Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 7 Tevet, 5784
Parsha Va-Yiggash (Genesis 44:18 – 47:27)
Third Portion: Genesis 45:8 – 45:27

Good morning! We are now one full week into the month of Tevet – a month of Repair and Chaos. I’ve had quite a few conversations with friends about how there is a lot of chaos in our lives – much being revealed as the light of the moon this cycle increases.  We can trust and remember – this chaos is meant to repair. If we are stuck, the chaos will move us to make decisions we need to make to move us in the direction we want to go.  We can trust the chaos as much as the repair!

Let’s dig in. Joseph has just revealed himself. But he wasn’t finished. We left off with Joseph telling his brothers his purpose.  And to alleviate any guilt, he doesn’t see himself as a victim or the brothers as a villain – instead he turns us to Hashem:

8And now, you did not send me here, but God, and He made me a father to Pharaoh, a lord over all his household, and a ruler over the entire land of Egypt.

He tells his brothers – you did not do this to me. Hashem did. And not only did He allow me to be a slave in Egypt – he made me a father to Pharaoh.  Pharaoh comes to JOSEPH for advice! Joseph rules over Egypt.  That is all Hashem.

Joseph then turns and gives his brothers directions:

9Hasten and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘So said your son, Joseph: “God has made me a lord over all the Egyptians. Come down to me, do not tarry.

10And you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children and your grandchildren, and your flocks and your cattle and all that is yours.

11And I will sustain you there for there are still five years of famine lest you become impoverished, you and your household and all that is yours.” ‘

12And behold, your eyes see, as well as the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth speaking to you.

13And you shall tell my father [of] all my honor in Egypt and all that you have seen, and you shall hasten and bring my father down here.”

Joseph tells his brothers – “go get Dad. QUICKLY.” But his emotions got him:

14And he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

15And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and afterwards his brothers spoke with him.

Joseph wanted his dad there quickly AND did not waste the moment – he took the opportunity to embrace his brothers and speak with them. He embraced the moment. And he didn’t get ahead of himself.  He wanted his dad there quickly AND wanted to extend the moment.  That is a crucial take away from us. How often do we lose sight of a moment? Let’s keep going:

16And the voice was heard [in] Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come!” And it pleased Pharaoh and his servants.

17And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this load up your beasts and go, enter the land of Canaan.

18And take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and [you will] eat the fat of the land.’

19And you [Joseph] have been commanded [to tell them], ‘Do this: take yourselves wagons from the land of Egypt for your young children and for your wives, and you shall carry your father and come.

20And let your eye not be concerned about your utensils, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ “

Joseph’s boss, Pharoah (or is it Joseph’s son Pharaoh?) gets wind of the reunion. Pharaoh goes to Joseph and tells him – “I got you.” Not only will your brothers go in YOUR name – they will also go in MINE.

Think about this – it would be one thing to have Joseph’s brothers go to Jacob with what Jacob has said on his own. But to ALSO bring word of Pharaoh?  That would be cause for Jacob to know EXACTLY what was happening.  Because at this moment – Jacob had NO CLUE Joseph was even alive. Jacob may have been worried that he had ALSO lost Benjamin.  He was likely on the cusp of fear and anxiety. And. Without Jacob knowing it? Things were happening that were about to BLOW HIS MIND.

So. What is a take away for us?

How often – when we don’t know what’s going on, do we fear the worst.  Like Jacob, do we assume the sons go to Egypt and never return? Do we even given thought to the possibility they go to Egypt and bring word JOSEPH is alive? That was real in that moment.  In Jacob’s reality though, it wasn’t. There are multiple realities here.

And for us – what do we ASSUME about the realities we are unaware of? Do we assume the worst? Why? I know I often do. I often think when I am not in control, when I am scared, that things are working AGAINST me.  I never even give thought that they could all be working for me.  This is our work to do.  Seeing all outcomes – and recognizing that what we focus on might impact our reality.

Let’s keep going:

21And the sons of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons by Pharaoh’s orders, and he gave them provisions for the way.

22He gave them all, to each one [several] changes of clothes, and to Benjamin he gave three hundred [pieces of] silver and five changes of clothes.

23And to his father he sent the following: ten he donkeys carrying of the best of Egypt, and ten she donkeys carrying grain, bread, and [other] food, for his father for the way.

24And he sent off his brothers, and they went, and he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way.”

Joseph does something interesting here. First, he gives them Pharaoh’s provisions. He gave Benjamin a five times portion. And we can believe the brothers did NOT CARE at this point!

Then he sent 20 donkeys – 10 male, 10 female to his father.

Then he gave a piece of advice to the brothers.

To me? This is important because he starts with riches and ends with wisdom.  Advice. It’s worth a lot more than gold. Because if Jacob sees the brothers arguing – it may impact the message.  Ok – let’s finish:

25So they went up from Egypt, and they came to the land of Canaan, to their father, Jacob.

26And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive,” and [they told him] that he ruled over the entire land of Egypt, and his heart changed, for he did not believe them.

27And they told him all of Joseph’s words that he had said to them, and he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, and the spirit of their father Jacob was revived.

So – it’s interesting here – in verse 25, the Torah says “their father, Jacob.” So he is grounded in a reality and not connected to divinity it would seem.  And he goes through a process – he doesn’t believe them.  Until we come to the end of the verse – “the spirit of their father Jacob was revived.”  I wonder if this means we will see Israel tomorrow?

Jacob’s reality came crashing down. His anxieties and fears about Joseph and Benjamin were all energy that wasn’t geared towards reality.

Was Jacob deluded? No. He had data and did what he needed to with that data.  He now had new data – and was able to adapt to this new reality.

And that is the lesson – when we are stuck in a reality – how quickly can we see and adapt to data that reveals a different reality for us

Here are my thoughts from the past two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 3 Tevet, 5783

As I reflect on todays portion and the thoughts from a year ago, this stands out to me:

“It’s always good to keep in mind how even in a moment, our judgments of a situation do not extend beyond that moment; what may appear as a curse (Joseph in the pit being sold into slavery) may end up a blessing (Joseph being put in a position to save his family). And what may appear as a blessing (Joseph inviting Jacob to Egypt to thrive) may end up being a curse (The Jews being slaves in Egypt).”

We cannot worry about the long term future. We need to make judgments in the moment to trust in the process. To assert our sovereignty – to live in our giftings – and to trust things are working the way they are meant to.

We are meant to receive what our surroundings are offering us. When we resist, it leads to drained energy. But to embrace each moment and what it could mean brings life. Joseph did this his entire journey. Whether at home as a boy with his brothers, in the pit with scorpions and snakes, in Potiphar’s house, with Potiphar’s wife, in prison, and when released. He took the sovereignty he had and lived it.

We can do the same. It may be a risk, it may be scary, but it is all for our good.

Because even though the family of Jacob ends up becoming enslaved in Egypt; if that didn’t happen, there would be no need for Moses to arise and lead them out of Egypt.

It’s all interconnected. The only choice we have is to live in our spiritual freedom and liberation.

What are your thoughts?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Tevet 3, 5782

Todays portion begins with Joseph just having revealed himself to his brothers. The brothers must have been afraid of retribution given how powerful Joseph had become.

Joseph tells the brothers that Hashem is one directing things here. Hashem is the one who put Joseph in a position to save Jacob’s family from famine.

He tells the brothers to go to Jacob and let him know the Hashem has made Joseph a master over all the Egyptians, and that he should come to Egypt without delay. Jacob and his family are welcome to dwell in the land of Goshen, and Joseph will sustain Jacob and his family there.

Let’s pause for a moment. And even now; when it seems like Hashem is doing amazing good things, we also recognize that this is the beginning of the Jews being exiled in Egypt and eventually becoming slaves to Pharoah. It’s always good to keep in mind how even in a moment, our judgments of a situation do not extend beyond that moment; what may appear as a curse (Joseph in the pit being sold into slavery) may end up a blessing (Joseph being put in a position to save his family). And what may appear as a blessing (Joseph inviting Jacob to Egypt to thrive) may end up being a curse (The Jews being slaves in Egypt).

Our judgments of blessing and curses mean nothing in Hashem’s ultimate plan. We do have a choice to believe that everything is being worked out for our good (even being slaves in Egypt ended with the Jews being saved and led out of Egypt and being given the blessing of the Torah).

Joseph once again reminds the brothers; you can see for yourself that “I am Joseph” because (as the Talmud says) he is speaking to them in Hebrew, and he is circumcised.

He tells the brothers to go and bring Jacob; and tell Jacob everything that has happened. Joseph and Benjamin embrace and cry. Joseph embraces each of his brothers as well.

Pharaoh received news of the reunion and he was pleased by the news! He encourages Joseph by giving his brothers a lot of stuff to bring to their dad. Pharaoh tells Joseph he will give his family the land of Goshen and they will have the finest produce of the land!

Pharaoh also commands Joseph to send wagons for the families to be able to travel. Pharoah tells Joseph that his family doesn’t need to bring their possessions with them because he is giving them the finest of the land!

Let’s stop here. How amazing is it that Joseph has the support of his boss? Pharaoh could have taken this in a very different direction. But pharaoh (at least this pharaoh) was someone who valued family.

I’m thinking about the work we do, it’s a tough question to ask; do we have a boss who supports our family? Or do we have a boss who will sacrifice our family (like the next Pharaoh we meet)?

I’m chewing on how some of us may be living with a Pharoah who is asking us to sacrifice our first born (or other children) and some of us are living with a Pharaoh who tells our family to “come!” Or tells our family to “flourish!”

Remembering the lesson that today’s blessing may be tomorrow’s curse and today’s curse may be tomorrow’s blessing; how do we remind ourselves that it all works for our good?

Israel’s sons did what they were instructed to do. Joseph gave them wagons, provisions, and he went one step further; he gave them a set of clothes; with Benjamin receiving three hundred silver pieces and five sets of clothes.

He sends the brothers off and tells them not to argue on the way- because the past is over now.

The portion ends with the brothers reconnecting with Jacob; they tell Jacob what happened and that Joseph is alive. Jacob does not believe them. Jacob has known the brothers to lie before; but then they relay what Joseph said, and this included the content of the last discussion Joseph had with Jacob.

Jacob saw the wagons covered with provisions, and “the spirit of their father Jacob was revived.” The idea here is that when Joseph was sold, the prophetic inspiration left Jacob; and now it had returned.

Those are my thoughts for today; what are yours?