Light The Song With Sense And Color; Hold Away Despair (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Terrapin Station")

           Eighty-one years ago, a leader of a democratic nation, while under attack from a  strong fascist country bent on conquering his small nation, risked his life to travel to Washington D.C. in order to speak before a joint session of Congress. Winston Churchill arrived in Washington D.C. on December 26, 1941, and stated his case that while the English had courage, will, and determination to fight but they needed weapons and financial support to withstand the Nazi onslaught. Now eighty-one years later, on the first day of winter, the day with the least amount of light, during Chanukkah, The Festival of Lights, another leader from a democratic country fighting for its very life against a larger country bent on its destruction, has arrived in Washington D.C. to speak before a joint session of Congress. Vladimir Zelenskyy spoke of his nation’s indomitable spirit, will and determination. He reminded all of North America, that his nation is a beacon of light against the dark forces of fascism, terrorism, and authoritarianism of a large nation bent on destroying his nation. While his nation’s energy infrastructure continues to be bombed by Russia, President Zelenskyy reminded us that the candle of his faith still requires the help of more weapons and financial support in order to insure that the light of his nation continues to burn brightly and defeat Russia.

          This Shabbat, we read from Parsha Mikeitz. This Parsha is always read during Chanukah. While the Parsha has no explicit relationship to Chanukah, also known as Chag Urim “The Festival of Lights”; the implicit relationship is quite powerful. The Parsha begins with Yosef hurriedly brought from the dungeon to meet Pharaoh after Pharaoh is troubled by two seemingly different dreams. Yosef, he has been told, is able to interpret dreams. So Yosef begins to interpret but not before he credits his gift as coming from Hashem. Yosef not only interprets the dreams he offers solutions for Pharaoh. As a result, Pharaoh appoints Yosef as Viceroy, the second most powerful man in Egypt and perhaps the Second most powerful man in the world. While managing an economic program to ensure Egypt’s survival during the seven years of famine as foretold in Pharaoh’s dream, Yosef made sure to build up storehouses with grain.  However, the famine affected the whole region including Canaan and Yosef’s father, Jacob and Yosef’s brothers. Eventually, Yosef’s brothers head down to Egypt in order to buy food. Joseph recognizes them, but they do not recognize him. Wanting to see his youngest brother Benjamin and his father Yaakov, Joseph arranges for the brothers to return home. One brother must remain in Egypt. Then, in order to redeem their brother, all the brothers including Benjamin must return to Egypt. After that, Joseph frames Benjamin, keeping him in Egypt. The Parsha concludes with the brothers returning to their father and conveying what happened to Benjamin.

            We can understand the concept of darkness both figuratively and literally; physically, intellectually, or even spiritually. Of course, we can understand the concept of light in the same way. VaYehi VaBoker VaTipaem Rucho – and it was morning; His spirit was agitated, VaYishlach VaYikra et Kol Chartumei Mitzrayim V’Et Kol Chochmeha – so he sent and summoned all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men (Gen. 41:8). Pharaoh had the dream about the seven cows and the seven ears of corn. Why do we need to know that it was the morning after his dream? How bad could the dreams be? Based on the Torah, Pharaoh slept through the night. Granted he didn’t sleep well. After all, we are told that in the morning, his spirit was agitated. In a sense, his spirit was still “in the dark” even though the morning light was upon him. He brings Yosef out of the dungeon, a place of physical darkness. However, Yosef, because of his relationship with Hashem, is the embodiment of light. Pharaoh asks the Egyptian Magicians and the Egyptian wise men, symbols of intellectual and spiritual light, to interpret the dream; to cast light upon Pharaoh’s troubled/darkened spirit. They are unable to bring light or offer a solution. However, Yosef, the embodiment of Hashem’s light, is capable of casting light upon Pharaoh’s darkness. To Pharaoh’s credit; his fear is not directed at Yosef. Instead, Pharaoh’s fear is directed at the ramifications of famine upon Egypt and how a famine would affect his authority.  Even though Yosef conceals his identity from his brothers, he remains in the darkness so to speak while his brothers are unable to conceal their identity from him.  Yosef is the embodiment of spiritual and physical light as he always knows what is happening and what will happen.  Despite Yosef being in a pit, and in a dungeon, Yosef is light. He is able to transmit his light, his knowledge, and his spiritual strength to those around him without being diminished; much like a candle transmits a flame to another candle. 

          After listening to the inspired words of President Zelenskyy, and re-reading the words of Winston Churchill, one couldn’t help but be aware of each leader speedily leaving the darkness of their respective battlefields just as Yosef left the darkness of his prison. In a sense, each shared a vision. Yosef explained and shared with Pharaoh, the meaning of Pharaoh’s vision. Churchill shared his vision about the requirements for fighting against the darkness of a tyrannical authoritarian force from the east. Zelenskyy shared his vision about the requirement for fighting against the darkness of a tyrannical authoritarian force from the east. Indeed, during the darkest times, there are moments when we see individuals provide a source of light for the rest of the world.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

Ain't No Time To Hate; Barely Time To Wait - Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia ("Uncle John's Band")

           With Chanukah set to begin this Sunday night, Jews and Christians will both be celebrating their respective holidays of Chanukkah and Christmas at the same time. A season noted for diminished sunlight and many hours of darkness will have holiday lights to offset some of that darkness. Earlier this week, a childhood friend of mine and his family were experiencing their own sort of darkness.   His three-year-old son underwent open heart surgery. When my friend notified his network of friends regarding his son's upcoming surgery, we made it a point to include his son in our prayers.  The surgery was a success, and certainly, science and medical expertise all contributed to the success of the surgery. However, from my friend and his wife’s perspective, the love,  and prayers of their friends also contributed to the surgery's success and turned darkness into light. During the same week, and in the same city, while light chased away the darkness of a family's trepidation and anxiety,   a United States Congresswoman spoke at a gathering of potential donors.  Full of hate, vitriol, and a sense of poisonous cynicism the Congresswoman bragged that if she and a like-minded fellow fascist and former political advisor had been in charge of the January 6th insurrection,  it would have succeeded.  Darkness attempted to swallow up the Democratic institutions and a system of checks and balances upon which the “noble experiment” was built. This congresswoman who supposedly swears an oath to the Constitution wants to destroy it,  This congresswoman who is paid by the very institutions that she swears an oath to protect and defend has aligned her beliefs with those who wish to destroy it. The irony is overwhelming and incredibly tragic. Imagine the hate that must fill the emptiness of that person’s soul. Imagine the darkness of her soul and the threat of darkness upon society if she assumes greater power. 

          This Shabbat we read from Parsha VaYeishev. We begin the Joseph story. Loved more than his brothers,  Joseph acts superior to his brothers and this behavior does not endear him to his brothers The brothers hate Joseph so much that they feign his death and instead they sell him off as a slave. Joseph is brought to Egypt as a slave, and there he works for a powerful Egyptian only to wind up in prison. While in prison, he helps the warden and the prison become efficient and very profitable. The Parsha begins with Joseph interpreting his dreams and explaining them to his brothers and his father. The Parsha concludes with Joseph interpreting the dreams of two fellow prisoners.  In between interpreting dreams and the events leading up to and immediately following those interpretations,  we read about Yehuda, the fourth son of Yaakov. Following personal tragedy and publically humiliating an innocent soul, Judah is presented with an opportunity to engage in public repentance. While not necessarily central t the Joseph story, this narrative helps to explain why Judah will be deemed worthy enough to eventually become the leader of the brothers, and from Judah will come the future kings of Israel. 

            For the first time in the Book of Genesis narrative, we encounter hatred. Regarding Joseph’s brother’s feelings towards Joseph, the Torah is clear. They are not jealous or angry. V’Yavei Yosef et Dibata Ra’ah el Avihem – Joseph brought an evil report of them (this might mean only Leah’s sons or it might refer to all the brothers). V’Yisroel Ahav et Yosef Mikol Banav Ki Ven Zekunim Hu Lo V’Asah Lo KeTonet Pasim – Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was the son of his old age and he made him a coat of many colors. Va’Yiru Echav Ki Oto Ahav Avihem MiKol Echav VaYisnu Oto  V’ Lo Yachlu Dabro L’Shalom – And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all the brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. VaYachalom Yosef Chalom VaYaGeid L’Echav VaYosifu Od Sno Oto – and Joseph dreamed a dream and he told it to his brothers and they hated him even more (Gen.27:2-5). Normally one goes through a series of emotions before arriving at hatred. We might have assumed that the brothers were at first angry or jealous before we learn that they hate Joseph. However, not only do these brothers hate Yosef they couldn’t speak civilly to him. They had to avoid speaking to him for fear that they might hurt him. That seems like a lot of hatred. Yet they managed to find even more hatred in their souls after Joseph told them about his dream of their bowing down to him. What is the difference between the first hatred the brothers felt before hearing of the dream and the hatred they felt after hearing about it? Perhaps the first hatred really was the culmination of emotions. That the normal anger and jealousy, over time, evolved into a hatred for Joseph. Certainly, that “hatred” seems to be justified as the Torah text offers reasons for their hatred. It seems that by trying to ignore Joseph, the brothers are aware that their hatred is passionate based upon jealousy, anger, and rage. The second hatred is more than the first. This hatred seems like a cold calculating hatred where they stop seeing Joseph as a brother. Hinei Ba’al Chalomot HaLaZeh Ba – Behold the dreamer comes (Gen. 27:19). How much do the brothers hate their brother? They hate him so much that they don’t see him as a brother but as something else. Because he is seen as and considered to be something else, something other than a part of their family, they see Joseph as a threat. Without passion but rather with a cool hatred they can cooly, calmly, and rationally discuss killing him and leaving him in a pit.

            The Torah narrative almost seems to acknowledge that the human soul has a large capacity for hatred. However as large a capacity for hatred we may have, that doesn’t mean we should act upon it. The brothers discuss killing Joseph but they don’t. They sell him to Midianites on their way to Egypt. Hatred is one of the seven basic emotions. We are not supposed to succumb to our emotions, no matter how justified, no matter how cool and calculated those emotions may be. They are still emotions. The narrative reminds us and we see it with the development of Joseph and Judah. We are supposed to be governed by something more than our emotions. We are supposed to be governed by our desire to be holy and sacred, to act selflessly, and pray for our friends.  Imagine the tripe, cesspool of social media and hatred that causes a member of the United States Congress to sound remarkably similar to the fascists we fought against in a World War and the authoritarianism we fought against in its aftermath. A holiday miracle would be if she and those like her lost their voice, lost their followers, lost their power, and just went away and were replaced by those who had a deep and profound respect for their county’s democratic institutions, its most sacred document - The Constitution, and the peaceful transition of power. Amid this season of darkness, we can always pray for more light and make sure to shine that light upon those whose souls are filled with darkness and hate.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

Now I Live In Fear Of Waking Up Each Morning (Don Rollins - "The Race Is On")

          I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I wake up, a bit anxious, and worried. So I get out of bed, head downstairs,  sip some tea, and look out at the night sky.   While looking at the stars, I find myself thinking about my aging parents and their health. I think about my children and where they are in their lives. I think about how to afford college tuition, and pay for an upcoming wedding. I look at the stars and think about where I am in my life, where I am in my career and the anxiety of working and earning a paycheck.  As I continue to look out into the night sky and sip my tea, I am reassured that we all go through a period of time where we struggle with the existential angst of life. For some reason, it occurs late at night while everyone else sleeps soundly.

          This Shabbat we read from Parsha Vayishlach. Yaakov and his family prepare to return to Yaakov’s home. However, they will first need to deal with an almost twenty-year grudge held by Esav. Yaakov will hope for the best and prepare for the worst as he prepares to meet his brother.  After their short reunion, Yaakov makes his way back to his ancestral lands. His mother passes away. He is blessed with another son, Benjamin, born to his wife Rachel. However, she dies in childbirth. His daughter, Dinah, has an illicit relationship with the prince of Shechem. According to the text, she is rendered “impure” and her brothers wipe out the prince and his village. Yaakov’s name is changed to Yisroel. God blessed Yaakov within the context of the covenant made with Avraham and Yitzchok. Yaakov’s blessing includes children, land, and wealth, all of the things that God promised to Yaakov’s grandfather – Avraham. The Parsha concludes with Yaakov and Esav seeing each other one last time in order to bury their father Yitzchok, and then we read the final psukim: a list of Esav’s descendants down to grandchildren.

           Parsha VaYishlach is replete with dramatic moments. Arguably among the most dramatic moments occurs the night before Yaakov meets his brother Esav after a 20-year feud, a moment in which  Yaakov’s life is forever changed.  VaYivater Yaakov L’Vado, VaYei’avek Ish Imo Ad A lot HaShachar – Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.  VaYar Ki Lo Yachol Lo VYiga B’Chaf Yereicho VaTeikah Kaf Yerech Yaakov  B’Hei’Avko Imo – When he perceived that he could not overcome him, he struck the socket of his hip; so Jacob’s hip socket was dislocated as he wrestled with him.  VaYomer Shalcheini Ki Alah Hashachar Vayomer Lo Ashaleichecha Ki Im Beiractani – Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn has broken. “ And he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Vayomer Eilav Mah Shemecha VaYomer Yaakov – and he said to him, “what is your name” and he said “Jacob”. Vayomer Lo Yaakov Yei’Amar Od Shimcha Ki Im Yisroel Ki Sarita Im Elohim V’Im Anashim Vatuchal – He said, “No longer will it be said that your name is Jacob, but Israel, for you fought with the Divine and with man and have overcome.”  (Gen 32:25-29)  So if Yaakov was left alone, with whom did he wrestle?  The Torah tells us he wrestled with a man, however by the end of this brief narrative, Yaakov is asking the man to bless him.  There is no consensus among the classical commentators known as The M’forshim. Explanations attempting to define the “man” range from an angel, an angel of Esav, or an angel in the form of man. The language of the wrestling match only uses the Hebrew word “Hu” – in English "he". The Torah tells us that he held on, he didn’t let go, he blessed him, “he” wrestled with him. Yaakov’s name is only mentioned when his hip is pulled out of the joint, and Yaakov is about to be renamed. A more modern and psychologically aware understanding suggests that the “man” is Yaakov. Yaakov is struggling with himself. The reality is, During his sleepless night, during his “mid-life crisis” and his “moment of clarity”; Yaakov struggled with himself, and eventually Yaakov will accept his relationship with God and a sense of purpose in his life. This does not mean his life will be easier. It just means that Yaakov, with this renewed sense of purpose and identity, will be able to deal with all the troubles and heartache that are involved in living life.

          Yes, there have been more nights when my sleep is interrupted by worry and anxiety. Indeed, there are more worries, and there are more things that feel beyond my control.  There are more times that I worry about the direction of my life and whether this is the right path. No, we don’t necessarily have our hips pulled out of joint when we wake up in the middle of the night with this existential angst.  However, transitions can be filled with anxiety. It probably causes wrinkles and definitely causes gray hair. However, those struggles can serve a purpose. Those struggles can lead us to moments of clarity, and we understand that our lives do have a purpose, and our families will be ok and everything will be all right.

Peace,
Rav Yitz