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.