All of Jacob: Not Just Memories
As we stand on the threshold of the “Messianic Age” we must be aware of our role as “Josephs” whose destiny it is to forge ahead into a new world. To accomplish this, we must be rooted in the past traditions of Judaism. We must also remember that nice memories of the past do not suffice to guarantee continuity for the future, we must take all of the past with us.
Joseph’s Oath
Jacob realizes his end is near and summons his son Joseph to his bedside.
“Swear to me,” Jacob says to Joseph, “that you will bury me in Cana’an.”
It is remarkable that Joseph’s commitment to Jacob that he would take him to Cana’an for burial did not suffice for Jacob. Only a solemn oath would keep Jacob’s mind at ease. How could it be, commentators ask in amazement, that Jacob did not trust Joseph? And if Joseph’s word was not reliable why would his oath be any better?
Rashi explains that Jacob was concerned that Joseph would be under immense pressure from Pharaoh to keep Jacob’s body in Egypt. Only when Joseph told Pharaoh that he was under a solemn oath to his father to take him out of Egypt, would Pharaoh allow it.
Every statement in the Torah was given to instruct us in our own lives. What lesson is there for modern times in the knowledge that Jacob asked not to be buried in Egypt, and that the oath, he demanded of him, was for Pharaoh’s sake?
Old versus New
Jacob represents the old tradition of Judaism. Joseph, which means “may he increase,” by contrast, refers to the new challenges that face the Jewish nation as they forge ahead.
Joseph thus embodies the increased insight and energy needed to meet the new challenges associated with changing times. New challenges demand increased vigor and more profound approaches.
As one faces challenges of the future (“Joseph”), one faces the danger of breaking away from the ideals of the past (“Jacob”). The need to preserve the past as we enter into the future is underscored in last week’s Parsha. When Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers, he exclaims, “I am Joseph, is my father still alive?”
Commentators ask why he asked if his father was still alive? Hadn’t he already been told by his brothers that Jacob was indeed alive?
Joseph, one might say, was referring to his role as the one who leads the Jewish nation into the future. “I am Joseph,”
was meant to convey that his soul’s purpose was to increase and innovate. But, Joseph also recognized that without his father Jacob’s values and inspiration, his role could not be realized. Thus Joseph declares, “I am Joseph, is my father alive?” Are my father’s ideals still alive and vibrant, then I am capable of being Joseph.
Joseph’s recognition that our ability to forge ahead hinges on our connection to the past, however, did not suffice. Jacob wanted Joseph to realize that he must not bury him in Egypt. It was not enough to merely glean some useful insights from Jacob’s life, and then bury him in Egypt, i.e., adapt Jacob’s ideals to that of Egypt. It does not suffice to select those aspects of our tradition that inspire us but leave the body of Judaism (Jacob) buried and lost in Egypt. We must carry the totality of Jacob with us, not just some nostalgic memories of him and that which he represents.
Pressure from Pharaoh
Jacob, however, realized that Joseph was under tremendous pressure from Pharaoh, the reigning fads and mores of Egypt, to bury Jacob there. Jacob therefore asked for an oath. An oath is one way of invoking greater Divine assistance in carrying out one’s commitments. Thus, Joseph’s oath represented an extra measure of Divine assistance he was given to cope with the influences and pressures of modernity, i.e., Pharaoh that enabled him to take the totality of Jacob out of Egypt We are the Josephs As we stand on the threshold of what our sages referred to as the “Messianic Age” or “the Redemption,” we must be aware of our role as “Josephs” whose destiny it is to forge ahead into a new world. To accomplish this, we must be rooted in the past traditions of Jacob-Judaism. We must also remember that nice memories of the past do not suffice to guarantee continuity for the future, we must take all of Jacob with us. Not one iota of Jacob’s ideals must be left behind and buried in Egypt.
And lest we become discouraged because of Pharaoh’s – read: modernity’s – overbearing influence over us, that tries to smother and bury Jacob, we should know that we were given special Divine assistance, symbolized by the oath administered by Jacob, that will give us the strength to preserver as we meet the new challenges of the Messianic Age.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayechi by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
