YOSEF-ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THE ENORMOUS HOLINESS OF YOSEF AND HIS UNUSUAL BEHAVIOR WITH HIS BROTHERS,INDICATING THE ABILITY TO FORGIVE AND FORGET. MIDRASHIC LITERATURE ABOUNDS EXTOLLING YOSEF’S VIRTUES. WE HAVE HERE THE IMAGE OF A LAMEDVOVNIK- A SECRET SAINT WHO LIVES NORMALLY WHILE HOLDING ON TO A HIGHER STANDARD OF LIFE-CODE.
ALTHOUGH THIS IS THE NORMATIVE APPROACH, I WISH TO LOOK AT YOSEF WITH DIFFERENT EYES.AS MENTIONED IN THE INTRODUCTION OF HIS WORK OHR HACHAYIM , REB CHAIM BEN ATTAR STATES THAT THE READER IS ENCOURAGED TO INTERPRET THE TORAH AS HE SEES IT
AS LONG AS NO HALACHA IS CHANGED IN THE PROCESS.
IN THAT CASE I WISH TO FOCUS UPON TWO ELEMENTS THAT ARE PUZZLING: 1-YOSEF NEVER WRITES HIS FATHER OR BOTHERS TO NOTIFY YAKOV THAT HE IS STILL ALIVE.ALTHOUGH THE MIDRASHEY CHAZAL FILL PAGES WITH THE EXPLANATION THAT THE BROTHERS HAD ENTERED INTO A PACT WITH G-D THAT NO ONE WAS TO REVEAL WHAT ACTUALLY HAD HAPPENED . THEREFORE SINCE G-D WAS ENJOPINED FROM REVEALING YOSEF’S WHEREABOUTS SO WAS YOSEF. 2-YOSEF CALLS HIS SONS NAMES BASED UPON TWO SEPARATE EXPERIENCES; a)G-D HAS HELPED HIM FORGOT HIS TROUBLES AND HIS FAMILY AND b) G-D HAS MADE HIM SUCCESSFUL IN THE LAND OF HIS PAINFUL SLAVERY.
WHEN MOSHE NAMES HIS SONS HE STATES FOR I WAS A STRANGER IN A FOREIGN LAND,MEANING THAT HE LONGED TO BE WITH HIS BRETHREN IN EGYPT.
YOSEF EXPRESSES NO SUCH LONGING.
WHILE ACCORDING TO THE TRADITIONAL PAINTING OF THESE
EVENTS YOSEF WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT HIS FAMILY VIA THIS OATH AND THAT IS WHY HE HAD TO MAKE EGYPT HIS HOME , THE VERSES THEMSELVES DO NOT EXPRESS OR CONVEY THIS IMPRESSION.
THEREFORE , I CAN OPINE THAT INDEED YOSEF HAD FORGOTTEN HIS FAMILY. HE BLAMED HIS FATHER’S EXCESSIVE DOTING FOR HIS CONFLICT WITH HIS BROTHERS AND SUBSEQUENT ALIENATION. HE THEREFORE WANTED NO PART OF HIS FATHER’S TRADITIONS. HE DECIDED TO SUCCEED IN EGYPT AND NEVER LOOK BACK. THIS HE WAS ABLE TO DO UNTIL ONE DAY THE BROTHERS ARE ALL STARING AT HIM WITHOUT REALIZING WHO THEY ARE STARING AT!
YOSEF IS FILLED WITH BOTH RAGE AND LOVE FOR HIS FAMILY. STRANGE, HE HAD BEEN STEWING FOR 22 YEARS AT HIS BROTHERS SELLING HIM LIKE A PIECE OF FURNITURE. NOW, FACE TO FACE WITH THEM HE FOUGHT BACK HIS NATURAL LOVE TO JOIN THEM.
INSTEAD, HE TOYS WITH THEM ,NOT BEING ABLE TO PUNISH THEM OR FORGIVE THEM. HE VACILLATES BETWEEN RAGE AND LOVE FROM THAT MOMENT ON. HOWEVER, HE EMBARKS ON A PROGRAM TO BRING THEM GRIEF FROM FRUSTRATION
AND ANXIETY.
IN THE END ,HOWEVER,HE RELENTS AND COMES BACK HOME ,SO TO SPEAK. WHAT CHANGED YOSEF AND TURNED HIM AROUND? THE SELF SACRIFICE YEHUDAH DISPLAYS ON BEHALF OF PROTECTING HIS LITTLE BROTHER. THE CHANGE FROM YEHUDAH’S CAVALIER ATTITUDE TOWARD THE FAVORITE SON-THEN YOSEF NOW BINYOMIN, INTO ONE OF CONCERN ,COMMITMENT AND SACRIFICE , CONVINCED YOSEF THAT HIS BROTHERS HAD TRULY REFORMED AND SO SHOULD HE!
IN OUR TIMES THE JEWS WHO PRECEDED US GREENERS AND HAD ASSIMILATED , WERE EMINENTLY SUCCESSFUL. THEY
LOOKED ON WITH MIXED EMOTIONS AS THEIR PIOUS BROTHERS REACHED THESE SHORES. THEY WERE SURE THAT THE ONLY ROUTE FOR THEM WAS ASSIMILATION JUST AS THEY HAD DONE. THEY MOCKED THE PIETY AND SENSELESS WORSHIP OF THEIR TRADITIONS. ONLY UPON SEEING THE SELF-SACRIFICE OF THE GREENHORN YEHUDAHS OF THE WORLD WILL AMERICAN JEWRY RETURN TO ITS’ ROOTS!
THE REASON BEING IS THAT THE SECULAR LEADERS ARE ALSO MEN OF PRINCIPLE AND ETHICS WITHOUT THE REVERENT PIETY OF THEIR FOREBEARS. THEY FEEL SUPERIOR WITH THEIR WORLD VIEW OF THE NEED FOR TIKKUN OLAM,PREFERRING DARFUR TO THE TALMUD.
BELITTLING THEM WILL ONLY FURTHER ALIENATE THEM. ONLY BY THE EXAMPLE OF THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE ,WHO ACCEPTED ALL COMERS, CAN WE HOPE TO PERSUADE OUR MODERN YOSEFS TO COME BACK TO OUR FATHER!-----------------------------------------------------Rabbi Chaim Moshe Bergstein