As I write this blog, I can still feel the emotional pull of the Holiday of Chanukah. In particular, I am always awed when lighting the Menorah and reciting הנרות הללו קדש הם ואין לנו רשות להשתמש בהם. With these words we are enjoined to remember that Holiness, קדושה, must not be dealt with indifference and light heartedness. If we do so, then our lives will, equally, become, experientially, without value.
These are times when we must approach life with reverence and with great sensitivity.
The act of Kedusha, more than ever, has to be present, specifically, in our family relationships. Too often, in our busy life schedule, family ends up as an afterthought.
This idea comes to mind, more seriously, as this week's Parsha, Vayigash, shines its light on the relationship between Yoseph and his brothers, specifically Yehudah who serves as the leader of the family. Yehudah returns home to his Father Yaakov with the good news that Yoseph is alive.
Let us tune into the conversation between Yehudah and Father Yaakov.
עוד יוסף חי וכי הוא מושל בכל ארץ מצרים
“Yoseph is alive and he is the ruler of Egypt."
ויפג לבו כי לא האמין להם "Jacobs heart remains cold, for he did not believe them."
The Torah continues to relate the following; When Yaakov sees the עגלות, the wagons that Yoseph sent to transport them to Egypt, the Spirit of Yaakov was revived. The question we all ask, "What did these wagons conjure up in his mind to believe that Yoseph was indeed alive?"
Rashi offers a moral and psychological insight into this question. He teaches us that the root of עגלה is a homonym, meaning two ideas, wagon, and heifer. The heifer reflects upon the Laws of עגלה ערופה, the ritual of the beheaded cow that he and Yoseph were discussing at their last meeting. It was Joseph's way of signaling to his father that he still remembers the last learning experience that they had together.
This law, in itself, is a very important lesson in life. At this ritual, the Torah states, "When a man was found slain near the town and the murderer was unknown, the leaders of the community were required to demonstrate mutual responsibility for this dastardly act.” They begin to realize that they should have been more concerned for the victims well being. They thought, "Perhaps we did not welcome him to our community and were not hospitable to him, resulting in his untimely death.” In a sense, it was an indirect self indictment of the leaders of the community. They were saying in essence, "We are guilty of not being concerned."
What a powerful lesson for the brothers. It was a lesson reminding them of their inappropriate behavior in the past and a need to act in the future with regard for the feelings of others, and to act with respect and with compassion to each other as well as to their father.
The hallmark of Kedusha is, "To live a life of empathy and concern."
This past Shabbat we intoned the Bircat Ha'Chodesh and uttered those magnificent and instructive words חברים כל ישראל. As Jews we must always be cognizant of the crucial idea, "We are and will always be a unified K'lal. A K'lal that emphasizes that as one unified people, we must always act as חברים, true friends who are loyal and compassionate and loving towards each other.
As we act with compassion to others we can pray to Hashem, רחם עלינו וקבל ברחמים את תפילתנו.
שבת שלום ומבורך
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