“The chief wine steward spoke to Pharaoh.’ I must recall my crimes today,' he said. 'Pharaoh was angry at us, and he placed me under arrest in the house of the captain of the guard, along with the chief baker. We dreamed one night - he and I each had a dream that seemed to have its own special meaning. There was a young Hebrew man with us, a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them. He provided each of us with an interpretation, and things worked out just as he said they would. I was given back my position, while [the baker] was hanged.' Pharaoh sent messengers and had Joseph summoned. They rushed him from the dungeon. He got a haircut and changed clothes, and then came to Pharaoh.” –Genesis 41:9-14
The kabalistic work Zohar maintains that the sale of Joseph to Egypt and his subsequent rise to the position of viceroy was part of the Divine plan of sending the Jews into exile. This was the means to that end. Joseph would have been redeemed from jail regardless, it so happens to be that the chief wine steward merited being the messenger for the Divine plan. Had he not spoken, somehow Joseph would have achieved freedom through another means.
In the Purim story as well, Mordechai tells Esther that she is given an opportunity to forever be inscribed in the hollowed annals of Jewish history. However if she refused, salvation would inevitable arrive from another source, and her destiny would be lost forever.
We are currently in the midst of the Chanukah celebration. We are celebrating the victory of the Torah lifestyle over that of the Greek lifestyle. The Jews were not in physical danger; this was purely a war against the spiritual soul of the Jews. The Jewish establishment in Israel had primarily assimilated. There were just a small amount of faithful Jews remaining. Matisyahu the High Priest analyzed the situation. G-d promises the Jewish people that they will persevere no matter what befalls them. Matisyahu realized that his moment has arrived. If he decides to stand up for the future of the Jewish people he will partake in its future, but if G-d forbid he stands on the sidelines, who knows what will happen to his own family. He decided to fight back against this war on the Torah and mitzvos, and he succeeded. Our celebration is about a small group of people who saw the challenge that lay ahead, but nonetheless decided to do their part. G-d welcomed their efforts and decided to make them His messengers for the preservation of our faith.
We are at a crossroad today. The Jewish world has by and large assimilated. Intermarriage is rampant. The story of Chanukah is more applicable than ever. Today there is no more Matisyahu, there is just you and me. Each one of us can spread the light. We can each become like the Maccabees. Practically speaking here are just a couple of ideas to help us join the ranks of the chief wine steward, Esther, and Matisyahu:
1) Inform friends and co-workers about learning opportunities such as Partners in Torah.1-800-Study-4-2
2) Invite friends over for a Shabbos meal.
3) Offer to help with procuring mezuzahs etc.
4) Invite friends over for Chanukah lighting and latkas, and explain how this isn't the Jewish response to X-mas.
5) Host a kosher cooking event
6) Create a lunch and learn in your office
7) Begin your workday by studying the daily laws of gossip with co-workers or friends
8) Study more Torah
9) Create achievable goals for your own advancement in Torah study
10) Email a weekly Torah thought to friends
Hopefully through this group effort we will all merit to witness our generations personal Chanukah miracle!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Parshas Vayeishev: The Portraits on the Wall
"And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came to pass on a certain day, when he went into the house to do his work, and there was none of the men of the house there within, that she caught him by his garment, saying: 'Lie with me.' And he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out." -Genesis 10:12
"TO DO HIS WORK: Joseph had planned on lying with his master’s wife, but his father's image appeared to him... Joseph therefore abstained from sinning. As a reward he merited getting the letter “hey” from G-d's name added to his own name. -Talmud Sota 36b
In the heat of the moment, just a split second before Joseph would have mired his eternal destiny, Jacob's visage jolted him into repentance. Let's think about this for a second. Surely this was a great accomplishment, but at the end of the day, Jacob appeared to Joseph to stop him. Why did Joseph receive such a great reward, if he had such a clear revelation which pulled the brakes on his raging urge?
To understand the significance of Joseph’s actions, we must first appreciate the backdrop of this incident. Joseph was a young lad who was the apple of his father’s eye. He studied with his father and received more than his eleven brothers received. One day however that entire picture changed. Betrayed by his brothers, he was sold into slavery. He was sold from one group to another until he was finally sold to Potiphar in Egypt. At that point most people would have thrown all of their traditions away. He saw that his brother’s faith did not prevent them from committing this act against him. Nobody sought him out. He had no future left to his name. Alas, his master saw things differently. Joseph quickly rose to the position of chief of staff in Potiphar’s estate. He created a new identity for himself. He was so beloved that eventually his master gave his own daughter to Joseph for marriage. His new future and identity was secure. He was exceptionally handsome, and his own master’s wife constantly attempted to seduce him. He was set for life.
Right before Joseph nearly yielded to his desires to sin with his master’s wife, he gave his past one last thought. He realized that although he was no longer living the life of his past and of his parents, this act would sever whatever connection was left. But he also realized that his past was more or less obsolete. He entered the house for the purpose of sinning, and then something amazing occurred. He glanced at the (mental) picture of Jacob on the wall. His mind began to twirl. True, his current life had very little to do with the person in the frame, but that person represented something that seemed much greater than his present reality. Jacob represented the ultimate truth and purpose of life. Joseph had a split second to reconsider. He looked at Potiphar’s wife, and he looked at his mental image of Jacob. Potiphar’s wife pulled him towards a temporal and fleeting moment of pleasure, and Jacob pulled him towards the ultimate truth.
At that moment, there was no reason for Joseph to stop his urges. That picture from the past had no more relevance. But Joseph was jolted into submission. He chose his past which represented the truth over his present and future which represented pleasure. That was a choice never made before in history. Many people had that picture on the wall, but Joseph dusted off that picture and updated it to make it relevant again in his new reality.
The Talmud informs us that Joseph's act of controlling his passions will be used in the Heavenly Court as a case against the wicked who don't control their desires. The Sfas Emes explains that although Joseph was always righteous, his act of control paved the way for all Jews to overcome their earthly desires. How so? Because Joseph made the case for all of us that the photo’s of our ancestors hanging on our walls and on our hearts still have relevance in today’s day and age. He showed us that the pursuit of the ultimate truth is more important that the greatest pleasures which exist. Joseph’s realization was totally unexpected. Such an act of sacrifice on his part is blessed with no less that an addition of a letter from G-d’s name.
May we all merit to look at the pictures on our walls, and to try to put that letter from G-d’s name into our own.
"TO DO HIS WORK: Joseph had planned on lying with his master’s wife, but his father's image appeared to him... Joseph therefore abstained from sinning. As a reward he merited getting the letter “hey” from G-d's name added to his own name. -Talmud Sota 36b
In the heat of the moment, just a split second before Joseph would have mired his eternal destiny, Jacob's visage jolted him into repentance. Let's think about this for a second. Surely this was a great accomplishment, but at the end of the day, Jacob appeared to Joseph to stop him. Why did Joseph receive such a great reward, if he had such a clear revelation which pulled the brakes on his raging urge?
To understand the significance of Joseph’s actions, we must first appreciate the backdrop of this incident. Joseph was a young lad who was the apple of his father’s eye. He studied with his father and received more than his eleven brothers received. One day however that entire picture changed. Betrayed by his brothers, he was sold into slavery. He was sold from one group to another until he was finally sold to Potiphar in Egypt. At that point most people would have thrown all of their traditions away. He saw that his brother’s faith did not prevent them from committing this act against him. Nobody sought him out. He had no future left to his name. Alas, his master saw things differently. Joseph quickly rose to the position of chief of staff in Potiphar’s estate. He created a new identity for himself. He was so beloved that eventually his master gave his own daughter to Joseph for marriage. His new future and identity was secure. He was exceptionally handsome, and his own master’s wife constantly attempted to seduce him. He was set for life.
Right before Joseph nearly yielded to his desires to sin with his master’s wife, he gave his past one last thought. He realized that although he was no longer living the life of his past and of his parents, this act would sever whatever connection was left. But he also realized that his past was more or less obsolete. He entered the house for the purpose of sinning, and then something amazing occurred. He glanced at the (mental) picture of Jacob on the wall. His mind began to twirl. True, his current life had very little to do with the person in the frame, but that person represented something that seemed much greater than his present reality. Jacob represented the ultimate truth and purpose of life. Joseph had a split second to reconsider. He looked at Potiphar’s wife, and he looked at his mental image of Jacob. Potiphar’s wife pulled him towards a temporal and fleeting moment of pleasure, and Jacob pulled him towards the ultimate truth.
At that moment, there was no reason for Joseph to stop his urges. That picture from the past had no more relevance. But Joseph was jolted into submission. He chose his past which represented the truth over his present and future which represented pleasure. That was a choice never made before in history. Many people had that picture on the wall, but Joseph dusted off that picture and updated it to make it relevant again in his new reality.
The Talmud informs us that Joseph's act of controlling his passions will be used in the Heavenly Court as a case against the wicked who don't control their desires. The Sfas Emes explains that although Joseph was always righteous, his act of control paved the way for all Jews to overcome their earthly desires. How so? Because Joseph made the case for all of us that the photo’s of our ancestors hanging on our walls and on our hearts still have relevance in today’s day and age. He showed us that the pursuit of the ultimate truth is more important that the greatest pleasures which exist. Joseph’s realization was totally unexpected. Such an act of sacrifice on his part is blessed with no less that an addition of a letter from G-d’s name.
May we all merit to look at the pictures on our walls, and to try to put that letter from G-d’s name into our own.
Parshas Vayishlach: Kissed By an Angel
“And Jacob sent angels before him to Esau his brother ...” –Genesis 32:4
The verse tells us that Jacob sent angels “before him.” This seems superfluous. Obviously if he sent the angels, they were going before him?
Rabbi Eliyohu Lopian (1872–1970) in his work Lev Eliyohu explains that Jacob was a fugitive from his brother Esau for thirty-six years after receiving the blessings intended for Esau from his father Isaac. He was now walking into the lion’s den by entering his brother’s territory. He split up his family and his entire estate to ensure survival of at least half his family and he engaged in a multiple tactic war against Esau consisting of prayer, gifts, and physical confrontation. Whom did Jacob choose to bring the pacifying presents to Esau? None other than angels. Jacob did not want to use the Heavenly Angels appointed by G-d. He chose instead a different angel: the angels which he personally created. Those angles advocated on his behalf. Jacob lived such a spiritual life that the angels were like his physical children ready to do his bidding. He saw his angels and made good use of them. We do not see our angels, but we are aware that they exist.
So how do we create an angel? The Mishna in Avos (4:13) tells us, “Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: He who fulfills even a single mitzvah gains himself a single advocate, and he who commits even a single transgression gains himself a single accuser.” In Psalms 91:11 we are informed that the performance of a mitzvah will earn us special protection. “He (G-d) will charge His angels for you, to protect you in all your ways.” Every one of our actions creates a spiritual being.
The author of the Code of Jewish Law, Rabbi Joseph Karo (1488 -1575) famously had an angel from whom he studied Torah. He even wrote an entire book recording the Torah that he learnt from the angel. How did he merit having an angel as his tutor? It was a reward for his memorization of the six tractates of the Mishna. In fact the angel would begin the study session by saying “I the Mishna am speaking…” (As recorded in the Sh”ela Mesechta Shavuos) This angel was created by Rabbi Karo himself as an outgrowth of his study of the Mishna. He created his own tutor.
We all have the ability to make angels. Although we might envision an angel as a light weight winged being that only exists in fairy tales, every one of our actions create an angel. Some people view the supernatural world as being non-existent. Oftentimes I have heard ignorant newcomers to Judaism deride the Jewish belief in the afterlife as being of Christian philosophy and having no place in our tradition. Those people can’t be more mistaken. As Jews, we very strongly believe in the spiritual world. We believe that there are positive and negative energies in the world and our actions can tip the scales for the entire universe. We also believe that the entire world of the supernatural is here for one purpose: to enable us to connect to G-d.
Jacob was well aware of his ability to create and affect the world beyond us. He used it to his own advantage. There is no reason for us not to incorporate that fundamental belief into our own belief system. We can begin creating the greatest advocates on our behalf. No longer is the study of Torah and performance of mitzvah viewed as a mere commendable act, it is being a partner in the creation of a galaxy of angels!
May we all merit to only create positive angels on our behalf.
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