Vayechi Mix

Jacob  spent 17 years with Joseph in Egypt.  Joseph was 17 when he was sold into servitude in Egypt. Symmetry! For 17 years Jacob treated Joseph like a prince  - and made him the target of his brothers' wrath. They sold him into slavery. For 17 years Jacob and family lived under Prince Joseph - as they descended into slavery, 

  Jacob realized that he was the instrument for the long exile prophesied to Abraham.  

יָדֹ֨עַ תֵּדַ֜ע כִּי־גֵ֣ר ׀ יִהְיֶ֣ה זַרְעֲךָ֗ בְּאֶ֙רֶץ֙ לֹ֣א לָהֶ֔ם וַעֲבָד֖וּם וְעִנּ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָֽה׃

“Know well that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years;

 The exile was starting.  The strange land would be Egypt.  It all fit.  Nothing could be done. 

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By the end of the parsha, it is clear that the move to Egypt is the fulfillment of the  exile prophecy of Abraham. Joseph's pleading final instructions, for reburial in Canaan reflect that he, and presumably his brothers , knew that they would be in Egypt for a long time; and that it would not all be pleasant. 

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יוֹסֵף֙ אֶל־אֶחָ֔יו אָנֹכִ֖י מֵ֑ת וֵֽא  פָּקֹ֧ד יִפְקֹ֣ד אֶתְכֶ֗ם וְהֶעֱלָ֤ה אֶתְכֶם֙ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֛ע לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב׃

At length, Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. Gd will surely take notice of you and bring you up from this land to the land that He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

 This ironic adventure: The envy, the dreams, the search for his brothers, the pit, the sale, the service, the attempted seduction, the prison, the dreams, the ascent, the dependency of the brothers on Joseph - it had all been the grand plan.  The immediate result would be servitude and suffering; merely another step toward the redemption of the great nation.  All of these events are part of a Grand Plan. It is best to be born  during the peaks of this sinusoidal plot. 

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There are (at least) two mysterious words  in Vayechi: asaf, and mitah.  Asaf  means to gather . It also has an  flavor of completion and contains the phoneme sof, the end.   When Jacob gathers his sons  to tell them what will occur at the end of days the verse uses that word:

וַיִּקְרָ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב אֶל־בָּנָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ וְאַגִּ֣ידָה לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית הַיָּמִֽים׃ 

And Jacob called his sons and said, “Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come. ( the end of days).

  Here, the gathering means something shared with the gathering in  that is the harvest, another common use of the word; Jacob was reaping his investment in the family and replanting most of it

When the blessing is completed, the word is used again.. twice in the context of Jacob's death: 

וַיְכַ֤ל יַעֲקֹב֙ לְצַוֺּ֣ת אֶת־בָּנָ֔יו וַיֶּאֱסֹ֥ף רַגְלָ֖יו אֶל־הַמִּטָּ֑ה וַיִּגְוַ֖ע וַיֵּאָ֥סֶף אֶל־עַמָּֽיו׃ 

When Jacob finished his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into (vayesof) the bed and, breathing his last, he was gathered (vayeoseif)  to his people.

 Jacob gathered his feet into the bed. That bed had made an appearance at the beginning of the parsha. 

 וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ הַמִּטָּֽה׃

Then Israel bowed at the head of the bed.

When Joseph swore that Jacob would be buried in Canaan,  Jacob bowed in that bed. That bed was the symbol of his offspring. Jacob bowed to his legacy, to the living who can act to carry out theses deathbed wishes.  Rahi quotes Megillah 16b :

  תַּעֲלָא בְּעִידָּנֵיהּ סְגִיד לֵיהּ,  

when the fox has his time, bow to him.”  

 There is a time when majesty honors power.  When this oath is fulfilled, Jacob will no longer have the power to act in the present.  This is the bed unto which Jacob's feet are gathered. All of his children accompany Jacob to his burial, and all of them claim his legacy. 

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Noticing Joseph’s sons, Israel asked, “Who are these?”

The youngsters he sees are not immediately recognizable as Joseph's Israelite sons, despite the context. Ephraim and Menashe probably looked and dressed and, perhaps behaved,  Egyptian. Joseph identifies them as the sons that Gd have given him "in this." They were Egyptian by culture, but there is a recognition of Gd's involvement in them. Jacob blesses them. He confers the greater blessing upon the younger, violating tradition and  the wishes of Joseph, but true to his form.

My parents are buried in Israel.  Their parents, my grandparents are  buried in unmarked mass graves in Poland. The previous generation is in Jewish graveyards in Poland where the tombstones have been repurposed as cobblestones for roads. I think that if my grandfather had been allowed to grow old, and I were brought before him as youth, he would asked: What is this? And he would have blessed me.

My wife and I have a burial plots in Israel.

 

Vayechi: Survival

וַיְחִ֤י יַעֲקֹב֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם שְׁבַ֥ע עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה שָׁנָ֑ה

Jacob lived seventeen years in the land of Egypt,

Yaakov lived in Egypt for the same amount of time as Joseph  lived with his family before he was sold into slavery by his brothers. This was the length of time that Yaakov had a direct, living influence on his family while they were in Egypt.  This is how long he had to instill and reinforce a separate Israelite identity that differentiated his clan from the dominant Egyptian civilization.

Taanith 5b

בָּתַר דִּסְעוּד אֲמַר לֵיהּ, הָכִי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ לֹא מֵת. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: וְכִי בִּכְדִי סְפַדוּ סַפְדָּנַיָּא וַחֲנַטוּ חָנְטַיָּיא וּקְבַרוּ קַבָּרַיָּיא? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מִקְרָא אֲנִי דּוֹרֵשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאַתָּה אַל תִּירָא עַבְדִּי יַעֲקֹב נְאֻם ה׳ וְאַל תֵּחַת יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי הִנְנִי מוֹשִׁיעֲךָ מֵרָחוֹק וְאֶת זַרְעֲךָ מֵאֶרֶץ שִׁבְיָם״, מַקִּישׁ הוּא לְזַרְעוֹ: מָה זַרְעוֹ בַּחַיִּים — אַף הוּא בַּחַיִּים.

After they had eaten, Rabbi Yitzḥak said to Rav Naḥman that Rabbi Yoḥanan said as follows: Our patriarch Jacob did not die. Rav Naḥman asked him in surprise: And was it for naught that the eulogizers eulogized him and the embalmers embalmed him and the buriers buried him? Rabbi Yitzḥak replied to Rav Naḥman: I am interpreting a verse, as it is stated: “Therefore do not fear, Jacob My servant, says the Lord, neither be dismayed, Israel, for I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity” (Jeremiah 30:10). This verse juxtaposes Jacob to his seed: Just as his seed is alive when redeemed, so too, Jacob himself is alive.

This seems to be the theme of this parsha that ends Bereshith, the first book of the Torah. The end of the story of the past is the beginning of the present which will eventually become a story  in the future. The physical breathing and heart beating life of Yaakov is a vehicle to generate the eternity of his influence.

Yaakov tries to express his wishes for the future. He says as much:

וַיִּקְרָ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב אֶל־בָּנָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ וְאַגִּ֣ידָה לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית הַיָּמִֽים׃

And Ya῾aqov called to his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

These are the words that introduce Yaakov’s “blessings,” his declarations to his sons. Yaakov expresses his ideas in words that evoke the beginning of the book of  Bereshith . His statement to Reuven

רְאוּבֵן֙ בְּכֹ֣רִי אַ֔תָּה כֹּחִ֖י וְרֵאשִׁ֣ית אוֹנִ֑י יֶ֥תֶר שְׂאֵ֖ת וְיֶ֥תֶר עָֽז׃

Reuben, you are my first-born,

My might and first fruit of my vigor,

Exceeding in rank

And exceeding in honor.

 Uses the words רֵאשִׁ֣ית, evoking the first word in the Torah;  and שְׂאֵ֖ת (rank), which recalls the reward Gd offers to Cain if he improves:

הֲל֤וֹא אִם־תֵּיטִיב֙ שְׂאֵ֔ת

Surely, if you do right,

There is uplift

These are the words of  Gd when  firstborn Cain is disappointed  at the favor shown to his brother, not him. Like Cain, the tribe that comes from Rueben lives separate from the other tribes, across the Jordan, when the Israelites enter the Promised Land.

You could say that these words are inevitable, they are the best words to express the ideas Yaakov wants to convey. That could be true, but it nevertheless communicates the idea that the present and future are linked with the past.

This relates to the blessings that Yaakov gives to Joseph’s sons. Joseph presents the elder son Menashe, to Yaakov’s right hand. Yaakov crosses his hands to show the greater favor to the younger son, Ephraim. The name Menashe was a rejection of Joseph’s past.

וַיִּקְרָ֥א יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־שֵׁ֥ם הַבְּכ֖וֹר מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה כִּֽי־נַשַּׁ֤נִי אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־כׇּל־עֲמָלִ֔י וְאֵ֖ת כׇּל־בֵּ֥ית אָבִֽי׃

And Yosef called the name of the firstborn Menashshe: For God, said he, has made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.

Joseph had a new life and was actively forgetting the pain of the old. Yaakov was bringing Joseph and his offspring back into the good aspects of the old ways. Yaakov   was also declaring the offspring of Joseph, born and raised in Egypt, to be the future:

 

וַיְבָ֨רְכֵ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַהוּא֮ לֵאמוֹר֒ בְּךָ֗ יְבָרֵ֤ךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙

So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you shall Israel invoke blessings,

 

And so we do to this day, and hopefully for a long time to come.

 

Yaakov embraced the diversity of his sons, sometimes with a level of distaste, to make them a federation. They were blessed with accepting one another and recognizing their separateness from the surrounding culture. This idea, this story that is Yaakov did not die.

Vayigash: confrontation

 

There are threads of confrontation in Vayigash.  The word vayigash, וַיִּגַּ֥שׁ, means "approach" and there is an implication of a trepidation under the surface. It is the word used when Abraham approaches Gd about the destruction of Sodom: 

וַיִּגַּ֥שׁ אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הַאַ֣ף תִּסְפֶּ֔ה צַדִּ֖יק עִם־רָשָֽׁע׃

Abraham came forward and said, “Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty?

 

This was a confrontation that required a great deal of courage ( and a question that lasts until today and, probably beyond). 

 

 

The same word is used three times, when the disguised Jacob impersonates Esau and thus approaches his father Isaac:

 

וַיִּגַּ֧שׁ יַעֲקֹ֛ב אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק אָבִ֖יו וַיְמֻשֵּׁ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הַקֹּל֙ ק֣וֹל יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְהַיָּדַ֖יִם יְדֵ֥י עֵשָֽׂו׃

So Jacob drew close to his father Isaac, who felt him and wondered. “The voice is the voice of Jacob, yet the hands are the hands of Esau.”

 

Jacob told his mother, Rebecca, that he feared discovery and its consequences when he made this approach.

 

Now, it is Judah approaching/confronting/fearing  the Viceroy of Egypt, offering himself in servitude in exchange for Benjamin, who was framed as a thief:

 

וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלָ֜יו יְהוּדָ֗ה וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֮ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִי֒ יְדַבֶּר־נָ֨א עַבְדְּךָ֤ דָבָר֙ בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י וְאַל־יִ֥חַר אַפְּךָ֖ בְּעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֥י כָמ֖וֹךָ כְּפַרְעֹֽה׃

Then Judah went up to him and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant appeal to my lord, and do not be impatient with your servant, you who are the equal of Pharaoh.

 

Generally, vayigash implies a recognition of inferior status.  A degree of subservience is implied , the  descent toward servitude is already present. At the same time, the approach signaled by  vayigash  implies extraordinary courage; confrontation with mortal ( perhaps eternal) danger. Vayigash is an inspiration to strive for a cause. 

 

The first confrontation in our parsha works out much better than expected.  Judah's willingness to sacrifice his own freedom for Benjamin’s leads to Joseph revealing himself. The revelation is not merely an identification that the viceroy of Egypt is actually the lost son of Jacob, it is also the disclosure of the remaining filial bond. Joseph still loves his brothers despite their actions. Their survival seems to depend upon that love.

 

The interaction between the people of Egypt and the surrounding areas, plagued by famine, with Joseph is fraught. The word vayigash is not used to describe this interaction. The populace is threatened with starvation as the famine grows worse. Joseph controls the grain stored during the seven years of plenty. He sells the grain for money, cattle, land and servitude. When I imagine this interaction, I am not sure who is more frightened. Joseph's grain stands between the individual and starvation. But the starving group is so large that at anytime, a group could come and wrest control from Joseph and pharaoh. This does not appear to happen. And the greater good is probably served by having this single authority control the food supply. The surprising aspect is that the people allowed the cost to rise to the point that they became slaves.

 

The story of Joseph acquiring the land and the labor of the people in exchange for food is an origin story of a fundamental economic system. The principles that emerge justify feudalism, capitalism, communism. In the end, Joseph is the great lord and all the world (except for the Egyptian priestly class) are his serfs. The extortions of money, cattle, land and freedom in exchange for food attest to the validity of the capitalist principle that anything can be bought. The urbanization and relocation of the Egyptian people at the whim of the great administrator is reminiscent of Stalin and the evolution of the Soviet Union. The absence of a vayigash, a courageous confrontation, is reminiscent of our own times.

Most of the story concentrates on the children of Israel. The famine forces the Hebrews to move to Goshen (a word related to vayigash). The Promised land is abandoned by each of the three patriarchs because of famine. Survival is more important than settling on the land. But the famine ends, And the Hebrews stay in Egypt because they are prominent and wealthy and connected.

 

Today, is the 10th of Teveth. The fast memorializes the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The penitent prayers associated with today also recall the death of Ezra, the Jewish leader who brought the people back from the first Babylonian exile. We also remember the Septuagint translation of the Torah, considered a debasing corruption of the holy writ. This fast day is a partial undoing of Channukah. Chanukah celebrated the reassertion of the uniqueness of Jewish culture. The  exile, the death of the liberator and the cheapening of the text are steps toward an assimilated state. The forces of independence battle submersion into the dominant culture forever. I have no expectation of victory for either side.

 

 

 Miketz: Chanukah song

 

In 1994, Adam Sandler introduced the Chanukah song on Saturday Night Live.  It is a song that identifies  entertainment celebrities who have Jewish roots .. or don't. The song is a celebration of Jewish success in the the  arts. It captures an important aspect of the meaning of American Judaism -  identification with successful Jews. These outstanding Hebrews are also lightning rods for antisemitism... and the antisemitism reinforces the Jewish identification.

This week's parsha,Miketz, is usually read on Chanukah. This year, it is read the day after  the festival. Miketz explores the role of the worldy-prominent Jew in ancient times. Chanukka celebrates  the preservation of a distinctive Jewish identity.

The name of the parsha, מִקֵּ֖ץ, miketz , translated as "at the end of" is derived from קֵּ֖ץ, the end. It is a reference to Joseph's time in prison. It had been two years since he had interpreted the dream of the wine steward, now restored to his station, as predicted by Joseph (see last week's commentary for a manipulative interpretation).   When Pharoah awakens from his dream,  a similar word ( different root?), וַיִּיקַ֖ץ  , vayikatz is used. The sleep state had ended. 

Joseph's satisfying interpretation of Pharoah's dream (seven years of plenty followed by famine) leads to his appointment as viceroy of Egypt, the CEO of the most powerful kingdom on earth. Joseph is a great success. 

In previous years I have talked about the self fulfilling aspect of Joseph's interpretation ( By predicting a famine in seven years, the land was worked mercilessly - until it was depleted, generating the famine). I have mentioned the analogy to Fritz Haber [A Jew that was absolved by Hitler, personally]  ( The Haber process, which organifies nitrogen from the air  (70% Nitrogen) rescued the world from starvation when naturally occurring organic nitrogen [ the essence of fertilizer] had been depleted. Haber, like Joseph, saved the world from starvation)

Joseph is the original prominent Jew. He is the model for Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Fritz Haber, etc....The pleasure of  the association with these (and many more celebrities) is a unifying force among Jews, regardless of what they consider Judaism to be.  This unification may have been Joseph's  core intention in the Miketz story.  The 12 brothers represents a dozen angles from which to view the privilege and burden of being the progeny of Israel. Unification required an endeavor that tested, and thus strengthened, their mutual commitment.  Joseph's ascendance was central to that goal. 

When they succeed, many of these heroes (try to) shed their association with Judaism.  In his early days as viceroy, Joseph seems to have tried this: 

 וַיִּקְרָ֥א יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־שֵׁ֥ם הַבְּכ֖וֹר מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה כִּֽי־נַשַּׁ֤נִי אֱ  אֶת־כׇּל־עֲמָלִ֔י וְאֵ֖ת כׇּל־בֵּ֥ית אָבִֽי׃  

Joseph named the first-born Manasseh, meaning, “God has made me forget completely my hardship and my parental home.”

 

Joseph was reminded of his origins, and his important mission to his nascent people, when his brother come to him for sustenance. 

 

The Egyptians did not forget Joseph's alien origins, even when he was their master.  At the luncheon arranged for his brothers: 

וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ ל֛וֹ לְבַדּ֖וֹ וְלָהֶ֣ם לְבַדָּ֑ם וְלַמִּצְרִ֞ים הָאֹכְלִ֤ים אִתּוֹ֙ לְבַדָּ֔ם כִּי֩ לֹ֨א יוּכְל֜וּן הַמִּצְרִ֗ים לֶאֱכֹ֤ל אֶת־הָֽעִבְרִים֙ לֶ֔חֶם כִּי־תוֹעֵבָ֥ה הִ֖וא לְמִצְרָֽיִם׃ 

They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; for the Egyptians could not dine with the Hebrews, since that would be abhorrent to the Egyptians.

 

Joseph could not sit with his brothers, the foreign guests; nor could he sit with the prominent Egyptians because he was a Hebrew. He had  to sit alone. 

 

The Jew is never fully accepted by the imperial culture, no matter how useful or necessary the Jew becomes.  Instead, the success becomes a source of resentment. "Jews will not replace us"(...with robots?). Were it not for this xeno-resentment, there would be no Chanukah story, the Jews would have become fully Hellenized; assimilated into the residue of the Alexandrian conquest. There is no stronger force in my Judaism than the Holocaust. 

 

When we were 11 or 12, we would ask each other: What would you do if there were a war between America and Israel? We are not there now, but the level of conflict between the governments has become uncomfortable for me. President Biden called for regime change (code for coup d'etat) in Israel. The insensitivity of the gaffe is frightening.  It is a threat to my associative Judaism and it comes with a confusion of values. 

 

This week's Haftorah starts with 

 

וַיִּקַ֥ץ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה וְהִנֵּ֣ה חֲל֑וֹם

Then Solomon awoke: it was a dream!

 

A connection to the parsha is immediately made. The Haftorah proceeds to tell the famous story of Shlomo,  when confronted with two women claiming the same live infant, decides that the true mother is the one willing to surrender the baby, rather than see it cut in two.  This establishes the Shlomo's credentials as a wise king: 

 

 

וַיִּשְׁמְע֣וּ כׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּט֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר שָׁפַ֣ט הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וַיִּֽרְא֖וּ מִפְּנֵ֣י הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ כִּ֣י רָא֔וּ כִּֽי־חׇכְמַ֧ת אֱ   בְּקִרְבּ֖וֹ לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת מִשְׁפָּֽט׃ {ס}        

When all Israel heard the decision that the king had rendered, they stood in awe of the king; for they saw that he possessed divine wisdom to execute justice.

 

Are we awakening from a dream? The baby is threatened with bisection. 

 

 

 

 

 

Vayeshev: Hopes and Fears

וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּאֶ֖רֶץ מְגוּרֵ֣י אָבִ֑יו בְּאֶ֖רֶץ כְּנָֽעַן׃

Now Jacob was settled in the land where his father had sojourned, the land of Canaan.

A single word tranquil word ַיֵּ֣שֶׁב            settled,  separates last week parsha of struggle from this week’s parsha of conflict. The dream of rest can never be fulfilled. The dreams that generate competition and conflict are too strong. Chana, my distant aunt, sergeant in the worker’s struggle, gave me the maxim: “You will find everything in the struggle.”  I have come to believe that life is the struggle; the recurring victories of the unlikely over the probable.

It is Jacob, not Israel, who returns (another meaning of  ֵ֣שֶׁב) and settles in that land of his ( immediate) ancestors.  It is the ambivalent, uncertain, striving second son; not the conqueror of angels. The noble title does not stick perfectly.

Jacob sees Joseph as his legacy. He has special expectations from Joseph. Joseph is made a supervisor of lesser shepherds. Jacob makes Joseph stand out with a unique, precious, and stylish, costume. Joseph’s princely role is apparent to all… including Joseph and his dreamworks. Joseph has accepted something of the cloak of Esau.

When Joseph announces his acceptance of royalty, by relating his dreams to his brothers (who will become his subjects according to the dream) and his father ( whom he envisions outshining in worldly achievement), the consequences  of this favoritism are revealed and the repercussions ensue. Joseph, who would be king, is sold as a slave… because of his claim to the throne.

Joseph’s dreams are not merely flimsy wishes; they build his confidence; they  allow him to accept, and expect, the role of the ascendant. I think that all of the dreams in the parsha deeply influence the dreamers and, thereby,  steer the course of events.

Joseph’s dreams of domination do not abandon him, even after his sale as chattel. He takes charge in Egypt and when he is sent to prison, he rules the roost.  I am sure that Joseph was talented and Gd helped him, but the confidence that came from his dreams was part of his Divine aid.

Joseph’s interpretations of the dreams of the imprisoned wine steward and baker may have been manipulative. Everyone knew that Pharaoh’s birthday was three days away and that he would review his edicts then. By interpreting the wine steward’s dream favorably, he helped him appear confident -innocent and entitled- before the Pharoah on his (appointed) day of judgement. By delivering a damning interpretation to the baker, he made him anxious, and he probably looked insecure and guilty. The punishment fits the appearance.

Today is Chanukah. The substance of the holiday is complex. Hanukkah celebrates the Macabee victory over the oppressive empire that tried to eliminate Hebrew culture. The lasting oil is the symbol of rededication. Our custom of lighting the menorah is a novelty that symbolizes our dedication to ancient ways. The custom of Chanukah gelt and gift giving seems a clear assimilation to the practice of the Gentiles.  We mix up the old and the new.

The prequel to Chanukah is national loyalty to the Maccabees who give rise to the Hasmonean  rulers of Judea. This involved the abandonment of the separation of church and state, instituted by Moses. The High Priest was now the political and military ruler, a novelty that would last until the destructions wrought by the Romans.

Vayeshev is generally read on Hanukkah. It is an origin story for the ascent of Joseph and Judah, competing political leaders. Joseph, the dreamer and interpreter of dreams, leads by charisma. He makes startling predictions that come to pass (in part, by virtue of the prediction).  Judah does not discuss his dreams.  He comes to practical solutions that contain a thread of righteousness.

Loyalty to the cause is necessary for cultural survival.  Sometimes that loyalty is fraught. There are always things to question. On Hanukkah we celebrate the loyalty.

Vayishlach: violation

The parsha contains several violations, each handled in its own way.

Yaakov recognizes that his entry into the land could be perceived as something between an illegal immigration and an attack. Eisav had raged against Yaakov, expressing murderous intent, when Yaakov stole his identity to receive the blessing that Isaac had intended for Eisav. That blessing had implications for the Divine deed to the Promised Land. That meal of lentils and bread did not give Yaakov the right to assume Eisav’s identity at that critical moment. He ( and we) know that he had underpaid. Yaakov could not rely on time alone, twenty years, to mollify his brother.

Yaakov sends a gift of a large fortune. To some extent, he is rebuying the blessing and the consequent, eventual right to the land. At least, he is buying the ability to co-exist with Esau. Wealth can mitigate conflict.  It turned the violation into a visit.

Yaakov buys land near Shechem. Daughter Dina appears in public. She is raped and taken hostage by the local prince. What Abraham feared for Sara when he went to Egypt and Philistia; what Isaac feared for Rebecca in Grar happened to Dina (albeit without the husband’s murder). This time, Gd did not protect the captive.

 The prince of Shechem proposes a plan.  This plan will turn his crime of rape and kidnap onto a glorious act of peaceful unification between the Hebrews and the Hittites. The tribes will merge. The Hittites will circumcise. The Jews will become traders in their midst (prophetic)[Note: when Chamor (the king) and Shechem (the prince) talk to their tribe, they do not offer the Israelites land].

The plot of Simon and Levi, Jacob’s sons, unfolds. They kill all the men when they are compromised by their recent circumcisions. They refuse to justify this violation and, instead, annihilate the tribe. It is an act of collective punishment. But every circumcision was a devout vote for a plan that justified a crime. How would this color the values of the proposed union? This violation is handled with violence.

Reuven violates his father’s (ex?) consort Bilha, the mother of his half-brothers, Dan and Naftali. This incestuous act  merits less than one verse. It is followed by a brief comment:

וַיִּֽהְי֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֖ב שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve in number.

This outrageous act is hardly penalized, beyond the embarrassment of its mentioned. The greater good, the union of the tribes takes precedence. This violation is overlooked.

The theme of merit is interwoven in the story. Jacob fears that he has already drawn the limit of credit before he confronts Esau.

קָטֹ֜נְתִּי מִכֹּ֤ל הַחֲסָדִים֙ וּמִכׇּל־הָ֣אֱמֶ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתָ אֶת־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ

I am unworthy of all the kindness that You have so steadfastly shown Your servant:

Gd’s instructions to Jacob are a mixture of encouragement to advance the mission (the story) and protection against the threats that emerge from carrying out those commands. Gd helps Jacob figure it out on many levels.

The subsequent battle that leaves Jacob lame and banishes fillet mignon from the kosher diet serves to give Jacob the courage to do what needs to be done and thus, changes his name to Israel: the master of some portion of his fate. Jacob and his descendants deal with these semi-divine interventions/violations. Sometimes we get to choose the reaction. We always know that we must choose wisely. No choice is perfect.