Shabbat Thoughts-Parsaht Vayigash-5778

Chanukah has departed. As we begin to clean up the wax and put our Menorot away,  I imagine that we are still seeing the bright glow of flames in our mind’s eye. For eight nights we kindled flames in the manner of 2,200 years of tradition. Any passerby has been prompted to ask “What are those flames?” and “What is Hanukkah?”.  We all know the Hasmoneans put themselves in great danger in order that their descendants be free to live as Jews. Now, as we share the last remaining gelt with any chocolate-lovers, we look forward in time with the hope that all people will be able to live in freedom. Chanukah epitomizes our fundamental value that everyone be able to celebrate the greatest of human aspirations; freedom. 

      Tomorrow, the Shabbat associated with a well-known confrontation between brothers, begins. Parshat Vayigash is as famous as any holiday reunion. Just as you and I are are well- aware of tensions which may occur as many different relatives gather around holiday tables, so, too, do we remember that Judah was the mastermind of originally selling Joseph as a slave to a caravan bound for Egypt. If not for Judah’s initiative, Joseph might have died in the wilderness. On the other hand he may have been able to escape from his brothers and return home.

      20 years later Judah and ten brothers are standing before Joseph and are, in effect, slaves to him. The turnabout is stark.  If you were Joseph how would you react to Judah’s offer to voluntarily accept a life of slavery in order that Benjamin be allowed to return home?  Perhaps it is this selfless act of concern, both for brother Benjamin and for father Jacob who may die of a broken heart if Benjamin goes missing, that eventually breaks down Joseph’s resolve.

       Each family has its own dynamic. Every family bears its own twists and turns. Joseph and Judah made choices 20 years ago. How they will interact now, decades after their last hostile encounter, will be dependent upon how they view the future and the present. May we learn life lessons from our ancestors, both from recent generations and from those who lived during the days of Torah. May we make our future a time of freedom and peace for our families and for each other.

Shabbat Shalom.