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he Torah has been likened
to an onion. In order to
comprehend it, one must
first apprehend it. This can
only be done one layer at a time.
What a marvelous analogy, a
clear vision of process. From it
flows the idea of patience, a
strengthening of our awareness
that there are no shortcuts to
anything.
As a composer, I have spent
many hours studying the master
works of all periods. In so doing,
a fundamental principal emerges:
The test of all great art is its in-
evitability. Be it music, painting,
sculpture or literature, all, at
some point involve their perceiv-
er in a journey possessing a point
of definite, unavoidable arrival.
This week's parsha, Vayigash,
is approaching the culmination
of the Joseph narrative that be-
gan three weeks ago with Vaya-
shev. It was there we established
the basically dysfunctional na-
ture of the relationship of Joseph
and his brothers. Indeed, it is this
dynamic that sets into motion the
events that bring about the one-
sided conversation that opens our
sedrah.
Without a detailed review, let
it suffice to say that Joseph, in
his brief adult life, has experi-
enced extreme oscillation of cir-
cumstance, from pit to palace,
from prisoner to prince. Inter-
estingly and ironically, Joseph
the dreamer is cast into a pit
while Joseph the interpreter ex-
periences great success.
Obviously, what we are re-
lentlessly moving toward is
Joseph's revelation of his true
identity to his brothers.
As Jackie Mason once said,
"Timing is everything." How
many times during the 20 years
must Joseph's brothers have
wondered what had become of
him. So, too, must he have pon-
dered their fate. Certainly he did,
especially in the preceding seven
years, in a position to reconnect
with them.
However, there is clearly, in
retrospect, a process that must
unfold. Joseph's brothers must
collectively and individually go
through a transition of growth, a
spiritual evolution. Joseph has
already matured. What remains
is for him to assess the degree of
change in his brothers. Only
then, at precisely the right time,
Craig Allen is rabbi of
Congregation Beit Kodesh.
Rabbi Craig Allen
can he reveal his true identity.
Sir Walter Scott once remarked
about this section of the narra-
tive that even though we know
what's coming, we are over-
whelmed with that inevitable
moment: "I am your brother
Joseph."
Ultimately, art mirrors life.
Just as Joseph reveals himself to
his brothers, God, the ultimate
artist, reveals Himself through
His Torah. Just as man is the
consummate manifestation of
God, all the more so are the cre-
ative products of man's mind.
That's what makes the Torah so
apprehensible. It is simultane-
ously both subjective and objec-
tive, man's artistic response to
God and God's mystical gift to
man. As such, it represents the
divine/human dialogue.
Moreover, it represents the
covenant, the relationship. Just
as God's love is unconditional, so,
too, is it inevitable. Consequent-
ly, Jewish history is goal cen-
tered. It has both direction and
distance.
One view of history sees it as
consisting of seasons. Conse-
quently, within this framework,
civilizations arise, peak, decline
and disappear. Another concept
views history as circular, a con-
stant recycling similar to the Hin-
du world view. Judaism fits
neither view but is redemptive,
ultimate and inevitable. There
may be circles and there may be
rises and falls within this para-
digm, but these are subtleties of
content, not form. The Mishna
tells us that "everything is known
but the option is given." What we
see is the philosophical tension