Our lives unfold before us each day – we rarely know the impact of the choices we make or the actions we take until much later. It is frequently not until we are much older that we see the pattern or purpose of our lives.
So it is with Yosef. Our sages calle him Yosef Ha Tzaddik, or Joseph the Righteous. But he hardly seems righteous as we are introduced to him in this week’s Torah portion. He is the favored son of Jacob, the first son of his beloved, late wife Rachel. He is spoiled and arrogant.
But he is also an obedient son and trusting and naive regarding his brothers. Finally, he is a visionary, with insightful dreams that describe his destiny.
Like all of us, Yosef is a mass of contradictions, visionary and blind, trusting and arrogant. Beginning in this week’s Torah portion he suffers profoundly for his arrogance and blindness, when thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his brothers.
Over the course of his life he will grow through his suffering, with his weaknesses falling away and his strengths coming to the floor. In the end he will save Egypt and his family. Perhaps this is why he is called Yosef the Righteous, because he learns from his mistakes and grows throughout his life, consistently refining his character.
May we all follow the example of Joseph, learning from our mistakes and growing to be better people.
Vayeshev, Genesis 37:1-40:23, Parshat Ha Shavua for Shabbat, Saturday, November 27, 2021
November 26, 2021 by Dean Kertesz • Drashot
Our lives unfold before us each day – we rarely know the impact of the choices we make or the actions we take until much later. It is frequently not until we are much older that we see the pattern or purpose of our lives.
So it is with Yosef. Our sages calle him Yosef Ha Tzaddik, or Joseph the Righteous. But he hardly seems righteous as we are introduced to him in this week’s Torah portion. He is the favored son of Jacob, the first son of his beloved, late wife Rachel. He is spoiled and arrogant.
But he is also an obedient son and trusting and naive regarding his brothers. Finally, he is a visionary, with insightful dreams that describe his destiny.
Like all of us, Yosef is a mass of contradictions, visionary and blind, trusting and arrogant. Beginning in this week’s Torah portion he suffers profoundly for his arrogance and blindness, when thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his brothers.
Over the course of his life he will grow through his suffering, with his weaknesses falling away and his strengths coming to the floor. In the end he will save Egypt and his family. Perhaps this is why he is called Yosef the Righteous, because he learns from his mistakes and grows throughout his life, consistently refining his character.
May we all follow the example of Joseph, learning from our mistakes and growing to be better people.
~Rabbi Dean Kertesz