A word of Torah:
Last week’s Torah portion ends with Joseph (still unrevealed to his brothers) threatening to imprison Benjamin in Egypt. This cliff-hanging ending is picked up with the beginning of this week’s portion, Va-yigash, when Judah approaches Joseph in an attempt to change Joseph’s decision. Judah recaps everything that has happened in a long speech that is unusual for the usually laconic biblical text. In response, Joseph reveals himself to his stunned brothers.
Why is Judah’s plea effective? Joseph has recreated the circumstances of his betrayal by his brothers. Once again, they will have to act on behalf of a child of Rachel. Benjamin is the closest thing to Joseph himself. In stepping forward to offer himself, Judah demonstrates that he has changed. Joseph’s brothers have passed the test and he is ready to forgive them.
Perhaps though the story is not so simple. In Judah’s speech, he mentions his father fourteen times. Let me suggest that the real obstacle to Joseph’s ability to forgive his brothers lies in Joseph’s uncertainty not about them, but about his father Jacob. Joseph has spent all these years in Egypt wondering whether his father knew of his fate. Did Jacob accept what the brothers did out of a cowardice, just as he remained silent after his sons massacred the people of Shechem after Dinah’s rape? Or even worse, did he agree with the brother’s actions because of Joseph’s obnoxious behavior as a young man?
Judah tells Joseph that Jacob believes that Joseph was killed by a wild animal and still mourns his lost son. This is the stone covering Joseph’s heart, preventing him from letting go of the past. It is why Joseph apparently never thought to contact his father (and mother), when he became viceroy of Egypt.
In response to the moment, Joseph is overwhelmed and bursts into loud sobbing. He finally is able to say: I am Joseph, is my father still well? He confirms that his deepest concern has been about whether his father joined in his betrayal. The brothers are speechless. Joseph now tells them to come close (geshu) and says I am Joseph your brother, that is, I am not just Joseph, but most importantly I am your brother. All is well.
In difficult moments, we need to ask ourselves what is really in the way of our doing teshuvah/engaging in change?
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