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Parshas Vayeishev – Balancing the Physical and Spiritual, Part Two
By: Rav Dov Lipman
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this Shiur Last week’s Parsha informed us that Yaakov Avinu arrived at Chevron. It specifically mentioned that this was the land of Avraham and Yitzchak. (35:27) Why, then, does this week’s Parsha begin by repeating this information? Furthermore, why does this Parsha begin by identifying the place where Yaakov lived as both “the land of the dwelling of his father” and “the land of Canaan?”
One must assume that repeating where Yaakov lived and doing so in this seemingly superfluous manner was necessary to introduce the next story. Let us explore this next episode which describes Yaakov favoring Yosef and the rivalry between Yosef and his brothers. This will help to shed some light on the Parsha’s opening verse.
Two glaring questions emerge from the ensuing story: 1) Why did Yaakov favor Yosef and how could he select a favorite child? 2) How can we understand sibling rivalry amongst our forefathers that was so intense that they would sell their brother to slavery and fake his death?
To answer these questions we will analyze some sources regarding Yosef. (Many of the following sources and parts of the following explanation come from
”Patters in Time” by Rabbi Matis Weinberg.) Yosef is a person who clearly has a great deal going for him. The Torah relates: “and Yosef found charm in his (Potiphar’s) eyes…and all he owned he gave into his (Yosef’s) hands.” (39:4) The Torah also records “..and gave him charm in the eyes of the warden.” (39:21) As Rashi on that verse relates, “He was popular to all who saw him.” Aside from his charming personality, the Torah describes Yosef’s physical beauty. “Yosef was handsome (‘yifei’) of form and handsome (‘yifei’) of appearance.” (39:6) Rashi to 49:22 teaches: “The daughters of Egypt used to climb the wall to gaze at his (Yosef’s) beauty.” Because of all of the above, Yosef was remarkably successful in Egypt to the point that Pharaoh proclaimed, “I am Pharaoh and without you no man will lift his hand or foot in all Egypt.” (41:44)
The traits of physical beauty and personal charm which we find in Yosef were not necessarily beneficial for him. The Midrash describes (Beraishis Rabbah 84) that Yosef, as a young man, would place a great emphasis on his physical appearance. He would “…pat his eyes, turn on his heel, fix his hair…” While not inherently evil activities, one can see that too much focus on the physical can draw a person away from the spiritual. In fact, there are sources which indicate the negative possibilities latent within Yosef’s personality. For example, the Midrash teaches:
“Aharon took the slate upon which Moshe had written ‘Arise bull’ to raise the coffin of Yosef to the surface (of the Nile), threw it into the furnace between the molten earrings, and the golden calf emerged…” (Tanchuma Ki Sisa 19)
Yosef’s essence could be used to create the Golden Calf. Charm and beauty is not inherently bad. They are traits which can be put to use in the service of G-d in many ways. However, if used improperly, they are traits which can lead to terrible sins and great distance from G-d.
In last week’s essay we discussed how Yaakov was suddenly given the position of spiritual and physical leadership of the Jewish people. It was no longer going to be divided amongst two leaders. Instead, one individual would have the responsibility of balancing both aspects of Jewish life. We also pointed out that Yaakov, who began his life as “a dweller in tents” (25:27),had difficulty adjusting to this new role. Now it is time for Yaakov to scout out the next generation. Which of his sons has the ability to lead the Jewish people in both the spiritual and physical aspects of life? Yaakov chose Yosef. This was not an issue of favoring one son over the others in terms of affection. Rather, it was more like crowning the new leader. Yaakov was obligated to choose one. In Yosef he saw the person who embodied qualities which would enable him to lead in both realms. Physically, he was beautiful and he enhanced that beauty through his good grooming. He clearly appreciated beauty and could relate to that aspect of the physical world. His charming personality enabled him to deal successfully with the outside world. Despite the adoration he drew as a result of his good looks and charm, he possessed a unique ability to balance this with his innate spirituality as indicated by his refusal to yield to immorality and the enticing opportunities that he faced.
Yosef’s brothers, however, did not see things the way Yaakov did. They viewed him as someone who would stray due to his physical inclinations. The Midrash (Beraishis Rabbah 84) relates that when the brothers saw Yosef coming towards them before they sold him, they declared, “This one will lead them to the Ba’al (idolatry).” Similarly, Rashi (49:5) teaches that Shimon and Levi had “one plot against Shechem and Yosef.” Both were dangerous to the soul of the Jewish people. We see, then that the brothers did not harbor petty jealousy against Yosef and that Yaakov was not simply playing favorites. The issue was who the next leader of the Jewish people should be. Yaakov felt that it needed to be Yosef because of his unique physical qualities which could work in harmony with the spiritual. The brothers felt that those physical traits were dangerous to the developing soul of this young nation. To save the nation they were compelled to do the unthinkable and remove Yosef from the picture.
Let us now return to our original question at the start of this Parsha regarding the two descriptions of where Yaakov lived. Perhaps those two descriptions are capturing the focus of Yaakov as he settles down and needs to choose the next leader of the nation. On one hand, he saw himself as living “in the land where his father dwelt.” His father, Yitzchak, was a person focused on spiritually for most of his life. (In the previous essay we explained how this related to his attraction to Eisav.) Yaakov followed in his father’s ways as was indicated by the description of him as a “simple man who dwelt in tents.” However, Yaakov now had a second component to his being. He recognized that he lived “in the land of Canaan.” There was a physical world around him with the physical needs of the fledgling nation to tend to. Relationships needed to be forged with other nations. This required leadership and interpersonal skills. Yosef had the qualities which could lead the Jewish people in both “the land where his father dwelt” and “in the land of Canaan.” Thus, the opening verse is not simply repeating where Yaakov was geographically but, rather, it is giving us the background to understand his choice of Yosef to be the next leader of the Jewish people.
Yosef managed to maintain this difficult balance. He mastered the art of being a leader who could be involved with the outside world while maintaining his spirituality, as well. This is clearly indicated by the fact that he is the only ancestor of ours referred to as “the righteous one.” Perhaps the highest level of righteousness applies to an individual who manages to overcome natural inclinations that create spiritual challenges.
In today’s world many of us must face the challenge of striking the same kind of balance. We live in a very materialistic world and must regularly deal with the outside world on many levels. While Yosef might have been “righteous” and, therefore, found the perfect balance, how are we to find that delicate balance and insure our spiritual survival and growth despite our involvement in the material?
For our answer, we will turn to Chanukah which always falls in conjunction with the Parshiyos about Yosef. A major component of the Chanukah story is Greek culture which was the essence of the battle of Chanukah. There are conflicting sources regarding our tradition’s attitude towards Greece. On the one hand we have statements from our Sages equating Greece with “darkness.” (See Beraishis Rabbah 2:4 and 44) On the other hand, there are numerous sources which indicate a far more positive attitude towards Greek culture. The Mishna (Megilla 8b) teaches that a Sefer Torah can be written in either Hebrew or Greek. The Gemara (Sotah 49b) relates that in Israel one should speak either Hebrew or Greek. The Zohar (Shemos 237a) describes Greece as being a population “who are close to the path of emunah (true belief).” So, which is it? Is Greece “darkness” or do they somehow connect with true path and have light?
The answer is that there is real beauty in Greece and Greek culture. Their mastery over various aspects of the physical world is significant. However, the Torah has defined parameters for that significance. G-d proclaims in Parshas Noach (9:27) that “G-d gives beauty to Yefes,” (Yefes is the progenitor of Greece) but “and he will dwell in the tents of Shem.” That beauty only takes on meaning and significance when it is in the context of a G-d centered world as exemplified by the “tents of Shem.” The tendency is for physical beauty and man’s mastery over the world to drag people into a man-centered society and a world which champions the greatness of man. While we can be proud of our accomplishments, there is no real significance to anything that we do outside of the context of G-d. In fact, without G-d, we are in complete darkness and our achievements have no value. However, when channeled towards G-d and within the context of a G-d centered world, that darkness changes to light. It has been pointed out that if one takes the Hebrew word for Greece, “Yavan,” and places the letter “tzaddi” before it representing the merger of Greece and Torah, the new word spells “Tziyon,” which represents Israel.
Greece was darkness. Their society accomplished so much but it was all done in a man-centered culture which used these accomplishments to champion the greatness of man. However, they were very close to true light. Their beauty and creativity could proclaim the glory of G-d in a G-d-centered world. Thus, their language has a place in Jewish ritual and life.
The message for us is clear. The way for us to maintain a proper balance in our lives is to make sure that our own lives are G-d centered and not man centered. We must strive to make Torah study and observance the focal point of our existence and not something which we simply do on the side.
(An interesting note on this point: The Torah relates (46:28) that Yaakov sent Yehuda “Goshna,” to Goshen, when he and his family were on their way to Egypt. Our Sages teach that Yehuda was sent there to establish a religious and spiritual infrastructure in the city of Goshen. Yaakov understood that this was the key to their spiritual survival in the midst of Egyptian culture. Interestingly enough, commentaries point out that the word “Goshna” is spelled: “gimmel,” “shin,” “nun,” “hei” which are the same letters found on a dreidel outside of Israel. Perhaps we are to learn from Yaakov’s approach of “Goshna” that this is the method for our survival in the face of Greek-like cultures and influences.)
May all of us be inspired to learn from Yosef Hatzaddik. We can be people who function in the physical world. We can appreciate beauty and all of the creativity of the Greek societies in the world. However, we have to recognize that they are darkness. It is only with the light of Torah, as represented by our menoras, that we can maintain the proper balance and reach the greatest of heights by merging together the physical and spiritual worlds.
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Parshat Shavua (Vayeshev)
Chagim (Chanuka) |
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