VAYIGASH 44:18 - 47:27

 VAYIGASH 44:18 - 47:27

In the Parsha, among other things:

Judah approaches Joseph to plead for the release of Benjamin, offering himself as a slave to the Egyptian ruler.

 Upon witnessing his brothers’ loyalty to one another, Joseph reveals his identity to them.

Joseph declares: “I am Joseph; “Is my father still alive?” The brothers are overcome by shame and remorse, but Joseph comforts them

The brothers return to Canaan with the news. Jacob comes to Egypt with his entire and is reunited with Joseph after 22 years.

On his way to Egypt Jacob receives a Divine promise: “Fear not to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation. I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again.”

Because of the famine, Egyptians and Canaanites had to sell all their assets to Joseph who represented the Pharaoh. Pharaoh became exceedingly wealthy.

Pharaoh gives Jacob’s family the rich region of Goshen in the Nile delta..

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The Parshah opens at 44:18 with Yehuda’s speech to Joseph.  It is the longest speech in the Chumash, lasting for 16 verses.  Yehuda says אָבִי “my Father” 14 times.  Which "Father" is this?

 Whether he knows it or not, Yehuda is doing T’sheuvah.  Twenty two years ago, Yehuda was willing to make some money by selling his brother into slavery.  Now, he is willing to put himself into slavery for the sake of his Father…a similar set of circumstances, but now with a lofty outcome.  He is a changed man and our leader.  And as a reasonable consequence we are called the "Yehudi", the Jews.

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At 44:33-34, Why does Joseph want his brothers to say to Pharaoh that they are shepherds, an occupation abhorrent to Egyptians, so that the family may settle in the area called Goshen? 

Rabbi Etshalom supplies an answer to this question: He is of the opinion that Joseph has pragmatic foresight.  Joseph is thinking that our family and our Tribe have a particularly unique mission, and we are coming into a land that has core values different from us.  In the long run it will be advantageous that we are always seen as foreigners, always seen as the “Other” and always seen as separate and worthy of separation. 

Living in Goshen you will be kept foreign and distant from the rest of the population so that assimilation will be impossible or relatively unlikely.

Today the Land of Israel fulfills that purpose. 

It does and will continue to do just that.

This is in contrast to Jews who outside of Israel 

where assimilation is rampant.

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At 46:2, in referring to the Patriarch Jacob by name,  Hashem uses both “Israel” and “Jacob”.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמַרְאֹת הַלַּיְלָה, וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב יַעֲקֹב; וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֵּנִי.

“And God said to Israel in visions of the night, and He said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am."

What is the significance of each name, ie., Israel and Jacob?  And Jacob twice?  This is not the 1^st time that Jacob had a vision.

And is a vision of the night a dream or something else? 

What does הִנֵּנִי "Here I am." signify?

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At 46:3-4, Before leaving the Holy Land and setting out to live in Egypt Jacob or Israel receives a Divine promise:

” וַיֹּאמֶר, אָנֹכִי הָאֵל אֱלֹהֵי אָבִיךָ; אַל-תִּירָא מֵרְדָה מִצְרַיְמָה, כִּי-לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל אֲשִׂימְךָ שָׁם.

אָנֹכִי, אֵרֵד עִמְּךָ מִצְרַיְמָה, וְאָנֹכִי, אַעַלְךָ גַם-עָלֹה; וְיוֹסֵף, יָשִׁית יָדוֹ עַל-עֵינֶיךָ."

"And He said, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation.

I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up, and Joseph will place his hand on your eyes".

Woe to those people who leave the Land to dwell some place else.

When you come to live in Israel you are going up, making Aliyah. עֲלִיָה

When you leave Israel to live some place else, you are going down, yeridah,ירֵידה

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At 46:17 we learn about the children of Asher.  His Mother was Zillah.  She was Leah’s handmaiden. Asher had a daughter.  Her name was Serach, שֶׂ֣רַח.  It is unusual for a woman to be mentioned by name in the Chumash. And we know nothing more about her. 

However there are many Midrashim praising her beauty, intelligence and amazing longevity.  She even helped Moses fulfill the obligation to bury Joseph’s bones in Israel. If you look at Serach’s name, and end it with the open letter Hay, it resembles the name Sarah.  Seal the letter Hay with the letter Yud, a representation of Hashem and you are back to Serach.

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The Haftorah portion for Parshat Vayigash is from the Prophet Ezekiel (יְחֶזְקֵאל ) 37:15-28.  In it Hashem commands Ezekiel to take two wooden sticks and write on one some words that signify the Kingdom of Judah, and on the other some words that represent the Northern Kingdom.  He is then to join the two sticks together, in an meaningful symbolic gesture once more uniting the entire nation of Israel. 

The symbolism is meaningful.  Ezekiel prophesied shortly before the fall of the First Temple, probably around 598 BCE.  From the preceding verses he was staunchly anti-Egyptian. At the time of his writing the Northern Kingdom was no more, and the Kingdom of Judah was in imminent danger of being destroyed.

First of all: why use wood?  What inferences may be drawn from using wooden sticks?

Wood is a readily handy material, somewhat durable. Unlike clay or metal or stone, wood requires little preparation and is more durable than papyrus or parchment.  Alternatively: Hashem knows what he is doing.

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At 47:6 Pharaoh gives Jacob’s family the rich region of Goshen in the Nile delta..

בְּמֵיטַב הָאָרֶץ, הוֹשֵׁב אֶת-אָבִיךָ וְאֶת-אַחֶיךָ:  יֵשְׁבוּ, בְּאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן

 "...in the best of the land settle your father and your brothers. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen,..."

To get the best land in all of Egypt, Joseph's brothers probably had to uproot the prior owners.  Whether in the short term or in the long term this could not have been a good move.

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At 47:14 - 20 

Representing the Pharaoh when the famine began, Joseph sold grain to the Egyptian populace and to the Canaanites.  As the famine continued, people ran out of money and had to sell their livestock to Joseph.  The famine continued and in order go buy grain, people had to sell their land and possibly themselves as slaves to Joseph.

14And Joseph collected all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan with the grain that they were buying, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

15Now the money was depleted from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan, and all the Egyptians came to Joseph, saying, "Give us food...

16And Joseph said, "Give your livestock, and I will give you [food ]...

17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food [in return] for the horses and for the livestock in flocks and in cattle and in donkeys, and he provided them with food [in return] for all their livestock in that year.

18will ...We will not hide from my lord, for insofar as the money and the property in animals have been forfeited to my lord, nothing remains before my lord, except our bodies and our farmland.

19      ...Buy our farmland for food, so that we and our farmland will be slaves to Pharaoh, and give [us] seed,

20So Joseph bought all the farmland of the Egyptians for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold, each one his field, for the famine had become too strong for them, and the land became Pharaoh's.

I think in the long run, Joseph the Israelite representing the Pharaoh, did not endear us to the Egyptians.

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MIKETZ 41:1-44:17, CHANUKAH

 

 MIKETZ 41:1-44:17, CHANUKAH

Among other things we learn in Parshat Miketz:

Joseph's prison time ends when he interprets Pharaoh's dreams.

Pharaoh appoints Joseph governor of Egypt.

Pharaoh gives Joseph an Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Pa’neach.

Joseph marries Asenath; they have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Famine spreads throughout the region, and food can be obtained only in Egypt.

Ten of Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to purchase grain; Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him.

There is a lot of back and forth manipulation by Joseph about the brothers being accused as spies, the holding of hostages, accusation of theft and the need for Joseph to see Benjamin.

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Is there a connection between the Parshah and Chanukah?  I think so.

It has to do with the danger of assimilation when a person lives outside the Land of Israel. 

Consider the renaming of Joseph and his marriage to Asenath:

The marriage of Joseph and Asenath

וַיִּקְרָא פַרְעֹה שֵׁם-יוֹסֵף, צָפְנַת פַּעְנֵחַ, וַיִּתֶּן-לוֹ אֶת-אָסְנַת בַּת-פּוֹטִי פֶרַע

כֹּהֵן אֹן, לְאִשָּׁה

“And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath Paaneah and he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On.” (41:45).

This marriage sends a message to Egyptians that Joseph is now “one of them.” It indicates that Pharaoh fully accepts Joseph and he was to be integrated into the Egyptian court as well as the Egyptian way of life.

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Egyptian Goddess Neith

What does Zaphnath Paanea צָפְנַת פַּעְנֵחַ and Asneth mean?

Zaphnath Paanea צָפְנַת פַּעְנֵחַ possibly means "the god speaks [and] he lives".

 נַת may be a reference to the Egyptian deity Neith.  She was an early ancient Egyptian deity who was said to be the first and the prime creator, the creator of the universe.

Aseneth’s name is derived from the Ancient Egyptian meaning she belongs to Neith".

There are some other renaming occurring in the Chumash other than the renaming of Joseph:

• ·        Early on, Hashem changed Sarah’s and Abraham’s names.

• ·        Joseph’s father was renamed by the Angel that he wrestled with.

• ·        Much later on, Pharaoh’s daughter will give Moses an Egyptian name.

• ·        Moses changed Joshua’s name.

I think that the name changing as a connection to the destiny of the individual.  What do you think?

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Was this Pharaoh a Hykso?

I think so.  The Hyksos were Semitic people who invaded Egypt, maybe as far back as the 18^th century BCE.  They conquered northern Egypt and established a kingdom there in the Nile delta.  The illustration above was adapted from an Egyptian mosaic. It shows Hyksos to have a distinctive dress that differed from ethnic Egyptians.  They carry weapons.

The Hyksos period in Egyptian history marks the first time in which Egypt was ruled by foreign rulers.

One of the earliest kings was named Khyan and he is thought to have Amorite roots.  We are familiar with the Amorite kings Og and Sichon who were defeated by Moses.  Khyan may have been the Pharaoh that released Joseph from prison, but that is conjecture.

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Think about this:

One of the reasons that Chanukah, a Festival initiated by the Rabbis, is so very special is that of all our Festivals, Chanukah is the only one that took place in the Land of Israel.  All the others initially took place outside of Israel in either Egypt, Jordan, or Iran.

The Chanukah revolt started in the village of Modi’in where Mattathias and his five sons lived.  A Senior Citizens can travel to Modi’in from Nahariya by train for a round trip fare of 48 shekels.  Travel is direct, no changing, and takes 2 ½ hours. Go back to your roots.  Modi'n has the highest IDF enlistment rate of any city in all of Israel.

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CHANUKAH NATIONALISM

On Chanukah Jews the worldwide, usually children but not always play a game with a 4-sided spinning top called a Dreidel דרײדל‎ in Yiddish and Sevivon סביבון in Hebrew.

There is a Hebrew letter printed on each of the dreidel's four sides. 

These four letters form the acronym of the phrase:

נס גדול היה  שם

“Nes Gadol Hayah Sham”

 "a great miracle happened there," a reference made by Jews living outside of Israel to the Chanukah miracle that transpired within the Land of Israel.

In Israel, however the reference is modified to “a great miracle happened here, substituting the Hebrew letter Pay פ for the letter Shin ש on the Sevivon…not there, but here.

There is something special about being here and not there.

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A special commemorative section is added to the Amidah prayer and the Grace After Meals during the eight days of Chanukah and also during Purim.   Both Festivals are extra-Biblical holidays. The added special section has the effect of commemorating the Festival.

However on Purim we read the Megillah of Esther and we also have a festive meal.  On Chanukah we light candles, but we do not read from a special Book nor do we eat a festive meal.

I wonder why?  My guess is that when the Maccabees were fighting against the Greek-Syrians they were also fighting against fellow Jews…Jews killing Jews, something not to celebrate.

Actually, we do have a special book. It is called the Book of the Maccabees. It has several volumes. In it we learn that through bravery and determination militaristic Jews through off the yoke of a foreign government. Not through passivity but through open rebellion we regained our independence.

During the ensuing long years of exile Jews did not want to arouse the ire of their overlords by showing that we are able to fight and to win.

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RAV KOOK ON CHANUKAH (Adapted from Chanan Morrisson)

The Jewish Home

The conflict between the Maccabees and the Hellenists was not just a military struggle for political independence. The essence of the conflict was ideological, a clash between widely divergent cultures. Greek culture emphasized the joys of life, physical pleasures, and the uninhibited expression of human imagination in art and literature. As a result, the Hellenists fought against the Torah of Israel, with its focus on purity and sanctity.

One aspect of the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah lights is quite unusual. Unlike most mitzvot, the obligation to light is not on the individual but on the home (איש וביתו). Only if one wishes to fulfill the mitzvah more fully does every member of the household light. Why is this?

The average Jew may not exemplify the ideals and beliefs of the Torah in his everyday life. But in his family life, one may sense the special light of Israel. Purity, modesty, and other holy traits are manifest in every Jewish home faithful to a Torah lifestyle. Therefore, the basic obligation of Chanukah lights — which represent Judaism’s victory over the corrupting influences of Greek culture — is not on the individual, but the home: ish uveito, איש וביתו.

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 Jewish Nationalism (adapted from Chanan Morrison)

To question whether Jewish nationalism is a genuine Torah value reveals a superficial knowledge of Torah. The real question is whether the ultimate Divine goal is quantitative — the elevation of all of humanity through Israel and its Torah — or qualitative — the incomparable segulah quality of Israel.

In a metaphor Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi’s sees Israel as the “heart among the nations".  Is the heart subservient to the other organs of the body, as it provides them with life-giving blood? Or is the heart the central organ, protected and sustained by the rest of the body? Both of these positions are legitimate; “Both views are the words of the Living God” (Babylonian Talmud Eiruvin 13b).

This is the basis for a true understanding of nationalism in Israel. It transcends the usual form of nationalism as it is found among other nations. This unique national love is based on the ultimate Divine goal that can only be fulfilled through the Jewish people. While Jewish nationalism contains elements common to regular nationalism, it is of a completely different order.

(Silver from the Land of Israel. pp. 120-125)

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THE NEGLECT OF JEWISH HEROINES

 

Are Women obligated to light the Chanukah Menorah? After all they played a major role in making the Chag happen.

First, the Halachah (adapted from Reuven Spolter, Women and Chanukah Lighting):

· Single women and widows who do not live in a household with an adult must certainly light Chanukah candles on their own.

· If one's husband is not home to light, a woman must light for the household.

 · Regarding married women lighting for themselves, I'll leave you with Rav Aaron Lichtenstein's (Rosh Yeshivah and Halachic authority) words:

In the house of Rav Soloveitchik of blessed memory, it was the custom that the women did light, and that is how I practice in my house. As we have seen, according to the simple Halachah, women have the identical obligation to light as men. He who is of the opinion that the law is different – let him bring proof to support his position.

Women have a connection to Chanukah because of Judith, the heroine of the Book of Judith. This is an apocryphal book.  It has exactly the same status as the Books of the Maccabees.  Judith is a Jewish woman who single-handedly saves her people by killing an enemy general, Holofornes.  She is part and parcel of the victory of the Maccabean revolt. Judith represents the heroism of women throughout Jewish history. By celebrating her, we remedy the neglect of Jewish heroines.

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Chanukah in Auschwitz https://youtu.be/4ywifg9DJY8?si=WznI_O9ZR0CKtLhv

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Before lighting the Chanukah lights, we recite the blessing, “Who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.”  Why does the blessing refer to a single light?

The lights of Chanukah are a metaphor for the blessings of enlightenment that the Jewish people bestow to the world.  When you light, you advance that specific light which corresponds to the inner makeup of your soul.  When this happens, the entire people of Israel are enriched.  However, your specific light may be different from mine.  Sometimes they may be in conflict.

But these conflicts will not exist forever. In the future it will become clear that all of the different lights share a common root, and are really one single light. Therefore, the blessing of Chanukah, which also encompasses the future potential, speaks of a single “Chanukah light.”  

(Adapted from Rav Kook).

Happy Chanukah, חג חנוכה שמח

VAYEISHEV 37:1- 40:23,

 VAYEISHEV 37:1- 40:23

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The second verse of the Parshah (37:2) begins:

אֵלֶּה תֹּלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב, יוֹסֵף

“These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph…”

The other eleven sons and one daughter are not cited, and indication as to how important this one son, Joseph was to his Father Jacob.  Moreover, the Joseph narrative is longer than most.  He is treated quite favorably and in essence, along with his sons Manasseh and Ephraim rises above his siblings.

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In Parshat Vayeishev, we learn that Joseph tells his brothers two dreams both of them implying that he would eventually rule over them — and this increases his brothers' envy and hatred. 

https://youtu.be/tbU3zdAgiX8

Did Joseph’s family make an error in thinking that Joseph’s dreams pertained to them?

In the Parsha at 37:7 Joseph has a dream where there are sheaves of wheat bowing down to him:

“וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ מְאַלְּמִים אֲלֻמִּים, בְּתוֹךְ הַשָּׂדֶה, וְהִנֵּה קָמָה אֲלֻמָּתִי, וְגַם-נִצָּבָה; וְהִנֵּה תְסֻבֶּינָה אֲלֻמֹּתֵיכֶם, וַתִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶיןָ לַאֲלֻמָּתִי.

 "for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves came round about, and bowed down to my sheaf.'

He has another dream where the Sun and the moon bow down to him.  This not only disturbs Joseph's brothers, but also his parents.

Could it be that the Egyptians who worshipped the Sun and the Babylonians who worshipped the Moon, great empires, would depend on their rise to greatness from Joseph the Jew?

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What crimes did the brothers  commit when they threw Joseph into the pit?

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Had Joseph's brothers been arrested, the District Attorney would have charged them with having committed the crimes of kidnapping, attempted murder, assault and human trafficking. 

At their arraignment where the criminal charges are read out which of the brothers would have pled guilty and which would if any would have pled not-guilty.  Would Rueven and Judah have copped a plea?

These are elements of the crimes for which the brothers were accused:

Kidnapping is the unlawful carrying away and confinement of a person against their will.

Attempted Murder requires a demonstration of an intent to murder, meaning that the perpetrator either tried to murder and failed or took a substantial step towards committing a murder.

Conspiracy to Commit Murder

To convict a defendant of conspiracy to commit murder, there must be evidence of an intention to enter into an agreement to kill.

Assault is the act of inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person.

Human Trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others.

How would you defend Joseph’s brothers?

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In this Parshat Vayeishev there is an interlude to the Joseph narrative from 38:1-30...sort of an informal breather.  It is the story of Tamar and Judah. 

In one sense it is reminiscent of the extreme measures taken by the heroines of our Tradition, such as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Hannah in order to have children so that the torch of Jewish people-hood is passed on from generation to generation. 

In another sense it is a reminder of the humble if not ignoble origin of the men who ruled us when we were an ancient people.

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In Parshat Vayeishev at 40:1 we learn that Joseph is doing hard time in the slammer along with fellow prisoners, the Butler and the Baker (but no Candlestick Maker). Joseph interprets their dreams: the Butler will be released, but the Baker is headed for the gibbet.

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In this concluding Aliyah of our Parshah we are beginning to see a different Joseph.  This is not the earlier Joseph whose dreams were about him, and where God was not in the equation.

 In these verses, Joseph is asked to reach out to others, to interpret the dreams of others.  He does so and explains that this gift comes from Hashem.  Clearly, Joseph has matured and is on his way to leadership.

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This week’s Haftorah portion comes from the Prophet Amos, 2:6 - 3:8.  Amos was active in about 760 BCE   He was from the southern Kingdom of Judah but preached in the northern Kingdom of Israel.  He spoke against an increased disparity between the very wealthy and the very poor. A major theme of Amos is social justice.

 Social justice is at the core of Amos's teachings.  And it can be found in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech:

  "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."

At 5:24, Amos says:

וְיִגַּל כַּמַּיִם, מִשְׁפָּט; וּצְדָקָה, כְּנַחַל אֵיתָן

 "and let justice rolls like water, righteousness like a mighty stream!".

Rabbi Balk, my Rabbi in Cincinnati, performs a duet:

https://vimeo.com/160927873/d8644b455f

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                                                                  BALANCE

As per Rav Kook by Chanan Morrison:

“The root of the disagreement among the brothers was in fact ideological. There were two schools of thought in Jacob’s family, one championed by Joseph, the other by Judah. Joseph stressed the mission of the Jewish people as “a light unto the nations.” In order to fulfill this goal, Joseph felt that we must interact with the nations of the world and expose them to the monotheistic teachings of Judaism.

Judah, on the other hand, was concerned about the negative influences when intermingling with pagan cultures. He emphasized the separate sanctity of the Jewish people, “a nation that dwells alone” (Num. 23:9). Judah feared that Joseph’s philosophy of openness and integration would endanger the future of the Jewish people. But how to safely neutralize this threat?

Simon and Levy, who had already fought against assimilation when they decimated the city of Shechem for kidnapping Dina, planned to simply kill Joseph. Judah objected, “What profit is there if we kill our brother?” (Gen. 37:26). The true danger is not Joseph, but his school of thought. Let us put his theories to the test. We will sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, and let him assimilate among the nations. Then all will see where his ideas lead to”.

We see these points of view expressed in different ways throughout our history, for example:

Hellenism versus the Pharisees,

Chabad outreach versus Satmar insularism,

Reform and Conservative Judaism versus Orthodoxy,

The late 19th century majority view that Zionism was a reprehensible sin versus the minority belief that emphasized the Mitzvah of forming a Jewish state in the historic Land of Israel

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 Chanan Morrison - The Tabernacle and the Temple –

AS PER RAV KOOK:

These conflicting views are reflected by the contrast between the Mishkan (Tabernacle) in Shiloh and the Temple in Jerusalem. In Shiloh, offerings could be eaten outside the walls, as long as the city of Shiloh was in sight. Temple offerings, on the other hand, could only be eaten within the Temple walls. Why this difference?

For Joseph, the primary mission was to publicly demonstrate the sanctity of Israel and educate the nations. Thus, the holiness of the Shiloh Tabernacle — in Joseph’s portion — spread beyond its walls. The Temple in Jerusalem, however, was located in the land of Judah and followed his view. It is necessary to build walls and restrict the dissemination of Torah, in order to protect the sanctity of the Jewish people.

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