Torah Portion
Lessons From Solomon, Joseph
Show Value Of Self-Denial
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for the future or survival of their father's
now-favorite son?
When the brothers return to Joseph
with Benjamin, he still does not reveal
himself. He arranges another "test,"
now accusing Benjamin of stealing his
divining cup. They stake their lives on
the young boy's innocence, but the cup
he Haftorah for this
is found in Benjamin's sack; and so they
Shabbat tells of King
are all brought, onde again, to Joseph.
Solomon, whose wisdom
Judah pleads that they will not be
and insight help him settle
able to return to their father without
a dispute between two mothers.
Benjamin, whom Joseph now
Each had apparently given birth to a
intends to enslave. At this point,
child, but one of the infants died dur-
Joseph relents and tells his
ing the night. In the morning,
brothers who he really is.
each woman then claimed that
Why now?
the dead baby belonged to the
Rabbi Bulka reaches:
other. Solomon suggested
"Joseph wanted to embrace
splitting the surviving child in
his brothers, but he also
two, so that each mother
wanted to embrace brothers
could have half. One mother
that had renounced the folly
said nothing, almost in agree-
of their earlier years. He
ment
merit with the "solution;" but
wanted to be sure they had
the other, whom Solomon
repented of the evil that had
quickly realized was the real
been perpetrated on him.
RABBI
mother, insisted that the child
"Real teshuvah (repen-
NORMAN T.
be spared, even if it meant
tance)
is manifested in being
ROMAN
that she would lose it to her
placed
in exactly the same
Special to
opponent.
circumstances,
but this time
the Jewish News
The king saw that only an
transcending the impulse.
individual who is so commit-
Joseph, therefore, cleverly
ted to the future of a loved one would
arranged a series of circumstances
be willing to deny one's own interests,
through which the brothers would be
so that that loved one would live.
placed in the same situation as they
The tradition, of course; sees an alle-
once placed themselves."
gory in this story to the "splitting" of
In otlaerwords, Joseph was con-
the Jewish people into the northern and
vinced that the brothers were truly sorry
southern kingdoms after the Solomon's
for what they had done to him; and, in
death.
his personal revelation to them, he
The modern commentator Rabbi
assured them that he forgave their
Reuven Bulka teaches a different lesson
actions. The lesson he taught was
about the relevance of Solomon's intu-
through his own pain and self-denial —
ition. He connects the value of humani-
repressing for a while his strong desire
ty, which Solomon taught the mothers,
to embrace his family and see his father,
to the similar experience that Joseph
he demonstrated a higher lesson of
prepared for his brothers.
humanity.
When the sons of Jacob come to
As with the true mother in the story
Egypt because of the famine, they do
of King Solomon: the one who, even
not recognize their now-famous brother,
painfully, must deny his/her own happi-
but Joseph does recognize them. We
ness for a while, is often the one who
might expect, Bulka points out, that
teaches us the most about ourselves.
Joseph would run over to his family,
embrace them, inquire as to their well-
being and be immediately forgiving of
their sin in selling him into slavery.
Instead, Joseph accuses them of being
What kind of experiences or tests
spies!
do we set up to determine the
He throws Simeon into jail and chal-
honesty of another's requests for
lenges the remaining brothers to prove
forgiveness? If you were Joseph,
their innocence by bringing their
how would you have revealed
Youngest brother on their return trip. A
Yourselves to your brothers? If you
'dramatic, first test for the men: How
were one of the brothers, how
would they react to their responsibility
would you have convinced Joseph
of your teshuvah?
Norman T. Roman is rabbi at Temple
Shabbat Miketz:
Genesis 4 1: 1-44: 17;
I Kings 3:15-4:1.
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