VaYigash

Torah Fax

Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 5 Tevet, 5764

Torah Reading:  Vayigash (Genesis 44:18 - 47:27)
Candle Lighting Time: 4:21 PM
Shabbat Ends: 5:26 PM
Fast (1/4) begins: 6:08 AM
Fast ends: 5:15 AM   

Be All You Can Be

At the end of last week's Parshah, Joseph framed his brother Benjamin and claimed he had attempted to steal his goblet. Our Parshah begins with Judah demanding Benjamin's release in the strongest of terms - with total disregard for his own well being. In fact Judah gladly volunteered that he be taken prisoner in Benjamin's stead, arguing that he was older and stronger than Benjamin, and would thus be more beneficial for the Egyptian government than his younger brother.

Judah, who was the progenitor of the Jewish monarchs leading ultimately to Moshiach, set the tone for true Jewish leadership: total self effacing devotion to his people and his cause.

But Joseph was also destined to be the ancestor of kings that would rival the monarchs from the tribe of Judah. What was it about Joseph's behavior as leader of Egypt that served as a role model for all future leaders?

One of Joseph's most astounding qualities that can be culled from our Parshah is the fact that Joseph did not harbor any ill feelings towards his brothers. Despite the fact that his brothers sold him into slavery (after attempting to kill him!), Joseph showed no sign of jealousy toward his brothers. On the contrary, he displayed the highest level of love to them.

The rare combination of strength and firmness coupled with nobility of character is the hallmark of leadership that was displayed by Joseph.

But is Joseph a realistic role model? His seemingly superhuman ability not to bear a grudge - (even after his rise to power…) - seems like an unachievable goal for most of us. After all isn't the desire to take revenge a natural human feeling? How can we really not act on that emotion? Most importantly, isn't it important to be true to ourselves - how can we ignore one of our most base human instincts not to bear a grudge?

The answer lies in understanding what Judaism, and particularly Chassidism, says about human nature. Conventional wisdom sometimes claims that humans are ruled by their emotions. When one makes a mistake, one often excuses himself by saying, "well, I am only human."

But the Torah says that such an approach to human nature is inadequate. To zero in solely on our emotions is to ignore an entirely different and powerful part of the human makeup - the mind. Indeed, our mind is really the catalyst to develop and form our emotions in the most positive and constructive manner. As strong as human emotional tendencies may be, a person has the ability to control and develop those emotions with his intellect. True, we are born with certain personality traits, some positive and some less so, but we are also imbued with the ability to develop those strong points and refine the weak ones through our intellect - our recognition of what is good and constructive. And if we are to only live in the world of our emotions and our basic natural leanings, without considering the power our intellect has in developing those emotions - we are actually short changing those emotions. Such a person is not really being true to his whole "self."

To the extent that we succeed in growing and developing ourselves in this manner, we are called kings. The Hebrew word for king is Melech, which is an acronym for Moach, Lev and Kaved: brain, heart and liver. When our mind controls and guides our heart and our physical functions, we are kings. The few truly unique individuals who perfect themselves and are in total and absolute control of their emotions and desires are qualified to become actual kings in Israel.

Joseph was one such person. True, he was born with the base tendency to bear a grudge as we all are. But Joseph realized that, as a human being, he has the ability to grow, to graduate. If he was to simply accept the emotion of jealousy as a reality merely because he was born with it, without trying to curb or channel it - he wouldn't be true to himself. He would be ignoring the fact that we are given the G‑dly ability to change, develop and grow. Thus, Joseph worked on his emotion of jealousy and, being a perfect Tzaddik, successfully uprooted it from his heart. He was a true king.

Moshiach, we are told, will combine the leadership qualities of both Joseph and Judah. On the one hand he will be a selfless leader, devoted totally to the spiritual development of every Jew. In addition, he will be a person who has developed total mastery over his own character; he will never let his emotion control that which he knows intellectually to be wrong. Our sages also note that we each possess a small spark of Moshiach inside of us. By expressing our own Judah-like commitment to the welfare of others and the Joseph-like nobility of character, we create the environment most conducive for the immediate arrival of Moshiach.

Moshiach Matters

The prophets comprehended G‑d on such a deep level, they experienced an immense joy from being close to Him. When Moshiach comes, we will all attain that great level of prophecy and experience that great level of spiritual bliss. (Derech Mitzvosecha, Ha’manas Elokus)

For more info, visit www.moshiach.com

© 2001 - 2005 Chabad of the West Side