CROSSROADS

Reflecting on this week’s tragedy on the streets of New York suggests that our society is in trouble. A different set of priorities are needed to stem the tide of our societal maladies.

  George Orwell’s classic book 1984 is about an evil society.  He creates for the reader a frightening world where black is white, good is bad, evil is justified and the innocent one is guilty. Well “Hello”! I do not think 20014 is far off from Orwell’s 1984.

  Somehow, people believe that making nice to the tiger diminishes its’ appetite. We end up making the victim the bad guy, and the good guys who are working furiously to assure the safety of our country are the scapegoats for injustice.

  What a strange and dangerous world we live in!

  Permit me to share with you a story of the motorist who came to a busy intersection and could not decide how to proceed. The traffic lights turned from red to green to amber three times while he was trying to make up his mind. At last the traffic policeman came over to him and asked ‘What’s the matter Sir, don’t we have the color you like?” Is this dilemma a parable of life? Many of us find ourselves, repeatedly, at moral and ethical crossroads and sorrowfully we have lost our sense of direction.

  The question I pose to all of us, “How to proceed to reach our life’s destination successfully?”

   Our Torah reading this week, Pashas Vayigash, relates that after 22 years of separation, Joseph, finally, meets up with his brothers. They stood face to face and his brothers did not realize that the viceroy of Egypt was Joseph their brother whom they sold into slavery. Suddenly and unexpectedly they heard these frightening words.  אני יוסף אחיכם אשר מכרתם אתי מצרימה

   “I am Joseph your brother whom you have sold into slavery in Egypt”   

  What a day of Judgment, what a dramatic outcome! Mind you, Joseph did not rebuke or threaten his brothers.  He merely reminded them of what they did by saying, “I am Joseph your brother.  In spite of what you did, I am still your brother. But now I am not the helpless brother, but rather Joseph the Viceroy. G-d had different plans for me and you were merely the pawns of Hashem.”

  This truth stares the brothers in their faces.  This type of retribution can serve for greater feelings of admonition by Joseph  just looking at them,  resulting  in a more dramatic way for acts of Teshuvah,

   In a like manner, the truth stares us in the face, when evil rears its ugly head.  All we need is to have Joseph’s attitude, “ I am Joseph the messenger of G-d – remember who I am!” In our society we need to make a similar declaration;   “I am a man of G-d, I am a human being!  Remember me.!”  In this way we can change the course of the evil in our society.

   I implore The State of Israel to have this same attitude towards all of its enemies.  Let the dignitaries of the Israeli Government state, “Remember me?  I am Joseph.  I stand against all acts of terrorism.   Let the world not forget!  I am Joseph/I am the Jew who will not permit evil to exist in our country.”

  Remember well, “Hate spreads like a wild fire and makes no distinction when it strikes. It, sorrowfully, take the innocent along with everyone else.”

  Do not stand by idly when wrong and evil exists in our midst.  We need to state unequivocally, “I am Joseph your Brother! I am a messenger of G-d, a messenger of peace, security and brotherly love.

    May we continue to be inspired by the Holiday of Chanukah and may our lights of inspiration burn brightly in our hearts leading to an everlasting peace for humanity.