justice, rather than look at it as his casting away of his Egyptian privilege, but this was the moment that he broke his connection to the Egyptian he was being groomed to be. The fact that the text says he “went out to his brethren” implies his awareness of his connection to the Hebrews. Interestingly, the Torah does not reveal exactly how much he understood this connection. At this point in his life he might have felt only the vague connection of knowing he was of Hebraic origin or he might have really wished to know his biological family. Perhaps he was drawn to his heritage but did not know how to come closer to the Hebrews  since his position in life was so far from theirs.

In a way, it is reminiscent of the position of so many Jews in the last few generations who were raised away from their heritage. Many have sought a way to connect, but not all of them were able to take those steps.

In a book based on the commentaries of the Ramchal, there is an interesting idea that explains that the reason that Pharaoh wanted to kill Moshe was that when Pharaoh heard that Moshe had spoken the holy name of God (Midrashic explanation for how the taskmaster died), Pharaoh understood that Moshe was still attached to the kedusha (holiness) that was an anathema to the avodah zarah that was the foundation of Egyptian life. First, he recognizes his connection to the Hebrew slaves, his brethren, then he connects to kedusha.

But the next day, his sudden elevation to a connection with the Jewish people is not met with warmth. When he comes upon the quarreling Hebrews, he is rejected, pushed away and rebuked. Shouldn’t the men have been somewhat welcoming? You might respond that they were upset and were interrupted in the midst of arguing, but they appear to present a unified reaction against Moshe. You might presume that they responded in fear, but a frightened person would not be so confrontational. No, these two men were stuck in their places and were thus resentful and angry that a man they wished to perceive as Egyptian was showing such a deep connection to kedusha. Here was a man who was not afraid to stand up to the Egyptian world in which he had been raised, here was a man who looked at the Jewish world and saw brethren. Alas, it is easy to live a Jewish life and be afraid of the passion of another person. If we are honest, it's something that we see in our own era and not just in reactions to baalei teshuva and gerim but often to people who are judged as extreme in their observance.

So why was this important moment so sparsely discussed? I can't answer that. But I can enjoy this opportunity to speculate :).  

When Jacob Summoned His Strength (Vayechi #1)

This week completes the annual reading of Sefer Bereishis (the Book of Genesis). A great number of important events occur in these final chapters, all of which have profound and lasting impact on the Jewish people. In a quick summary, Vayechi contains the blessing of Ephraim and Menasheh, the gathering of the 12 sons at Jacob’s deathbed, the prophetic blessings of the 12 sons by their father, Jacob’s death, and Joseph’s fulfilment of his promise to bury his father in the Land of Canaan. 

All of these topics are fascinating, but let us look at the interesting introduction of the first blessings: “It was after these things that Joseph was told, ‘Your father is ill.’ So he took with him his two sons, Menasheh and Ephraim. When Jacob was told, ‘Your son Joseph has come to see you,’ Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed” (48:1-2).

At first, this line strikes an emotional chord in me. Jacob is old, he is sick, and he knows he is dying, but when his son comes, he makes a great effort to pull himself together. Many commentaries, including Rashi, explain this action as respect for the high station that Joseph had achieved, second to the king. Other commentators pointed to it being a demonstration of the importance of what he was about to say. For instance, the Daas Zikanim stated: “He [Jacob] did not wish to bless his sons while bedridden, as he said that the blessing of a person clearly on the brink of dying would not be considered as having been given by someone in possession of all his faculties.”

Perhaps, however, it is also a hint to the deeper relationship of Jacob and Joseph. For Joseph, whose final years of youth he missed, Jacob still felt a need to appear strong. Or, perhaps, he worried most about how Joseph would react to seeing him old and feeble since he was aware of the great tragedies Joseph had suffered and how much his youthful relationship with his father had meant to him.

Kibbud Av v’Eim, honoring your father and mother is not only one of the ten commandments, but it is a mitzvah for which there is a great deal of explicit halachic conversations. It is a mitzvah for which Joseph is often greatly praised, and perhaps here we see the beautiful depth of their relationship.

About Genesis 48:1-2, Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch writes:

48:1 - Above, where Jacob wants something from Joseph, he has him called. Here, where he wishes to give something to Joseph...he simply has him told “your father is ill.” He is not to be called, he is to come as a child, in the feelings of a child when he hears that his aged father is ill, and at this opportunity Jacob gives him that which he has to apportion him. Jacob, even when he is giving the highest gift, does not make much of a parade of it.

48:2 - Joseph does not know how his father is and does not wish to excite him, so he has him told just casually that he is coming to visit him, and only then has him told that he is there.  

In many ways, Genesis is a strange narrative of the beginning of the Jewish people. The relationships within are anything but simple and are often far from ideal. Jacob is in no way painted as the perfect father, particular in his actions favoring one child over the others. These two verses, however, teach a subtle but beautiful lesson about how wonderful a mature parent-child relationship can be.

There is, however, something else about these verses that grabbed my attention, particularly the second verse: “When Jacob was told, ‘Your son Joseph has come to see you,’ Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed” (48:2).  Another way of looking at these verses is that Jacob the father was told that his son had arrived, but Israel - the force of the Jewish nation - knew that now was the time to pass on the strength and vigor of the children of Abraham.  This is why, in the middle of one verse, the name changes from Jacob to Israel. The sickly body of Jacob is invigorated by the soul of Israel to make certain that the holy covenant is passed down properly to the next generation.

Please Hashem, let me have the strength of character to have an ideal type of relationship with my children and that I can be a proper conduit of the beautiful blessings of my Jewish ancestors.

Stronger Because of You (Vayigash #1)

“And the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house saying: ‘Joseph’s brothers have come.” Pharaoh and his servants were pleased” (45:16). Thus concludes the reunion of Joseph and his brothers.

This simple, seemingly transitional, verse tells us a great deal about the respect that Joseph earned in Egypt. From the narrative of the Torah, one sees that he was an outstanding politician, and while, like all politicians, he obviously knew how to handle people and deal with authority, he also displayed tremendous foresight for the benefit of those under his care. Joseph is described as a fair leader and a man who maintained his morality even in difficult times. Such inner strength is a character trait that I think most of us wish to see more of in our modern political leaders.

Another frequently discussed theme of the story of Joseph is his unwavering emunah (faith). Even as he is reunited with his brothers, deep in an emotional moment, he affirms his belief that everything that has occurred to him has been part of God’s plan. It is, in truth, a level of emunah that I think many Jews today deeply wish to attain but certainly feel far away from.

There is tremendous power in the apex of this narrative - the moment when Joseph reveals himself. This section of the Torah builds to an incredible sense of anticipation: “Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, ‘Have everyone withdraw from me!’ So there was no one else about when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. His sobs were so loud that the Egyptians could hear, and so the news reached Pharaoh’s palace” - 45:1-2). 

Perhaps we could look at this text with a different perspective than simple family reunion: How relieved Joseph must have been to finally be among his own people. Not just the joy of being reunited with his brothers, not just the excitement of seeing his father, and not just the affirmation of his belief that God had a plan, but rather the recognition that finally he would be among people who shared his beliefs, his culture and his language. In fact, the Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 93:10, cited by Rashi) relates that Joseph revealed himself to his brothers in Hebrew.

Recently I attended a four-day course in London. There was one other Jewish participant at the program, a delightful woman from El Salvador who was strongly affiliated but not specifically religious. As much as I enjoyed the program, I spent a significant amount of the mealtimes explaining to people why my meals were different, a conversation that often segued into larger discussions about religious beliefs and traditional life. It was fascinating for me particularly in that, as an East Coast Jew, I am used to people knowing at least a little something, but many of these international students had never seen special kosher meals before. And while I have always enjoyed being an ambassador of Judaism, arriving at my hosts’ home for Shabbat was a great relief. I was now in my natural element, where I didn’t have to explain my food choices, or why I didn’t shake hands, or feel as if I stood out for my way of dress.

Joseph did take on the semblance of an Egyptian while he lived in Egypt, but one can imagine that he never felt as if he was in his own skin, so to speak. Even as he rose through the ranks, he was always, in his own mind, an outsider. And the only way that he could shed that feeling of being different was by being together with his own kind. Revealing himself to his brothers was not just a joy, but it was also an internal pleasure of simply acknowledging one’s true self.

Joseph’s life in Egypt is a journey that most people today can relate to. Most of us live in foreign lands, and we have grown up steeped in two cultures - our Jewish world and our national identities. Most of us are not rising political leaders, but all of us have an obligation to remember our values, our morals, and our faith, no matter what situation we are put in. As important as this inner strength is, however, we should never forget the necessity of the strength we gain from being part of a community.

Perhaps one could look at Pharaoh’s reaction to the news of the arrival of Joseph’s brothers in a different light. Pharaoh and his servants knew that they could trust Joseph, knew that he was working for their benefit and that he took his responsibilities seriously. Perhaps now they saw that Joseph would be an even stronger leader for having reconnected with the Children of Israel.