I happened to be at the
supermarket this week. That in it of itself is not so unusual, as I usually get
the list from my wife and stop on the way home from work. So the other day
happened to be the Pre-Chanukah list consisting of oil, potatoes, sweet potatoes,
onions and something healthy to offset all the starch and oil. Frequently, I
will see congregants and friends and friend’s wives. So the other day I
happened to see one of my wife’s book group friends. After the standard chit chat, she asks me where
our son will be attending High School because she heard from her son that he
will be attending a particular school. It’s not every day that I have to verify
or deny a rumor about our son’s life. For the next ten minutes, in the cereal
aisle, we began discussing Jewish high schools. She spoke about why her son
attended one high school as opposed to another. Then she made an interesting
comment. As she, her husband and her son
went through the process of making a choice they all realized that if they were
considering school on the basis of which one would protect and shield their son
from all the shmutz of modern society, all the hedonistic behavior, the drugs,
and all the difficult things that teenagers have to deal with; then they were
going to be greatly disappointed. She said that no Jewish High School could
protect her son from all the negative aspects of secularism, of hedonistic
western culture. Rather, part of their decision was based upon which school
offered the tools to deal with, and not deny the negative aspects of secularism
in our everyday culture. Ultimately, she explained it came down to how assimilated
their home would be in behavior, in attitude, and in the acknowledgment of the
world around them. She wished me luck with our son’s choice and I continued
with my Chanukah food shopping.
This Shabbat we read from Parsha
Mikeitz. Mikeitz always coincides with Chanukah. The Parsha begins two years from when
VaYeishev concluded. Pharaoh has a dream. He is unsatisfied with all attempts
to interpret it. Pharaoh's wine chamberlain remembers that Yosef accurately
interpreted his dream while in prison. Yosef is released from prison and
brought before Pharaoh. He interprets that soon will begin seven years of
abundance followed by seven years of severe famine. Pharaoh appoints him as
viceroy to oversee the project. Egypt becomes the granary of the world. Yaakov
sends his sons to Egypt to buy food. The brothers come before Yosef and bow to
him. Yosef recognizes them but they do not recognize him. Without disclosing
his identity, Yosef sells food and grain to his brothers[G1] [G2] [G3] but keeps
Shimon hostage until they bring their brother Binyamin to him as proof that
they are who they say they are. Yaakov refuses to let Binyamin go to Egypt, but when the famine
grows unbearable, he accedes. Yehuda guarantees Binyamin's safety, and the
brothers go to Egypt. Yosef welcomes the brothers lavishly as honored guests.
When he sees Binyamin he rushes from the room and weeps. Yosef instructs his
servants to put his goblet inside Binyamin's sack. When the goblet is
discovered, Yosef demands Binyamin become his slave as punishment. Yehuda
interposes and offers himself instead, but Yosef refuses. [G4] [G5] [G6]
For the first time, beginning in
last week’s Torah portion, VaYeishev and again
in Mikeitz, we read about an individual encounter a dominant culture while
still retaining his sense of code and morality. Avraham left the dominant
culture and encountered it periodically but did so accompanied by his wife.
Yitzchak encountered a different culture but had never left home in a spiritual
nor a physical sense (he always remained in the land). Even Yaakov never had to
confront a dominant culture. Yes, his uncle Lavan was an idol worshipper, but
it was family and besides Uncle Lavan's was a tribal culture. When Yaakov
encountered Shechem, he did so accompanied by his sons. However, Yosef was in
his late teens, early twenties when arrived in Egypt. He worked for Potiphar.
He had to stave off the sexual harassment of Potiphar's wife and accept the
injustice of prison. At the beginning of Mikeitz, we find Yosef in prison,
still referred to as [G7] [G8] [G9] [G10] Naar
Ivri- Hebrew Youth even though he
is 30 (Gen. 41:46). Even after
interpreting Pharaohs’ dreams, becoming a Viceroy, wearing Egyptian clothes,
looking Egyptian, being clean shaven like an Egyptian, speaking Egyptian,
marrying an Egyptian woman (Asnat) and receiving an Egyptian name (Zaphenat
Paneah), and essentially living an Egyptian lifestyle; Yosef somehow manages to
maintain his tribal loyalty, his Jewishness, his sense of morality and code.
When Pharaoh tells Yosef about his dream and is asked to interpret it; VaYa’An Yosef et Paroh Leimor, Biladai
Elohim Ya’Eneh et Shlom Paroh – Joseph
answered Pharaoh saying, That is beyond me; it is God who will respond with
Pharaoh’s welfare. The Or HaChaim
comments that Biladai is not only a humble expression “that is beyond me”. Biladai
means “this does not depend on me”. This is not only an indication of Yosef
giving credit for his “Dream Telling Gift” to God. Yosef subtly indicates that
his code and his theology will not waver within this overbearing and all-encompassing
culture. Yosef adds the words Shlom
Paroh- literally, the peace of Pharaoh. Yosef is
merely a vessel, and he isn't so much interpreting a dream, instead, he is
providing a prophecy. As a result, Yosef must speak truth to power and cannot
bend or interpret the meaning to satisfy some other agenda or plan except God's
plan.[G11] [G12] [G13] [G14] [G15] [G16]
Yosef, at the relatively young
age of 30 has accepted the fact that his path, although his choosing, is part
of God's plan. Yes, some people are lucky to sense that a plan has been revealed
to them. Yosef's spiritual strength, his unwavering sense of belonging to a [G17] covenantal relationship means that no
matter the name, no matter the clothes, no matter the culture, he is acutely
aware that certain constants will keep him grounded in his relationship with
God. No, I don't know the path our son
or any of our children are supposed to take. We can offer them guidance as they
make their way along the path of their lives. Eventually, they will need to make
those decisions for themselves. While we light the [G18] Chanukah candles, we are reminded Judaism’s
survival within a powerful Hellenistic culture, we are reminded of Yosef
surviving within a powerful Egyptian culture. We only hope that we have
provided them enough tools, enough education and enough grounding in values
that we deem important so that their decisions are an expression of a moral code
and covenant to which they belong.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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