B'nei Israel Congregation - San José, Costa Rica |
VAYIGASH 5765
Genesis 44:18 - 47:27
TORAH'S MESSAGE - by Rabbi Daniela Szuster
This week’s parashah tells us mainly about the reencounter and reconciliation of Iosef and his brothers. At the end of the parashah, the Torah tells us that, as Iosef dreamt, the season of the lean cows has come and the Egyptian people suffer starvation. Because they have no other option, the Egyptians sold themselves as slaves to Pharaoh. What calls our attention is how this same people who had suffered slavery themselves, will enslave the Israeli people years later. In times of welfare and abundance they forgot what they had suffered in their flesh. It seems that the human being has the tendency to forget the bitterness and pain he has suffered. Not only this, but he is capable of hurting his fellows the same way he was hurt. Perhaps that’s why the Torah constantly remind us: “Remember you were slaves in the land of Egypt.” Never forget what you suffered and be sensitive to your neighbors’ suffering, because you were once in the same situation and you can understand how painful and cruel it is. The Torah says: “You shall love your neighbors as your self” and as Maimonides explains: “all you want others to do unto you, do you unto them” and not the other way around. May G-d grant us to be sensitive to the pain and suffering of our neighbors and not do what we would not like others to do unto us.
Shabbat Shalom.
SERMON - by Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky
In this week’s parasha
h, Vayigash, we witness the reencounter of Iosef with his brothers, and later with his father Iaakov. All of them meet in Egypt, propelled by the famine reigning in Israel’s land. All of Iaakov’s family, seventy members, established themselves in the zone of Goshen, a privileged place for pasture.It is a very interesting dialogue Iaakov had with the pharaoh of Egypt, when he is introduced to him by Iosef. Pharaoh asks him:
“How many are the days of the years of thy life?" (Genesis 47:8). Unto that Iaakov answered, “The days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings” (Genesis 47:9).This is the only dialogue they will have for the rest of their lives, the chief of a small clan, wealthy but starving, and the Pharaoh, the king of the greatest empire of that time.
Several elements in this dialogue call the attention of an attentive reader. First, it is not understood why Pharaoh asks for Iaakov’s age, because he asks his sons about their occupation and has a conversation with them about what likely life they could develop in Egypt (Genesis 47:1-4). Neither is understood Iaakov’s answer:
for a relatively technical and specific question from Egypt’s pharaoh, Iaakov delivers an unusual, sad and complaining thought. Iaakov seems to speak from the authority given by age, even before the most powerful man on earth. Nevertheless, the need to explain how have been his years is not understood because he was only asked to tell his age. Nor is it clear why Iaakov declares he has lived fewer years than his fathers, when he did not know how many more years he will live.The Middle Ages commentator, Ramban Na
chmanides, perhaps gives a more proper answer to all these questions. He says that Iaakov appeared to be extremely old, older than what was considered normal in Egypt. Pharaoh is caught by Iaakov’s appearance and that’s the reason he asks for his age. According to Ramban, Iaakov realizes Pharaoh’s surprise and answers that he is not as old as he seems, in fact his fathers lived to be older than him. The reason he looks like that is because his life has been hard and sad, distress and suffering have given him this specific appearance.It’s interesting to note how very well our wisemen knew the influence the way we live has on our body in general, and especially on our face. They knew we all have a biological age in years, but we also have a “lived” age, if you will, which is the one we seem to have and feel every day when we awake.
As our life goes by, we forge our own age. There are unavoidable circumstances that make us happier or unlucky. It is difficult to be opposed to it.
But our tradition says that we are the makers of our lives, the electors of our destiny. Iaakov lived a large part of his life both deceiving and being deceived. I don’t doubt that when he declares “…few and evil have been the days of my life…” he recalls the penury and suffering that, in some way, he caused both others and himself.
The wrinkles and gray hair that the years bring can adorn our faces, being symbols of the blessing of having lived long and fruitful lives.
When we live sincerely, giving each moment of life the best we have to give, being loyal, having friendship, faith, hope and love - flags we run up every day, then our bodies and faces will be grateful, will relax and will breathe better each day.
We
should learn from our patriarch Iaakov, so let’s listen to his subtle advice. Deceptions deceive us, sincerity makes us better persons.Shabat Shalom.
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