by rabbi michelle fisher
Vayigash
Genesis 44:18-47:27
Ezekiel 37:15-28
Vayigash begins with Joseph in his prime and greatness. He has come a long way from the runt of the brotherhood litter, from the lowest of Egyptian slaves, from a prisoner in the depths of the Egyptian pit, to being No. 2 to Pharaoh. As the saying goes, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
That seems to be the case on the surface of the Joseph story. What happens when those you have power over are the very ones who taunted, hated and “got rid” of you in the past?
In last week’s parshah, Joseph, the Egyptian Grand Vizier, manipulates his brothers to ensure the fulfillment of his childhood dreams. He acts like a puppeteer standing behind a marionette, plucking his family’s strings, making them dance to his tune.
Due in part to his manipulations, at the beginning of this week’s Torah reading, the brothers stand before Joseph, begging for their and Benjamin’s lives, bowing — as Joseph had once predicted — before the royal throne. Joseph can get away with all this, for he is regal and prophetic, untouchable in his power.
As the story unfolds, however, this image of the mighty and invulnerable Joseph is completely shattered.
Little actually occurs in the beginning of Parashat Vayigash. Almost all the “action” is Judah pleading before Joseph to let Benjamin go. Yet, at the end, Joseph loses all composure, all trappings of power. Joseph breaks down. He cries. “His sobs were so loud that even the Egyptians [who had been sent out of the room] could hear” (Gen. 45:2).
What in Judah’s words has the power to reduce the mighty to tears? Judah does not speak to Joseph of history. He has no dreams or near-prophetic powers. Judah merely understands the connections of fathers to sons, brothers to brothers. He comprehends the depth of human relationships.
Judah appeals to the familial in his impassioned plea. In 34 verses, Judah repeats the word “father” 14 times; the word “brother” appears six times; the word “child” twice; “wife” once; “mother” once. We — and Joseph — cannot miss the tug on the heartstrings and the clear reminder of the strength and importance of family ties. Joseph, after all, is a son, a father, a brother, a husband. Those are identities that run much deeper than the clothing of state he wears on his back.
Judah also mentions the agreement he had made with Jacob before beginning this second trip to Egypt. By Joseph’s decree, the brothers were not to return to Egypt without Benjamin, the one Jacob loves the most. In Canaan, Reuven offered to kill two of his own sons — apparently as a parallel equivalence to Jacob’s two lost sons — if Benjamin were not to return.
What absolute folly!
Reuven’s attempt to calm Jacob and convince him to acquiesce to the trip down to Egypt would only result in further family breakdown, pain and loss — things this family doesn’t need. Judah realizes this and instead promises himself as surety that Benjamin would return safely; if Benjamin were not to return, Judah is willing to stand guilty before Jacob for all existence.
Clearly Judah has matured and acquired a deep understanding of human relationships — he is willing to completely bind his own future to Benjamin’s. Embracing responsibility and recognizing the bonds of kinship that connect the family are the true paths to peace and family wholeness.
Standing before Joseph and the Egyptian court, Judah demonstrates that true power is not in thrones, signet rings or even the control of food stores. True power lies in embracing the complexities of human relationships, in following through on commitments to family and friends, in establishing relationships of trust, in living a life of high personal and interpersonal conduct.
It is because he is guided by these ideals that Judah can also remind Joseph of them, and thereby break down his brother’s regal mask. These human connections and ethical principles are indeed the strongest ones in moving forward toward godliness — and, the Torah teaches us, are those that can most directly bring to fruition God’s plans for human history.
Rabbi Michelle Fisher is the spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Walnut Creek.
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