Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Jacob/Israel and his family settling in Hebron. Joseph is his most beloved son, so he makes Joseph a special multi-colored coat, which sparks jealousy in the other brothers. Joseph then tells his brothers two of his dreams which foretell that he is destined to rule over them, increasing their envy and hatred toward him even more. Shimon and Levi plot to kill him, but Reuben suggests that they throw him into a pit instead, intending to come back later and save him. So, the brothers strip Joseph of his special coat and throw him into the pit. Later, Judah convinces the other brothers to sell him to a band of passing Ishmaelites. The brothers then smear Joseph’s special coat with the blood of a goat and show it to their father, misleading him to believe that his most beloved son was devoured by a wild beast.
The text then shifts to Judah, who marries and has three sons. The eldest, Er, marries a woman named Tamar, but then he dies. So, Tamar then marries the second son, Onan, but Onan also dies. Judah is reluctant for his third son, Shelah, to also marry Tamar, so she disguises herself as a prostitute and seduces Judah instead. Judah hears that his daughter-in-law has become pregnant and accuses her of harlotry, but when Tamar produces the personal objects he left with her as a pledge for payment, he publicly admits that he is the father. Tamar gives birth to twin sons, Peretz (an ancestor of King David) and Zerach. Joseph is taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, the minister in charge of Pharaoh’s slaughterhouses. God blesses everything Joseph does, and soon he is made overseer of all his master’s property. Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph, and when Joseph rejects her advances, she tells her husband that the Hebrew slave tried to force himself on her, and has him thrown into prison. Joseph gains the trust and admiration of his jailers, who appoint him to a position of authority over the other prisoners. During this time, Joseph meets Pharaoh’s chief butler and baker, who were both imprisoned for some offense. They tell Joseph about some disturbing dreams they have been having, which Joseph interprets: in three days, he tells them, the butler will be released and the baker hanged. Joseph asks the butler to intercede on his behalf with Pharaoh. When the predictions are fulfilled, the butler forgets all about Joseph and does nothing for him…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיִּרְא֣וּ אֶחָ֗יו כִּֽי־אֹת֞וֹ אָהַ֤ב אֲבִיהֶם֙ מִכׇּל־אֶחָ֔יו וַֽיִּשְׂנְא֖וּ אֹת֑וֹ When his brothers saw that their father loved him the most, they hated him… - Bereisheet (Genesis) 37:4, Parshat Vayeishev
Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev once saw a man hurrying down the street, bumping into things and knocking people over. The rabbi grabbed him and said, “Why are you rushing so?” “I’m running to make a living!” replied the man as he tried to break free from the rabbi’s grip. “But how do you know that your livelihood is in front of you?” argued the rabbi, “Perhaps it’s behind you, and all you have to do is slow down and let it catch up with you!”
In our rush to escape the discomfort of the present, our hurriedness can sabotage the arrival of a better future. The remedy for that impulse of aggressive hurriedness is twofold – Presence and Planning. “Presence” means intentionally being where we are; it means learning to rest awareness in the truth of the moment, even and especially when it is uncomfortable; this is meditation. “Planning” means living with intention; it means having a clear vision of where you are going. When you know where you’re going, you’re less likely to worry about the temporary discomfort of the moment; it just doesn’t matter that much. You have a long-term plan, so you can fully enjoy the journey and be present. In this way, even though “planning” is aimed at the future, it actually supports connection with the present. וַֽיִּשְׂנְא֖וּ אֹת֑וֹ – They hated him… Israel’s sons are jealous of Joseph for being the most beloved of their father. But instead of trying to appease his brothers, he chooses to irritate them. וַיַּחֲלֹ֤ם יוֹסֵף֙ חֲל֔וֹם וַיַּגֵּ֖ד לְאֶחָ֑יו וַיּוֹסִ֥פוּ ע֖וֹד שְׂנֹ֥א אֹתֽוֹ׃ – Joseph dreamt a dream that he told to his brothers, and their hatred of him increased even more… In Joseph’s first dream, he and his brothers are binding sheaves in a field together, when his brother’s sheaves bow to his sheaf. In the second dream, the sun, moon and eleven stars all bow down to him, implying that one day he would rule over his eleven brothers, father and mother. Why was Joseph unconcerned about upsetting his brothers with these dreams? Some say that Joseph was immature and vain, but people who are immature and vain tend to complain when bad things happen to them. Joseph, on the other hand, never complains. His brothers throw him into a pit and sell him into slavery. When he later rises to be the most trusted and powerful slave in the house of his master, he is framed and thrown in the dungeon. Through all of these calamities, he never once complains, never once gets angry, never even defends himself. Why? Because he trusts his “dreams” and he knows where he is going. Since he knows where he is going, he doesn’t have to fuss much about how he gets there. His brothers are mad at him? No big deal, it will work out. Sold into slavery? There’s an interesting turn. Everything that happens to him is merely a modulation of the present moment. Whatever it is, he is there with it. He sees his north star guiding him into the future, and therefore he is fully in the Now. In fact, his name embodies this quality: יוֹסֵף Yosef, which means “increase.” וַיּוֹסִ֥פוּ ע֖וֹד שְׂנֹ֥א אֹתֽוֹ׃ – Their hatred of him increased (יּוֹסִפוּ like יוֹסֵף) even more… No matter how much his suffering increases, he always bounces back and “increases” toward his goal. He is like cream – always rising to the top, never growing anxious or complaining. He just rides the story of his life, moving steadily toward his destiny. In this week of Shabbat Vayeishev, the Sabbath of Dwelling, let us remember that to be present, we don’t have to give up our dreams for the future. But, we don’t have to run after them either. Instead, let us rest in the intention of where our ship is going, trusting the process. Take the steps you need to actualize your intention, then trust and enjoy the cruise, even when the world seems to be against you. And, if you don’t know yet where you want to go, be present with the not knowing. In the silence of meditation, your dreams will reveal themselves. This quality commitment and persistence is embodied by the sefirah of Netzakh on the Tree of Life – the seventh sefirah which also corresponds to the festival of Hanukkah.
Read past teachings on Vayeishev HERE
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