Destiny's Child
Parashat Vayigash ~ Genesis 44:18-47:27
In the movie Forest Gump, after Forest rescues Lt. Dan from near death on the battlefield, Lt. Dan yells at him because he was “cheated out of his destiny” to die in battle. In a memorable montage, the actor Gary Sinese (who plays Lt. Dan) portrays a relative of Lt. Dan who died in combat in every American war. It is funny to watch, as each soldier dies in the same position, obviously looking exactly as his earlier ancestor did, but Lt. Dan’s negative reaction to being alive points to the ingrained nature of family stories, and how we identify the “destiny” laden actions and behaviors of our ancestors.
As the intense action of the Joseph narrative nears its climax in this week’s portion of Vayigash, we are confronted yet again with repeated motifs of pre-destined decisions, and opportunities to right past wrongs, in spite of what destiny may demand. When the portion opens, Joseph has framed Benjamin by having his silver goblet placed in Ben’s sack. Like his mother Rachel before him, who had stolen her father’s household idols and hidden them away in her baggage, the apple does not fall far from the tree. The question is how the will the brothers respond? Will they abandon Benjamin like they did Joseph ostensibly because, as the favorite son of the favorite wife, the brothers resented him?
In what is considered the longest single speech in the Torah, brother Judah delivers a deeply moving speech, begging Joseph not to enslave Benjamin. The word vayigash and its root n-g-s is used when presenting a case, as if before a court. Although supposedly meant to be a plea for Benjamin’s life, the speech is really not about Benjamin but about Jacob. Fourteen times Judah utters the word avi, my father, and thirteen times Judah uses the word eved, meaning servant, and underscoring his humility before Joseph.
Twenty years earlier it was Judah who tried to save Joseph from death at the hands of his brothers, but he merely got Joseph out of their hair by selling him to the Ishmaelites. Now in this soliloquy, Judah pleads for Benjamin’s life, but more importantly, identifies himself as the one responsible for the ultimate outcome. Twenty years earlier Judah did not take his father’s feelings and grief over Joseph’s disappearance seriously, but now, it is all he can do not to remain silent about Jacob’s sure death at the loss of Benjamin as well.
Judah’s transformation is moving on its own accord. But what makes his repentance so remarkable is its impact on Joseph. The text says that Joseph could “no longer control himself” and he cried so loud that his sobs could be heard throughout Egypt. Judah begins the shattering of destined deception, and Joseph can’t hold on to the ruse any more either. Joseph seeks the light of reconciliation without the trickery that he also employed, as was his destiny following on the heels of the blind faith of Abraham, the blindness of Isaac in his old age, and the lack of vision of his father Jacob to keep the sibling rivalry at bay. Joseph even tells his brothers to not be quarrelsome on the way to get Jacob, because he is so clear about breaking the patterns of behavior.
Destiny may be about the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future. Or perhaps, destiny is the future we can imagine for ourselves when we take our lives into our own hands.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yael Ridberg
As the intense action of the Joseph narrative nears its climax in this week’s portion of Vayigash, we are confronted yet again with repeated motifs of pre-destined decisions, and opportunities to right past wrongs, in spite of what destiny may demand. When the portion opens, Joseph has framed Benjamin by having his silver goblet placed in Ben’s sack. Like his mother Rachel before him, who had stolen her father’s household idols and hidden them away in her baggage, the apple does not fall far from the tree. The question is how the will the brothers respond? Will they abandon Benjamin like they did Joseph ostensibly because, as the favorite son of the favorite wife, the brothers resented him?
In what is considered the longest single speech in the Torah, brother Judah delivers a deeply moving speech, begging Joseph not to enslave Benjamin. The word vayigash and its root n-g-s is used when presenting a case, as if before a court. Although supposedly meant to be a plea for Benjamin’s life, the speech is really not about Benjamin but about Jacob. Fourteen times Judah utters the word avi, my father, and thirteen times Judah uses the word eved, meaning servant, and underscoring his humility before Joseph.
Twenty years earlier it was Judah who tried to save Joseph from death at the hands of his brothers, but he merely got Joseph out of their hair by selling him to the Ishmaelites. Now in this soliloquy, Judah pleads for Benjamin’s life, but more importantly, identifies himself as the one responsible for the ultimate outcome. Twenty years earlier Judah did not take his father’s feelings and grief over Joseph’s disappearance seriously, but now, it is all he can do not to remain silent about Jacob’s sure death at the loss of Benjamin as well.
Judah’s transformation is moving on its own accord. But what makes his repentance so remarkable is its impact on Joseph. The text says that Joseph could “no longer control himself” and he cried so loud that his sobs could be heard throughout Egypt. Judah begins the shattering of destined deception, and Joseph can’t hold on to the ruse any more either. Joseph seeks the light of reconciliation without the trickery that he also employed, as was his destiny following on the heels of the blind faith of Abraham, the blindness of Isaac in his old age, and the lack of vision of his father Jacob to keep the sibling rivalry at bay. Joseph even tells his brothers to not be quarrelsome on the way to get Jacob, because he is so clear about breaking the patterns of behavior.
Destiny may be about the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future. Or perhaps, destiny is the future we can imagine for ourselves when we take our lives into our own hands.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yael Ridberg