SEDRA VAYIGASH DECEMBER 2011 “Brothers in arms” Visions for the future.
The Final scene is set- Joseph reveals himself to his brothers- “ANI YOSEF” I am Joseph.
After embracing each other, the brothers are charged with the responsibility of bringing their father Jacob to meet his son Joseph whom he mourned for and thought was dead.
On seeing their father the sons say “OD YOSEF CHAI” Joseph is alive.
Jacob is happy and says “RAV OD-YOSEF BNI ”. My son Joseph still lives.
And so Jacob prepares to leave Eretz Yisrael and journey to Egypt.
At Beersheva he offers up sacrifices to “LELOKEI AVI YITZHOK”. To the G-d of his father Isaac.( Rashi says the obligation to honour a parent is greater than that to a grandfather)
Why does he not say “the G-d of my father and grandfather Abraham and Isaac”?
In Sedra Vayeztei G-d says to Jacob after his dream of the ladder “ANI HASHEM ELOKEI AVRAHAM, ELOKEI YITZHAK”. Here Rashi says because Isaac was old housebound and nearly blind, it was as if he was dead. Therefore G-d designated His Name over Isaac.
Now we see something strange in the posuk as it continues. The posuk states “G-d spoke to Jacob through night visions “B.MAROWS HALAILA”
Here we also have Jacob’s name repeated – why? He is a tzaddik, and the repetition here is because it is a term of endearment.
Also as “Abraham Abraham, “Moshe Moshe,” “Samuel Samuel.”
The Meshech Chochma raises an interesting point on this passuk. Neither Abraham or Isaac ever received Divine visions at night. Jacob however received them twice, here on this occasion and when he dreamed of the ladder. The Meshech Chochma points out the significance as follows:-
On both occasions Jacob was going out of Eretz Yisrael. In Veyetzei he was on his way to Lavan and now he was on his way to Egypt.
G-d therefore appeared to him at night to reassure him that even in the midst of the darkest exile symbolised by night The Shechina, The Divine Presence would still be with him.
There is a Gemara in Megilla which states “When the Jewish people were exiled to Bavel, the Shechina was, so to speak, exiled with them.”
When Jacob hears the news of Joseph’s existence he is filled with fear. He had nearly lost his daughter; he had given up all hope of seeing Joseph again. Now he feared what might happen to his children and grandchildren in a foreign land exposed to foreign languages and culture.
Jacob’s fear conjures up all sorts of visions, all kinds of fears that have threatened Jews over the centuries.
He had defeated Lavan, then Esau, he had wrestled with an angel at night and he had won. He now wonders if he and his family can win against assimilation. What can happen to his family, sons, children and grandchildren?
G-d reassures him “I will go down with you” “And I will bring you up.” “I will go with you”.( I will guard you)
Seventy souls are said to have gone down to Egypt but when we count them there are only sixty nine. G-d himself was the seventieth. “I will be with you all the time”.
Sixty nine souls together with G-d formed the nation, a people AM BNEI YISROEL.
Take G-d away from the equation and you are left with a collection of people, put G-d back in and you have a nation of Jews.
Putting G-d in your daily life can insure against assimilation.
(See HAMAAVIR SHEYNA and YEHI RATZON immediately after Brachot from the morning prayers for ideas on insurance protection.)
“And Joseph shall put his hand on your eyes” Jacob’s vision for the future, a viable, sustainable G-d fearing nation of Jews is only sustainable if Jacob’s vision is passed on to his sons and to his grandchildren.
Our continuance as a nation as G-d’s beloved people AM KODOSH a holy people, a nation of priests, depends on what inheritance we leave our children.
If all that we leave is material possessions then this will only cause disruption and family strife.
“And Joseph will put his hands on your eyes”- if we leave an inheritance of religious riches, our children’s first thoughts will be to continue their father’s vision.
The vision of moral opportunity, the vision of a Torah way of life, the vision of communal responsibility and charitable endeavours; that should be our vision for the future.
Putting something back in to society not just taking out, should be our aim.
The future for our sons and their children depends on the vision they inherit from us.
Will that vision be a Jewish vision, a vision of kindness both of word and deed?
A vision of righteousness and a vision of compassion.
A vision that the seventieth person to leave Egypt with Jacob, G-d, will always be with us and we will never be alone.
This week's sedra introduces us to the notion of interpersonal relationships and interaction. In our daily lives we all have to live with our emotions and feelings, with sadness and and anger. Mistrust, suspicion, forgiveness, reconciliation and remorse as demonstrated in the sedra are common place for us each and everyday of our lives. The lesson is to be mindful of the feelings of others and to keep in touch with loved ones and neighbours.
In these dark times again for our beloved nation let us pray that the Shechina protects those who are at this moment protecting us.
So that fathers will again be able to be reunited like Jacob with Joseph, with warm embrace and paternal love that binds children to parents in the safe knowledge
“SHIR HAMALOS ESO ENAI” that G-d’s eternal protection will always be with us.
It was in this spirit that our thoughts some months ago went out to the family of Gilad Shalit. Let us hope and pray where individuals are still missing or incarcerated that fathers will soon be united with sons, mothers with offspring and families with children.
Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom from me and TTFN.
