Unsafe at MIT
8 min read
In this week’s Torah portion, we learn how spiritual potential can be activated to help us transcend our life’s circumstances. Converging plots and subplots intermingle like undercurrents beneath the sea’s surface. Free choice and Divine providence interact within a series of personal transformation. The unfolding drama underscores man’s continual struggle to rise above his own instincts. We experience the apex of what individuals can achieve throughout a lifetime of personal growth. We are shown how one’s character flaws can be transformed into merit and virtue. Throughout the narrative, we come to recognize how it is possible to alter our traits and reframe our perspectives. Yaakov and Yosef show us how to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Throughout the portion, Yosef toils to acquire the quality of genuine forgiveness. By seeing beyond his circumstances, Yosef comes to recognize their ultimate source. He was treated cruelly by his brothers and sold into slavery. Nevertheless, Yosef was able to perceive that everything was part of God’s Divine plan. In hindsight, he was able to discern the overall purpose for the events in his life.
In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, psychotherapist Victor Frankl recounts his incarceration during the Holocaust. He was held captive in a small windowless room. The distinguishing feature of this room was that attached to one wall was a lever that could be turned. Days and months passed by as the turning of the lever occupied Dr. Frankl’s hours. Finally, the day of his liberation arrived. Frankl emerged from his captivity to discover the startling truth—there was nothing outside his room. The lever on the wall was not connected to anything. All along, he had been toiling for no reason and for no purpose—for nothing! More than everything else he had suffered and endured, this shattering realization was more than he could bear. His suffering had served no purpose. His actions had no effect and were, therefore, meaningless. Dr. Victor Frankl totally broke down.
Man’s search for meaning is predicated on fulfilling a function that has some purpose. And so, it was because Yosef could clearly see God’s purpose and plan for him that he was able to overcome his circumstances. Ultimately, he became the second most important and powerful figure in all of Egypt. Yet Yosef did not become Yosef the tzaddik overnight.
The word tzaddik (righteous) contains within it the word tzedek, justice. A tzaddik is a person who overcomes life’s circumstances to reveal justice through their actions. Such an exalted title implies a transcendence beyond one’s instincts to produce a positive response, even when it would appear unwarranted.
Yosef’s transformation was a process. After 22-year separation, his brothers appear before him unexpectedly. They’ve traveled to Egypt because of famine and are requesting provisions. The brothers are unaware of Yosef’s identity, but he recognizes them. He understands their language (Hebrew), but he communicates with them through an interpreter. Yosef devises a series of tests to ascertain whether or not they have changed their ways. All the while, they think that he is an Egyptian leader, not their brother.
When Yosef couldn’t hold back anymore, he reveals his true identity. His brothers are in total shock! Even more amazing is the fact that Yosef does everything possible not to make them feel any guilt over their past misdeeds. He doesn’t mention a thing about the bitter years of enslavement and imprisonment he endured. How is such behavior possible? As Yosef examined and reexamined the chain of events that had transpired, he no longer viewed his brothers as the culpable perpetrators. Rather, he consoled them by remarking, “It was not you who sent me here, but God.” Strikingly, Yosef models not only genuine forgiveness, but even greater than that, transcendence. Looking beyond himself to perceive a greater plan, he saw the unity among all the fragmented pieces of his
life’s puzzle. By doing so, rather than remaining bitter and stuck in the past, Yosef was able to move on with equanimity. He overcame feelings of acrimony to embrace an all-encompassing wholeness and unity.
To the extent that we harbor hatred, jealousy, or insult over the past misdeeds of others against us, we are extending the initial pain which they caused us. Past afflictions are transported to the present moment, where their impact is compounded. Maligned by the initial offense, each reminder increases its impact exponentially. Dwelling on the mistreatments of the past only gives fuel to their negative effects. Doing so serves to maximize their power over us, while minimizing our own ability to control how we think and feel. Our perspectives can be limiting. By expanding our vantage point to see beyond ourselves, we can come to view an entire chain of events through a clear, not clouded, lens.
Yosef demonstrated this clarity of vision by stating to his brothers, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended evil toward me, but God intended it for good, to bring to pass what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Every action—both positive and negative—exists within a certain context. We define and give meaning to the words and behaviors of others in the context of how they affect us. How did his words make you feel? How did her behavior reflect upon your own self-worth? Often, the context we assign to experiences is really a projection of how we view ourselves. Being able to remove oneself from the picture can help one better see things as they really are. This is not a natural inclination. Yet with reflection, one will come to see that there is more to be perceived outside of ourselves. We alone do not occupy the entire picture. We are part of a far larger trajectory. Yosef came to fully understand this, and so can we.
The Talmud relates a story of Nachum of Gam Zu, who was known for stating, “Gam zu l’tovah—This is also for the best,” no matter what the circumstances. Within every negative situation, there exists a concealed good. It’s hidden beneath the surface, being activated like a fertile seed implanted beneath the ground. In time, both will emerge, fully revealed. God is the ultimate source and planter of seeds.
Use these insights to illuminate the dark places within your own life. Strive to view your challenges in life as opportunities through which to express the greater purpose that only you are meant to reveal.
Our patriarch Yaakov’s life was fraught with many travails. None is more striking than his response upon being reunited with his beloved son Yosef. Twenty-two bitter years had passed. Natural paternal instincts would necessitate a hug, a kiss, or some display of deep human emotion. Yet, what was Yaakov’s initial response upon seeing Yosef? He directed his response to God, reciting the words “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem echad—Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is one.” Yaakov expressed a profound realization. Indeed, the apex of love and joy that he was experiencing was ultimately coming from God. This was a defining moment. Yaakov bridged the gap between Heaven and Earth through a fusion of thought, word, and deed. Seizing this window of opportunity, Yaakov made an everlasting impression on the spiritual fabric of eternity.
Whether or not he realized or foresaw the impact of this spiritually charged moment is unknown, yet its message to future generations resonates for all time. Knowing that such an act can be achieved makes it possible for us to emulate Yaakov. He so masterfully modeled, for Jews across the generations, the sublime spiritual beauty of a transcendent moment. But first, you have to recognize it. Next, you must act upon that heightened awareness. Oftentimes, the greatest good we can perceive in our lives is accentuated because of having previously experienced its concealment. Darkness and light are but two expressions of one process—a process far greater than our initial awareness through which our vantage points and boundaries are expanded. We acquire a clarity of vision that previously was clouded and blurred. It’s at such moments that humanity gains access to its inner Divine potential.
Supremely righteous people utilize every opportunity and resource to connect to Hashem. The Maharal writes in Gur Aryeh that when Yaakov felt a surge of joy and love at the sight of his beloved son after a long and painful separation, he reflected on what Gpd had done for him and renewed his love of God through the recitation of Shema, which represents the acceptance of God’s sovereignty. That is what Yaakov did at this moment of supreme emotion and joy.
Herein lies a lesson for us as well. How often do we realize that we can serve God within our happiness and joy? When we rejoice with those we love, when we experience abundance, we should recite those ancient words—Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem echad. When you are in pain, the Shema will serve to remind you that darkness and light are intertwined.
