Go See How Your Brothers Are Doing

“Don’t judge a person until you are in his place.” And don’t underestimate the value and contribution of others who appear to us to be on a much lower level.

A Life and Death Clash

Joseph and his brothers, the 12 progenitors of the Jewish people, are in a life and death clash. A superficial reading of the text would indicate that it was petty jealousy and rivalry much like the internecine conflicts that have punctuated all of history. Obviously, as our Sages emphasize, the debates and division amongst the tribes reflected their different philosophical approaches to life in general and the course future Jewish life will take in particular.

Be that as it may, a deep and bitter resentment was harbored by his brothers towards Joseph, to the point that when he was sent by his father to see how his brothers were doing, they plotted to kill him.

What was Jacob Thinking?

The question one can ask is why did Jacob send Joseph to seek his brothers? Didn’t Jacob know that there was a serious feud brewing between them?

Moreover, when Joseph related his dreams that portended Joseph’s domination over them, Jacob tried to diffuse the situation be playing down the significance of the dreams. Why then did he not try to avert a catastrophe waiting to happen? Why was it so important to have Joseph go to see how his brothers were doing grazing their sheep in a city called Shechem?

Joseph’s Grooming

Joseph and his brothers had different philosophies of life. Joseph, according to the Talmud, judged his brothers very harshly for behavior that he felt was improper. To his brothers, Joseph’s attitude sounded smug and condescending. Joseph seemed to have placed himself on a pedestal because, in truth, he was closer to his father and his father’s teachings.

While his brothers were engaged in shepherding, Joseph spent most of his time studying with Jacob. In Joseph’s mind he was being groomed to be the heir of Jacob in the same manner that Jacob was groomed to be the heir of Isaac and Isaac the heir of Abraham. One can easily appreciate the concern and anger Joseph’s brothers must have felt upon realizing that they were being dispossessed of their role as heirs to the legacy of the Patriarchs.

A Leader of Leaders

In truth, Jacob never intended to deny Joseph’s brothers their role as the leaders of their respective tribes. His preference for Joseph was to be the leader of leaders, not a leader of blind followers.

So as a way of remedying the situation, Jacob asks Joseph to “Go now and see how your brothers are doing and how the sheep are doing and bring me back news.”

Jacob was not just interested in finding out how his sons and the sheep were doing. Jacob wanted Joseph to leave his insulated spiritual perch—living and learning with Jacob— and see how his brothers were doing.

From Joseph’s high vantage point, his brother’s position looked inferior and even wanting. Jacob thus wanted his son to go down to their level and view them from their vantage point.

Jacob actually wanted Joseph to see two things: First to get a closer look at his brothers; to see their qualities. Jacob wanted Joseph to recognize that each one of his brothers was a gem and possessed unique qualities that Joseph could not see from his ivory tower. He had to go away from his place and enter into their place.

The Sheep Metaphor

Second, Jacob wanted Joseph to see how the sheep were doing.

The Torah frequently uses sheep as a metaphor for the Jewish people. Jacob wanted Joseph to see how well they could take care of the needs of the Jewish people. And while there is only one Joseph, all of the brothers were destined to become the shepherds of the Jewish nation. The contributions of each and every one of the tribes to the molding and shaping of the future Jewish nation were indispensable.

“Don’t Judge a Person until You are in His Place.”

The obvious lesson is echoed in the words of Ethics of the Fathers: “Don’t judge a person until you are in his place.”

Furthermore, don’t underestimate the value and contribution of others who appear to us to be on a much lower level.

When we survey all of history, one could come to the conclusion that we are at the tail end of history in more than one sense. This perception can then lead to us questioning our own legitimacy and role in bringing the world closer to the Age of Redemption the Torah predicts will happen in the “end of days.”

Worthy of Redemption

The lesson we learn from this episode is that while from the top of the mountain everything below appears small and insignificant, when we get down to the valley we find how great everything really is.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (the first leader of the Chabad movement, whose anniversary of release from Czarist imprisonment we celebrate in the week of this Torah reading) describes the incredible virtue that even the most illiterate Jew possesses. Even the most alienated and assimilated Jews are capable of giving their lives for Judaism.

If we are being judged by others who, like Joseph, are on a very high level, Jacob—about whom the Talmud says never really died—tells the Josephs, the elites, to go down to our level and see us from our vantage point. He will then see that, contrary to appearances, all is well and we are eminently worthy of Redemption.

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayeishev by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.