Dear TBZ Community:
In this week’s parasha (Torah portion), Vayeshev, we encounter the saga of Joseph and his brothers.
As we are introduced to the story, the first thing we hear is Jacob’s favoritism of his son Joseph. Perhaps this should not surprise us, as throughout the whole book of Genesis we have seen this play out.
In the case of Joseph, there is no hiding this love. In Genesis 37:3 we read:
וְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָהַב אֶת־יוֹסֵף מִכּל־בָּנָיו כִּי־בֶן־זְקֻנִים הוּא לוֹ וְעָשָׂה לוֹ כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים
Now Israel [a name given to Jacob] loved Joseph best of all his sons—he was his “child of old age”; and he had made him an ornamented tunic.
This tunic becomes a symbol of his favoritism, of the tension between the brothers, of the hatred.
Further in the story, the brothers decide to kill Joseph. In Genesis 37:20 we read:
וְעַתָּה לְכוּ וְנַהַרְגֵהוּ וְנַשְׁלִכֵהוּ בְּאַחַד הַבֹּרוֹת וְאָמַרְנוּ חַיָּה רָעָה אֲכָלָתְהוּ וְנִרְאֶה מַה־יִּהְיוּ חֲלֹמֹתָיו
“…Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we can say, ‘A savage beast devoured him.’ We shall see what comes of his dreams!”
But Reuben stops them in the next verse, saying:
וַיִּשְׁמַע רְאוּבֵן וַיַּצִּלֵהוּ מִיָּדָם וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא נַכֶּנּוּ נָפֶשׁ
But when Reuben heard it, he tried to save him from them. He said, “Let us not take his life”
Instead, Reuben proposes a different punishment for his brother, hoping he could save Joseph’s life.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם רְאוּבֵן אַל־תִּשְׁפְּכוּ־דָם הַשְׁלִיכוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל־הַבּוֹר הַזֶּה
אֲשֶׁר בַּמִּדְבָּר וְיָד אַל־תִּשְׁלְחוּ־בוֹ לְמַעַן הַצִּיל אֹתוֹ מִיָּדָם לַהֲשִׁיבוֹ אֶל־אָבִיו
And Reuben went on, “Shed no blood! Cast him into that pit out in the wilderness, but do not touch him yourselves”—intending to save him from them and restore him to his father.
At that point the brothers strip Joseph of his tunic, the ornamented tunic that his father gave him, which started the jealousy and discord between the siblings, and cast him into the pit.
וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר־בָּא יוֹסֵף אֶל־אֶחָיו וַיַּפְשִׁיטוּ אֶת־יוֹסֵף אֶת־כֻּתּנְתּוֹ אֶת־כְּתֹנֶת הַפַּסִּים אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו
When Joseph came up to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the ornamented tunic that he was wearing
וַיִּקָּחֻהוּ–וַיַּשְׁלִכוּ אֹתוֹ, הַבֹּרָה; וְהַבּוֹר רֵק, אֵין בּוֹ מָיִם.
and took him and cast him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
Chizkuni, a French rabbi and Bible commentator of the 13th Century, explains:
את כתונת הפסים, “the striped coat;” because it had been the garment which had caused all the hatred and jealousy.
At that moment it seems that the brothers are trying to get rid of that which has caused them pain. By stripping Joseph of his coat, perhaps they hope they can get rid of their jealousy? Get rid of the hatred?
They stripped him of his coat, put him in a pit!
The very next verse, Genesis 37:25:
וַיֵּשְׁבוּ, לֶאֱכָל-לֶחֶם
Then they sat down to a meal.
Chizkuni expounds:
וישבו, they sat down; some distance away from the pit, in order to eat their midday meal and not to have to listen to his pitiful pleas.
They stripped him of his coat, put him in a pit, sat at a distance to not hear his pleas, and ate a meal!
And next… they sell Joseph to the Ishmalites, per their brother Judah’s idea (who is also trying to save Joseph from death).
They stripped him of his coat, put him in a pit, sat at a distance to not hear his pleas, ate a meal, and sold him!
All these actions that the brothers take are for the sake of getting rid of their jealousy, their hatred, their feelings toward their brother. Put away the “issue,” stop seeing, and get rid of that which causes them pain. Perhaps a human mechanism for survival.
But it doesn’t work that way. They can pretend that by sending him away, by removing the source of their pain from their daily life, they can move on and keep going. They try… but the rest of the story is known to us: eventually they will face Joseph again there will be time for crying, for reconciliation, and for forgiveness. Time to face the truth.
We can read this story in so many different ways, and can relate it to our own personal lives. Sometimes just “sitting far away” and not looking at the issues we are struggling with seems easier, but we know that often, the issues will come back to us. And we can also think about the ways we face the world, the challenges, the pain that we continue to witness in this chaotic reality. Do we sit “to eat far not to hear the pitiful plea,” do we pretend?
We are about to celebrate Hanukkah (we light the first candle on December 25). On the darkest days of the year, our practice is to increase light. To light candles, to see what needs to be seen. To face what needs to be faced, and to trust that we can bring light to places of darkness.
Rabbi Abraham Yitzhak Kook, also known simply as “HaRav Kook,” teaches:
Every person must know and understand that deep within them a candle burns, and their candle is unlike the candle of any other. There is no person without a candle. Every person must know and understand that it is upon them to toil and reveal the light of their candle for others. They must kindle them into a great torch that will illuminate the entire world.
Increasing light and kindling a great torch to illuminate the world is perhaps the opposite of sitting at a distance. It is not easy or simple. But it is what we are asked to do. To face the darkness, the pain, the challenges; not escape, not push them away, not strip them out. And perhaps when we shed light on the pain, we illuminate the path ahead.
May God bring blessing and comfort to all of us and our loved ones. May we find strength, courage, and patience, and open our hearts with generosity. May all those who are ill find healing.
May the hostages soon be returned to their families and friends; may peace prevail and may the leaders of the world know to prioritize life. May those who are working for peace be granted strength and courage to continue their sacred work, and may we soon see peace and dignity for all.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Hanukkah!
Rav Claudia