Torah Portion
C ngregation Shaarey Zedek
Eugene & Marcia Applebaum
Controlling Our Instincts
Elevates Our Position
Jewish Parenting Center
4200 Walnut Lake Rd., WesfBloomfield
ER C
The human being, as a biological
entity, naturally must eat and drink to
survive. Thus, eating is the metaphor for
the physical, material nature of
mankind. The paradigm of sin is the
disobedience of Adam and Eve in the
"eating" of the forbidden fruit.
Man's biological nature, the nature
n this week's Torah portion, we
that man has in common with the ani-
have the famous selling of
Joseph into slavery by his own
mals, demands that he eats and drink.
On the other hand, man as an intellec-
brothers.
tual being who is capable of the spiri-
This sale, which ultimately brought
tual dimension of acknowledging the
the Jewish people to Egypt and slav-
existence of, and cultivating a relation-
ery, was actually not the brothers'
ship with, the divine requires him to
original intention. The verses describe
control, discipline and subli-
that at the outset, they had
mate his biological, animal
intended to murder Joseph
needs. This is the tension
but were dissuaded by
that is the human condition,
Reuben; instead they decided
the continuing struggle to
to leave him in a pit to die of
achieve the proper balanc(
exposure or starvation.
that thc Torah prescribes ,,)
Later in the Torah (Genesis
lead a sanctified life.
42:21), we have a guilt-ridden
The human being can
description of the event; the
become as an animal and
brothers "... saw the suffering
of his soul; when he pleaded
RABBI ELIEZER negate his intellectual and
spiritual dimension as did
with us and we did not lis-
COHEN
the brothers of Joseph and
ten." Here we are presented
Special to The
the worshippers of the gold-
with the brothers of Joseph
Jewish News
en calf. Esau sold his
plotting fratricide and, in
birthright for the "food he
fact, willingly (except for
needed" and, as the Torah says
Reuben and possibly Judah) carrying
out their intention to cause the death
(Genesis 25:34), "And he ate and
drank and denigrated his birthright."
of their brother and to lie to their
Even at the moment of sublime
fathers about the "disappearance."
attainment, many fail to maintain
The verses of the Torah describe their
the spiritual high of God's revelation,
behavior at the time of this monstrous
like those who saw the vision and yet
deed by saying simply (Genesis 37:25),
"And they sat down to eat bread." They
ate and drank.
Only Moses could say (Deuteronomy
have thrown their brother into a pit and
9:9,18), "I didn't eat bread or drink
left him to suffer and die, and they sit
water." For the rest of us, it is a continu-
down and eat with his cries and pleas
al challenge and struggle to sanctify and
ringing in their ears.
elevate our existence above the animalis-
This motif of eating without regard
tic. This may be the reason for the fasr
to the seriousness and gravity of the situ-
and physical abstinence of Yom
ation appears several times in the Torah.
as we attempt to elevate ourselves spiri-
At the very moment of the descent of
tually in our relationship with God and
the nation into the depths of idolatry
with the construction of the golden calf,
our fellow man.
". .. for man does not live by bread
the Torah tells us (Exodus 32:6), "... and
alone, but rather by all that comes from
the nation sat down to eat and to
the mouth of the Lord does man live.
drink." The nation that only days before
(Deuteronomy 8:3)
experienced the revelation at Mt. Sinai
has at this juncture abrogated its
covenant with the creator of all and at
this very same moment simply sits down
to eat and drink.
What mitzvot in the Torah limit
Similarly, the Torah describes an
what we may eat and our sexual
event of divine revelation to the elite of
activity? What does sanctity
the nation wherein they actually see
mean and how can we achieve it?
some kind of vision of God Himself;
How can our behavior toward
and yet, at this ultimate moment of
our fellow man reflect sanctity?
their perception of the divine, the Torah
What could possibly could justify
declares (Exodus 24:11), "And they are
the behavior of Joseph's brothers?
and drank."
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Detroit Jewish News
12/ 1 1
1998
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