Parshat Vayeshev – by Rabbi Bergson
A short idea to connect this Parsha to Chanukah – adapted from this weeks Bagel Shiur.
Chanukah is more than just the story of how the Syrian-Greeks persecuted the Jews in the second Century BCE and our subsequent victory via the Hasmoneans/Macabbee, militarily and of course the miracle of the Menorah lights in the Second Temple.
The story of Chanukah actually has a darker undertone. During this period the Greeks attempted to Helenise the Jewish people and in fact to great degree succeeded in particular in the northern part of Israel.
The Collins dictionary has this entry for “Helenist” – (in the Hellenistic world) a non-Greek, esp a Jew, who adopted Greek culture
The Hellenised Jews in turn persecuted those Jews who refused to assimilate. Chanukah is therefore also about one Jew persecuting and expressing intolerance to his brother.
And of course this brotherly hatred is at the core of Parshas Vayeshev where Jacob’s sons hate and are jealous of Joseph which leads them to eventually sell him into slavery.
But the connection between Chanukah and the story of Joseph is much deeper than just sharing this theme. The root of the conflict between the brothers (mainly the sons of Leah) and Joseph (son of Rachel) is more than just classic fraternal jealousy.
The conflict was over the very definition of Judaism and man’s true role in this world.
The brothers fundamentally felt that society at large was a dark place presenting too much danger for the Jew who wishes to walk humbly with God. That the Patriarchs and Jacobs sons were all shepherds was no coincidence. This line of work kept them relatively distant from the seductive dangers that city dwelling posed.
They were super circumspect when it came to engaging with the world as they saw their prime task was to preserve the sanctity of Israel. Just look what happened to their sister Dina in Parshas Vayishlach who “went out” and was raped.
They had good reason for concern that the world was a place that would distract from their main occupation- Godliness, pursuit of prophecy and a life of Torah wisdom. Esav their uncle was the greatest example of what happens when you break free from the covenant of Abraham and Isaac.
Joseph on the other hand believed that God’s purpose in creation is for his light to be revealed in the darkest corners of society. ” There is no place where God is not” and so it must be the task of a Jew to pursue “sparks of holiness” wherever they may be found even if this may pose a spiritual danger to the person. One must learn to open their eyes to see the working hand of God’s providence in every single detail of a person’s life.
Joseph develops throughout the story and finally achieves this potential when as viceroy of Egypt (only Pharoah above him) at the highest station in society he is still able to maintain his connection to God with integrity and no compromise. He achieves the title Joseph the righteous by our sages specifically because he was able to overcome the test of seduction by Potifars wife. Joseph is confident in who he is and so can handle himself in the darkest of places.
Joseph like Rachel his mother was physically beautiful. The Midrash depicts Joseph as immaturely curling his hair paying too much attention to his appearance. But this midrash has another perspective. Joseph believed that beauty – which is of the highest value in Greek culture- is not intrinsically opposed to holiness. It is a matter of how one intends to use that beauty. If one pursues pleasure for its own end then this ultimately leads to hedonism and a loss of connection to ones soul. If on the other hand one sanctifies pleasure for a higher purpose then it reveals Gods presence and becomes holy.
Joseph believed passionately in this “outward” vision for Judaism.
The truth is that this conflict has lasted throughout Jewish history.
At the time of Chanukah the Macabees, priests, were in the mould of the brothers and for good reason. The very soul of Judaism was under threat and so extreme measures were needed to secure its future. The Macabees were purists and under no circumstances could they allow Greek culture with its idolatrous practices influence Jewish life and thought. The Hellenised Jews had gone to far in assimilating into the Greek culture.This si exactly the concern Joseph’s brothers had expressed centuries earlier. In this instance the “Brothers” approach was correct and their war against the Greeks helped to restore again the sanctity of the Jewish people.
Let me end with a fascinating concept I read in a book about Chanukah. The Hebrew word for Zion is spelt Tzaddi Yid Vav, Nun. This can be read as Tzaddik Yavan (the final three letters spell Yavan)- Tzaddik means righteous and Yavan means Greece.
Greek Culture from Torah perspective can lead a Jew away from his soul’s mission. But it is not necessarily always to be rejected as we see that if we place the Tzaddik – righteousness in front of Yavan it creates Zion! Some of the Beauty and culture to be found in the world can be redeemed. Just think of all the modern technology and infrastructure that has built up the modern state of Israel much of it taken from the rest of the world.
Herein lies the difficulty and challenge of the Greek exile for the Jewish people. As opposed to other evils that require total rejection where the boundaries are clear, the Greek approach to life (which much of our western culture today still reflects) has some aspects that require rejection whereas other aspects can be redeemed.
This explains a strange law that a Sefer Torah can be written in Ancient Greek! (Talmud Megillah 9b)
It is this ambiguity about how much a Jew must separate himself from the world and how much he must submerge himself in the world to transform it, that makes the Greek exile so difficult to deal with. Hence the Greek exile is termed the exile of darkness.
In many ways we are dealing with the same challenges today. Secular vs Jewish influences in our lives. How much do we filter out?
The light of the Chanukah candles symbolically provide the answer to this existential religious dilemma.
On the one hand we light them in our homes symbolising our separation from society as we build homes based on God’s Torah and Mitzvot. Yet at the same time we light the candles facing outside as we are confident that the light of Godliness can spread to the world transforming the world into an abode for Hashem’s presence.
A Jew who stands tall and proud of who they are and never hides their identity will find that they are able to transform their environment. As long as they never forget the Godly soul that burns continuously within them.
As long as we are connected to Hashem’s Torah at all times then Joseph’s vision of society will eventually come to fruition when as the prophet Zephania said “For then I will convert the peoples to a pure language that all of them call in the name of the Lord, to worship Him of one accord.”.
Shabbat Shalom!