Rabbi Rachel Hersh
This week’s Torah portion is Vayeshev: Genesis 37:1 – 40:23.
This week, the Torah opens its curtain on a new act of Jacob’s life and introduces us to Joseph, his beloved son. Though the parasha mostly focuses on the beginnings of Joseph’s epic story, it begins with Jacob. Parashat Vayeshev is the bridge that connects father and son.
The Torah first describes Jacob as yoshev ohelim, a tent-dweller, in contrast to his brother Esav, who is more often found at the hunt. We imagine Jacob as a philosopher, someone who likes to stay home and think about things, not a man of action. But his personal trajectory forces him to engage outside of his comfort zone. The next two parashiyot — Vayetze/And he went out and Vayishlach/And he sent forth — show Jacob on the run, fleeing for his safety and the well-being of his expanding family. In both cases, he encounters God, first in a dream and then in the form of a “being” who comes to wrestle with him, ultimately bestowing him with the name Yisrael. Throughout these parashiyot, which tell Jacob’s story, our tent-dwelling philosopher must keep moving and make sense out of profoundly impactful and demanding encounters with God. With all this now behind him, he can finally settle down, sit down, rest. Or so we think, until the second sentence of the parasha and the introduction of Joseph.
Vayeshev, and he dwelt/resided, referring to Jacob: And Jacob dwelt in the land where his forebears had lived, the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph was 17 years old. (Genesis 37: 1-2)
It is an odd beginning since Joseph had 10 older brothers who are omitted here. With one swipe of the scribe’s quill, most of Joseph’s brothers are dismissed, leaving a spotlight on Joseph. And though Joseph is supposedly Jacob’s most beloved child, there is also an ominous suggestion of chaos coming to upend Jacob’s long-awaited peaceful retirement.
As the parasha continues, Jacob seems so intent on having his quiet that he sends Joseph to check on the older brothers and report back. This would be akin to a parent saying to a child, “go play in traffic and let me know how it goes.” The brothers detest Joseph for what they see as his arrogance and immaturity; they are jealous of his favored status. The Torah says the brothers are in Shechem, a Genesis landmark of extreme violence and family misfortune. Sending Joseph to meet his brothers in a place known for trauma and tragedy is no recipe for peace and tranquility.
Genesis Rabbah, an early midrash on the Torah, places the words of Job in Jacob’s mouth to express his distress at the upheaval in his life just when he looked forward to enjoying a quiet old age.
Rav Aha said: When the righteous … seek to live in tranquility in this world, the accuser comes and accuses them. He says: Is what is prepared for them in the World to Come not sufficient for them, that they seek to live in tranquility in this world? Know that it is so; Jacob, our patriarch, because he sought to live in tranquility in this world, was confronted by the accuser regarding Joseph.
By the end of the parasha, Jacob is in the depths of sorrow, believing that Joseph has died. We who know how the story unfolds can sit back and enjoy the journey. Ultimately, Jacob will live to see his sons united and his legacy secured. But for now, both his and Joseph’s lives will be filled with suffering and grief. Most of us know that life is like that: Even when we’ve “done everything right,” we can still find ourselves facing profound challenges.
Fortunately, our tradition has a treasure trove of practices to support us and our loved ones through our own seasons of pain. Our machzor reminds us that while we may not be able to rewrite the sometimes harsh decrees that govern our lives, we can always respond to others’ suffering with compassion, with generosity, with faith.
Rabbi Rachel Hersh is director of Jewish enrichment and engagement at JSSA.
